Characteristics for 200 words rated by young and older adults: Age-dependent evaluations of German adjectives (AGE)

We describe the Age-Dependent Evaluations of German Adjectives (AGE). This database contains ratings for 200 German adjectives by young and older adults (general word-rating study) and graduate students (self-other relevance study). Words were rated on emotion-relevant (valence, arousal, and control) and memory-relevant (imagery) characteristics. In addition, adjectives were evaluated for self-relevance (Does this attribute describe you?), age relevance (Is this attribute typical for young or for older adults?), and self-other relevance (Is this attribute more relevant for the possessor or for other persons?). These ratings are included in the AGE database as a resource tool for experiments on word material. Our comparisons of young and older adults' evaluations revealed similarities but also significant mean-level differences for a large number of adjectives, especially on the valence dimension. This highlights the importance of age in the perception of emotional words. Data for all the words are archived at www.psychonomic.org/archiv

The spontaneous formation of stereotypes via cumulative cultural evolution

All people share knowledge of cultural stereotypes of social groups—but what are the origins of these stereotypes? We examined whether stereotypes form spontaneously as information is repeatedly passed from person to person. As information about novel social targets was passed down a chain of individuals, what initially began as a set of random associations evolved into a system that was simplified and categorically structured. Over time, novel stereotypes emerged that not only were increasingly learnable but also allowed generalizations to be made about previously unseen social targets. By illuminating how cognitive and social factors influence how stereotypes form and change, these findings show how stereotypes might naturally evolve or be manipulated

Reaching the Right People: Reflexive Practice to Support Effective Recruitment, Participation, and Engagement in Research With Communities Affected by Stigma

Recruiting participants to qualitative studies is often a challenge—reaching the right people, and the right people choosing to participate, is a primary consideration for researchers. For research on HIV, as a condition which continues to be stigmatized, this can be magnified. However, being part of the HIV voluntary sector and occupying a role of “HIV advocate” can provide routes to overcome this challenge. Using the example of the researcher’s transition from voluntary sector worker to academic PhD researcher, this article explores how recruitment can be facilitated by utilizing personal and professional networks and how, in turn, this can present new challenges in reaching participants who are not “research regulars,” who are experienced in participating in qualitative research. It further explores reflexive methodologies as applied to participatory research on HIV and aging as it affects women in the UK and asks how the roles of “advocate” and “researcher” complement and challenge one another. Reflexive practice and an analysis of the researcher’s motives and how this impacts on recruitment, participation, and dissemination are considered. A three-part approach to reflexively engaging with participants’ questions is put forward. This provides a new perspective on participatory approaches in relation to research recruitment specifically

Linking Possible Selves and Behavior: Do Domain-Specific Hopes and Fears Translate Into Daily Activities in Very Old Age?

We used time-sampling information from a subsample of the Berlin Aging Study (N = 83; M = 81.1 years) to investigate the link between possible selves in three domains (health, everyday cognition, and social relations) and performance of daily activities. In the domains of health and social relations, hoped-for selves were associated with higher probabilities of performing daily activities in those domains. There were no associations in the cognitive domain or between feared selves and activities. Individuals who engaged in hope-related activities reported concurrent higher positive affect and subsequently had a higher probability of survival over a 10-year period. These findings speak to important associations between beliefs about possible selves and activities in advanced old age and the value of considering associations between microlevel and macrolevel indicators of successful agin

How societal stereotypes might form and evolve via cumulative cultural evolution

The current article examines how societal stereotypes might form and evolve through a process of cumulative cultural evolution as social information is repeatedly passed from person to person. Social psychology research has done much to inform our understanding about the substantial influence stereotypes exert on us as individuals and on our society, yet comparatively little is known about how society's pools of stereotype knowledge form and how they evolve. Here, we review evidence that as social information is repeatedly passed from person to person, there is a continuous cycle of stereotype formation and evolution that is driven by constraints and biases in (a) observations of the social environment, (b) cognitive representations of the social environment, and (c) social transmissions of cognitive representations of the social environment. We suggest the reason stereotypes exist and persist is because they are perfectly adapted for human cognition and the reason they are perfectly adapted for human cognition is because they are the cumulative product of human cognition

