bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shareholder wealth effects when an officer of one corporation joins the board of directors of another
Authors: Rosenstein Stuart , Wyatt Jeffrey G.
Published: June 2007

Officers of large corporations, having demonstrated expertise in managing complex organizations, would appear to be ideal additions to the boards of directors of other corporations. Shareholder wealth effects are examined for 124 announcements in which an officer of one public corporation joins the board of directors of another. The results indicate that the values of nonfinancial firms that send directors to other firms decline significantly, while those of financial senders increase significantly. Receiving firms of both types do not gain. The results suggest that for nonfinancial firms the added duties of an outside directorship distract corporate officers from managing their own firms or are signals to the market that managers are available to other firms. For financial senders, the benefits of networking appear to strongly outweigh any drawbacks. Cross‐sectional regressions suggest that prediction errors are higher for receiving firms if they have performed poorly prior to the announcement and less negative for sending firms if they have performed well prior to the announcement. Abnormal returns are negatively related to the size of the sender, adding support for the notion that busy executives are less valuable as outside directors.
Evidence on the effects of hostile and friendly tender offers on employment
Authors: Denis Diane Kowalski
Published: June 2007

This paper provides evidence on the effects of successful tender offers on the number of target and acquiring firm employees. No significant change in combined employment is observed, on average, over the three‐year period following offer completion. However, hostile tender offers completed between 1980 and 1984 are followed by an average 17.2% decline in employment. Net divestitures of operations over the period are responsible for some of the observed employment decrease; however, an estimated ‐12.2% change remains, on average, after adjusting for divestiture activity. Information contained in firm annual reports and in the Wall Street Journal indicates that the tender offers in the sample are often followed by considerable restructuring activity with respect to both target and acquiring firm operations. The findings suggest that acquiring firm managements may acquire new operations when the need to restructure their existing operations frees up resources, e.g. cash and/or managerial time and talent. The evidence also suggests that the corporate control market must be viewed as an integral part of the process by which US firms restructure to meet changing circumstances.
Ownership structure and board composition: A multi‐country test of agency theory predictions
Authors: Li Jiatao
Published: June 2007

Patterns of corporate governance and control differ significantly across countries because of national differences in structures of ownership and composition of boards of directors. Based on agency theory, we examine the relationship between ownership structure and the composition of the board of directors of 390 large manufacturing firms based in Japan, Western Europe and the United States. In particular, we examine how ownership concentration, bank control and state ownership affect the percentage of outside directors on the corporate boards. The results show that, consistent with predictions of agency theory, ownership structure has significant effects on board composition.
Managerial incentives for undertaking exchange offers
Authors: Joshi Yash P. , Makhija Anil K.
Published: June 2007

This paper empirically examines management's motivation to convey information regarding firm value through exchange offers. We report a positive relation between stock price reactions to announcements of exchange offers and managerial stockholdings, and a weak negative relation with salary plus bonus. These findings are consistent with the incentives required for managers to signal firm value through exchange offer‐induced leverage change.
The theory of corporate takeover bids: A subgame perfect approach
Authors: Deman Suresh
Published: June 2007

In this paper I re‐examine Grossman & Hart's (1980a) earlier work on corporate takeovers and address three main shortcomings of their theory. First, their theory implies that in the ‘Nash equilibrium’ either all shareholders will decide to tender their shares or all will refuse the raider's tender offer. Hence, they look only at the pure strategy equilibria. Second, there does not exist any free‐rider problem in the extreme cases of pure strategy equilbria because everyone sells his or her share and the raider does not have to deal with any minority shareholder in the equilibrium. On the other hand, if the raid fails and no one sells, then there is no question of dilution either. I show some mixed‐strategy equilibria using assumptions of Grossman and Hart. Third, Grossman and Hart claim that their theory rules out the possibilities of takeovers by the inefficient raider in which the shareholders who tender their shares are worse off than they would have been otherwise with the incumbent management. It appears from the model that their argument is based on rather arbitrary assumptions.
Strategic incentives for multinational operations
Authors: Veugelers Reinhilde
Published: June 2007

A simple game‐theoretic model is set up to analyze when strategic considerations may dominate and possibly counteract the traditional motives for MNE operations such as locational and firm‐specific advantages. Firms can choose to operate internationally out of defensive considerations to avoid a worse outcome where they would have to compete with rival MNEs while not enjoying the cost advantages associated with multinational operations. The model further specifies when the timing of the decision to become a MNE may entail strategic advantages, with the first mover restricting the multinational expansion of its rival.
Revisiting the line‐of‐business restrictions
Authors: Sappington David E. M.
Published: June 2007

