bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Preventing Smoking Behavior in School Children: An Initial Test of a Cognitive‐Development Program1
Authors: Hirschman Robert S. , Leventhal Howard
Published: August 2006

A three‐session smoking prevention program based on a cognitive‐developmental stage model was developed and pilot‐tested with 315 sixth through eighth grade students in an urban public school. A media component focusing on experiences associated with different stages of smoking was followed by a structural discussion that linked cognition about symptoms with skills to resist influences to smoke. The control group viewed three commonly used smoking prevention films, made written comments on the films, and participated in an unstructured discussion. Students exposed to the experimental program showed superior gains in accurate interpretations of symptoms, adaptation to symptoms, and addiction. Significantly fewer students exposed to the experimental program made the transition from a first try to occasional or regular smoking at an 18 month follow‐up. Change in understanding of symptoms mediated treatment effects. Obtaining these results with only a three‐session program, using an active treatment control, a within school design, and an urban, racially balanced population, supports the inclusion of a cognitive‐developmental component in smoking prevention.
Social Status, the Status Distribution, and Performance in Small Groups1
Authors: Jemmott John B. , Gonzalez Elida
Published: August 2006

This article reports two experiments on the effects of status and the status distribution on performance. Grade‐school children were randomly assigned a label denoting high status or one denoting low status and then randomly assigned to small groups where they were the only ones of their status or where only one child had a status different from theirs. After completing a group task, the children individually took an anagram test, which served as the performance measure. Consistent with research on the effects of social status, in both experiments children with high status performed significantly better on the anagram test than did children with low status. More important, there were significant status by status distribution interactions. Performance among low‐status children was even lower if their status was relatively uncommon than if it was relatively common, whereas performance by high‐status children was either unaffected (Experiment 1) or enhanced (Experiment 2) if their status was relatively uncommon. The discussion centers on implications of the results for research and theory on tokenism and perceptions of the prevalence of status characteristics.
Occupational Prestige as a Function of Occupant's Gender
Authors: Kanekar Suresh , Kolsawalla Maharukh B. , Nazareth Terence
Published: August 2006

To examine sex bias in occupational prestige, 250 male and 250 female undergraduate and graduate students in Bombay were asked to rate the respectability of 16 occupations, each with male and female occupants (e.g., a male scientist, a female scientists, etc.). Thus, the study had a 2 (subject's sex) × 2 (occupant's gender) × 16 (occupations) mixed design, with occupant's gender and occupations as within‐subjects factors. All of the main and interaction ANOVA effects were significant. The findings clearly supported the primary hypothesis that both male and female subjects would show a sex bias in favor of the male occupant in cases of high prestige occupations.
The Effects of Job Title and Task Composition on Job and Incumbent Perceptions1
Authors: Cleveland Jeanette N. , Smith Lorie A.
Published: August 2006

The contribution of job content and job title to the gender‐related perceptions of a job and an incumbent was examined. Two hundred thirty subjects were asked to rate job descriptions that varied in job title (masculine or feminine) and in the proportion of masculine and feminine tasks, using four dependent measures. Results indicated a job title and a job content main effect for three of the four dependent measures (ratings of the gender‐type of the job, of most probable incumbent, and of probable success). There were no job title × job content interactions. The findings suggested that job title and job content contributed independently to the overall perceptions of a job. Implications for future research are discussed.
Understanding Attributions of Victim Blame for Rape: Sex, Violence, and Foreseeability1
Authors: McCaul Kevin D. , Veltum Lois G. , Boyechko Vivian , Crawford Jacqueline J.
Published: August 2006

We examined why persons blame some rape victims more than others. In two experiments, college students read nine rape descriptions and assigned blame for each incident. Students were randomly assigned to read only one version of each description in which we manipulated a variety of variables thought to influence victim blame. In addition, participants rated whether each assault victim might have derived sexual pleasure from the event (both experiments) and whether the victim should have foreseen the event (Experiment 2). Across experiments, variations within several of the rape descriptions (e.g., victim respectability, assault “enjoyment”) produced differences in victim blaming. More importantly, in Experiment 1, judgments of whether the victim experienced sexual pleasure strongly predicted blame attributions. In Experiment 2, regression analyses demonstrated that both perceptions of pleasure and foreseeability predicted victim blaming within and across incidents. On the basis of these data, we propose an explanation of victim blaming for rape that relies on two theoretical variables: intentions and foreseeability. Neither the Defensive Attribution Hypothesis or the Just World Theory accounts for the findings, but the data generally fit Shaver's (1985) theory of the attribution of blame.
Decision Making Versus Decision Implementation: An Action Control Approach to Exercise Adoption and Adherence1
Authors: Kendzierski Deborah
Published: August 2006

