bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparing the Effects of Informational, Role‐playing, and Value‐discrepancy Treatments on Racial Attitude1
Authors: Gray David B. , Ashmore Richard D.
Published: August 2006

Previous studies of educational approaches to reducing ethnic prejudice have suffered due to the confounding of techniques that could account for the results obtained. The present study was designed to overcome this problem by testing the effectiveness of three separate and relatively unconfounded educational treatments: informational, which presented evidence challenging the current stereotype that blacks generally trail whites in socioeconomic achievement because they are lazy; role playing, in which subjects wrote an essay urging that good jobs be created to help the poor advance; value‐discrepancy, which pointed out that the subjects valued their own freedom more than the welfare of others and that such values worked against minorities. These three treatments and a control condition were administered to intact classes at an eastern, nearly all‐white college. A measure of antiblack prejudice administered immediately after the experimental inductions showed the three treatment groups to be significantly lower in prejudice than the control group. On a delayed posttest the treatment groups were still lower in prejudice than the control group though the difference was not significant. The demand characteristics counter‐explanation for the results on the immediate posttest was evaluated and found not supported, thus suggesting the potential efficacy of the three treatments.
Intervention in the Library: The Effect of Increased Responsibility on Bystanders' Willingness To Prevent a Theft
Authors: Shaffer David R , Rogle Mary , Hendrlck Clyde
Published: August 2006

Two field experiments tested the hypothesis that a bystander's increased responsibility to act increases the likelihood of his helping the victim of an emergency. In Experiment 1, an individual asked or did not ask the bystander to protect his property in his absence. In Experiment 2, the presence/absence of an unattentive confederate was varied orthogonally to the request/no request manipulation. The results of both experiments indicated that bystanders who received a prior request for protective assistance felt more personally responsible for protecting the individual's property and were more likely to prevent a theft of that property than were bystanders who received no request. The presence of a confederate in Experiment 2 decreased bystanders' felt responsibility and their willingness to intervene on the victim's behalf. The results were interpreted as support for the “felt responsibility” proposition of the Latané and Darley (1970) model of bystander intervention.
Seeking Information about Different Ethnic Groups: The Role of Motivation and Confirmation1
Authors: Aboud Frances E.
Published: August 2006

Two factors were investigated in terms of their effects on information seeking about ethnic groups: degree to which the information confirmed one's stereotype, and motivation for seeking information. Forty‐two English Canadians (Ss) were given the opportunity to seek up to 45 items of information about 18 individuals, 3 from each of six ethnic groups. The three members of each group either confirmed, partially disconfirmed, or totally disconfirmed the group stereotype. Results indicated that more information was sought about the confirming member of each group by the Ss instructed to seek information that interested them. Ss instructed to describe or evaluate ethnic group members sought information equally from all members. These results are discussed in terms of expectancy theory, and in relation to other findings on ethnic perception and ethnic interpersonal attraction.
Multidimensional Locus of Control in Prison Inmates1
Authors: Levenson Hanna
Published: August 2006

This study examined public offenders' generalized expectancies of control as they relate to length of time in prison and behavior within the institution, in order to demonstrate the usefulness of a multidimensional modification of Rotter's locus of control scale with a prison sample. Inmates (N= 145) serving sentences in a large, state prison responded to three locus of control scales designed to measure separately expectancies of internality, of control by powerful others, and of control by chance forces. It was reasoned that if the separation of control into these three orientations is meaningful, then changes in perceptions of control by powerful others should be particularly relevant to the prison experience. As predicted, scores on the Powerful Others scale were significantly related to length of time in prison and number of times punished by solitary confinement.
Is the Medium the Message? A Study of the Effects of Media, Communicator, and Message Characteristics on Attitude Change1
Authors: Worchel Stephen , Andreoli Virginia , Eason Joe
Published: August 2006

The present study examined the interactive effects of type of media, communicator, and position of message on persuasiveness of the communication. Subjects received a communication over television, radio (audio tape), or written medium, which either agreed with a position they held or strongly disagreed with it. The communicator was either a newscaster or a candidate for political office. The results indicated that subjects felt the newscaster to be more trustworthy than the candidate. In line with previous research, there was no main effect of media on persuasiveness. However, media interacted with the other variables so that when the communication disagreed with the audience, television was the most persuasive medium with the newscaster but the least persuasive with the untrusted candidate. There was no effect for media when the message agreed with the audience. Further, the candidate taking a position congruent with the audience's was rated as more attractive but less trustworthy than a candidate taking the opposite position. It was suggested that television may be the most involving medium and that either a counterargument theory or reactance theory could explain why it was not effective with the candidate.
Environmental Effects on Outdoor Social Behavior in a Low‐Income Urban Neighborhood: A Naturalistic Investigation1
Authors: Holman Charles J.
Published: August 2006

