Differences In Self Research Articles

Gender Differences in Social Anxiety Symptoms: A novel use of two self-report measures in a Finnish Sample

Background: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by a fear of humiliation and/or embarrassment in social situations, which may lead to significant avoidance and distress. A preponderance of research suggests that the prevalence of SAD is higher in females than in males and that gender differences of SAD varies cross-culturally. According to numerous studies, attention to the diagnosis and adequate assessment of anxiety disorders in primary care settings is lacking. A deficiency of easily administered well-validated diagnostic tools and limited time for thorough (i.e., structured clinical interview) evaluation may contribute to the above finding. Procedure: Our principal aims were two-fold: 1) to focus on emergent gender differences in self- reported social anxiety (SA) symptoms, and 2) to evaluate newly translated Finnish versions of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory (SPAI) and Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale -Straightforward Items (BFNE-S) in a general Finnish parent sample (N = 597). Results and Conclusions: Results from our sample using the SPAI estimated that 6.7% of females and 5.0% of males met criteria for a probable diagnosis of SAD. Non socially-anxious females scored significantly higher than did their male counterparts on social interaction and focus of attention fears, whereas socially-anxious males scored higher than socially-anxious females on behavioural avoidance. The SPAI and BFNE-S are useful additions to Finnish screening tools to detect SA symptoms in adults.

Emotional agency appraisals influence responses to preference inconsistent information

Bringing together the literature on emotional appraisals and the literature on biased processing in judgment, two studies investigate how incidental emotions varying in valence and agency influence decision making after exposure to preference consistent vs. inconsistent information. We show that emotions differ in their response to preference inconsistent information due to their differences in self vs. other agency appraisals, whereas no emotional differences were found in response to preference consistent information. Negative emotions associated with other agency appraisals increase resistance to preference inconsistent information whereas negative emotions associated with self agency appraisals encourage acceptance of preference inconsistent information relative to neutral conditions. We show this pattern reverses for positive emotions. These effects were driven by changes in confidence after exposure to inconsistent information and reflected in evaluative judgments. We discuss the significance of these findings for the emotions, preference consistency, and decision-making literatures.

An Inkblot for the Implicit Assessment of Personality: The Semantic Misattribution Procedure

Misattributions people make about their own reaction to ambiguous stimuli can be used to measure personality self–concepts implicitly. On the basis of a semantic misattribution priming paradigm [semantic misattribution procedure (SMP)], we assessed the implicit personality self–concept related to three dimensions included in the Big–Five model: conscientiousness, neuroticism, and extraversion. Across three studies (N1 = 98, N2 = 140, and N3 = 135), the SMP was robustly related, in the expected direction, to individual differences in self–reported personality questionnaires and managed to predict both self–reported and objectively measured behaviours. The main advantage of SMP over classical explicit measures of personality is its higher resistance to social desirability tendencies, although its psychometric properties are somewhat lower than those pertaining to explicit measures of personality. Finally, comparisons of our results with studies that used other implicit measures of personality self–concept indicate that the SMP has higher criterion validity. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The Validity of Self-Reported Functional Decline Varies by Disease Severity (P04.205)

