On the Decay of Distractor-Response Episodes

Distractor-to-distractor repetition effects can be explained by retrieval
and/or inhibitory processes. Interestingly, the two accounts predict
different effects from repeated distractors: Inhibition theories always predict
benefits, whereas stimulus-response-retrieval theories predict an interaction of
response repetition and distractor repetitions, resulting in benefits with
response repetitions and costs with response changes. In the present experiment
the time-course and the temporal separability of a stimulus-response episode on
dist [...]
Interpersonal Identity Development in Different Groups of Siblings

With the help of German versions of the modified Utrecht-Groningen Identity
Development Scales, we assessed interpersonal identity development of five
different groups of siblings. Monozygotic, dizygotic same-sexed, and
opposite-sexed twins, as well as same-sexed and opposite-sexed siblings
(N = 214; average age 11.2, SD = 1.4) were
interviewed three times (time interval: 1 year) in their home environments to
examine commitment and exploration in the life domains
siblings, best friends, and romantic
relationships at each visit, as well [...]
Accessory Stimuli Affect the Emergence of Conflict, Not Conflict Control

Accessory signals that precede stimuli in interference tasks lead to faster
overall responses while conflict increases. Two opposing accounts exist for the
latter finding: one is based on dual-route frameworks of response preparation
and proposes amplification of both direct response activation and indirect
response selection processes; the other refers to attentional networks and
suggests inhibition of executive attention, thereby hampering conflict control.
The present study replicated previous behavioral findings in a Simon task and
e [...]
It’s Brief But Is It Better? An Evaluation of the Brief Implicit Association Test

Sriram and Greenwald
(2009) introduced a new variant of the Implicit
Association Test, which they termed the Brief Implicit Association Test (BIAT).
The BIAT differs from a standard IAT by using less trials and by instructing
participants to focus on only two of the four categories in each block. We argue
that the focus manipulation of the BIAT does not suffice to fully control for
focusing and recoding processes in the task. Compatibility effects in the BIAT
are therefore still subject to influences that are unrelated to the conceptual
[...]
The Development of End-State Comfort Planning in Preschool Children

We investigated the development of the end-state comfort effect in young
children. Fifty-one children from three age-groups (3, 4, and 5 years old)
participated in the study. They performed the dowel placing task, which required
them to reach for a horizontal dowel and to insert one of its ends into a target
disk. Depending on which end was instructed, end-state comfort could be reached
by picking up the dowel either with an overhand or with an underhand grip. All
children reached for the dowel with an overhand grasp when this resulted in [...]
Narcissism and Perceived Inequity in Attractiveness in Romantic Relationships

In three studies of romantic relationships (N = 253,
N = 81, and N = 98) the hypothesis was
tested that high narcissists, relative to low narcissists, distort the
assessment of equity in attractiveness. Narcissism was measured by the
Narcissistic Personality Inventory. In Study 1 the hypothesis was confirmed. In
Study 2 it was shown that although narcissism correlated significantly with
self-esteem, it was the unique variance in narcissism which predicted the
tendency to feel underbenefited in respect to attractiveness. Finally in Study
[...]
Final Decentrations
We submit that with advancing age and the age-inherent shrinking of life-time
reserves, intrinsic-valuerational, that is, ego-transcending goals tend to gain
priority over extrinsic-instrumental goals that aim at future personal benefits.
This proposition is investigated in four studies that combine questionnaire
assessments and experimental analyses. In Study 1, age differences in
extrinsic-instrumental and intrinsic-valuerational orientations are analyzed in
a cross-sectional study involving 359 participants in the age range from 35 to
[...]
Missing or Killed

Many people go missing during war and acts of terrorism. Do their families
suffer an additional or different kind of mental health burden than families of
people who are known to have been killed? Two groups of respondents,
each comprising 56 women living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, were included in the
study. These were women whose husbands were either confirmed as having been
killed during the 1992–1995 war or who were at the time of the study
officially still listed as missing as a result of the war. These two groups
filled in questi [...]
Experimental Psychology

Experimental Psychology
Content Type Journal ArticleCategory EditorialDOI 10.1027/1618-3169/a000001Authors
Edgar Erdfelder, Universität Mannheim, Germany
Journal Experimental Psychology (formerly "Zeitschrift für Experimentelle Psychologie")Print ISSN 1618-3169
Journal Volume Volume 57
Journal Issue Volume 57, Number 1 / 2009
[...]
Coping with Family Demands Under Difficult Economic Conditions

Utilizing hierarchical linear modeling, we analyzed whether perceived family-related demands associated with social change – and the processes of dealing with these demands – relate to depressive symptoms, and whether these relationships vary by regional economic conditions. The sample comprised 2,519 respondents living in economically healthy versus weak regions of Germany. Results showed that higher levels of perceived family-related demands were associated with higher levels of depression. In addition, higher levels of engagement and low [...]