Outdoor behavior was measured and compared using a behavioral mapping procedure across three contrasting environments in a low‐income urban neighborhood. The environments were an old ghetto neighborhood of low‐rise tenement houses, a traditional high‐rise housing project, and an innovative high‐rise housing project, where a creative outdoor design had been added to encourage outdoor use. As predicted, the old neighborhood and the innovative project showed higher levels of outdoor socializing than did the traditional project. Unexpectedly, the old neighborhood showed the highest level of task‐oriented activity relative to recreation and leisure. Several propositions concerning the relationship between behavior and urban environment are considered, and a number of implications for urban design are advanced.
Effects of Defendant Background and Remorse on Sentencing Judgments
Authors: Rumsey Michael C.
Published: August 2006

Previous evidence that subject sentencing judgments are mediated by considerations of equity led to the hypothesis that defendant remorse and an impoverished defendant background would each reduce subject sentencing judgments. Results from 48 male and 48 female student subjects showed that remorse had the predicted effect (p < .02) but background did not. Regardless of the initial manipulation, sentences shifted significantly toward leniency (p < .02) after subjects had engaged in group discussion. The effect for remorse is consistent with the contention that the equity principle extends to psychological factors, while the leniency shift raises the possibility that jury deliberations tend to favor the defendant.
Effects of Contrived information of Female and Male Performance on the Achievement Behavior of Preschool Girls and Boys1
Authors: Stake Jayne E.
Published: August 2006

Twenty‐four girls and 24 boys enrolled in a university preschool were given two trials each to perform a marble‐dropping task. After the first trial, subjects in the sex‐appropriate condition were told that children of their sex perform the task better than children of the opposite sex. Subjects in the sex‐inappropriate condition were told that children of their sex perform the task less well than children of the opposite sex. It was hypothesized that sex‐appropriate subjects would set higher goals for Trial 2 than control subjects receiving no information and that sex‐inappropriate subjects would set lower goals than control subjects. The hypotheses were not supported. Instead, children of both sexes set significantly higher goals when told that boys do better at the task. Interpretations of the results are offered.
Physical Distance and Helping: Some Unexpected Benefits of “Crowding In” on Others1
Authors: Baron Robert A. , Bell Paul A.
Published: August 2006

One hundred and sixty undergraduates (80 males, 80 females) participated in a field experiment designed to examine the influence of invasions of personal space and sex of requester upon subsequent helping. On the basis of previous research, it was predicted that helping would be markedly inhibited by invasions of personal space, and that the magnitude of these effects would be mediated by the sex of the individuals who perpetrated such intrusions. Surprisingly, however, results indicated that subsequent helping was actually facilitated by such invasions. A follow‐up investigation replicated these results and suggested that they stemmed from a tendency on the part of subjects to perceive close physical approach by the requester as indicative of a high need for assistance.
The Influence of Values, Information, and Decision Orders on a Public Policy Decision
Authors: Hughes G. David , Rao Vithala R , Alker Henry A.
Published: August 2006

An experiment was conducted to determine the influence of personal values, information, and decision order on choice and commitment to choice when the decision involved a complex matter of public policy. Findings indicated that values determined piorities, but not decisions; information did not influence choice, but had a curvilinear effect on the commitment to the choice; the decision order did not influence the components of the decision process, but did determine the proportion of value‐consistent decisions. The significance of these findings to public policy and the need for future research are discussed.
The Effects of Victimization on Reactions to Other Victims1
Authors: Heilman Madeline E. , Slochower Joyce , Deutsch Morton
Published: August 2006

A study was conducted to investigate the conditions under which the experience of victimization alters one's responses to other victims. Subjects were led to believe they either had been fairly paid for their work on a task (nonvictims) or had been underpaid (victims). Half the subjects believed that the treatment they had received was based upon personal information they had revealed about themselves (responsible subjects), while the others believed their treatment had nothing to do with them personally (not responsible subjects). All subjects were given an opportunity to evaluate, judge similarity to, and pay a second victim who was believed to be either “responsible” or “nor responsiile” for his plight. The results generally supported the experimental hypotheses. The impact the experience of victimization had on an individual's responses to another victim depended upon the individual's perception of his own state. The directionality of such altered responses was determined by the individual's perception of the other's state.
Influence of Sex and Dress on Cooperation: An Instance of “Person” Chauvinism
Authors: McGovern Jana L , Holmes David S.
Published: August 2006