Two studies were conducted, one involving adoption of an exercise program and the other involving adherence to an aerobics exercise program. Consistent with action control theory, it was hypothesized that (a) subjective expected utility theory would predict exercise intentions but not exercise behavior in each study; (b) exercise adoption (Study 1) and attendance at an aerobics class (Study 2) would be predictable from the intentions regarding these behaviors expressed by action‐oriented but not state‐oriented subjects; and (c) subjects who had engaged in planning in regard to exercising would be more likely to adopt an exercise program (Study 1) and would exercise more frequently (Study 2). The findings provide some support for all three hypotheses. Implications of this research are discussed in regard to the distinction between decision making and decision implementation or action control; the relative usefulness of an action‐control versus an expectancy‐value approach for behavior involving complex decision implementation over a long period of time; the value of action orientation as a moderator of intention‐behavior relationships; and the role of planning in exercise behavior.
Concurrent Use of Cigarettes, Alcohol, and Coffee1
Authors: Zavela Kathleen J. , Barnett Jeffrey E. , Smedi Keith John , Istvan Joseph A. , Matarazzo Joseph D.
Published: August 2006

The interrelationships between cigarette, alcohol, and coffee use were examined in 307 U.S. army trainees and 304 U.S. enlisted army personnel. Usage patterns indicated distinct gender differences in this occupational setting. Among women, cigarette use and alcohol consumption were positively correlated; whereas for men, cigarette and coffee use were positively related. For both males and females, alcohol and coffee use were only weakly correlated. As demonstrated in other studies, nonsmokers showed a consistent pattern of abstention from coffee and alcohol or moderate alcohol use.
Do Written Reports of Suicide Induce High‐School Students to Believe that Suicidal Contagion Will Occur?1
Authors: McDonald Douglas H. , Range Lillian M.
Published: August 2006

To see if high‐school students who read that a distressed adolescent knew about suicide thought that suicidal contagion would occur, 66 consenting high‐school students read a written account of John, a high‐schooler with multiple problems including knowing someone who had died (either by suicide or viral illness). They then anonymously completed the UCLA Loneliness scale and a questionnaire about what John (or they in the same situation) might do. When John knew of a sympathetic response to a viral illness death, or an unsympathetic response to suicide, he was rated as relatively more likely to make new friends and less likely to want to die. These high school students saw themselves as immune to suicidal contagion from a written report, but thought that others might be vulnerable if people were sympathetic.
Conflict of Interests and Commitment in Groups1
Authors: Sniezek Janet A. , May Douglas R.
Published: August 2006

Behavioral commitment levels of group members were examined under conflict of interests between individual and collective tasks in a work‐group scenario. Commitment was conceptualized as the amount of time and effort resources that individuals chose to allocate to the group task. Seventeen groups of three allocated 100 time and effort resource units to individual and group tasks for each of four trials. The level of commitment to group work increased, partially because over‐rewarded persons increased group contributions more than underrewarded persons decreased them. However, the variance of allocations to the group task did not decrease over trials. Potential implications of the findings for organizational research and practice concerning work groups are discussed in terms of the roles of equity, comparative referent use, and information exchange.
A Power Test of Conceptual Complexity: Textual Correlates1
Authors: Coren Stanley , Suedfeld Peter
Published: August 2006

Conceptual complexity is a personality characteristic that involves the individual's ability to differentiate and integrate aspects of information. It is usu ally measured with the Paragraph Completion Test (PCT), which requires the completion of six paragraphs, in response to standard stems, often with a time limit of 100‐120 sec each. In order to eliminate time pressure, which may reduce complexity, the current study evaluated a revised format that used only two stems but allowed 8 minutes per response. As expected, this procedure resulted in higher scores and produced enough written output to allow analysis of particular test components. Complexity scores from 277 university students were related to total number of words written, sentence length, and number of words with more than three syllables, but not to standard formulae designed to measure readability, such as the Flesch, SMOG and FOG indices. The modest size of the obtained correlations suggests that the scoring of conceptual complexity on the basis of semantic content cannot be replaced by indices based on linguistic and textual components.
Goal Characteristics and Satisfaction: Personal Goals as Mediators of Situational Effects on Task Satisfaction1
Authors: Roberson Loriann , Korsgaard M. Audrey , Diddams Margaret
Published: August 2006

This study modeled the process underlying the experience of satisfaction by examining the interrelationships among the task situation, intention characteristics, and satisfaction. The central proposition of the model was that the effect of the situation on satisfaction is fully mediated by the nature and status of one's own intentions that result from that context. The proposed model, in which the task situation indirectly determines satisfaction only through intention characteristics, was compared to a model in which the situation both directly and indirectly determines satisfaction and to a model which contained no intention characteristics. The intention characteristics assessed in this study included their number, valence, value, commitment, probability, and perceived attainment. Two aspects of the task situation were examined: task enrichment and assigned performance goals. A total of 192 subjects were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 conditions according to goal (no goal vs. assigned goal) and task type (enriched vs. unenriched). Intentions and their characteristics were assessed before the task period, and satisfaction with the task was measured afterward. The results provided support for a model in which the task situation and intention characteristics have independent effects on satisfaction.
Nurses' Evaluations of Patient Attributions for the Cause and Future of Their Illness1
Authors: Allen Ann
Published: August 2006

