On jealousy, envy, sex differences and temperament in humans and dogs

Cook, Prichard, Spivak, and Berns (2018) find that dogs’ levels of trait aggression are positively correlated with their amygdala activation when observing their caregivers giving a food to a fake dog. The authors conclude that this may provide neural evidence in dogs for the experience of jealousy, an emotion that some psychologists consider to be unique to humans. Here we explain the difference between the emotions of jealousy and envy, suggesting some ideas for future experiments that may help disentangle the experience of jealousy from that of envy in dogs. We also propose ideas for future research that may yield a more in-depth understanding of jealousy, and whether jealousy exists, in non-human animals

On jealousy, envy, sex differences and temperament in humans and dogs

Cook, Prichard, Spivak, and Berns (2018) find that dogs’ levels of trait aggression are positively correlated with their amygdala activation when observing their caregivers giving a food to a fake dog. The authors conclude that this may provide neural evidence in dogs for the experience of jealousy, an emotion that some psychologists consider to be unique to humans. Here we explain the difference between the emotions of jealousy and envy, suggesting some ideas for future experiments that may help disentangle the experience of jealousy from that of envy in dogs. We also propose ideas for future research that may yield a more in-depth understanding of jealousy, and whether jealousy exists, in non-human animals

Examining the “Just-us” League: A Heuristic Inquiry of African American Male Teachers in a Predominantly White School District

There is a continuing low number of Black male teachers in the public school system nationally and they are often employed in urban, low-income, high minority areas where students are considered most “at risk” (Ingersoll, May, & Collins, 2017). Some have argued that Black male teachers’ presence is a benefit in numerous ways (Irvine, 1988; Bristol, 2015). When a Black male teacher leaves a low-income school, their attrition is arguably more harrowing considering that Black male students in these areas often have lower achievement scores, higher dropout rates, higher disciplinary referrals, and higher special education demarcation than other ethnic groups. For this study, ten Black male content teachers, who left urban, disadvantaged school districts to teach at a more advantaged, predominantly White school district (PWSD), were interviewed. The aim of the study was to discover, among other things, why they left these disadvantaged districts to teach in a more affluent county. This study was completed using Heuristic Inquiry, a methodology that includes the experiences of participants as well as the transformation of the researcher during the study as evidence. Findings suggest that Black male teachers left their previous positions because of issues with the structure and climate of their previous schools seeking reprieve in a more academically nurturing environment. Findings also suggest that Black male teachers seek employment in schools within PWSDs that have the most diversity. Participants desired to be in these more diverse schools because of their commitment to their communities, their own experiences in school, and the desire to use these experiences to help other young Black males. All participants wanted to amplify their impact on students and the school culture by moving out of the classroom into a more administrative role. This study adds to the literature that addresses the attrition and migration of the few Black male content teachers in this country

Measuring Avoidance-Related Trait Anger: American and Polish Versions of the Avoidance Motivated Response to Anger Scale (AMRAS)

Anger is often associated with approach motivation, and most self-report scales measuring trait anger tap this approach orientation. However, some research has suggested that individuals occasionally experience anger and respond with avoidance motivation. This suggests that individuals may differ in chronic tendencies toward responding to anger with avoidance. The current research introduces a new self-report instrument, the Avoidance Motivated Response to Anger Scale, designed to assess this trait. We report findings of four studies conducted with American and Polish individuals. The studies provide evidence of the scale’s internal consistency, test–retest reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity

Further examinations of attitudes toward discrete emotions, with a focus on attitudes toward anger

The present research aimed to better understand individual differences in attitudes towards emotions with a focus on anger. We report findings of four studies conducted with American and Polish individuals. Results showed that individuals who have more positive attitudes toward anger are higher in trait anger (Studies 1–4), are more likely to think about getting revenge (Study 1), and expect that getting revenge will make them feel good (Studies 1–2). In addition, these individuals are lower in agreeableness and lower in the tendency to engage in avoidance when angered (Studies 1–4). They score lower in humility (Studies 3–4), lower in secure romantic attachment but higher in anxious and avoidance attachment (Study 3). Finally, they are more likely to believe a wide range of conspiracies (Studies 2–4). Discussion focuses on the implications of these results

An evaluation of the utilization of remote sensing in resource and environmental management of the Chesapeake Bay region

A nine-month study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of the NASA Wallops Chesapeake Bay Ecological Program in remote sensing. The study consisted of a follow-up investigation and information analysis of actual cases in which remote sensing was utilized by management and research personnel in the Chesapeake Bay region. The study concludes that the NASA Wallops Chesapeake Bay Ecological Program is effective, both in terms of costs and performance

Anomalous organic magnetoresistance from competing carrier-spin-dependent interactions with localized electronic and nuclear spins

We describe a new regime for low-field magnetoresistance in organic semiconductors, in which the spin-relaxing effects of localized nuclear spins and electronic spins interfere. The regime is studied by the controlled addition of localized electronic spins to a material that exhibits substantial room-temperature magnetoresistance ($\sim 20$\%). Although initially the magnetoresistance is suppressed by the doping, at intermediate doping there is a regime where the magnetoresistance is insensitive to the doping level. For much greater doping concentrations the magnetoresistance is fully suppressed. The behavior is described within a theoretical model describing the effect of carrier spin dynamics on the current

Neural correlates of cognitive dissonance and choice-induced preference change

According to many modern economic theories, actions simply reflect an individual's preferences, whereas a psychological phenomenon called “cognitive dissonance” claims that actions can also create preference. Cognitive dissonance theory states that after making a difficult choice between two equally preferred items, the act of rejecting a favorite item induces an uncomfortable feeling (cognitive dissonance), which in turn motivates individuals to change their preferences to match their prior decision (i.e., reducing preference for rejected items). Recently, however, Chen and Risen [Chen K, Risen J (2010) J Pers Soc Psychol 99:573–594] pointed out a serious methodological problem, which casts a doubt on the very existence of this choice-induced preference change as studied over the past 50 y. Here, using a proper control condition and two measures of preferences (self-report and brain activity), we found that the mere act of making a choice can change self-report preference as well as its neural representation (i.e., striatum activity), thus providing strong evidence for choice-induced preference change. Furthermore, our data indicate that the anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex tracked the degree of cognitive dissonance on a trial-by-trial basis. Our findings provide important insights into the neural basis of how actions can alter an individual's preferences