bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Self‐serving Bias and Actor‐Observer Differences In Organizations: An Empirical Analysis1
Authors: Gioia Dennis A. , Sims Henry P.
Published: August 2006

Self‐serving attributional bias is the tendency for a subordinate to attribute personal (internal) cause for successful performance but to assign cause for failures to external factors. The actor‐observed difference in attribution is the tendency for concerned observers (managers) of a subordinate's performance to attribute cause for the performance to factors internal to the subordinate, in direct opposition to the subordinate's external attribution for the same performance. This research investigated both phenomena. Twenty‐four experienced managers served as manager/subjects in simulated appraisal situations. Subjects with prior work experience served as subordinate/subjects. Each manager participated in four separate simulated performance appraisals, under differing conditions of objective performance and work history, for a total of 96 interactions. The results revealed a strong self‐serving bias on the part of subordinates. The results also strongly supported the notion of an actor‐observer difference in performance attribution. Subordinates tended to attribute more externally and managers tended to attribute more internally (to the subordinate), regardless of performance level. The research also served to delineate and articulate the relationship between self‐serving bias and actor‐observer differences.
The Impact of Case Characteristics and Prior Jury Experience on Jury Verdicts1
Authors: Werner Carol M. , Strube Michael J. , Cole Allen M. , Kagehiro Dorothy K.
Published: August 2006

An archival analysis of records from 206 criminal cases was used to evaluate the impact of personal and situational factors on jury verdicts. In particular, we evaluated whether repeated jury service produced bias in jurors that was sufficient to affect jury decisions. A variety of case characteristics and indices of prior jury experience was examined for their relative impact on trial outcomes. Several of the case characteristics were related to verdicts, but the personal characteristics were not. Although more than half of the juries contained experienced jurors, juror experience had little influence on verdicts in either major or subsidiary analyses. However, there was a slight tendency for small juries with large proportions of experienced jurors to convict. This result is consistent with data from Kentucky; a meta‐analysis across the two data sets indicates that it is a reliable finding. The results have implications for the determination of jury size. We suggest that future research examine the possibility that increasing jury size may reduce the influence of an individual's bias by providing a balance of other jurors with no or offsetting biases.
Defensive Attribution of Responsibility in Juridic Decisions1
Authors: Phillips Dretha M.
Published: August 2006

Unlike previous research efforts, the present investigation of defensive attribution of responsibility and juridic decisions combines the concepts of severity and desirability of outcome into a measure of perceived seriousness of the crime, and utilizes a specific measure of perceived similarity between respondent and offender derived from respondents' descriptions of the offenders and themselves. Contrary to expectations, data obtained from a statewide mail questionnaire survey reveal that (a) perceived similarity between the respondent and offender is neither a strong nor a significant influence on recommended sentences for offenders; (b) perceived seriousness of the crime exerts a significant impact on recommended sentences for offenders; and (c) other variables, most notably familiarity with like offenders, included within the concept of defensive attribution of responsibility may contribute significantly to variations in recommended sentences for offenders for specific crime‐respondent categories. Possible reasons for, and implications of, this limited and circumscribed support for utilizing defensive attribution of responsibility in explaining sentencing recommendations are offered.
Unattainable Goal Choice as a Self‐Handicapping Strategy1
Authors: Greenberg Jerald
Published: August 2006

Selection of an extremely difficult performance goal is conceptualized as a self‐handicapping strategy–an attempt to externalize outcomes threatening one's self‐image. In a laboratory study, male college students were led to believe they had succeeded at a task that was either relevant or irrelevant to their self‐images. In conjunction with this, subjects were led to believe that the success they had experienced was either contingent upon or not contingent upon their effort. Consistent with a self‐handicapping strategy, extremely difficult performance goals were selected on a subsequent task when success at a previous task was not contingent upon workers' e]ffort, but only in the personally relevant condition‐i.e., when task performance had attributional implications for workers' s]elf‐images. Personally irrelevant tasks led to a realistic downward revision of performance aspirations in response to noncontingent success.
Videotaped Confessions: The Impact of Camera Point of View on Judgments of Coercion1
Authors: Lassiter G. Daniel , Irvine Audrey A.
Published: August 2006

