An Examination of Relational-interdependent Self-construal, Communal Strength, and Pro-relationship Behaviors in Friendships

Individual differences in relational-interdependent self-construal (RISC) are associated with positive relationship characteristics. This suggests that RISC is positively associated with the degree to which individuals view their relationships as communally-oriented (i.e., governed by norms of responsiveness), which should in turn be associated with increased use of pro-relationship behaviors. Thus, the current study explored the associations between RISC, communal strength, and pro-relationship behaviors in friendships. As predicted, RISC was positively associated with pro-relationship behavior use, but this association was mediated by greater communal strength. This suggests that increased RISC is associated with greater relationship satisfaction because the manner in which individuals view their relationships (i.e., communally) explains the association between RISC and constructive relationship behavior

Self-expansion within sexual minority relationships

According to the self-expansion model, people increase their positive self-concept content when they form and maintain romantic relationships, and self-expansion is an important predictor of relationship outcomes. Although thought to be universal, no prior research has examined self-expansion among sexual minority individuals. In the current study, sexual minority (N = 226) and heterosexual (N = 104) participants completed measures of self-expansion and relationship outcomes, and sexual minority participants completed measures of sexual minority stress. Overall, sexual minorities reported similar levels of self-expansion as heterosexuals, and sexual minority status did not moderate the association between self-expansion and relationship satisfaction, investments, or quality of alternatives. However, sexual minority status moderated the association between self-expansion and commitment. For sexual minority participants, self-expansion negatively correlated with sexual minority stressors (i.e., internalized homonegativity, concealment, inauthenticity) and moderated the association between internalized homonegativity and relationship satisfaction and commitment, as well as concealment and relationship satisfaction and commitment, such that the negative association between sexual minority stressors and relationship outcomes was weaker in relationships characterized by high (vs. low) levels of self-expansion

Are Smart Phones Inhibiting Smartness? Smart Phone Presence, Mobile Phone Anxiety, and Cognitive Performance

In recent years, increased smart phone ownership and usage has resulted in nomophobia, or anxiety experienced when away from a smart phone.  Compulsive smart phone usage has been shown to interfere with task productivity. Therefore, in the current study we predicted that individuals who have their smart phone removed during a cognitive task will experience more anxiety and worsened performance than those who kept their phones during the task.  Undergraduates completed a word search that acted as the cognitive task, and completed measures of compulsive usage and anxiety. Results did not support our hypothesis. However, implications discussed show that future studies could be beneficial to understanding how smart phones are changing our cognitive performance, especially in regards to academics. Â

Teaching Electric Machinery and Associated Electromagnetic Fields-A Case for the Benefits of Academic Computing

Three broad categories of benefits resulting from use of and access to personal computers (PCs) and workstations (WSs) in teaching electric machines and drives, including all the electromagnetic field aspects associated with such electromechanical energy conversion devices are described. The first category concerns benefits from using computer graphics in computational electromagnetics. The second category involves quantification of electric machinery parameters and performance characteristics from computational electromagnetics. The third category concerns benefits from using computer simulation to study power-electronically-controlled electric drives, using time-domain models in which all significant effects of both time and space harmonics are retained. The material discussed is taught at Clarkson University at the senior undergraduate and first-year graduate levels

Self-expansion within sexual minority relationships

According to the self-expansion model, people increase their positive self-concept content when they form and maintain romantic relationships, and self-expansion is an important predictor of relationship outcomes. Although thought to be universal, no prior research has examined self-expansion among sexual minority individuals. In the current study, sexual minority (N = 226) and heterosexual (N = 104) participants completed measures of self-expansion and relationship outcomes, and sexual minority participants completed measures of sexual minority stress. Overall, sexual minorities reported similar levels of self-expansion as heterosexuals, and sexual minority status did not moderate the association between self-expansion and relationship satisfaction, investments, or quality of alternatives. However, sexual minority status moderated the association between self-expansion and commitment. For sexual minority participants, self-expansion negatively correlated with sexual minority stressors (i.e. internalized homonegativity, concealment, inauthenticity) and moderated the association between internalized homonegativity and relationship satisfaction and commitment, as well as concealment and relationship satisfaction and commitment, such that the negative association between sexual minority stressors and relationship outcomes was weaker in relationships characterized by high (vs. low) levels of self-expansion.</p

Supplemental Material, jspr-17-418-File003_(1) - Implicit theories of relationships and self-expansion: Implications for relationship functioning

<p>Supplemental Material, jspr-17-418-File003_(1) for Implicit theories of relationships and self-expansion: Implications for relationship functioning by Brent A. Mattingly, Kevin P. McIntyre, C. Raymond Knee, and Timothy J. Loving in Journal of Social and Personal Relationships</p