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This article focuses on two recurrent themes in the study of acculturation in adolescence that challenge progress of the field. First, we often work with low-dimensional, trait-like models of acculturation that cannot deal with modern types of acculturation that are often characterized by multidimensionality and domain specificity. Second, acculturative change in adolescence is undertheorized and there is a need to integrate developmental tasks and models of acculturation. It is argued that approaches that have been adopted in the study of identity (with their models that range from generalized traits to situated approaches and their adoption of both quantitative and qualitative methods) are highly suitable for the study of acculturation. A more contextualized approach would also facilitate the study of the interaction of contextual conditions and acculturative changes in adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to evaluate a number of procedures that have been proposed to enhance cross-cultural comparability of personality and value data. A priori procedures (anchoring vignettes and direct measures of response styles (i.e. acquiescence, extremity, midpoint responding, and social desirability), a posteriori procedures focusing on data transformations prior to analysis (ipsatization and item parcelling), and two data modelling procedures (treating data as continuous vs as ordered categories) were compared using data collected from university students in 16 countries. We found that (i) anchoring vignettes showed lack of invariance, so they were not bias-free; (ii) anchoring vignettes showed higher internal consistencies than raw scores where all other correction procedures, notably ipsatization, showed lower internal consistencies; (iii) in measurement invariance testing, no procedure yielded scalar invariance; anchoring vignettes and item parcelling slightly improved comparability, response style correction did not affect it, and ipsatization resulted in lower comparability; (iv) treating Likert-scale data as categorical resulted in higher levels of comparability; (v) factor scores of scales extracted from different procedures showed similar correlational patterning; and (vi) response style correction was the only procedure that suggested improvement in external validity of country-level conscientiousness. We conclude that, although no procedure resolves all comparability issues, anchoring vignettes, parcelling, and treating data as ordered categories seem promising to alleviate incomparability. We advise caution in uncritically applying any of these procedures. Copyright © 2017 European Association of Personality Psychology [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents author's views on relevance of developmental science and immigration policies in taxonomies. Topics discussed include Migrant Immigration Policy Index (MIPEX) and social institutions for developmental growth; cultural differences in multiculturalism; and approach of language assimilation.

We investigated how response styles, personality traits, and values can be taken as manifestations of self-presentation styles in self-reports, and how self-presentation affects other self-report measures over time. Data on values and character traits at three time points across five years collected among a national representative sample in the Netherlands were utilized. A general response style factor consisting of extreme, socially desirable, and midpoint responding, a general factor of personality from the International Personality Inventory, and a general value factor from the Rokeach Value Survey were extracted, all of which showed scalar invariance across time. A latent self-presentation factor underlying the three general factors at each time point, and its stability and changes across time points was modeled. All three general factors loaded positively on the self-presentation factor. The latent mean of the self-presentation factor became smaller over time, yet effects of its impact on the relationships among various psychological variables remained small and stable over time. We conclude that survey respondents show a similar self-presentation style across domains and over time. Score corrections to deal with response styles are not recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Social–relational personality concepts identified in South Africa were examined. [•] A positive and a negative factor beyond the Big Five were found. [•] Social–relational scales predicted prosocialness beyond the Big Five factors. [•] The studied concepts were replicated in a multicultural sample in the Netherlands. [•] Big Five expansion is suggested to cover social–relational personality aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We integrated acquiescent, extreme, midpoint and socially desirable responding. [•] There is a general response style factor consisted of the four response styles. [•] The general factor is strongly associated with personality traits. [•] The general factor is interpreted as communication filters in expressing oneself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study, cross-cultural differences in cognitive test scores are hypothesized to depend on a test''s cultural complexity (Cultural Complexity Hypothesis: CCH), here conceptualized as its content familiarity, rather than on its cognitive complexity (Spearman''s Hypothesis: SH). The content familiarity of tests assessing short-term memory, attention, working memory, and figural and verbal fluid reasoning, was manipulated by constructing test versions with an item content derived from either Afrikaans or Tswana culture in South Africa. Both test versions were administered to children of both cultures. The sample consisted of 161 urban Afrikaans, 181 urban, and 159 rural Tswana children (M age =9.37years). Children generally performed best on the test version that was designed for their own group, particularly on the cognitively and culturally complex working memory and figural fluid reasoning tests. This relation between content familiarity and cognitive test performance supports CCH and disconfirms SH. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The success of multiculturalism as an ideology to deal with cultural differences depends upon the level of support for multiculturalism by majority members. It has been argued that support for multiculturalism in the Netherlands has substantially changed in response to various national and international events, such as the terrorist attacks on New York (2001), Madrid (2004), and London (2005), and the assassinations of popular politician Fortuyn (2002) and controversial movie director Van Gogh (2004). We compared survey data on Dutch majority attitudes in 1999 ( n= 333), 2001 ( n= 1,266), 2004 ( n= 246), 2005 ( n= 170), 2006 ( n= 306), and 2007 ( n= 464). Contrary to popular belief, we found little evidence for enduring attitude changes over the nine-year period. Implications for studies of multiculturalism and for policy-makers are discussed. Le succès du multiculturalisme en tant qu’idéologie pour appréhender les différences culturelles dépend du soutien dont il bénéficie de la part de la majorité de la population. On a dit que l’approbation du multiculturalisme s’était profondément altérée aux Pays-Bas à la suite de divers évènements nationaux et internationaux, telles que les attaques terroristes sur New York (2001), Madrid (2004) et Londres (2005), et les assassinats du politicien populaire Fortuyn (2002) et du metteur en scène controversé Van Gogh (2004). On a comparé des données d’enquête sur les attitudes majoritaires chez les Néerlandais en 1999 ( n= 333), 2001 ( n= 1,266), 2004 ( n= 246), 2005 ( n= 170), 2006 ( n= 306) et 2007 ( n= 464). A l’encontre de la croyance populaire, un changement d’attitudes durable est loin d’être évident sur cette période de neuf ans. On discute des conséquences pour les études sur le multiculturalisme et les projets politiques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The paper describes a cross-cultural and historical meta-analysis of Raven''s Progressive Matrices. Data were analyzed of 798 samples from 45 countries (N =244,316), which were published between 1944 and 2003. Country-level indicators of educational permeation (which involves a broad set of interrelated educational input and output factors that are strongly related to economic development), the samples'' educational age, and publication year were all independently related to performance on Raven''s matrices. Our data suggest that the Flynn effect can be found in high as well as low GNP countries, although its size is moderated by education-related sample and country characteristics and seems to be smaller in developed than in emerging countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The relationship between educational age and chronological age and measures of information processing and intelligence was studied in a group of children of 7 to 14 years of age (N =268) in a rural area in the Ntcheu district (Malawi). There was a relatively weak relationship between chronological and educational age in this area, and the impact of factors often threatening the validity of the comparisons of schooled and unschooled children, such as socioeconomic status and sex, was small. Reaction time measures of different levels of cognitive complexity and Raven test scores showed significant relations with chronological age, educational age, and their interaction. The strength of the relations was similar for these three variables. These findings are in line with a view that in middle childhood and early adolescence basic information processing and intelligence are not enhanced by schooling and develop along similar lines in schooled and unschooled children. Our results suggest that the schooling is more efficacious by addressing skill transfer and the development of metacognitive knowledge than by addressing basic information processing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study examined the nature and size of differences in family relationships in five cultural groups in the Netherlands (Dutch mainstreamers, and Turkish, Moroccan, Surinamese, and Antillean immigrants). In order to get a better insight into the differences in family relationships, a distinction was made between family values and family ties. Family values refer to obligations and beliefs about family relationships whereas family ties involve more behavior-related relational aspects. Results confirmed that the cultural differences in mean scores between immigrants and majority members were larger for family values than for family ties. Individual background variables had a much stronger association with family values than with family ties. In addition, first-generation immigrants had more traditional family values and reported stronger family ties than did Dutch mainstreamers. Second-generation immigrants had more traditional family values than Dutch mainstreamers but they did not report stronger family ties. In conclusion, the distinction between family values and family ties as different expressions of family relationships is highly relevant in an acculturation context, because cultural differences between the various immigrant groups and the mainstream group are not the same for values and ties, and