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To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2009.00503.x Byline: Elena V. Stepanova (2), Michael J Strube (*), John J. Hetts (*) Abstract: We explored bias and its perception in newspaper reports of the 2002 Olympics figure skating controversy. American and Russian articles were examined for their perceptions of the Canadian and Russian pairs' performances, directionality of the Russian and American media and publics' biases, and media awareness of those biases. Reporters' accounts varied as a function of country of affiliation and indicated a one-sided acknowledgment of media and public bias. The American media acknowledged a pro-Canadian bias in their reporting; there was no self-bias acknowledgment in the Russian press. Country of affiliation produced one-sided coverage of this event, and even the American media's awareness of self-biases did not ensure bias-free reporting. These findings are discussed amid respective countries' cultural and political contexts. Author Affiliation: (*)Washington University-Saint Louis Article note: (2) Elena Stepanova, Department of Psychology, Campus Box 1125, One Brookings Drive, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO 63130. E-mail: evstepan@artsci.wustl.edu

To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2008.00448.x Byline: Inbal Gurari (*), Michael J Strube (*), John J. Hetts (*) Abstract: Using a variety of approaches and an array of methodologies, research has shown that mortality salience enhances people's self-esteem. In line with previous work on terror management theory, the current study tested the hypothesis that when mortality salience is high, implicit self-esteem (ISE) is, paradoxically, more positive than when mortality salience is low. Participants were given an implicit measure of self-evaluation either before or after completion of a series of terrorism-related questions. As predicted, participants who completed the terrorism questionnaire first exhibited significantly more positive ISE than did those who completed it second. Ironically, it seems that implicitly, people may feel better about themselves in the face of terrorist attacks designed to demoralize them. Author Affiliation: (*)Washington University in St. Louis Article note: (1) Inbal Gurari, Department of Psychology, Campus Box 1125, One Brookings Drive, Washington University, Saint Louis, MO 63130. E-mail: igurari@artsci.wustl.edu

Participants (N = 59) performed racial typicality ratings and racial categorization of affectively neutral faces. The authors manipulated facial physiognomy, skin tone, and color presentation mode (gray scale vs. color) independently. Participants perceived Eurocentric faces as more European American in the gray-scale presentation mode than in the color mode. Independent of facial physiognomy, the planned effect of skin tone also emerged: Participants perceived dark skin tone faces as more African American than they did light skin tone faces, but this tendency was especially true with faces presented in color. These findings suggest that color presentation mode plays an important role in altering the perceptions of faces on dimensions critical to the study of stereotyping and prejudice. The common use of gray-scale stimuli may exaggerate physiognomy-based perceptions of racial typicality and category membership, but it may diminish skin-tone-based perceptions in comparison with more realistic color presentations. Keywords: gray scale, physiognomy, racial categorization, racial typicality, skin color, IN STUDIES OF PREJUDICE AND STEREOTYPING, participants are frequently presented with African American and European American faces in a variety of experimental paradigms. Researchers commonly use the facial stimuli to [...]

This study examined racial identity, self-esteem, and Black versus White beauty standards as moderators of body image perceptions among 60 Black women. In two experimental conditions, subjects evaluated photographs of either three Black models or three White models, all previously determined to be attractive. Control group subjects did not evaluate photographs. All subjects then completed measures of their own body esteem and attractiveness. Results indicated that body esteem was positively related to self-esteem for subjects in the photograph conditions but not for subjects in the control condition. The relative attractiveness ratings of self versus models were dependent on race of the models and subjects' self-esteem, and on race of the models and subjects' racial identity. The first interaction indicated more favorable comparative ratings for subjects with high self-esteem, but only following exposure to White models. The second interaction indicated more favorable comparative ratings for subjects with high African self-consciousness, but only following exposure to White models. Taken together, the results suggest that explicit beauty standards engage a comparison process and, in the case of Black respondents with high self-esteem or with high African self-consciousness, result in self-evaluations that are significantly higher than the attractiveness attributed to White standards of beauty.

We examined patient knowledge as a moderator of psychological reactions to illness among patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. We reasoned that knowledgeable patients would have the most severe reactions to their illness because the causal implications of good or poor metabolic control would be most apparent. Accordingly, we expected that more knowledgeable patients would react more negatively than less knowledgeable patients to poor metabolic control but would react more positively to good metabolic control. Results from a sample of 46 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus supported this hypothesis. These findings suggest that increased patient knowledge may not produce uniformly positive results. Patient education programs must consider the psychological implications of patient knowledge in addition to the physiological consequences.

The purpose of this study was to test the utility of the Investment Model (Rusbult, 1980) of romantic commitment for black and white dating couples. Twenty black and 20 white college dating couples completed questionnaires measuring the Investment Model components and additional variables. According to the Investment Model, the level of romantic commitment is positively related to relationship satisfaction and positively related to the magnitude of personal investments, but negatively related to the availability of romantic alternatives. We expected the romantic commitment of black couples to differ from that of white couples due to the shortage of available black male partners. The only racial differences to emerge, however, were found in a Race Gender interaction: Commitment increased with an increase in satisfaction for white males, but not black males. Gender differences indicated that the Investment Model provided a better account of the commitment of females. We also examined the role of two other factors in the prediction of commitment: perceived physical attractiveness of the partner and concern about AIDS. Both factors were significantly related to commitment for males, but not females, and neither of these factors demonstrated racial differences.

Ahadi and Diener (1989) argued that the prevalent concern about low trait-behavior correlations may reflect the faulty assumption of a one-to-one relation between traits and behaviors. Using a simulation methodology, they demonstrated that low to moderate trait-behavior and behavior-behavior correlations are to be expected even when 2 behaviors are each completely determined by 3 traits with 1 trait in common. It is demonstrated that the results estimated by Ahadi and Diener can be derived exactly by using the mathematics of linear combinations. The advantage of the mathematical approach is the precise and easy calculation of results that follows from presumed causal models of any complexity. This approach provides a general method for exploring the expected empirical consequences of different causal models.

Previous research indicates that attitudes about information acquisition, and attitudes about behavioral involvement, moderate important health behaviors. These attitudes may play an important role in the management of cystic fibrosis (CF) because of the crucial role that patient knowledge and self-involvement play in maintaining adequate functioning. However, due to the young age of CF onset, and the necessary involvement of parents in CF patients' care, two preliminary questions require attention. First, can health care attitudes be measured reliably in young samples? Second, are parents' attitudes related to their children's attitudes? In this study we examined the measurement of health care attitudes in CF patients and their parents by administering the Health Opinion Survey. Results indicated that health care attitudes could be measured reliably in parents and teens, but that for younger patients (ages 8 to 12 years), reliability was reduced. Results also indicated that parents' attitudes and patients' attitudes were largely unrelated, suggesting that patients do not automatically adopt the health care attitudes of their parents. By implication, educational interventions targeted at parents may have limited effectiveness for their children.

One hundred five older adults enrolled in exercise classes were recruited from local YMCAs. Exercise behavior was measured 1, 3, and 9 months after beginning the exercise class. Intentions were not a significant predictor of exercise behavior, probably because of a lack of variance; most people intended to exercise. The direct measures of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control, however, explained 9% of exercise behavior at I month. They did not significantly explain behavior at 3 and 9 months. When the indirect measure of subjective norms explained 18% of exercise behavior at I month. The indirect measure of perceived behavioral control accounted for 27% of the variance at 1 month and 10% at 3 months.