scholarly journals Psychological Electoral Neighbourhood Effects

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Ackland ◽  
Lee de-Wit ◽  
Jason Rentfrow ◽  
Andrés Gvirtz
Keyword(s):  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Causal Mechanism ◽  
Neighbourhood Effects ◽  
Right Wing Authoritarianism ◽  
Domestic Migration ◽  
Psychological Phenomena ◽  
Large N ◽  
Group A ◽  
Regression Design

Using combined data from the British Election Study, British Social Attitudes Survey, Census, and the Cambridge Personality and Social Dynamics Research Group, a preregistered large-n regression design demonstrates the continued presence of neighbourhood effects in British elections. In addition to conventional demographic approaches, neighbourhood effects of personality dimensions and ideological orientations are demonstrated. For example, living in an area high on Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) is positively associated with one's likelihood of voting Conservative, regardless of one's own RWA. These findings are consistent with models in which aggregate psychological phenomena influence individual decision making, either in elections, or in domestic migration preferences. The research furthers the integration of social psychological theory with electoral analysis, but further work is required to understand the causal mechanism behind neighbourhood effects.

scholarly journals Functional Neuroimaging and Psychology: What Have You Done for Me Lately?

2013 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 834-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph M. Moran ◽  
Jamil Zaki
Keyword(s):  
Functional Imaging ◽  
Brain Mapping ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Quarter Century ◽  
Psychological Phenomena ◽  
Neuroimaging Data ◽  
Subsequent Behavior ◽  
Reverse Inference

Functional imaging has become a primary tool in the study of human psychology but is not without its detractors. Although cognitive neuroscientists have made great strides in understanding the neural instantiation of countless cognitive processes, commentators have sometimes argued that functional imaging provides little or no utility for psychologists. And indeed, myriad studies over the last quarter century have employed the technique of brain mapping—identifying the neural correlates of various psychological phenomena—in ways that bear minimally on psychological theory. How can brain mapping be made more relevant to behavioral scientists broadly? Here, we describe three trends that increase precisely this relevance: (i) the use of neuroimaging data to adjudicate between competing psychological theories through forward inference, (ii) isolating neural markers of information processing steps to better understand complex tasks and psychological phenomena through probabilistic reverse inference, and (iii) using brain activity to predict subsequent behavior. Critically, these new approaches build on the extensive tradition of brain mapping, suggesting that efforts in this area—although not initially maximally relevant to psychology—can indeed be used in ways that constrain and advance psychological theory.

Whatever Happened to Information Theory in Psychology?

2003 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Duncan Luce
Keyword(s):  
Information Theory ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Psychological Phenomena ◽  
The 1950S

Although Shannon's information theory is alive and well in a number of fields, after an initial fad in psychology during the 1950s and 1960s it no longer is much of a factor, beyond the word bit, in psychological theory. The author discusses what seems to him (and others) to be the root causes of an actual incompatibility between information theory and the psychological phenomena to which it has been applied.

Correlates of Classroom Behavior Problems among Learning Disabled and Nondisabled Children in Mainstream Classes

1987 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 317-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
William N. Bender
Keyword(s):  
Behavior Problems ◽  
Problem Behavior ◽  
Problem Behaviors ◽  
Classroom Behavior ◽  
Learning Disabled ◽  
Personality Variable ◽  
Variable Model ◽  
Total Problem ◽  
Group A ◽  
Regression Design

A multiple-regression design was used to identify predictors of behavior problems among learning disabled (LD) and non-learning disabled (non-LD) children. The correlates of classroom behavior for groups of 40 LD and 40 non-LD students were identified from among various personality indicators including self-concept, temperament, and locus of control. Only 10 of 66 correlations for the LD group were significant; 30 correlations were significant for the non-LD group. One personality variable —reactivity—predicted total problem behavior for the LD group, yielding an R-square of .19. For the non-LD group, a two-variable model, including reactivity and social flexibility, predicted variance in total problem behavior, yielding an R-square of .60. Implications of the results are discussed stressing the need for additional research on correlates of problem behaviors in mainstream classes.

