Review of General Psychology

Using creativity to reduce ethnic bias in college admissions.
College admissions testing typically focuses on grade point average (GPA) and SAT scores. Without disputing the importance of these predictors, one may wonder whether they are enough by themselves to determine eventual academic success. One possible additional construct, creativity, is examined via the lens of nonbiased assessment. It is argued that creativity can help reduce bias in two ways. First, adding creativity as a supplement to current assessments would present a truer reflection of a person's overall intellectual abilities. Second, most studies have found that different ethnicities perform comparably on creativity tasks, and some minority groups may be more likely to see themselves as creative. Including creativity as a component of standardized tests may, therefore, reduce stereotype threat. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)
Meaning making, uncertainty reduction, and the functions of autobiographical memory: A relational framework.
Three interrelated propositions are used to formulate a conceptual framework for understanding how the widely reported functions of autobiographical memory (a.m.)—the self, social, and directive functions—are related, complementary, and purposive. The existential literature provides a structure of meaningful relationships among various existential elements that are represented in a.m. It is argued that humans are meaning-makers driven by the need to make and understand relations within socially constructed realities. Human agency suggests that the process of self-reflection is a distinctly human core property of agency; moreover, the process of self-reflection is imbued with uncertainty. The social–cognitive literature suggests that humans seek relational coherence and meaning-ness, and strive to reduce uncertainty in their relational structures. Thus, it is suggested that the a.m. functions interact and support one another through relational frameworks such that a consistent and coherent life story can be created and maintained. Implications of this research are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)
Effort mobilization when the self is involved: Some lessons from the cardiovascular system.
In this article it is proposed that the principles of motivational intensity theory (Brehm & Self, 1989) apply to effort mobilization for challenges with consequences for performers' self-esteem and self-definition (i.e., self-involvement). Accordingly, involvement of the self makes success important and thus justifies the mobilization of high resources. However, up to this level of maximally justified resources, actual effort is mobilized in correspondence to subjective task difficulty as long as success is possible. We report a series of experimental studies that have operationalized effort intensity as cardiovascular reactivity during task performance and used multiple manipulations of self-involvement (social evaluation, self-awareness, ego involvement, personal goals) and task difficulty. The empirical evidence clearly supports the idea that the principles of motivational intensity theory apply to performance conditions that have direct consequences for self-definition and self-esteem and challenges a number of other theoretical accounts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)
The bidirectional relations between affect and belief.
Whereas a majority of previous work has focused on the cognitive factors that influence beliefs, current theory and research suggest that affect also plays an important role. In this article, we comprehensively describe the bidirectional relations between affect and belief. On the basis of our review of existing theory and research, we develop the following three empirically derived premises. First, the need to make sense of experience and the need to regulate affect drive a reciprocal feedback loop through which affect and belief influence each other. Second, changes in affect arousal, valence, and type influence belief content and conviction. Third, changes in belief content and conviction influence affect arousal, valence, and type. We discuss empirical research supporting each premise, needed empirical tests, and avenues for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)
The science of sex appeal: An evolutionary perspective.
Growing evidence shows that features we find attractive in members of the opposite sex signal important underlying dimensions of health and reproductive viability. It has been discovered that men with attractive faces have higher quality sperm, women with attractive bodies are more fertile, men and women with attractive voices lose their virginity sooner, men who spend more money than they earn have more sex partners, and lap dancers make more tips when they are in the fertile phase of their menstrual cycle. This paper highlights recent evidence showing that the way we perceive other people has been shaped by our evolutionary history. An evolutionary approach provides a powerful tool for understanding the consistency and diversity of mating preferences and behaviors across individuals and cultures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)
Correction to Annetta (2010).
Reports an error in "The “I's” have it: A framework for serious educational game design" by Leonard A. Annetta (Review of General Psychology, 2010[Jun], Vol 14[2], 105-112). The final acceptance date was incorrect. The final acceptance date should be January 15, 2010. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2010-11858-006.) Serious educational games have become a topic that has seen increased popularity in recent years. This article describes lessons learned and a framework for people interested in designing educational games. Although there are many critical components of a quality educational game, a nested model of 6 elements for educational game design is presented. These nested elements are grounded in research and theory in both education and psychology, along with instructional technology and the learning sciences. The 6 elements of educational game design are derived from several studies on game design and development from Grade 5 through graduate school. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)
Mean-level change in self-esteem from childhood through adulthood: Meta-analysis of longitudinal studies.
This study performs a meta-analysis of the mean-level of change in self-esteem across the life span. Fifty-nine studies yielded data from 130 independent samples. Results indicate that, despite slightly increasing from childhood to the first decade of young adulthood, self-esteem does not change beyond 30 years old. Self-esteem changes the most during the first decade of young adulthood. The effects of gender and time span between assessments on change in self-esteem were minimal during adolescence, while the way self-esteem is measured significantly affects change. The mean effect size was the largest with the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory and the smallest with Harter's Self-Perception Profile. Birth cohort also significantly influences change, whereas older cohorts change to a smaller extent compared to younger cohorts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)
Birth cohort differences in self-esteem, 1988–2008: A cross-temporal meta-analysis.
Three meta-analyses find increases over the generations in Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (RSE) scores between 1988 and 2008 among American middle school (d = 0.78, n = 10,119), high school (d = 0.39, n = 16,669), and college students (d = 0.30, n = 28,918). The changes are consistent with an increasing emphasis on self-worth in American culture and, for high school students, with small increases in academic competence over time. College students' scores change only when the RSE is administered with a 4-point Likert scale with no midpoint. By 2008, a score of 40 (perfect self-esteem) was the modal response of college students, chosen by 18% of participants; 51% scored 35 or over. Given these shifts in responses, the possibility of revising the RSE is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)
A theory of limited metabolic energy and premenstrual syndrome symptoms: Increased metabolic demands during the luteal phase divert metabolic resources from and impair self-control.
Numerous studies suggest that premenstrual syndrome (PMS) may be linked to impaired self-control since many of the symptoms of PMS are indicative of impaired self-control. Evidence links PMS to increased difficulty controlling emotions, attention, and fine motor movements; increased intake of alcohol, drugs, nicotine, caffeine, and food; impaired work performance, and increased stress, aggression, criminal behavior, interpersonal conflicts, and passivity. Empirical research demonstrates that self-control is metabolically expensive and, as such, can be impaired when metabolic energy (i.e., glucose) is low or processed ineffectively. The expression of PMS is tightly linked to the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, a time in which considerable metabolic energy is allocated to the ovaries. This increased ovarian metabolic demand could, therefore, divert energy away from, and thereby impair, other processes during this phase of the menstrual cycle. Here, we propose a novel theory in which PMS symptoms are partly attributable to the diversion of metabolic energy to the ovaries and away from processes that benefit self-control. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)

Review of General Psychology - Vol 14, Iss 3