Male and female experimenters, of college age, who were neatly or sloppily dressed, asked male and female students, who were neatly or sloppily dressed, to sjgn a noncontroversial petition. Results indicated that sloppily dressed students signed the petition as often for a female experimenter as they did for a male experimenter, but neatly dressed (inferentially conservative) students signed the petition less often for a female experimenter then they did for a male experimenter. Interestingly, neatly dressed female students refused to cooperate with a female experimenter as much as did neatly dressed male students. It was concluded that attitudes, rather than quality of dress, similaity of dress, or sex per se, influenced cooperation.
The Tyranny of Numbers: Does Group Size Affect Petition Signing?
Authors: Reis Harry T. , Earing Barbara , Kent Alan , Nezlek John
Published: August 2006

Conformity research proposes that an individual's tendency to conform increases linearly as a function of group size, reaches an early plateau, and remains stable thereafter, An experiment was performed to test the generality of this notion to a common group pressure situation: petition‐signing. Results revealed no meaningful relationships whatever between the percent of subjects who signed and the number of previous signatures (0 through 8), the forcefulness of the solicitor's approach, and subject's sex. A female petitioner did receive more signatures than a male, however. Results were interpreted as supporting the validity of petitions as indicators of public sentiment.
Effect of Diagnosis and Personality on Impression Formation1
Authors: Wallston Kenneth A. , Wallston Barbara Strudler , Devellis Brenda McEvoy
Published: August 2006

Nurses were asked to rate patients differing in diagnosis and personality type. Two diagnosis conditions (psychogenic or physiogenic) were compared across two personality conditions: Mr. Cummings, a hypothetical patient presented to nurse/subjects via audiotape, willingly disclosed information about his illness in a nonemotional manner; while Mr. Lockwood, the second “patient”, disclosed less and was more emotional. Two control conditions were also included: One measured subjects' reactions to the personality type independent of diagnostic label; the second determined nurses' stereotypic reactions to the two diagnostic labels alone. Subjects reacted more favorably to Mr. Cummings than to Mr. Lockwood regardless of Cummings' diagnosis. Nurses' impressions of Mr. Lockwood, on the other hand, varied as a function of his diagnosis.
The Reduction of Human Aggression: A Field Study of the Influence of Incompatible Reactions1
Authors: Baron Robert A.
Published: August 2006

One hundred and twenty passing motorists were delayed for 15 sec at an intersection by a confederate who failed to move his vehicle after the light turned green. Prior to such annoyance, subjects in three groups were exposed to experimental treatments designed to cause them to experience reactions incompatible with anger or overt aggression (i.e., empathy, humor, mild sexual arousal). Results indicated that individuals in these groups were more reluctant to honk their horns at the confederate and showed fewer overt sjgns of irritation than subjects in two control groups not exposed to such treatments. In addition, it appeared that subjects' willingness to honk at the confederate was enhanced by uncomfortably warm ambient temperatures. The implications of these findings for the control of overt aggression, as well as the usefulness of horn‐honking as a dependent measure for such behavior in field settings, were discussed.
On the Piliavin & Piliavin Model of Helping Behavior: Costs Are in the Eye of the Beholder
Authors: Clark Russell D.
Published: August 2006

Two field experiments tested the Piliavin and Piliavin cost‐reward model of helping. The model predicts that the most helping should occur when the costs for helping are low and when the costs for not helping are high. The results of Experiment 1 provided partial support for this prediction, and the results of Experiment 2 were completely consistent with the model.
Smoking Behavior Development and Modification: An Empirical Application of Three Social Psychological Theories1
Authors: Wetzel Erickson Linda G. , Cramer James A.
Published: August 2006

Three major social psychological theories were applied to data obtained in interviews with a random sample of 50 exsmokers and 50 smokers. The objective was to test the utility of these theories with respect to smoking behavior development and change. The results provided strong support for the hypotheses derived from reference group theory and partial support for the cognitive dissonance and psychoanalytic hypotheses.
Police and Citizen Value Systems: Some Cross‐sectional Comparisons
Authors: Griffeth Rodger W. , Cafferty Thomas P.
Published: August 2006

Rokeach, Miller, and Snyder (1971) have reported evidence for a “value gap” between samples of police and citizens in the midwest. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to examine the generality of this finding for another section of the country, the southeast; (2) to extend the analysis from the comparisons of individual values to the comparison of configurations of values between police and citizens; and (3) to compare the police sample from the Rokeach et al. study with the police sample from this study. The Rokeach Value Survey was administered to 104 South Carolina police officers and to 316 citizens sampled in a variety of South Carolina community settings. Group comparisons were made on the rank ordered individual values using the median test. In addition, group median rank orders were compared using the Spearman correlation. The results for the individual values generally supported the findings of Rokeach et al. (1971). For the value configurations, the police‐community correlations were uniformly high, indicating general agreement on the relative order of most values. Results of the cross‐sectional comparison of police samples revealed a very high degree of correspondance for both individual values and configurations.
Coping Activities in Solitary Confinement of U.S. Navy POWs in Vietnam1
Authors: Deaton John E. , Berg S. William , Richlin Milton , Litrownik Alan J.
Published: August 2006

