bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social Contact, Loneliness, and Mass Media Use: A Test of Two Hypotheses1
Authors: Davis Mark H. , Kraus Linda A.
Published: August 2006

The possible connections between social variables such as frequency of social activity and subjective loneliness on the one hand, and extent of mass media use on the other, have received relatively little empirical attention. In this investigation, two related hypotheses concerning such links are proposed. The compensation hypothesis holds that persons with little social contact or greater loneliness will be more likely to utilize mass media to compensate for social impoverishment. The buffering hypothesis more specifically predicts that such compensation is effective; that is, persons “at risk” for loneliness because of diminished social contact may be at least partially protected from subjective loneliness due to heavy use of mass media. The hypotheses were tested in two samples: college students and a group of adolescent males attending a summer camp. Little support was found for the compensation hypothesis. While limited support was found for the buffering hypothesis, analyses also revealed an unexpected opposite effect; for the music variable, heavy media use actually intensified the association between social deficits and subjective loneliness. Some limitations of this study are discussed, and issues related to the unexpected “intensification” effects are presented.
Social Support and Depression in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A One‐Year Prospective Study1
Authors: Brown Gregory K. , Wallston Kenneth A. , Nicassio Perry M.
Published: August 2006

Previous research on patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has suggested that social support is beneficial for helping patients to adjust psychologically to the chronic and unpredictable episodes of pain. This study addresses whether support buffers the adverse effects of arthritis pain or whether support results in a decrease in the severity of pain regardless of pain levels in 233 RA patients. The results indicated that patients who reported higher satisfaction with their emotional support when experiencing higher levels of pain were less likely to be depressed than patients who do not perceive such support. The results were obtained after controlling the effects of demographic variables, functional disability variables, and the direct effects of pain and social support. However, moderating effects of emotional support were not found when this relationship was examined over a 6‐month period. Rather, causal modeling suggested that both pain and emotional support contributed to a change in depression over two 6‐month intervals. The results also suggested that depression may have an adverse effect on change in emotional support over a similar time frame.
Romantic Commitment and the Perceived Availability of Opposite‐Sex Persons: On Loving the One You're With1
Authors: Jemmott John B. , Ashby Karen L. , Lindenfeld Kathryn
Published: August 2006

This article reports a study that examined whether perceptions of the availability of members of the opposite sex are related to commitment to romantic relationships among students at two colleges. Analyses of students' anonymous questionnaire responses reveal that students who perceived that there were relatively few members of the opposite sex on their college's campus were more committed to their romantic relationship, considered their relationship to be more attractive, and invested more in it compared with other students. These relations involving the perceived opposite‐sex ratio did not vary as a function of the length of the romantic involvement or the students' gender, race, or college. The perceived opposite‐sex ratio was significantly related to the actual opposite‐sex ratio, but the latter was not significantly related to commitment, investments, or perceived attractiveness of the relationship. Considering the sample as a whole, the students overestimated the availability of opposite‐sex persons. It is concluded that perceptions of the availability of persons of the opposite sex may affect the dynamics of relationships between men and women. Implications of the findings for social exchange theories are discussed.
Geographic Mobility and the Two‐Earner Couple: Expected Costs of a Family Move
Authors: Shaklee Harriet
Published: August 2006

Current evidence indicates that people are less likely to make work‐related moves when their spouses are employed, perhaps reflecting the expected adverse effects of the move on the earnings of the tied spouse. These studies investigated people's expectations about the effect of a job‐related move on the employment opportunities of the tied spouse. Subjects expected that tied moves would have especially adverse consequences for the careers of well paid spouses, with those effects expected to be greater for moves to small towns than to big cities. Findings are discussed in relation to the actual moving trends of two‐earner couples.
The Importance of Contraceptive Attributes Among College Students
Authors: Murray Joan , Harvey S. Marie , Beckman Linda J.
Published: August 2006

This study assessed how ratings of the importance of contraceptive attributes varied with gender, age, relationship status, and contraceptive method usually used. In a classroom setting, 210 male and 217 female university students completed the 55‐item Contraceptive Attribute Questionnaire (CAQ). Significant differences on importance ratings were found between women and men, age groups, women using barrier methods and women using the pill, and by relationship status. The underlying dimensions of the CAQ were investigated through factor analysis, and somewhat different factors emerged for men and women. Implications for the provision of family planning services to college students are discussed.
Heat and Violence in the Dallas Field Data: Linearity, Curvilinearity, and Heteroscedasticity1
Authors: Bell Paul A. , Fusco Marc E.
Published: August 2006