acculturative changes are different for both. On se penche dans cette étude sur les relations familiales, leur nature et leurs différences dans cinq groupes culturels des Pays-Bas (Hollandais de souche et immigrants turcs, marocains, surinamiens et antillais). Pour accéder à une meilleure appréhension des différences dans les relations familiales, on a opéré une distinction entre les valeurs et les liens familiaux. Les valeurs familiales font référence aux obligations et aux croyances concernant les relations familiales alors que les liens familiaux touchent des aspects relationnels plus comportementaux. Les résultats confirment que les différences culturelles (estimées au niveau des moyennes) entre les immigrants et les membres de la majorité de la population sont plus nettes pour les valeurs que pour les liens familiaux. Le fond culturel des individus est plus fortement associé aux valeurs qu’aux liens familiaux. De plus, les migrants de première génération présentent davantage de valeurs familiales traditionnelles et témoignent de liens familiaux plus forts que ceux des Hollandais de souche. Les migrants de seconde génération ont également plus de valeurs familiales traditionnelles que les Hollandais de souche, mais pas de liens familiaux plus étroits. Disons pour conclure que distinguer valeurs et liens familiaux comme étant des expressions différentes des relations en famille est tout à fait pertinent dans un contexte d’acculturation puisque les différences culturelles entre les divers groupes de migrants et les autochtones ne sont pas identiques pour les valeurs et les liens et que l’impact dûà l’acculturation n’est pas le même dans les deux cas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predictors and components of attitudes toward multiculturalism were studied in 341 native Dutch people. Attitudes were found to have a unidimensional structure, but the level of support for multiculturalism was found to vary significantly over societal domains. Level of education and living in city districts with few non-natives were the only background variables that were (positively) related to support for multiculturalism. A path model, with psychological background variables (knowledge, life satisfaction, life opportunities, perceived social norms about multiculturalism as a threat and support for multiculturalism, and social desirability) predicting attitudes and behavior, showed a good fit. Generally, exclusionist positions were not endorsed by majority Dutch, but cultural pluralism was not seen as a valuable asset of their society, and they are not inclined to put much effort into minority integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of acculturation in assessment in multicultural groups is discussed. It is argued that standard procedures are to be developed to deal with the multicultural composition of today's societies, in which clients come from various cultural backgrounds and do not have the familiarity with the language and culture of the psychological and educational tests that is implicitly assumed in the assessment procedure. The first part presents a brief overview of acculturation models and points out the relevance of acculturation in multicultural testing. The second part of the paper discusses conceptual and methodological issues in the assessment of acculturation. This is followed by a discussion of ways in which acculturation can be taken into account in assessing multicultural groups, such as establishing different norms for different cultural groups, adding a “correction” for acculturation status, or assessing acculturation, and using this score either as a covariate or as a threshold value that determines whether or not a score on a target instrument can be interpreted adequately. Implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between human resilience and environmental degradation was studied in the Sahel. The strongest predictors of human resilience were rate of environmental degradation, avoidance, problem solving and locus of control. Compared to pastoralists, agriculturalists were more stressed and marginalized. Women in all groups scored higher on marginalization and stress than men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Common tests of Spearman''s hypothesis, according to which performance differences between cultural groups on cognitive tests increase with their g loadings, confound cognitive complexity and verbal–cultural aspects. The present study attempts to disentangle these components. Two intelligence batteries and a computer-assisted elementary cognitive test battery were administered to 474 second-generation migrant and 747 majority-group pupils in the Netherlands, with ages ranging from 6 to 12 years. Theoretical complexity measures were derived from Carroll [Human cognitive abilities. A survey of factor-analytic studies. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press] and Fischer [Psychol. Rev. 87 (1980) 477]. Cultural loadings of all subtests were rated by 25 third-year psychology students. Verbal loading was operationalized as the number of words in a subtest. A factor analysis of the subtest loadings on the first principal component, the theoretical complexity measures, and the ratings of cultural loading revealed two virtually unrelated factors, representing cognitive (g) and cultural complexity (c). The findings suggest that performance differences between majority-group members and migrant pupils are better predicted by c than by g. