Sex-specific strategy use and global-local processing: a perspective toward integrating sex differences in cognition

This article reviews the literature on sex-specific strategy use in cognitive tasks with the aim to carve out a link between sex differences in different cognitive tasks. I conclude that male strategies are commonly holistic and oriented toward global stimulus aspects, while female strategies are commonly decomposed and oriented toward local stimulus aspects. Thus, the strategies observed in different tasks, may depend on sex differences in attentional focus and hence sex differences in global-local processing. I hypothesize that strategy use may be sex hormone dependent and hence subject to change over the menstrual cycle as evidenced by findings in global-local processing and emotional memory. Furthermore, I propose sex hormonal modulation of hemispheric asymmetries as one possible neural substrate for this theory, thereby building on older theories, emphasizing the importance of sex differences in brain lateralization. The ideas described in the current article represent a perspective toward a unifying approach to the study of sex differences in cognition and their neural correlates.(VLID)156366

Factors affectin condom use among South African University students

Objective: To investigate factors affecting condom use among South African university students.Design: Cross-sectional survey.Setting: Department of Psychology, University of the North, South Africa. Participants: One hundred and forty six female and sixty first year male psychology students, mean age 20.9 years (SD=3.4), with a range from 17 to 34 years. Main outcome measures: Sexual activity and condom use (6 items), A 16-item AIDS Health Belief Scale and a 28-item Condom Use Self-Efficacy Scale.Results: Almost one third (29.2%) of the sample reported never using condoms, 35.4% always, 19.8% regularly and 8.5% irregularly in the past three months. Perceived barriers were associated with increasing age and reduced condom use intentions. In addition, perceived susceptibility was associated with past condom use. The total AIDSHealth Belief was not related with age, gender, past condom use and condom use intentions. Self-efficacy of condom use was associated with decreasing age, past condom use and condom use intentions but not with gender.Conclusion: Findings have relevant implications and are discussed in the context ofdeveloping an educational or intervention programme

Switching between forest and trees: Opposite relationship of progesterone and testosterone to global–local processing

AbstractSex differences in attentional selection of global and local components of stimuli have been hypothesized to underlie sex differences in cognitive strategy choice. A Navon figure paradigm was employed in 32 men, 41 naturally cycling women (22 follicular, 19 luteal) and 19 users of oral contraceptives (OCs) containing first to third generation progestins in their active pill phase. Participants were first asked to detect targets at any level (divided attention) and then at either the global or the local level only (focused attention). In the focused attention condition, luteal women showed reduced global advantage (i.e. faster responses to global vs. local targets) compared to men, follicular women and OC users. Accordingly, global advantage during the focused attention condition related significantly positively to testosterone levels and significantly negatively to progesterone, but not estradiol levels in a multiple regression model including all naturally cycling women and men. Interference (i.e. delayed rejection of stimuli displaying targets at the non-attended level) was significantly enhanced in OC users as compared to naturally cycling women and related positively to testosterone levels in all naturally cycling women and men. Remarkably, when analyzed separately for each group, the relationship of testosterone to global advantage and interference was reversed in women during their luteal phase as opposed to men and women during their follicular phase. As global processing is lateralized to the right and local processing to the left hemisphere, we speculate that these effects stem from a testosterone-mediated enhancement of right-hemisphere functioning as well as progesterone-mediated inter-hemispheric decoupling

Follower-leader HEXACO personality fit and follower work engagement

Based on person-supervisor complementary fit and job demands-resources theory, we examined if discrepancies between leaders’ and followers’ HEXACO personality traits are associated with followers’ work engagement. We expected that when leaders score lower on emotionality compared to their followers, they are an important source of support, leading to increases in follower engagement. Additionally, we argue that discrepancies in follower and leader openness to experience–irrespectively of the direction of this difference–constitute a hindrance to followers, resulting in decreased work engagement. Results from 130 matched follower-leader dyads using polynomial regression analyses supported our hypotheses. We additionally found that followers are more engaged in their work when their leader scores higher on emotionality than they do. These findings highlight the crucial role that the interaction of leaders’ and followers’ personality traits plays for followers’ work engagement, which should be an important consideration for organizations when matching leader-follower dyads.</p

Knowledge, self-efficacy and behavioural intent towards AIDS prevention behaviours among culturally diverse secondary school pupils in South Africa

Objective: To investigate knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioural intent towards AIDS prevention behaviours among culturally diverse secondary school pupils in South Africa.Design: Randomised study.Setting: Three urban secondary schools in Pietersburg, South Africa.Participants: Three hundred and sixty six Grade 11 secondary school pupils, comprising 150 (41%) males, and 216 (59%) females, aged 17 to 24 years (mean age 19.3 years, SD=2.6). The three cultural groups were 142 Blacks, 112 Whites and 112 Asians. Main outcome measures: The questionnaire included items on socio-economic and family background, knowledge about HIV, perceived self-efficacy and behavioural intent regarding AIDS preventive behaviours.Results: Overall, the participants showed an adequate level of AIDS knowledge. However, there was considerable inaccuracy regarding AIDS transmission myths or how AIDS cannot be transmitted. The different cultural groups generally felt most self- efficacious regardinghow to protect themselves from becoming infected (75-90%) and least self-efficacious on knowing where to go for information on AIDS (72-74%). Generally, participants reported a high behavioural intent. The Whites stand second in knowledge and more or less second inself-efficacy and behaviour intent. The Blacks stand third in knowledge and more or less second in self-efficacy and behaviour intent.Conclusion: Culturally diverse knowledge, self-efficacy and behavioural intent towards AIDS prevention was found among White, Black and Asian pupils, which should inform a culturally sensitive and appropriate AIDS health promotion programme in South Africa

