Among the classic psychological theories of aggression is the Frustration-Aggression Theory of Dollard, Miller, and colleagues from 1939. The theory has been debated and reformulated over the years, and still remains well-known in the field. As van der Dennen summarizes in this web document:
As to the principal hypothesis, Dollard et al. (1939) posited “that the occurrence of aggressive behavior always presupposes the existence of frustration and, contrariwise, that the existence of frustration always leads to some form of aggression”.
It is the seemingly automatic association between frustration and aggression (note the uses of the word "always" in the quote above), posited in the theory's original version, which I seized upon in stating that the theory may have been "a little extreme."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frustration-Aggression
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “Winchester Cathedral,” Geoff Stephens, popularized by The New Vaudeville Band)
Frustration-aggression,
A theoretical scheme,
The critics would say that,
It’s a little extreme,
It says all frustration,
Makes someone get clocked,
And all aggressiveness,
Stems from goals being blocked,
For 70 years, scholars have, refined the theory,
What moderates the, F-A link?
We can continue on this query…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further Reading
Berkowitz, L. (1989). The frustration-aggression hypothesis: Examination and reformulation. Psychological Bulletin, 106, 59-73.
Dollard, J., Miller, N., Doob, L., Mowrer, O., & Sears, R. (1939). Frustration and aggression. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Thursday, January 17, 2008
"Kenny, Dave (The Dyadic Statistics Guy)"
At the recent Social Psychologists in Texas (SPIT) conference (see entry below), I was talking to some people when the topic of dyadic analysis came up. If a researcher is studying, for example, romantic partners or college roommates, special kinds of statistical analyses are required. I vowed on the spot to write a song about dyadic analysis, and the present entry contains the fruits of my work.
Probably the best-known contributor to dyadic analysis within social psychology is David Kenny of the University of Connecticut; not suprisingly, he has an extensive website on dyadic analysis, as well as ones on other statistical and methodological topics. Naturally, Dr. Kenny would have to be featured prominently in my song.
While thinking on-and-off about ideas for the song over the past week, I heard the Beatles' song "Penny Lane" on the radio. I then realized that by using a last-name-first format, "Kenny, Dave," would be a good fit. With that inspiration, I give you the song...
Kenny, Dave (The Dyadic Statistics Guy)
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “Penny Lane,” Lennon/McCartney)
So much psychology, studies individuals,
But in pairs, so much of social life occurs,
Duos can be analyzed, for sure,
With the right approach,
Kenny, Dave, pioneered dyadic analysis,
So that models were, properly specified,
And all the assumptions, satisfied,
It gave him much pride,
All in stride,
Kenny, Dave, the dyadic, statistics guy,
A technique for those, who aren’t shy,
Come on, give it a try,
One must ascertain, if partners are exchangeable,
And check for variance, between and within,
The complexity, is setting in,
Oh the road you pave, Kenny, Dave,
(Interlude)
Kenny, Dave, the dyadic, statistics guy,
A technique for those, who aren’t shy,
Come on, give it a try…
What's called the "APIM," is a model, of dyadic paths,
Actor effects, within a person, straightaway,
And that's not all, this type of model does,
There is more in play,
You can draw, an arrow, from one person's predictor,
Right to the other's, dependent var-i-a-ble,
The name for, this new kind, of pathway,
Is "partner effect,"
That's correct!
Kenny, Dave, the dyadic, statistics guy,
A technique for those, who aren’t shy,
Come on, give it a try…
Kenny, Dave, the dyadic, statistics guy,
A technique for those, who aren’t shy,
Come on, give it a try…
Kenny, Dave!
Probably the best-known contributor to dyadic analysis within social psychology is David Kenny of the University of Connecticut; not suprisingly, he has an extensive website on dyadic analysis, as well as ones on other statistical and methodological topics. Naturally, Dr. Kenny would have to be featured prominently in my song.
While thinking on-and-off about ideas for the song over the past week, I heard the Beatles' song "Penny Lane" on the radio. I then realized that by using a last-name-first format, "Kenny, Dave," would be a good fit. With that inspiration, I give you the song...
Kenny, Dave (The Dyadic Statistics Guy)
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “Penny Lane,” Lennon/McCartney)
So much psychology, studies individuals,
But in pairs, so much of social life occurs,
Duos can be analyzed, for sure,
With the right approach,
Kenny, Dave, pioneered dyadic analysis,
So that models were, properly specified,
And all the assumptions, satisfied,
It gave him much pride,
All in stride,
Kenny, Dave, the dyadic, statistics guy,
A technique for those, who aren’t shy,
Come on, give it a try,
One must ascertain, if partners are exchangeable,
And check for variance, between and within,
The complexity, is setting in,
Oh the road you pave, Kenny, Dave,
(Interlude)
Kenny, Dave, the dyadic, statistics guy,
A technique for those, who aren’t shy,
Come on, give it a try…
What's called the "APIM," is a model, of dyadic paths,
Actor effects, within a person, straightaway,
And that's not all, this type of model does,
There is more in play,
You can draw, an arrow, from one person's predictor,
Right to the other's, dependent var-i-a-ble,
The name for, this new kind, of pathway,
Is "partner effect,"
That's correct!