Harries and Stadler (1988) observed only a positive linear trend, with no curvilinear relationship, between heat and violence in their 1980–81 Dallas field data. When Cotton (1986) observed similar trends in his data, we noted that in fact the variance in violence increases with temperature (Bell & Fusco, 1986). We report here similar statistically significant heteroscedasticity in the Harries and Stadler data. We propose that both aggressive and escape tendencies increase with high ambient temperatures, such that in some circumstances aggression will decline under very hot and uncomfortable conditions. We conclude that the negative affect escape model of the temperature‐aggression relationship is neither dead cold nor hot and bothered.
Perceived and Actual Discrimination in the Salaries of Male and Female Managers1
Authors: Frieze Irene Hanson , Olson Josephine E. , Good Deborah Cain
Published: August 2006

This study uses a sample of over 1000 MBA graduates from a Middle Atlantic University to test for sex differences in perceived discrimination and for the actual effects of various physical characteristics and background factors on the starting salaries and later (1983) salaries of these men and women managers. Women more often reported experiencing discrimination, and they typically identified this as general discrimination against women. Fewer men perceived any discrimination. Those men who did claimed to be the victims of affirmative action programs favoring women and blacks over them. Salary data indicated that women did earn less than men, even when controlling for work experience. Evidence for other forms of discrimination was also found. Controlling for prior work experience and year of first professional employment, age and height had a positive effect on men's starting salaries and being overweight, a negative effect. For women, starting salaries were significantly and positively affected by social class. For 1983 income, taller, non‐overweight, and older men earned more, as did those who grew up in a higher social class. For women, a positive salary correlate was again being from a higher social class. Areas for future research are discussed.
Attributions for Blue‐Collar and White‐Collar Crime: The Effects of Subject and Defendant Race on Simulated Juror Decisions1
Authors: Gordon Randall A.
Published: August 2006

Ninety‐six undergraduate and graduate students participated in a study that examined the effects of subject and defendant race on attributions made for a blue‐collar (burglary) and a white‐collar (embezzlement) crime. It was predicted that attributions for race stereotypic defendants (e.g., a white embezzler) would be internal (dispositional), that attributions for race nonstereotypic defendants (e.g., a black embezzler) would be external, and that attributions would be related to jail sentences. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive one of four crime descriptions that varied in terms of defendant race (black or white) and type of crime (burglary or embezzlement) committed. Subjects were subsequently asked to recommend jail sentences and to respond to items regarding the probable cause of the defendant's behavior. As predicted, race stereotypic crimes were perceived as being due to internal factors and the hypothesized relationship between attributions and jail sentences received partial support. The application of attributional models to the study of juror decision‐ making is discussed.
Professorial Prestige as a Function of Discipline and Gender
Authors: Kanekar Suresh
Published: August 2006

To examine gender bias in professional prestige, 200 male and 200 female undergraduate students of Bombay University were asked to rate the respectability of 20 academic disciplines, each with male and female incumbents (e.g., a male professor of anthropology, a female professor of anthropology, etc.)‐ The study thus had a 2 (subject's sex) × 2 (incumbent's gender) × 20 (academic disciplines) mixed ANOVA design with incumbent's, that is, professor's gender and disciplines as within‐subjects factors. All the main and interaction effects were significant. The results showed an overall higher respectability rating of the female professor as compared to her male counterpart, this difference being stronger with female subjects than with male subjects. More importantly, the higher respectability rating of the female professor vis‐à‐vis the male professor was found to hold only for lower ranked disciplines.
Buffalo Creek Survivors in the Second Decade: Comparison with Unexposed and Nonlitigant Groups1
Authors: Green Bonnie L. , Grace Mary C. , Lindy Jacob D. , Gleser Goldine C. , Leonard Anthony C. , Kramer Teresa L.
Published: August 2006

This study investigated the second‐decade effects of the Buffalo Creek dam collapse and flood that occurred in West Virginia in 1972. One hundred twenty‐one survivors who had participated in an earlier lawsuit against the coal company that built the collapsed dam were compared to 78 nonlitigant survivors on self‐reported symptoms, clinical ratings, and diagnoses. A nonexposed sample from a geographically and culturally similar neighborhood was investigated as well. Findings showed no differences between the litigant and nonlitigant survivor groups. The survivor groups together showed higher rates of anxiety, depression, and hostility symptoms and diagnoses than the nonexposed sample. The findings were discussed in the context of the nature of the traumatic event, social and cultural influences on recovery, and the constellation of symptoms which differentiated the groups.
Received and Perceived Social Support Following Natural Disaster1
Authors: Kaniasty Krzysztof Z. , Norms Fran H. , Murrell Stanley A.
Published: August 2006

