Current Psychology

Cremona, Sandrine; Joliot, Marc; Mellet, Emmanuel

doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-04185-6pmid: N/A

Is ongoing conscious thought spontaneous and situation-related, or is it recurrent and dependent on psychological dispositions? The answer is critical for resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) paradigms that seek to correlate neuroanatomical states with conscious mental states. The goal of the present study was to characterize individual resting state thought profiles (RSTPs) and identify the recurrent ones, i.e., that could both be predicted by personality traits and predict subsequent negative affective states. The 1779 participants had a mean age of 22.1 years, 71.8% were females, and 71.8% were undergraduates. We collected the form and content of their thoughts during a 15-min RSFC session with a computerized retrospective self-questionnaire (ReSQ 2.0). Subsamples of participants also completed online autoquestionnaires assessing their psychological maturity and trait negative affectivity (with a four-day gap on average, N = 1270) and subsequent depressive and anxious states (1.4 years later on average, N = 922). Based on the multiple correspondence and clustering analyses of the ReSQ 2.0 responses, we identified six RSTPs distinctive by their content scope, temporal orientation, empathetic concern, and emotional valence. Multivariate analyses revealed that the probability of experiencing five of the six RSTPs was predicted by trait negative affectivity interacting with psychological maturity. Among them, a negatively valenced RSTP also increased the likelihood of subsequent negative affective states, suggesting its stable and recurrent nature. Identifying recurrent RSTPs is helpful for the future understanding of RSTPs’ contribution to RSFC. Additionally, it will be relevant to test whether acting on psychological maturity can alter the relationship between ongoing conscious thought and negative affectivity.

Guzmán-González, Mónica; Navarro, Karina; Tay-Karapas, Karla

doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-04191-8pmid: N/A

This study examined emotion regulation difficulties (i.e., nonacceptance, daily interference, lack of awareness, lack of control, and lack of clarity) as possible mediators of the association between adult attachment and forgiveness in the context of divorce/separation, and the moderating role of sex and joint children. A sample of 1,185 participants completed measures of attachment, emotion regulation difficulties and forgiveness. Results revealed that in the whole sample attachment anxiety was only directly whereas attachment avoidance was indirectly associated with the degree of forgiveness to the ex-partner through lack of awareness. However, multigroup analysis showed that patterns observed in the whole sample are different for men and women having children or not with the ex-partner. The findings of this research show the importance of attachment and emotion regulation difficulties to understand the process of dealing with resentment and hostility towards an ex-partner in the context of divorce/ separation and demonstrate how sex and parenting differences modulate these relations. Among other aspects, the model had a greater explanatory power in people without joint children. In sum. these findings and their implications are discussed and the importance of considering moderating variables when examining forgiveness and other indicators of adjustment to divorce/separation is highlighted.

Zhang, Ying; Wang, Fuxi; Cui, Guodong; Qu, Jinzhao; Cheng, Yanyuan

doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-04142-3pmid: 36590012

Although there is a consensus that workplace proactivity is vital for both employees and organizations, little is known as whether proactivity is beneficial for employees to develop leadership capabilities. Drawing from trait activation theory, we theorize that proactive personality could enhance employee promotability through taking charge behavior. We also propose that task structure determines the odds that proactive employees might be promoted. We tested the theoretical model with data from 226 employees and their direct leaders in 26 teams at three time points. The results of multi-level path analysis indicated that the positive relationship between proactive personality and taking charge was stronger in more organic work unit, which in turn, positively related to employees’ promotability. These findings provide new knowledge in understanding the impacts of proactive personality and offers important empirical practices for proactivity management for organizations.

Galhardo, Ana; Neto, Maria; Monteiro, Bárbara; Massano-Cardoso, Ilda; Ferreira, Cláudia; Cunha, Marina

doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-04174-9pmid: 36590013

Psychological inflexibility is defined as a transdiagnostic mechanism characterized by rigid efforts to control psychological reactions to painful, undesirable, unpleasant internal experiences. The Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-University Students (AAQ-US) was designed to assess students’ academic context-related psychological inflexibility. This study adapted the AAQ-US to Portuguese and examined its factor structure, validity, and reliability in a college student sample (sample 1: N = 262). Exploratory factor analysis and parallel analysis suggested a two-factor structure. A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted in a second sample to cross-validate the AAQ-US factor structure (sample 2: N = 260). One higher-order factor (psychological inflexibility) with two lower-order factors (cognitive fusion and experiential avoidance) revealed a very good fit to the data. The AAQ-US total and dimensions showed good reliability, convergent and incremental validity. Overall, the Portuguese version of the AAQ-US is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing context-specific psychological inflexibility in university students.

Jia, Dandan; Zhang, Hongpo; Wang, Yi; Zhou, Zhijin

doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-04164-xpmid: N/A

In the field of emotional language research, emotional words have always been the main stimulus for researchers to explore the cognitive mechanisms underlying emotional language processing. In previous studies, most of the emotion-label words (e.g., nausea) and emotion-laden words (e.g., corpse) were collectively referred to as emotion words without distinguishing between the two categories. The main purpose of this study was to explore the emotion effect and cognitive processing mechanism between emotion-label word and emotion-laden word, including two experiments. In experiment 1, An Affective Simon Task was administered to explore the emotion effects of two valence (positive and negative) emotion-label words and emotion-laden words. The results showed that the emotion-label words, regardless of the valence, induced significant Simon effects, while the emotion-laden words only showed Simon effects on the negative valence, which initially proved that the two types of words had different emotional effect. Experiment 2 further explored the cognitive processing mechanism of emotion-label words and emotion-laden words by employing event-related potential (ERP) technology. The ERP data revealed that (1) regardless of the valence, emotion-label words were elicited larger P100 than emotion-laden words and mainly appear in the left posterior sites, (2) regardless of the valence, emotion-laden words elicited larger N170 than emotion-label words, and there was no hemispheric difference, (3) regardless of the valence, emotion-label word and emotion-laden words elicited in similar Late Positivity Complex (LPC) in central sites. According to the current findings, emotion-label words and emotion-laden words had significant differences in emotion effect and cognitive processing. The emotional information in emotion-label words was perceived earlier, while the emotional information in emotion-laden words had stronger physiological activation.