Many mickles make a muckle : Evidence that gender stereotypes re-emerge spontaneously via cultural evolution

Peer reviewe

Improving Anchoring Vignette Methodology in Health Surveys with Image Vignettes

The anchoring vignette method is designed to improve comparisons across population groups and adjust for differential item functioning (DIF). Vignette questions are brief de­scriptions of hypothetical persons for respondents to rate. Although this method has been adopted widely in health surveys, there remain challenges. In particular, vignettes are com­plex, increasing survey time and respondent burden. Further, the assumptions underlying this method are often violated. To overcome such challenges, this paper introduces an inno­vative technique, namely image anchoring vignettes, conveying vignette information with varying health levels in images. We conducted a cross-cultural experimental study to ex­amine the performance of image and standard text vignettes in terms of response time, how well they satisfy the assumptions, and their DIF-adjusting quality using a confirmatory factor analysis. The study revealed that respondents can better differentiate the intensity levels of the three vignettes in the image vignette condition, compared to text vignettes. Response consistency assumption appears to be better satisfied for image vignettes than text vignettes. Using well-designed image vignettes greatly reduces survey time without losing the DIF-adjustment quality, indicating the potential of image vignettes to improve overall efficiencies of the anchoring vignette method. Improving vignette equivalence (i.e., minimizing different interpretations of vignettes by different groups), remains a challenge for both text and image vignettes. This study generates new insights into the design and use of image anchoring vignettes

Witnesses to Inspiration

Introductory essays by Jennifer Abod, Eve Oishi, and Holly Smith, the editors of a Special Issue of the Journal of International Women’s Studies dedicated to pioneering Black Lesbian Feminist scholar, activist, artist, teacher Angela Bowen, Ph.D. (1936-2018.) Also included is a piece by Lore/tta LeMaster, a former student of Bowen’s and M. Jacqui Alexander, a close friend and co-conspirator. These essays describe the authors’ personal and professional connections with Bowen and situate the special issue in relation to their fields of expertise, including International Women’s and Gender Studies and Black Archival Feminist Practice

Development and testing of business survey questionnaires: use of qualitative methods in national statistical institutes

Qualitative research methods are regarded as an important tool to develop and test survey questionnaires, as they provide useful information for identifying and understanding errors in the response process. However, little is known about how these methods are implemented in practice, especially in the context of establishment surveys. This paper aims to give more insight into whether and how statistical agencies use qualitative methods for the development of establishment survey questionnaires. The paper presents the results of an international survey of national statistical institutes. The survey addressed several aspects of the use of qualitative methods for developing establishment survey questionnaires, including sampling and recruitment procedures, methods for the collection and analysis of the data, and documentation of the results

Color-Coded Front-of-Pack Nutrition Labels—An Option for US Packaged Foods?

The implementation of a standardized front-of-pack-labelling (FoPL) scheme would likely be a useful tool for many consumers trying to improve the healthfulness of their diets. Our objective was to examine what the traffic light labelling scheme would look like if implemented in the US. Data were extracted from Label Insight’s Open Access branded food database in 2017. Nutrient levels and the proportion of products classified as “Red” (High), “Amber” (Medium) or “Green” (Low) in total fat, saturated fat, total sugar and sodium for food and beverage items were examined. The proportion of products in each category that had each possible combination of traffic light colors, and met the aggregate score for “healthy” was examined. Out of 175,198 products, >50% of all US packaged foods received a “Red” rating for total sugar and sodium. “Confectionery” had the highest mean total sugar (51.9 g/100 g) and “Meat and meat alternatives” the highest mean sodium (781 mg/100 g). The most common traffic light label combination was “Red” for total fat, saturated fat and sodium and “Green” for sugar. Only 30.1% of products were considered “healthy”. A wide variety (n = 80) of traffic light color combinations were observed. A color coded traffic light scheme appears to be an option for implementation across the US packaged food supply to support consumers in making healthier food choices