Drawing from literature on construal-level theory and the psychological consequences of clothing, the current work tested whether wearing formal clothing enhances abstract cognitive processing. Five studies provided evidence supporting this hypothesis. Wearing more formal clothing was associated with higher action identification level (Study 1) and greater category inclusiveness (Study 2). Putting on formal clothing induced greater category inclusiveness (Study 3) and enhanced a global processing advantage (Study 4). The association between clothing formality and abstract processing was mediated by felt power (Study 5). The findings demonstrate that the nature of an everyday and ecologically valid experience, the clothing worn, influences cognition broadly, impacting the processing style that changes how objects, people, and events are construed.

This study investigated marital satisfaction among graduate students. Using the Marital Satisfaction Inventory-R (MSI-R), 65 graduate students were surveyed. The results revealed multiple common areas of marital concern based on degree program of the student. These findings offer implications for psychoeducational and responsive interventions for clinicians working with this population.

This article will use current data to confirm the growing numbers of stepfamilies as a legitimate family constellation in 21st century America. Given those incidences of stepfamily formation, clinicians need to understand salient characteristics of stepfathering as the most recent addition to the family dynamics as a way to support healthy stepfamily integration. This article will review the current literature to provide those descriptions in terms of family interaction patterns and of interactions with the nonresidential father leading to implications for clinical interventions.

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