Kenny, Dave, the dyadic, statistics guy,
A technique for those, who aren’t shy,
Come on, give it a try…
Kenny, Dave, the dyadic, statistics guy,
A technique for those, who aren’t shy,
Come on, give it a try…
Kenny, Dave!
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Social Psychologists in Texas "SPIT" 2008
The social psych group at my home institution, Texas Tech University, will be this year's host of the annual Social Psychologists in Texas (SPIT) conference. Dick McGlynn, Texas Tech's lead organizer of the meeting, was kind enough to put me (an honorary social psychologist based in human development and family studies) on the schedule for a musical tribute to SPIT, which I will present at the closing session this upcoming Saturday. The flavor of SPIT meetings is conveyed in this sporadically updated SPIT website.
I've written lyrics for four SPIT-specific songs, as shown below. Two are general songs about the conference, whereas the other two are dedicated to visiting speakers. One of the speakers is James "Jamie" Pennebaker from the University of Texas-Austin, who I will introduce via song. He is well-known for two decades of research on how expressing one's feelings during times of stress can improve health. [2015 Update: One of Pennebaker's students, Molly Ireland, has been at Texas Tech the past couple of years.] The other visitor fulfills a SPIT tradition, that of bringing back a former Texas-based social psychologist who has moved elsewhere. Our "boomerang" speaker is Jeff Simpson, who a few years ago left Texas A&M to go back to his graduate-school alma mater, the University of Minnesota. Here are the songs...
Hope You Enjoyed SPIT!
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” Irving Berlin)
Here in Lubbock, you have seen,
What social psychology,
In the Lone Star State’s, about,
The best, were here, with no doubt,
It’s a, yearly tradition,
B’havior, affect, cognition,
That’s what we, look into,
And, hear findings, so new…
A chance to sit,
For presentations, tightly knit,
And observations, full of wit,
Hope you enjoyed SPIT!
And, in a bit,
We will look for, who shows the grit,
To win the award, for spi-rit,
Hope you enjoyed SPIT!
Darcy, Dick, Jeff, Clyde, and other Tech-ies,
Sought to provide a program, that did please,
They did, their best,
Before you split,
I’ve written up a, music skit,
We hope our meeting, was a hit…
Hope you enjoyed SPIT!
Dr. Pennebaker
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “Please Mr. Postman;” writing credited to various combinations of Dobbins, Garrett, Holland, Bateman, and Gorman; popularized by the Marvelettes and the Beatles)
(Back-up vocals in parentheses)
(Wait) SPIT’s ver-y own, Dr. Pennebaker,
(Wait) He-ee-e’s a real, headline maker,
Many people, endure great stress (oh yeah),
What’s key are feelings, these you must express,
(Please, please, Dr. Pennebaker)
So think about, why you’re so troubled (oh yeah),
Let those thoughts, burst out of their bubble,
Go ahead, says Dr. P.,
You need to let your, feelings run free,
Once you manage, to cross that line,
Only then, will you start to feel fine,
Dig deep down, says Dr. Pennebaker,
So-oh-oh complee-eet-ly,
At first, it may be, tough to disclose,
But then it comes, so much more easily,
(Please Dr. P)
Dr. P., address this notion (oh yeah),
Many don’t like to, discuss emotion,
(Please, please)
People can be, quite resistant (oh yeah),
But disclosing improves, your immune system,
Holding it in, is quite tough work,
Deep down inside, the problems lurk,
Sit yourself down, write it in a letter,
After a while, you should feel better,
(Dr. Pennebaker)
You’ll understand, says Dr. P.,
You’ll process events, with more coherency,
You’ll attain, more mental closure,
When you engage, in this disclosure,
You’ve got to,
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
You’ve got to,
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
Check out JPSP, with the writings of Dr. P.,
You’ve go to,
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
(Dr. Penn-eh-eh-eh-baker, oh yeah)
Write out your letter, you will feel better,
You’ve got to,
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
You’ve got to,
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah)…
Ol’ Jeff Simpson
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “Old Dan Tucker,” Bruce Springsteen, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions)
Ol’ Jeff Simpson, was at A&M,
Came to SPIT, time and again,
His Ph.D. is, from the U. of Minn.,
Since ’04, that’s where he’s been,
Glad you came to Tech, Ol’ Jeff Simpson,
Not maroon, we’re black and crimson,
Hope you enjoyed, our annual follies,
Back in Texas, with old SPIT colleagues,
Jeff studies, adult attachment,
Looks at couplings, that are nascent,
Affect, trust, and partners’ ideals,
He tests what, each of these reveals,
Glad you came to Tech, Ol’ Jeff Simpson,
Not maroon, we’re black and crimson,
Hope you enjoyed, our annual follies,
Back in Texas, with old SPIT colleagues…
Up in the West of Texas
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” Swander/Hershey; click here for the music)
Our host, McGlynn, near 40 years, has been (clap, clap, clap, clap),
Up in the West of Texas,
He set out to list, social psychologists (clap, clap, clap, clap),
Throughout the rest of Texas,
From San Antone, up to the Cowboys’ home (clap, clap, clap, clap),
He brought the best in Texas,
Thank you for coming to, our campus, TTU (clap, clap, clap, clap),
Affirming our SPIT nexus...
