General Disposition Research Articles

Predictive Validity of Critical Thinking Skills and Disposition for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination: A Preliminary Investigation

The objective of this study was to determine if preexisting critical thinking skills and critical thinking disposition predict student performance on the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE). The predictive value of critical thinking skills scores and disposition (habits of mind, attitudes, and character attributes) scores were examined above that provided by traditional predictors: entering grade point average, age, and total number of college hours at entry into the dental hygiene program. Seventy-six first-year dental hygiene students from three baccalaureate dental hygiene programs participated in this study. Participants' preexisting general critical thinking skills and disposition were assessed during the first week of classes in their respective baccalaureate level programs using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) and California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI). At the completion of their two-year educational program, the CCTST and CCTDI were administered a final time, and students' scores on the multiple-choice and case-based NBDHE were obtained. A series of hierarchical multiple regression analyses demonstrated that CCTST scores explained a statistically significant (p<.05) proportion of variance in students' multiple-choice and case-based NBDHE scores, above and beyond that explained by other predictor variables. Although CCTDI scores were not a significant predictor of either outcome measure, CCTST is a good predictor of student performance on high-stakes qualifying examinations and may have utility for student selection and retention.

How meritocratic is the United States?

This paper argues that a meritocracy exists to the extent that economically valued positions are allocated on the basis of educational attainment and performance, cognitive ability, and general personal dispositions like conscientiousness. The paper justifies these components of merit on the grounds that each is notably linked to job performance or is a reasonable predictor of performance. Drawing on the status attainment and wage determination literatures, this review establishes that in absolute terms the meritocratic impact is significant though not decisive, but the meritocratic impact is much more consequential than the impact of ascribed characteristics.

Cross‐Sectional and Longitudinal Tests of the Personality and Role Identity Structural Model (PRISM)

A conceptual hierarchy termed the Personality and Role Identity Structural Model, or PRISM, is offered as a framework for incorporating situational information into trait models. PRISM assumes that personality is structured hierarchically with general dispositions subsuming context-specific dispositions (role identities), which, in turn, subsume role-based thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. At Wave 1 (N = 149), we found that general traits account for commonalities across traits measured within role identities and that role identities mediate the relationship between general traits and role criteria. In a longitudinal follow-up of a subsample of the original participants (Wave 2; N = 62), we found that general traits and role-identity traits were more stable than role experiences over time. Also, changes in role experiences were related to changes in role-identity traits, and, in turn, changes in role-identity traits were related to changes in general traits. The potential of PRISM for use in understanding the development of personality traits is discussed.

Strong allergic patch test reactions may indicate a general disposition for contact allergy

Patch test patients have two or more positive reactions to unrelated allergens more often than to be expected by chance. This study evaluates synchronous patch test reactions to test the hypothesis that in such cases an allergen-independent disposition for contact sensitization may be involved. Data of 87 834 patients tested with a standard patch test series in 42 centers of a Central European Network were retrospectively evaluated. Analyses were done for synchronous positive reactions of graded strength to nickel sulfate, fragrance mix, and to those five allergens that followed in frequency of positive results. All seven allergens selected were not related by chemical structure or exposure. Descriptive univariate and bivariate analyses as well as a polytomous logistic regression analysis were performed. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. With an increasing strength of a positive reaction to nickel or to fragrance mix the likelihood of further positive reactions to unrelated contact allergens increased significantly, and the mean strength of such additional reactions raised steadily with an increasing strength of a nickel or fragrance reaction. Our findings support the idea that patients who respond with a strong patch test reaction may have a particular general disposition to acquire contact sensitivity to additional unrelated allergens. They should therefore not only be advised to avoid their known allergen but in addition to minimize exposure other contact allergens.

Anger, Anxiety, and Depression as Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease: The Problems and Implications of Overlapping Affective Dispositions.

Several recent reviews have identified 3 affective dispositions--depression, anxiety, and anger-hostility--as putative risk factors for coronary heart disease. There are, however, mixed and negative results. Following a critical summary of epidemiological findings, the present article discusses the construct and measurement overlap among the 3 negative affects. Recognition of the overlap necessitates the development of more complex affect-disease models and has implications for the interpretation of prior studies, statistical analyses, prevention, and intervention in health psychology and behavioral medicine. The overlap among the 3 negative dispositions also leaves open the possibility that a general disposition toward negative affectivity may be more important for disease risk than any specific negative affect.