Twenty‐four college students viewed one of three videotapes of a mock police interrogation that ended in a confession. In one videotape the camera was focused primarily on the “suspect”; in a second the camera was focused primarily on the “detective”; and in the third the camera was focused on the suspect and detective equally. Subjects in the suspect‐focus condition subsequently judged that the confession was elicited by means of a small degree of coercion; subjects in the equal‐focus condition judged that it was elicited by means of a moderate degree of coercion; and subjects in the detective‐focus condition judged that it was elicited by means of a large degree of coercion. It is argued that the effect of camera point of view on judgments of coercion is mediated by causal attributions. Consistent with this interpretation, camera point of view also had a significant effect on subjects' attributions for the suspect's behavior, with subjects in the suspect‐focus condition making the most dispositional attributions and subjects in the detective‐focus condition making the least dispositional attributions. Alternative explanations are considered and limitations of the present research are discussed. It is concluded that to the extent that interrogations are videotaped with the camera focused on the suspect, judges and/ or jurors may be biased to perceive a confession as voluntary.
Protection Motivation Theory: Prediction of Intentions to Engage in Anti‐Nuclear War Behaviors1
Authors: Wolf Sharon , Gregory W. Larry , Stephan Walter G.
Published: August 2006

The present study examined potential mediators of intentions to engage in behaviors related to the prevention of nuclear war. Protection motivation theory (Rogers, 1975, 1983) suggested that perceived severity of the consequences of nuclear war, perceived likelihood of occurrence of nuclear war, perceived efficacy of responses designed to prevent nuclear war, and perceived capability of engaging in those responses would combine additively and interactively to predict behavioral intentions. The theory further suggested that the effects of a fear‐arousing communication on behavioral intentions would be mediated indirectly by changes in the predictor variables. Thus, a second purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of the program “The Day After”, which dramatically depicted a nuclear holocaust, on viewers' affect (fear‐arousal) and cognitions. Surprisingly, the program had no effects on viewers that we could document. We were, however, able to predict behavioral intentions, for both viewers and nonviewers (n= 282), from subjects' affect and cognitions, providing support for protection motivation theory in a new domain.
Jury Deliberations: Discussion Content and Influence Processes in Jury Decision Making1
Authors: Tanford Sarah , Penrod Steven
Published: August 2006

The present research investigated the jury deliberation process. Representative juror subjects viewed a realistic videotaped trial consisting of three offenses, deliberated in groups of six and reached verdicts on each charge, and completed a post‐deliberation questionnaire that assessed individual cognitions. Deliberations were videotaped and content‐analyzed. The results indicated that the initial vote distribution was a good predictor of the final verdict; majorities tended to prevail. Deliberation content was concentrated primarily in two areas: (a) the facts of the case and (b) statements of preference for guilty or not guilty verdicts. Path analyses suggested that decisions on the first charge were based jointly on the content of deliberations and on the group vote distribution, whereas decisions on later charges were based largely on normative pressures. Jurors' post‐deliberation impressions of the trial were affected by whether or not they had changed votes during deliberations.
Beginning Medical School: Determinants of Male and Female Emotional Reactions1
Authors: Alagna Sheryle W. , Morokoff Patricia J.
Published: August 2006

With the knowledge that medical students experience a variety of academic pressures as well as interpersonal stress during medical school, an assessment was made of emotional reactions among male and female students during the initial months of medical training. Questionnaires were completed at the start of school and 4 months later for the incidence of positive and negative emotions and tension‐related symptoms. Students also estimated their midterm grade point average (GPA) and rated the friendliness of their peers and their experience of sex discrimination. By midterm, all students experienced negative emotions and symptoms more frequently and positive emotions less frequently than at the beginning of the school year. Additionally, women students reported more negative affect and physical symptoms at both time points than men. Women also reported a greater decrease in positive emotions and perceived peer friendliness than men. Higher anticipated GPA was associated with more frequent experience of positive emotions and less frequent negative emotions and physical symptoms in both sexes, but this pattern was stronger for women than for men. The implications of these findings are discussed.
The Role of Eyewitness Confidence in Juror Perceptions of Credibility1
Authors: Whitley Bernard E. , Greenberg Martin S.
Published: August 2006

A review of the theory and research concerning factors affecting persuasion suggested the hypothesis that eyewitness confidence is an important factor in jurors' perceptions of the witness' credibility. Three experiments were conducted using mock jurors to test this hypothesis. Experiment I found that perceptions of credibility varied as a function of witness confidence. Experiment 2 found that perceptions of the accuracy of the witness' description and identification of the suspect varied as a function of her expertise, whereas perceptions of the accuracy of her account of the crime varied as a function of her confidence. Perceived expertise also varied as a function of witness confidence. Because Experiments 1 and 2 used college students as subjects, Experiment 3 was conducted to replicate these findings in an older subject sample. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Leadership in the Organizational Context: A Conceptual Approach and its Applications1
Authors: Mumford Michael D.
Published: August 2006