The telecommunications industry has undergone significant changes since the divestiture of the Bell System. These changes, particularly in state and federal regulatory policy, have served to increase the social costs and decrease the social benefits of the line‐of ‐business restrictions imposed by the Modification of the Final Judgement (MFJ). The increased costs and reduced benefits of the MFJ provide a strong case for their abolition.
The competitive effects of line‐of‐business restrictions in telecommunications
Authors: Arrow Kenneth J. , Carlton Dennis W. , Sider Hal S.
Published: June 2007

We review the original rationale for the line‐of‐business restrictions faced by the RBOCs and discuss changes in the conditions that motivated them. These changes include: (1) reduced incentives for local exchange carriers (LECs) to shift costs from unregulated to regulated businesses; (2) improved deterrence and monitoring of discrimination in providing network access; and (3) recognition that antitrust laws apply to abuse of market power in local exchange. We also analyze trends in prices charged by RBOCs and other LECs which suggest that the opportunity to engage in cost shuting is of little or no significance today. We conclude that eliminating the remaining line‐of‐business restrictions is not likely to raise significant new competitive concerns but consumers are likely to benefit from entry by RBOCs into now‐prohibited businesses, many of which are highly concentrated.
The benefits of releasing the bell companies from the interexchange restrictions
Authors: Brandon Paul S. , Schmalensee Richard L.
Published: June 2007

We foresee substantial benefits to consumers if the regional telephone companies arereleased from the Modified Final Judgement's interexchange services restrictions. Smaller interexchange service customers, largely neglected because of the inadequate competitiveness of the incumbent interexchange carriers, would receive much of these benefits. Since divestiture, state and federal regulatoy agencies have developed a robust set of regulatory safeguards, which would prevent regional telephone companies' anticompetitive actions in the interexchange market. If, instead of theorizing about possibilities, one looks at the actual experience in unregulated post‐divestihue regional telephone company markets, one finds no signs of anticompetitive telephone company behavior. The regional telephone companies' access services are experiencing substantial competition. Given those facts, we do not believe that it matters to the health of interexchange competition whether competitors are attacking other regional telephone companies' services. Still, their other services arc being attacked, and this will limit any residual ability of the regional telephone companies to subsidize their interexchange operations by shifting costs to regulated ratepayers. In short, we see substantial benefits and low risks in allowing the regional telephone companies to enter the regional interexchange services market.
Competition in long‐distance and telecommunications equipment markets: Effects of the MFJ
Authors: Hausman Jerry A.
Published: June 2007

The Modification of Final Judgement (MJF) is now 10 years old. The MFJ was a historic change in US antitrust policy and in telecommunications policy. Pre‐divestiture AT&T was divided into a single company, AT&T, which was allowed to compete in long‐distance markets, telecommunications equipment markets and (with some delay) information service markets. Seven regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) were permitted to provide local service and nearby long‐distance service. However, the BOCs were not permitted to enter the three markets reserved for AT&T. In 1991 the Information Services restriction was eliminated for the BOCs. However, the ban on provision of (interLATA) long distance and equipment remains. The policy experiment was quite interesting since no other nation has followed the USA, despite numerous other countries ending the formerly monopoly status of their telecommunications provider. In this paper I evaluate how competitive the remaining markets reserved for AT&T, and from which the BOCS are banned, have become. I conclude that (interLATA) long‐distance market for residential and small business users, by far the largest fraction of users of long distance is currently uncompetitive. AT&Ts prices are constrained by FCC regulation, not by competition. AT&T has market power and is exercising market power. For equipment markets, I find a good deal more competition. However, I conclude that the BOCs could not impede competition in long distance and that removal of the MFJ restrictions would be pro‐competitive. Thus, I conclude that removal of the MFJ estrictions on the BOCs would be pro‐competitive, would increase economic efficiency, and would improve consumer welfare.
Costs of delay and rent‐seeking under the modification of final judgment
Authors: Rubin Paul H. , Dezhbakhsh Hashem
Published: June 2007

Under the MFJ, the Bell Operating Companies are restricted in the activities they can undertake. Requests for waivers f'mm these restrictions must be approved by the Department of Justice and a Court. Most requests are ultimately approved. If we assume that all such decisions are made correctly, then the costs of delays associated with the approval process are much larger than any reasonable estimate of the benefits of the process. To these costs must be added the substantial costs of rent seeking and of the uncertainty associated with the process.
Deterring predation in telecommunications: Are line‐of‐business restraints needed?
Authors: Gates Susan , Milgrom Paul , Roberts John
Published: June 2007

