Distraught individuals sometimes turn to religion for solace, particularly in old age, so spiritu... more Distraught individuals sometimes turn to religion for solace, particularly in old age, so spirituality is not necessarily positively related to well-being. However, spirituality might lead to greater well-being if it promotes self-transcendent wisdom. Using a sample of 307 respondents from six nations (USA, Canada, Serbia, Ukraine, Iran, and China), ranging in age from 59 to 99 years (M=73.00, SD=8.13), this study tested the generalizability of the hypothesized mediated pathway. Results showed only weak correlations between spirituality and well-being measures in the whole sample. Yet, as predicted, spirituality, mediated by self-transcendent wisdom, was indirectly related to greater well-being in all six nations, despite significant differences by nation in variable means. Spirituality had additional direct positive effects on life satisfaction in Canada, Iran, and China and on general well-being in Iran and China. These findings suggest that spirituality likely results in greater ...
the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustra... more the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form ... more No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work.
S cholars within the Berlin paradigm have analysed participants' responses to a hypothetical vign... more S cholars within the Berlin paradigm have analysed participants' responses to a hypothetical vignette about a friend's suicide ideation. However, no study has yet focused on participants' emotional reactions to this scenario, an important aspect of wisdom performance. We conducted a Thin-Slice Wisdom study where participants were asked to give advice to a hypothetical friend contemplating suicide. We analysed their emotional profiles using facial expression analysis software (FACET2.1 and FACEREADER7.1). Participants' verbal responses were also transcribed and then scored by 10 raters using the Berlin criteria. Results revealed that the sadder the participants felt, the wiser their performance. Wiser participants may have been better at exploring this sad, but true, existential human dilemma.
Narrowing the debate about the meaning of wisdom requires two different understandings of wisdom.... more Narrowing the debate about the meaning of wisdom requires two different understandings of wisdom. (a) As action or behaviour, wisdom refers to well-motivated actors achieving an altruistic outcome by creatively and successfully solving problems. (b) As a psychological trait, wisdom refers to a global psychological quality that engages intellectual ability, prior knowledge and experience in a way that integrates virtue and wit, and is acquired through life experience and continued practice. Thus, we propose a two-dimensional theory of wisdom that integrates virtue and wit. Wisdom can be further divided into "humane wisdom" and "natural wisdom" according to the types of capability required. At the same time, we propose that wisdom classification should integrate the views of Sternberg and Wang and be divided into three types: domain-specific wisdom, domain-general wisdom, and omniscient/ overall wisdom. We then discuss three pressing questions about wisdom, and consider five issues important to the future of wisdom research in psychology.
Prior research found that the positive association between wisdom and subjective well-being might... more Prior research found that the positive association between wisdom and subjective well-being might at least partially be explained by greater mastery and purpose in life. This study tested whether religiosity provides an alternative pathway to well-being and whether the associations are moderated by age cohort and nation. Using cross-sectional data of 111 older adults (age range 62-99 years, M=77.20, SD=8.98) and 100 young adults (age range 21-30 years, M=24.05, SD=2.69) from the US and Canada, multi-group path analysis confirmed that mastery and purpose in life partially mediated the association between wisdom and well-being for all participants. Among older adults, religiosity offered an alternative pathway to well-being, partially through a greater sense of purpose in life. Religiosity was not directly related to well-being among young adults, but mastery and life purpose mediated the association between religiosity and well-being for US young adults, indicating the importance of both age cohort and place.
In Sensation's Ghost, Mangan (2001) elaborates on James's notion of fringe. We agree with... more In Sensation's Ghost, Mangan (2001) elaborates on James's notion of fringe. We agree with Mangan that "the most important nonsensory experience is coherence or 'rightness'". Our critique presses for a fuller analysis of what Mangan calls feelings of rightness and wrongness (hereafter FOR/W). We first describe different types and levels of FOR/W and how types and levels interact. We also discuss sensitivity to and intensity of FOR/W, which vary systematically, and explain some of this systematicity. Finally, our elaboration of FOR/W helps explain the personal significance of non-sensory or fringe experience -- something critical for James, especially in his later writings.