A questionnaire was developed and administered to 137 Navy aviators, who were repatriated prisoners of war (RPWs) from North Vietnam, to investigate the usefulness of specific “time‐killing” activities or adaptational strategies for coping with extensive periods of solitary confimement during captivity. Factor analysis of the usefulness scores resulted in the derivation of four factors accounting for 32% of the variance: (1) Captor‐Captive Relationship, (2) Reliving the Past, (3) Repetitive Behavior, and (4) Self‐development Activities. Factor 1 coping activities were rated as most useful, and Factor 3 as least useful. Factor 2 activities were used by most RPWs during the first few weeks in solitary, while Factor 4 activities were not used until later. In addition, the usefulness of all four factors increased significantly over time. The results were discussed in terms of the personality characteristics of aviators, and theoretical formulations emphasizing the individual's need for optimal stimulation.
Altruism Toward a Deviant in City and Small Town
Authors: Hansson Robert O. , Slade Kenneth M
Published: August 2006

A field experiment using the “Lost Letter Technique” tested the hypothesis that altruism would be higher in small towns than in cities, unless the person needing help was a social deviant. The hypothesis was derived from Milgram's (1970) overload theory, in which city dwellers are expected to become generally indifferent to, and make fewer differentiations between, unimportant others. A total of 216 letters to one of three addressees (control, somewhat deviant, highly deviant) were “lost”, one‐half in Tulsa, Oklahoma (population: 347,600) and one‐half among 51 small, Oklahoma towns (× population: 2,002). Return rates supported the hypothesis. The data also suggest that a greater intolerance in small towns for social deviance might systematically overwhelm their generally higher levels of social responsibility. Implications are drawn regarding the danger of overgeneralizing negative attributions to urban centers.
Parental Visitation of the Institutionalized Retarded
Authors: Sechrest Lee , Sukstorf Steve
Published: August 2006

An inverse relationship was found between the number of parental visits an institutionalized retarded child received and the distance of the parental home from the institution. When the natural parents were living together, the retarded child was shown to receive more visits than when the child's parents were separated or one parent was deceased. Single mothers were found to be living significantly closer to the facility than single fathers. Single fathers appeared to put more effort into visiting, since they visited just as often as the mothers, but had to travel further distances than the mothers to do so. Visitation frequency followed a curvilinear pattern, decreasing uniformly from 20–60 miles (from 0–20 miles visitation frequency is uniform), and then leveling off.
Fertility Related Attitudes of Minority Mothers with Large and Small Families1
Authors: Linn Margaret W. , Carmichael Joan S. , Klitenick Patricia , Webb Nancy , Gurel Lee
Published: August 2006

The relationship between certain attitudes and levels of fertility in five cultural groups–Blacks, Cubans, American Indians, migrant Chicanos, and white Protestants–was explored. Mothers, aged 35–45, with one or two children (small family, N= 253) or five children (large family, N= 196) were compared. Subjects responded to semantic differentials measuring attitudes toward pregnancy, family, abortion, sex, birth control, and parent. Large family mothers were generally more negative toward birth control, sex, and family. Cultures differed significantly on all six attitudes, with those toward abortion and pregnancy being the best discriminators. Significant interactions between cub ture and size were found on attitudes toward birth control and pregnancy. In general, large families wanted fewer children than they had and their negative attitudes toward birth control might be associated with their ineffective experiences; however, the trend was reversed in the migrant group where small family mothers were more negative toward birth control. Since small family mothers among migrant Chicanos were difficult to find and their estimates of ideal family size was large, it is likely that their negative attitudes toward birth mntrol reflected an aversion to its use.
Sympathy, Self‐Consciousness, and Reactions to the Stigmatized1
Authors: Scheier Michael F. , Carver Charles S. , Schulz Richard , Glass David C. , Katz Irwin
Published: August 2006

Reactions toward the stigmatized were studied in two experiments. Subjects in both studies evaluated a target person on the basis of personal information contained in a transcript of a bogus interview. The target person was portrayed in either a favorable or an unfavorable manner and either was or was not a member of a stigmatized group. In Experiment I the target person was evaluated more positively when he was described as being old (75 years of age) than when he was described as being young (23 years of age). In Experiment II subjects evaluated a handicapped target more favorably than a nonstigmatized target. This “sympathy” effect was strongest among persons high in private self‐consciousness (disposition to attend to one's thoughts, feelings, and motives). The methodological and practical implications of these results are discussed.
Interpersonal Features of Interviews Between Psychiatric Patients and Nursing Staff1
Authors: Topf Margaret , Dambacher Betty , Roper Janice
Published: August 2006

