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SUPEA (University Psychiatric Out Patient Clinic for Children and Adolescents), Lausanne
Summary
Previous studies have suggested that alexithymia is a risk factor for addictive behaviours such as drug abuse or eating disorders. The aim of the present study was to examine this link when other possible confounding factors are taken into account. Data were analysed from a multi-centre project on addictive behaviours undertaken in France and Switzerland. The swiss survey included two groups of adolescents and young adults (1425 years, M = 20.5, SD = 3): a group of 187 clinical subjects diagnosed on the basis of a structured interview using DSM-IV criteria, 80 girls with eating disorders, 107 subjects with drug abuse (73 males and 34 females), and a group of 121 control subjects (72 males and 49 females), matched for age, gender and socio-economic status (SES). All subjects completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-13) and provided socio-demographic data. Alexithymia was correlated significantly with depressive mood (higher scores in the two clinical groups), age (higher scores in younger adolescents) and SES (higher scores in the low social class group). When controlling for depressive mood no significant differences were found between girls with eating disorders or the drug abuse group and the control group. Thus, according to these results, alexithymia does not seem to be a specific, unconfounded risk factor for addictive behaviours.
Key words
Alexithymia, addiction, drug abuse, eating disorders, depressive mood, adolescence, young adults
Swiss Journal of Psychology, Band 57, 1998, Heft 3, © Verlag
Hans Huber Bern
University of Lausanne
Summary
According to social identity theory, ingroup bias follows from the joint process of social categorization and a need for positive social identity. In two experiments, participants were divided into small groups and accomplished a collective task. Then, they judged the ingroup product and an outgroup product on a set of sixteen dimensions. Results demonstrated that the ingroup bias varied as a function of the dimensional relevance, i.e. the extent to which the dimensions were related to the task. This not only meant that individuals used specific dimensions to establish or to preserve a positive social identity, it also showed that they tried to anchor ingroup superiority in salient norms and values. Experiment 2 demonstrated that the impact of the dimensional relevance depended on intergroup antagonism.
Key words
Social identity, intergroup dynamics, ingroup bias, dimensional relevance
Swiss Journal of Psychology, Band 57, 1998, Heft 3, © Verlag Hans Huber Bern
1 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor,
USA
2 University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
Summary
Four studies were conducted to develop a measure of people's
capacity to adopt multiple perspectives when making judgments. In
Study 1, 20 scale items designed to tap people's propensity to use
multiple perspectives when solving problems or making decisions were
administered to 1342 participants. The resulting scale was reliable
(a = .90). Study 2 differentiated the Multiple Perspectives Inventory
(MPI) from the need for cognition. Study 3 revealed that the capacity
to process and recall information was associated with MPI
performance, but not dogmatism. Using the classic Einstellung
problem, Study 4 demonstrated that high MPIs were less bound by, more
capable of breaking, and less likely to revert to, an induced
cognitive set. The implications of this construct and measure for a
host of issues in psychology were discussed.
Key words
Perspective-taking, empathy, dogmatism, cognitive set (Einstellung), need for cognition
Swiss Journal of Psychology, Band 57, 1998, Heft 3, © Verlag Hans Huber Bern
1 Nankai University of Tianjin
2 University of Fribourg, Switzerland
Summary
The following contribution gives a short introduction to Chinese psychology, history, psychological research and teaching institutions and student selection for universities. After a brief overview of the theoretical traditions and contemporary trends in general and experimental psychology it focuses in more detail on the recent developments in clinical and medical psychology. Research domains, academic training in clinical psychology and its applications in modern China are discussed with special reference to psychotherapy and counselling.
Key words
Psychology, China, clinical psychology, medical psychology, psychotherapy
Swiss Journal of Psychology, Band 57, 1998, Heft 3, © Verlag Hans Huber Bern
1 University of Geneva, Switzerland
2 University of Grenoble II, France
3 University of Milan, Italy
Summary
Two experiments investigated the socio-cognitive mechanisms intervening in the "pseudodiagnosticity bias". In Study 1 positive vs. negative anchoring information concerning one of four characteristics of two (A vs. B) political candidates or two cars were presented. Subjects' task was to decide which other single additional piece of information about A or B should be obtained in order to be able to choose between the two alternatives. Results show that diagnosticity is enhanced when the anchoring information is negative; and when the anchoring information bears on a characteristic that is highly relevant for the subjects. Study 2, conducted on the same tasks, investigated the influence of a majority vs. a minority, the effect of positive vs. negative anchoring information relative to a highly vs. low relevant characteristic, in a context where the risk of error was either low or high (making salient the random character of the choice vs. the risk of error in the task). Results show an effect of the relevance of characteristic on which the information was given, as in Study 1, and an interaction effect between choice vs. error task, majority vs. minority source and positive vs. negative evaluation. Addition of these two effects reveals that subjects are more diagnostic to the extent that a negative evaluation is given by the minority source about a highly relevant characteristic in the task where the risk of error is salient.
Key words
Pseudodiagnosticity bias, information relevance, majority influence, minority influence
Swiss Journal of Psychology, Band 57, 1998, Heft 3, © Verlag Hans Huber Bern