Search

Memorializes Jerome L. Singer (1924-2019). Singer's seminal research, conducted over 50þ years, laid the foundations for virtually all modern investigations of stream of consciousness and mind wandering. During a time when daydreaming was considered pathological, Singer showed it to be a pervasive aspect of human experience that served positive social and creative functions, earning him the moniker “the father of daydreaming.” After receiving his PhD in clinical psychology in 1951, Singer was certified as a psychoanalyst through the William Alanson White Institute, while also holding several part-time research appointments. In 1963, Singer became director of the clinical psychology program at City University, where he and collaborator John Antrobus studied “decoupled attention.” Singer joined the faculty of Yale University in 1972 and assumed emeritus status in 2006. At Yale, he worked closely with his wife Dorothy (who was an exemplary developmental psychologist in her own right), where they codirected Yale’s Family TV Research and Consultation Center for more than 30 years. He died on December 14, 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decreased latent inhibition (LI), reflecting an inability to screen from awareness stimuli previously experienced as irrelevant, has been associated with psychosis. Recent research has suggested, however, that low LI is associated with increased creative achievement in high-functioning individuals (S. H. Carson, J. B. Peterson, & D. M. Higgins, 2003). This study examined the relationship between LI and individual differences in the tendency to rely on intuition to make decisions. Participants scoring higher on a Faith in Intuition factor consisting of items relating to affect tended to have decreased LI. LI was not related to a rational thinking style or to a factor consisting of items relating to a holistic type of intuition. Furthermore, those high in faith in intuition benefitted more from a preexposure condition in which participants received the relevant stimuli in the first phase of the task than did those scoring medium and low in faith in intuition. An explanation is offered for the link between faith in intuition and LI, building on past theory and research on the biological basis of LI and associations with openness to experience and creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How should I greet her? Should I do what he requests? Newcomers to a culture learn its interpersonal norms at varying rates, largely through trial-and-error experience. Given that the culturally correct response often depends on conditions that are subtle and complex, we propose that newcomers' rate of acculturation depends on not only their explicit aptitude (e.g., reasoning ability) but also their implicit aptitude (e.g., pattern recognition ability). In Studies 1–3, participants experienced a range of influence situations sourced from a foreign culture. Across many trials, they decided whether or not to comply and then received accuracy feedback (based on what a majority of locals indicated to be the appropriate action in each situation). Across the 3 studies, stronger implicit aptitude was associated with greater improvement from trial-and-error experience, whereas stronger explicit aptitude was not. In Studies 4–6, participants experienced a range of greeting situations from a foreign culture. Across many trials, implicit aptitude predicted experiential learning, especially under conditions that impede reasoning: multiple cues, subliminal feedback, or inconsistent feedback. Study 7 found that the predictiveness of implicit aptitude was weaker under a condition that impedes associative processing: delayed feedback. These findings highlight the important role of implicit aptitude in helping people learn interpersonal norms from trial-and-error experience, particularly because in real-life intercultural interactions, the relevant cues are often complex, and the feedback is often fleeting and inconsistent but immediate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the predictive power of 2 different conceptualizations of passion and persistence in relation to creative behavior. Specifically, we examined predictive power of the self-reported grit subscales (defined as a combination of passion/consistency of interests and perseverance) and teacher-reported passion and persistence (based on lay definitions of these constructs). In 3 studies of college and high school students, self-reported passion/consistency of interests and perseverance (grit subscales) did not predict creative behavior and achievement. Openness to Experience (Studies 1-3) and teacher nominations of passion and persistence predicted creativity (Study 3). Finally, we found support that teachernominated passion and persistence remained significant predictors of creativity above the Big Five personality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]