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Temperament is a construct whose manifestations are quantifiable from an early age, and whose origins have been proposed as "biological." Our goal was to determine whether maternal rank and infant genotype are associated with five measures of temperament in 3- to 4-month old rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), all of whom were born and reared by their mothers in large, outdoor, half-acre cages. Maternal rank was defined as the proportion of animals outranked by each female, and the two genes of interest to us were monoamine oxidase and serotonin transporter, both of which are polymorphic in their promoter regions (MAOA-LPR and 5-HTTLPR, respectively), with one allele of each gene considered a "plasticity" allele, conferring increased sensitivity to environmental events. Our large sample size (n = 2014-3140) enabled us to examine the effects of individual genotypes rather than combining genotypes as is often done. Rank was positively associated with Confident temperament, but only for animals with the 5-repeat allele for MAOA-LPR. Rank had no other effect on temperament. In contrast, genotype had many different effects, with 5-HTTLPR associated with behavioral inhibition, and MAOA-LPR associated with ratings-based measures of temperament. We also examined the joint effect of the two genotypes and found some evidence for a dose-response: animals with the plasticity alleles for both genes were more likely to be behaviorally inhibited. Our results suggest phenotypic differences between animals possessing alleles for MAOA-LPR that show functional equivalence based on in vitro tests, and our data for 5-HTTLPR revealed differences between short/short homozygotes and long/short heterozygotes, strongly suggesting that combining genotypes for statistical analysis should be avoided if possible. Our analysis also provides evidence of sex differences in temperament, and, to our knowledge, the only evidence of differences in temperament based on specific pathogen-free status. We suggest several directions for future research.

Competitiveness and cooperativeness are important predictors of social and learning outcomes at school. Drawing on evidence suggesting that contexts with high income inequality foster an ethos of competitiveness and inhibit cooperativeness in the economic environment, we examine whether income inequality is also associated with more competitiveness and less cooperativeness in the academic environment. We conducted four preregistered studies to test this idea. In Study 1, analysis of the OECD PISA 2018 data set ([approximately equal to]500,000 15-year-old students from 75 countries) revealed that students from economically unequal countries perceive their schoolmates as more competitive and less cooperative. In Study 2a and 2b, analysis of the PISA 2003 (250,000+ students from 38 countries) and PISA 2000 (75,000+ students from 32 countries) data sets revealed that students from unequal countries are themselves more competitive and, surprisingly, also more cooperative. Follow-up analyses resolved this apparent paradox, showing that students from unequal countries are oriented toward instrumental rather than intrinsic cooperativeness (i.e., using cooperation as a strategic tool to achieve academic success rather than for the enjoyment of the activity itself). Study 3 offers a conceptual experimental replication ([approximately equal to]850 young adults imagining going back to school) and indicates that induced income inequality (a) increases perceived competitiveness, (b) decreases perceived cooperativeness, (c) prompts an orientation toward competitiveness, and (d) prompts an orientation toward instrumental rather than intrinsic cooperativeness. Results are discussed in relation to the multidisciplinary literatures on the psychology of income inequality, the selective function of school systems, coopetition, self-determination, and cooperative learning.

Due to the role that schools play in determining the status of the future occupations of their children (i.e., the selection function of education), high socioeconomic status (SES) parents may not always be supportive of interventions that would reduce the SES achievement gap. In four experiments, we measured the support of parents (Ntotal = 1966) for implementing an equalizing (and, in Experiments 2 and 3, an inequality‐maintaining) intervention. In Experiments 1 and 2, a negative association between subjective SES and support for the equalizing intervention was found when the selection function was made salient, an effect that was also observed in Experiment 4 but only for Right‐leaning participants. In Experiment 3, where the salience of selection was held constant, we found a negative association between subjective SES and support for the equalizing intervention, but not the inequality‐maintaining intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present research, we proposed a systematic approach to disentangling the shared and unique variance explained by achievement goals, reasons for goal pursuit, and specific goal-reason combinations (i.e., achievement goal complexes). Four studies using this approach (involving nearly 1,800 participants) led to 3 basic sets of findings. First, when testing goals and reasons "separately," mastery (-approach) goals and autonomous reasons explained variance in beneficial experiential (interest, satisfaction, positive emotion) and self-regulated learning (deep learning, help-seeking, challenging tasks, persistence) outcomes. Second, when testing goals and reasons "simultaneously," mastery goals and autonomous reasons explained independent variance in most of the outcomes, with the predictive strength of each being diminished. Third, when testing goals, reasons, and goal complexes "together," the autonomous mastery goal complex explained incremental variance in most of the outcomes, with the predictive strength of both mastery goals and autonomous reasons being diminished. Comparable results were observed for performance (-approach) goals, the autonomous performance goal complex, and performance goal-relevant outcomes. These findings suggest that achievement goals and reasons are both distinct and overlapping constructs, and that neither unilaterally eliminates the influence of the other. Integrating achievement goals and reasons offers the most promising avenue for a full account of competence motivation.

