Experimental Effects of Viewing Thin and Plus-Size Models in Objectifying and Empowering Contexts on Instagram.

To counter the negative effects of viewing unrealistically thin and attractive models in beauty and fashion advertisements, some companies depict women with larger bodies in their advertisement campaigns. Previous experimental evidence suggests women may feel more satisfied with their own bodies immediately after viewing advertisements featuring these models. The current study aimed to extend these findings by examining the moderating role of trait body discrepancies and the presence of objectifying advertising slogans in advertisements. A sample of 202 undergraduate students who identified as female viewed advertisements depicted on Instagram that varied in the model's body size (thin or plus-size) and slogan type (objectifying or empowering). Body satisfaction and actual-ideal body discrepancy were measured. As expected, the body size of the model significantly improved women's body satisfaction and this effect was moderated by participants' actual-ideal body discrepancy. No effects for objectifying slogans (versus empowering slogans) featured in the advertisements were discovered. The implications for these findings are discussed.

An Empirical Validation of the Regression Point Displacement Design Using Within-Study Comparison Logic: Emerging Possibilities and Cautions.

BACKGROUND: The regression point displacement (RPD) design is a quasi-experiment (QE) that aims to control many threats to internal validity. Though it has existed for several decades, RPD has only recently begun to answer applied research questions in lieu of stronger QEs. OBJECTIVES: Our primary objective was to implement within-study comparison (WSC) logic to create RPD replicates and to determine conditions under which RPD might provide estimates comparable to those found in validating experiments. RESEARCH DESIGN: We utilize three randomized controlled trials (two cluster-level, one individual-level), artificially decomposing or creating cluster structures, to create multiple RPDs. We compare results in each RPD treatment group to a fixed set of control groups to gauge the congruence of these repeated RPD realizations with results found in these three RCTs. RESULTS: RPD's performance was uneven. Using multiple criteria, we found that RPDs successfully predicted the direction of the RCT's intervention effect but inconsistently fell within the .10 SD threshold. A scant 13% of RPD results were statistically significant at either the .05 or .01 alpha-level. RPD results were within the 95% confidence interval of RCTs around half the time, and false negative rates were substantially higher than false positive rates. CONCLUSIONS: RPD consistently underestimates treatment effects in validating RCTs. We analyze reasons for this insensitivity and offer practical suggestions to improve the chances RPD will correctly identify favorable results. We note that the synthetic, "decomposition of cluster RCTs," WSC design represents a prototype for evaluating other QEs.

Systematic review of the information and communication technology features of web- and mobile-based psychoeducational interventions for depression.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the information and communication technology (ICT) features of psychoeducational interventions for depression delivered via the Internet or via mobile technology. METHODS: Web- and mobile-based psychoeducational intervention studies published from 2004 to 2014 were selected and reviewed by two independent coders. RESULTS: A total of 55 unique studies satisfied the selection criteria. The review revealed a diverse range of ICTs used to support the psychoeducational programs. Most interventions used websites as their main mode of delivery and reported greater use of communication tools compared to effective approaches like tailoring or interactive technologies games, videos, and self-monitoring tools. Many of the studies relied on medium levels of clinician involvement and only a few were entirely self-guided. CONCLUSION: Programs that reported higher levels of clinician involvement also reported using more communication tools, and reported greater compliance to treatment. Future experimental studies may help unpack the effects of technology features and reveal new ways to automate aspects of clinician input. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: There is a need to further examine ways ICTs can be optimized to reduce the burden on clinicians whilst enhancing the delivery of proven effective therapeutic approaches.

The maladaptive personality traits of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5) in relation to the HEXACO personality factors and schizotypy/dissociation.

The Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5), a new measure of maladaptive personality traits, has recently been developed by the DSM-5 Personality and Personality Disorders Workgroup. The PID-5 variables were examined within the seven-factor space defined by the six HEXACO factors and the Schizotypy/Dissociation factor (Ashton & Lee, 2012) using participant samples from Canada (N = 378) and the Netherlands (N = 476). Extension analyses showed that several PID-5 facet-level scales represented each of the Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Schizotypy/Dissociation factors. In contrast, only one PID-5 scale loaded strongly on HEXACO Agreeableness, and no PID-5 scales loaded strongly on Openness to Experience. In addition, a joint factor analysis involving the PID-5 variables and facets of the Five-Factor Model was conducted in the Canadian sample and recovered a set of seven factors corresponding rather closely to the HEXACO factors plus Schizotypy/Dissociation. The authors discuss implications for the assessment and structure of normal and abnormal personality.