I've written lyrics for four SPIT-specific songs, as shown below. Two are general songs about the conference, whereas the other two are dedicated to visiting speakers. One of the speakers is James "Jamie" Pennebaker from the University of Texas-Austin, who I will introduce via song. He is well-known for two decades of research on how expressing one's feelings during times of stress can improve health. [2015 Update: One of Pennebaker's students, Molly Ireland, has been at Texas Tech the past couple of years.] The other visitor fulfills a SPIT tradition, that of bringing back a former Texas-based social psychologist who has moved elsewhere. Our "boomerang" speaker is Jeff Simpson, who a few years ago left Texas A&M to go back to his graduate-school alma mater, the University of Minnesota. Here are the songs...
Hope You Enjoyed SPIT!
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” Irving Berlin)
Here in Lubbock, you have seen,
What social psychology,
In the Lone Star State’s, about,
The best, were here, with no doubt,
It’s a, yearly tradition,
B’havior, affect, cognition,
That’s what we, look into,
And, hear findings, so new…
A chance to sit,
For presentations, tightly knit,
And observations, full of wit,
Hope you enjoyed SPIT!
And, in a bit,
We will look for, who shows the grit,
To win the award, for spi-rit,
Hope you enjoyed SPIT!
Darcy, Dick, Jeff, Clyde, and other Tech-ies,
Sought to provide a program, that did please,
They did, their best,
Before you split,
I’ve written up a, music skit,
We hope our meeting, was a hit…
Hope you enjoyed SPIT!
Dr. Pennebaker
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “Please Mr. Postman;” writing credited to various combinations of Dobbins, Garrett, Holland, Bateman, and Gorman; popularized by the Marvelettes and the Beatles)
(Back-up vocals in parentheses)
(Wait) SPIT’s ver-y own, Dr. Pennebaker,
(Wait) He-ee-e’s a real, headline maker,
Many people, endure great stress (oh yeah),
What’s key are feelings, these you must express,
(Please, please, Dr. Pennebaker)
So think about, why you’re so troubled (oh yeah),
Let those thoughts, burst out of their bubble,
Go ahead, says Dr. P.,
You need to let your, feelings run free,
Once you manage, to cross that line,
Only then, will you start to feel fine,
Dig deep down, says Dr. Pennebaker,
So-oh-oh complee-eet-ly,
At first, it may be, tough to disclose,
But then it comes, so much more easily,
(Please Dr. P)
Dr. P., address this notion (oh yeah),
Many don’t like to, discuss emotion,
(Please, please)
People can be, quite resistant (oh yeah),
But disclosing improves, your immune system,
Holding it in, is quite tough work,
Deep down inside, the problems lurk,
Sit yourself down, write it in a letter,
After a while, you should feel better,
(Dr. Pennebaker)
You’ll understand, says Dr. P.,
You’ll process events, with more coherency,
You’ll attain, more mental closure,
When you engage, in this disclosure,
You’ve got to,
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
You’ve got to,
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
Check out JPSP, with the writings of Dr. P.,
You’ve go to,
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
(Dr. Penn-eh-eh-eh-baker, oh yeah)
Write out your letter, you will feel better,
You’ve got to,
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
You’ve got to,
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah),
Write about it, write about it (oh yeah)…
Ol’ Jeff Simpson
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “Old Dan Tucker,” Bruce Springsteen, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions)
Ol’ Jeff Simpson, was at A&M,
Came to SPIT, time and again,
His Ph.D. is, from the U. of Minn.,
Since ’04, that’s where he’s been,
Glad you came to Tech, Ol’ Jeff Simpson,
Not maroon, we’re black and crimson,
Hope you enjoyed, our annual follies,
Back in Texas, with old SPIT colleagues,
Jeff studies, adult attachment,
Looks at couplings, that are nascent,
Affect, trust, and partners’ ideals,
He tests what, each of these reveals,
Glad you came to Tech, Ol’ Jeff Simpson,
Not maroon, we’re black and crimson,
Hope you enjoyed, our annual follies,
Back in Texas, with old SPIT colleagues…
Up in the West of Texas
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” Swander/Hershey; click here for the music)
Our host, McGlynn, near 40 years, has been (clap, clap, clap, clap),
Up in the West of Texas,
He set out to list, social psychologists (clap, clap, clap, clap),
Throughout the rest of Texas,
From San Antone, up to the Cowboys’ home (clap, clap, clap, clap),
He brought the best in Texas,
Thank you for coming to, our campus, TTU (clap, clap, clap, clap),
Affirming our SPIT nexus...