Despite the fact that most competence-relevant settings are "socially" relevant settings, the interpersonal effects of achievement goals have been understudied. This is all the more surprising in the case of performance goals, for which self-competence is assessed using an other-referenced standard. In the present research, performance goals are conceived as a social tool for regulating interpersonal behaviors with more-competent others. In the confrontation with a more- (vs. equally) competent disagreeing partner, performance-approach goals (focus on approaching normative competence) should be associated with more-dominant behavior (i.e., competitive conflict regulation), whereas performance-avoidance goals (focus on avoiding normative incompetence) should be associated with more-submissive behavior (i.e., protective conflict regulation). Four studies give support to these predictions with self-reported conflict regulation measures (Studies 1 and 3) and evaluation of models associated with self-confirmation and compliance (Study 2) and conflict regulation behaviors (Study 4). Theoretical contributions to both the literature on achievement goals and that on socio-cognitive conflict, as well as practical implications for the issue of competence asymmetry in educational settings, are discussed.

This study aims to investigate changes in the income–health gradient over the later life course. We test the age-as-leveler, the cumulative advantage/disadvantage, and the persistent inequality pattern for physical and cognitive health domains, and analyze whether these patterns are gendered. We used HRS data (1992–2016) and Poisson growth curve models to predict multimorbidity (33,860 participants) as an indicator of physical health and memory (25,291 participants) as an indicator of cognitive health. We disentangled the within-participant from the between-participant effects. For multimorbidity, the income–health gradient weakened as individuals aged; whereas for memory, the income–health gradient strengthened as individuals aged. The cumulative advantage/disadvantage of higher/lower income on memory may be more pronounced among women than men. Findings were confirmed by sensitivity analyses. Findings suggest that the support for the age-as-leveler or cumulative advantage/disadvantage pattern may depend on health domains and the effect strength may depend on gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We examined whether young men and women differ in the relation between porn use and sexual performance (sexual self-competence, sexual functioning, and partner-reported sexual satisfaction). Methods: We conducted a three-wave longitudinal study (spanning 2015-16-17) that involved a very large number of men and women in their early 20s (100 000 + French-speaking individuals; 4000 + heterosexual couples). Results: The results revealed a twofold phenomenon. Among men, a higher frequency of porn use (wave 1) and increased porn use over time (waves 1–3) were associated with lower levels of sexual self-competence, impaired sexual functioning, and decreased partner-reported sexual satisfaction. In contrast, among women, higher and increasing frequencies of porn use were associated with higher levels of sexual self-competence, improved sexual functioning, and enhanced partner-reported sexual satisfaction (for some aspects). Conclusions: The findings reveal the irony that porn – a male-dominated industry that targets a male-dominated audience – is associated with the erosion of the quality of men's sex lives and the improvement of women's sex lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Income inequality is commonly posited to elevate concerns about social status that undermine psychological health, but the empirical evidence is inconsistent. Here we propose that these inconsistencies conceal opposing processes: Income inequality prompts perceived competitiveness, which can both negatively predict psychological health via avoidance motivation and positively predict psychological health via approach motivation. First, we conducted a two‐year longitudinal study (1,700+ participants from 500+ county identifiers) and provided support for our opposing processes model. Second, we conducted three pre‐preregistered studies using an experimental‐causal‐chain design. We sequentially showed that induced income inequality increased perceived competitiveness (Study 2a; 444 participants), induced perceived competitiveness increased avoidance and approach motivation (Study 2b; 1,018 participants), and induced avoidance/approach motivation decreased/increased psychological health (Study 2c; 562 participants). These findings suggest that scholars should shift from studying the main effects of income inequality on psychological health to studying the psychological processes involved in the inequality‐health relation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]