The present research reviewed the literature on leadership, and noted the lack of a well‐founded theoretical conception of leadership that would provide a general, cross‐situational approach to leadership identification and develoment. Subsequently, it was suggested systems theory might be used to gain some understanding of leadership as it occurs in bureaucratic organizations. This led to the hypothesis that formal leadership activities will always be focused on the attainment of certain goals specified in the leadership role, and so will represent a form of problem‐solving activity. The literature supporting this hypothesis was reviewed. The personal characteristics of a leader which would be likely to facilitate goal attainment and problem solving across situations were outlined as well as certain problem‐specific processes. Finally, some implications of this approach to leadership identification and development were considered.
Habla Ingles? The Effects of Language Translation on Simulated Juror Decisions1
Authors: Stephan CookieWhite , Stephan Walter G.
Published: August 2006

Two studies were conducted in which college students, acting as simulated jurors, heard the testimony of a defendant in an assault case. The testimony was presented in English or in another language (Spanish in Study 1 and Thai in Study 2) which was translated into English by an interpreter. In Study 1, non‐Hispanics judged the defendant to be more guilty than did Hispanics when the defendant's testimony was presented in Spanish than when it was presented in English. This bias was offset when the judge's instructions admonished the jurors to ignore the fact that the defendant's testimony was translated. Similarly, in Study 2, subjects (all non‐Thai) judged the defendent more guilty when his testimony was presented in Thai than when it was presented in English. Again, this bias was eliminated by the judge's instructions to the jurors to ignore the fact that the testimony was translated. The increased guilty verdicts for defendants who did not testify in English appeared to be due to prejudice and language ethnocentrism, the belief that defendants in U.S. courts should speak English.
Gender Bias in English: In Search of Fair Language
Authors: Sniezek Janet A. , Jazwinski Christine H.
Published: August 2006

Women's historical lack of prominence in Western culture has been the subject of much research and debate in recent years. One area of partiuclar concern has been language: the grammatical prescription of masculine words as generic to describe both men and women. In the service of equality between the sexes, it is crucial to demonstrate that “generic” masculine words are indeed interpreted as generic (equally inclusive of women and men) by language users. The research reported here manipulated gender neutrality of language descriptors to determine whether generic masculine nouns, pronouns, and possessive pronominal adjectives function more similarly to gender specific terms or neuter terms. The relative masculinity of responses to these terms was assessed within three different tasks (draw a picture, read an essay, and provide example names). In addition, the relative masculinity/femininity of 10 terms with various intended gender references was empirically assessed. Participants rated each of them using 14 adjectives taken from the Bern Sex Role Inventory. Results support and extend previous research by showing (1) that “generic” masculine nouns, pronouns, and adjectives function similarly to gender specific masculine terms and (2) that certain grammatically “neutral” terms are in fact rated as relatively masculine. This evidence demonstrates that the use of “generic” masculine and even other grammatically neutral terms in effect serves to exclude women from the English language. The resulting masculine bias in our language reflects and reinforces the pattern of male dominance in society.
Correlates of Children's Usage of Videogames and Computers1
Authors: Lin Sabrina , Lepper Mark R.
Published: August 2006

Fourth‐, fifth‐, and sixth‐grade students responded to a questionnaire concerning their experiences with electronic videogames and computers. Teacher ratings of academic achievement, personality characteristics, and behavior patterns were also obtained for each student. These data were used to examine a number of hypotheses concerning potential harmful or beneficial effects of electronic videogames on school‐age children, and to provide preliminary evidence concerning the correlates of computer usage by school‐age children. Videogame usage showed significant positive correlations with teacher ratings of impulsivity, significant negative correlations with ratings of academic achievement, and little relationship to rated sociability. Videogame use also proved positively related to other social activities and to microcomputer use.
Facial Recognition: Weapon Effect and Attentional Focus1
Authors: Tooley Vaijghn , Brigham John C. , Maass Anne , Bothwell Robert K.
Published: August 2006

The present experiment investigated the hypothesis that a weapon can serve as a cue that will interfere with the eyewitness’ encoding of the weapon‐holder's facial features. Extrapolating from Easterbrook's cue utilization hypothesis, an interaction between arousal and attentional focus was predicted. White female college students played a bogus visual discrimination game in which they saw a total of 24 target photos: six black targets holding a weapon in their hands, six white targets holding weapons, six black targets holding objects other than weapons, and six white targets holding objects other than weapons. Subjects were randomly assigned to view the photos while experiencing white noise and threat of electric shock (high arousal) or without such factors (low arousal). Subjects were also randomly assigned to one of four attentional focus levels: face focus, hand focus, background focus, and free focus. A signal detection‐type task provided an assessment of identification accuracy. The data revealed a significant “weapon effect”: Subjects were better at identifying photos of targets who were not holding a weapon than they were at identifying photos of targets who were holding a weapon. Focus of attention and race of target also significantly affected recognition accuracy, as did arousal in one of two analyses. No support was found, however, for the predicted interaction between arousal and attentional focus. Finally, subjects showed a strong criterion shift according to the race of target; they were much more likely to make a “seen before” response to other‐race (black) faces than to same‐race faces.
Research Integration for Psychologists: An Overview of Approaches1
Authors: Oliver Laurel W.
Published: August 2006