Observer ratings of one‐half hour interviews were undertaken to test two basic concepts of interpersonal relations in a sample of 51 randomly paired male psychiatric patients and female psychiatric nurses. It was hypothesized that the behavior of psychiatric patients could be organized around two orthogonal dimensions reflecting status and feeling, and that patients and nurses would exhibit complementary interpersonal behavior consistent with their institutionally ascribed roles. Interviews were rated with the Leary Interpersonal Checklist. Interjudge reliability was established for Leary's coding system. The hypothesis of status and feeling reference points for patient behavior received strong support when the results of analysis of variance were supplemented by factor analysis. Patient scores on the eight variables measured by the Leary Interperonsal Checklist and nurses' scores for 17 complementary variables were submitted to correlational analysis to test the hypothesis of interpersonal complementarity. As predicted, two hypothesized dependence‐assistance response combinations provided the highest correlation coefficients. It was concluded that the study provided empirical support for the utility of an interpersonal model within psychiatric settings that has more commonly been identified with relationships free of psychiatric disturbance.
Reactance, Attribution, Equity, and the Help Recipient1
Authors: GROSS Alan E. , Wallston Barbara Strudler , Piliavin Irving M.
Published: August 2006

The relevance of social psychological theory for understanding the helping relationship from the recipient's perspective and for designing efficient and humane helping systems is examined. Negative feelings associated with seeking or receiving help may occur when recipients feel threatened with loss of freedom (reactance), interpret their help‐seeking as a sign of inadequacy (attribution), or feel uncomfortably indebted (equity). Studies supporting each of these theories, and a program of research which contrasts helper vs. recipient‐initiated assistance, are reviewed. Findings suggest that helper‐initiated aid leads to higher utilization of services and better recipient feelings. These results are interpreted as supporting attribution in contrast to reactance theory concepts. A field study in a welfare setting extends laboratory findings, and shows that current practice which requires welfare recipients to initiate requests for service may effect savings via lowered requests for service at the expense of recipients who really need help but are inhibited from requesting it.
Race, Sex, and Helping in the Marketplace1
Authors: Brigham John C. , Richardson Curtis B.
Published: August 2006

In a field study of helping behavior carried out in 48 “convenience” grocery stores, customers tried to purchase for $1.00 a product clearly labeled as costing from $1.15 to $1.50. Amount of help by white clerks (allowing the purchase for $1.00) varied as a function of sex of customer and race of customer. Black male customers were helped least often. Neither the dress of the customers (casually‐dressed or well‐dressed) nor the racial makeup of the store's clientele was significantly related to helping. Implications of these findings for concepts of same‐race bias and “reverse discrimination” in helping are discussed.
Attitudes Toward Workers and Toward their Work: More Evidence that Sex Makes a Difference
Authors: Linsenmeier Joan A W. , Wortman Camille B.
Published: August 2006

A recent study by Pheterson, Kiesler, and Goldberg (1971) has been cited many times as providing evidence that women underrate the work of other women. Close examination of their results, however, revealed a number of ambiguities. The present study modified and extended their design in an attempt to describe the nature of sex biases more clearly. Students read and responded to descriptions of seminars which they expected to have an opportunity to attend. Independent variables included sex of student, sex of seminar leader, and type of seminar topic (female‐oriented, male‐oriented, or neutral). Analysis of the results revealed an interaction of leader expertise, leader sex, and student sex on the major dependent measures. Women indeed underrated the accomplishments of other women relative to those of other men if the other's competence had not been demonstrated, while males' evaluations were not affected by the sex of the target person.

Female college students … rated paintings attributed to male art contest entrants more favorably than the identical paintings attributed to female entrants. However, when the subjects were told that the artists had been awarded prizes, they rated men and women equally.

The presumed sex of the artist had no bearing on the subjects' judgments in judging paintings represented as prize winners, but when the paintings were represented as show entries, the subjects rated them higher if they thought the artists were men.
Effects of Bodily Contact on Reactions to Crowding1
Authors: Nicosia Gregory J. , Hyman Douglas , Karlin Robert A. , Estein Yakov M. , Aiello John R.
Published: August 2006

The present study examined the effects of bodily contact in a crowded environment. Initially, the skin conductance levels (SCL) of 160 males and females were obtained during rest and while bursting a balloon. In a subsequent session, subjects in same‐sex groups of four were seated for 30 minutes in either (a) a large room, (b) a small room subjected to unavoidable bodily contact, or (c) a small room which was partitioned to either reduce or prevent bodily contact while allowing visual access. Measures of mood, tolerance for frustration, cognitive task performance, and self reports of annoyance and somatic distress were then taken. Results showed that crowding is stressful and that bodily contact makes a significant contribution to the amount of stress experienced for both men and women. In general, crowded subjects forced to touch showed the greatest increases in SCL, felt most annoyed, were most bothered by spatial intrusion during crowding, and had the lowest tolerance for frustration following crowding. Sex differences in mood following crowding and in reaction to the noncrowded environment were observed and appeared to be mediated by differential social concerns.
Factors in the Use of Oral Contraceptives by Young Women
Authors: Werner Paul D. , Middlestadt Susan E.
Published: August 2006