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The question was examined as to whether scores at the individual level and scores at the country level on the four scales of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) have the same psychological meaning. Using data of 24 countries, it was found that the EPQ has different factorial structures at both levels. Both the Lie scale and the Psychoticism scale were shown to jeopardize cross-level equivalence. For further exploration of the meaning of the EPQ scales within countries and between countries country-level correlations were calculated with a variety of country characteristics such as Gross National Product, political indices, religiosity, Hofstede''s measures, and subjective well-being. Significant findings for 38 countries included correlations of the EPQ scales with Hofstede''s Masculinity, Diener''s Subjective Well-Being, religiosity, the number of deaths in a country due to political violence, and bribery. The most striking finding was a substantial negative correlation of the Lie scale with Gross National Product and other wealth-related indices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

L’évaluation psychologique demande de plus en plus l’application de tests dans des contextes culturels différents, soit dans un pays unique (avec des immigrants) ou dans différents pays. Après une description des caractéristiques principales de ce genre d’évaluation, les coûts et bénéfices sont examinés. Il est argumenté que ceux-ci varient selon les partis intéressés impliqués: les clients, les personnes ou institutions demandant une expertise psychologique, la profession de psychologue, et la société en général. Bien qu’une analyse détaillée des coûts et bénéfices demanderait une recherche empirique, il peut être conclu que sur une longue période, tous les partis intéressés gagnent à réaliser une évaluation multi-culturelle. Dans un futur rapproché, la demande pour de telles évaluations va augmenter dû à l’internationalisation toujours plus grande des organisations et au besoin croissant de groupes d’immigrants pour des services psychologiques culturellement informés. Dans ce processus, les psychologues ont deux rôles: Premièrement, nous avons besoin de standards explicites pour les évaluations multi-culturelles, et deuxièmement, nous devons communiquer ces standards à tous les intéressés afin de développer et de maintenir un service d’ évaluation de qualité. Psychological assessment increasingly involves the application of tests in different cultural contexts, either in a single country (involving migrants) or in different countries. After a description of the main characteristics of such cross-cultural assessment, its costs and benefits are addressed. It is argued that these vary for the stakeholders involved: clients, persons or institutions hiring psychological expertise, psychology as a profession, and society at large. Although a comprehensive analysis of costs and benefits would require empirical study, it can be safely concluded that in the long run all stakeholders gain from cross-cultural assessment. In the near future the demand for cross-cultural assessment will increase, due to the growing internationalisation of business and the increasing need of migrant groups for culture-informed psychological services. The role of psychologists in this process is twofold: we need explicit standards of appropriate cross-cultural assessment and we should communicate these standards effectively to all stakeholders in order to develop and maintain a high quality of testing and service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzes the components of inductive reasoning using cross-cultural equivalence in Zambia, Turkey and Netherlands. Types of equivalence; Relationship between item difficulties and constituent item-generating rules; Approach in dealing with bias in cognitive tests.

Cross-cultural developmental research faces the daunting task of studying the relationship of development and cultural context. The main argument of this article is that a variety of approaches is needed rather than one single perspective to make progress with this task. We illustrate how qualitative and quantitative research can be seen as complementary rather than mutually exclusive. We present four models, following Cole, that range from simple main effects to dynamic interaction models and argue that the debate about superiority of any one model is counterproductive; when applicable a more simple model is to be preferred. Thereafter a taxonomy of psychological domains is proposed (physiological, perceptual, cognitive, personality, and social aspects) that has a bearing on the choice of model. The final section describes some issues (and pseudoissues) of cross-cultural developmental science, such as the dichotomy between molar and molecular approaches, and the presumed need to maximize the understanding of cultural context in all research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate what is learned in a training study on inductive reasoning, three tests were composed, involving two stimulus domains, namely letters and figures. Each test was composed on the basis of a set of explicitly defined item generating rules. The two figural tests were isomorphic tests, that is, they had identical problem structures but invoked different stimulus domains, simple geometric patterns and drawings of fruit. These tests were administered to pupils from grade 6 in The Netherlands, Surinam and Zambia. Half of each class was then trained at one of the three tests, while the other half did not get any training. During the training the pupils were taught to solve the items by trying to detect the features of the item generating rules. Four possible outcomes of transfer studies were postulated, differing in the generality of transfer of the results. By means of a Multivariate Analysis of Variance