Because they were participating in a concurrent panel study, 222 older adults had been asked how much help they would expect to receive in a hypothetical emergency before experiencing two separate floods. For the subsample suffering losses or injuries during the floods, Study 1 examined the accuracy of their expectations, as well as possible changes in them, as a result of help actually received. Generally, victims received much less help than they had expected to receive prior to the floods. Preflood expectation of support predicted help from kin, whereas loss and education predicted help from nonkin sources. However, subsequent expectations did not change as a result of the level of help received. Using the total sample, Study 2 examined the broader issue of whether the disaster itself affected subsequent perceptions of support. Flood exposure, as measured at both individual and community levels, was associated with declines in perceptions of support and social participation.
The Spinal Cord Injured Revisited: The Relationship Between Self‐Blame, Other‐Blame and Coping
Authors: Sholomskas Diane E. , Steil Janice M. , Plummer Jack K.
Published: August 2006

Self‐blame has been viewed as functional for victims' adjustment to negative life events. This perspective has been primarily based on the findings of Bulman and Wortman's 1977 study of the spinal cord injured. The present study replicates and extends the Bulman and Wortman study, using similar measures on a comparable sample and comparable life event. Patients did not differentiate among the concepts of responsibility, fault, and blame for the cause of the accident. Patients were behavioral rather than characterological self‐blaming and alcohol use prior to the accident was the best predictor of self‐blame. Attributions of responsibility for the cause of the event versus responsibility for rehabilitation (sequelae of the event) did not distinguish effective from ineffective copers. Bulman and Wortman's (1977) single‐item measure of coping correlated with this study's multidimensional assessment of coping. There was no relationship between patients' attributions of self‐blame and nurse's ratings of patients' coping but other‐blame was associated with poorer coping.
Persuasiveness of Nationalistic Advertisements
Authors: Pedic Fadil
Published: August 2006

A series of three experiments aimed to test persuasiveness of corporate image advertisements that appeal to nationalistic Australian symbols. In Experiment 1, 59 Psychology 1 students were shown two nationalistic advertisements and 32 students were shown two nonnationalistic advertisements from the same corporations. Only one nationalistic advertisement proved more persuasive than its non‐nationalistic counterpart, and this effect was unrelated to the patriotism of subjects. In Experiment 2, the persuasive nationalistic advertisement from Experiment 1 proved more persuasive than its nonnationalistic counterpart but only for subjects that felt‘Australian' (n= 50), not for those who felt‘Un‐Australian' (n= 50). To generalize beyond a single advertisement and beyond a college sample, Experiment 3 exposed a group low on Australian nationalism (n= 32) and a group high on nationalism (n= 32) to 15 advertisements varying in nationalistic content. “High nationalism” subjects judged highly nationalistic advertisements as most convincing in persuading them to‘like the company and cosmopolitan advertisements as least convincing. The opposite was true for‘low nationalism” subjects. Nationalistic corporate image advertisements are therefore only effective with highly nationalistic subjects.
Predictors of College Students' Levels of Knowledge and Concern about Nuclear War
Authors: Russo Thomas J. , Lyon Mark A.
Published: August 2006

There is a growing interest regarding college student attitudes, knowledge, and concern about the potential threat of nuclear war. The present study attempted to identify salient political, psychological, and educational variables that might account for differing levels of concern and knowledge about nuclear war among college students. The results of two multiple regression analyses indicated that a greater interest in international affairs, less trust in government, more exposure to sources of nuclear war information, and being female contributed to greater concern about nuclear war. Having more political knowledge in general, being male, being more a Democrat than Republican, and having a greater interest in international affairs contributed to more knowledge about nuclear war. The results are discussed in light of their implications for university education.
Oligopoly Bargaining: Effects of Agreement Pressure and Opponent Strategies
Authors: Esser James K. , Calvillo Michael J. , Scheel Michael R. , Walker James L.
Published: August 2006

Previous research on oligopoly bargaining has shown soft strategies to be superior to tough strategies and has suggested that this effect may be moderated by agreement pressure. However, previous research is difficult to interpret because the effects of strategy changes and subsequent strategies have not been adequately tested. Female students from introductory psychology classes were assigned the role of buyers and bargained with initially soft or tough and subsequently soft or tough programmed (seller) strategies under low or high agreement pressure. Subjects had the opportunity to bargain with the strategy (seller) of their choice and to change sellers at any time. As hypothesized, soft seller strategies were found to be superior to tough strategies. In addition, the superiority of soft seller strategies was increased by low agreement pressure.
The Influence of Source Physical Attractiveness on Advertising Effectiveness: A Functional Perspective1
Authors: DeBono Kenneth G. , Telesca Christine
Published: August 2006

