Trust, Ethnicity, and Political Approval in 21st Century South Africa

Trust is a requirement for state legitimacy, however, the relationship between trust and political approval in South Africa is under-investigated, leaving the legitimacy of the South African state questionable. In this study, we use Afrobarometer data from 2004, 2008, and 2012 to investigate citizens’ perspectives on trust and political approval. Using structural equation modeling, we analyze the impact of ethnicity on the relationship between trust and political approval in South Africa. The results are clear that ethnic identity continues to influence the relationship between trust and approval of political offices and policies in South Africa

The relationship between morality, popularity and acceptance among children

1245 children (mean age = 10.42) participated in the study (681 female). Data collection took place in Montréal, Canada (MO, n = 382) and Barranquilla, Colombia (BA, n = 863), from either high SES (n = 528) or low SES (n = 717). Subjects rated each other for levels of justice, care, popularity and acceptance. Care and justice were found to be strongly related to acceptance (r =0.43 and r = 0.40, respectively) and less strongly related to popularity (r = 0.32 and r = 0.31, respectively). Care and justice were highly positively correlated to each other (r = 0.61) as were acceptance and popularity (r = 0.45). Using multiple regression, care was most predictive of popularity in low SES BA boys and low SES MO girls. On the other hand, care was the least predictive of popularity in high SES MO girls and high SES BA boys. Justice was most predictive of popularity in low SES and high SES BA boys as well as low SES BA girls. Finally, justice was the least predictive of popularity in low SES MO boys and high SES BA girls. Both care and justice predicted popularity and acceptance, though more strongly for acceptance. Based on Piagetian thought, the relationship between morality and acceptance suggests “mutual respect.” On the other hand, the weaker relationship between morality and popularity may demonstrate a form of “unilateral respect” exemplifying authority (within the peer group)

Affective Well-Being in Retirement: The Influence of Values, Money, and Health Across Three Years

In this study, personal values, health, and financial status were investigated as determinants of affective well-bring in a sample of 371 recent retirees across 3 years. Personal values, measured with the Portrait Value Questionnaire (Schwartz et al. in J Cross Cult Psychol 32:519–542, 2001), were hypothesized to show direct links to positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) as well as to moderate the association between financial and health status and affective well-being. Using structural equation modeling, higher PA was predicted by female gender, better finances, fewer illnesses, and higher self-transcendence (ST), openness to change (OC), and conservation values. Higher NA was predicted by female gender, lower finances, more illnesses, higher self-enhancement (SE) and lower OC values. SE and OC values also moderated the association between financial status and PA. Longitudinal analyses indicated a relatively stable pattern of associations across 3 years. While the impact of finances on affect was stable over time, the effects of health and values increased across 3 years

Mediating and Moderating Effects on the Association between Vision Loss and Depression among an Older Population

The purpose of this study was to gain a more holistic view of the association between depression and visual functioning by examining possible mediating and moderating factors. Previous research has established a linkage between low life satisfaction and coping skills and depressive symptoms. Results of this study contribute to this literature by indicating that life satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between visual functioning and depression. Furthermore, a significant coping by visual functioning interaction was discovered, revealing that among this sample, visual impairment is associated with higher levels of depression among individuals with low coping skills; however, little effect was found for individuals with high coping skills. Results provide support for the importance of early screening of satisfaction with life and coping among older individuals experiencing age-related visual impairment

Recent advances in the study of development, social and personal experience, and psychopathology

The field of developmental psychopathology has been challenged by various issues in understanding the link between social experiences and psychopathology. These challenges involve conceptual, methodological and statistical concerns that are often interrelated. This article examines four advances in resolving these concerns. First, co-rumination and deviancy training are discussed as specific interpersonal processes that are examples of important social experiences for predicting psychopathology. Second, dynamic properties of dyadic interaction are discussed as one of the recent advances in methodology for this area. Third, the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model is outlined as one of the recent statistical advances in the study of individuals within a dyad. Fourth, changes in the study of culture are presented as informing the understanding link between social experiences and developmental psychopathology