Sunday, December 2, 2007
"Measure That Emotion"
(Updated April 23, 2015)
In many areas of psychology, attitudes and behavior are assessed by self-report questionnaires. Either in paper/pencil format or, increasingly, via the Internet, participants are asked to respond on a scale from 1 to 5 (or 1 to 7, or 1 to 10, etc.) as to how much they agree with or like some stimulus object or how frequently they engage in some behavior. Participants may, of course, misreport their answers, due either to deliberate falsification or lack of access to inner states.
Naturally, researchers have tried coming up with subtle ways to probe attitudes and behaviors, in order to corroborate or circumvent self-report measurements. The field of emotion/affect research has a long history of working with physiological recording techniques for this purpose.
Today's song, "Measure That Emotion," thus delves into the matter of self-report vs. physiological assessment of people's feelings. Below the song lyrics, I've listed several sources for interested readers to pursue the topic in greater detail.
Jeff Larsen,a who moved from Texas Tech to the University of Tennessee, faculty colleague of mine (he's in psychology and I'm in human development and family studies) studied during his Ohio State graduate school years with prominent psychophysiologist John Cacioppo (now at University of Chicago) and has continued to conduct innovative studies on emotion. As I write, Jeff and his Texas Tech students are designing and implementing psychophysiological affect studies, and I dedicate this song to Jeff...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Measure That Emotion
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “I Second That Emotion,” Robinson/Cleveland)
How do you handle, affect measurement?
What should you do, for your experiment?
Should you invest in, phys-i-ol-o-gy?
Expensive, but probes feelings, with subtlety,
Surveys you can give en masse,
The Affect Grid or the PANAS,
Oh, self-report or “physio,”
Whatever your devotion,
Measure that emotion,
Said, self-report or “physio,”
Whatever fits your notion,
Measure that emotion,
Physio measures come in several forms,
Mini-electrical and blood-flow storms,
Should you record the facial EMG?
What does it have for its validity?
Moods, people can self-report,
But respondents, may distort,
Oh, self-report or “physio,”
Whatever your devotion,
Measure that emotion,
Said, self-report or “physio,”
Whatever fits your notion,
Measure that emotion...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further Reading
Brian Lickel has a superb online PowerPoint presentation on psychophysiological assessment, entitled “Detecting and Indexing Emotion.” Also, the Society for Psychophysiological Research website has a Teaching Resources component.
Beyond the above web links, several articles -- both contemporary and historical -- deal with assessing emotions:
Cacioppo, J. T., Gardner, W. L., & Berntson, G. G. (1997). Beyond bipolar conceptualizations and measures: The case of attitudes and evaluative space. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 1, 3-25.
Cacioppo, J. T., Petty, R. E., Losch, M. E., & Crites, S. L. (1994). Psychophysiological approaches to attitudes: Detecting affective dispositions when people won't say, can't say, or don't even know. In S. Shavitt & T. C. Brock (Eds.), Persuasion: Psychological insights and perspectives (pp. 43-69). New York: Allyn & Bacon.
Carroll, J.M., Yik, M., Russell, J.A., & Barrett, L.F. (1999). On the psychometric principles of affect. Review of General Psychology, 3, 14-22.
Collins, B. E., Ellsworth, P. C., & Helmreich, R. L. (1967). Correlations between pupil size and the semantic differential: An experimental paradigm and pilot study. Psychonomic Science, 9, 627-628.
[Barry Collins is the first professor from whom I ever took a psychology course, the introductory undergraduate class, Psych 10, at UCLA, whereas Phoebe Ellsworth was one of my mentors in graduate school at the University of Michigan, in psychology and law.]
Ekman, P., Levenson, R. W., & Friesen, W. V. (1983). Autonomic nervous system activity distinguishes among emotions. Science, 221, 1208-1210.
Guglielmi, R.S. (1999). Psychophysiological assessment of prejudice: Past research, current status, and future directions. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 3, 123-157.
Larsen, J.T., Norris, C.J., McGraw, A.P., Hawkley, L.C., & Cacioppo, J.T. (in press). The evaluative space grid: A single-item measure of positivity and negativity. Cognition & Emotion2009;23:453–480.
Mauss, I. B, & Robinson, M. D. (2009). Measures of emotion: A review. Cognition & Emotion, 23, 209–237.
Russell, J.A., Weiss, A., & Mendelsohn, G.A. (1989). Affect Grid: A single-item scale of pleasure and arousal. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 493-502.