We analyze whether lifting the remaining line‐of‐business restraints in the Modified Final Judgment (thus permitting the Regional Bell Operating Companies to provide interLATA calling services and to manufacture equipment) would plausibly lead the RBOCs to practice predatory pricing. We assume throughout that the regulated portions of the RBOCs' business would be subjected to price‐cap or similar incentive‐based regulation and that equal access to bottleneck services would be enforced. Despite employing a very broad definition of predation, we find that it is highly unlikely that the RBOCs would profitably engage in predatory pricing.
BOC manufacture of telecommunications equipment: An assessment of benefits and competitive risks
Authors: Fisher Franklin M. , Larner Robert J. , Hunter Michael , Serrano Amy Salsbury
Published: June 2007

Allowing BOCs to manufacture telecommunications equipment should benefit consumers of telecommunications services because it is likely to result in new and improved products and more efficient production of equipment and services. The sources of these benefits are the technical know‐how, knowledge of customer needs, and financial resources the BOCs would bring to the design, development and production of telecommunications equipment. The risks of anticompetitive or inefficient behavior by BOCs, further diminished by various forms of incentive regulation adopted since 1984, are insufficient to offset the likely benefits of removing the manufacturing ban.
The effect of enhanced competition on the equity values of the regional bell operating companies
Authors: Green Kevin C. , Lehn Kenneth M.
Published: June 2007

Recent developments in the telecommunications industry have increased the likelihood that the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) will face new competition in the market for local telephone services. These developments include (1) regulatory decisions by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to facilitate competitive entry or the application of new technologies (e.g. personal communications services) to the local communications market, and (2) strategic decisions by AT&T, MCI Communications, and Time‐Warner to enter the local communications market. The entry of new firms is expected to reduce the cash flows of the RBOCs. Using the event study methodology, this paper examines the announcement effects of several of these developments on the values of the RBOCs. Collectively, the announcements are associated with a significant decline in the aggregate value of the RBOCs.
Evolution of Hong Kong's electronics industry under a passive industrial policy
Authors: Tuan Chyau , Ng Linda F. Y.
Published: June 2007

A different version of industrial policy from those of other Asian newly industrialized economies, limited public participation in R&D activities within the business sector in promoting specific industries in particular, has directed the evolution of Hong Kong's electronics industry along a distinct path. Being predominated by smaller manufacturers, the electronics industry showed great differences in technology attainment, product development, production strategies, and export structure and composition under the influence of a passive industrial policy. The timely opening of the Chinese economy in the late 1970s and the absence of a national identity had provided justification for such a policy.
Are personality questionnaires answered mindlessly?
Authors: Böcker Martin , Keil Kerstin S. , Eiser J. Richard , Kline Paul
Published: June 2007

Langer (1978) suggests that repetitive tasks may induce more automatic or mindless responding. Since many personality questionnaires consist of large numbers of questions of a similar form, a possible implication is that such questionnaires are sometimes completed mindlessly. To test this implication, a questionnaire was presented to 150 subjects which contained (both early and late in the questionnaire) items from the Dominance and Impulsivity subscales of Jackson's (1974) Personality Research Form. These items were separated by, or randomly interspersed with, filler items that were either similar (other subscales of the Personality Research Form) or dissimilar (attitude statements concerning nuclear energy). Item order was counterbalanced. It was hypothesized that the inclusion of dissimilar filler items should inhibit mindless responding to the later items. Change scores comparing late and early items showed a significant effect of the type of filler on the Impulsivity scores. A similar trend on the Dominance subscale was not significant. It is argued that personality research should pay more attention to the nature of the cognitive processes involved in self‐rating measures.
Reactivity and personal control over stimulation supply
Authors: Klonowicz Tatiana , Zawadzka Grazyna
Published: June 2007

The experiment was designed to study the effect of personal control, operationalized in terms of choice between a more demanding and a less demanding task, on persons with different levels of reactivity. Subjects were randomly assigned and individually tested in a 2 (High reactivity/Low reactivity) × 2 (Low rate of stimulus presentation/ High rate of stimulus presentation) × 2 (Choice/No Choice) factorial experiment with 15 subjects per condition. The two principal dependent measures were the total number of correct responses in a serial RT task and the post‐task levels of anxiety, anger, and curiosity. The major finding was that while the availability of control had a positive effect on both task performance and affect, its role was situation‐specific, i.e. limited to the difficult task. Most probably the availability of control masks the variability of reaction due to individual differences in reactivity. However, high‐reactives are still left with the residual stress of unresolved emotions.
Self‐consciousness scales for adults and children: Reliability, validity, and theoretical significance
Authors: Abrams Dominic
Published: June 2007