Explaining the "accuracy" of proxy-reports on attitudes towards immigrants in Germany

The paper analyzes the degree to which subjects are able to "accurately" report the attitudes of their reference group or close discussion partners. Studies using a social network approach have found evidence for a strong association between the respondents' own attitude reports and their reports on the perceived attitudes of relevant others. Since most research has not tested whether this perception of ego is congruent with the actual attitudes of the alters, it remains unclear to what degree the observed correlations are substantiated in social influence processes or simply result from egos' projection of their own attitudes on their alters. However, descriptive statistics have confirmed that proxy-reports and self-reports with regard to attitudes reveal a relatively low degree of congruence. In this study, the influence of ego's access to information on the "quality" of the proxy-reports concerning attitudes towards immigrants in Germany is analyzed in the context of a broader understanding of the congruence of proxy-reports. For this purpose, we use two approaches that apply different criteria of validity to assess the "accuracy" of proxy-reports on attitudes on an individual level. In order to address our questions, we reanalyze recently collected data (N = 1693) on egos' attitudes towards immigrants, including information about egos' perception of alters' attitudes and alters' self-reports on the same matter. According to our results stemming from multivariate two-level regression models, the accuracy of proxy-reports is conditional on characteristics of the dyadic relationships as well as the complete network in which these dyads are embedded, a fact which apparently has not yet been considered in previous research. In summary, it is recommended that for the collection of attitudinal data by means of proxy-reports the name interpreter items should refer to general dispositions rather than to specific attitudes of alters.

The Influence of Local Contextual Characteristics on the Implementation of a Statewide Voter Initiative: The Case of California's Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (Proposition 36)

Much of the scholarship on initiatives emphasizes the link between voting behavior and initiative election outcomes or the strategies employed during the policy enactment phase. Little research has considered implementation or whether initiatives ultimately achieve their intended goals. Although the initiative process provides a direct link between the people and policy, it cannot be assumed that upon voter approval, an initiative will simply be implemented in a meaningful and uniform manner within the scope of the initiative's original intent. Using a case study of California's Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (SACPA/Proposition 36) I ask how local politics and other contextual factors influence the implementation of a statewide voter initiative. Using aggregate data drawn from each of California's 58 counties, results indicate that politics at the county‐level, measured via counties’ general ideological dispositions and more specific policy preferences toward drug abuse and drug offenders affect how they implement the initiative. Contrary to popular conceptions, results here confirm that initiatives are not uniformly implemented, but in fact, will be manifested in quite different ways due to local contextual differences.

Poetry from 1660 to 1780: Civil War, Restoration, Revolution, ed. by Robert De-Maria, Jr. and Duncan Wu, and: Restoration Comedy, ed. by David Womersley