This study examined the use of oral contraceptives in a sample of sexually active college women. The analytic approach employed was based on Fishbein's model for the prediction of behavior, which emphasizes perceived consequences and normative influences. It was found that each of these factors was significantly related to use of oral contraception, and that a stronger relationship was obtained when both components were combined. Results suggested that nonusers are more Likely to associate oral contraception with unhealthful consequences than are users, and that users believe employment of this method enhances their sexual satisfaction. It was also suggested that the opinions of these young women's partners and close friends, but not of their parents, are reflected in respondents' use of the pill. These results were compared with earlier findings on the correlates of intentions to use oral contraceptives, and applied implications were discussed.
The Effect of Mood and Social Outlook on Hypothetical Juridic Decisions1
Authors: Lakind Elizabeth , Hornstein Harvey A.
Published: August 2006

Data are reported for a laboratory experiment which examines both the impact of information about remote social events on judgments of defendants' guilt or innocence in two court cases and the roles of cognitive and affective elements in mediating these judgments. Subjects were exposed to one of four pretested news bulletins which covaried cognitive factors (positive or negative social information) and affective ones (positive or negative mood stimuli). In accord with previous findings, the results indicate that social information and the changes in social outlook that it caused were of primary importance in altering subjects' judgments about defendants. Subjects who heard positive social information in radio newscasts were more lenient in their judgments of defendants than were those who heard negative social information. Additional findings pertaining to the mediators of this effect suggest that positive mood amplified the impact of social information whatever its direction, while negative mood attenuated it.
The Applicability of the Door‐in‐the Face Technique when Established Behavioral Customs Exist
Authors: Schwarzwald Jospeh , Raz Moshe , Zvibel Moshe
Published: August 2006

The applicability of the door‐in‐the‐face technique was tested in a monetary donation context where established behavioral standards exist, and where the target person has standards by which to judge the legitimacy of the solicitor's demand. Based on the proposition that exaggerated initial requests might discredit the solicitor and thereby halt the give‐and‐take process, it was expected that (a) with legitimate initial requests, the probability of compliance with a request would be greater when preceded by a larger request than if presented alone; and that (b) with illegitimate initial requests, the probability of compliance with a second request would be smaller when preceded by a larger request than if presented alone. On the national collection day for the Association for the Rehabilitation of the Mentally Handicapped, 400 subjects were asked to contribute IL 10, 15, or 20. In the experimental groups, these amounts were preceded with requests for larger sums which were judged previously by a pretest to be considered legitimate or illegitimate. In the control groups, subjects were asked to contribute the same amounts, but no larger amounts were first requested. The replicability of the door‐in‐the‐face technique has been proven with requests for which established customs exist. However, the technique was only effective with legitimate initial requests. With initial requests that were previously judged as unreasonable, the technique had a “boomerang effect” and suppressed compliance.
The Effects of Modeling and Instructions on High and Low Verbal Family Members
Authors: Marsh Jeanne C.
Published: August 2006

This study attempts to generalize the findings of laboratory studies of modeling and instructions by comparing their effects for modifying verbal behavior of actual clients referred to a family service agency. The findings suggest that in a population with less homogeneous verbal skills than found in a typical college population, verbal fluency will influence response to these interventions. Specifically, when a rule is supplemented by either verbal examples (instructions) or behavioral examples (modeling), both interventions have utility. However, for highly verbal clients, verbal examples are appropriate. For less verbal clients, more elaborate audiotape or videotape examples represent the more useful strategy.
Dispesitional Bias in Trained Therapists' Diagnoses: Does It Exist?1
Authors: Batson C. Daniel , Marz Bniamin
Published: August 2006

Therapists have been charged with a dispositional bias in their diagnoses of clients' problems. While a, review of prior research revealed considerable evidence that at least some trained therapists were more dispositional in their diagnoses than nonprofessionals, there was no clear evidence that therapists' dispositional diagnoses were in error. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to try to detect error in trained therapists' diagnoses. Twelve trained therapists and 16 untrained nonprofessionals each conducted intake interviews with two clients (confederates). Employing a technique based on attribution theory, one client presented a problem that was relatively situational; the other presented a problem that was relatively dispositional. Consistent with previous research, trained therapists were more dispositional in their diagnoses than were untrained nonprofessionals, suggesting that some bias did exist. But there was no clear evidence that therapists were less sensitive than nonprofessionals to differences between situational and dispositional problems. It was concluded that, to the degree that bias implies error, the charge of bias in therapists' diagnoses remains unproven.
Spatial Behavior of University Undergraduates in Double‐Occupany Residence Rooms: An Inventory of Effects
Authors: Mercer G. William , Benjamin M. L.
Published: August 2006

