Philippine Journal of Psychology

June 2004, Vol. 37, No. 1

Contents

What Do Children Know About Emotions? A Goal-Based Appraisal Analysis of Children's Emotion Narratives
Ma. Emma Concepcion D. Liwag and Rachel C. Reyes

Fifty children, aged 3 to 9 years old, were asked to narrate personally-experienced episodes of happiness, anger, sadness, and fear. A propositional analysis of the narratives was conducted using a cognitive appraisal framework of emotion which links children's understanding of emotion to knowledge of (1) goals, preferences or intentions, (2) appraisals of how events alter the probabilities of attaining these goals, and (3) plans and actions generated to cope with such changes. The study examined the extent to which components of these goal-based appraisals were present in children's narrative recall of real-life emotional events in order to provide a partial test of the model, developed in a Western context, with a Filipino sample. Results revealed developmental differences in narrative ability, with younger children generating fewer and shorter narratives. As the model predicted, children recalled Happy episodes in terms of successful goal attainment, Angry and Sad episodes in terms of aversive conditions, and Fear episodes in terms of anticipated negative outcomes. But contrary to expectations, children rarely mentioned their goals explicitly and the reasons cited for their emotions were heavily skewed towards agents and consequences of the situation. The unexpected findings are interpreted in the light of the Filipino child's developing self-construal where the interpersonal context rather than personal goals is given priority.
The Relationship of Gender and Maternal Socialization to Delay of Gratification Among Selected Public School First Graders
Annalyn L. De Guzman-Capulong

The study investigated the relationship of gender and maternal socialization to delay of gratification among 7–8-year-old children as well as explored their self-generated strategies while waiting. A maternal survey questionnaire was developed to measure the mothers' socialization of their children's delay behavior. Two measures of delay of gratification were used: delay to criterion (whether or not children were able to wait the criterion time of 15 minutes) and delay time (actual time children were able to wait). Results showed that out of the 33 participants, 24 were able to wait (delayers) while 9 children were not able to do so (nondelayers). Delay time was significantly related to maternal socialization of delay behavior. It was also significantly related to gender but among nondelayers only. Delayers successfully waited by attending to their hands, other body parts and objects inside the room while children with shorter delay time more frequently attended to the rewards and bell rather than elsewhere.
What Are Our Children Eating? Children's Nutrition Knowledge and the Relationship Between Nutritional Intake and Attention
Louella L. Barra

The study looked into knowledge of and attitudes towards nutrition and the eating practices and food preferences of a sample of Grade I students. It also sought to explore a possible relationship between what these students were eating and their ability to concentrate on a given task. The study had two parts: the first part described what the Grade I pupils already knew about nutrition, their views of different eating practices and their food habits; the second part looked into the relationships between variables such as family background, nutritional intake, nutrition knowledge, attitude and practices and the child's ability to concentrate on an activity on hand. Participants were found to be well informed on various nutritional recommendations for good health. This general knowledge in turn appeared to influence their food habits, food preferences and attitudes about certain foods. The study also correlated family background variables with the participant's scores in nutrition knowledge, auditory attention and visual alertness tasks.
Conceptualizing the Nexus Between Social Class and Cognitive Framework in Filipino Women
Freddie R. Obligacion

Using a causal modeling approach, this study delineated the cognitive consequences of women's socioeconomic status. Challenging common perceptions of the poor, low socioeconomic-status respondents showed a strong achievement orientation, self-efficacy, and high self-esteem. Low success expectations did not weaken motivation for self-improvement thanks to the compensating effects of a high regard for achievement, self-efficacy, and high self-esteem.
Sources of Resilience in the Filipino Wife's Responses to Spousal Infidelity
Teodulo P. Gonzales, S.J., Joanne Greer, Nancy Jo Scheers, Elizabeth Oakes and James Buckley

The purpose of this study was to identify patterns of resilience in the Filipino wife's responses to spousal infidelity, by examining associations between demographic characteristics, spiritual and religious practices and two dependent variables, resilience as measured by the Sense of Coherence Scale (Antonovsky, 1998, 1987), and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Spanier, 1976). The sample consisted of 304 Filipino wives from Metro Manila, Laguna, and Bulacan; all of whom experienced a husband's infidelity. The results showed that wife's depression and worry about finances were negatively correlated with Sense of Coherence. Wife's problem solving skills and religious support variables were positively correlated with the Sense of Coherence. Married/Living Together (infidelity stopped) is negatively correlated with Dyadic Adjustment. Husband's attending the Mass is positively correlated with the Dyadic Adjustment.
Personality Traits and Married Women's Career Choices
Rozel S. Balmores