High and low self‐monitors heard either a physically attractive or unattractive source promote a new product with either strong or weak arguments. High self‐monitors were persuaded by the physically attractive source only when she presented strong arguments. In contrast, low self‐monitoring individuals were persuaded by the physically attractive source regardless of argument strength. Neither high nor low self‐monitors were persuaded by the physically unattractive source, regardless of the quality of the arguments she offered. Cognitive response and recall data suggest that high self‐monitors may have been systematically processing the physically attractive source's message and low self‐monitors may have been more heuristically processing her message. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for advertising strategies.
Encouraging College Males to Perform Testicular Self‐Examination: Evaluation of a Persuasive Message Based on the Revised Theory of Reasoned Action1
Authors: Brubaker Robert G. , Fowler Christopher
Published: August 2006

This study evaluated the effect of a persuasive message derived from a revised version of the theory of reasoned action on the performance of testicular self‐examination (TSE). Subjects (114 male college students) were randomly assigned to listen to a taped persuasive message challenging unfavorable outcome beliefs (as suggested by the theory of reasoned action), a message on testicular cancer information, or no message. All subjects then completed a questionnaire operationalizing the components of the theory of reasoned action (revised to incorporate self‐efficacy). As predicted, there was a significant relationship between exposure to the persuasive message and self‐reported TSE performance (χ2(2) = 15.66, p < .0001). Sixty‐three (71.23%) of the subjects contacted at a 4‐week follow‐up reported performing the exam. Of those, 44.23% had heard the theory‐based message, 36.54% had heard the informational message, and 19.23% had not been exposed to a message. A path analysis of the relationships among components of the theoretical model provided partial support for the hypothesized causal pathways between message exposure and TSE intention and behavior.
Mock Juror Attribution of Criminal Responsibility: Effects of Race and the Guilty But Mentally III (GBMI) Verdict Option1
Authors: Poulson Ronald L.
Published: August 2006

The present study examined three questions relevant to the insanity defense: Does the availability of the alternative verdict “Guilty But Mentally III” affect juror assessment of criminal responsibility? Does race of defendant significantly affect juror decision‐making about who should be acquitted under the insanity defense? And does race of victim significantly influence how jurors decide their final insanity defense verdicts? Race of defendant (black or white), race of victim (black or white), and verdict choice set [(Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI), Guilty, and Not Guilty) vs. (Guilty but Mentally III (GBMI), NGRI, Guilty, and Not Guilty)] were systematically varied. The mock‐trial was presented to 197 college student subjects by means of an audiotape and slide show. Following the re‐enacted trial, subjects answered a series of questions regarding the case. The main dependent variable was the rendered verdict. Both χ2loglinear analyses revealed a significant relationship between race of defendant and verdict such that the defendant, when presented as black, was acquitted NGRI significantly more often than when the defendant was presented as white. No significant effects were found for race of victim. The availability of the GBMI verdict option resulted in a twofold effect: There was a two‐thirds reduction in both NGRI and straight guilty verdicts when the GBMI verdict option was made available. The implications for legal policy and future research are discussed.
Some Considerations in the Study of Traumatic Stress1
Authors: Kasl Stanislav V.
Published: August 2006

This paper examines the concept of traumatic stress within the broad domain of current stress and health research. The unique nature of “trauma” is rejected because a) clear defining criteria for a unique stimulus condition do not exist, and b) studies of special outcomes, such as PTSD, can be done without postulating a unique stimulus condition. Instead, an integration of the different areas of stress research is advocated. The paper offers methodological recommendations about measurement, which are offered within a framework that emphasizes assessments of objective dimensions of stressful exposures.
Stressors: Continuous and Discontinuous
Authors: Breslau Naomi
Published: August 2006

DSM‐III defined PTSD as a syndrome that follows exposure to a special class of stressors, that is, events that are outside the range of usual human experience. The definition of the PTSD stressor in DSM‐III is ambiguous: It is unclear if it depends on a quantitative or qualitative difference. Furthermore, although a body of literature had described psychologic reactions to war and civilian catastrophes, there was at the time little empirical support for a strong and unique association between the PTSD symptom cluster and a special class of stressors. The revised definition of PTSD in DSM‐III‐R has not clarified the PTSD stressor criterion. However, changes were made in the criterial symptoms. Symptoms of avoidance were moved from the “Miscellaneous” to the “Numbing” category. The change was not based on empirical evidence; it was based instead on an untested psychologic paradigm about traumatic neurosis. Suggestions are made for future research to test the assumptions embedded in the PTSD definition.
Methodological Issues in the Assessment of Traumatic Events1
Authors: Bromet Evelyn J.
Published: August 2006

Three sets of challenges in assessing traumatic events are discussed: Understanding the sequelae of such events and their implications for the timing of longitudinal data collection; obtaining information on the objective severity of such crises for the individuals affected; and determining the social and environmental context in which such extreme situations occur. Given the complexity of events that ensue from a traumatic experience and the need to understand their mental health consequences, a semistructured approach to measurement is recommended.
The Person Positivity and Principal Actor Hypotheses1
Authors: Granberg Donald , Holmberg Sören
Published: August 2006

