bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Adaptation of Models of Prosocial Behavior to Supervisor Interventions with Troubled Employees
Authors: Bayer Gregory A. , Gerstein Lawrence H.
Published: August 2006

With the growth of employee assistance programs (EAPs)a significant demand has been created for individuals trained in the behavioral sciences. This demand has also created opportunities for applied research into EAP systems. Current EAPs have penetrated only a small percentage of the workforce suffering with behavior/medical problems. Adaptation of traditional psycho‐social models of prosocial behavior to supervisory intervention practices holds the promise of more efficacious EAP programming. Bystander intervention and equity theories are introduced as prosocial models capable of guiding research and consultative practice within industrial settings. Situational, personal, attributional, cost and response variables associated with EAP utilization are described. Both instrumental and psychological processes inherent within supervisor‐worker relationships are elaborated. Social psychologists are encouraged to consider these theoretical systems when contemplating service delivery to the growing EAP movement.
False Consensus and False Uniqueness in Estimating the Prevalence of Health‐Protective Behaviors
Authors: Suls Jerry , Wan Choi K. , Sanders Glenn S.
Published: August 2006

The degree to which people perceive that their health‐relevant behaviors are also performed by their peers may influence whether they continue these practices or are susceptible to change. The present paper examined estimates of social consensus for health‐relevant behaviors. It was hypothesized that respondents would perceive their own behaviors to be relatively more common than do people not performing them, the so‐called False Consensus Effect. However, in terms of the accuracy of consensus estimates, people who behave in undesirable ways will tend to overestimate the actual number of others who behave similarly. In contrast, people who behave in desirable ways will underestimate the actual number of people who behave like themselves (false uniqueness). A group of college‐aged males were asked to report about their performance of a series of health‐relevant behaviors and to estimate the frequency of each behavior among their peers. The findings strongly supported the first two hypotheses and provided some support for the third. One practical implication of the results is that persons with unhealthy practices may resist public health campaigns and other interventions by overestimating consensus for their own behaviors. Also, individuals who think their undesirable health behaviors are relatively common may believe that they involve few health risks for them. The research suggests the need for further research on social cognitions about health, illness, and health‐protective behaviors.
Verbal Responses to Different Bargaining Strategies: A Content Analysis of Real‐Life Buyer‐Seller Interaction
Authors: Galinat Withold H. , Müller Gunther F.
Published: August 2006

A field exerpiment was conducted in order to demonstrate a way in which social psychological research can avoid some of the shortcomings of past research on bargaining communication. Two preprogrammed male buyers negotiated a discount on the price of new cars with 48 professional salesmen. The salespersons' verbal responses to various bargaining strategies were recorded and analyzed by a content analytic scheme with the following categories: attempted antagonistic influence; attempted cooperative influence; strategic question; justification; self‐disclosure; concession refusal; “other”. Results indicated that (a) soft bargaining is reciprocated with attempted cooperative influence, whereas tough bargaining does not provoke attempted antagonistic influence; (b) stragetic questions are used as a response to both soft and tough bargaining behavior; (c) justifications are most frequent in the last phase of a sales interaction, especially when accompanying a concession refusal; (d) self‐disclosure was only present in the last phase of bargaining; (e) concessions are most frequently found in the early phase of bargaining and a concession refusal becomes increasingly frequent as bargaining proceeds; (f) most concessions are made in response to a soft‐soft bargaining strategy.
I Can Resist Anything But Temptation: Adolescent Expectations for Smoking Cigarettes1
Authors: Covington Martin V. , Omelich Carol L.
Published: August 2006

