Stigmatizing our own: Self-relevant research is common but frowned upon in clinical, counseling, and school psychology

Researchers often have personal experiences that motivate engagement with a research topic. We performed the first systematic investigation of self-relevant research (SRR; “me-search”) among psychologists. The prevalence of SRR and attitudes towards SRRers were examined in a representative North American sample (N = 1,778) of faculty, graduate students, and others affiliated with accredited doctoral programs in clinical, counseling, and school psychology. Over half of participants had engaged in SRR. When judging experimentally manipulated vignettes, those who did not engage in SRR made more stigmatizing judgements of SRR and SRR disclosure than those who engaged in SRR. Psychologists and trainees had more negative attitudes towards SRR on mental health topics (suicide, depression, schizophrenia) than physical health topics (cancer). We discuss the implications of negative evaluations of SRR and mental illness on the health of applied psychology.

Is international affective picture system (IAPS) appropriate for using in Iranian culture, comparing to the original normative rating based on a North American sample

BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that cultural context has an influence on emotion and cognition. In this study the emotional response to international affective picture system (IAPS) was compared between Iranians and normative ratings of Americans young adults.MethodOne hundred and thirty eight Iranian university students (85 women, 48 men) age 18 to 52 (average= 31, SD = 7.76) enrolled in the study. Participants’ emotional response to IAPS images were rated in three dimensions (valence, arousal, dominance) using self-assessment Manikin (SAM) system. Then, valence, arousal, dominance scores were compared to those of 100 American undergraduates (50 females, 50 males) of the same age group, enrolled at Florida university and surveyed by Prof. PJ Lang in 2008.ResultOur results indicate that there is complete correlation between the mean ratings of valence, arousal and dominance between Iranian and American participants. Also the results showed similarities in valence ratings, but arousal ratings especially in female participants were different. The relationship between arousal and valence showed a similar boomerang shaped distribution seen with the North American sample. Iranian sample showed positively offset and negative bias comparable to the American counterparts.ConclusionThe results are promising in the sense that IAPS images can be used in studies within Iranian cultural context. However, arousal values require a modification for their proper application in Iranian cultural context.Disclosure of interestThe author has not supplied his/her declaration of competing interest.

Corporate ethical lapses: do markets and stakeholders care?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess if a firm’s ethical lapses, which result from unethical behavior or actions, influence its social disclosure (SD) practices as well as how ethical lapses affect both the firm’s legitimacy within society and its standing in financial markets. This study addresses two-related questions: do a firm’s ethical lapses undermine the credibility of its SD in financial markets, either directly or through a firm’s legitimacy? Do ethical lapses affect a firm’s market value and is this effect mediated by SD and legitimacy? Design/methodology/approach Three hypotheses are derived based on two theoretical approaches, information economics and institutional theory. The hypotheses lead ultimately to an examination of a firm’s legitimacy. Ethical lapses are inspired by the Global Reporting Initiative grid and by ISO 26000. Findings The results suggest that a firm’s ethical lapses underlie its SD practices and affect its legitimacy and standing in financial markets, the latter being proxied by financial analysts’ forecasts. Research limitations/implications The limitations of this study include that alternative ways exist to measure the constructs employed, the measurement of SD is subject to discretionary choices, and the North American sample results may not be generalizable to other countries. Originality/value The originality and contributions of this study are based on the use of information economics and institutional theory in a complementary way that recognizes information as serving various purposes and constituencies. Additionally, the paper extends prior research on the SD aspects of CSR by showing it matters to both financial markets and non-financial stakeholders.

Variation and taxonomy of Asiamerican eutherian mammal Paranyctoides

A parsimony analysis of the distribution of 408 characters in 73 taxa of Cretaceous eutherians and related taxa places three species of Paranyctoides, the Asiatic P. quadrans and the North American P. sternbergi and P. maleficus, into a monophyletic taxon supported by three unambiguous synapomorphies. In this analysis P. quadrans has three autapomorphies, but in the analysis using combined terminal taxon for the entire sample of North American Paranyctoides two of these autapomorphies (development of stylar cusps C and D on upper molars) disappeared because these characters are also variably present in the North American sample. The remaining autapomorphy of P. quadrans, m3 shorter than m2, is known from a single specimen and also may be affected by individual variation. The North American sample of Paranyctoides cannot be clearly separated into distinct species on morphological or morphometric grounds and is considered as representing a single species, P. sternbergi Fox, 1979 (= P. maleficus Fox, 1984, syn. nov.). It differs from the Asiatic P. quadrans (Nesov, 1993) only in having a sharp lingual ridge on p5 and m3 longer than m2. Paranyctoides is the sister taxon to Zhelestidae; this clade is supported by four unambiguous synapomorphies.