Data from election studies in Sweden, the Netherlands, and the U.S. were analyzed to test the external validity of Sears' person positivity hypothesis. Although people in Sweden and the Netherlands did not rate their preferred party less favorably than that party's leader, overall the results in those two countries tended to support the person positivity hypothesis. However, the U.S. data indicated, contrary to the person positivity hypothesis, that people rated political parties more favorably than the nominees, or the people competing for the nominations, of those parties. An alternative, the principal actor hypothesis, was offered which is compatible with the data from all three countries. This hypothesis is that positivity or leniency will be extended in judgments that do not involve the principal actors in a political system. This accords with our findings that in the strong party systems of Sweden and the Netherlands, parties are judged less favorably than party leaders, while in the weak party system of the U.S., parties are judged more favorably than the individuals nominated by the parties.
Social Support and Demographic Factors Influencing Compliance of Hemodialysis Patients1
Authors: Boyer Cherrie B. , Friend Ronald , Chlouverakis Gregory , Kaloyanides George
Published: August 2006

The relationships between measures of social support, demographic and situational factors, and regimen compliance were examined among 60 in‐center hemodialysis patients. Data were obtained from structured interviews, self‐report questionnaires, and information from the medical records of each patient. Correlational analyses indicate that social support is significantly related to regimen compliance, as measured by potassium, phosphorus, and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). Contrary to prediction, this relationship disappears when the effects due to the demographic and situational factors are first removed from the regression equations. Age, gender, and length of time on dialysis are also significant predictors of compliance. These findings suggest
Consenting to Donate Organs: Whose Wishes Carry the Most Weight?
Authors: Harris Richard Jackson , Jasper John David , Lee Brian C. , Miller Kyle E.
Published: August 2006

An experimental simulation methodology examined how people weigh the wishes of the donor and the next‐of‐kin in recommending whether the latter should consent to donate the organs of a deceased loved one. Subjects read several brief stories, each describing a young adult who had died suddenly and whose kin faced the decision of whether to donate their loved one's organs. Each scenario had four versions, identical except for minor wording changes providing information about the organ donation wish of the potential donor and the next‐of‐kin. Subjects indicated “yes,”“no,” or “I'm undecided” about whether the kin should donate the organs. Subjects weighted the wishes of the deceased much more heavily than their own or those of the next‐of‐kin when those wishes were stated directly. When the deceased's wishes had to be inferred indirectly, attitudes of the next‐of‐kin and the experimental subject affected the decision much more. Implications for organ procurement practice are considered.
Integration of Mitigation, Intention, and Outcome Damage Information, by Students and Circuit Court Judges1
Authors: Howe Edmund S.
Published: August 2006

This article examines the problem of how undergraduate students and State Circuit Court Judges combine three specific components of information (pertaining to mitigation, intention, and seriousness of outcome damage) to make a net evaluative judgment of blame. The problem is considered within the framework and philosophy of Anderson's information integration and functional measurement theory. In three experiments, two levels each of the three information components identified were factorially crossed for two independent cases: self‐defense under provocation, and altruistic defense of another. Target stimuli consisted of 100‐word scenarios each embodying one factorial treatment combination. Experiment 1 used an independent group and Experiment 2 a repeated measures design. Experiment 3 replicated the second experiment using Judges as subjects. It was found that students integrated mitigation, intention, and outcome damage information by an adding process, and that the results concerning these three independent variables were essentially similar for both types of design. The most striking differences between Judges' and students' judgments centered on the differential use of mitigation information. Judges showed a far broader range of nonadditive, simple interaction effects between mitigation and both outcome damage and type of case. These results presumably reflect the primary concerns and responsibilities of the Judiciary. Questions of mitigation may thus complicate the otherwise straightforward additive integration of information in the intent‐damage paradigm, and in judgments of seriousness.
Using Hypothetical and Actual Applicants in Assessing Person‐Organization Fit: A Methodological Note
Authors: Cleveland Jeanette N.
Published: August 2006

The relationship between a group's self‐stereotype and the group's perceptions of the suitability of the applicant to enter the group was examined using hypothetical and actual applicants. Results indicated that the greater the similarity of the description of a hypothetical applicant to the group's self‐stereotype, the higher the applicant's suitability ratings. A similar relationship was found using actual applicants to these same groups. Methodological implications of using actual and experimentally generated stimulus materials in research on selection decisions are discussed.
The Balance of Power: Effects of Role and Market Forces on Negotiated Outcomes1
Authors: Olekalns Mara
Published: August 2006

