Jon Sutton selects from this month’s offerings
According to Leyen’s ‘infrahumanisation hypothesis’, some uniquely human emotions, such as shame and guilt (secondary emotions), are reserved for the ingroup, whilst other emotions that are not uniquely human and shared with animals, such as anger and pleasure (primary emotions), are attributed to in- and outgroups alike. A study by John Martin and colleagues at the University of Dundee explored children’s ability to forecast the intensity and duration of such emotions experienced by in- and outgroup members.
Ratings of primary and secondary emotions forecast for national football teams (Scotland, ingroup and England, outgroup) for both a loss and a win were recorded. As predicted by the infrahumanisation hypothesis, forecasts for the intensity of secondary emotions experienced by the ingroup were significantly greater overall than those of primary emotions; while, for the outgroup, the intensity ratings for both emotion types were not significantly different. Importantly, this effect did not differ between age groups. (BJDP)
It is often thought that interviewers are prone to bias when they are hiring, tending to simply give the job to the applicant they like as a person. However, a study led by Maria Garcia (University of Texas) found that performance expectations (e.g. ‘How likely is it that this applicant will work to implement new ideas?’) but not liking had a direct effect on perceptions of fit with the role and organisation. In addition, interviewers did not appear to be basing similarity judgments on demographic variables. The authors say that ‘interviewers seem to be more rational than previous literature suggests.’ (JOOP)
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) as an adjunct to medication has been shown to improve symptom management in patients with schizophrenia. However, little is understood about the value of CBT for people who are not prescribed antipsychotic medication. Now Thomas Christodoulides (Tyne and Wear Mental Health NHS Trust) has reported a case series design with three participants receiving CBT but not prescribed antipsychotic medication during active treatment. The three patients improved on outcome measures of psychopathology, depression, or negative symptoms, some to a clinically significant degree. The authors conclude that CBT may be a valuable alternative to medication in treating symptoms of schizophrenia. (PAPTRAP)
A study by Katherine Myant and Joanne Williams (University of Edinburgh) shows how an easy-to-administer intervention can teach young children about illness concepts. The authors say that the findings show children are capable of understanding detailed explanations of specific illnesses and that this may be a more effective way of explaining chronic childhood illnesses than providing basic facts that practitioners may believe are commensurate with children’s level of understanding. (BJEP)
In a study of inmates in two British prisons, Gordon Hodson (Brock University, Ontario) looked at social dominance orientation - seeing a ‘dog-eat-dog’ world where hierarchies are vital. Those high in social dominance orientation exhibited significantly less ingroup bias when experiencing increased contact with out-group members if they perceived favourable, institutionally supported contact conditions, or when personally experiencing more pleasant interactions with outgroup members. Those low in social dominance orientation were less affected by the conditions of contact. (BJSP)
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The Psychologist