The spatial behavior of 116 male and 190 female pairs of university under‐graduates was examined in the context of their self‐reported own and shared territories within double‐occupany residence rooms. The variables were divided into a number of conceptual categories, R‐squared calculated for the contribution of each category to own and shared territory estimates, and finally regressions for the entire set of variables were calculated for each gender on these estimates. The conceptual categories used were: personality; subjects' physical characteristics; distal or past environments; behavior in the room; sports, social, outdoor, and aesthetic behaviors; attitudes toward room and roommate; and physical characteristics of the room. The entire set of variables accounted for 53% of the variance in the own territory and 42% of the variance in public territory for the males, while the figures for the females were 46% and 39% respectively. Generally, the males' reported spatial behaviors were more influenced by “internal” variables, such as personality and attitudes, than were the females' spatial behaviors, which were more influenced by “external” variables, such as the physical characteristics of the room and the social situation.
Reporting and Nonreporting of Observed Crimes: Moral Judgments of the Act and Actor1
Authors: Himmelfarb Samuel
Published: August 2006

In two studies, subjects judged the morality of reporting and failing to report serious and nonserious crimes. Subjects also judged the general moral level and the likability of reporters and nonreporters. In accordance with predictions, the seriousness of the crime and whether it was reported differentially affected the judgments. Reporting a crime was seen as a more morally right action than fading to report it, and this difference increased with the severity of the crime. Reporters of nonserious crimes were perceived as the most moral, while non‐reporters of serious crimes were seen as the least moral individuals relative to the other conditions. There were indications in the data that for certain nonserious crimes reporters were less liked than nonreporters. The results are discussed in terms of attribution theory and the effects of perceived standards for reporting crimes and other rule infractions as these standards vary with the seriousness of the act.
Reactions to a Postal Rate Increase: Justification or Inequity Distress?1
Authors: Greenberg Jerald
Published: August 2006

Three hundred and thirty‐four adults were surveyed regarding their satisfaction with the postal service either 2 weeks before a 2c increase in first‐class postage, 2 days after, or 4 weeks after. Two days after the increase, relatively low users reported more dissatisfaction, while high use customers reported increased satisfaction. The personal cost associated with inequitable conditions (higher price for same services) appears to moderate the use of justificatory responses. Four weeks after the increase, satisfaction returned to pre‐increase levels, suggesting that feelings of inequity created by the price increase were temporary.
Pornographic Materials and Commodity Theory
Authors: Jones Robert N. , Joe Victor C.
Published: August 2006

In a 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 (age restriction vs. no age restriction × sex of subject × pornography vs. nonpornography × pre‐stimuli vs. post‐stimuli test) factorial design, 40 males and 40 females received an experimental booklet containing either pornographic or nonpornographic pictures. Prior to seeing the pictures, half of the subjects of each sex were informed that the photographs came from magazines for adults only (21 years old and over), while the other half received no such information. Subjects were asked to rate the desirability of the pictures as well as their liking of and desire to read and purchase such materials prior to viewing and after viewing the pictures. The results indicated that (a) subjects who were not given age restriction information rated the yet unseen pictures more desirable than subjects who received age restriction information; (b) subjects who were given age restriction information rated the already seen pictures more desirable than subjects who received no age restriction information; (c) males rated pornographic pictures more favorably than did females; (d) subjects in the age restriction information condition expected the yet unseen pictures to be more pornographic than subjects in the no age restriction information condition; and (e) subjects, after seeing the stimuli, rated nonpornographic pictures more desirable than pornographic pictures. There was no support for the hypothesis that the effect of age restriction is an anticipatory phenomenon. The data in part supported and in part conflicted with Fromkin and Brock's (1973) proposition that imposing restrictions on the sale or purchase of pornographic materials will make these materials more attractive and desirable than they would be if there were no restrictions on them.
The Attraction‐Leniency Effect in Jury Research: An Examination of External Validity
Authors: Weiten Wayne
Published: August 2006

The external validity of the attraction‐leniency effect observed repeatedly in jury research was examined by adding two small elements of juridicial realism to the usual paradigm modeled after Landy and Aronson (1969). An attraction‐leniency effect was not found when judge's instructions regarding the criteria of guilt were provided, and subjects assessed probable guilt rather than appropriate sentence.
Why Do Eyewitnesses Make So Many Mistakes?
Authors: Warnick Dell H. , Sanders Glenn S.
Published: August 2006