Although the psychological benefits of intergenerational learning environments have been well doc... more Although the psychological benefits of intergenerational learning environments have been well documented, no study has yet investigated wisdom as an outcome of intergenerational classroom engagement. In this study, Elders between the age 60-89 were recruited to participate in a highschool English classroom. We hypothesized that participating in an intergenerational high-school classroom would benefit both Elders and Students by fostering the conditions for both groups to develop greater psychological wisdom. Our findings indicate that both Elders and Students actively engaged the five dimensions of wisdom identified by Webster (2003, 2007) during their time in the intergenerational class. Further, we find that while Students and Elders both demonstrated aspects of wisdom, they understood the concept of wisdom in strikingly different ways. This article explores the hypothesis that participating in an intergenerational classroom environment will benefit both Elders and Students by fostering the conditions for both groups to develop greater psychological wisdom throughout their lives. (We use the term Elder as a counterpoint to Student. Although according to Hooyman and Kiyak (2008), the preferred term is ''older adults'' and ''younger adults,'' given the educational context of our study, we feel it is appropriate to use the terms Elder and Student.) Although the benefits of intergenerational learning environments are clearly established, no study has yet directly targeted wisdom as an outcome of intergenerational classroom engagement. (A November 13, 2014 search of Ovid databases (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and Social Work Abstracts) and Proquest databases (ERIC, IBSS, MLA, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts) using the search criteria Wisdom and Intergeneration and Classroom generated no articles in which the psychological construct of wisdom is an outcome measure of intergenerational classroom engagement.) We will begin by reviewing the benefits of intergenerational education and existing intergenerational programs that promote elements of wisdom, and we will then report the findings of our present study, which explores teaching for wisdom in an intergenerational high-school English class.
In this paper, we examine the history of the emerging discipline of Mind, Brain, and Education (M... more In this paper, we examine the history of the emerging discipline of Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE) and explore the benefits as well as the difficulties involved in integrating neuroscience into educational policy and practice. We examine the power of neuroscience to impact practice and document the rise of neuromyths. History is on the side of the new discipline of MBE, but there is still much important work to be done to make neuroscientific findings accessible, comprehensible, and relevant to educators.
The physical distancing measures necessitated by COVID-19 have resulted in a severe withdrawal fr... more The physical distancing measures necessitated by COVID-19 have resulted in a severe withdrawal from the patterns of daily life, necessitating significantly reduced contact with other people. To many, such withdrawal can be a major cause of distress. But, to some, this sort of withdrawal is an integral part of growth, a pathway to a more enriching life. The present study uses a sequential explanatory QUAN-qual design to investigate whether people who felt that their lives had changed for the better after being forced to engage in physical distancing, what factors predicted such well-being, and how they spent their time to generate this sense of well-being. We invited 614 participants who reported closely following physical distancing recommendations to complete a survey exploring this topic. Our analyses, after controlling for all other variables in the regression model, found a greater positive association between presence of meaning in life, coping style, and self-transcendent wisd...
Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 2008
Around the end of the 1920s, Vygotsky introduced his integrative framework for psychological rese... more Around the end of the 1920s, Vygotsky introduced his integrative framework for psychological research to the Soviet Union. This framework was not abandoned and forgotten until its rediscovery in Russia and America in the 1950s, as some claim. In fact, even after his untimely death in 1934, Vygotsky remained the spiritual leader of a group of his former students and collaborators, who became known as the Kharkov School. This paper reconstructs the early intellectual history of Vygotskian psychology, as it emerged, around the time of Vygotsky's death, in the research program of the Kharkov School. INTRODUCTION: VYGOTSKIAN PSYCHOLOGY AND THE KHARKOV SCHOOL Not only was Lev Vygotsky an extremely talented and versatile psychologist, he was also a gifted teacher, fostering a generation of younger scholars who continued his wide-ranging research, even after his untimely death in 1934. From the 1920s through the early 1930s, Vygotsky, his closest collaborators-Alexander Luria and Aleksei N. Leontiev-and their associates, conducted a wide range of psychological studies on verbal thinking and practical intellect in children, the development of memory and attention, concept formation, educational psychology, the psychology of art, human developmental pathology, neuropsychology, and the ethno-cultural study of minorities. Behind this seemingly eclectic array of studies initiated by Vygotsky stands a profound, highly ambitious theoretical and methodological framework (Vygotsky, 1927/1997). For a variety of reasons, Vygotskian psychology after Vygotsky developed in several directions that no longer readily reveal their common source. For example, there is no immediately apparent link between Luria's early cross-cultural Central Asian expeditions and his neuropsychology; Leontiev's theorizing on activity, consciousness, and personality; Zaporozhets' psychology of perception, movement, or emotion; Zinchenko's psychology of involuntary remembering; Elkonin's research on the psychology of play and learning; Galperin's quest to define the object of distinctly psychological research; or Bozhovich's psychology of personality development (Minick, 1997). Furthermore, while the names of Luria and Leontiev are quite familiar in the West, outside Russia little is known about other students of Vygotsky and their work. James Wertsch (1994) is right to say that "This lacuna in our knowledge is clearly our loss."