with Repeated Measures it was possible to differentiate between the four kinds of transfer; a pattern of fairy restricted transfer was demonstrated in each culture. Furthermore, in Zambia a remarkable score increase was found at the Letter Test, occurring both in the experimental and in the control condition. It was argued that this increase was caused by improved test-taking skills, learned at the first test administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate what is learned in a training study on inductive reasoning, three tests were composed, involving two stimulus domains, namely letters and figures. Each test was composed on the basis of a set of explicitly defined item generating rules. The two figural tests were isomorphic tests, that is, they had identical problem structures but invoked different stimulus domains, simple geometric patterns and drawings of fruit. The se tests were administered to pupils from grade 6 in the Netherlands, Surinam and Zambia. Half of each class was then trained at one of the this tests, while the other half did not get any training. During the training the pupils were taught to solve the items by trying to detect the features of the item generating rules. Four possible outcomes of transfer studies were postulated, differing in the generality of transfer of the results. By means of a Multivariate Analysis of Variance with Repeated Measures it was possible to differentiate between the four kinds of transfer; a pattern of fairly restricted transfer was demonstrated in each culture. Furthermore, in Zambia a remarkable score increase was found at the Letter Test, occurring both in the experimental and in the control condition. It was argued that this increase was causal by improved test-taking skills, learned at the first test administration. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: It is argued that Stankov''s proposal to view unforgivingness as underlying the combination of high educational achievement, anxiety, and self-doubt is an original way of summarizing Confucian score patterns. However, it is argued that the proposal cannot explain why reading scores in Confucian countries are not higher than in other countries and that an empirical study to test the proposal is difficult to conduct as it would require the involvement of many different countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Few short Big Five instruments have been tested for invariance across samples from a large number of countries. To fill this gap, we measured the Big Five personality traits in probability samples (n > 1000 in each country) from Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, UK, US, and Vietnam. We used a new, short Big Five questionnaire, based on the BFI and other short instruments after consultations and tests in diverse cultures. Across the US sample (n = 2811, nationally representative), as well as in Japan and other countries, our 15-item questionnaire yielded higher loadings on intended factors and lower cross-loadings than what has been reported for the BFI, and the BFI-2-XS in the US and worldwide. Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling of our tool recovered the Big Five, and its structure was very stable across countries, yet without metric comparability. We conclude that the Big-Five model covers important cross-cultural commonalities in the structure of personality, and our study reveals its invariant core across many countries. Yet metric comparability is compromised for some items. Cross-cultural comparisons of scores on our measure, and most likely other Big Five measures, seem premature. • Big-Five studies across many countries at a time recover the model but the item loadings are unimpressive or unreported. • We tested a new short Big-Five tool in probabilistic samples (n > 1000 per nation) in 19 nations on all continents. • Our tool recovers the Big Five in each nation and yields higher loadings than previous short tools. • Despite the configural invariance, we did not obtain sufficient metric invariance. • This outcome makes us skeptical about the validity of large-scale comparisons of nations on the Big Five. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Explaining Positive Adaptation of Immigrant Youth across Cultures. This study tested a mediation model of ethnic socialization (i.e., parental practices that promote children's knowledge about their history, heritage culture, cultural authenticity, and ethnic bias management) in Roma youth. Roma are the largest ethnic minority group in Europe subjected to severe discrimination, both currently and historically. Participants were 202 Roma youth aged 14 to 19 years old (M = 16.25, 53% females), who provided self-reports on their experience of ethnic socialization, ethnic identity, school achievement, and life satisfaction. Cultural pride reinforcement was related to better school achievement, whereas cultural coping with antagonism was positively related to life satisfaction. The study confirmed the model in that ethnic socialization was positively related to life satisfaction through effects on ethnic identity but negatively associated with school achievement. Findings have implications for adaptive cultural mechanisms promoting positive developmental outcomes among historically disadvantaged groups including those intersecting immigrant and multigenerational ethnic minority group categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opinion. Comments on studies on the psychophysics of nontrivial constraints on color categorization. Points based pn cross-cultural psychological record; Exceptions to cross-cultural regularities; Probabilistic constraints on color categorization.