Nationalism and Human Rights

2018 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emir Yazici
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Empirical Test ◽  
Causal Mechanism ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
National Unity ◽  
National Interests ◽  
Political Actors ◽  
Large N ◽  
Core Elements ◽  
Civic Nationalism

Do nationalist political parties violate human rights more than others or are they the protectors of their people’s rights when they are in power? I argue that nationalist political actors have the duty of protecting national unity at any cost and prioritizing national interests over any other concerns. These goals jeopardize certain types of human rights. In contrast to the view that civic nationalism can be more benign compared with ethnic nationalism, I argue that they both have similar effects on human rights. However, democratic institutions can tame nationalism and limit its effects on human rights. I test my theory by using a large- N sample including forty-nine countries between 1981 and 2011, and supplement my findings with a short case study. The findings show that nationalism has negative effects on certain types of human rights only in partial democracies. This article contributes to the literature by presenting a causal mechanism relating the core elements of nationalism to human rights practices and providing the first large- N empirical test of this relationship. The findings of this article can help scholars, politicians, and citizens better understand a potentially dangerous consequence of the rise of nationalism around the world.

Avoiding “False Alarms” and “Misses” in Psychological Theory Building: Complementing the Principle of Parsimony With the Principle of Tentative Affirmation

2019 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 983-999
Author(s):  
Ulrich W. Weger
Keyword(s):  
Signal Detection ◽  
Signal Detection Theory ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Detection Theory ◽  
Theory Building ◽  
False Alarms ◽  
Thinking Style ◽  
Psychological Phenomena ◽  
Principle Of Parsimony

Scientific parsimony is a reliable safeguard against speculative or ideological theorizing. But it can also hamper the advent of novel ideas and advanced paradigms if misapplied within the context of a conservative thinking style. We illustrate how the principle of parsimony is ideally suited to reduce a particular type of errors—namely the premature acceptance of speculative theories. In a signal-detection framework, such errors are called “false alarms”; but signal detection theory also points to another category of errors—namely “misses,” that is, the failure to acknowledge a positively existing but elusive phenomenon. The methodological repertoire of our falsification-oriented science does not provide a similarly rigorous tool to avoid this caliber of errors. In this paper, we hence argue for introducing a complementary principle—that of tentative affirmation—to also reduce the risk of “misses.” We illustrate this latter principle using the example of conceptual, nonbiological facets of psychological phenomena. We propose a roadmap that consults both principles—parsimony and tentative affirmation—in tandem to help researchers shield their theories against one-sidedness.

Paranoid Cognition in Social Systems: Thinking and Acting in the Shadow of Doubt

1998 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 251-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roderick M. Kramer
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Organization ◽  
Systems Thinking ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
The Social ◽  
New Framework

Distrust and suspicion are common and recurring problems at all levels of social organization, ranging from the interpersonal to the collective. Unfortunately, our understanding of the origins and dynamics of such distrust and suspicion remains far from complete. A primary aim of this research, accordingly, was to articulate a new framework for conceptualizing a form of exaggerated distrust and suspicion termed paranoid social cognition. Drawing on recent psychological theory and research, this framework identifies the social cognitive underpinnings of paranoid cognitions. It also specifies some of the situational determinants of such cognition and elaborates on the psychological, behavioral, and social dynamics that sustain them.

Phase setting of circadian locomotor rhythm of infant rats

1987 ◽  
Vol 252 (2) ◽  
pp. R256-R261
Author(s):  
K. Honma ◽  
S. Honma ◽  
T. Shirakawa ◽  
T. Hiroshige
Keyword(s):  
Circadian Rhythm ◽  
Litter Size ◽  
Regression Line ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Locomotor Rhythm ◽  
Phase Reversal ◽  
Nursing Mother ◽  
Large N ◽  
Group A ◽  
Phase Setting

Postnatal phase setting of pup circadian rhythm by nursing mother was examined in rats by mother-pup exchange experiments. To know the effect of phase reversal of the nursing mother, pups were exchanged after birth so that a mother rat raised pups, half of which were born to her and the other half which came from a reversed mother, and activity onset and offset of pup locomotor rhythm were measured at weaning. Effects of litter size were also examined. Direct entrainment to light-dark cycles was excluded by blinding pups. In the unexchanged group, a strong positive correlation was detected between the phase of the circadian rhythm at weaning and the free-running period measured after weaning. The area covered by the 99% confidence interval of the regression line was used for the phase reference zone, and the circadian rhythm of an exchanged pup whose phase at weaning was located outside the reference zone was regarded as having been influenced by the nursing mother. The complete phase reversal occurred in two out of seven exchanged pups when litter size was relatively large (n = 5-7) and in 9 out of 11 when litter size was small (n = 2). It is concluded that the nursing mother rat is capable of phase setting the circadian locomotor rhythm of blinded pups. This maternal effect seems to be related to litter size.

scholarly journals The Power of Predictions: An Emerging Paradigm for Psychological Research