Objective: We studied the validity of self- versus informant-reported ratings of everyday functional impairment in older adults by 1) examining if differences across raters varied by diagnostic group (normal, early-Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), late-MCI, dementia), and 2) whether there were differences in how self- versus informant-rated functional impairment related to objective measures of cognition, disease severity (hippocampal volume) and genetic risk (ApoE4 status). Background Measuring the impact of cognitive impairment on daily life may provide a simple and efficient way to help identify those with MCI or dementia. Additionally, the presence of functional impairment is associated with faster subsequent cognitive decline. However, it is unclear to what degree self-reported everyday function is accurate. Design/Methods: Participants were part of the Alzheimer9s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Everyday function was measured using the Everyday Cognition questionnaire (ECog), which was completed by participants and their informants. Results: Differences between raters varied by diagnostic group: participants with dementia rated themselves as less functionally impaired compared to informant ratings; conversely, normals and early-MCI participants rated themselves as more impaired compared to informant ratings. There was no difference in self- vs. informant-reported functional impairment in the late-MCI group. In the sample as a whole, informant-based ECog scores were strongly associated with objective neuropsychological scores (rs = .41-.60), and were related to genetic status and hippocampal volume. Self-report ECog scores were less strongly related to neuropsychological performance (rs = .19-.30) and were not significantly associated with ApoE4 status or hippocampal volume. Conclusions: Older adults with early and late MCI do not appear to underestimate their level of functional impairment compared to informant ratings, whereas individuals with dementia do underestimate their functional impairment. However, as a whole, informant ratings show closer agreement with neuropsychological performance and to other measures of disease including genetic risk for AD and hippocampal atrophy. Supported by: Data collection and sharing for this project was funded by the Alzheimer9s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) (National Institutes of Health Grant U01 AG024904). ADNI is funded by the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, and through generous contributions from the following: Abbott; Alzheimer9s Association; Alzheimer9s Drug Discovery Foundation; Amorfix Life Sciences Ltd.; AstraZeneca; Bayer HealthCare; BioClinica, Inc.; Biogen Idec Inc.; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; Eisai Inc.; Elan Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Eli Lilly and Company; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd and its affiliated company Genentech, Inc.; GE Healthcare; Innogenetics, N.V.; Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy Research & Development, LLC.; Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development LLC.; Medpace, Inc.; Merck & Co., Inc.; Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC.; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation; Pfizer Inc.; Servier; Synarc Inc.; and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research is providing funds to support ADNI clinical sites in Canada. Private sector contributions are facilitated by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (www.fnih.org). The grantee organization is the Northern California Institute for Research and Education, and the study is coordinated by the Alzheimer9s Disease Cooperative Study at the University of California, San Diego. ADNI data are disseminated by the Laboratory for Neuro Imaging at the University of California, Los Angeles. This research was also supported by NIH grants P30 AG010129, K01 AG030514, and the Dana Foundation. Disclosure: Dr. Farias has nothing to disclose. Dr. Saito has nothing to disclose. Dr. Harvey has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for the Journal of Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders. Dr. Aisen has received personal compensation for activities wtih Neurochem, Pfizer, Merck, Roche, Amgen, Medivation, Pamlab, Adlyfe, Eisai, GlaxoSmithKline, Lilly, Daiichi,Elan, Wyeth, Avid, Novartis, Martek, Bristol Myers Squibb, Schering Plough as a consultant. Dr. Aisen holds stock and/or stock options for Medivation.Dr. Aisen has received research support from TransTech Pharma, Pfizer, Baxter, Merck, Lilly, Myriad, Elan and Neurochem. Dr. Petersen has received personal compensation for activities with Pfizer, Inc., Janssen Alzheimer9s Immunotherapy, Elan Pharmaceuticals, and GE Healthcare.

Sex differences in estimating multiple intelligences in self and others: A replication in Russia

This was a crosscultural study that focused on sex differences in self- and other-estimates of multiple intelligences (including 10 that were specified by Gardner, 1999 and three by Sternberg, 1988) as well as in an overall general intelligence estimate. It was one of a programmatic series of studies done in over 30 countries that has demonstrated the female "humility" and male "hubris" effect in self-estimated and other-estimated intelligence. Two hundred and thirty Russian university students estimated their own and their parents' overall intelligence and "multiple intelligences." Results revealed no sex difference in estimates of overall intelligence for both self and parents, but men rated themselves higher on spatial intelligence. This contradicted many previous findings in the area which have shown that men rate their own overall intelligence and mathematical intelligence significantly higher than do women. Regressions indicated that estimates of verbal, logical, and spatial intelligences were the best predictors of estimates of overall intelligence, which is a consistent finding over many studies. Regressions also showed that participants' openness to experience and self-respect were good predictors of intelligence estimates. A comparison with a British sample showed that Russians gave higher mother estimates, and were less likely to believe that IQ tests measure intelligence. Results were discussed in relation to the influence of gender role stereotypes on lay conception of intelligence across cultures.

Sex Differences in Self- Esteem Among Indian Wrestlers

Sex Differences in Self- Esteem Among Indian Wrestlers

Quality of life in individuals with chronic foot conditions: A cross sectional observational study

BackgroundChronic foot conditions have been reported to be a significant cause of impairment and disability to individuals affected. However, studies to date have particularly focussed on patient satisfaction with outcomes following surgery. ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to examine the impact of three common foot conditions on the levels of impairment and quality of life prior to surgery. Three conditions include Hallux Valgus (HV), Hallux Rigidus (HR) and Hammer Toe (HT). MethodsThis was a pilot cross-sectional observational study of people who were radiologically and clinically diagnosed with one of the three common foot pathologies: HV, HR and HT. Age and gender matched controls were also recruited. Self-reported quality of life was measured. ResultsThe SF-36 scores did not differ significantly between the groups. There was a significant difference in self reported impairment between the groups on the Global Foot and Ankle Scale indicating that the ‘bilateral foot group’ perceived themselves to be significantly more impaired than their counterparts in the control group. ConclusionPatient quality of life is now recognised as one of the most important outcomes of surgery. These findings serve to highlight the level of impairment and quality of life of individuals prior to surgery.