It was hypothesized that evaluations of patients' attributions for the cause and future of their illnesses would be seen as more realistic when these attributions coincided with subjects' views on the cause and future of the patients' illness. It was also thought that of the two, i.e., cause and future attributions, future attributions would be more pertinent for the observer when evaluating the adjustment of the patient. One hundred and twenty‐eight female nurses assessed the health interviews of four patients through the use of questionnaires. The first hypothesis was supported in the case of causal attributions, but it was found that patients who accepted responsibility, regardless of nurses' views, were seen as more realistic. The second hypothesis was fully supported with future attributions indicating level of coping and causal attributions indicating level of emotional support needed. These findings have implications for caretakers' perceptions of the adaptiveness, for patients of serious illness, of control attributions.
AIDS, Authoritarianism, and Scientific Ignorance: A Comment on Witt
Authors: Ray J. J.
Published: August 2006

Witt shows that scores on the F scale predict negative affect towards AIDS. He interprets this in the light of the authoritarian personality theory of Adorno, Frenkel‐Brunswik, Levinson, and Sanford (1950) despite the discredited nature of that theory. An alternative explanation of the findings in the light of the view that the F scale measures primarily an old‐fashioned orientation is offered.
The Dimensions of Life Stress and the Specificity of Disorder
Authors: Monroe Scott M. , Johnson Sheri L.
Published: August 2006

Stress and related concepts have long been associated with ideas about the genesis of mental and physical disorders. The concepts linking stress to disorder, however, have typically been very general in nature. The theme of the present paper is that such nonspecific principles may obscure more specific relations between relatively distinct forms of life stress and particular types of disorder outcome. The historical progression of ideas on this topic is traced and the assumptions behind specificity and nonspecificity models of disorder are outlined. The implications of these developments are next illustrated in regard to current conceptual and operational shortcomings. Recent research that has overcome these limitations and suggests the viability and importance of more specific linkages between particular forms of stress and disorders is selectively reviewed. Finally, the paper concludes with some speculative comments on the problems facing investigators interested in translating stress concepts into operational procedures.
Comorbidity In Post‐Traumatic Stress Disorder An Analysis of Community and Clinical Studies1
Authors: Keane Terence M. , Wolfe Jessica
Published: August 2006

Post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is alleged to be associated with high rates of concurrent psychological disorders. This paper considers the available literature regarding comorbidity in PTSD and reviews in detail the findings to date. This critical evaluation includes studies of clinical samples, veterans community surveys, and population surveys. It also presents new data drawn from 50 PTSD cases assessed at the Boston PTSD Center using a comprehensive, multidimensional diagnostic procedure. The data firmly support the notion that PTSD, regardless of the nature of the trauma, is associated with high rates of other major psychological disorders including substance abuse, major depression, and personality disorders. Despite these findings the issue of cause and effect surrounding comorbidity remains open at this time. More research is needed to determine if exposure to extreme stressors in fact produces the broad spectrum of psychopathology suggested by individuals with PTSD or whether individuals with intrinsic vulnerability are more likely to develop PTSD when exposed to extreme stressors. Implications of the findings from this review are discussed with respect to concepts in diagnosis and comorbidity.
The Relationship of Subordinate Upward‐Influencing Behavior, Health Care Manager Interpersonal Stress, and Performance1
Authors: Deluga Ronald J.
Published: August 2006

This investigation examined the relationship among subordinate upward‐influencing behavior, superior interpersonal stress, and superior performance within a health care setting. It was predicted that hard upward‐influencing behavior as exerted by subordinates would be (a) inversely related to subordinate ratings of health care manager performance and (b) positively associated with health care manager interpersonal stress. Data were collected from 76 females and 4 males who were subordinates to 10 health care managers. All were employees in a 116‐bed not‐for‐profit acute care community hospital. Subordinates completed the Satisfaction With My Supervisor Scale (Scarpello & Vandenberg, 1987), work unit and health care manager effectiveness scales (Bass, 1985b), and Form M of the Profiles of Organizational Influence Strategies (Kipnis & Schmidt, 1982). Interpersonal stress was assessed by the 10 health care managers' completion of the Responsibility for People subscale of the Stress Diagnostic Survey (Ivancevich & Matteson, 1980). The results generally supported the two hypotheses. The implications of these findings were discussed. It was recommended that organizations should encourage rational subordinate upward‐influencing behavior to reduce interpersonal stress and promote performance.
The Relationship of Upward‐Influencing Behavior with Subordinate‐Impression Management Characteristics1
Authors: Deluga Ronald J.
Published: August 2006