Scherer, K.R. (2005) What are emotions? And how can they be measured? Social Science Information, 44, 695-729.
Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of Positive and Negative Affect: The PANAS Scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1063-1070.
Watson, D., & Vaidya, J. (2013). Mood measurement: Current status and future directions. In J. A. Schinka & W. Velicer (Eds.), Comprehensive handbook of psychology. Volume 2: Research Methods in psychology (2nd Ed.) (pp. 369-394). New York: Wiley.
In many areas of psychology, attitudes and behavior are assessed by self-report questionnaires. Either in paper/pencil format or, increasingly, via the Internet, participants are asked to respond on a scale from 1 to 5 (or 1 to 7, or 1 to 10, etc.) as to how much they agree with or like some stimulus object or how frequently they engage in some behavior. Participants may, of course, misreport their answers, due either to deliberate falsification or lack of access to inner states.
Naturally, researchers have tried coming up with subtle ways to probe attitudes and behaviors, in order to corroborate or circumvent self-report measurements. The field of emotion/affect research has a long history of working with physiological recording techniques for this purpose.
Today's song, "Measure That Emotion," thus delves into the matter of self-report vs. physiological assessment of people's feelings. Below the song lyrics, I've listed several sources for interested readers to pursue the topic in greater detail.
Jeff Larsen,
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Measure That Emotion
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “I Second That Emotion,” Robinson/Cleveland)
How do you handle, affect measurement?
What should you do, for your experiment?
Should you invest in, phys-i-ol-o-gy?
Expensive, but probes feelings, with subtlety,
Surveys you can give en masse,
The Affect Grid or the PANAS,
Oh, self-report or “physio,”
Whatever your devotion,
Measure that emotion,
Said, self-report or “physio,”
Whatever fits your notion,
Measure that emotion,
Physio measures come in several forms,
Mini-electrical and blood-flow storms,
Should you record the facial EMG?
What does it have for its validity?
Moods, people can self-report,
But respondents, may distort,
Oh, self-report or “physio,”
Whatever your devotion,
Measure that emotion,
Said, self-report or “physio,”
Whatever fits your notion,
Measure that emotion...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further Reading
Brian Lickel has a superb online PowerPoint presentation on psychophysiological assessment, entitled “Detecting and Indexing Emotion.” Also, the Society for Psychophysiological Research website has a Teaching Resources component.
Beyond the above web links, several articles -- both contemporary and historical -- deal with assessing emotions:
Cacioppo, J. T., Gardner, W. L., & Berntson, G. G. (1997). Beyond bipolar conceptualizations and measures: The case of attitudes and evaluative space. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 1, 3-25.
Cacioppo, J. T., Petty, R. E., Losch, M. E., & Crites, S. L. (1994). Psychophysiological approaches to attitudes: Detecting affective dispositions when people won't say, can't say, or don't even know. In S. Shavitt & T. C. Brock (Eds.), Persuasion: Psychological insights and perspectives (pp. 43-69). New York: Allyn & Bacon.
Carroll, J.M., Yik, M., Russell, J.A., & Barrett, L.F. (1999). On the psychometric principles of affect. Review of General Psychology, 3, 14-22.
Collins, B. E., Ellsworth, P. C., & Helmreich, R. L. (1967). Correlations between pupil size and the semantic differential: An experimental paradigm and pilot study. Psychonomic Science, 9, 627-628.
[Barry Collins is the first professor from whom I ever took a psychology course, the introductory undergraduate class, Psych 10, at UCLA, whereas Phoebe Ellsworth was one of my mentors in graduate school at the University of Michigan, in psychology and law.]
Ekman, P., Levenson, R. W., & Friesen, W. V. (1983). Autonomic nervous system activity distinguishes among emotions. Science, 221, 1208-1210.
Guglielmi, R.S. (1999). Psychophysiological assessment of prejudice: Past research, current status, and future directions. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 3, 123-157.
Larsen, J.T., Norris, C.J., McGraw, A.P., Hawkley, L.C., & Cacioppo, J.T. (in press). The evaluative space grid: A single-item measure of positivity and negativity. Cognition & Emotion2009;23:453–480.
Mauss, I. B, & Robinson, M. D. (2009). Measures of emotion: A review. Cognition & Emotion, 23, 209–237.
Russell, J.A., Weiss, A., & Mendelsohn, G.A. (1989). Affect Grid: A single-item scale of pleasure and arousal. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 493-502.
Scherer, K.R. (2005) What are emotions? And how can they be measured? Social Science Information, 44, 695-729.
Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of Positive and Negative Affect: The PANAS Scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1063-1070.
Watson, D., & Vaidya, J. (2013). Mood measurement: Current status and future directions. In J. A. Schinka & W. Velicer (Eds.), Comprehensive handbook of psychology. Volume 2: Research Methods in psychology (2nd Ed.) (pp. 369-394). New York: Wiley.