Conformity to group pressure is widely considered a prime factor in experimentation with cigarettes. An alternative assumption is that the temptation to smoke arises out of the belief that cigarettes are instrumental in enhancing a sense of maturity, affiliation, and a reputation for autonomy. The present research assessed the relative saliency for both motive fulfillment and social pressure hypotheses in temptation dynamics and traced the causal influence of these factors on future expectations to smoke. Some 5,600 sixth, eighth and tenth graders rated the temptation value of four situations for smoking, varied along two dimensions: the composition of the group and the presence or absence of reasons that might minimize personal responsibility for smoking. Solitary smoking was a fifth situation. Between‐group analyses confirmed that smoking history of the individual (e.g., nonsmokers), grade level, and type of tempting situation all exerted a significant impact on perceived peer pressure, on temptation level, and on behavioral expectancy to smoke. However, beliefs about the instrumentality of cigarettes for reducing tension and enhancing a reputation for maturity and autonomy overshadowed peer pressure as causal agents for both temptation level and expectations. Moreover, instrumental beliefs were differentially salient in this temptation/expectancy dynamic, depending on the individual's smoking history. Finally, the causal saliency of instrumental beliefs differed, depending on whether temptation arose in solitary or group situations. The implications of these findings for adolescent smoking prevention and cessation strategies were considered.
Increasing Help Exchange in an Urban Neighborhood: The Effects of a Neighborhood Directory1
Authors: Korte Charles
Published: August 2006

A longitudinal study was conducted in two neighborhoods in Raleigh, North Carolina, which were matched on demographic characteristics. During this period, a neighborhood directory appeared in one of the neighborhoods that provided personal information about each of the households listed as well as a listing of skills and equipment that residents were interested in exchanging with neighbors. The results showed a small, nonsignificant, increase in the level of general help exchange in the Directory neighborhood and a utilization rate of 14%, that is, 14% of the residents used the directory to seek assistance from a neighbor or offer assistance to a neighbor. There were no changes in the level of acquaintance with neighbors and satisfaction with other neighbors and the neighborhood, but there was an unexpected decline in the level of involvement in neighborhood activities. No changes in these areas were observed in the matching control neighborhood. Across both neighborhoods, residents who showed higher levels of help exchange with neighbors were better acquainted with their neighbors, more involved in the neighborhood, younger, better educated, and more likely to be married. The results are discussed in terms of recent research and theory on neighborliness and mutual aid between neighbors.
Judge's Instruction on Eyewitness Testimony: Evaluation and Revision1
Authors: Greene Edith
Published: August 2006

Studies of the reliability of eyewitness identification show that such testimony may frequently be inaccurate; because of this inherent unreliability, the law has established certain safeguards to the use of eyewitness evidence. One safeguard has been the development of an instruction that a judge may use to focus jurors' attention on the eyewitness issue. The effectiveness of this instruction has never been assessed, although other studies confirm that jurors frequently misunderstand or incorrectly use instructions they get from the judge. The purpose of these studies was to evaluate comprehension of this instruction in the context of a videotaped trial and to develop a simplified instruction that would be easier for jurors to understand. Compared to jurors who heard the existing instruction, those with the revised version were more knowledgeable of the factors to consider when listening to eyewitness testimony and were less likely to convict the defendant. A sample of superior court judges in the U.S. thought the simplified instruction was more effective than the existing version at conveying the intended legal concepts to the jury, but also rated it as more strongly biased toward the defense.
Beyond Fear Appeals: Negative and Positive Persuasive Appeals to Health and Self‐Esteem
Authors: Robberson Margaret R. , Rogers Ronald W.
Published: August 2006

The present research was designed to extend our knowledge of fear appeals and attitude change in two directions. The first purpose was to compare a traditional negative, or fear, appeal to its counterpart, an appeal emphasizing the positive consequences of accepting a communicator's recommendation. The second purpose was to test the assumption of the theory of protection motivation that people are motivated to protect themselves from psychological and social, as well as physical, threats. The results disclosed that, compared to a no‐message control condition, the traditional negative appeal to health was more persuasive than the positive appeal. A positive appeal to self‐esteem, however, was superior to a negative appeal to self‐esteem. Several implications for health psychology were discussed. First, the traditional negative appeals to health may be more persuasive than positive appeals. Second, people may be persuaded to adopt healthy lifestyles for reasons other than health per se (i.e., to enhance self‐esteem). The following tentative conclusions were based on unexpected findings and should be interpreted with caution. The decision to use a positive or negative appeal should consider the number of available adaptive responses. Finally, the data suggested that mass media health campaigns should use both negative and positive appeals.
Influence and Selection In the Friend‐adolescent Relationship: Findings from Studies of Adolescent Smoking and Drinking1
Authors: Fisher Lynn A. , Bauman Karl E.
Published: August 2006