It has been a privilege to work on this volume with so many great scholars and to be able to prov... more It has been a privilege to work on this volume with so many great scholars and to be able to provide this tribute to Robbie Case. Thanks to our families and to everyone at Springer for their patience and support throughout the completion of the volume.
Summary: This article describes a triarchic analysis of an aptitude‐treatment interaction in a co... more Summary: This article describes a triarchic analysis of an aptitude‐treatment interaction in a college‐level introductory‐psychology course given to selected high‐school students. Of the 326 total participants, 199 were selected to be high in analytical, creative, or practical ...
This is the first Electroencephalogram (EEG) study on the neural basis for wisdom, investigating ... more This is the first Electroencephalogram (EEG) study on the neural basis for wisdom, investigating neural oscillations during resting- and thinking-state prior to advising on life dilemmas. Participants were instructed to advise hypothetical protagonists from both the 2nd perspective and 3rd perspective. The results showed that the participants experienced significantly less psychological distance from the protagonists when advising from the 2nd than the 3rd perspective. Furthermore, EEG powers during resting-state were significantly positively correlated with wisdom when advising from the 2nd, but not the 3rd perspective, suggesting that advising from the 2nd person perspective was more self-related. Meanwhile, alpha power during thinking-state was significantly positively correlated with wisdom scores when advising against suicide from the 2nd, but not the 3rd perspective. Finally, the higher wisdom group showed higher alpha power than the lower wisdom group (p=0.004), suggesting th...
Distraught individuals sometimes turn to religion for solace, particularly in old age, so spiritu... more Distraught individuals sometimes turn to religion for solace, particularly in old age, so spirituality is not necessarily positively related to well-being. However, spirituality might lead to greater well-being if it promotes self-transcendent wisdom. Using a sample of 307 respondents from six nations (USA, Canada, Serbia, Ukraine, Iran, and China), ranging in age from 59 to 99 years (M=73.00, SD=8.13), this study tested the generalizability of the hypothesized mediated pathway. Results showed only weak correlations between spirituality and well-being measures in the whole sample. Yet, as predicted, spirituality, mediated by self-transcendent wisdom, was indirectly related to greater well-being in all six nations, despite significant differences by nation in variable means. Spirituality had additional direct positive effects on life satisfaction in Canada, Iran, and China and on general well-being in Iran and China. These findings suggest that spirituality likely results in greater ...
the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustra... more the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specifi c statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form ... more No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work.
S cholars within the Berlin paradigm have analysed participants' responses to a hypothetical vign... more S cholars within the Berlin paradigm have analysed participants' responses to a hypothetical vignette about a friend's suicide ideation. However, no study has yet focused on participants' emotional reactions to this scenario, an important aspect of wisdom performance. We conducted a Thin-Slice Wisdom study where participants were asked to give advice to a hypothetical friend contemplating suicide. We analysed their emotional profiles using facial expression analysis software (FACET2.1 and FACEREADER7.1). Participants' verbal responses were also transcribed and then scored by 10 raters using the Berlin criteria. Results revealed that the sadder the participants felt, the wiser their performance. Wiser participants may have been better at exploring this sad, but true, existential human dilemma.