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of subordinate‐impression management disposition, as measured by self‐monitoring and other‐deception, with the use of hard, soft, and rational upward‐influencing behavior in an organizational setting. One hundred and two bank employees confidentially completed the Self‐Monitoring Scale (SMS), Other‐Deception Questionnaire (ODQ), and Form M of the Profiles of Organizational Influence Strategies. The results provided mixed support for the hypothesis that increasing levels of self‐monitoring and other‐deception would be linked with rising levels of upward influencing. A significant self‐monitoring and other‐deception interaction was observed. As hypothesized, increasing levels of both self‐monitoring and other‐deception were associated with effectiveness in influencing the supervisor. The findings are discussed in terms of the psychological processes involved in influence strategy selection. It is also suggested that the ODQ and SMS may assess impression management motivation and skill, respectively. The implications of the findings are addressed.
Rational Selective Exploitation Among Americans and Chinese: General Similarity, With One Surprise
Authors: Lin Yuan‐Huei W. , Insko Chester A. , Rusbult Caryl L.
Published: August 2006

A cross‐cultural experiment tested predictions regarding reward allocation decisions among subjects in the United States and Taiwan. The experiment included five independent variables—two between‐subject factors (American vs. Chinese; instrumental vs. unspecified vs. social‐emotional allocator orientation) and three within‐subject factors (high vs. low employee competence, social skill, and mobility). In general, Americans and Chinese distributed rewards quite similarly: In both cultures, allocators distributed greater rewards to employees who were more competent and possessed greater social skill. In both cultures, instrumental allocator orientation induced stronger tendencies to base allocations on competence; social‐emotional allocator orientation induced stronger tendencies to base allocations on social skill. In both cultures, subjects engaged in competence‐based “rational selective exploitation”—among highly competent employees, those with greater professional mobility received larger portions of the reward pool than did counterparts with constrained mobility. In both cultures, subjects also evidenced an unexpected social‐skill‐based rational selective exploitation—among employees with good social skill those with greater professional mobility received larger portions of the reward pool than did counterparts with constrained mobility. However, there were a number of interactions with culture that ran contrary to our a priori predictions: We hypothesized that Americans would exhibit greater individualism by focusing on competence in allocating outcomes, and that Chinese would exhibit greater collectivism by focusing on social skill. Although Americans did attend to employee competence more than Chinese, Americans also attended to employee social skill more than Chinese. These findings are discussed in terms of an expanded conceptualization of the nature of individualism and collectivism.
Interpersonal Reactions to Depression and Physical Disablllty In Dyadic Interactions1
Authors: Elliot Timothy R. , MacNair Rebecca R. , Herrick Stephen M. , Yoder Bruce , Byrne Christina A.
Published: August 2006

Examined the interpersonal responses of persons engaged in dyadic interactions with confederates who enacted either depressed or socially appropriate roles and appeared either with or without a physical disability. Subject negative evaluations of confederates were indirectly obtained from a thought‐listing measure. The overt behaviors of subjects were surreptitiously recorded on videotape and measures of verbal and nonverbal behavior were acquired. Subjects spoke less to the depressed targets and had significantly higher rates of negative evaluations of these persons. In addition, subjects gazed less at the depressed confederates. These effects were not moderated by target physical appearance. Findings are discussed as they relate to social models of depression and the stigmatizing effects of disability.
Prevocational Experience and Postentry Behavior: Occupational Influences on Job Attitudes and Turnover
Authors: Birnbaum Dee , Somers Mark John
Published: August 2006

The effect of prevocational contact on postentry behavior was studied using a sample of staff nurses. The results indicated that those nurses who had prevocational contact with the nursing occupation had different conceptions of the nursing role and more positive work attitudes than those who did not have prevocational contact with the profession. The groups. however, did not differ with respect to turnover.
The Effects of Procedures, Social Accounts, and Benefits Level on Victims' Layoff Reactions
Authors: Konovsky Mary A. , Folger Robert
Published: August 2006

Three hundred and fifty‐three layoff victims responded to questions describing their reactions to layoffs. Victims also described management layoff practices. Two measures of procedural fairness in layoff practices (decision‐making characteristics and social accounts) and one measure of layoff outcomes (benefits level) were included. Only decision‐making characteristics predicted exemployee willingness to recruit for a former employer and desire for regulation of layoffs. These results provide further evidence of the importance of procedural justice in organizational decision‐making.
Prediction of Task‐Related Arousal Under Conditions of Environmental Distraction1
Authors: Coren Stanley , Aks Deborah J.
Published: August 2006