Who is healthier? A meta-analysis of the relations between the HEXACO personality domains and health outcomes

Researchers and practitioners have long been interested in the relations of basic personality domains with health. Whereas previous meta-analyses have focused on the Big Five traits, we provide the first meta-analysis of the relations between the HEXACO domains, as assessed by HEXACO Personality Inventories, and various health outcomes (k = 276, N = 92,319). In general, relations of the HEXACO domains were strongest with mental health, followed by health behavior, whereas relations with physical health outcomes were weak and largely non-significant. All HEXACO domains were significantly linked to mental health and health behavior outcomes. Extraversion exhibited the strongest correlation with mental health (ρ = .48), whereas Honesty-Humility (ρ = .31), Agreeableness versus Anger (ρ = .25), and Conscientiousness (ρ = .31) were most predictive of health behavior. Physical health was only significantly associated with Emotionality (ρ = −.14) and Conscientiousness (ρ = .10). Honesty-Humility explained incremental variance over the Big Five in several health behavior outcomes, whereas it had little incremental validity for mental and physical health outcomes. Finally, comparing the variance that the HEXACO and the Big Five domains explained in specific health outcomes demonstrated that each personality model occasionally exhibited superior criterion-related validity. Hence, the choice of the more useful personality model could be outcome-dependent

Follower-leader HEXACO personality fit and follower work engagement

Based on person-supervisor complementary fit and job demands-resources theory, we examined if discrepancies between leaders’ and followers’ HEXACO personality traits are associated with followers’ work engagement. We expected that when leaders score lower on emotionality compared to their followers, they are an important source of support, leading to increases in follower engagement. Additionally, we argue that discrepancies in follower and leader openness to experience–irrespectively of the direction of this difference–constitute a hindrance to followers, resulting in decreased work engagement. Results from 130 matched follower-leader dyads using polynomial regression analyses supported our hypotheses. We additionally found that followers are more engaged in their work when their leader scores higher on emotionality than they do. These findings highlight the crucial role that the interaction of leaders’ and followers’ personality traits plays for followers’ work engagement, which should be an important consideration for organizations when matching leader-follower dyads.</p

Who is healthier? A meta-analysis of the relations between the HEXACO personality domains and health outcomes

Researchers and practitioners have long been interested in the relations of basic personality domains with health. Whereas previous meta-analyses have focused on the Big Five traits, we provide the first meta-analysis of the relations between the HEXACO domains, as assessed by HEXACO Personality Inventories, and various health outcomes (k = 276, N = 92,319). In general, relations of the HEXACO domains were strongest with mental health, followed by health behavior, whereas relations with physical health outcomes were weak and largely non-significant. All HEXACO domains were significantly linked to mental health and health behavior outcomes. Extraversion exhibited the strongest correlation with mental health (ρ = .48), whereas Honesty-Humility (ρ = .31), Agreeableness versus Anger (ρ = .25), and Conscientiousness (ρ = .31) were most predictive of health behavior. Physical health was only significantly associated with Emotionality (ρ = −.14) and Conscientiousness (ρ = .10). Honesty-Humility explained incremental variance over the Big Five in several health behavior outcomes, whereas it had little incremental validity for mental and physical health outcomes. Finally, comparing the variance that the HEXACO and the Big Five domains explained in specific health outcomes demonstrated that each personality model occasionally exhibited superior criterion-related validity. Hence, the choice of the more useful personality model could be outcome-dependent

Constructive and destructive leadership in job demands-resources theory:A meta-analytic test of the motivational and health-impairment pathways

Integrating the leadership literature with Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory, we conducted a pre-registered meta-analysis of the relations of different leadership behaviors with followers’ work engagement and burnout. We found that constructive leadership relates positively to followers’ work engagement (k = 588, (Formula presented.) =.467) and negatively to followers’ burnout (k = 346, (Formula presented.) =−.327), whereas destructive leadership relates negatively to followers’ work engagement (k = 72, (Formula presented.) =−.220) and positively to followers’ burnout (k = 122, (Formula presented.) =.381). We furthermore demonstrated that both followers’ work engagement and burnout partially mediate the relations of both constructive and destructive leadership with followers’ job performance. However, the indirect relation of constructive leadership with followers’ job performance via followers’ work engagement is clearly the strongest, suggesting that leaders stimulate followers’ job performance primarily because they motivate followers. We discuss how the findings of this theory-driven meta-analysis help to integrate leadership research in JD-R theory and generate important insights for leadership behavior and training.</p