Narrowing the debate about the meaning of wisdom requires two different understandings of wisdom.... more Narrowing the debate about the meaning of wisdom requires two different understandings of wisdom. (a) As action or behaviour, wisdom refers to well-motivated actors achieving an altruistic outcome by creatively and successfully solving problems. (b) As a psychological trait, wisdom refers to a global psychological quality that engages intellectual ability, prior knowledge and experience in a way that integrates virtue and wit, and is acquired through life experience and continued practice. Thus, we propose a two-dimensional theory of wisdom that integrates virtue and wit. Wisdom can be further divided into "humane wisdom" and "natural wisdom" according to the types of capability required. At the same time, we propose that wisdom classification should integrate the views of Sternberg and Wang and be divided into three types: domain-specific wisdom, domain-general wisdom, and omniscient/ overall wisdom. We then discuss three pressing questions about wisdom, and consider five issues important to the future of wisdom research in psychology.
Prior research found that the positive association between wisdom and subjective well-being might... more Prior research found that the positive association between wisdom and subjective well-being might at least partially be explained by greater mastery and purpose in life. This study tested whether religiosity provides an alternative pathway to well-being and whether the associations are moderated by age cohort and nation. Using cross-sectional data of 111 older adults (age range 62-99 years, M=77.20, SD=8.98) and 100 young adults (age range 21-30 years, M=24.05, SD=2.69) from the US and Canada, multi-group path analysis confirmed that mastery and purpose in life partially mediated the association between wisdom and well-being for all participants. Among older adults, religiosity offered an alternative pathway to well-being, partially through a greater sense of purpose in life. Religiosity was not directly related to well-being among young adults, but mastery and life purpose mediated the association between religiosity and well-being for US young adults, indicating the importance of both age cohort and place.
In Sensation's Ghost, Mangan (2001) elaborates on James's notion of fringe. We agree with... more In Sensation's Ghost, Mangan (2001) elaborates on James's notion of fringe. We agree with Mangan that "the most important nonsensory experience is coherence or 'rightness'". Our critique presses for a fuller analysis of what Mangan calls feelings of rightness and wrongness (hereafter FOR/W). We first describe different types and levels of FOR/W and how types and levels interact. We also discuss sensitivity to and intensity of FOR/W, which vary systematically, and explain some of this systematicity. Finally, our elaboration of FOR/W helps explain the personal significance of non-sensory or fringe experience -- something critical for James, especially in his later writings.
Although the psychological benefits of intergenerational learning environments have been well doc... more Although the psychological benefits of intergenerational learning environments have been well documented, no study has yet investigated wisdom as an outcome of intergenerational classroom engagement. In this study, Elders between the age 60-89 were recruited to participate in a highschool English classroom. We hypothesized that participating in an intergenerational high-school classroom would benefit both Elders and Students by fostering the conditions for both groups to develop greater psychological wisdom. Our findings indicate that both Elders and Students actively engaged the five dimensions of wisdom identified by Webster (2003, 2007) during their time in the intergenerational class. Further, we find that while Students and Elders both demonstrated aspects of wisdom, they understood the concept of wisdom in strikingly different ways. This article explores the hypothesis that participating in an intergenerational classroom environment will benefit both Elders and Students by fostering the conditions for both groups to develop greater psychological wisdom throughout their lives. (We use the term Elder as a counterpoint to Student. Although according to Hooyman and Kiyak (2008), the preferred term is ''older adults'' and ''younger adults,'' given the educational context of our study, we feel it is appropriate to use the terms Elder and Student.) Although the benefits of intergenerational learning environments are clearly established, no study has yet directly targeted wisdom as an outcome of intergenerational classroom engagement. (A November 13, 2014 search of Ovid databases (Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, and Social Work Abstracts) and Proquest databases (ERIC, IBSS, MLA, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts) using the search criteria Wisdom and Intergeneration and Classroom generated no articles in which the psychological construct of wisdom is an outcome measure of intergenerational classroom engagement.) We will begin by reviewing the benefits of intergenerational education and existing intergenerational programs that promote elements of wisdom, and we will then report the findings of our present study, which explores teaching for wisdom in an intergenerational high-school English class.
In this paper, we examine the history of the emerging discipline of Mind, Brain, and Education (M... more In this paper, we examine the history of the emerging discipline of Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE) and explore the benefits as well as the difficulties involved in integrating neuroscience into educational policy and practice. We examine the power of neuroscience to impact practice and document the rise of neuromyths. History is on the side of the new discipline of MBE, but there is still much important work to be done to make neuroscientific findings accessible, comprehensible, and relevant to educators.
