Competencia y desarrollo social y de la personalidad: algunas

Careful consideration of the evolutionary implications of competition and cooperation has significant repercussions for social dominance in humans across the life span. For example, two broad and phenomenologically distinct classes of resource control strategy appear to emerge in early childhood and persist through adulthood; namely, prosocial and coercive. Though these behavior classes are traditionally considered to be opposites in (non-evolutionary) psychology, they may ultimately function similarly. The present paper summarizes a novel theory of social dominance, exemplifies its utility by sketching an empirical program of research on children and adolescents, and reviews possible implications for traditional views of child behavior. Keywords: social dominance, evolution, aggression, peer relationships, personality.Una valoración cuidadosa de las implicaciones evolucionistas de la competencia y la cooperación tiene importantes repercusiones en el análisis de los procesos de dominancia social entre seres humanos a lo largo del ciclo vital. Por ejemplo, dos grandes estrategias para el control de recursos, aparentemente distintas, parecen surgir durante la infancia temprana y persistir a lo largo de la vida adulta; concretamente, la prosocial y la coercitiva. Aunque estos dos tipos de comportamiento se han considerado tradicionalmente como opuestos en psicología (no-evolucionista), pueden estar desempeñando, en última instancia, una función parecida. En este artículo, se presenta un resumen de una nueva teoría de la dominancia social, se ejemplifica su utilidad esbozando un programa de investigación con niños y adolescentes, y se revisan sus posibles implicaciones para una concepción clásica del comportamiento infantil. Palabras clave: dominancia social, evolución, agresión, relaciones entre iguales, personalidad

Prosocial and Coercive Configurations of Resource Control in Early Adolescence: A Case for the Well-Adapted Machiavellian

Self- and other-reported characteristics of children who varied in their use of coercive (aggressive) and prosocial (cooperative) strategies of resource control were studied in a sample of over 1,700 children. Based on self-reported use of coercive and prosocial strategies of resource control, the children were categorized as bistrategic controllers (Machiavellians), coercive controllers, prosocial controllers, noncontrollers, or typicals. Self-reported positive characteristics (e.g., agreeableness), negative characteristics (e.g., hostility), and self-assessments (e.g., social self-concept) were measured as well as peer ratings of aggression and peer regard (e.g., likability, popularity) and teacher ratings of agreeableness, aggression, and social acceptance. As hypothesized, the subtypes differed across these variables in predictable ways. Specifically, Machiavellians (i.e., those using both strategies of resource control) emerged as possessing positive and negative characteristics and, despite their aggression, Machiavellians were socially central, liked by peers, socially skilled, and well adjusted. The utility of an evolutionary perspective to resource control and social competence is discussed as an additional model of aggression

Competencia y desarrollo social y de la personalidad: algunas

Careful consideration of the evolutionary implications of competition and cooperation has significant repercussions for social dominance in humans across the life span. For example, two broad and phenomenologically distinct classes of resource control strategy appear to emerge in early childhood and persist through adulthood; namely, prosocial and coercive. Though these behavior classes are traditionally considered to be opposites in (non-evolutionary) psychology, they may ultimately function similarly. The present paper summarizes a novel theory of social dominance, exemplifies its utility by sketching an empirical program of research on children and adolescents, and reviews possible implications for traditional views of child behavior. Keywords: social dominance, evolution, aggression, peer relationships, personality.Una valoración cuidadosa de las implicaciones evolucionistas de la competencia y la cooperación tiene importantes repercusiones en el análisis de los procesos de dominancia social entre seres humanos a lo largo del ciclo vital. Por ejemplo, dos grandes estrategias para el control de recursos, aparentemente distintas, parecen surgir durante la infancia temprana y persistir a lo largo de la vida adulta; concretamente, la prosocial y la coercitiva. Aunque estos dos tipos de comportamiento se han considerado tradicionalmente como opuestos en psicología (no-evolucionista), pueden estar desempeñando, en última instancia, una función parecida. En este artículo, se presenta un resumen de una nueva teoría de la dominancia social, se ejemplifica su utilidad esbozando un programa de investigación con niños y adolescentes, y se revisan sus posibles implicaciones para una concepción clásica del comportamiento infantil.Palabras clave: dominancia social, evolución, agresión, relaciones entre iguales, personalidad

Evolutionary attitudes and literacy survey (EALS): Development and validation of a short form

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12052-012-0429-7.The Evolutionary Attitudes and Literacy Survey (EALS) is a multidimensional scale consisting of 16 lower- and 6 higher-order constructs developed to measure the wide array of factors that influence both an individual’s endorsement of and objection to evolutionary theory. Past research has demonstrated the validity and utility of the EALS (Hawley et al., Evol Educ Outreach 4:117–132, 2011); however, the 104-item long-form scale may be excessive for researchers and educators. The present study sought to reduce the number of items in the EALS while maintaining the validity and structure of the long form. For the present study, and following best practices for short-form construction, we surveyed a new sample of several hundred undergraduates from multiple majors and reduced the long form by 40% while maintaining the scale structure and validity. A multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis supported strong factorial invariance across samples, and therefore verified structure and pattern between the six higher-order constructs of the long-form EALS and the EALS short form (EALS-SF). Regression analysis further demonstrated the short form’s validity (i.e., demographics and openness to experience) and replicated previous findings. In the end, the EALS-SF may be a versatile tool that may be used whole or in part for a variety of research areas, including curricular effectiveness of courses on evolution and/or biology

Evolutionary Attitudes and Literacy Survey (EALS): Development and Validation of a Short Form