The present article reports the factor structure, reliability and validity of Fenigstein et al.'s (1975) Self‐Consciousness Scale (SCS) using British respondents from five samples of undergraduate students, two of 17‐year‐old school pupils, one of 13‐year‐old pupils, and one of 11‐year‐old pupils. Confirmatory factor analyses reproduced in most samples a 3‐factor structure consistent with the SCS subscales, although exploratory factor analyses suggested the Private subscale consists of several subfactors. Concordantly, alpha reliability coefficients were higher for Social Anxiety and Public than for Private, respectively. Test–retest reliability was reasonable for Social Anxiety, but poorer for Public and Private. In line with correlations found by other researchers, that between Public and Private Self‐consciousness was r = 0.33. Both of these subscales correlated positively with Neuroticism. Nevertheless, public and private were considered to be distinguishable constructs. In contrast, Social Anxiety correlated highly positively with Introversion and Neuroticism, and negatively with Self‐Esteem, indicating poor discriminant validity. Exploratory factor analyses of scales designed for young adolescents yielded recognizable private and public factors, with the predominance of a Private factor among 11‐year olds, but of a Public factor among 13‐year olds. Finally, conceptual problems surrounding the private–public distinction are articulated in relation to (a) similar alternative constructs, and (b) Tajfel and Turner's (1979) concept of social identity.
Toward an action‐theoretical model of personality
Authors: Krampen Günter
Published: June 2007

An action‐theoretical model of personality is presented, in which missing links between action‐theory and personality constructs are established. Background is the facts, (a) that current psychological theories of action are limited to situation‐ and action‐specific person variables, and (b) that in personality theory systematic relations between such variables and personality constructs are missing. The action‐theoretical model of personality is based on a differentiated expectancy‐value theory, whose situation‐specific constructs (various aspects of valences and expectancies) are logically connected with personality constructs of generalized self‐referential cognitions. The following action‐theoretical personality variables are proposed to be central for the study of person‐situation interactions: (a) self‐concept of own competence, (b) control orientations, (c) trust, (d) conceptualization level, and (e) value orientations. The model implies rules for the operationalization of its constructs and for prediction of behaviour. The structure of the action‐theoretical personality variables and their relations to other theories of personality are described.
Extraversion and task properties as determinants of incidental recall
Authors: Bermúdez José , Pérez Ana M. , Padilla Miguel
Published: June 2007

The present research investigated in a dual task design the effects of extraversion level and structural task properties on the recall of an incidentally learned text. First, the hypothetical relation between arousal level and attentional selectivity was tested. Second, the relation between structural levels in the text and recall of text elements was studied. It was found that (a) extraverts performed significantly better on incidental recall compared to introverts; (b) the nuclear sentences at the top of the hierarchical structure were the best recalled sentences, independently of arousal level; (c) the effect of differences in arousal on recall was only significant in case of the top sentences. The effect was absent in case of specificúsecondary sentences.
Personality and art preferences
Authors: Furnham Adrian , Bunyan Melinda
Published: June 2007

This study examined the relationship between sensation seeking and preference for paintings. Twenty paintings were classified into four categories: simple/complex and representational/abstract. It was hypothesized that total sensation seeking score and subscales scores would be positively correlated with preferences for simple and, especially complex, abstract art, and negatively correlated with simple, and, especially complex, representational art. Alpha coefficients demonstrated that satisfactory classification of the paintings into four groups. As hypothesized, high scores on total sensation seeking and subscales were positively correlated with abstract art preferences and negatively correlated with representational art preferences. The results are discussed in terms of the major determinants of preferences for art of different types.
Personality‐descriptive verbs
Authors: De Raad Boele , Mulder Erik , Kloosterman Klaas , Hofstee Willem K. B.
Published: June 2007

This article describes the derivation of a taxonomy of personality‐descriptive verbs. In the introduction the verb domain is delineated relative to other domains of the language of personality. It is argued that verbs are theoretically useful in bridging the gap between trait language and act language. The aim is to provide a representative and effective instrument for registering judgements on personality. In a first study the steps are described that were followed to arrive at a list of personality‐descriptive verbs. Both the present authors and layjudges (n=22) took part in this. Five hundred and forty‐three verbs resulted from this study. Study 2 (n=200) describes the determination of the internal structure of the domain of verbs through factor analysis of both self‐ and partner‐ratings. By applying a method of rotation to perfectly congruent weights the verb‐structure turned out to be invariant under the self‐ and partner‐conditions. The last part of the study investigates the relationship between personality‐descriptive verbs and adjectives. Regressions of verb‐ratings on the adjective‐ratings and of adjective‐ratings on the verb‐ratings were calculated and factor analyses were performed on the residual matrices. The results show the existence of additional verb‐dimensions above those already established in the adjective domain.
Acts and dispositions: A reconsideration of the Act Frequency Approach
Authors: Angleitner Alois , Demtröder Andrea I.
Published: June 2007

