Multidimensional perfectionism and assortative mating: A perfect date?

Assortative mating has been found regarding personality traits, personal attitudes and values, and cognitive abilities, but so far no study has investigated assortative mating regarding multidimensional perfectionism. A total of 422 participants from a non-commercial panel (mean age = 36.0 years) completed measures of self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed perfectionism and rated the attractiveness of four potential dating partners (“dates”): a self-oriented, an other-oriented, a socially prescribed, and a non-perfectionist date. Results showed that all perfectionist dates were seen as less attractive than the non-perfectionist date. This effect, however, was moderated by self-oriented and other-oriented perfectionism. Participants high in self-oriented perfectionism found all three perfectionist dates more attractive than participants low in self-oriented perfections. Participants high in other-oriented perfectionism found the self-oriented perfectionist date more attractive, and the non-perfectionist date less attractive than participants low in other-oriented perfectionism. The findings are discussed with respect to assortative mating, the social disconnection model of perfectionism, and the heritability of perfectionism

On the comprehensibility and perceived privacy protection of indirect questioning techniques

On surveys that assess sensitive personal attributes, indirect questioning aims at increasing respondents’ willingness to answer truthfully by protecting confidentiality. However, the assumption that subjects understand questioning procedures fully and trust them to protect their privacy is tested rarely. In a scenario-based design, we compared four indirect questioning procedures in terms of comprehensibility and perceived privacy protection. All indirect questioning techniques were found less comprehensible for respondents than a conventional direct question used for comparison. Less-educated respondents experienced more difficulties when confronted with any indirect questioning technique. Regardless of education, the Crosswise Model was found most comprehensible among the four indirect methods. Indirect questioning was perceived to increase privacy protection in comparison to a direct question. Unexpectedly, comprehension and perceived privacy protection did not correlate. We recommend assessing these factors separately in future evaluations of indirect questioning

Increased intestinal permeability and tight junction disruption by altered expression and localization of occludin in a murine graft versus host disease model

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is increasingly performed for hematologic diseases. As a major side effect, acute graft versus host disease (GvHD) with serious gastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhea, gastrointestinal bleeding and high mortality can be observed. Because surveillance and biopsies of human gastrointestinal GvHD are difficult to perform, rare information of the alterations of the gastrointestinal barrier exists resulting in a need for systematic animal models.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To investigate the effects of GvHD on the intestinal barrier of the small intestine we utilized an established acute semi allogenic GvHD in C57BL/6 and B6D2F1 mice.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>By assessing the differential uptake of lactulose and mannitol in the jejunum, we observed an increased paracellular permeability as a likely mechanism for disturbed intestinal barrier function. Electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry and PCR analysis indicated profound changes of the tight-junction complex, characterized by downregulation of the tight junction protein occludin without any changes in ZO-1. Furthermore TNF-α expression was significantly upregulated.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This analysis in a murine model of GvHD of the small intestine demonstrates serious impairment of intestinal barrier function in the jejunum, with an increased permeability and morphological changes through downregulation and localization shift of the tight junction protein occludin.</p

Der Rückschaufehler und die (vermeintliche) Trivialität psychologischer Forschung

Experten und Novizen im Bereich der experimentellen Psychologie wurden gebeten, den Ausgang klassischer psychologischer Experimente anzugeben. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, daß die Resultate expe- rimenteller psychologischer Forschung weit weniger trivial sind, als dies bisweilen behauptet wird. Weder Novizen noch Experten waren in der Lage, die erfragten Ergebnisse perfekt vorherzusagen; allerdings zeigt die erheblich höhere Trefferquote der Experten – im Gegensatz zu früheren Unter- suchungen mit Experten im Gebiet der Pädagogik [Langfeldt, Psych. Erz. Unterricht, 36, 265-274 (1989)] –, daß es durchaus so etwas wie einen klassischen Kanon psychologischen Wissens zu ge- ben scheint. Darüber hinaus zeigen die Ergebnisse der Novizen, daß es deutlich schwieriger ist, die Ergebnisse psychologischer Experimente tatsächlich vorherzusagen, anstatt diese nur im Nachhinein für leicht vorhersagbar zu halten. Dieser Rückschaufehler scheint zu der häufig behaupteten (schein- baren) Trivialität psychologischer Forschungsergebnisse beizutragen