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12052-012-0429-7.The Evolutionary Attitudes and Literacy Survey (EALS) is a multidimensional scale consisting of 16 lower- and 6 higher-order constructs developed to measure the wide array of factors that influence both an individual’s endorsement of and objection to evolutionary theory. Past research has demonstrated the validity and utility of the EALS (Hawley et al., Evol Educ Outreach 4:117–132, 2011); however, the 104-item long-form scale may be excessive for researchers and educators. The present study sought to reduce the number of items in the EALS while maintaining the validity and structure of the long form. For the present study, and following best practices for short-form construction, we surveyed a new sample of several hundred undergraduates from multiple majors and reduced the long form by 40% while maintaining the scale structure and validity. A multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis supported strong factorial invariance across samples, and therefore verified structure and pattern between the six higher-order constructs of the long-form EALS and the EALS short form (EALS-SF). Regression analysis further demonstrated the short form’s validity (i.e., demographics and openness to experience) and replicated previous findings. In the end, the EALS-SF may be a versatile tool that may be used whole or in part for a variety of research areas, including curricular effectiveness of courses on evolution and/or biology

What's the Matter with Kansas?: The Development and Confirmation of the Evolutionary Attitudes and Literacy Survey (EALS)

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12052-010-0294-1.The present survey was designed to assess predominant regional belief systems and the roles these beliefs play in science understanding and attitudes, and curricular effectiveness in colleges and universities. To this end, we created a wide variety of theory-driven subscales (lower order factors) reflecting, for example, exposure to evolutionary material, young earth creationist beliefs, moral and social objections, political ideology, endorsement of intelligent design fallacies, knowledge (and distrust) of the scientific enterprise, and attitudes of evolutionary theory’s relevance in several domains (e.g., sciences and humanities). We also included potentially important demographic variables (e.g., rural upbringing, family size). Finally, we assessed openness to experience, a key facet of personality. Hierarchical Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis showed the 16 constructs to have a theoretically meaningful and quantitatively coherent higher order factor structure. In this large Kansas sample of university students, creationist reasoning and conservative orientation (political and religious) were negatively associated with exposure to evolutionary theory, knowledge about it, and positive attitudes toward its relevance. At the same time, exposure to the theory was positively associated with knowledge and positive attitudes. Importantly, though most Kansas-specific demographic variables (e.g., rural origins) were largely unrelated to outcomes of interest in this university-based sample, the personality factor openness to experience appears to be highly relevant for several higher order factors (e.g., exposure, knowledge and relevance, and creationist reasoning). We close with implications for educators and the next steps in survey development

What's the Matter with Kansas?: The Development and Confirmation of the Evolutionary Attitudes and Literacy Survey (EALS)

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12052-010-0294-1.The present survey was designed to assess predominant regional belief systems and the roles these beliefs play in science understanding and attitudes, and curricular effectiveness in colleges and universities. To this end, we created a wide variety of theory-driven subscales (lower order factors) reflecting, for example, exposure to evolutionary material, young earth creationist beliefs, moral and social objections, political ideology, endorsement of intelligent design fallacies, knowledge (and distrust) of the scientific enterprise, and attitudes of evolutionary theory’s relevance in several domains (e.g., sciences and humanities). We also included potentially important demographic variables (e.g., rural upbringing, family size). Finally, we assessed openness to experience, a key facet of personality. Hierarchical Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis showed the 16 constructs to have a theoretically meaningful and quantitatively coherent higher order factor structure. In this large Kansas sample of university students, creationist reasoning and conservative orientation (political and religious) were negatively associated with exposure to evolutionary theory, knowledge about it, and positive attitudes toward its relevance. At the same time, exposure to the theory was positively associated with knowledge and positive attitudes. Importantly, though most Kansas-specific demographic variables (e.g., rural origins) were largely unrelated to outcomes of interest in this university-based sample, the personality factor openness to experience appears to be highly relevant for several higher order factors (e.g., exposure, knowledge and relevance, and creationist reasoning). We close with implications for educators and the next steps in survey development

Every Day a New Discovery: Share History

This project aims to strengthen the sense of community and shared identity within VCU through a historical understanding of the interconnectedness of the formerly standalone institutions (i.e., the Medical College of Virginia and the Richmond Professional Institute). Additionally, it will seek to cultivate a sense of pride and greater esteem for our community by facilitating knowledge of the significant contributions to innovation that were developed at VCU

The Upsides and Downsides of the Dark Side: A Longitudinal Study Into the Role of Prosocial and Antisocial Strategies in Close Friendship Formation

Resource control theory (RCT) posits that both antisocial and prosocial behaviors combine in unique ways to control resources such as friendships. We assessed students (N = 2,803; 49.7% male) yearly from junior (grades 8–10) to senior high school (11–12) on antisocial (A) and prosocial (P) behavior, peer nominated friendship, and well-being. Non-parametric cluster analyses of the joint trajectories of A and P identified four stable profiles: non-strategic (moderately low A and P), bi-strategic (moderately high on A and P), prosocial (moderately low A and moderately high on P), and antisocial (moderately low on P, and very high on A). There were clear benefits to youth using bi-strategic strategies in junior high: they attracted relatively high levels of opposite sex friendship nominations. However, this benefit disappeared in senior high. There were also clear costs: bi-strategic youth experienced relatively low well-being, and this effect was significantly more pronounced for females than males. Prosocial youth were the only ones who maintained both high friendship numbers and high well-being throughout high school. We discuss the cost/benefit trade-offs of different resource control strategies