This article encourages psychologists to learn about and apply nontraditional (quantitative) approaches to research integration. Various research integration approaches (literary, vote‐counting, combining significance levels, and meta‐analytic) are summarized. Also discussed are the advantages of meta‐analytic approaches to research integration and some of the problems posed by the use of such quantitative procedures. Implications for psychology include more complete reporting of research results, integration of research in areas of interest to psychologists, and identification of research gaps.
Perception of Control and Faith in Experts Among Residents in the Vicinity of Three Mile Island1
Authors: Prince‐Embury Sandra , Rooney James F.
Published: August 2006

A survey of residents near the Three Mile Island nuclear generating facility four years after the accident explored the relationship of lack of perceived control over their lives, loss of faith in experts, and TMI‐related worry as a function of pre‐ versus post‐accident residence. Findings indicate that for residents who moved into the area after the accident, lack of perceived control relates to TMI‐specific worry, whereas for those present at the time of the accident, lack of perceived control relates to loss of faith in experts. Pre‐ versus post‐accident residents also differ in perceived lack of control and loss of faith in experts as a function of educational level.
Predicting Citizen Support of Tax Increases for Education: A Comparison of Two Social Psychological Perspectives
Authors: Rasinski Kenneth A , Rosenbaum Susan M.
Published: August 2006

A survey of citizen support of a proposal to increase property taxes for public education was conducted in a school district in Illinois. Two social psychological perspectives predicting support were tested. One perspective, derived from social exchange theory, predicted that citizens would base their support of or opposition to a tax increase primarily on perceived self‐interested economic gain or loss. A second perspective predicted that non‐self‐interested concerns, such as attitudes toward the schools, would determine support of or opposition to a tax increase. Although both models received support, the strongest and mat consistent predictors of tax support among those most likely to be voters were the non‐self‐interested factors. Implications of these findings for public policy and for understanding political behavior are discussed.
Autonomy as a Source of Pro‐social Influence Among Incarcerated Adolescents1
Authors: Martin Frank P. , Osgood D. Wayne
Published: August 2006

Previous research has found that greater autonomy for incarcerated adolescents is associated with pro‐social outcomes. The present paper interprets the pro‐social impact of autonomy in terms of three established lines of research in social psychology: leadership style, coercive social control, and reactance. In addition, it attempts to clarify whether autonomy in this setting has a direct influence on residents' values or an indirect influence resulting from an increase in residents' acceptance of the treatment goals. Data were collected by questionnaires administered to 434 residents and 156 staff members at four residential institutions for adjudicated adolescents. The data were analyzed using a structural equation model with unobserved variables (LISREL). A model positing both direct and indirect influences of autonomy fit the data very well. Autonomy contributed to pro‐social values both through greater acceptance of the treatment goals as well as through a direct influence on values.
The Effects of Clothing and Dyad Sex Composition on Perceptions of Sexual Intent: Do Women and Men Evaluate These Cues Differently1
Authors: Abbey Antonia , Cozzarelli Catherine , McLaughlin Kimberly , Harnish Richard J.
Published: August 2006

The effects of clothing revealingness and dyad‐sex composition on perceptions of male‐ and female‐stimulus persons' sexuality were examined. Based on Abbey's (1982) findings, we hypothesized that men would attribute more sexuality to both male and female targets than women would. Furthermore, we predicted that the difference between men's and women's sexuality ratings would be most divergent when a male‐female dyad was presented and when the female stimulus person wore revealing clothing. A laboratory study was conducted in which subjects viewed a photograph of two students in a classroom. As predicted, male subjects rated female targets as more sexy and seductive than did female subjects. Also as predicted, female targets who wore revealing clothing were rated as more sexy and seductive than those wearing nonrevealing clothing. Female targets were rated higher on sexual traits regardless of the gender of their partner. Men did not consistently perceive male stimulus persons more sexually than women did. Finally, both female and male targets were perceived as more kind and warm when they wore nonrevealing clothing. The implications of these findings for person perception and date rape research are described.
Affect and Performance on Cognitive Task as a Function of Crowding and Noise1
Authors: Nagar Dinesh , Pandey Janak
Published: August 2006