Friday, November 23, 2007
"It’s Agapē" (Love Styles)
I hope everyone is having a nice Thanksgiving weekend. Our next song involves the concept of "love styles," which were proposed by John Alan Lee of the University of Toronto and converted into a questionnaire measure by Clyde and Susan Hendrick, to whom I've dedicated the song. Clyde and Susan are colleagues of mine at Texas Tech, although we're in different departments (I'm in human development and family studies, and they're in psychology).
In doing research for this entry, I found a fairly extensive Wikipedia page on love styles, which I spruced up a bit. Specifically, I added the section about the Hendricks' measure and created the References section. Anyone interested in background information and further readings is invited to visit the Wikipedia page.
Today's song alludes to the six love styles: eros, ludus, storgē, pragma, mania, and agapē. Enjoy...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s Agapē (please pronounce ē like “ay”)
Lyrics by Alan Reifman, Dedicated to Clyde and Susan Hendrick
(May be sung to the tune of “Have a Nice Day,” Bon Jovi/Sambora/Shanks)
What kind of a lover, do you want to find?
Should it be the eros or the storgē kind?
The ludus kind of lover likes to fool around,
The pragma person’s preferences just abound,
The mania type could fall right out of control,
How do you decide, before you get too old?
Ooh, if there’s one trait that I’m drawn to,
So we may rise above,
Selfishness, I know, will surely haunt you,
I want agapic love,
Eros reflects passion, friendship is storgē,
You have to decide, by the end of the day,
What choice will you come up with?
I say, it’s agapē,
It’s agapē…
In doing research for this entry, I found a fairly extensive Wikipedia page on love styles, which I spruced up a bit. Specifically, I added the section about the Hendricks' measure and created the References section. Anyone interested in background information and further readings is invited to visit the Wikipedia page.
Today's song alludes to the six love styles: eros, ludus, storgē, pragma, mania, and agapē. Enjoy...
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It’s Agapē (please pronounce ē like “ay”)
Lyrics by Alan Reifman, Dedicated to Clyde and Susan Hendrick
(May be sung to the tune of “Have a Nice Day,” Bon Jovi/Sambora/Shanks)
What kind of a lover, do you want to find?
Should it be the eros or the storgē kind?
The ludus kind of lover likes to fool around,
The pragma person’s preferences just abound,
The mania type could fall right out of control,
How do you decide, before you get too old?
Ooh, if there’s one trait that I’m drawn to,
So we may rise above,
Selfishness, I know, will surely haunt you,
I want agapic love,
Eros reflects passion, friendship is storgē,
You have to decide, by the end of the day,
What choice will you come up with?
I say, it’s agapē,
It’s agapē…
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
"Positive Illusions"
The idea that holding overly positive, "rose-colored" impressions of one's spouse/partner seems to improve the quality of relationships may strike some as counterintuitive. It could be argued, for example, that viewing one's partner realistically might be more likely to promote personal improvement in the partner, than would the apparent overlooking of any shortcomings.
However, as studied by the trenchant trio of Sandra Murray (whom I know from my years in Buffalo), John Holmes, and Dale Griffin, such "positive illusions" appear to be beneficial for couples. As summarized by Murray and colleagues (2003, p. 290):
...[individuals] were happier in their relationships when they saw their partner more generously than their partner saw himself or herself. In fact, people were also happier in their relationships when their partner put the best possible spin on the available evidence and idealized them.
Over the longer term, these types of positive illusions had positive, self-fulfilling effects. Specifically, people ultimately reported relatively greater satisfaction, less conflict, and fewer doubts about their partner the more they idealized their partner initially and the more their partner idealized them initially.
Also doing research in this area is Sylvia Niehuis, a new colleague of mine on the Human Development and Family Studies faculty at Texas Tech University. Sylvia's arrival got me looking at the positive-illusions literature again, which in turn, inspired me to write the following song...
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Positive Illusions
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “The Grand Illusion,” Dennis DeYoung, for Styx)
How do lovers, view their partners?
Honestly, with warts and all?
Or is it, through glasses tinted rose?
Does inflating, your perception?
Raise your, satisfaction level?
Or does it, contribute to your woes?
Are we fooled by, being in love?
Seeing just, what we want to see,
Getting ideas of, what coupled life should be,
Is it real, or fantasy?
So if your relationship, lacks complete effusion,
Don’t worry, help is on the way,
Thriving couples hold, positive illusions,
And happiness, is here to stay,
It’s here to stay…
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Further Reading
Fowers, B.J., Fışıloğlu, H., & Procacci, E. (in press). Positive marital illusions and culture: A comparison of American and Turkish spouses’ perceptions of their marriages. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
Fowers, B.J., Lyons, E., Montel, K., & Shaked, N. (2001). Positive illusions about marriage among married and single individuals. Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 95-109.
