Journal of General Psychology最新文献

Previous research into predictive inferences making showed that textual constraint influenced hemispheric processing of the inferences. However, the relationship between metacomprehension monitoring competence (MMC) and hemispheric processing of predictive inferences has rarely been investigated. The present study employed a divided visual field (DVF) paradigm to examine the effects of textual constraint and MMC on hemispheric processing of predictive inferences with Chinese native speakers during Chinese text reading. Results showed that neither response time nor facilitation effects indicated any significant interaction for our MMC groups. MMC was unlikely to play a role in hemispheric processing of predictive inferences. The results were consistent with those of the very rare relevant previous research, in which readers' judgments of learning failed to have significant effects on inference making performance while judgments of inferencing had. Future investigation could focus more on the study of an inference-specific dimension of metacomprehension monitoring that might be more closely related to inference making. Results also indicated that the left hemisphere (LH) showed greater facilitation for strongly constrained predictive inferences than for weakly constrained predictive inferences, and that the right hemisphere (RH) showed greater levels of facilitation for weakly constrained predictive inferences. Taken together, MMC did not seem to have a positive impact on hemispheric predictive inference making. There was a RH facilitation advantage for weakly constrained texts and an LH advantage for strongly constrained texts.

The Behavioral Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (BERQ) is a self-report measure of the behavioral strategies individuals use to regulate emotions in response to stressful or negative events. The purpose of the present study was to report on the psychometric properties of the Turkish version. The sample was recruited through courses at a semi-private university in Turkey and through social-media announcements. A sample of 320 adults (81.9% females, 18.1% males) with a mean age of 22.03 (SD = 2.73) completed the Turkish translation of the BERQ, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and the Brief Symptom Inventory. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that the Turkish version replicated the 5-factor structure of the original version; yet, a confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the original model showed an inadequate fit to the present data. Internal consistency coefficients of the subscales ranged between 0.72 and 0.88, and the test-retest reliability of subscales over a 3-week interval ranged from 0.51 to 0.70. As in the original version, we found that actively approaching and seeking social support were more adaptive strategies, whereas withdrawal and ignoring were less adaptive strategies. Results were mixed for the seeking distraction subscale. Additionally, withdrawal significantly predicted future depressive and anxiety symptoms. Overall, our results provide support for the Turkish version of the BERQ as a reliable and valid measure of behavioral emotion regulation strategies.

Despite the severity of the COVID-19 crisis, which has affected organizations worldwide, there is a lack of research on the organizational factors that affect the psychological wellbeing of the employees of an organization affected by the crisis. This research uses the case of employees at two international universities in Thailand that have been directly affected by the COVID-19 crisis. Grounded in social support theory and the job-demand resource model of job stress, this research examines the role of supervisor support in explaining the degree of perceived uncertainties and emotional exhaustion that employees experience due to the COVID-19 crisis. Moreover, this research examines whether the effect of supervisor support on the perceived uncertainties of employees can be moderated by organizational intransigence, that is, a prevailing climate of resistance to change at the workplace. The questionnaire survey data were obtained from a sample of 300 employees at two private international universities, and the partial least squares structural equation model was used for data analysis. The results significantly confirm that supervisor support has a negative effect on the perceived uncertainties of employees. Perceived uncertainties also significantly mediate the negative effect of supervisor support on the employees' emotional exhaustion. More importantly, the moderating effect analysis shows that the negative effect of supervisor support on the perceived uncertainties of employees presents only for employees who work in a workplace climate where there is low intransigence; in a workplace climate where there is high intransigence, supervisor support does not lower the perceived uncertainties of employees.

The relationship between abusive supervision and newcomers' turnover intention was explored from the perspective of perceived workplace ostracism. Findings from three-wave data (n = 300) showed that (1) abusive supervision was positively associated with newcomers' perceived coworker ostracism, perceived supervisor ostracism, and turnover intention; (2) rather than perceived coworker ostracism, perceived supervisor ostracism was positively associated with newcomers' turnover intention; and (3) the relationship between abusive supervision and newcomers' turnover intention was mediated by perceived supervisor ostracism but not by perceived coworker ostracism. Thus, the hypotheses were partially confirmed. Results underscore the importance of perceived supervisor ostracism in accounting for the relationship between abusive supervision and newcomers' turnover intention. Implications and directions for future research are also discussed.