Sixty undergraduate males participated in an experiment with a 2 × 3 factorial design involving two levels of density and three levels of noise to demonstrate effects of the independent variables (density, noise) on cognitive task performance and affect. As predicted, it was found that crowding and noise lead to deterioration of subject's performance on cognitively complex tasks but not on simple (cognitive) task. Also, density and noise generated a negative feeling in the subjects. Significant two‐way interaction for complex task, showed variation in performance of Ss of high and low density under low and high noise conditions. In addition, crowded‐condition subjects reported more dissatisfaction about their performance and evaluated the presence of the experimenter as significantly less pleasant than their noncrowded‐condition counterparts.
Morale and its Components: A Cross‐National Comparison1
Authors: Gal Reuven , Manning Frederick J.
Published: August 2006

Two U.S. Army armored cavalry squadrons (N= 660), one in Europe (USAREUR), stationed on the East German border, and one in the continental U.S. (CONUS), were administered an English version of a questionnaire widely used in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to assess morale, cohesion and soldier perception of unit readiness for combat. Analysis of inter‐item correlations, including factor analyses, revealed a generally similar structure of morale in the U.S. units and a comparable IDF sample stationed along the Lebanon border (N= 1270). All three data sets were organized around a group factor, a leadership factor, and two individual factors, one personal and one professional. National differences were apparent with regard to the relationship between morale and perceived contribution to national security, confidence in weapons, and confidence in senior commanders. In several other respects the USAREUR unit resembled the IDF sample far more than it resembled its sister unit in the U.S. As a whole the data are consistent with the view that morale has relatively similar determinants across armies, but that both national characteristics and situational characteristics (e.g., proximity to a potential foe and/ or battlefield) play a role in the relative importance of these determinants.
Nuclear Waste: Facts, Fears, and Attitudes1
Authors: van , der Pligt Joop , Richard Eiser J. , Spears Russell
Published: August 2006

This study examined the effects of a television documentary about the safety of the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in the Northwest of England upon public attitudes. In a study of 805 respondents from four districts in the Southwest of England, we assessed attitudes and beliefs both before and after the documentary about Sellafield. Results indicated a significant attitude change in a more antinuclear direction. Respondents who had seen or heard about the events at Sellafield tended to be more antinuclear after the broadcast. Finally, respondents living close to the existing nuclear power stations in the Southwest of England tended to see the events at Sellafield as less serious than the remaining respondents. Furthermore, this difference in perceived seriousness between respondents living near a nuclear power station and the remaining respondents was much more pronounced in ratings of the environmental risks of the local nuclear power stations in Southwest England.
Attributions of Blame and Responsibility in Relation to Distress and Health Behavior Change in People with AIDS and AIDS‐related Complex1
Authors: Moulton Jeffrey M. , Sweet David M. , Temoshok Lydia , Mandel Jeffrey S.
Published: August 2006

There are conflicting views expressed in the literature about whether and under what conditions attributions of self‐responsibility or self‐blame for one's health affect such variables as distress, emotional adjustment, and adaptive coping. This study examined the impact of attributions of blame and responsibility for the cause and course of disease in 103 persons with the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS‐related complex (ARC). Attributing the cause of disease to the self was significantly positively correlated with dysphoria (a combined measure of depression, anxiety, and negative mood) in persons with ADS, whereas possible improvement attributed to the self was significantly negatively correlated with dysphoria in the ARC group. Persons with AIDS who attributed more responsibility for improvement to themselves also made more health behavior changes. Conversely, in the ARC group, health behavior change was not associated with attributing possible improvement to the self. We found no relationship between self‐blame and any of the distress or behavior measures. Our findings that the pattern of association between attribution of responsibility are different between persons with AIDS and ARC underscores the need to examine psychological processes within the context of particular health conditions. The results also suggest that attributing self‐responsibility for improvement does not have the negative psychological effects of “blaming the victim” as does attributing responsibility for the cause of AIDS to the self.
Effects of Recent and Past Stress on Mental Health: Coping with Unemployment Among Vietnam Veterans and Nonveterans1
Authors: Vinokur Amiram , Caplan Robert D. , Williams Cindy C.
Published: August 2006

To determine the additive as well as interactive effects of pre‐war stresses (adolescence), Vietnam war stresses (combat experiences) and post‐war stresses (job loss, other life events), interview data were collected from a sample of 486 males who were eligible for service during the Vietnam war era. Of these respondents, 297 had recently lost their job and thus became subjected to the stress of unemployment. Our findings, like those of others (Egendorf, Kadushin, Laufer, Rothbart, & Sloan, 1981; Boulanger, 1981), suggest that exposure to war produces long‐lasting effects on emotional well‐being. Similarly, stressful childhood and adolescence experiences also appear to be long‐lasting. In contrast to the long‐lasting effects of these past stresses, the harmful effects of unemployment on mental health are reversed when employment is regained. All of the past pre‐war and war stresses, and the recent unemployment and other stressful life events that were investigated had independent, adverse, main effects on mental health. Social support and internal control orientation had independent, positive, main effects on mental health. Of the various recent and past stresses, only the recent ones, unemployment and later unpleasant life events, had an additional exacerbating (interactive) effect on mental health.
Legitimizing Paltry Contributions: On‐the‐spot vs. Mail‐in Requests1
Authors: Reeves Robert A. , Macolini Ruthann M. , Martin Roy C.
Published: August 2006