The Act Frequency Approach (AFA) proposed by Buss and Craik was summarized and critically reviewed on the basis of a German replication study using six interpersonal traits each with 100 translated acts. The six traits studied were dominant, gregarious, agreeable, submissive, aloof, and quarrelsome. The internal structure of these categories was examined via multiple prototypicality ratings. It was demonstrated that many acts are highly prototypical for more than one category. The manifested categorical structure was tested by gathering retrospective act reports about performance and frequency of exhibiting each of these 600 acts using a sample of 213 adults. Aggregation of the acts according to their prototypicality key yielded reliable subscales. The validities obtained on the basis of the 25 highly prototypical acts were slightly higher compared with those of the 100 act set, as well as the sets with lower prototypicality. The validity gradient proposed by Buss and Craik was found using selected personality scales as well as global self‐ratings and peer‐ratings on some of the respective trait terms. In general, the results of the German study replicated the findings of Buss and Craik.
The predictive validity of three different types of personality assessment instruments
Authors: Smid Nico , Douma Marian , Van Lenthe Jelle , Ranchor Adelita
Published: June 2007

The present study investigates the hypothesis that, within personality assessment, the predictive validity of a list of act descriptive sentences will be higher than the validity of a personality inventory on the one hand and that of an adjective checklist on the other. This hypothesis is based on the assumption that people can judge more reliably whether a person will perform a specific act than whether he or she possesses a particular personality trait. Within the validity study, predictors were self‐judgements whereas criteria were peer‐judgements. The predictive validity of the act list was found to be lower than that of the inventory as well as that of the adjective checklist. Moreover, both the act list and the adjective checklist predicted the personality inventory better than the latter predicted the former two. Because of the different functions of self‐ and peer‐judgements within the present study, the former being predictors and the latter criteria, the results are interpreted under the perspective of self‐other attribution differences. Suggestions for constructing a possibly more valid list of act descriptive sentences are given.
Individual response profiles in the behavioral assessment of personality
Authors: Asendorpf Jens B.
Published: June 2007

A long‐standing problem in the behavioural assessment of personality is the individual specificity of responses. Often, different persons externalize the same trait in different responses. One solution to this problem is to aggregate many different responses. The paper compares the power of response aggregation for predicting self‐and other‐ratings of personality with two alternative strategies of response selection: the nomothetic strategy of selecting the response with the highest overall predictive power, and the more idiographic strategy of selecting, for each individual, the most extreme response. Seventy subjects were videotaped in a sequence of social situations inducing shyness to various degrees. Five different nonverbal measures of shyness all correlated significantly with the subjects' self‐ or other‐rated shyness, and showed low correlations across subjects and a substantial cross‐situational consistency of response profiles. Response aggregation and both strategies of response selection were found to be equally powerful in predicting the subjects' self‐ and other‐ratings of shyness from the five behavioural responses. Therefore, these findings somewhat dampen the hope often expressed in recent theoretical discussions of personality assessment that more respect for the individual case may improve nomothetic assessment procedures.
The lexical approach to personality: A historical review of trait taxonomic research
Authors: John Oliver P. , Angleitner Alois , Ostendorf Fritz
Published: June 2007

We review research aimed at the development of a compelling taxonomy of personality‐descriptive terms. We identify five issues central to the construction of personality taxonomies and discuss the advantages and limitations of the lexical approach. Our review of research stimulated by this approach begins with Allport and Odbert's trait names, retraces the procedures that led to Cattell's personality factors, and summarizes contemporary work in English and in Dutch. Taxonomers and lay people alike view stable traits as the most fundamental personality concepts. At the broadest level of abstraction, this domain is often represented by five dimensions related to Power (or Surgency), Love (Agreeableness), Work (Conscientiousness), Affect (Emotional Stability), and Intellect (Culture). However, given that their number and interpretation are still debated, these dimensions should not be considered final but as a heuristically useful framework. Indeed, if the fifth dimension represents Intellect, our review suggests that Culture, Values and even Autonomy‐Conformity might be additional dimensions. Some researchers, such as Goldberg and Wiggins, have constructed more narrow categories to permit a differentiated mapping of trait descriptors. Taxonomies of states, activities, and social roles and effects still need to be developed; a broad conception of personality might also include health, fitness, and physical attractiveness. A comprehensive taxonomy would provide a common framework for research guided by different theoretical orientations and could guide the selection of variables for research. Ultimately, the value of a taxonomy depends on its success in predicting important outcomes in people's lives.
Construct validity and personality correlates of the Strelau temperament inventory
Authors: Daum Irene , Hehl Franz J. , Schugens Markus M.
Published: June 2007