The Arousability Predisposition Scale (APS) was used to assess individual differences in arousal that occur when a task is performed under conditions of environmental distraction. The APS is a brief (12‐item) scale, that purportedly measures arousability as a trait or predisposition. To manipulate arousal experimentally, subjects performed a speeded search task under conditions of visual and auditory distraction. Pre‐ and postdistraction task measures of arousal were taken using Thayer's Activation‐Deactivation Adjective Check List. The distraction task caused a general increase in arousal as compared to a control group who did not perform the task. Although there were no differences in pretest measures, subjects judged highly arousable on the APS showed a greater change in task‐related arousal than subjects judged low on arousability, validating the usefulness of the APS as a measure of arousability under conditions of environmental stress.
Information Load: A Test of an Inverted‐U Hypothesis with Hourly and Salaried Employees
Authors: Griffeth Rodger W. , Carson Kerry D. , Marin Daniel B.
Published: August 2006

We surveyed 714 hourly and 516 salaried employees of a midwestern telephone company to test the effects of information load on work‐related outcomes. Using curvilinear regression analyses, we found support for our hypothesis that employees are less satisfied with outcomes as the load of information deviates positively or negatively from some level. We also predicted, and found, that this quadratic function was more prevalent in the hourly group than in the salaried group. Implications, future research directions, and limitations of the present study are discussed.
A Test of Voir Dire as a Remedy for the Prejudicial Effects of Pretrial Publicity1
Authors: DEXTER HEDY RED , Cutler Brian L. , Moran Gary
Published: August 2006

The present experiment asked two questions: Does prejudicial pretrial publicity produce bias that may impair juror objectivity and, if it does, can extended, defense attorney‐conducted voir dire (jury examination procedure) remedy its untoward effects? Subjects were 68 college undergraduates who had or had not read pretrial publicity one week before viewing a mock murder trial. Just prior to viewing the trial, subjects experienced either minimal or extended voir dire. Both pretrial publicity and voir dire produced significant main effects on subjects' perceptions of defendant culpability. Subjects exposed to pretrial publicity perceived the defendant as more culpable than subjects not exposed to pretrial publicity. Subjects who experienced extended voir dire perceived the defendant as less culpable than subjects who experienced minimal voir dire. The interaction between pretrial publicity and voir dire was nonsignificant, indicating that, contrary to our hypothesis, voir dire did not reduce the impact of pretrial publicity.
Attitudinal and Normative Factors as Determinants of Gay Men's Intentions to Perform AIDS‐Related Sexual Behaviors: A Multisite Analysis1
Authors: Fishbein Martin , CHAN DARIUS K‐S , O'REILLY KEVIN , Schnell Dan , Wood Robert , Beeker Carolyn , Cohn David
Published: August 2006

The purpose of this study was to test the applicability of the theory of reasoned action as a basis for understanding and predicting gay men's intentions to perform AIDS‐related sexual behaviors. A total of 314 self‐identified gay or bisexual men from Seattle, Denver, and Albany participated in the study. They were asked to indicate their intentions to perform 15 specific sexual behaviors chosen to represent different degrees of risk of contracting AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, they were asked to respond to items measuring the attitudinal and normative considerations regarding each behavior. As expected, the results showed that the gay men's intentions were significantly predicted by the two factors. More interesting, it was found that, although attitudes are consistently the more important determinants of intentions for all the respondents, the importance of normative considerations varies across cities. This difference in normative considerations is interpreted in light of the differences in the structure of the three gay communities. Implications for designing sample‐specific intervention programs are discussed.
The Influence of Applicant Communication Style and Interviewer Characteristics on Hiring Decisions1
Authors: Gallois Cynthia , Callan Victor J. , PALMER JULIE‐ANNE MCKENZIE
Published: August 2006

This study examined the influence of the gender and communication style of job applicants, as well as the gender and sex‐role stereotyping of interviewers, on hiring decisions. Fifty‐six personnel officers viewed videotapes of simulated employment interviews, in which male and female candidates used either aggressive, assertive, or nonassertive styles of communication. Personnel officers rated job candidates on likeability, similarity to the officers themselves, and hireability. Interviewers were most likely to employ assertive applicants, and the sex‐role stereotypes of interviewers did not influence their perceptions of these candidates. Sex‐role beliefs, however, did affect evaluations of aggressive and nonassertive job applicants. Interviewers who were low in sex‐role stereotyping were more likely to hire a nonassertive than an aggressive candidate, while interviewers with higher levels of sex‐role stereotyping were more likely to hire aggressive candidates. For assertive candidates, judgments by the interviewers of the perceived similarity of the candidate to themselves and their liking for the applicant both influenced their decision to hire the candidate. For aggressive and nonassertive candidates, however, the interviewers' liking toward the candidate mediated the relationship between perceived similarity and hiring decisions.
Effects of Severity of Accident, History of Drunk Driving, Intent, and Remorse on Judgments of a Drunk Driver1
Authors: Taylor Christy , Kleinke Chris L.
Published: August 2006