Two versions of the legitimization‐of‐paltry‐contributions technique (Cialdini & Schroeder, 1976) were compared with respect to their effectiveness in generating compliance with requests for charitable donations. When immediate, on‐the‐spot donations were requested, the technique significantly increased compliance rates relative to control conditions; but when the respondents were asked to mail in their contributions, virtually none did. The results offered some support for an image‐maintenance explanation of the technique and were viewed as indicating that the effectiveness of the technique is reliable, but primarily under conditions that impose a high degree of situational constraint upon respondents. Implications of the results for door‐to‐door fundraising and for future research were discussed.
Information Consistency and Perceptual Set: Overcoming the Mental Retardation “Schema”1
Authors: Gibbons Frederick X. , Kassin Saul M.
Published: August 2006

Two factors that were thought to promote or inhibit schema‐based or stereotypic responding in impression formation were examined in two experiments. Subjects were asked to provide evaluations of artwork supposedly painted by either mentally retarded or nonretarded children. Based on previous research, it was assumed that subjects would expect relatively poor quality artwork from retarded children, which would he consistent with a negative schema that they maintain for this group. It was also predicted that this negative schema would result in cursory examinations and unfavorable evaluations of the retarded artists' artwork, but only when the evaluative conditions were conducive to schematic responding. Specifically, the schema effect was predicted to occur when the artwork was of poor quality and subjects were instructed to provide an overall evaluation of the painting rather than an assessment of its specific characteristics. No derogation was expected when these factors were not present. Results supported these hypotheses. Additional analyses indicated that subjects were conducting a cursory search of the target stimuli when conditions favored schema‐based responding.
Decision Making: Research and Theory Challenges for Applied Social Psychology
Authors: Streufert Siegfried
Published: August 2006

The potential for contributions by applied social psychology to decision research and theory is explored. Most decisions by groups and individuals are social in origin or impact, suggesting that social psychologists should consider decision making as a relevant topic. Early applied work is considered. Mathematical model approaches are explored. Both are found wanting, especially where we wish to apply our science to complex and multiple uncertain decision problems. Examples of recent relevant research that fit well into an applied social psychological framework are provided, indicating the variety of potential topics for investigations. Finally, the need for encompassing theory is considered. The characteristics of needed theory are discussed.
Heat and Violence: New Findings from Dallas Field Data, 1980–19811
Authors: Harries Keith D. , Stadler Stephen J.
Published: August 2006

Research in both laboratory and field settings has suggested a link between thermal stress and violent behavior, and both linear and curvilinear models have been investigated. A dearth of field studies prompted the analysis reported here, which is based on data for some 10,000 aggravated assaults occurring the City of Dallas in 1980 (a summer of severe heat stress) and 1981. This analysis replicates and extends certain aspects of recent work by Anderson and Anderson (1984) relating to the so‐called linear and curvilinear hypotheses. Thermal stress is measured in two ways: a Discomfort Index (DI), which takes into account the influence of humidity acting in concert with temperature, and ambient temperature. Regression analyses were performed in two stages. In the first, data for all neighborhoods and all days of the study period were combined into ambient temperature and DI models. At the second stage, models differentiated between the three levels of neighborhood socioeconomic status. With weekend controlled, DI and ambient temperature were significant independent variables in the ‘overall’ model and in medium and low status neighborhoods. However, when linear effects were controlled, the curvilinear measures were never significant. The analysis generally tended to confirm Anderson and Anderson's suggestion that a reduction of aggression with increasing temperature does not appear to occur within the normal range of temperatures. This analysis further suggested that the hypothesized curvilinear effect is weak, if not entirely absent, even during conditions of extreme heat.
Type A Behavior and Diabetic Control: Implications of Psychological Reactance for Health Outcomes1
Authors: Rhodewalt Frederick , Marcroft Marina
Published: August 2006