Strelau's reinterpretation of Pavlov's concept of nervous system properties has gained increasing attention in Western personality research, both with regard to the psychometric properties of the Strelau Temperament Inventory (STI) and with regard to the interrelations between STI and Western personality dimensions. The present study investigated the construct validity of the Strength of Excitation scale by examining its relationship to experimental indices of strength of the nervous system. Secondly, data on the convergence between STI, EPQ, SSS IV, and trait anxiety measures are presented, using German translations of all the questionnaires. The results confirmed the correlation between strength of excitation and a reaction time based measure of strength of the nervous system. A factor analysis on the questionnaire scales identified two factors. Factor I (activity/stimulation seeking) consisted of extroversion, mobility, strength of excitation and the sensation seeking scales whereas Factor II (instability vs control) was composed of anxiety/neuroticism/ psychoticism and strength of excitation/strength of inhibition/social desirability. These findings agree with Eysenck's and Strelau's theoretical predictions regarding the interrelations of Pavlovian properties and Western personality dimensions.
The ring measure of social values: A computerized procedure for assessing individual differences in information processing and social value orientation
Authors: Liebrand Wim B. G. , McClintock Charles G.
Published: June 2007

Personality can be defined from a social standpoint as a more or less consistent system of orientations that influences an individual's decisions and behaviors regarding the allocation of resources to self and others. One of the more robust models for the measurement of an individual's interpersonal utilities is McClintock's social value approach (McClintock, 1972). In the present study, we evaluate the construct of social value by testing the hypothesis that the cognitive processing time of subjects should vary systematically as a function of the type of social value being expressed. Towards this end, the Ring Measure of Social Values (Liebrand, 1984) was administered to 61 male and 124 female subjects. As predicted, cooperators and competitors were observed to have longer response latencies than altruists and individualists. In addition, a Social Value by Outcome Structure interaction was observed, and explained by assuming that cooperators are more hesitant in making decisions involving negative outcomes for others, whereas competitors are more reluctant to assign positive outcomes to others. These research findings add further evidence regarding the validity to the construct of social value.
The Type A behaviour pattern, induced mood, and the illusion of control
Authors: Rhodewalt Frederick , Strube Michael J , Wysocki Jay
Published: June 2007

This study investigated the hypothesis that mood moderates the illusion of control among Type As and Bs. A facial positioning procedure was used to induce either positive, negative, or neutral moods in Type As and Bs during a control judgment task where no objective control was possible. Type Bs induced to experience a positive mood perceived greater control than did Type Bs experiencing a negative mood. There was no effect of induced mood on judged control for Type As.
Semantic mediation or spurious correlation? A reply to Semin and Krahé's critique of Epstein and Teraspulsky
Authors: Borkenau Peter
Published: June 2007

Semin and Krahé draw inappropriate conclusions from their two studies. The correlation between semantic similarity and assumed relatedness may well be spurious and should not be interpreted causally. Their finding that semantic similarity estimates are not influenced by the period of observation whereas, according to Epstein and Teraspulsky, the assumed relatedness of behaviours is influenced, points to the inappropriateness of Semin and Krahé's claims. Epstein and Teraspulsky's psychometric hypothesis accounts for the available findings more easily than Semin and Krahé's semantic mediation hypothesis.
Appraisal and coping processes in acute time‐limited stressful situations: A study of police officers
Authors: Larsson Gerry , Kempe Christina , Starrin Bengt
Published: June 2007

This study focuses on the appraisal and coping process in acute, time‐limited stressful situations in a stress experienced group: 54 Swedish police officers. Each police officer retrospectively reported their thoughts, emotions, and actions during five recent stressful job events. The relations among appraisals of threat and of coping options, seven forms of problem‐ and emotion‐focused coping strategies, and selfrated performance were examined. Compared with previous studies of ordinary people in stressful situations, the police officers felt less threatened, appraised the situations as more solvable, and used considerably more problem‐focused forms of coping. Age had a significant effect on appraisal, while organizational position had a significant effect on coping. Using latent profile analysis, four appraisal styles were obtained. Consistency of cross‐situational appraisal style amongst individuals was high. The functional relationships among variables, i.e. appraisal, coping, and performance, are discussed.
Diffusion and implementation: Sources of resistance to educational change
Authors: Jwaideh Alice R.
Published: June 2007

This is the second in a series of articles dealing with the DIFUSION AND IMPLEMENTATION of instructional inovations. The initial introductory article to this series appeared in the April issue. Subsequent articles will deal with various special aspects of planned change in education.
President's Page
Authors: Spector Eileen
Published: June 2007