Abstract: The study examined profiles of reading skills and cognitive skills for South African children from schools that differed in opacity of medium of instruction. The sample included 122 third graders instructed in Afrikaans (transparent language), 109 in Setswana (transparent), and 127 in English (opaque). The link between cognitive skills (short-term memory and working memory) and reading comprehension was expected to be mediated by phonological awareness, word fluency, text fluency, and vocabulary. Multigroup invariance analyses revealed differences in strength of relations between cognitive skills and reading skills across mediums of instruction. For English, phonological awareness played a smaller and vocabulary a larger role compared to Afrikaans and Setswana, largely in line with theories on orthographic depth and reading; furthermore, predictors of reading comprehension showed weaker interrelations in Afrikaans and Setswana. Our study stresses the need to align reading instruction with orthography. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We examined dimensions of noncognitive functioning based on the administration of 22 measures of personality, social attitudes, values, and social norms in 35 countries (Ns ranging from 9 to 430; Total N =1895). Four essentially identical factors were found at individual and country level: Personality/Social Attitudes; Values; Social Norms, and Conservatism. The four factors were correlated at country level, yielding a second-order Conservatism/Liberalism (combining Conservatism and Values) and a Harshness/Softness factor (combining Personality/Social Attitudes and Norms). Broad Conservatism/Liberalism is akin to Inglehart's (1997) contrast between survival and well-being; it was negatively correlated with countries' affluence, educational achievement indicators, and measures of mass communication and freedom. The Harshness/Softness factor contrasts countries that are tough and harsh/unforgiving and countries that are warm and tolerant; it is related to Gelfand et al.'s (2011) tightness/looseness dimension. Harshness/Softness factor was (negatively) correlated with death penalty, murder rate and muggings, and the proportion of Christians; it was positively correlated with Minkov's (2011) index of Industry and his index of countries' death penalty application. It is concluded that the domain of noncognitive psychological functioning has a fairly corresponding structure at individual and country levels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In the present study, teacher self-efficacy was examined in a cross-national setting. The cross-national generalizability of the scale and the meaning of cross-national variation in mean scores were investigated. Using data from TALIS involving 73,100 teachers in 23 countries, teacher self-efficacy was shown to have a similar unifactorial structure and equivalent positive correlations with teaching practices and job satisfaction across countries. At the country level, significant correlations were only found for job satisfaction; in addition, teacher self-efficacy was related to collectivism, modesty, and extremity scoring. Thus, mean score differences between countries mainly reflect cultural value orientations and response styles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The current study is aimed at evaluating the relationship between attachment and identity development, and their influence on psychological well-being in adolescents with and without disabilities in Kenya. The sample was composed of 296 adolescents (151 with disabilities and 145 without any disability). The mean age in our sample was 16.84 years (SD = 1.75). Adolescents with disabilities had significantly lower scores in identity formation, paternal attachment, and life satisfaction. A path model indicated that identity formation partially mediated the relationship between secure attachment and psychological well-being. Our findings indicate that both parent and peer attachment play an important role in the identity formation and psychological well-being of adolescents in Kenya, irrespective of a disabling condition. A multigroup analysis indicated that while the structure of the relationship between variables held for groups, the pattern and strength of the relationships differed. Implications for practice, especially the guidance and counseling services in schools, are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: On a mission to Mars the crew will experience high autonomy and inter-dependence. “Groupthink”, known as a tendency to strive for consensus at the cost of considering alternative courses of action, represents a potential safety hazard. This paper addresses two aspects of “groupthink”: the extent to which confined crewmembers perceive increasing convergence in personal values, and whether they attribute less tension to individual differences over time. It further examines the impact of personal values for interpersonal compatibility. These questions were investigated in a 105-day confinement study in which a multinational crew (N=6) simulated a Mars mission. The Portrait of Crew Values Questionnaire was administered regularly to assess personal values, perceived value homogeneity, and tension attributed to value disparities. Interviews were conducted before and after the confinement. Multiple regression analysis revealed no significant changes in value homogeneity over time; rather the opposite tendency was indicated. More tension was attributed to differences in hedonism, benevolence and tradition in the last 35 days when the crew was allowed greater autonomy. Three subgroups, distinct in terms of personal values, were identified. No evidence for “groupthink” was found. The results suggest that personal values should be considered in composition of crews for long duration missions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study examined the impact of personal values on intended self-presentation during job interviews among German, Ghanaian, Norwegian, and Turkish students (total N= 1,474). We also sought to explain cultural differences in self-presentation among these groups. The Cultural Impression Management Scale for applicants (CIM-A) and the Portrait Values Questionnaire were administered. A multigroup MIMIC model with invariant measurement and structural weights was supported, in which achievement, security, and benevolence values predicted a latent impression management factor. Intended impression management scores were significantly higher in the Ghanaian and Turkish samples than in the Norwegian and German samples. Values (achievement and security) accounted for 19.6 per cent of the cross-cultural differences in self-presentation. Adding acquiescence as an additional predictor (interpreted here as a measure of communication style) decreased the cross-cultural differences by 52.8 per cent. It is concluded that