Karaca, Melek; Bektas, Oktay

doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-04172-xpmid: N/A

A deep understanding of the relationship between self-regulation and role models can enrich the theoretical models that affect the acquisition of self-regulation skills. This study aims to determine the moderating role demographic variables (i.e., gender, grade, and parent’s education levels) have on the relationship between middle school students’ perceptions of role modeling and their self-regulation. The study uses the explanatory correlation model, a correlational quantitative research design. The sample consists of 1,100 students studying in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades of secondary schools during the 2018–2019 academic year. The data have been analyzed using regression analysis in the package program SPSS 25 with the Process Macro plugin. The study has concluded the variables of gender and parents’ education levels have a moderating effect on the relationship between secondary school students’ perceptions toward role modeling and their self-regulation levels; grade level had no moderating effect. This study indicated that the father’s education level had a more moderator effect on this relationship. These results are valuable in terms of revealing that the education level of the mother and father, which is considered the only variable in the studies, should be examined as two separate variables. The relationship between role modeling perceptions and self-regulation can be examined from a broader perspective by considering sociocultural, sociodemographic, and socioeconomic variables.

Cheng, Wen; Huang, Jiaxin; Xie, Jun

doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-04061-3pmid: N/A

This study explored relationships between insecure attachment styles (avoidant attachment and anxious attachment) and task performance. We conducted a three-wave survey of 216 employees (42.10% of the participants are females) in China and adopted a moderated mediation model grounded on attachment theory and trait activation theory. Results indicated significant and positive associations between insecure attachment styles and facades of conformity, and facades of conformity mediated the negative relationships between insecure attachment styles and task performance. Task interdependence moderated the relationship between facades of conformity and task performance such that the relationship was weakened when task interdependence was higher. Furthermore, task interdependence moderated the indirect negative relationships between insecure attachment styles and task performance via facades of conformity, such that the negative indirect relationships were attenuated when task interdependence was higher. The results from our study indicate that facades of conformity may serve as a values-regulation explanatory mechanism in the relationships between insecure attachment styles and task performance.

Hovey, Joseph D.; Roley-Roberts, Michelle E.; Hurtado, Gabriela; Seligman, Laura D.; Levine, Jason C.; Kene, Prachi; Gonzalez, Rebecca N.

doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-04190-9pmid: 36593907

According to the interpersonal theory of suicide, the perception of imposing a burden on loved ones increases the risk for suicidal ideation. Little research, however, has examined the interaction of burdensomeness with cognitive variables in predicting suicidal ideation in college students even though the relationship between burdensomeness and ideation may be contingent on levels of cognitive risk factors. The present study thus examined the relationships between burdensomeness, hopelessness, coping competence, and suicidal ideation. Questionnaires were administered to 279 undergraduate students from a university in the Midwest United States. After controlling for depression, hopelessness, and coping competence, burdensomeness significantly predicted ideation and accounted for variance above and beyond the control variables. Moreover, the relationship between burdensomeness and suicidal ideation was significantly moderated by coping competence and hopelessness. The findings suggest that perceived burdensomeness plays a critical role in the risk for suicide in college students. More specifically, the findings suggest that coping competence and hopelessness can be ideal targets for interventions as changes in these variables may attenuate the association between perceived burdensomeness and suicidal ideation.

Zhang, Yiyun; Fang, Shijia; Chen, Zhuo; Zhou, Xinlin

doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-04153-0pmid: N/A

Visual perception is a critical factor in mathematical performance. The current study investigated whether form-perception speed underlies the association between visual perception capability and mathematical performance. Visual form perception tasks having different perceptual loads were administered to 162 adults in Experiment 1 and 273 children in Experiment 2. Experiment 1 showed that adult’s visual perception capability correlated with mathematical performance, even after controlling for age, gender, nonverbal matrix reasoning, choice reaction time, and mental rotational ability. However, only the correlation modulated by processing speed—and only visual perceptions with lower perceptual loads— predicted the variance of mathematical performance for adults mathematical performance. The findings in children corresponded to those in adults. Thus, form-perception speed modulates the association between visual perception capability and mathematical performance.

SeyedMousavi, ParisaSadat; Khoshroo, Saba; Memarian, Mohammaderfan; Ghanbari, Saeed; Rohner, Ronald P.

doi: 10.1007/s12144-022-04160-1pmid: N/A

Grounded in interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory (IPARTheory), this study examined the relationship between recollections of parental rejection during childhood and fear of intimacy during adulthood, as mediated by psychological maladjustment and interpersonal anxiety, and as moderated by intimate partner rejection. A sample of 253 Iranians completed the Persian translations of the measures of paternal, maternal, and intimate partner acceptance-rejection, fear of intimacy, interpersonal anxiety, and psychological maladjustment. Results of the mediation and moderation analyses using PROCESS Macro revealed that psychological maladjustment mediated the relationship between recollections of maternal and paternal rejection and fear of intimacy. Interpersonal anxiety only mediated the relationship between recollections of maternal rejection and fear of intimacy. Lastly, intimate partner’s rejection only moderated the direct effect of maternal rejection on fear of intimacy. These finding build onto the existing IPARTheory literature and provide valuable insights for clinical application.