Role and market forces provide two sources of power that affect negotiated outcomes. To test their effects, 48 subjects participated in one of two negotiation markets that favored either buyers or sellers. Profit was influenced by both power sources: Buyers outperformed sellers, and negotiators in a favorable market outperformed negotiators in an unfavorable market. This effect was shown to be additive, indicating that the effects of the two sources of power were independent of one another. Whereas negotiators advantaged by market forces showed increases in profit over time, profits for negotiators disadvantaged by the market remained stable. Joint profit rose throughout both markets. However, this did not reflect increasing integrativeness in the markets; rather, the increase could be attributed to increases in high power negotiator profits. Markets became more distributive over time, and both the effectiveness and efficiency of bargaining decreased, particularly in the market favoring buyers.
Evaluation of A Single Presentation Format For Education About Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Disease1
Authors: Gard Lawrence H. , Sheridan Kathleen , Costantini Maria F. , Humfleet Gary
Published: August 2006

This study explored the efficiency and effectiveness of a single presentation format for education about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease. Pretraining and posttraining questionnaires assessing knowledge and risk assessment were given to police officers attending a two‐hour seminar on HIV disease. A one‐way ANOVA was used to compare posttraining scores of 42 officers who attended the seminar one year ago with the pretraining scores of 63 officers currently attending the seminar, some of whom had attended the seminar one year earlier. Significant differences were found on knowledge items (p < .05). Post hoc analysis revealed no significant decline in knowledge scores after one year, while pretraining knowledge scores for those who had attended the seminar before were significantly greater than for those who had not. No significant differences were found on risk assessment items, suggesting that beliefs about on the job risk have become part of the officers' common culture.
The Mediational Role of Perceived Competence in Psychological Adjustment to Rheumatoid Arthritis1
Authors: Smith Craig A. , Dobbins Carolyn J. , Wallston Kenneth A.
Published: August 2006

Chronic illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have been linked to poor psychological adjustment, although individual differences in this relationship have been observed. This study examines the role of perceived competence as a mediator between RA and adjustment. Persons with RA (N= 208) were surveyed three times at 6‐month intervals concerning several potential antecedents of adjustment (pain, psychosocial impairment, social support, and control beliefs), self‐perceived level of competence, and level of adjustment (life satisfaction and depressive symptomatology). Within each observational period strong evidence was obtained for perceived competence as a mediator of adjustment. Longitudinally (across the year) the data were consistent with a mediational model, but strong evidence establishing mediation was not obtained. Implications of these findings, and the importance of examining the role of perceived competence in adaptation to chronic illness, are discussed.
The Role of Theory in Testing Hypothesized Interactions: An Example from the Research on Escalation of Commitment1
Authors: Schoorman F. David , Bobko Philip , Rentsch Joan
Published: August 2006

Theory should guide the choice of analytic strategy in testing research hypotheses. This thesis is developed primarily with respect to the testing of interaction hypotheses, with some discussion of the implications for testing hypotheses regarding main effects. Previously published data on the escalation bias (Schoorman, 1988) are re‐analyzed using planned contrasts, two‐way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and regression analyses using dummy and effect coded variables, with both simultaneous and hierarchical entry. Each analysis yields different results, which demonstrates that different analytic strategies can lead to conflicting interpretations regarding the theory of interest. The reasons for these differences and the implications of these findings for the choice of analytic strategies are discussed.
The Social Psychology of Jury Nullification: Predicting When Jurors Disobey the Law1
Authors: Wiener Richard L. , Habert Kristen , Shkodriani Gina , Staebler Caryn
Published: August 2006

The United States judiciary assumes jurors obey the law as it is charged to them in the trial judge's instructions. This paper contends that jurors' comprehension of the law results from an active intelligence which makes available alternative decision rules giving rise to the power of juries to nullify instructions. To study the compliance assumption, we presented to mock jurors pattern jury instructions along with summaries of testimonies from a rape trial. Four times during the trial we administered to participants measures of their attributions of defendant responsibility, judgments about the legal elements of the case, and verdicts. Multiple regressions conducted with data from separate subsamples and with separate questionnaire administrations revealed that a) verdicts were based on attributions independent of the jury instructions, b) individual differences in life experiences predicted the degree to which decision makers used their attributions, and c) the more practiced participants were at applying the jury instructions the more heavily they weighed their own attributions and less heavily the judgments required by the law. We concluded that comprehension alone cannot predict the likelihood that jurors will comply with the law. Therefore, the assumption that jurors follow the law needs to be more carefully considered.
Exchange Ideology as a Moderator of Job Attitudes‐Organizational Citizenship Behaviors Relationships1
Authors: Witt L. Alan
Published: August 2006