The importance of friend influence as a determinant of adolescent behavior has primarily been inferred from research that has repeatedly demonstrated the behavior of friends to be similar. Homogeneity among peers, however, could also be due to a selection process whereby adolescents choose and keep friends whose behavior is similar to their own. Most previous studies have used cross‐sectional designs that cannot delineate the source of peer homogeneity; this study employed sociometric data from longitudinal research on adolescent smoking and drinking to separate and examine the selection and influence processes. Although the findings indicate some support for the friend influence model, the acquisition hypothesis from the selection model accounts for substantially more of the adolescent‐friend relationship. The implications of these results for past and future research concerning the role of peers in adolescence are discussed.
Effects of Social Demand on Reports of Self‐Monitored Blood Glucose in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Delamater Alan M. , Kurtz Steven M. , White Neil H. , Santiago Julio V.
Published: August 2006

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that social demand could substantially affect reports of self‐monitored blood glucose (BG) in adolescents with insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus. Of 34 patients initially enrolled in the study, 10 were excluded because they did not bring any BG records with them to an outpatient clinic appointment. The remaining 24 patients were randomly assigned to either a low or high social demand condition that provided instructions for monitoring of BG for the week following the appointment. The subjects' BG records were quantified to provide frequency of measurement and mean reported BG for the week prior to and after the clinic visit. Five subjects did not return their BG records for the week following the intervention. The analyses were therefore based on the 19 subjects from whom complete records were obtained. The 12 subjects in the low social demand group and 7 subjects in the high social demand group were equivalent with regard to age, duration of diabetes, socioeconomic status, and glycosylated hemoglobin. Frequency of BG measurement was similar in both groups during both weeks. The mean BG value reported in the week prior to intervention was similar for the groups. However, analyses of the post‐intervention BGs revealed that subjects in the low‐demand group reported significantly higher BGs compared to pre‐intervention and to subjects in the high‐demand group. These findings suggest that self‐monitoring and reporting of BG is a social behavior that is affected by the demand characteristics of the interpersonal patient‐health provider relationship. Because optimal treatment planning for individuals with diabetes requires accurate BG records, care must be taken to interpret them in light of the social demand characteristics associated with clinical assessment.
Pay Equity Evaluations of Occupations and Their Bases
Authors: Dornstein Miriam
Published: August 2006

Recent research indicates that type of occupation is a major basis for evaluating the fairness of earnings. The present paper reports the results of a research investigating which of the characteristics of occupations serve as bases of pay‐equity evaluations, and whether there is a measure of consensus in regard to these bases. Major prevalent theoretical perspectives, such as equity theory and status value theory, served as bases for formulating and testing a series of hypotheses. The findings, based on a cross‐sectional city sample of 222 employed individuals in Israel, show that pay‐equity evaluations of occupations are based on a consensual frame of reference. The major bases of such evaluations were found to be occupational prestige and certain contributive inputs such as the amount of vocational training and the physical demands required of the incumbents' occupations.
Social Influences on Smoking Initiation: Importance of Distinguishing Descriptive Versus Mediating Process Variables1
Authors: Evans Richard I. , Dratt Lewis M. , Raines Bettye E. , Rosenberg Sue S.
Published: August 2006

Social psychologists have become increasingly involved in undertaking process analyses concerning health threatening behaviors such as smoking. Certain problems in conducting such process analyses have been identified. Among these are those problems which stem from the failure to distinguish descriptive (e.g., number of smoking peers) from mediating process (e.g., perceived peer pressure) variables. For instructional purposes, the present paper examines this distinction within the context of the process underlying smoking initiation. After presenting these issues conceptually, data obtained from a sample of junior and senior high school students (n= 395) is used in an attempt to illustrate this distinction and the problems in interpretation that may follow from the failure to make it. Recommendations are made regarding possible solutions.
Achieving Higher Seat Belt Usage: The Role of Habit in Bridging the Attitude‐Behavior Gap1
Authors: Mittal Banwari
Published: August 2006

