Review of General Psychology

Proposal of a double diamond model of social response.
Models of social response concern the identification and delineation of possible responses to social pressure. Previous efforts toward a unified model have been limited to conceptualizations that define conformity and its alternatives based on discrete categories (e.g., Montgomery, 1992; Nail et al., 2000). Social response in many settings, however, is more a matter of degree, requiring continuous-response formats. The authors propose a new unified model, the double diamond, which was derived from a synthesis of 11 existing models. To our knowledge, it includes for the first time in a continuous-response model: two types of conformity, three types of anticonformity, independence, compromise, contagion, and numerous other possibilities. The model provides a needed theoretical foundation for a relatively new influence technique: strategic self-anticonformity (MacDonald et al., 2011). The broader integrative power of the model is illustrated by its links with the true self (Rogers, 1951), self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2008), and two therapeutic techniques—paradoxical intention (Frankl, 1967) and motivational interviewing (Miller & Rollnick, 2002). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Working memory and emotion: Ruminations on a theory of depression.
A broad theory of depression is proposed based on a blend of Hume's (D. Hume, 1978, A Treatise of Human Nature. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. Original work published 1739) concept of a valenced world and Damasio's (A. R. Damasio, 1994, Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. New York, NY: Putnam) somatic marker hypothesis. It is proposed that behavior is governed by a hedonic detector system coupled to working memory. Depression is assumed to reflect a malfunction of the hedonic detector, involving the inappropriate setting of its positive−negative neutral point. This simple assumption allows a coherent account of depression that links the neurobiological, behavioral, and psychological evidence with a plausible evolutionary hypothesis. Alternative hypothesis are discussed, and methods of investigating the hedonic detector are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Origins of modern ideas on love and loss: Contrasting forerunners of attachment theory.
In this article we examine some origins of John Bowlby's attachment theory, a highly influential scientific approach to love and loss in contemporary society. Although some potential influences have been well-documented, others have either received no recognition or have failed to have an impact. We focus specifically on three of Bowlby's predecessors, exploring how these were differentially influential on his work. The first of these, Charles Darwin, was amply endorsed by Bowlby, both in terms of the adaptive background to his theory and more specifically in relation to Darwin's study of the emotions associated with grief. The second, Alexander Shand, was recognized as important but is cited little and omitted from the central issue of the resolution of grief. The third, Bertrand Russell, formulated ideas on attachment and separation before Bowlby, and possibly contributed to the intellectual forces that influenced him too. To our knowledge, Russell's work was not cited by Bowlby, despite the fact that it contained the seeds of many of Bowlby's ideas on attachment. It remains unclear whether this was because he had not read Russell or through omission; there is no definitive evidence either way. Tracing these historical origins illustrates how theory development involves a process of integration and selection, how even radical theories are rooted in previous scholarship, and how it can take decades for inspiring ideas to develop into full-blown, well-tested, theories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Changing minds: A psychodynamic interpretation of Kuhnian paradigm change.
Thomas Kuhn's model of the structure of scientific revolutions is, to this day, one of the most influential attempts to understand central processes in the history of science. While Kuhn coached his theory in historical and sociological terms, this article argues that modern existential psychology can be used to add a psychodynamic dimension to Kuhn's model. Specifically, while Kuhn famously claimed that scientific paradigms are worldviews held by scientists and described their pattern of change, terror management theory (TMT) emphasizes the existential importance of worldviews and specifies the conditions under which individuals will either radicalize or abandon their worldviews when they are faced with threat or negative evidence. This article shows that the stages Kuhn describes in the history of science can fruitfully be elucidated by central TMT concepts, and exemplifies their applicability through two examples in the history of psychology. The resulting psychological interpretation of scientists' existential attachment to their worldview might prove fruitful in understanding crucial dynamics in the history of science. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
An exploration of the functions of religious monumental architecture from a Darwinian perspective.
In recent years, the cognitive science of religion has displayed a keen interest in religions' social function, bolstering research on religious prosociality and cooperativeness. The main objective of this article is to explore, from a Darwinian perspective, the biological and psychological mechanisms through which religious monumental architecture (RMA) might support that specific function. A frequently held view is that monumental architecture is a costly signal that served vertical social stratification in complex large-scale societies. In this paper we extend that view. We hypothesize that the function(s) of RMA cannot be fully appreciated from a costly signaling perspective alone, and invoke a complementary mechanism, namely sensory exploitation. We propose that, in addition to being a costly signal, RMA also often taps into an adaptive “sensitivity for bigness.” The central hypothesis of this paper is that when cases of RMA strongly stimulate that sensitivity, and when commoners become aware of the costly investments that are necessary to build RMA, then this may give rise to a particular emotional response, namely awe. We will try to demonstrate that, by exploiting awe, RMA promotes and regulates prosocial behavior among religious followers and creates in them an openness to adopt supernatural beliefs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Rewriting the language of creativity: The Five A's framework.