Fowers, B.J., Veingrad, M.R., & Dominicis, C. (2002). The unbearable lightness of positive illusions: Engaged individuals' explanations of unrealistically positive relationship perceptions. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64, 450–460.
Miller, P.J., Niehuis, S., & Huston, T.L. (2006). Positive illusions in marital relationships: A 13-year longitudinal study. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 1579-1594.
Murray, S.L., Holmes, J.G., & Griffin, D.W. (1996a). The benefits of positive illusions: Idealization and the construction of satisfaction in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 79–98.
Murray, S. L., Holmes, J. G., & Griffin, D. W. (1996b). The self-fulfilling
nature of positive illusions in romantic relationships: Love is not blind, but prescient. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 1155–1180.
Murray, S.L., Holmes, J.G., Griffin, D.W. (2003). Reflections on the self-fulfilling effects of positive illusions. Psychological Inquiry, 14, 289-295.
However, as studied by the trenchant trio of Sandra Murray (whom I know from my years in Buffalo), John Holmes, and Dale Griffin, such "positive illusions" appear to be beneficial for couples. As summarized by Murray and colleagues (2003, p. 290):
...[individuals] were happier in their relationships when they saw their partner more generously than their partner saw himself or herself. In fact, people were also happier in their relationships when their partner put the best possible spin on the available evidence and idealized them.
Over the longer term, these types of positive illusions had positive, self-fulfilling effects. Specifically, people ultimately reported relatively greater satisfaction, less conflict, and fewer doubts about their partner the more they idealized their partner initially and the more their partner idealized them initially.
Also doing research in this area is Sylvia Niehuis, a new colleague of mine on the Human Development and Family Studies faculty at Texas Tech University. Sylvia's arrival got me looking at the positive-illusions literature again, which in turn, inspired me to write the following song...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Positive Illusions
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “The Grand Illusion,” Dennis DeYoung, for Styx)
How do lovers, view their partners?
Honestly, with warts and all?
Or is it, through glasses tinted rose?
Does inflating, your perception?
Raise your, satisfaction level?
Or does it, contribute to your woes?
Are we fooled by, being in love?
Seeing just, what we want to see,
Getting ideas of, what coupled life should be,
Is it real, or fantasy?
So if your relationship, lacks complete effusion,
Don’t worry, help is on the way,
Thriving couples hold, positive illusions,
And happiness, is here to stay,
It’s here to stay…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Further Reading
Fowers, B.J., Fışıloğlu, H., & Procacci, E. (in press). Positive marital illusions and culture: A comparison of American and Turkish spouses’ perceptions of their marriages. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.
Fowers, B.J., Lyons, E., Montel, K., & Shaked, N. (2001). Positive illusions about marriage among married and single individuals. Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 95-109.
Fowers, B.J., Veingrad, M.R., & Dominicis, C. (2002). The unbearable lightness of positive illusions: Engaged individuals' explanations of unrealistically positive relationship perceptions. Journal of Marriage and Family, 64, 450–460.
Miller, P.J., Niehuis, S., & Huston, T.L. (2006). Positive illusions in marital relationships: A 13-year longitudinal study. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32, 1579-1594.
Murray, S.L., Holmes, J.G., & Griffin, D.W. (1996a). The benefits of positive illusions: Idealization and the construction of satisfaction in close relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 79–98.
Murray, S. L., Holmes, J. G., & Griffin, D. W. (1996b). The self-fulfilling
nature of positive illusions in romantic relationships: Love is not blind, but prescient. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 1155–1180.
Murray, S.L., Holmes, J.G., Griffin, D.W. (2003). Reflections on the self-fulfilling effects of positive illusions. Psychological Inquiry, 14, 289-295.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
"Wegner's Thought-Suppression Dare (Don't Think of a White Bear)"
(Updated April 23, 2015)
For over 20 years, Dan Wegner (who died of ALS in 2013) and colleagues studied what they called the paradoxical effects of thought suppression. Their basic paradigm was to instruct research subjects not to think of some object (a white bear, which is a Dostoevsky reference). Subjects tended not to be able to suppress thoughts of a white bear and, in an open-thought session later in the experiment, they exhibited an increased frequency of white-bear thoughts relative to a control group that did not have to suppress white-bear thoughts earlier.
After you've sung the following song, try not to think about it...
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Wegner’s Thought-Suppression Dare
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “Living on a Prayer,” Bon Jovi/Sambora/Child)
Want to keep a thought, out of mind?
Actively blocking, ain’t going to work,
You’ll find, you’ll find,
If you try to block, something out,
It’s gonna rebound, harder than before,
There is, no doubt,
You know, we can’t control thoughts, that’s what it seems,
It only helps a little, if you try different schemes,
Yes, it’s futile, to try and block out memes,
They’ll intrude, right into your dreams…
Oh-h-h, Wegner’s thought-suppression dare,
Doh…on’t think of a white bear!