Following work on organizational citizenship behaviors (cf. Organ, 1988). the present study examined job satisfaction, perceptions of organizational support, and organizational commitment as predictors of organizational citizenship behaviors. Regression analyses on data collected from workers in a small tooling plant indicated that exchange ideology moderated the relationships between ratings of OCB's and organizational support scores. For tool workers whose attitudes and behaviors were more dependent on organization reinforcement, OCB ratings were positively related to organizational support. However, for those whose attitudes and behaviors were more independent of organization reinforcement. OCB ratings were considerably less related to organizational support scores. The pattern was similar for OCB ratings and job satisfaction scores. These data are consistent with those reported previously (e.g., Eisenberger. Huntington. Hutchinson, & Sowa, 1986) and suggest that the salience of job attitudes in the decision to manifest organizational citizenship behaviors may be influenced by the individual's exchange ideology.
Are Written Reports of Suicide and Seeking Help Contagious? High Schoolers' Perceptions1
Authors: Ann Pearson Gibson Jeffie , Rang Lillian M.
Published: August 2006

To assess contagion for suicide and seeking mental health help, 128 high school students read a short vignette about a teen under stress. Half of them were told that this teen knew someone in the community who had similar problems and had committed suicide, and half were told that the teen knew someone in the community who had similar problems and had sought help from a mental health professional. A 2 (Gender of Respondent) × 2 (Gender of Victim) × 2 (Vignette: Response to Stress) analysis of variance indicated a significant main effect for response, and a significant two‐way interaction for gender of respondent and response to stress. These high school students thought contagion occurred for suicide as well as seeking mental health help. Girls tended to be more responsive to seeking help, whereas boys were slightly more responsive to suicide. An implication is that publicity about seeking help may ameliorate suicidal contagion.
The Acquaintance Predicament of a Rape Victim1
Authors: Kanekar Suresh , Shaherwalla Asma , Franco Bunny , Kunju Theresa , Pinto Anita J.
Published: August 2006

The acquaintance predicament of a rape victim was examined in six experiments with between‐subjects designs with samples drawn from the undergraduate student population of the University of Bombay. The experiments used rape vignettes for the manipulation of all independent variables except subject's sex and were done in three pairs such that each pair had the same independent variables and first dependent measure, namely, recommended years of imprisonment for the rapist. The second dependent measure was attributed victim's fault in the first experiment and perceived likelihood of rape in the second experiment of each pair. The first pair of experiments had a 2 (subject's sex) × 2 (acquainted vs. unacquainted rapist) × 3 (rapist's status: manager, stenotypist, or watchman) × 2 (complaint vs. no complaint by victim) design, with the rape victim being described as a stenotypist. The second pair of experiments differed from the first pair in only one respect, with victim's marital status (married vs. divorced victim) replacing the independent variable of complaint of the first pair. The third pair of experiments had a 2 (subject's sex) × 2 (physically hurt vs. not hurt victim) × 5 (rapist's relationship with victim: husband, fiance, friend, acquaintance, or stranger) design. Female subjects, as compared to male subjects, recommended longer imprisonment for the rapist, attributed less fault to the victim, and perceived greater likelihood of rape. The victim was attributed less fault in case of stranger rape versus acquaintance rape and also less fault in the complaint versus the no complaint condition. Longer imprisonment was recommended for the rapist when the victim was physically hurt rather than not hurt.
A Comparison of Anglo‐American and Mexican‐American Jurors' Judgments of Mothers Who Fail to Protect Their Children from Abuse1
Authors: Hosch Harmon M. , Chanez Gloria J. , Bothwell Robert K. , Munoz Henry
Published: August 2006

Two studies were conducted to determine if people with an individualist cultural background differ from those with a collectivist cultural background (Triandis, 1990) in their adjudication of mothers who fail to protect their children from abuse. In the first study, 452 students evaluated the case of a mother accused of failure to protect her son from physical abuse. In the second study, an additional 334 subjects considered a case of a mother's failure to protect her daughter from sexual abuse. While the verdicts depended on the gender of the juror, female jurors were significantly more likely to convict the defendant; the verdict was independent of ethnicity. However, ethnicity did influence sentencing and whether the juror recommended that the defendant serve time. The results are discussed in terms of cultural influences on discretionary decisions.
Ambiguity and Guilt Determinations: A Modern Racism Perspective1
Authors: Pfeifer Jeffrey E. , Ogloff James R. P.
Published: August 2006

Studies documenting the existence of prejudice in simulated juror ratings of guilt may not be directly generalizable to legal applications due to a failure to include jury instructions. Jury instructions specifying the conditions required to find a defendant guilty may serve to dissipate juror's overt prejudices. In order to investigate this hypothesis, participants read a transcript of a trial in which the race of the victim and the defendant were varied. In addition, half the participants were given jury instructions which specified the elements of the crime, and noted that in order to find the defendant guilty each element had to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Participants were then asked to rate the guilt of the defendant. Results replicated earlier studies which found that participants overwhelmingly rate black defendants guiltier than white defendants, especially when the victim is white. However, these differences disappeared when participants were provided with jury instructions. The findings are discussed with regard to the theory of modern racism.
Conceptions of Parenthood
Authors: Chaffin Roger , Winston Morton
Published: August 2006