185 con. The age of Walpole represented the nadir of the idea that ‘‘estates’’ comprehended the realm. With Walpole came new circumstances and therefore a need to consider the implications of a developing political structure. Pity those implications are not explored here. Charles W. A. Prior Queen’s University at Kingston Miscellanies in Prose and Verse by Pope, Swift and Gay, 4 volumes, ed. Alexander Pettit. London: Pickering and Chatto, 2002. Multiple pagination in each volume . $475. Few volumes of eighteenth-centuryliterature contain more good things than Miscellanies. To read the Table of Contents is to take a tour through the best satire of the century, most of it by Swift, but amply sprinkled with important piecesby others;herewefind,intheiroriginalreader -friendly type-size with ample margins , and on high quality paper, ‘‘Abolishing Christianity,’’‘‘Tritical Essay,’’the ‘‘Bickerstaff Papers,’’ ‘‘The History of John Bull,’’ ‘‘Meditation upon a Broomstick ,’’ ‘‘Memoirs of P.P., Clerk of This Parish,’’ ‘‘Stradling versus Stiles,’’ ‘‘The Art of Political Lying,’’ ‘‘Peri Bathous,’’ ‘‘Cadenus and Vanessa,’’ ‘‘God’s Revenge against Punning,’’‘‘A Modest Proposal ,’’and an ample sampling of Swift’s shorter poems. It is a treasure for Scriblerians , and while the titles are all found elsewhere and today in more informative editions, the sense one has of being in the presence of Scriblerian thought and production may never be felt more richly than when paging through these four volumes . Indeed, for The Scriblerian, Miscellanies might well be considered the foundational text. Mr. Pettit’s Introduction is brief, but adequately provides the history of the compilation and publication of Miscellanies ; clearly Pope was the organizational genius of the enterprise, whether from fair motives (to swim down the gutter of time with Swift) or foul (to have Swift swim down the gutter of time with him). Mr. Pettit correctly suggests that ‘‘Miscellanies [is] an extended instance of lanx satura, the ancient model that regards satire as a ‘mixed’or ‘full platter,’’’ although unfortunately the rest of his sentence seems garbled by a printer’s error. Mr. Pettit’s real service is his Appendix detailing allthatisknownatpresentabout the authorship of each piece, a very helpful accounting, including brief commentaries on disputed attributions. ‘‘I am very sensible what a weakness and presumption it is, to reason against the general humour and disposition of the world,’’ but I would urge every library to reallocate its 2004 budget for purchasing critical monographs on cross-dressing in order to purchase instead this reprint edition of Miscellanies—Foucault is a fad, but great wit is forever. Melvyn New University of Florida Poetry from 1660 to 1780: Civil War, Restoration, Revolution, ed. Robert DeMaria , Jr. and Duncan Wu. Oxford: Blackwell, 2002. Pp. 183. $52.95; $49.95 (paper). Restoration Comedy, ed. David Womersley . Oxford: Blackwell, 2002. Pp. 192. $49.95; $17.95 (paper). The editors and Blackwell intend these texts (two of the seven in the series, ‘‘Blackwell Essential Literature’’) for classroom use, with each volume containing ‘‘a general introduction designed to introduce the reader to those central works,’’ as stated, redundantly, by the series editor. Introductions should intro- 186 duce. Yet most of the work here is interpretative , hardly helpful for students coming to these works for the first time. More troubling is that the editions have no annotations. The poetry text offers Books I and II from Paradise Lost and selections from Dryden, Rochester, Swift, Pope, Gray, and Collins, as well as ‘‘The Vanity of Human Wishes’’ and ‘‘The Deserted Village .’’Two blurbs on the back cover compete for the reader’s eye: the first on the general series states that ‘‘traditional favourites are placed alongside less wellknown titles, reflecting the ways in which the literary canon has changed in recent years’’; the second, that the book ‘‘offers readers authoritative texts of the central works of the age from a wide range of poets,’’ which, presumably, describes the nine male poets whose works are included . Restoration Comedy offers two plays, The Country Wife and The Way of the World. It also has two blurbs of the back cover: the first, identical to the blurb in the other volume; the second, implying that one only needs these two plays to get ‘‘the flavour of the bawdy...

Life events, social-economic status and general disposition of Hungarian youth in the Karpathian basin

This is a study of the formation and length of the youth period of the 15-29 aged Hungarian population of Hungary’s neighboring countries, as well as the age and mode of incurrence of this period’s most important life events. It is based on the Hungarian and majority sample of the research called Mozaik 2001, which can be taken as a sort of a radiogram of a society. The author, Valér Veres is a sociologist, and teaches at the University of Kolozsvár

Perceived parental rearing behaviours and coping in young adolescents

Relationships between parental rearing practices and coping styles were examined in a sample of 122 young adolescents. Subjects completed the child version of the EMBU, a self-report inventory for assessing perceptions of current parenting practices, and the Utrecht Coping List for Adolescents, a self-report measure of general coping dispositions. As predicted, correlational and regression analyses showed, that perceived rejection by both father and mother was significantly associated with the use of passive coping strategies. Unexpectedly, no convincing relationships were found between parental emotional warmth and coping styles. Finally, perceived control by both parents was linked to higher scores of active coping. The present findings are discussed in light of previous work in this research field.