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 280-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Benjamin Hutchinson ◽  
Lisa Feldman Barrett
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
Psychological Phenomena ◽  
The Common ◽  
The Mind ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Predictive Processes ◽  
The Brain

In the last two decades, neuroscience studies have suggested that various psychological phenomena are produced by predictive processes in the brain. When considered together, these studies form a coherent, neurobiologically inspired program for guiding psychological research about the mind and behavior. In this article, we consider the common assumptions and hypotheses that unify an emerging framework and discuss the ramifications of such a framework, both for improving the replicability and robustness of psychological research and for renewing psychological theory by suggesting an alternative ontology of the human mind.

scholarly journals Reactions towards Asylum Seekers in the Netherlands: Associations with Right-wing Ideological Attitudes, Threat and Perceptions of Asylum Seekers as Legitimate and Economic

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Onraet ◽  
Alain Van Hiel ◽  
Barbara Valcke ◽  
Jasper Van Assche
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Social Dominance ◽  
Asylum Seekers ◽  
Home Country ◽  
Social Dominance Orientation ◽  
Right Wing ◽  
Right Wing Authoritarianism ◽  
Large N ◽  
Ideological Attitudes

Abstract The present study conducted in the Netherlands examines citizen's attitudes towards asylum seekers. We collected data in a large (N = 993) heterogeneous adult sample in November 2015, in the midst of the European “refugee crisis”. Our first aim was to map the reactions of citizens towards asylum seekers. Our second aim was to examine the role of right-wing ideological attitudes (i.e., Right-Wing Authoritarianism and Social Dominance Orientation) in explaining these reactions. With respect to the first research aim, it was revealed that, on average, our respondents were rather unwilling to help asylum seekers. Moreover, respondents were more welcoming towards legitimate asylum seekers (who are on the run from war and violence in their home country) compared to economic asylum seekers. With respect to the second research aim, we found that right-wing attitudes were related to stronger negative reactions towards asylum seekers. Moreover, individuals higher on right-wing ideological attitudes were more likely to perceive asylum seekers as being economic asylum seekers and less as legitimate asylum seekers, which related to stronger feelings of threat and ultimately, to more negative reactions towards asylum seekers.

scholarly journals Influence of psychosocial risk factors on the dynamics of indicators of temporomandibular disorders

2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 766-774
Author(s):  
O V Slesarev ◽  
I M Bayrikov ◽  
O S Kovshova ◽  
M V Komarova
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Pain Intensity ◽  
Temporomandibular Joint ◽  
Temporomandibular Disorders ◽  
Psychosocial Risk Factors ◽  
Wilcoxon Test ◽  
Psychosocial Risk ◽  
Psychological Phenomena ◽  
Group A ◽  
Group B

Aim. To analyze the influence of psychosocial risk factors on the dynamics of indicators characterizing temporomandibular disorders. Methods. 61 clinical cases of temporomandibular disorders with chronic pain were investigated (18 % of the total number of observations of temporomandibular disorders). Diagnostic criteria of temporomandibular disorders were used: axis II, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of temporomandibular joint. Interviewing method was used for clinical diagnosis of psychological phenomena and testing attitude to the disease, identifying communicative deviations according to R.C. Rogers (2002). Patients were divided into 2 groups: group A - patients with nociceptive pain, social adaptation is not disturbed; group B - patients with neuropathic pain, psychosomatization on the background of mental rigidity. In both groups, an identical treatment regimen was implemented for two years. Statistical processing of the obtained data was carried out using IBM SPSS 21 and included comparison of related groups by Friedman analysis and paired Wilcoxon test, comparison of independent groups by Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon criterion, and comparison of the qualitative features by contingency tables by Chi-square Pearson. Results. The radiological semiotics of temporomandibular joint in both groups is similar in the structure of nosology. At the beginning of the treatment cycle, the pain intensity and the temporomandibular index are similar. After 2 years of follow-up, patients in group A showed a significantly higher positive response to the therapy compared to patients in group B: pain intensity in group A was 15.36±2.53 and in group B - 37.32±3.45 (p<0.001); depression on the SCL-90-R scale - 0.29±0.04 and 1.12±0.12 (p<0.001), the degree of disability on the GCPS scale - 0.68±0.08 and 1.17±0.10 (p=0.001), temporomandibular index - 0.15±0.01 and 0.23±0.02 (p<0.001), respectively. Conclusion. In patients of group B, affective disorders form the psychosomatic structure of personality and affect the outcome of therapy. When formulating the final diagnosis and planning the treatment in patients with temporomandibular disorders, it is necessary to take into account the psychosocial characteristics of the patient.

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