Cultural differences in self- and other-evaluations and well-being: A study of European and Asian Canadians.

Anusic, Schimmack, Pinkus, and Lockwood (2009) developed the halo-alpha-beta (HAB) model to separate halo variance from variance due to valid personality traits and other sources of measurement error in self-ratings of personality. The authors used a twin-HAB model of self-ratings and ratings of a partner (friend or dating partner) to test several hypotheses about culture, evaluative biases in self- and other-perceptions, and well-being. Participants were friends or dating partners who reported on their own and their partner's personality and well-being (N = 906 students). European Canadians had higher general evaluative biases (GEB) than Asian Canadians. There were no cultural differences in self-enhancement or other-enhancement. GEB significantly predicted self-ratings of life satisfaction, but not informant ratings of well-being. GEB fully mediated the effect of culture on self-ratings of life satisfaction. The results suggest that North American culture encourages positive biases in self- and other-perceptions. These biases also influence self-ratings of life satisfaction but have a much weaker effect on informant ratings of life satisfaction. The implications of these findings for cultural differences in well-being are discussed.

Outdoor physical activity and self rated health in older adults living in two regions of the U.S.

BackgroundOlder adults spend little time outdoors and many are physically inactive. The relationship between outdoor physical activity and self rated health has not been studied in older adults. This paper aimed to assess the relation of location of physical activity to self rated health and physical activity minutes. This was an observational study of ambulatory adults 66 years and older conducted in 2005–2008. Participants (N = 754) completed survey measures of physical activity location and self rated health, and wore an accelerometer to objectively assess physical activity. A mixed model linear regression procedure adjusted for neighborhood clustering effects. Differences in self rated health and physical activity minutes were compared across three physical activity settings (indoor only, outdoor only, both indoor and outdoor).ResultsMinutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity were significantly greater in those who were physically active at least once a week outdoors compared with those who were physically active indoors only. Self rated health was significantly related to being physically active but did not vary by location of activity.ConclusionsOlder adults who were physically active outdoors accumulated significantly more physical activity, but self-rated health was not significantly greater than those being physically active indoors.

Time period trends in ethnic inequalities in limiting long term illness in England and Wales

PurposeThis paper's aim is to analyse ethnic group differences in self reported limiting long term illness (LLTI) among middle‐aged men and women in England and Wales and compare patterns of variation in 1991 and 2001.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology is a cross‐sectional analysis of two nationally representative cohorts aged 40‐59 in 1991 and 2001, respectively. Seven ethnic minority groups were selected from the Office for National Statistics Longitudinal Study of England and Wales (White Irish, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Black Caribbean, Black African and Chinese). Logistic regression estimated the odds ratio for having a LLTI in each ethnic minority group compared to White British. The odds of having a LLTI in 2001 compared to 1991, by sex, were adjusted stepwise for differences in age, social class, car ownership, household overcrowding and tenure and length of residence.FindingsAll ethnic groups reported a higher prevalence of LLTI in 2001 than in 1991. The rise in LLTI was largest in White Irish, Bangladeshi and Pakistani and smallest in Black African and Chinese groups. Controlling for socioeconomic factors had a weak influence on the risk of limiting long term illness in men and women. Controlling for length of residence attenuated the risk of LLTI in 2001 in White Irish and Pakistani men, and Indian men and women.Practical implicationsEmerging ethnic differences highlight a growing need for differential health services to manage the increase in LLTI and demands for illness management.Originality/valueThe paper illustrates that ethnic differences in LLTI changed during the 1990s with some groups becoming more disadvantaged relative to the White British population and others less so.