The everyday concept “parent” includes a central prototype and less typical subtypes, such as stepparent, adoptive parent, and foster parent. We studied informants' concept of “parent” by constructing typical and atypical scenarios in which people become parents: planned and unplanned pregnancy, unmarried parents, abandonment, divorce, stepparent/child, adoption, pregnancies resulting from rape, and situations involving medical technology and contract motherhood. The parental role of each of the characters in the scenarios was characterized in terms of seven attributes of parenthood. Unmarried undergraduate informants rated the claim of each of the characters to be a parent of the child. Characters whose parental contribution was more similar to the prototype case were seen as having stronger claims. The most important attributes were, in order: intention to raise the child, gestation, genetic contribution, provision of nurture, and intention to create a baby. All informants appeared to make use of three principles involved in everyday, informal explanations of how a person becomes a parent. Parental consent, the predominant principle for both men and women, was given more weight by women; maternal investment in gestation was given equal weight by both sexes, and genetic contribution was given more weight by men.
Quality of Information and Availability of Social Indices1
Authors: Mullet Etienne , Neto Felix
Published: August 2006

Quality of 14‐to 16‐year‐olds information about occupations was studied. The results show that in general, the degree of correspondence between adolescents and experts was not extremely high (70%); similarly, no major differences were associated with gender, SES, or habitat (rural vs. urban). The quality of information adolescents have at their disposal as concerns a dimension such as Income or Contacts for example depends to a greater extent on the richness of the set of social indices for the dimension than to the importance this dimension can take on in determining occupational preference.
Responses to Persons with AIDS: Fear of Contagion or Stigma?1
Authors: Bishop George D. , Alva Albert L. , Cantu Lionel , Rittiman Telecia K.
Published: August 2006

Recently it has been argued that responses to persons with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) are more a function of the association of AIDS with homosexuality than they are concerns about contagion. This research provided a further test of these arguments using an experimental design in which the target disease's contagiousness and association with homosexuality were manipulated. The results indicated that willingness to interact with a disease victim was strongly related to the contagiousness of the disease but only weakly related to its association with homosexuality. These findings are in line with recent research on lay conceptions of physical illness and argue that avoidance of disease victims, including persons with AIDS, primarily reflects concerns over contracting the disease. The implications of these findings for lay illness conceptions and how lay people respond to disease victims are discussed.
Sex Bias at Work: The Effects of Attentional and Memory Demands on Performance Ratings of Men and Women1
Authors: Martell Richard F.
Published: August 2006

The present study examined the impact of attentional and memory demands on work performance ratings accorded men and women in traditionally male jobs. Of interest was whether sex discrimination would abate in the face of individuating and job‐relevant work behavior even when the demands likely to be faced in actual work settings were taken into account. Two hundred and two subjects read a vignette depicting the work behavior of a male or female police officer and then rated the individual's work performance. The attentional demands imposed on subjects while reading the vignette and the amount of time elapsed prior to issuing the performance ratings were systematically varied. As predicted, men were evaluated more favorably than women when raters were faced with an additional task requiring attention and time pressures were made salient. Only when subjects were able to carefully allocate all of their attentional resources did sex bias in work performance ratings abate. Memory demands had no effects on work performance ratings. Gender‐related work characterizations paralleled the performance ratings, providing support for the idea that sex stereotypes mediate discrimination in performance appraisal judgments. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings, as well as suggestions for future research, are discussed.
Informal Drunk Driving Intervention: Psychosocial Correlates Among Young Adult Women and Men1
Authors: Newcomb Michael D. , Rabow Jerome , Monto Martin , Hernandez Anthony C. R.
Published: August 2006

Based on experimental research on helping and survey findings on drunk driving intervention, we selected 28 variables for study that might relate to informal intervention in a drunk driving situation. We tested six hypotheses by categorizing the 28 variables into personal (12), relationship (4), situational (5), and individual response (7) aspects. Bivariate correlations and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed between these 28 predictor variables and intervention for 303 college students (192 females and 111 males). Three personal, one relationship, three situational, and four individual responses in situation variables were correlated significantly with intervention. Four significant predictors emerged in the stepwise logistic regression equation: knowing the driver well; having a conversation that encouraged the respondent to intervene; perceiving the driver as needing help; and the respondent's feeling able to intervene. All hypotheses received at least some confirmation in these results, but noteworthy discrepancies from expectations emphasize the need to appreciate differences between studies of helping behavior in the laboratory and this natural form of helping behavior.