The Triandis (1977, 1980) model of habit is applied in an investigation of attitude‐behavior discrepancy for seat belt use behavior. Habit is conceptualized as automated response, and the measure employed here is shown to be discriminated from measures of intentions and behavior. A case is also made for a distinction between pro‐intentional and counter‐intentional habits. Data from a random sample of 197 adult respondents show that the two habits (a) are distinct; (b) operate differently, that is, use habit has a main effect whereas nonuse habit interacts with attitude/intentions; and (c) explain belt use behavior nonredundantly with intention and attitude (e.g., their addition to attitude raises R2 from 38.8% to 62.9%). Theoretical implications for understanding habit processes and programmatic directions for increasing the belt usage are discussed.
Using Social Cognition and Persuasion to Promote Energy Conservation: A Quasi‐Experiment1
Authors: Gonzales Marti Hope , Aronson Elliot , Costanzo Mark A.
Published: August 2006

A quasi‐experiment was conducted to determine if the effectiveness of the R.C.S. Home Energy Audit Program could be improved by training auditors to use social‐psychological principles during the audit procedure. Nine experienced home energy auditors attended two 1‐day workshops in which they were trained to: (a) communicate vividly; (b) personalize their recommendations to homeowners; (c) induce commitment; and (d) frame their recommendations in terms of “loss” rather than “gain”. The effectiveness of the trained auditors was compared with a control group of experienced auditors who did not receive specific training. Both telephone interview data and utility company records pointed to the success of the auditor training. In interviews, customers served by the trained auditors reported a greater likelihood of acting on the auditors' recommendations, and a large number of these customers reported applying for utility programs to finance retrofits. Utility records validated these customer claims: A significantly larger number of customers served by trained auditors actually did apply for retrofit finance programs. A longitudinal measure of actual energy consumption showed no difference between experimental and control households. Taken as a whole, these findings demonstrate the potential for using principles uncovered in the social psychological laboratory to design applied interventions.
Cognition and Citizen Participation in Social Action1
Authors: O'Neill Patrick , Duffy Charlene , Enman Michael , Blackmer Elizabeth , Goodwin Joanne , Campbell Elaine
Published: August 2006

Citizen participation in social action may depend, in part, on certain beliefs about the world and one's power to initiate change. Existing tests of internality and belief in a just world were modified, creating independent measures of belief in personal power and belief in possible injustices in society. The paper reports data on the reliability and the convergent and discriminant validity of the new Personal Power and Injustice scales. In Studies 1 and 2 the scales predicted outcomes in theoretically relevant experiments. In Study 3 they discriminated among community groups who did, or did not, engage in social action.
Voting in Ignorance: The Politics of Smooth‐Sounding Names
Authors: O'Sullivan Chris S. , Chen Audrey , Mohapatra Simani , Sigelman Lee , Lewis Erik
Published: August 2006

The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether the attractiveness of political candidates' names would influence voter preferences, both when only the names were known and when politically relevant information was provided. The names and platforms of candidates in an actual election in which victory was attributed to a name effect were used in a straw poll of undergraduate subjects. Results showed a clear name effect when only names were presented. However, abstention was also quite common in this condition. When candidates' issue positions were also described, the name effect faded to nonsignificance. The results highlight the efficacy of relevant information in overcoming spurious influences on decisions.
The Official Torturer: A Learning Model for Obedience to the Authority of Violence
Authors: Haritos‐Fatouros Mika
Published: August 2006

The military training and selection procedures leading to the behavior of a torturer are discussed. The analysis is based on testimonies of army police servicemen at the first torturers' trial in Greece and on the interviews of ex‐military policemen who served under the military dictatorship in Greece (1967–1974). It is concluded that, given the appropriate training condition, any individual is a potential torturer, and a model for obedience to the authority of violence is proposed.
Masculine Generic Terms and Misperception of AIDS Risk1
Authors: Hamilton Mykol C.
Published: August 2006