A total of 160 women and 160 men read scenarios of an accident caused by a male drunk driver. The severity of the accident was either high (death) or low (monetary damage) and the driver either had or did not have a history of drunk driving. In addition, the driver expressed or denied feeling remorse and expressed or denied intent (or negligence‐he admitted or denied knowing he was drunk before deciding to drive). The driver was evaluated on character traits and cause, responsibility, blame, and punishment. Participants also recommended sanctions (fine and prison sentence). Trait ratings of the driver were influenced negatively by history and positively by remorse. The driver who expressed intent was evaluated as more believable and more reckless. Participants with high belief in a just world evaluated the driver as being less responsible and believable and more of a cause of the accident. There were no differences in judgments given by men and women. Severity did not affect trait ratings, but was the only variable influencing sanctions. Although the driver's self presentation strategies were effective in moderating judgments about his character, they had no bearing on recommended sanctions.
Coping and Disputing with Neighbors1
Authors: Paquin Gary
Published: August 2006

A model based on the disputing process is discussed in the context of annoyances with neighbors. Results of a telephone survey (n= 198) which examined the cognitive and behavioral reactions of respondents to neighbor annoyances are presented. Most respondents handled neighbor annoyances through cognitive coping mechanisms. The intensity of annoyance and the cognitions reported in response to the annoyance, were related to whether respondents actively reacted to the annoyance (complained or disputed).
Why We Believe in Democracy: Testing Theories of Attitude Functions and Democracy1
Authors: Gastil John
Published: August 2006

This study tested different attitude function theories, as well as hypotheses democratic theorists have developed regarding the bases of pro‐democratic attitudes. Two hundred and sixty‐six undergraduates explained why they believed in democracy, rating the aptness of 40 sentences operationalizing attitude functions, as well as the persuasiveness of six arguments framed in terms of these functions. Factor analysis suggested the existence of either four or six distinct attitude functions. Functional saliences were weakly predictive of persuasiveness ratings, and regression analyses revealed semipartial correlations between functions and age, estimated parents' income, and attitude strength. Implications were drawn for both functional theory and democratic theory and practice.
The Effects of Belief Systems on the Job‐Related Satisfaction of Managers and Subordinates
Authors: Rowley Daniel James , Rosse Joseph G. , Harvey O. J.
Published: August 2006

The research reported here examined the effect of personal belief systems of managers and their subordinates on their interrelationships as measured by several job‐related satisfaction variables. Results from a sample of 175 manager‐subordinate dyads demonstrate that the belief system construct may significantly affect job‐related satisfaction as well as the quality and outcomes of manager‐subordinate relationships. This research also suggests that socially oriented managers are positively associated with higher levels of subordinate satisfaction.
Predicting Relocation Intentions of Culturally Diverse Workforce Entrants1
Authors: Sanchez Juan I.
Published: August 2006

The factors that determine intentions to relocate in the continental U. S. among Puerto Rican nursing professionals were explored. One hundred and eleven nursing students in their last semester of nursing school responded to a biographical questionnaire. Intentions to relocate were regressed on factor scores resulting from factor‐analyzing questionnaire items. The results indicated that the individual's level of independence (e. g., lack of family attachment) was the best predictor of intentions to relocate. In addition, both lack of fear of discrimination and being at a middle life stage were positively related to intentions to take a job in the U. S. Implications for further study of the motivations driving culturally diverse laborforce entrants are discussed.
Perceived Control and Psychological Adjustment in Gay Men With AIDS1
Authors: Reed Geoffrey M. , Taylor Shelley E. , Kemeny Margaret E.
Published: August 2006

The relationship of control beliefs to psychological adjustment was investigated in a sample of 24 gay men diagnosed with AIDS, participants in the University of California, Los Angeles site of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS). Distinctions between generalized contingency beliefs and specific competence beliefs and between personal and vicarious control beliefs were included in the questionnaire and interview measures administered. The results support these distinctions and indicate that beliefs in personal control over day‐to‐day symptoms and over course of illness were positively related to adjustment, whereas beliefs in control by others over course of illness and over medical care and treatment were negatively related to adjustment. These relationships appeared to be strongest for men who reported poorer health. These associations were not accounted for by locus of control beliefs, negative affectivity, or time since diagnosis with AIDS.
Serial Fluctuations in Exercise Behavior as a Function of Social Support and Efficacy Cognitions1
Authors: Duncan Terry E. , Mauley Edward , Stoolmiller Mike , Duncan Susan C.
Published: August 2006

The present study investigated the role of social support provisions and efficacy cognitions in adherence to a prescribed exercise regimen. A generalized estimating equations approach was employed to estimate regression coefficients via an iterative weighted least squares algorithm. Findings indicated that when employed as time‐varying covariates, the social provisions of reassurance of worth, attachment, and, to a lesser extent, guidance were significantly associated with intraindividual fluctuations in program adherence. Specifically, individuals with a greater sense of self‐worth were more likely to adhere throughout the program, whereas the effects of subject's perceptions of greater attachment, although generally related to sustained adherence, fluctuated over time. Findings also suggest that individuals perceiving higher levels of guidance were less likely to adhere during the early and concluding stages of the exercise program. Although synchronous covariation existed between efficacy cognitions and attendance, self‐efficacy was not predictive of intraindividual change in attendance over time. Results are discussed in regard to the importance of self‐referent processes and social provisions in exercise adherence, and the utility of the proposed generalized estimating equations approach to the analysis of longitudinal data.
Optimistic Bias Among Cigarette Smokers1
Authors: Segerstrom Suzanne C. , Mcarthy William J. , Caskey Nicholas H. , Gross Todd M. , Jarvik Murray E.
Published: August 2006