Spindle Frequency Activity Following Simulated Jetlag in Young Adults

Recent evidence indicates that sleep spindles and spindle frequency activity display a circadian pattern. The temporal distribution of spindle frequency activity during the night should thus be sensitive to the circadian phase at which sleep is scheduled. The aim of the present study is to test the effect of a 5-hour advance of the sleep schedule on spindle frequency activity during sleep in healthy young subjects

Anxiolytic Effect of Melatonin in Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Increases in anxiety levels during the late-luteal phase of the menstrual cycle form important diagnostic criteria of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) (1). Evidence exists to support the hypothesis that tolerance to endogenous levels of melatonin might occur during the luteal phase in PMDD (2, 3). It was hypothesized that slow release (SR) melatonin administration during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle of participants with PMDD could significantly lower anxiety levels measured by self-report

Subjective Assessment of Sleep Quality Across the Menstrual Cycle in Women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

Existing evidence demonstrates that sleep structure varies across the menstrual cycle in healthy women (1). These variations could be more severe in women suffering from premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) (2). In a previous study of healthy women, subjective sleep quality was shown to be constant across both phases of the menstrual cycle (3). The current study aims to test whether there exists a variation in subjective sleep quality of PMDD sufferers across the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle

Evaluation of Self-Perceptions of Creativity: Is It a Useful Criterion?

Self-evaluations or self-perceptions of creativity have been used in the past both as predictors of creative performance and as a criterion. Four measures utilizing self-perceptions of creativity were assessed for their usefulness as criterion measures of creativity. Analyses provided evidence of domain specificity of self-perceptions. The scales correlated with self-report measures of creativity, but not with objective measures. Self-perceptions of creativity had strong to moderate relationships with personality and creative self-efficacy. These results suggest that while self-perceptions of creativity may provide some information about creativity, researchers should be cautious when using this measure as a criterion

Cognitive processes that indirectly affect olfactory dysfunction in Parkinson\u27s disease

Introduction Accurate early diagnosis of Parkinson\u27s disease is hampered by its long prodromal period and the variable manifestations of its motor symptoms. While olfactory dysfunction can occur before motor-symptom onset and serve as a non-disease-specific diagnostic aid, its underlying causes are incompletely understood. Methods Correlation analyses, univariate density estimates, ANOVA and regression evaluated relationships between scores on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Hopkins Verbal Learning Test and those on the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test in 1280 Parkinson\u27s Progression Markers Initiative subjects placed into five diagnostic categories. Structural equation modeling identified cognitive measures having significant indirect effects on olfactory-function-test scores. Results Global cognition, verbal learning and memory, attention, delayed-recall, and visuospatial/executive function scores show weak-to-moderate, significant associations with olfactory-function-test scores. Associations are stronger in symptomatic than asymptomatic subjects having mutations in LRRK2, GBA or SNCA. Score distributions are nonuniform across diagnostic categories. Linear regression found that all cognitive measures except attention predicted olfactory-function-test scores. Three structural equation models assessing indirect effects of verbal learning/memory with either global cognition, visuospatial/executive function, or delayed-recall had a good statistical fit to the data. Only verbal learning/memory scores significantly help explain olfactory-function-test scores in all symptomatic diagnostic categories (−0.56 \u3c b \u3c −0.23, 0.001 \u3c P \u3c .005). Visuospatial/executive-function test scores help explain olfactory-function-test scores in both genetic Parkinson\u27s disease diagnostic categories (−0.25 \u3c b \u3c −0.17, 0.032 \u3c P \u3c .033). Conclusion Impaired verbal learning/memory and visuospatial/executive function contributes to lower performance on olfactory function tests in Parkinson\u27s disease. As both of these domains impact decision-making, decision-making in turn may impact olfactory assessment in Parkinson\u27s disease