Previous research has shown that taking a test facilitates memory retention on later retesting, although facilitation is stronger when retesting is delayed. On the basis of the finding that testing prevents later forgetting without affecting memory recovery, we investigated immediate effects of taking a test on retrievability of a tested item. In two experiments, forty participants recalled studied items, then performed a retest of the studied items (test condition) and a non-episodic-memory task (distractor condition), and immediately afterward re-recalled the items. The test condition elicited more item losses (i.e. forgetting) than the distractor condition, whereas there were no condition differences in the number of item gains (i.e. remembering) and recall clustering. These results suggest that taking a test on a target item facilitates forgetting of the very same item for a short interval of time, a possible reason for the late appearance of the testing effect.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created major upheavals in the lives of people worldwide. The virus has mostly affected elderly populations, but there may be corollary effects on young adults' psychosocial adjustment due to educational, economic, and occupational disruptions. Using latent class analysis, we examined unique typologies of coping in response to the pandemic among young adults. We used an expanded set of indicators including traditional measures of problem- and emotion-focused coping as well as measures of resilience and coping flexibility. We also examined whether class membership could be predicted by demographics, stress appraisal, and psychosocial characteristics including catastrophic thinking and impulsivity. The sample of 1,391 young adults (ages 18-35) was recruited via Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and snowball methods from late-April to early-May 2020. Six classes were identified: (1) Resilient Flexible Problem-Focused Copers, (2) Resilient Inflexible Problem-Focused Copers, (3) Non-Resilient Flexible Problem-Focused Venters, (4) Non-Resilient Flexible Problem-Focused Copers, (5) Non-Resilient Flexible Non-Copers, and (6) Non-Resilient Inflexible Non-Copers. Using Class 1 as the reference class, we found perceived centrality and uncontrollability of the pandemic as well as catastrophic thinking and impulsivity were significant predictors of class membership. The mean levels of stress appraisal and psychosocial characteristics varied significantly between the classes, reinforcing the structural validity of these classes. The findings suggest the importance of training young adults to develop resilience and flexibility as well as specific coping skills that can help offset the psychological effects of dramatic lifestyle changes that may result from pandemics or other health crises in the future.

The most significant individual safety measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic include physical distancing, quarantine, and isolation. Although such steps are taken to control the spread of the pandemic, they may also cause various psychological problems. This study attempts to identify individual perceptions of staying home due to the COVID-19 pandemic through metaphors, and examines the relationship between these perceptions and stress, depression, and anxiety. This research utilizes a mixed method design called the embedded design. The analyses were performed on data collected from 96 women and 80 men aged 18-57. Qualitative data were analyzed using a content analysis technique, while quantitative data were analyzed through the Kruskal-Wallis test. The findings showed that most of the participants viewed staying home as confinement, experienced boredom/depression because of staying home, and felt helpless. On the other hand, some participants concentrated on the positive sides of staying home and considered it a responsible behavior, an opportunity, and a requirement for feeling safe. The individuals who viewed staying home as confinement and a cause for boredom/depression experienced more psychological problems, whereas those who perceived it as a responsibility or opportunity experienced fewer psychological problems. Considering the literature on the contribution of positive thinking to the well-being of individuals, as well as the lower levels of psychological problems in individuals who maintain their positive perspectives despite the negativities of staying home due to the pandemic, we recommend that mental health professionals focus on the development of positive feelings and thoughts in their interventions.

This paper briefly introduces the Special Issue "The Psychological Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic." In doing so, it first outlines the initial call for papers and some of the general contours of the issue before then offering a terse summary of the larger themes offered in each of the six papers included in this volume. Some final summary remarks and larger suggestions for additional work in this area are also noted.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, striking public health measures have been implemented to encourage physical distancing in order to slow the spread of disease. However, the impact of these measures on health and wellbeing is not well understood. In the current study a daily diary methodology was used to investigate the effects of social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic on a variety of outcomes with 230 undergraduate students. Participants completed an online diary for 3 days, reporting on daily social distancing behaviors, psychological wellbeing/resources, social/interpersonal connection with others, health behaviors, and health outcomes. Overall, daily social distancing (close adherence to social distancing guidelines) was associated with decreases in psychological wellbeing/resources, less social/interpersonal connection with others (including technology-mediated communication), fewer positive health behaviors, and increased reports of stress-related physical illness symptoms. Discussion centers on implications of these findings as well as the importance of identifying ways to mitigate the effects of these necessary but costly measures on health and wellbeing.