Divorce Adjustment as a Function of Finding Meaning and Gender Differences

The present study examined the relationship between finding meaning after divorce and subsequent adjustment. A sample of 119 volunteers (58 men, 68 women) in various stages of divorce completed the Constructed Meaning Scale, the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (to measure their general disposition to see the world as meaningful), the Disentanglement subscale (emotional separation from former spouse) of the Fisher Divorce Adjustment Scale, and the Scales of Psychological Well-Being. The participants also responded to open-ended questions about their perceptions of the causes and consequences of their divorce. Seven variables (gender, education, initiator status, length of separation, disentanglement, sense of coherence, and meaning) were used to predict psychological well being following divorce. Using sequential multiple regression analysis, meaning was found to add predictive power to psychological well-being over and above all other predictor variables. No gender differences were obtained for meaning or level of psychological well-being. However, women generated significantly more positive consequences of their divorce than did men. In addition, gender differences in the perception of the causes of divorce were consistent with previous research, with physical, emotional and psychological abuse only reported by women. Implications for clinical research and practice are discussed.

Identification and the Commitment Shift: Accounting for Gender Differences in Relationship Illusions

Previous work revealed gender differences in relationship illusions. Women, and not men, perceived their dating partners more favorably than their partners' self-perceptions. In two studies, the authors replicated these findings and showed they are moderated by relationship commitment but not by relationship satisfaction. Dating men low in commitment devalued their partners' virtues, whereas those high in commitment exaggerated their partners' virtues compared to their partners' self-perceptions. In contrast, dating women showed relationship illusions irrespective of their commitment. In Study 2, similar results were obtained with relationship-specific identification. Moreover, men's commitment mediated the effect of identification with the relationship. This suggests that gender differences in relationship identities exist at a general level and that men need to identify with and then commit to a specific relationship before they exhibit pro-relationship thinking, which women exhibit as general dispositions.

Cytokine gene polymorphisms in atopic dermatitis.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis are genetically determined inflammatory skin disorders characterized by abnormal cytokine production. From association studies there is evidence that functionally relevant cytokine gene polymorphisms contribute to the genetic basis of psoriasis. Association studies in AD have mostly been limited to polymorphisms of T-helper 2-type cytokines, which dominate in acute AD lesions. Unexpectedly, the results of recent genome scans indicate linkage of AD to psoriasis susceptibility loci. Therefore, AD may also be influenced by genes that modulate cutaneous inflammation independently from atopic mechanisms. To investigate further the role of cytokine gene polymorphisms in AD. Polymorphisms in the genes encoding tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFA-238 G/A, -308 G/A), interleukin (IL)-1beta (IL1B-511 T/C, +3953 T/C), IL-6 (IL6-174 C/G), IL-10 (IL10-1082 A/G) and the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL1RN intron 2) were investigated in German patients with AD (n = 94) and in healthy nonatopic individuals (n = 214) by polymerase chain reaction-based methods and direct cycle sequencing. No association was found between AD and any of the polymorphisms analysed. This is in contrast to the recently described association between psoriasis and the TNFA-238 and IL1B-511 polymorphisms. Our data indicate that cytokine gene polymorphisms may act as specific markers of inflammatory skin diseases rather than contribute to a general disposition towards cutaneous inflammation.

Relationships between an ego orientation scale and a hypercompetitive scale: their correlates with dogmatism and authoritarianism factors

Abstract The aim of this paper was to study the relationship between an achievement ego scale and a hypercompetitive scale to assess a more general competitive disposition. Results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis of 232 and 186 sport science students’ responses revealed that these two scales measure different behavioral tendencies. It seems that an ego scale measures a goal performance, in terms of social comparison, while a hypercompetitive attitude scale explains the ideological consequences of this comparison in terms of authoritarian and dogmatic thinking. A second study (n=178) tested this difference showing that the ego scale correlated only with a behavioral measure of intolerance, taken from the dogmatism scale, while a hypercompetitive attitude scale correlated with this behavioral dimension and with an ideological factor of dogmatism and authoritarianism.

Dispositional and situational determinants of trust in two types of managers

This paper reports on a study of 398 people employed in two UK service organizations: a hospital and two divisions of a high street bank. The main purpose of the study was to determine the degree to which dispositional factors (predisposition to trust and trait anxiety) and situational factors (seven aspects of the job environment) predicted a person's reported trust in their managers. Two types of managers were investigated: a person's immediate line manager and ‘senior managers in their industry’. It was hypothesized that the dispositional factors would have a greater influence on trust in managers in the industry and that situational factors would have a greater influence on trust in one's immediate line manager. The first hypothesis was supported, but the second was not. It was found that trust in both types of managers was best predicted by a combination of general disposition to trust (not trait anxiety) and situational factors: five of the seven situational factors had a role in predicting intention to trust. This reflects the complexity involved in predicting trust at work and the managerial challenge of creating a trusting culture.