This month President Judy Springer has invited Eileen Spector to use this space to make some important observations. Eileen was Persident of the Chicago Chapter for two years. She is now National Awards Committee Chair, as well as Treasurer of the Chicago Chapter. She is a Senior Trainning Specialist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, where she does program development, internal consulting, O. D. and classroom instruction, She specializes in communications, management training, computer user training and basic psychology.
A psychological approach to detrusor instability incontinence in women
Authors: Freeman R. M.
Published: June 2007

Detrusor instability is a common cause of urinary incontinence in women. Symptoms are those of urgency and urge incontinence produced by an inability to inhibit the bladder from contracting at inappropriate times. The exact aetiology in the vast majority of cases remains unknown. Treatment is often unsatisfactory. It has been proposed that ‘idiopathic’ detrusor instability is a psychosomatic disorder. Support for this view comes from clinical evidence, the results of psychological questionnaire studies and the results of behavioural treatments, e.g. bladder drill and biofeedback. The effect of hypnosis on patients with detrusor instability has been assessed both subjectively and objectively on urodynamic testing. The short‐term results are good but once formal treatment has been stopped the relapse rate is high as evidenced by the results of two years. It is suggested that if hypnosis is to be effective for the condition then formal treatment should be continued indefinitely.
Surviving ejection from military aircraft: Psychological reactions modifying factors and intervention
Authors: Aveline M. O. , Fowlie D. G.
Published: June 2007

Surviving ejection from a military aircraft is a stressful experience. A retrospective study of 175 Royal Air Force ejectees showed that 40 per cent had significant adverse emotional reactions and that the rate of return to operational flying was significantly reduced in this group. Composite vignettes of a satisfactory and a poor outcome are presented, and the role of the psychotherapist in alleviating the commonly encountered emotional reactions is described. Confidential counselling is most helpful. Attention must be paid to the nature, personal meaning and social context of the ejection experience.
Diagnosis and treatment of pathological anxiety
Authors: Sheehan David V. , Soto Sonia
Published: June 2007

Anxiety and phobic disorders can be classified as being either endogenous or exogenous and it is the latter that are associated with stressful situations. Panic attacks and phobias are important components and require particular consideration from the point of view of treatment. Both anxiolytics and antidepressants have their places in treatment and alprazolam, combining both modes of action, has been used in studies undertaken by our group. These are reported and suggested treatment strategies are outlined.
Psychiatric aspects of cardiac disorders
Authors: Wheatley David
Published: June 2007

A number of the aetiological factors associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) have psychogenic components, ie alcohol consumption, smoking, obesity, sex, sleep and heredity. Placebo‐controlled trials of anxiolytics in CHD and hypertension have yielded conflicting results. For the cardiac patient suffering from depression, the choice of an antidepressant drug is important in view of the potential cardiotoxicity of the tricyclic compounds. Stresses that produce anxiety in cardiac patients and others may be multiple and varied in nature. At the Stress Clinic at the Maudsley Hospital in London, stratified questionnaires are used to assess a number of different stress factors and the severities of these can then be compared by constructing a stress profile for each patient.
Psychological aspects of patients submitted to mastectomy
Authors: De Souza Aurélio Zecchi , Hegg Roberto , De Aguiar Luiz Fernando , Kesselring Gustavo
Published: June 2007

The authors studied some psychosocial aspects in 34 breast cancer patients, submitted to mastectomy, through a questionnaire with nine items. They point out the importance of multidisciplinary treatment, emphasizing the psychological and social support which must be given to the mastectomized patient in order to rehabilitate her both at home and at work.
Stress as a precipitating factor in chronic, unstable epilepsy
Authors: Janati Abdorasool , Souheaver Gary T.
Published: June 2007

Understanding of possible effects of emotional stress in unstable epilepsy has been difficult due to various definitions of ‘stress’, failure to control for stability of the seizure patients and failure to control for chronicity, age at onset and other factors which might influence results. In this study, 60 middle‐age and older males with chronic, unstable seizures were divided into two groups of equal numbers according to whether an easily identifiable environmental stressor could be listed. No significant differences were found between the two groups when analysed according to: temporal vs non‐temporal lobe seizures; trauma vs non‐trauma aetiologies; simple partial vs generalized seizures; age at onset; and chronicity of seizures. In addition, there were no differences between the stress and non‐stress groups on any of the individual MMPI scales, suggesting that personality styles may not predispose an individual to stress‐related seizures. Results were discussed in terms of previous research which did not consider many of the variables included in this study. The results were discussed to emphasize the importance of being able to identify ‘specific’ environmental stressors.
Stress and professional popular musicians
Authors: Wills Geoffrey I. , Cooper Cary L.
Published: June 2007