Three studies were performed concerning generic references to homosexuality in the context of AIDS. Study One demonstrated that for two major newspapers and two major news magazines, the majority of references to high‐risk‐behavior groups for AIDS employ generic references to homosexuality rather than specifying male homosexuality. In Study Two, 269 male and female college students ranked seven groups according to their AIDS risk. Lesbians' risk was overestimated by two thirds of the subjects. Study Three used 112 subjects to test experimentally the causal link between generics and overestimation of lesbians' risk. Results showed that describing “homosexual” risk leads to higher estimates of lesbians' risk than describing “homosexual men's” risk or than explicitly excluding lesbians, p < .0001. Results suggest that high risk estimates for lesbians may promote the idea that AIDS is a “gay disease”, thus possibly increasing anti‐homosexual backlash and heterosexuals' underestimation of their own risk. Results are discussed in connection with the Whorfian Hypothesis, word contamination effects, and prototype research. Recommendations are made for improving discussions of AIDS risk in media and educational presentations.
Locus of Control and Delay of Gratification As Moderators of Employee Turnover1
Authors: Griffeth Rodger W. , Hom Peter W.
Published: August 2006

Main effects of personality on turnover have generally been weak. However, little previous research has considered its indirect effects. Personality may moderate the determinants of turnover. Using a sample of 192 hospital employees, this study examined the moderating effects of locus of control and ability to delay need gratification on the immediate determinants of turnover proposed by Mobley, Griffeth, Hand, and Meglino (1979). The findings generally indicated that the relative strength of the determinants of turnover varied as predicted. Implications for employee retention are discussed.
Dealing with the Threat of Rape: Reactance or Learned Helplessness?1
Authors: Heath Linda , Davidson Lynn
Published: August 2006

The effects of perceived controllability of rape victimization among potential rape victims were investigated in three studies. In a true experiment, perceived controllability of rape was manipulated through a pamphlet rating paradigm (N= 60). Women who saw materials that presented rape as an uncontrollable event reported greater anxiety on the street (p <.001) and in their homes (p <.05), and greater intention to engage in precautionary behaviors (p <.001) than women who read materials that presented rape as somewhat more controllable. In a quasi‐experiment, women (N= 58) were classified as viewing rape as controllable or uncontrollable based on their descriptions of the “typical rape”. Women who viewed rape as an uncontrollable event reported higher risk of rape (p <.05) and unlike respondents in Study 1, reported less use of precautionary behaviors on the street (p <.05) than women who viewed rape as a somewhat controllable event. In Study 3, women (N= 40) were classified as perceiving high or low controllability based on pre‐test responses. As in Study 2, women who reported lower control perceptions also reported more fear and less precautionary behavior. As predicted, the high control women reported significantly higher levels of fear after being exposed to the low control message used in Study 1. These women, however, did not increase their intended self‐protective behavior. These results are discussed in terms of reactance and learned helplessness.
Eyewitnesses Credible and Discredible1
Authors: Elliott Rogers , Farrington Beth , Manheimer Holly
Published: August 2006

Undergraduate subjects read descriptions of two armed robbery cases that varied in the degree to which physical and circumstantial evidence alone would evoke a judgment of guilt. The effect on such judgments of the addition of an eyewitness identifying the defendant, and the effect of discrediting such eyewitness testimony were studied, along with the effects of altering the evidentiary standard (reasonable doubt or preponderance of the evidence), in both between‐ and within‐subjects designs. The different cases, the different conditions of testimony, and the different standards of proof had large effects on judgment. Testimony discrediting an eyewitness was fully effective in lowering the rate of guilt judgments, regardless of the strength of the physical and circumstantial evidence, the standard of proof, or whether or not subjects made serial judgments after reading successive increments to the summaries.
Romantic Relationships at Work: Perceived Changes in Job‐Related Behaviors as a Function of Participant's Motive, Partner's Motive, and Gender
Authors: Dillard James P. , Broetzmann Scott M.
Published: August 2006