Personality Characteristics of Effective Listeners: A Five Factor Perspective

This study examined the personality characteristics of effective listeners using the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI), an assessment instrument based on the Five Factor Model, and the Watson-Barker Listening Test (WBLT). One hundred and twenty five undergraduate students (33 men, 92 women) participated in the study and completed the paper-and-pencil self-report measures in their classrooms. A significant correlation was found between the School Success Scale of the HPI and the WBLT. However, none of the other major scales of the HPI were correlated with and the WBLT. Multiple regression analyses indicated that the major scales of the HPI did not predict any of the dimensions of the WBLT. As predicted the WBLT was related to a measure of empathy but the results did not support the hypothesis that effective listening is related to sensation seeking. The findings suggest that effective listening is more strongly related to social interactions linked to a specific context than to more general traits or disposition.

Kinship and Evolved Psychological Dispositions

This article revisits the old controversy concerning the relation of the mothers brother and sisters son in patrilineal societies in the light both of anthropological criticisms of the very notion of kinship and of evolutionary and epidemiological approaches to culture. It argues that the ritualized patterns of behavior discussed by RadcliffeBrown, Goody, and others are to be explained in terms of the interaction of a variety of factors, some local and historical, others pertaining to general human dispositions. In particular, an evolved disposition to favor relatives can contribute to the development and stabilization of these behaviors not by directly generating them but by making them particularly catchy and resilient. In this way, it is possible to recognize both that cultural representations and practices are specific to a community at a time in its history (rather than mere tokens of a general type) and that they are, in essential respects, grounded in the common evolved psychology of human beings.

The more time spent on listening, the less time spent on prescribing antibiotics in general practice.

To analyse the variation between primary care centres (PCCs) with regard to prescribing antibiotics and to investigate whether the variation can be explained by factors related to patient satisfaction and to socio-demographic characteristics of the populations in the catchment areas of the PCCs. The frequency of prescription of antibiotics by GPs at the PCCs was used as the dependent variable in a multivariate regression analysis. Questionnaire data for patient satisfaction and register data for socio-demographic characteristics were used as explanatory variables. The study was set in a county in south-east Sweden, and 6734 patients consulting GPs at 39 out of the 41 PCCs in the county participated. Variables correlating with the frequency of antibiotics prescription at PCC level and with patient satisfaction were the main outcome measures. A seven-fold variation in the extent of the prescription of antibiotics between the PCCs was observed. In the multivariate analysis, a high antibiotic prescription rate relates to high overall patient satisfaction with GP consultation as well as to the share of males in the listed population but to low satisfaction with the time spent by the GP on listening to the patient. A high frequency of prescription of antibiotics at a PCC may reflect a general disposition among GPs to give priority to maintaining good relations with the patients. However, a low level of prescription may be consistent with patient satisfaction if more time is spent on listening to and informing the patients. Thus more time spent on listening to the patients may reduce the prescription of antibiotics without reducing patient satisfaction.

Some antecedents and effects of trust in virtual communities

This study explores several downstream effects of trust in virtual communities and the antecedents of trust in this unique type of environment. The data, applying an existing scale to measure two dimensions of trust (ability and benevolence/integrity), show that trust had a downstream effect on members' intentions to both give information and get information through the virtual community. Both these apparent dimensions of trust were increased through perceived responsive relationships in the virtual community, by a general disposition to trust, and by the belief that others confide personal information.

American Households on (and off) the Urban-to-rural Transect

The potential correlation of resident household types in the United States with the degree of urban intensity along the rural-to-urban transect is examined, both in its idealized form and in the reality of existing settlement patterns. Examined are: the failure of conventional survey techniques to measure accurately housing preferences; the use of an unconventional, target market methodology to predict market potential for housing types not currently available in a specific market place; the importance of defining American households in scores of very refined segments that take into account more than simple demographic and economic characteristics; the general disposition of broad household types along the rural-to-urban transect; how transect location, as much as economic achievement, influences household socio-economic status; and the role of housing and, by extension, transect location as components of American households' predilection for self-invention.