The relative efficacy of avoidant and nonavoidant coping strategies: A meta-analysis.

Conducted a series of meta-analyses, involving 43 studies, to ascertain whether there were systematic patterns in the empirical literature that described when attention strategies were more or less effective than avoidant strategies. Results of an overall analysis of studies providing tests of attention vs avoidance indicated little evidence for one strategy's superiority. However, supplementary analyses suggested there were boundary conditions that defined the relative efficacy of a specific strategy. Overall, avoidance was associated with more positive adaptation in the short-run. However, attention was superior to avoidance if the former involved a focus on sensory schemata rather than emotional processing. If attention involved an emotional interpretational set or no explicit set, then it was associated with more negative outcomes than avoidance. In terms of long-term outcomes, avoidance indicated better outcomes initially, but with time, attention was associated with more positive outcomes. A final set of analyses found that both attention and avoidance facilitated adaptation as compared with no instruction controls. The meta-analyses suggested the important role of interpretational set and whether one looks at the immediate or at the long-term effects of coping. (5 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A CMOS multiparameter biochemical microsensor with temperaturecontrol and signal interfacing

A fully integrated multiparameter microsensor chip is presented for continuous monitoring of concentrations of different blood gases (e.g., pH, PO₂, pCO₂), ions, and biomolecules, and for conductometric measurements. The chip can monitor up to seven different chemical substances depending on the membranes deposited on the sensor units (on-chip ion-sensitive field-effect transistors (ISFETs), amperometric and conductometric cell). The sensors, which are positioned in a flow channel, are surrounded by on-chip interfacing and processing electronics so that external readout goes via a simple data acquisition card. In addition, temperature control of the measured fluids and a onetime-use security check have been provided for proper operation. Fabrication was done in a standard 1.2-μm CMOS process to which extra postprocessing steps have been added for the chemical sensors and membranes. The chip operates at 5 V and the total die area is 25.7 mm². Full integration is obtained including the ISFETs and ISFET buffers, as well as a reference electrode structure, all integrated on the same chip in the same technology     

Brian Mullen (1955-2006).

Presents an obituary for Brian Mullen. In a field that values empirical precedent and established paradigms, Brian Mullen's career was one of passion and originality. He was motivated by pure intellectual curiosity; the recognition he received for his pioneering work in archival methodology, meta-analysis, and group processes and relations was secondary. His contributions to the field of social psychology were unique and will be enduring. His 1985 book with Robert Rosenthal, BASIC Meta-Analysis: Procedures and Programs, is a classic. In 2006, he was identified as the 15th most cited scholar in social psychology textbooks. Brian died of cancer on May 4, 2006. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential roles of neuroticism, extraversion, and event desirability for mood in daily life: An integrative model of top-down and bottom-up influences.

Top-down and bottom-up approaches were combined to assess the relative impact of extraversion, neuroticism, and daily events on daily mood. Ninety-six community-residing men completed diaries for 8 consecutive nights. Extraversion predicted positive mood, whereas neuroticism predicted positive and negative mood. Undesirable events predicted negative mood and, more modestly, positive mood. Desirable events predicted positive mood. Negative dispositional and situational factors play a larger role in daily positive affect than positive factors do in daily negative affect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relation between Type A behavior and chronic emotional distress: A meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis was conducted of studies examining the relation between Type A behavior and chronic emotional distress as measured by standard psychological scales. Aggregating across all studies, the average effect size was .27, indicating a positive association between Type A and chronic dysphoria; however, there was considerable variability in the size of the relation among studies. Partitioning by Type A measure revealed that Structured Interview-assessed Type A was unrelated to chronic dysphoric emotions; however, most of the self-report measures of Type A behavior were moderately correlated with upset. The Framingham Type A Scale and the Bortner Scale showed the strongest relations. Thus, contrary to the traditional view, Type A measured by self-report does have some emotional concomitants, although they are not in the pathological range. Also discussed are how the results bear on the proposal that the maladjusted personality confers coronary risk, the implications for reported associations between Type A and illness complaints, and for the study of the Type A as a social psychological construct. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Daily stress and the trajectory of mood: Spillover, response assimilation, contrast, and chronic negative affectivity.

Experience sampling methodology was used to examine the effects of current and prior problems on negative mood within and across days. 40 male community residents wore signal watches and kept diary records of problem occurrence and mood 8 times a day for 8 consecutive days. Trait negative affectivity (NA), prior mood, and concurrent stress were related to mood during the day. Mood in response to a current problem was worse if the prior time had been problem free than if the prior time had been stressful. High NA Ss were more reactive to concurrent stressors than were low NAs, but the effect was small. NA and current-day stress were the major influences of mood across days. High NAs were more distressed by current-day problems and recovered more slowly from problems of the preceding day. The benefits of conceptualizing the effects of daily stressors on mood in terms of spillover, response assimilation, habituation, and contrast are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Method Matters: Effects of Explicit Versus Implicit Social Comparisons on Activation, Behavior, and Self-Views.

The authors investigated the impact of explicit versus implicit social comparisons. Simply being primed with a superior or inferior standard (implicit comparison) produced contrast as evidenced by accessibility of self-knowledge (Study 2), intellectual performance (Study 3), and self-ratings (Study 4), inconsistent with the standard. However, when participants were explicitly asked to compare, increased accessibility of a similarity focus (Study 1) and self-knowledge, behavioral performance, and self-ratings congruent with the standard were obtained more easily, indicative of assimilation. Explicit comparisons produced assimilation when the self was seen as mutable (rather than immutable; Study 4), when behavioral consequences were measured immediately after the comparison (rather than later; Study 3), and when the participants described (rather than ranked) their intelligence (Study 5). These findings support the interpretation comparison model. Implications for resolution of empirical inconsistencies in the social comparison literature are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern and social facilitation.

Investigated the task performance of 120 Type A coronary-prone undergraduates relative to 120 Type B's (as determined by the Jenkins Activity Survey, Form T) in 3 types of social situations: alone, with a similarly performing coactor, or with a better performing coactor. Results indicate that Type A's performance on a simple task was facilitated by the presence of either a similar or superior coactor, whereas the presence of coactors impaired performance on a complex task. Type B's showed weak and nonsignificant facilitation effects that occurred only in the presence of similar coactors. Results are discussed in terms of (a) the Type A's concern about evaluation, achievement, and social comparison and (b) G. S. Sanders and R. S. Baron's (see record 1976-06212-001) distraction–conflict theory of social facilitation. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ability evaluation by proxy: Role of maximal performance and related attributes in social comparison.

Four experiments tested the effects of information about a proxy's related attributes and maximal effort in social comparisons of ability. In Study 1, a proxy's prior performance at maximal effort exerted systematic effects on participants' personal performance predictions for a novel task. When information about the proxy's effort was ambiguous (Study 2), information about related attribute similarity was used in the formulation of performance predictions. In Studies 3 and 4, 2-way interaction terms revealed that participants used related attribute information in generating performance predictions when the proxy's maximum effort was unknown. However, related attribute information was disregarded when proxy's maximum effort was unambiguous. Results were consistent with the proxy comparison model of ability self-evaluation (L. Wheeler et al, 1997). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)