According to laboratory research, Type A coronary‐prone individuals are sensitive to threats to their personal control and react to such threats with active and often stressful coping responses. The present investigation tested the prediction that these features of Type A behavior would interfere with blood glucose regulation in insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus patients. Two independent hypotheses were investigated. Because elevated sympathetic arousal, a concomitant of stressful coping, is associated with elevated glucose levels, it was predicted that Type A diabetics experiencing high levels of life stress would display poorest blood glucose control (indexed by Hemoglobin A1c). The second hypothesis was derived from the observation that Type As are more likely than Type Bs to respond to control threats with reactance in order to restore the perception of control. Given that illness or treatment can reduce personal control, it was predicted that Type A diabetics would be most reactant and, thus, most medically noncompliant. To test these hypotheses, 37 Type 1 diabetics were assessed for Type A behavior, life change, attributional style, desire for control (both within treatment and in general), and specific perceptions of and actions to their diabetes. Type As were more likely than Type Bs to show poor blood glucose control. However, for patients in general, and Type As in particular, blood glucose regulation was not related to life stress. Rather, those Type As who displayed poor glucose control made more extreme self‐attributions about the cause of their diabetes, were angrier about it, and felt they should fight it. The implications of these findings for a reactance‐Type A model of medical compliance are discussed.
The Relative Effects of Verbal and Nonverbal Behavior, Appearance, and Social Skills on Evaluations Made in Hiring Interviews1
Authors: Riggio Ronald E. , Throckmorton Barbara
Published: August 2006

One hundred and two student volunteers were randomly assigned to either a lecture format interview training session or a no training condition. All subjects also completed a standardized measure of social skills. Each subject was then videotaped in a mock hiring interview. Groups of judges viewed the videotaped interviews and evaluated each subject's interview performance. Subjects were also rated on physical attractiveness and dress. Finally, a significant positive and negative verbal statements and a numbre of nonverbal cues occuring during the interviews were tallied. There were no significant effects for training on interview performance. The judges' evaluations were most strongly influenced by subjects' verbal behavior and appearance. Implications for interview training and interview evaluation processes are discussed.
Training for Dangerous Task Performance: The Effects of Expectations and Feedback1
Authors: Keinan Giora
Published: August 2006

The training of individuals to perform dangerous tasks confronts theorists and practitioners with a critical issue: To what extent should individuals be exposed during training to stressors that characterize the conditions under which the task will eventually be performed? The present study evaluated two variables that might help resolve this dilemma. The first, a personality variable, consists of a person's generalized expectation that he or she will not be physically hurt while exposed to danger. The other, which is more sitution‐specific, consists of the feeling of success or failure that the trainee experiences at the conclusion of training under physically dangerous conditions. The quality of soldiers' performance and the intensity of experienced stress were tested in a combat simulation. Individuals who tend to assign a low probability to their being physically injured in dangerous situations were found to benefit more from dangerous than from non‐dangerous training. The opposite was found for individuals who assign a high probability to their being injured in dangerous situations. Moreover, exposure to serious physical threats during training yielded better training results than training that did not involve such threats only when the subjects concluded their training with a feeling of success. The subjective feelings of success or failure had no effect, however, under training conditions that did not expose trainees to danger. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Effects of Playing Videogames on Children's Aggressive and Other Behaviors1
Authors: Schutte Nicola S. , Malouff John M. , Post‐Gorden Joan C. , Rodasta Annette L.
Published: August 2006

Noting the pervasiveness of videogames in American culture, the authors set out to examine the effects that playing videogames has on children. Thirty‐one children were matched on sex, randomly assigned to play either a violent (karate) videogame or a nonviolent (jungle vine swinging) videogame, and then observed during free play. The main results were that the children who had played the jungle swing videogame later played more with a jungle swing toy and that the children who played the violent videogame later showed more aggression. The authors interpreted the findings as an indication that young children who play videogames later tend to act similarly to how their videogame character acted.
Effects of Computer Privacy on Help‐Seeking1
Authors: Karabenick Stuart A. , Knapp John R.
Published: August 2006

Subjects (N= 28) performing a complex disjunctive concept‐formation task on a microcomputer were given the opportunity to seek help following failure to correctly identify concepts. The proportion of those seeking help was significantly greater when the source of help was the computer itself (86%) rather than another person (36%). Consistent with past research, those who did not ask for help gave reasons other than the potential negative social consequences of doing so. Self‐report data and a systematic test for the presence of experimenter‐induced demand ruled out several possible sources of confounding. The results have implications for designers of time‐sharing and networked computer systems.
Denial and Confirmatory Search: Paradoxical Consequences of Medical Diagnosis1
Authors: Croyle Robert T. , Sande Gerald N.
Published: August 2006