For the past 5 decades the psychology of creativity has been influenced by what is known as the 4 P's of creative expression: person, process, product, and press. This conceptual schema, initially proposed by Rhodes (1961), helped researchers structure their thinking about the phenomenon. However, it also supported an individualistic, static, and oftentimes disjointed vision of creativity. The present article aims to rewrite this fundamental language of the discipline by using terms that explicitly endorse a systemic, contextual, and dynamic approach. The 5 A's framework—actor, action, artifact, audience, affordances—is grounded in current literature from sociocultural and ecological psychology as well as theories of the distributed mind and tries to achieve a more comprehensive and unitary perspective on creativity. Several theoretical, methodological, and practical implications are considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Cross-disciplinary applications of I/O psychology concepts: Predicting student retention and employee turnover.
Two survey investigations conducted over a 2-year period serve as a case study illustrating how research that crosses disciplinary boundaries can shed light on current conceptual and methodological issues in student retention. Specifically, we applied the concepts of organizational commitment and job embeddedness used by industrial/organizational psychologists in the study of employee turnover to an investigation of factors that influence college student retention and withdrawal. The present research models the cross-disciplinary approach by examining the associations between embeddedness (including links, fit, sacrifice) and organizational commitment, and focusing on their ability to predict students' intentions to leave and, longitudinally, to predict actual departure prior to graduation. The case study demonstrates how understanding a particular behavior in one domain, that of education, is advanced by taking an approach from outside that discipline. Similarly, concepts from I/O psychology and management become clarified when applied outside their own boundaries. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Exercise: Why it is a challenge for both the nonconscious and conscious mind.
The epidemic of physical inactivity is an important societal and individual problem. Despite the well-documented health effects of physical activity, only 22% of the population exercises regularly enough to get the physiological and psychological benefits (S. N. Blair, 1993, Physical activity, physical fitness, and health. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, Vol. 64, pp. 365–376.) Why does 78% fail to do so? The problem is largely psychological and attributable to the processes of nonconscious and conscious mind. This paper reviews research on how nonconscious and conscious processing affects human behavior in general and exercise behavior in particular. Although there generally is no question about the effect of the nonconscious mind on human behavior, “unconsciously operating motives” in and of themselves are incapable of igniting and sustaining this complex behavior—at least until the behavior has been repeated with regularity and long enough to become consistently prompted by situational cues (as is the case for 22% of the population). There is even some evidence to suggest that the nonconscious mind actually works against exercise by embracing cues and excuses for not exercising. A related problem for both the nonconscious and conscious mind, especially that of the occasional exerciser (54% of the population), is that exercise poses a threat to one's sense of freedom and choice (i.e., “you must do it or else”). The resultant psychological reactance leads to attempts to restore this freedom, but it is often accomplished by giving in to temptations (e.g., TV watching). Although people recognize fitness and health as important human conditions, they often pursue these goals by using exercise as a means toward another end (e.g., to lose weight). In doing so, they struggle cognitively with their need for autonomy while trying to balance it in interpersonal and leisure contexts. Such struggle depletes finite self-control resources and makes people more vulnerable to temptations. The net result is that both the nonconscious mind and the conscious mind fail to turn most people into rational thinkers and “self as doers,” who would do what is best for their health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
A regression framework for effect size assessments in longitudinal modeling of group differences.
The use of growth modeling analysis (GMA)–particularly multilevel analysis and latent growth modeling—to test the significance of intervention effects has increased exponentially in prevention science, clinical psychology, and psychiatry over the past 15 years. Model-based effect sizes for differences in means between 2 independent groups in GMA can be expressed in the same metric (Cohen's d) commonly used in classical analysis and meta-analysis. This article first reviews conceptual issues regarding calculation of d for findings from GMA and then introduces an integrative framework for effect size assessments that subsumes GMA. The new approach uses the structure of the linear regression model, from which effect sizes for findings from diverse cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses can be calculated with familiar statistics, such as the regression coefficient, the standard deviation of the dependent measure, and study duration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)

Review of General Psychology - Vol 17, Iss 1