Smokers, unlike other populations engaging in risky behavior, readily acknowledge that tobacco use increases their susceptibility to smoking‐related illness. This study used data from the Adult Use of Tobacco Survey to demonstrate that smokers, while acknowledging increased risk for illness, still show evidence of an optimistic bias in their perception of the hazards of their usual brand of cigarette. Optimism was assessed, first, by grouping respondents by perceived cigarette hazards (higher, lower, or about the same as others), and, second, by comparing Federal Trade Comission (FTC)‐calculated and respondent‐estimated cigarette tar levels. An optimistic bias was observed in all assessments. Perceived cigarette risk was not related to desire to stop smoking, if an easy way to do so were available, nor was it related to the number of previous quit attempts lasting one week or longer.
Evaluation and Comparison of Three Instruments Designed to Measure Organizational Power and Influence Tactics
Authors: Littlepage Glenn E. , Hein Judith L. Van , Cohen Kellye M. , Janiec Lauri L.
Published: August 2006

The purpose of the present study is to assess the internal consistency and construct validity of three instruments measuring the use of influence tactics. Instruments by Frost and Stahelski (1988) and Hinkin and Schriesheim (1989) had been developed to be psychometrically sound measures of the French and Raven (1959) bases of power. Kipnis and Schmidt (1982a) developed a new typology to measure organizational influence, the Profile of Organizational Influence Strategies (POIS). Four hundred seventy‐nine undergraduate students completed these instruments to describe the influence tactics used by their supervisor. Results indicated that the Hinkin and Schriesheim instrument has greater internal consistency and a more precisely defined factor structure than the Frost and Stahelski instrument. The corresponding scales of the two instruments measuring the French and Raven power bases are not highly correlated, suggesting that the two instruments are not equivalent. Furthermore, the pattern of correlations between scales of the three instruments suggests that neither the French and Raven not the POIS typology fully represents the structure of influence tactics.
Residential Water Use: Predicting and Reducing Consumption1
Authors: Aitken Campbell K. , Mcmahon Thomas A. , Wearing Alexander J. , Finlayson Brian L.
Published: August 2006

This project had two goals: to explain variation in residential water consumption and to evaluate methods of encouraging residents to reduce their consumption. Survey data for both studies were collected by mail questionnaire in early 1991, and water consumption figures were recorded between June and August of that year. In Study 1 (n = 264) a three‐variable regression model (number of residents, clothes washing machine loads, and property value) accounted for 60% of the variance. Attitudes, habits and values were very poor predictors of water consumption. In Study 2 (n =226) households were divided into three treatment groups: feedback only, feedback and dissonance, and a control group. Repeated‐measures ANOVA revealed that high consumers receiving dissonance and feedback or feedback alone had significantly reduced their water consumption in the treatment period. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Commitment to “Safer” Sex as a Predictor of Condom Use Among 16‐20‐Year‐Olds1
Authors: Breakwell Glynis M. , Millward Lynne J. , Fife‐Schaw Christopher
Published: August 2006

The AIDS risk reduction model (ARRM) is explored in the context of a prospective study of adolescent condom use. This three‐stage model characterizes the social and psychological facilitation of change in attitudes and sexual behaviors related to HIV transmission. The social and behavioral consequences of AIDS for 63 adolescents (aged 16‐20 years), from an urban part of North West London, were mapped over a one‐year period. Indices were created according to the proposed model which reflect (a) labelling of a high risk behavior as problematic (e.g., unprotected sexual intercourse) (b) commitment to change (e.g., desiring and valuing “safe” sex), and (c) seeking and enacting appropriate solutions (e.g., use of condoms). Nested regression analysis enabled the inter‐relationship between significant social and psychological predictors (Time 1) and behavior (Time 2) to be traced. Overall the model accounted for 30% of the variance in condom use. Contemporaneous behavior was also modeled to identify baseline social and psychological predictors. Twenty‐seven percent of the variance in condom use is explained. The social and psychological patterning of the indices is compared with that evidenced for prospective behavior. It appears that social representations which embody normative and value considerations underlie commitment to safer sex (at a general level) and override intentions (at a specific level) in the explanation of prospective behavior. The methodological and theoretical implications of this are identified and discussed.
The Reluctance to Expose Dangerous Lies1
Authors: Taylor Levi , Gittes Marci , O'Neal Edgar C. , Brown Susan
Published: August 2006