The target, will re-appear,
If you, try to block white bears…
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Background/Explanation
For the most part, the lyrics should be self-explanatory. The phrasing of how cognitive "schemes" can "help a little" refers to a finding in the original Wegner et al. (1987) Experiment 2. Subjects in a variation of a thought-suppression condition were instructed to substitute the thought of a red Volkswagen for the forbidden white bear, and this technique made the suppression somewhat more effective than suppression instructions alone. The part about intrusion "right into your dreams" is based on an actual study (Wegner et al., 2004).
Further Reading
In addition to the articles listed below, there are several websites that provide information related to thought-suppression research. The topic has a Wikipedia entry. A self-report questionnaire measure from Wegner's lab on suppression and control of thoughts, known as the "White Bear Suppression Inventory" is available here. Finally, a news release on the research from Rice University, the home of collaborator David Schneider, is available here.
Wegner, D.M. (1989). White bears and other unwanted thoughts: Suppression, obsession, and the psychology of mental control. New York: Viking/Penguin. (1994 Edition, New York: Guilford Press.)
Wegner, D.M. (1992). You can't always think what you want: Problems in the suppression of unwanted thoughts. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 25, pp. 193-225). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Wegner, D.M., & Schneider, D.J. (2003). The white bear story. Psychological Inquiry, 14, 326-329.
Wegner, D.M., Schneider, D.J., Carter, S.R., & White, T.L. (1987). Paradoxical effects of thought suppression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 5–13.
Wegner, D.M., Wenzlaff, R.M., & Kozak, M.. (2004). Dream rebound: The return of suppressed thoughts in dreams. Psychological Science, 15, 232-236.
Wenzlaff, R.M., & Wegner, D.M. (2000). Thought suppression. In S.T. Fiske (Ed.), Annual review of psychology (Vol. 51, pp. 59-91). Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews.
For over 20 years, Dan Wegner (who died of ALS in 2013) and colleagues studied what they called the paradoxical effects of thought suppression. Their basic paradigm was to instruct research subjects not to think of some object (a white bear, which is a Dostoevsky reference). Subjects tended not to be able to suppress thoughts of a white bear and, in an open-thought session later in the experiment, they exhibited an increased frequency of white-bear thoughts relative to a control group that did not have to suppress white-bear thoughts earlier.
After you've sung the following song, try not to think about it...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wegner’s Thought-Suppression Dare
Lyrics by Alan Reifman
(May be sung to the tune of “Living on a Prayer,” Bon Jovi/Sambora/Child)
Want to keep a thought, out of mind?
Actively blocking, ain’t going to work,
You’ll find, you’ll find,
If you try to block, something out,
It’s gonna rebound, harder than before,
There is, no doubt,
You know, we can’t control thoughts, that’s what it seems,
It only helps a little, if you try different schemes,
Yes, it’s futile, to try and block out memes,
They’ll intrude, right into your dreams…
Oh-h-h, Wegner’s thought-suppression dare,
Doh…on’t think of a white bear!
The target, will re-appear,
If you, try to block white bears…
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Background/Explanation
For the most part, the lyrics should be self-explanatory. The phrasing of how cognitive "schemes" can "help a little" refers to a finding in the original Wegner et al. (1987) Experiment 2. Subjects in a variation of a thought-suppression condition were instructed to substitute the thought of a red Volkswagen for the forbidden white bear, and this technique made the suppression somewhat more effective than suppression instructions alone. The part about intrusion "right into your dreams" is based on an actual study (Wegner et al., 2004).
Further Reading
In addition to the articles listed below, there are several websites that provide information related to thought-suppression research. The topic has a Wikipedia entry. A self-report questionnaire measure from Wegner's lab on suppression and control of thoughts, known as the "White Bear Suppression Inventory" is available here. Finally, a news release on the research from Rice University, the home of collaborator David Schneider, is available here.
Wegner, D.M. (1989). White bears and other unwanted thoughts: Suppression, obsession, and the psychology of mental control. New York: Viking/Penguin. (1994 Edition, New York: Guilford Press.)
Wegner, D.M. (1992). You can't always think what you want: Problems in the suppression of unwanted thoughts. In M. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology (Vol. 25, pp. 193-225). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Wegner, D.M., & Schneider, D.J. (2003). The white bear story. Psychological Inquiry, 14, 326-329.
Wegner, D.M., Schneider, D.J., Carter, S.R., & White, T.L. (1987). Paradoxical effects of thought suppression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 5–13.
Wegner, D.M., Wenzlaff, R.M., & Kozak, M.. (2004). Dream rebound: The return of suppressed thoughts in dreams. Psychological Science, 15, 232-236.
Wenzlaff, R.M., & Wegner, D.M. (2000). Thought suppression. In S.T. Fiske (Ed.), Annual review of psychology (Vol. 51, pp. 59-91). Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews.
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