The goal of the research was to establish whether personality traits affect the normative and non-normative career choice of women. Police work was considered a non-normative career choice while nursing was considered a normative career choice. Findings suggest significant differences between the personalities of policewomen and nurses.
Narrative Construction of Self in Dreamwork Experiences
Roseann R. Tan-Mansukhani

This study looked into the application of narrative in the study of the self. Specifically it described the self-construction of dreamers in the narratives of their dreamwork experience, the temporal movement and the reflexivity of the constructed self, and the impact of their dreamwork experience. Twelve female college students were interviewed to obtain a total of 24 dreamwork narratives. Narrative analysis was used to analyze the structure and content of the dreamwork narratives. Results reveal that the dreamers' constructed self is relational and self-valuing, has the reflexive capacity for self-assessment and insights. The progressive narrative was predominant in showing the goal-based temporal movement of the self, and change occurred in the waking lives of the dreamers as an effect of the dreamwork experience.
This Business of Kidnapping: Making Sense of Kidnapping within a Business Transaction Perspective
Niño Jose Mateo

This paper looked into the personal accounts of Chinese-Filipino kidnap-for-ransom victims in Manila. It sought to (a) explore the experience of kidnapping from the point of view of the victims, and (b) discover and make sense of the common features in their experiences. Five respondents were interviewed. The environmental, cognitive and behavioral conditions of the kidnapping ordeal were outlined. The Business Transaction Perspective was then used to structure this information. Similarities were found between kidnapping and a business transaction in that they were both (a) about money, (b) not personal, (c) share similar roles, (d) were governed by similar rules, and (e) temporary. Implications of these similarities were then outlined. This perspective only takes into account the stories included in this research. However, it still offers a fresh way for us to make sense of a phenomenon we know so little about.
The Behavioural Pharmacology of the NAALADase Inhibitor: Its Effect on Cataleptic and Hemi-Parkinsonian Rats
Francis Rodriguez Bambico

The grid and bar test for catalepsy was performed on experimental rats to determine whether or not the naaladase (N-acetylated-alpha-linked-acidic dipeptidase) inhibitor GPI5000 could be a potential pharmacological agent for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease (PD). The results were compared with those of trials ran to test the inhibitor's effect on rotational behaviour after unilateral 6-hydroxy-dopamine (6-OHDA) lesion of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB), the outcome of which corroborated the catalepsy test. To surmise, GPI5000 exhibited a moderate cataleptogenic effect both on the gird and the bar, and when combined with haloperidol, significantly potentiated the neuroleptic's cataleptogenic activity. Furthermore, GPI5000 did not block haloperidol-induced sensitization to catalepsy, measured by the progressive increase in the latency of limb descent on the grid and in the latency of limb withdrawal on the bar. Data on rotational behaviour indicated that GPI5000 did not induce rotation on its own, but increased apomorphine-induced contralesional rotation. It has been established by previous studies that GPI5000 facilitates increase in the neuropeptide N-acetly-aspartylglutamate (NAAG). NAAG may exert an NMDA-independent mechanism of suppressing DA release. NAAG also modifies GABAA receptor subtype expression, and enhances GABAergic activity. Based on these findings, the potential use of GPI5000 as an anti-Parkinsonian agent is rather doubtful, but it opens a window for furthering research on its potential for the treatment of dysfunctions associated with hyperactivity of GLU and/or DA, e.g. addiction and schizophrenia.
Development, Validation and Implementation of Instructional Modules on Personality Theories
Lucila R. Ortiz-Bance

This study aims to develop and validate modules that can be used in teaching the course Theories of Personality. It consists of a comprehensive coverage of twenty of the most influential theories. R. M. Gagne's (1988, 1996) instructional theory on the nine events of instruction served as the framework of this study. Survey results showed that the developed modules are valid in content, suitability, clarity, usefulness and adequacy. The quasi-experimental design and the use of t-test for the 5 representative instructional modules that were tested showed the effectiveness of modular instruction in enhancing knowledge, skills and attitudes of the participants in the pilot study.