This study assessed the job satisfaction, mental well‐being and health behaviours of a random sample of 246 popular musicians in the UK. It was found that although a large proportion of musicians are job satisfied, they suffer from above‐average levels of psychological anxiety. The main predictors of lack of mental well‐being are performance anxiety, performance‐related anxiety (eg musical ability not appreciated, loss of skill), poor physical working conditions (eg working at night, performing in substandard circumstances), work overload related to travelling and the impact of the job on social and family life.
Stress and headache: A critical review
Authors: Dermit Susan , Friedman Richard
Published: June 2007

Almost all of us, at one time or another, have headaches. A belief held by many is that difficult, stressful, or depressing environmental demands are responsible for their onset. This commonplace notion is among the most compelling in the psychophysiological literature, yet attempts to empirically validate the relationship have been problematic. Examination of the available literature reveals a dearth of evidence from epidemiological and other sources that have traditionally been used to link stress with other disorders such as hypertension and coronary heart disease. In contrast, the wealth of laboratory data designed to examine the effects of acute stress on the physiological responses implicated in headache genesis have yielded contradictory findings. Refinements in knowledge of the biochemical and psychological pathophysiology of chronic headaches would enhance the ability to establish a firm link in the stress‐headache relationship. In the meantime, the available evidence warrants a decidedly less sanguine attitude towards the association than that held by most patients, and indeed. by most medical practitioners.
Stress responses to two invasive medical investigations: Left‐sided colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy
Authors: Fox Elaine , O'Boyle Ciaran A. , Lennon John
Published: June 2007

Invasive medical investigations constitute significant stressful events for many patients. Data are presented from 60 adult patients undergoing either left‐sided colonoscopy (N=47) or sigmoidoscopy (N=13). Stress responses were measured by means of objective and subjective ratings and by indices of cardiovascular arousal. Eighty‐five per cent of patients rated the procedure as painful, 68 per cent reported anxiety about undergoing the procedure again, and heart‐rate was significantly elevated during the test. Experienced pain was the determining factor in the patients' perception of the stressfulness of the procedure. The colonoscopist tended to underestimate the degree of patient discomfort, and also the need for drug intervention. The results suggest that some form of premedication would help patients cope with these stressful investigations. It is clear that analgesic rather than anxiolytic premedication would be most appropriate in this population.
Stresses in the lives of parents of children with disabilities: Providing effective caregiving
Authors: Shapiro Johanna
Published: June 2007

Families of children with significant developmental delays and disabilities must contend with stressors produced both by the prejudices and fears, the ‘countertransference’ reactions, of the larger society, and by the conflicts and griefs which arise within the family's own interactions and dynamics. The nature and substance of these stresses are reviewed, both from a societal context and from the context of the nuclear family environment. Themes of social deviance, isolation, and blame attributión are examined, as are problematic parent ‐ professional relationships, and the impact of a disabled child on various family subsystems. Therapeutic responses to chronic family stresses appropriate to a range of health care professionals are explored. The article concludes with a summary of caregiving strategies helpful in developing healing relationships with families of children with disabilities.
Depression and immune function
Authors: Irwin Michael
Published: June 2007

Clinical studies have demonstrated that measures of cell‐mediated immune function are altered in bereaved persons and depressed patients. This review article focuses on our recent observations of changes in T cell subpopulations and natural killer cytotoxicity in women undergoing adverse life events including conjugal bereavement. A reduction in natural cytotoxicity has also been found in depressed patients. The mechanism by which psychologic states might influence immune function is discussed.
Natural killer cells: One possible link between cancer and the mind
Authors: Greer Steven , Brady Marianne
Published: June 2007

The prognostic significance of mental adjustment to cancer in patients with early, non‐metastatic disease has been reported in two independent studies. A crucial question arises, namely, what are the biological mechanisms which mediate this apparent effect? The role of natural killer cells as one possible mediator is considered. Evidence concerning (i) the relationship between psychological stress and natural killer cell activity, (ii) the biological mechanisms mediating psychological influence on natural killer cell activity, and (iii) the function of natural killer cell activity in defence against cancer is reviewed.
Erectile impotence and its management
Authors: Williams Gordon
Published: June 2007

The use of pharmacologically‐induced penile erections is a most promising mode of diagnosis and treatment of erectile impotence. A combination of papaverine and phentolamine is injected into the corpora cavernosa and the resultant erection usually lasts 2‐4 hours. Insertion of penile prosthesis is expensive with a significant number of complications; whilst penile arterial revascularisation needs to be used very selectively for even moderately successful results to be achieved. Self‐injection of the drugs can be taught and this technique appears to be an extremely safe and useful form of treatment for the majority of men with erectile impotence.