"Appearance potent"? A content analysis of UK gay and straight men's magazines.

With little actual appraisal, a more 'appearance potent' (i.e., a reverence for appearance ideals) subculture has been used to explain gay men's greater body dissatisfaction in comparison to straight men's. This study sought to assess the respective appearance potency of each subculture by a content analysis of 32 issues of the most read gay (Attitude, Gay Times) and straight men's magazines (Men's Health, FHM) in the UK. Images of men and women were coded for their physical characteristics, objectification and nudity, as were the number of appearance adverts and articles. The gay men's magazines featured more images of men that were appearance ideal, nude and sexualized than the straight men's magazines. The converse was true for the images of women and appearance adverts. Although more research is needed to understand the effect of this content on the viewer, the findings are consistent with a more appearance potent gay male subculture

Media internalization and conformity to traditional masculine norms in relation to body image concerns among men

Previous studies have separately examined conformity to masculine norms and internalization of body ideals in the media in relation to the drive for muscularity (DM). This study was designed to examine these factors together in relation to DM, and further examine how they may differ in relation to drive for thinness (DT) and drive for leanness (DL). Participants were 284 Australian males between ages 18 to 42. They completed validated measures that assessed DM, DT, DL, male gender role norms, and internalization of body ideals. The findings showed that internalization of body ideals mediated the relationship between masculine role norms and body image in the case of both DM and DL. However, masculine norms and internalization were independent predictors of DT. Our findings contribute to further understanding of the roles that the media and masculine norms have in shaping men’s drive for muscularity, leanness, and thinness. Longitudinal research is needed to confirm the nature and direction of these relationships

The importance of addressing acculturative stress in marital therapy with Hispanic immigrant women

Se estudia la relación entre el estrés acultural y el malestar con la pareja en una muestra comunitaria de mujeres inmigrantes hispanas (N = 95) y se explora el papel de otras variables importantes para el funcionamiento de la pareja, y específicamente entre los inmigrantes (aculturación, identidad étnica, apoyo social, etc.). En consonancia con la teoría transaccional del estrés, los aumentos en estrés acultural se asociarán significativamente con niveles altos de malestar con la pareja. Los resultados del análisis de regresión paso a paso señalan que, entre otras variables, únicamente el estrés acultural y el apoyo social contribuyen significativamente a la predicción del malestar de pareja. A través de análisis mediacional se observa que el apoyo social se comporta como mediador parcial de los efectos del estrés acultural sobre el grado de malestar de pareja. Los resultados sugieren que aunque el apoyo social parece reducir tanto el estrés acultural como el malestar de pareja, el estrés parece relacionarse de manera independiente con el malestar de pareja. Se discute la importancia de que los profesionales de la salud mental tengan en consideración el estrés acultural a la hora de trabajar con mujeres hispanas o con parejas en terapia de pareja.In this study, we examined the relation between acculturative stress and marital distress among Hispanic immigrant women (N = 95) from the community and explored the role of other variables believed to be important to marital functioning generally, and among immigrants, specifically (e.g., acculturation, ethnic identity, social support, etc.). Consistent with transactional theory of stress, increases in acculturative stress were associated significantly with higher levels of marital distress. A stepwise regression analysis indicated that, among study variables, only acculturative stress and social support contributed significantly to the prediction of marital distress. A mediational analysis indicated that social support partially mediated the effects of acculturative stress on marital distress. Overall, results suggest that although social support seems to reduce both acculturative stress and marital distress, acculturative stress appears to be linked independently with marital distress. The importance of mental health professionals to address acculturative stress with Hispanic women or couples in marital therapy is discussed

Using Neuro-Physiological Data To Improve Feedback Timing

The learning efficiency of complex tasks is an area being widely investigated in the literature. Specifically, many different instructional strategies have been developed in an effort to improve efficiency, especially within automated systems. Of particular interest are application methodologies which provide individual-ized recommendations. In this paper we compared the impact of individualized feedback based on both performance and real-time workload levels to feedback based on performance alone. Our data suggest pa-per-based knowledge acquisition test scores were not impacted by the intervention timing assisted by neuro-physiological measures. However, scenario-based decision-making performance scores were signifi-cantly improved when utilizing EEG data to aid intervention timing but not with eye-tracking data. Copyright 2013 by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Inc

The Effects Of Psychoeducation On Thought-Action Fusion, Thought Suppression, And Responsibility