Three studies examined a hypothesized inhibition against exposing a lie. In Experiment 1, 21 men and 27 women were placed in conditions in which their nonexposure of another's lie resulted either in the risk of an experimenter's data being contaminated (impersonal consequence), or in the risk of the subject contracting pinkeye (personal consequence). Each person was given the opportunity to expose the lie, first in a group setting, and later in a private setting. Eighty‐three percent of the subjects in the impersonal condition and 77% of the subjects in the personal condition failed to expose the lie. Experiment 2 explored the phenomenon further by assessing whether subjects not in the presence of individuals other than the liar would be more likely to confront the lie. As in Experiment 1, it was found that most subjects did not reveal the lie, regardless of consequence condition of setting. In Experiment 3, it was anticipated that objective self‐awareness would interact with consequence information to produce more exposing behavior in the personal‐consequence condition, but not in the impersonal condition. Results generally confirmed the hypothesis; a significant interaction of Consequence x Self‐Awareness Condition was found.
Social Dominance Orientation, Hierarchy Attenuators and Hierarchy Enhancers: Social Dominance Theory and the Criminal Justice System
Authors: Sidanius Jim , Liu James H. , Shaw John S. , Pratto Felicia
Published: August 2006

This study investigated differences in social dominance orientation between incumbents of different social roles (police officers vs. public defenders) and ethnic groups known to differ in general social status (i.e., whites vs. blacks and Hispanics). Consistent with theoretical expectations: (a) Police were significantly more social‐dominance oriented than either jurors or public defenders. (b) Public defenders tended to be less social‐dominance oriented than jurors. (c) Euro‐Americans were significantly more social dominance oriented than Afro‐ and Hispanic‐Americans, (d) Euro‐American police officers had, by far, the highest levels of social dominance orientation. Furthermore, all of the effects above held even when controlling for demographic factors such as gender, social class, age, education, and ethnic group. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
Affirmative Action and the Behavior of Decision Makers1
Authors: Nacoste Rupert W. , Hummels Beth
Published: August 2006

Rosen and Mericle (1979) claimed to have demonstrated that the simple strength of an organization's affirmative‐action policy statement can cause decision makers to engage in behaviors that subvert the goals of the policy. We questioned the conceptual and empirical validity of their claim, pointing out the absence of any attention to issues of decision makers' understanding and evaluations of the procedures of affirmative action. Based on a procedural‐justice approach, we replicated and extended the Rosen and Mericle study by including measures of respondents' preexisting conceptions and evaluations of the procedural features of affirmative action. That replication showed that decision makers' understanding and evaluations of procedures, as represented by a set of procedural‐justice variables, provide a more complete description of the influence of affirmative action on the behavior of decision makers.
Satisfaction With Subordinates: A Neglected Research Issue Concerning Supervisors1
Authors: Beehr Terry A. , Weisbrodt Denise M. , Zagumny Matthew J.
Published: August 2006

Satisfaction with subordinates, a relatively neglected facet of job satisfaction, was examined via questionnaires administered to both a sample of 37 retail store supervisors and a second sample of 58 bank supervisors regarding 274 of their subordinates. Functional relationships between supervisors and subordinates, in which subordinates help get things done in the workplace, were related to satisfaction with subordinates even after entity relationships (similarity between supervisors and subordinates on biodata and values) were controlled.
Comparison of Marine and College Women's HIV/AIDS‐Relevant Sexual Behaviors1
Authors: Gerrard Meg , Warner Teddy D.
Published: August 2006

This study compares the heterosexual risk behaviors, perceptions of vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, and predictors of condom use of two groups of women with very different sexual and contraceptive histories and habits–college women and women in Marine Corps recruit training. The Marines' s]exual behaviors put them at greater risk of contracting HIV than the college students; that is, Marines reported more frequent intercourse with more partners, used condoms less frequently, and had less knowledge about HIV/AIDS transmission. Consistent with these differences, college students displayed a larger illusion of unique invulnerability than did the Marines. In general, the women who had more sexual partners and more frequent sexual intercourse were less likely to report regularly using condoms. In addition, the data provide support for Weinstein and Nicholich's (1993) recent suggestion that the relation between risk perception and risk behavior is different for different groups of people.
Self‐concept Changes During Orthodontic Treatment1
Authors: Korabik Karen
Published: August 2006

This longitudinal study examined self‐concept changes as a function of orthodontic treatment. Three cohorts of adolescents undergoing orthodontia in consecutive years were given the Piers‐Hams Self‐concept Scale (Piers, 1969) at various times before, during, and after the treatment process. There were no changes in physical appearance subscale scores. Total self‐concept scores did increase from before to after treatment, but only for those subjects who were tested within 6 months after the removal of their braces. When posttest measures were taken more than 6 months after treatment, no self‐concept improvement was evident. Thus, orthodontic treatment produced no lasting effects on self‐esteem.