Vigilant Self–Regulation, Cues of being Watched and Cooperativeness

The present research examined the interplay of individual differences in self–regulatory mechanisms as outlined in regulatory focus theory (promotion– and prevention–focus) and a cue of being watched in the context of cooperative behaviour. Study 1 revealed that the more individuals’ habitual self–regulatory orientation is dominated by a vigilant prevention focus, the more likely they are to act cooperatively (i.e. to donate money to natural conservation organizations) when a subtle cue of being watched renders reputational concerns salient. In contrast, when no such cue is provided individuals’ habitual vigilant self–regulatory orientation is negatively related to cooperative behaviour. Study 2 replicated the results of the initial study and examined interpersonal sensitivity (empathic concern) as a potential mediator of the observed effects. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Differences in self- and other-induced Mu suppression are correlated with empathic abilities

Recent research suggests a role of the human mirror neuron system in empathic processing. Electroencephalographic (EEG) mu suppression in the 8–13Hz band-range has been proposed to reflect mirror-like activation of sensorimotor cortices. We therefore investigated the relationship between suppression in the 8–13Hz range and empathic abilities as measured by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI). Based on previous work showing significant differences between execution- and observation-related mu suppression and on theories of empathy pointing to the importance of discriminating self from other, we predicted that the size of this difference within individuals would correlate with participants' perspective-taking abilities. Larger differences in execution- and observation-induced mu suppression were associated with greater scores on the perspective-taking subscale of the IRI. The current data are therefore consistent with the claim that neural activity reflected in mu suppression is related to empathic abilities.

Self‐ and Other‐presentational styles in the Southern and Northern United States: An analysis of personal ads

AbstractTwo studies examined regional differences in self‐ and other‐presentational styles in the Southern and Northern regions of the USA. A content analysis of 400 personal ads from Northern and Southern newspapers revealed that Northern ads contained more descriptions of the self and desired partner that are context‐free and under personal control, whereas Southern ads depicted more contextualized and less controllable aspects of self and partner (study 1). Moreover, self‐identified Northern and Southern Americans were shown to prefer ads in the style of their region over other ads (study 2). We conclude that not only do regional differences in self‐ and other‐presentations exist in the USA but that these differences are also reinforced by others who share the regional culture. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mismatch and synchronization: Influence of asymmetries in systems of two delay-coupled lasers

We study the synchronization properties of the delay dynamics of two identical semiconductor lasers coupled through a semitransparent mirror. Via an analytical and numerical approach, we investigate the influence of asymmetries, in particular mismatches of self- and cross-coupling strength and differences in self- and cross-coupling delay. We show that the former mismatch affects the stability of the zero-lag state but not the dynamics within the synchronization manifold, while the latter mismatch does not affect the quality of synchronization but alters the dynamics significantly. Our results are extended to different unidirectional coupling schemes. This is highly relevant for communication schemes utilizing chaotic dynamics. Finally, the influence of nonlinear gain saturation on the dynamics and stability of synchronization is discussed.

Participation in Community-Based Exercise Predicts Quality of Life among Older Women

Better Bones & Balance (BBB) is a community-based exercise program shown to improve physical function and reduce bone loss in older women. The effect of participation on quality of life (QOL) has never been reported. PURPOSE: To determine whether participation in BBB predicts self reported QOL among older, postmenopausal women. METHODS: Women aged 55+ (n=69) participating in BBB for > 1 year, were recruited from 15 different BBB classes in the Willamette Valley and sedentary, age-matched controls (n=47) were recruited from the same region for comparison (total sample aged 69 + 7.9 years). QOL was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF-36). The SF-36 examines physical and mental components related to QOL. The Physical Component Summary (PCS) includes 4 sub-scales; physical functioning, role-physical functioning, bodily pain, and general health. The Mental Component Summary (MCS) includes 4 sub-scales; vitality, social functioning, role emotional, and mental health. Height and weight were measured and all participants filled out a standard health history questionnaire and a general physical activity questionnaire. Stepwise regression was used to understand the relationships between age, health, medication use, and physical activity behaviors on PCS and MCS scores. ANCOVA (adjusted for medication use and disease status) was used to better understand between group differences on the specific MCS and PCS subscales. RESULTS: Variables predictive of PCS scores included # of prescription medications and participation in BBB (p<0.001); # of medications, participation in BBB and age were significant predictors of PCS scores. Women participating in BBB reported significantly better scores on all components of the PCS (p<0.007) as well as the vitality (p=0.037) and social functioning (p=0.001) sub-scales of the MCS. The BBB groups' scores on all of these variables were significantly higher than average when compared to an age-matched normative sample (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Participation in Better Bones & Balance is associated with greater QOL in both physical and mental domains. As there were no differences in self reported physical activity outside of BBB, we can conclude that class participation and not physical activity alone is likely contributing to the observed effects.