Previous research on eyewitness identification has demonstrated high rates of error. Subjects have frequently identified innocent targets as the “criminal” they had seen earlier (false identifications) or had falsely claimed that the criminal was not in the line‐up (misses). The present study examines whether identification error rates are inflated by pressures in the typical experimental situation to “make a guess” regardless of one's confidence in the accuracy of the response. It was found that providing an explicit option for subjects to respond “don't know” significantly decreased false identifications and misses with no cost to the proportion of correct identifications. The addition of written and verbal instructions emphasizing the acceptability of the “don't know” option produced a marginally significant further decline in identification errors, again without cost to correct identifications. The discussion considered implications of the present results for experimental and actual police line‐up procedures.
Occupation, Competence, and Role Overload as Evaluation Determinants of Successful Women1
Authors: Vaughn Linda Susan , Wittig Michele Andrisin
Published: August 2006

In order to determine what variables contribute to or detract from the inter‐ personal attraction of a successful career woman, 80 male and 80 female introductory psychology students at a large western state university viewed one of eight different videotapes of a female stimulus person discussing aspects of her career and homelife. Two levels of occupation (traditional vs. nontraditional), two levels of competcnce (high vs. low), and two levels of role overload (high vs. low) were factorially varied for each videotape. The Attitudes toward Women Scale (AWS) was used as a covariate, thereby equalizing attitudes between the sexes. A multivariate analysis of covariance was performed on the data. Results indicated that all main effects‐competence, role overload, occupation, and sex of subjects‐were significant. Also significant was a sex of subject by occupation interaction and two three‐way interactions. These results were discussed in the context of how they increase our understanding of college students' perceptions of successful career women.
The Effects of Perceived Activity Choice upon Frequency of Exercise Behavior
Authors: Thompson Carol E. , Wankel Leonard M.
Published: August 2006

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of perceived activity choice upon the frequency of exercise behavior of adult women. Thirty‐six recent enrollees in a private health club were recruited for involvement in a new exercise program. At an initial organizational meeting, subjects ranked their preferences for different activities and completed a number of self‐report inventories. Subjects were paired on the basis of their activity preferences so as to establish two matched groups of subjects. One member of each pair was then randomly assigned to a choice condition while the other was assigned to a no choice control condition. Perceived choice was manipulated at the time of an individual's next visit to the club, with subjects in the choice group being led to believe that their initial activity selections were the basis for their programs whereas subjects in the control group were informed that they had been assigned a standardized exercise program by the club's instructresses. The overall attendance of the choice group was better than that of the control group. Across both groups there was a significant decline in attendance over the 6‐week period but the decrement was significantly greater in the control group. At the conclusion of the 6‐week period, subjects in the choice condition expressed a greater intention to continue exercising at the club than did subjects in the control condition.
Levels of Analysis of Pluralistic Ignorance Phenomena: The Case of Receptiveness to Interpersonal Feedback1
Authors: Isenberg Daniel J.
Published: August 2006

Data were collected from 32 groups nested within two cultural contexts on pluralistic ignorance regarding receptiveness to various kinds of interpersonal feedback. Pluralistic ignorance was operationalized as the average difference between ratings of own receptiveness and ratings of the perceived receptiveness of others within a particular group. An overall effect of pluralistic ignorance was found which varied as a function of valence (whether the feedback was positive or negative) and mode (whether the feedback concerned ideas, behaviors, or feelings). Pluralistic ignorance was greater when the feedback was negative and when the feedback concerned feelings. In addition, pluralistic ignorance was found to vary as a function of cultural context. On the other hand, pluralistic ignorance did not vary at all as a function of groups, contrary to what was expected given previous conceptualizations of pluralistic ignorance. The data were taken as evidence that pluralistic ignorance in receptiveness to feedback may be due to social desirability and certain cognitive biases.
Self Concept, Objective Appearance and Profile Self Perception1
Authors: Korabik Karen , Pitt Edward J.
Published: August 2006

The role of the self concept as a moderator of a person's perception of and satisfaction with her physical appearance was investigated. One hundred fortyeight mothers of orthodontic patients chose ideal male and female facial profiles from a group of drawings ranging from severely concave to severely convex. In addition, they completed a self concept questionnaire (Bills Index of Adjustment) and picked from the drawings the profile they felt most closely resembled their own. A silhouette photograph of each subject provided an objective profile. The inclusion of physical appearance as a variable demonstrated that there was no direct relationship between physical appearance and self concept. However, since profile perception was significantly related to both self concept and objective appearance, an indirect link through self perception may exist. In addition, the inclusion of physical appearance allowed the assessment of the accuracy of the subject's self perception. Fifty‐seven percent of the subjects were able to identify their profiles correctly. While self concept was not related to accuracy of self perception, it did relate to the direction of distortion in self perception for that subsample of subjects who had inaccurate perceptions of their profiles.