The current study examined the effects of a psychoeducational intervention designed to target thought-action fusion (TAF) on TAF, thought suppression, and responsibility cognitions. 139 undergraduate students (25 male; 114 female) who were relatively high in TAF with respect to their peers served as participants. Immediately following intervention, individuals who had received psychoeducation regarding TAF reported significantly lower morality TAF scores than individuals who had received psychoeducation regarding thoughts in general and individuals in the control group. At the two-week follow-up assessment, the likelihood TAF scores of those who had received psychoeducation regarding TAF were significantly lower than those of the control group. In addition, the group that received psychoeducation regarding TAF was the only group that did not experience a significant increase in thought suppression from baseline to post-intervention, and was also the only group to experience an increase in both frequency of and belief in low-responsibility thoughts from baseline to follow-up. Implications are discussed. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Increasing Efficiency In Military Learning: Theoretical Considerations And Practical Applications

Given the fundamental importance of higher-order cognitive skills for military personnel, increasing learning efficiency during training is paramount. The current article expands upon the state-based information-loss processing model, a comprehensive framework elucidating the processes involved in acquiring higher-order cognitive skills, to enumerate best practices for military training. Emphasis is placed on identifying empirically supported, state-of-the-art learning efficiency strategies and methodologies to address points of information loss throughout the learning process. Implications and pragmatic recommendations for simulation-based military training are discussed. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

The Importance Of Addressing Acculturative Stress In Marital Therapy With Hispanic Immigrant Women

In this study, we examined the relation between acculturative stress and marital distress among Hispanic immigrant women (N = 95) from the community and explored the role of other variables believed to be important to marital functioning generally, and among immigrants, specifically (e.g., acculturation, ethnic identity, social support, etc.). Consistent with transactional theory of stress, increases in acculturative stress were associated significantly with higher levels of marital distress. A stepwise regression analysis indicated that, among study variables, only acculturative stress and social support contributed significantly to the prediction of marital distress. A mediational analysis indicated that social support partially mediated the effects of acculturative stress on marital distress. Overall, results suggest that although social support seems to reduce both acculturative stress and marital distress, acculturative stress appears to be linked independently with marital distress. The importance of mental health professionals to address acculturative stress with Hispanic women or couples in marital therapy is discussed. © International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology

Using Learners\u27 Internal States To Drive Feedback Decisions

The overarching goal of learner assessments is to identify areas of skill and deficit and to use this information to guide future instruction or error correction through feedback. To date, a variety of methods have been used to better understand individual learners. However, the tools used to assess learners\u27 internal states have only allowed researchers to infer these states and, as a result, the information provided lacks the prescriptive specificity needed to most appropriately address learners\u27 needs. The technological advances of current neuro-physiological measures may provide such specificity in real-time learning environments. These data show preliminary support for the use of electroencephalography measurements of workload and engagement to predict learning and knowledge acquisition. Additionally, the data suggest that the relation-ship between these two internal states may differ based on the level of information being assessed. Copyright 2013 by Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Inc

Relationships Among Locus Of Control, Coping Behaviors, And Levels Of Worry Following Exposure To Hurricanes

To explore the relationships among locus of control, coping behaviors, and levels of worry following exposure to hurricanes, the current study examines the responses of college students who were exposed to one or more hurricanes affecting central Florida in 2004. The results show that an external locus of control is related significantly and positively to avoidant coping behaviors. External locus of control and different types of coping behaviors (i.e., problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidant coping) also are related significantly and positively to levels of worry. Finally, in regression analyses, avoidant coping behaviors are a partial mediator in the relationship between locus of control and worry, and worry is a partial mediator in the relationship between locus of control and avoidant coping behaviors. Our findings suggest the importance of examining individuals\u27 explanations for the major events that occur in their lives, so that these explanations can be examined in psychological interventions. © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Emerging Adults’ Behavior Problems And Coping Following Hurricanes

When experiencing natural disasters, coping is important. Individuals who have behavior problems may use less effective coping, however. This study sought to better understand the relationship between emerging adults’ behavior problems and coping following hurricanes. Using a sample of 193 emerging adults, correlations suggested that emerging adults who reported more behavior problems also endorsed higher levels of avoidant coping. More specifically, multivariate analyses of variance and subsequent post hoc analyses indicated that emerging adults who were experiencing relatively low levels of both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems endorsed avoidant coping significantly less often relative to those emerging adults who were experiencing relatively high levels of internalizing behavior problems only and those who were experiencing relatively high levels of both types of behavior problems. These results suggested that those who experience behavior problems following hurricanes may benefit from interventions that could improve the coping that they utilize