It is frequently assumed that intimate relationships between members of the same organization inevitably prove harmful to organizational functioning. This paper challenges that assumption by examining the association between three motives for entering a relationship (love, ego, job) and four job‐related behaviors. The data suggest that (a) although positive and negative changes in job‐related behaviors do occur, they are generally small, and (b) they can be predicted, in part, by the motives for entering the relationship and, in part, by the gender of the relational participant.
Cigarette Smoking, Academic Lifestyle, and Social Impact Efficacy: An Eight‐Year Study from Early Adolescence to Young Adulthood1
Authors: Newcomb Michael D. , McCarthy William J. , Bentler P.M.
Published: August 2006

Two hundred and twenty‐one males and 518 females were followed for 8 years from early adolescence. A causal model was proposed that related five constructs measured in adolescence to four corresponding constructs measured 8 years later. The predictor constructs included smoking involvement, academic lifestyle orientation, emotional well‐being, social impact efficacy, and peer smoking behavior. Academic lifestyle orientation was found to be a central organizing construct, with the strongest within‐time and across‐time correlations with other constructs. The relatively weak causal influences of teenage smoking and teenage social impact efficacy suggested an explanation for the limited impact of past drug abuse prevention programs. Policy implications are discussed.
Social Value Orientation and Helping Behavior1
Authors: McClintock Charles G. , Allison Scott T.
Published: August 2006

The present study investigated the relationship between people's social value orientations and helping behavior. Subjects dassified a priori as either cooperators, individualists, or competitors were mailed a request to volunteer from zero to ten hours of their time to a worthy cause. Subjects were asked to indicate on their response forms the number of hours, if any, that they wished to contribute and to retum these forms using an enclosed self‐addressed envelope regardless of whether they intended to donate any hours. The results revealed that subjects of all three social value orientations were equally likely to comply to the small request to return their response forms. However, the number of hours that subjects contributed differed as a function of their social values. As predicted, cooperators contributed significantly more of their time to the cause than did individualists and competitors. We relate these findings to previous research on social values and helping behavior.
The Instrumental and Symbolic Functions of Attitudes toward Persons with AIDS1
Authors: Pryor John B. , Reeder Glenn D. , Vinacco Richard , Kott Teri L.
Published: August 2006

Five studies explored the psychological bases of attitudes toward persons afflicted with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). These studies examined both instrumental and symbolic bases of these attitudes. In Studies 1, 2, and 3, both instrumental factors (e.g., beliefs about the probability of one's own child contracting AIDS) and symbolic factors (general attitudes toward homosexuality) independently contributed to the prediction of attitudes toward having one's child attend classes with a nonhomosexual person having AIDS. In Study 4, only attitudes toward homosexuality (symbolic factors) and not beliefs about contagiousness related to students' expressing a desire to transfer from a class with an AIDS‐infected professor. In Study 5, subjects role played the situation experienced by subjects in Study 4. A wider array of instrumental concerns was assessed. While both instrumental and symbolic factors were related to attitudes of role‐playing subjects, the specific instrumental concerns of importance were related to beliefs about subjects' feeling comfortable with the professor and not the contagiousness of AIDS. Thus, these results paralleled those of Study 4. These findings are discussed with regard to their relevance for understanding the varying functions of attitudes and for understanding the stigmatization of disease victims.
Understanding Consumer Decision‐Making Processes: The Role of Form and Function In Product Evaluation1
Authors: DeBono Kenneth G. , Snyder Mark
Published: August 2006

In this investigation, we examined the extent to which people use information concerning product form (e.g., appearance) and product function (e.g., reliability) to evaluate the quality of consumer products. One week after receiving both types of information, high self‐monitors responded more favorably to the product with the more attractive appearance, judging it to be of higher quality. By contrast, low self‐monitors assigned higher quality ratings to the less attractive product. Implications of these findings for implicit consumer theories about the relations between product form and product function, as well as implications for consumer decision‐making processes are discussed.
Image Attributions and Smoking Intentions Among Seventh Grade Students
Authors: Burton Dee , Sussman Steve , Hansen William B. , Johnson C. Anderson , Flay Brian R.
Published: August 2006