values are similarly related to intended self-presentation across these four groups, even though the cross-cultural differences in mean scores in both sets of variables were considerable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To investigate markers of risk status that can be easily monitored in resource-limited settings for the identification of children in need of early developmental intervention. Methods: Eighty-five children in Kilifi, Kenya, aged between 2 and 10 months at recruitment, were involved in a 10-month follow-up. Data on developmental outcome were collected through parental report using a locally developed checklist. We tested for the unique and combined influence of little maternal schooling and higher gravidity, anthropometric status (being underweight and stunting) and poor health on the level of developmental achievement and the rate of acquisition of developmental milestones. Results: A model with all five predictors showed a good fit to the data (χ2(21, N = 85) = 23.00, p = .33). Maternal schooling and gravidity and child’s stunting were found to predict the rate of developmental achievements (β = .24, β = .31, and β = .41, respectively). Being underweight, ill-health, stunting and gravidity predicted initial developmental status (β = −.26, β = −.27, β = −.43, and β = −.27). Conclusions: Slow rates of developmental achievement can be predicted using these easy-to-administer measures and the strongest relationship with risk was based on a combination of all measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The confounding of chronological and educational age and of schooling and socioeconomic status are persistent problems in the study of the cognitive consequences of schooling. The educational system among the Kharwar in India provides a natural experiment to overcome these problems, since it shows neither source of confounding. The sample comprised of 201 schooled and unschooled Kharwar children from 6 to 9 years of age. The test battery contained tests of mathematics and memory with formal and local stimulus Content, as well as tests of inductive reasoning, analogies, fluency, picture vocabulary, and numbers. Confirmatory factor analyses supported similar hierarchical factor structures, with general intelligence in the apex, for both unschooled and schooled children. The per annum score increments of chronological age were about twice as large as those of educational age. These findings illustrate the important role of everyday experiences in the development of basic features of cognitive functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological aspects of environmental degradation were studied among 753 Chinese farmers. A good fit was found for a structural equation model postulating a relationship between various input variables (i.e. environmental degradation, socio-economic status, education, coping, and locus of control), a latent variable (called resilience), and three output variables (i.e. stress, marginalization, and depression). Higher scores on internal locus of control, problem solving, socioeconomic status, and modernity and lower scores on environmental degradation, avoidance, and support seeking were associated with more resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Similarities and differences in the results of psycholexical research across cultures may be due to real cross-cultural differences or to specific methodological choices. Two typically approaches used are: global, which follows a variation of the original lexical paradigm, and local, which is indigenous in methods and assumptions. We propose a GloCal approach that is more likely to yield a comprehensive picture of personality by combining approaches informed by a thorough understanding of that language and culture. The GloCal approach allows researchers to (a) identify shared and unique components of personality across cultures, (b) ensure that the lexicon used is relevant to the culture and (c) increase the ecological validity of stimulus materials in personality inventories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We test a model proposing that having children influences motivational pathways of volunteering in the same way across two different cultures. The model posits that parents’ engagement in volunteering is driven by implicit, whereas non-parents’ engagement in volunteering is related to explicit prosocial motivation. Participants were 570 parents and non-parents from Turkey and the US ( M age = 33.7 years; 58.2% female). Results across the two cultural contexts confirmed our model. Our findings highlight the need for considering implicit prosocial motivation as an antecedent of volunteering, and underline the importance of examining parenthood as a moderator for motivations to volunteer. Avenues for further research and implications for voluntary organizations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Background: Very little research has examined the relationship between resilience, risk, and the service use patterns of adolescents with complex needs who use multiple formal and mandated services such as child welfare, mental health, juvenile justice, and special educational supports. This article reports on a study of 497 adolescents in Atlantic Canada who were known to have used at least 2 of these services in the last 6 months. It was hypothesized that greater service use and satisfaction with services would predict both resilience, and better functional outcomes such as prosocial behavior, school engagement and participation in community. Methods: Youth who were known to be multiple service users and who were between the ages of 13 and 21 participated in the study. Participants completed a self-report questionnaire administered individually. Path analysis was used to determine the relationship between risk, service use, resilience, and functional outcomes. MANOVA was then used to determine patterns of service use and service use satisfaction among participants. Results: Findings show that there was no significant relationship between service use history and resilience or any of the three functional outcomes. Service use satisfaction, a measure of an adolescent''s perception of the quality of the services received, did however show a strong positive relationship with resilience. Resilience mediates the impact of risk factors on outcomes and is affected positively by the quality, but not the quantity, of the psychosocial services provided to adolescents with complex needs. Conclusions: Results show that resilience is related to service satisfaction but not the quantity of services used by youth. Coordinated services may not increase resilience or be more effective unless the quality of individual services is experienced by an adolescent receiving intervention as personally empowering and sensitive to his or her needs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]