Estimations of parental and self intelligence as a function of parents’ status: A cross-cultural study in Germany and Spain

With reference to the extensively reported gender differences in estimated intelligence, we used a cross-cultural study to investigate whether employment status and education of mothers and fathers (at the time of data collection, in early childhood, and in later childhood) influenced the estimation of parents’ general intelligence. Data showed that mothers’ as well as fathers’ general intelligence was significantly predicted by their education and current employment status. We additionally found a similar relationship between women’s (men’s) and mothers’ (fathers’) intelligence compared with the relationship of intelligence ascribed to their fathers (mothers). Furthermore, women’s self-estimated intelligence was significantly predicted by their mothers’ current employment, whereas men’s self-estimated intelligence was predicted by their fathers’ education. We furthermore investigated how women’s and men’s estimations differ between Germany and Spain. Results indicate that the more pronounced gender segregation in Spain was not expressed in larger gender differences in self- or parents’ intelligence estimations.

Decisions for Others Are More Creative Than Decisions for the Self

Four studies investigate whether decisions for others produce more creative solutions than do decisions for the self and if construal level explains this relation. In Study 1, participants carried out a structured imagination task by drawing an alien for a story that they would write, or alternatively for a story that someone else would write. As expected, drawing an alien for someone else produced a more creative alien. In Studies 2a and 2b, construal level (i.e., psychological distance) was independently manipulated. Participants generated more creative ideas on behalf of distant others than on behalf of either close others or themselves. Finally, in Study 3, a classic insight problem was investigated. Participants deciding for others were more likely to solve the problem; furthermore, this result was mediated by psychological distance. These findings demonstrate that people are more creative for others than for themselves and shed light on differences in self-other decision making.

Self-rated health, ethnicity and social position in a deprived neighbourhood in Denmark

BackgroundIn recent years the close connection between SES and differences in health between ethnic groups have been subject to growing interest among researchers, and some studies have found an association between ethnicity and long term illness and poor health. However, there is limited research-based knowledge about health and illness in ethnic groups in Denmark and about ethnic Danes living in deprived neighbourhoods. The purpose of this study is to investigate associations between self-rated health and ethnicity and social position in a deprived neighbourhood in Denmark in which a relatively largely proportion of the residents are immigrants.MethodsThis study investigates the association between self-rated health used as dependent variable and ethnicity and social position (defined as index for life resources) as the independent variables. The analyses are based on data collected in a survey in a geographically bounded and social deprived neighbourhood, Korskaerparken, located in the municipality of Fredericia in Denmark. The sample consisted of 31% of the residents in Korskaerparken and of these 29% have an ethnic background other than Danish.The analyses were conducted using logistic regression adjusting for confounding variables.ResultsThis study indicates no significant association between ethnicity and having poor/very poor self-rated health.On the other hand the study confirms that a strong and significant association between the number of residents' life resources and their self-rated health does indeed exist. The results clearly suggest that the more life resources an individual has, the lower is the risk of that individual reporting poor health.ConclusionThe results show a strong association between the residents' number of life resources and their self-rated health. In this study, we were not able to identify any association between ethnicity and self-rated health, i.e. our results suggest that ethnicity does not constitute an explanation to differences in self- rated health.

Are Gender Differences in Empathy Due to Differences in Emotional Reactivity?

The purpose of this study was to determine whether gender differences in empathy reflect differences in self- rated emotion, and whether they are influenced by the nature of the target of the empathy (friend or enemy). 24 men and 36 women were asked to rate how much happiness, sadness, and anger they would feel if each of ten scenarios happened to themselves, and how they would feel if it happened to a friend or enemy. Overall, women rated themselves as feeling more happiness and sadness than men, whether the event happened to themselves, or to a friend or enemy. This suggests gender differences in self-reported empathy may be due to differences in general emotional responsiveness. An empathy score was computed by subtracting, for each scenario, the rating for the other person from the rating for self. Women showed a greater difference between friend and enemy than men.

Studying the self- discrepancy of students in different species of family in process model and family content

The aim of the present study was to study the effect of family dimensions in family process and content model (FPC Model) on self discrepancy of college students in Shiraz University and Uromiey University. The sample includes 660 college students(274 girls and 386 boys),who all filled out the Self-report Family Process Scale(SFP Scale), Self-report Family content Scale(SFC Scale),and Self Discrepancy Scale. The findings indicated that Three domains of the FPC Model(process, content, and context) predicted Actual-Ideal discrepancy, family Actual-ought discrepancy and social Actual-ought discrepancy significanty.Also the results revealed that were significant differences between Shiraz University students and Uromiey University student in Ideal and Ought self discrepancy.Indeed, the study showed a contextual difference in self discrepancy.Also the findings indicated that family religious differences are an effective factor for level of self discrepancy.