An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of medical diagnostic‐test results on illness appraisal and the recall of symptoms and behavior. Subjects were tested for a fictitious enzyme deficiency and were told either that the test result was positive (deficiency present) or that it was negative (deficiency absent). In addition, some of the subjects were told the test was accurate 95% of the time and others were told it was accurate 75% of the time. As predicted, subjects judged the enzyme deficiency as less serious and more prevalent when presented with positive test results. Subjects with positive test results also recalled more behaviors that had been labeled as risk factors. Although positive test subjects tended to report more deficiency‐related symptoms, diagnosis did not affect the free recall of general symptoms. In addition, information concerning the reliability of the diagnostic test had no effect on judgments or recall but did affect information seeking. Subjects with positive test results were less likely to request a definitive follow‐up test when their results were unreliable. The results are interpreted as evidence for independent confirmatory search and denial processes following medical diagnosis.
Local Opposition to the Construction of a Nuclear Power Station: Differential Salience of Impacts1
Authors: Eiser J. Richard , van der Pligt Joop , Spears Russell
Published: August 2006

This study examined attitudes among 290 residents of three villages in South‐West England toward proposals to build a nuclear power station nearby. Respondents were split into four groups according to whether they were neutral or in favor of a new power station either locally or elsewhere in the UK (Group PN), against one locally but neutral or pro elsewhere (LO), or moderately (MO) or extremely (XO) against a new power station both locally and elsewhere. The perceived impact of a nuclear power station on local life was assessed by 30 items. The PN group expected most benefit or least damage on all 30 items. On a majority of items the mean ratings of the LO group resembled those of the XO's more than did those of the MO's. A stepwise discriminant analysis yielded two interpretable functions. The first reflected a trend over the groups in the order PN‐LO‐MO‐XO and was marked particularly by concern with impact on personal peace of mind. The second fuction discriminated the LO's from the other groups, suggesting that they were relatively less concerned with specifically nuclear risks, but more concerned with environmental conservation.
Activism Against Nuclear Weapons Build‐up—Student Participation in the 1984 Primary Campaigns1
Authors: Waldron Ingrid , Baron Jonathan , Frese Michael , Sabini John
Published: August 2006

This study presents longitudinal data concerning factors that influence student participation in political campaigns for candidates opposed to nuclear weapons build‐up. Participation in campaigns was stimulated by nervousness about the nuclear arms race and the possibility of nuclear war, a feeling of moral obligation to act to try to prevent nuclear war, and several additional factors. The factors that contributed to participation in political campaigns are quite different from the factors found previously to be associated with other types of activism against nuclear weapons build‐up. These findings suggest varied strategies for recruiting people to participate in different types of activism.
The Effects of Task and Interpersonal Cohesiveness on Performance of a Disjunctive Group Task1
Authors: Zaccaro Stephen J. , McCoy M. Catherine
Published: August 2006

This experiment examined the effects of two different types of group cohesiveness on performance of a disjunctive task. Both interpersonal and task cohesiveness were varied independently. Results show that high levels of both types of cohesiveness were necessary for success on a task requiring group interaction. Groups high on one type of cohesiveness but low on another performed no better than groups low on both types of cohesiveness. These results suggest that cohesiveness should be conceptualized as a multidimensional rather than as a unitary variable. It is also suggested that the effects noted in the present study may well vary according to task characteristics.
Perceptions of Three Mile Island and Acceptance of a Nuclear Power Plant in a Distant Community
Authors: Hughey Joseph B. , Sundstrom Eric
Published: August 2006

Links between the accident at Three Mile Island (TMI) and attitudes among residents of a distant community toward a local nuclear power plant were examined. Interviews were conducted about 18 months after TMI with 213 residents of a nuclear host community concerning the effects of TMI, expectations about local events, and attitudes toward the local plant. Residents' perceptions of the importance of TMI in relation to their attitudes were associated with the perceived hazards of the local plant and with changes in attitudes over the past five years. A path analysis showed that the perceived influence of TMI was inversely related to local acceptance of the plant through expectations of local outcomes. Perceived hazards were more strongly related to the perceived influence of TMI than to expected economic benefits. Findings suggested a strong link between a distant event and local expectations and attitudes.
Are Volunteers More Committed Than Nonvolunteers?
Authors: Koslowsky Meni , Caspy Tamir , Lazar Menachem
Published: August 2006

Volunteers and nonvolunteers have generally been compared on demographic and personality data. Little research is available on attitudinal differences between these groups. As part of a large study on commitment to the police department, 215 officers were asked to participate in a two‐stage study. The first stage asked subjects to complete a large questionnaire that included a moral commitment scale and a calculative commitment scale. In order to analyze future behavior, participants were asked to supply their ID number. Results showed that volunteers were more committed than nonvolunteers, particularly on an identification with the organization factor. Some implications of the findings, as well as supportive data, are discussed.