The physical distancing measures necessitated by COVID-19 have resulted in a severe withdrawal fr... more The physical distancing measures necessitated by COVID-19 have resulted in a severe withdrawal from the patterns of daily life, necessitating significantly reduced contact with other people. To many, such withdrawal can be a major cause of distress. But, to some, this sort of withdrawal is an integral part of growth, a pathway to a more enriching life. The present study uses a sequential explanatory QUAN-qual design to investigate whether people who felt that their lives had changed for the better after being forced to engage in physical distancing, what factors predicted such well-being, and how they spent their time to generate this sense of well-being. We invited 614 participants who reported closely following physical distancing recommendations to complete a survey exploring this topic. Our analyses, after controlling for all other variables in the regression model, found a greater positive association between presence of meaning in life, coping style, and self-transcendent wisd...
Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 2008
Around the end of the 1920s, Vygotsky introduced his integrative framework for psychological rese... more Around the end of the 1920s, Vygotsky introduced his integrative framework for psychological research to the Soviet Union. This framework was not abandoned and forgotten until its rediscovery in Russia and America in the 1950s, as some claim. In fact, even after his untimely death in 1934, Vygotsky remained the spiritual leader of a group of his former students and collaborators, who became known as the Kharkov School. This paper reconstructs the early intellectual history of Vygotskian psychology, as it emerged, around the time of Vygotsky's death, in the research program of the Kharkov School. INTRODUCTION: VYGOTSKIAN PSYCHOLOGY AND THE KHARKOV SCHOOL Not only was Lev Vygotsky an extremely talented and versatile psychologist, he was also a gifted teacher, fostering a generation of younger scholars who continued his wide-ranging research, even after his untimely death in 1934. From the 1920s through the early 1930s, Vygotsky, his closest collaborators-Alexander Luria and Aleksei N. Leontiev-and their associates, conducted a wide range of psychological studies on verbal thinking and practical intellect in children, the development of memory and attention, concept formation, educational psychology, the psychology of art, human developmental pathology, neuropsychology, and the ethno-cultural study of minorities. Behind this seemingly eclectic array of studies initiated by Vygotsky stands a profound, highly ambitious theoretical and methodological framework (Vygotsky, 1927/1997). For a variety of reasons, Vygotskian psychology after Vygotsky developed in several directions that no longer readily reveal their common source. For example, there is no immediately apparent link between Luria's early cross-cultural Central Asian expeditions and his neuropsychology; Leontiev's theorizing on activity, consciousness, and personality; Zaporozhets' psychology of perception, movement, or emotion; Zinchenko's psychology of involuntary remembering; Elkonin's research on the psychology of play and learning; Galperin's quest to define the object of distinctly psychological research; or Bozhovich's psychology of personality development (Minick, 1997). Furthermore, while the names of Luria and Leontiev are quite familiar in the West, outside Russia little is known about other students of Vygotsky and their work. James Wertsch (1994) is right to say that "This lacuna in our knowledge is clearly our loss."
It has been a privilege to work on this volume with so many great scholars and to be able to prov... more It has been a privilege to work on this volume with so many great scholars and to be able to provide this tribute to Robbie Case. Thanks to our families and to everyone at Springer for their patience and support throughout the completion of the volume.
Summary: This article describes a triarchic analysis of an aptitude‐treatment interaction in a co... more Summary: This article describes a triarchic analysis of an aptitude‐treatment interaction in a college‐level introductory‐psychology course given to selected high‐school students. Of the 326 total participants, 199 were selected to be high in analytical, creative, or practical ...
This is the first Electroencephalogram (EEG) study on the neural basis for wisdom, investigating ... more This is the first Electroencephalogram (EEG) study on the neural basis for wisdom, investigating neural oscillations during resting- and thinking-state prior to advising on life dilemmas. Participants were instructed to advise hypothetical protagonists from both the 2nd perspective and 3rd perspective. The results showed that the participants experienced significantly less psychological distance from the protagonists when advising from the 2nd than the 3rd perspective. Furthermore, EEG powers during resting-state were significantly positively correlated with wisdom when advising from the 2nd, but not the 3rd perspective, suggesting that advising from the 2nd person perspective was more self-related. Meanwhile, alpha power during thinking-state was significantly positively correlated with wisdom scores when advising against suicide from the 2nd, but not the 3rd perspective. Finally, the higher wisdom group showed higher alpha power than the lower wisdom group (p=0.004), suggesting th...
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