Previous research has indicated that adolescents who intend to smoke differ from those who do not intend to smoke in the imagery they associate with smoking. The present study examined relationships among self‐image, ideal self‐image, image of smokers in general and image of models in cigarette ads for seventh‐grade students. The strongest finding was a positive correspondence of smokers image to self‐image in predicting intention to smoke cigarettes. This correspondence between smokers image and self‐image derived from a relative depression of self‐image in combination with a relative elevation of smokers image for youth who were more likely to report intentions to smoke. There was also a trend for the ideal self‐image of youth with greater intentions to smoke to be similarly depressed. It is suggested that when both self‐concept and aspirations for self‐improvement are diminished, smoking may seem particularly desirable as a means of enhancing identity.
Communication Modality and Attitude Change In a Realistic Experiment1
Authors: Wiegman O.
Published: August 2006

In this experiment, an experimental interview with the leader of the Socialists in the Dutch Parliament was delivered via three different media: television, radio, or a newspaper presentation. We showed that the experimental interviews led, in themselves, to attitude change, but no difference was found among the three communication modalities. Moreover, no significant interaction effect was established between the political preference of the subjects (Socialist versus non‐Socialist) and communication modality. Our main results do not support the assumption that for a well‐known politician presently holding office, television is a less effective medium than radio or newspaper.
Reactions to Interpersonal Evaluative Feedback1
Authors: Jussim Lee , Coleman Lerita , Nassau Sharon R.
Published: August 2006

Self‐enhancement approaches to self‐concept provide a perspective for identifying motivational factors likely to be affected by interpersonal evaluative feedback. The main hypothesies were that in contrast to positive feedback, negative feedback would lead to higher self‐esteem, lower perceptions of task importance, and lower perceptions of control over an evaluator's reactions. Students received a lesson on solving analogies from a teacher (confederate), and then took a test on analogies. After reviewing the student's test, the teacher conveyed either positive feedback, negative feedback, or no feedback. Consistent with a self‐enhancement perspective, recipients of negative feedback increased their global self‐esteem, placed less importance on succeeding at the task, and felt less control over the teachers' reactions. Implications for understanding the role of interpersonal evaluative feedback in motivation and self‐esteem, and self‐enhancing responses to threats more generally are discussed.
Demographic Variables Associated with Fear of AIDS and Homophobia
Authors: Bouton Richard A. , Gallaher Peggy E. , Garlinghouse Paul Arthur , Leal Terri , Rosenstein Leslie D. , Young Robert K.
Published: August 2006

During the fall of 1985, over 500 introductory psychology students participated in a survey which employed different questionnaires to measure Fear of AIDS, Knowledge of AIDS, Homophobia, and Behavior Change. Opinions about public policy regarding AIDS and homosexuals, and background information such as sex and religious preference were also obtained. The results indicated that males who knew the most about AIDS were less fearful of the disease than were males who knew the least. No such relationship was found for females. In addition, respondents reported that they have been changing their behavior in light of the AIDS epidemic. This included some behaviors which were related to AIDS and some which were not. Finally, political and religious conservatives were generally more homophobic and fearful of AIDS than were liberals. In addition, conservatives generally preferred protection of the public as an approach to controlling the AIDS epidemic while liberals generally preferred to educate the public.
The Effects of Ratee Prototypicality on Rater Observation and Accuracy1
Authors: Favero Janet L. , Ilgen Daniel R.
Published: August 2006

Social cognition theory asserts that perceivers (raters) assign stimulus persons (ratees) to social categories. These categories help the raters encode, store, and recall information. In a longitudinal design that represented a performance appraisal situation, this study examined the effects of information about a ratee's category membership on the amount of information that raters collected about the ratee prior to rating. One hundred fourteen subjects participated in three separate experimental sessions which spanned a 3‐week time period. Among other tasks, subjects were required to rate a subordinate who was described in a manner which made it either difficult or easy to assign the subordinate to a social category. It was predicted and found that raters of ratees who were easily categoriezed spent less time observing the ratees' performance than raters of ratees who were less easily classified. Furthermore, results indicated that it was the effect of rater categorization on observation time that was critical to rating accuracy.
The Motivating Potential of Leader Behaviors: A Comparison of Two Models1
Authors: Tetrick Lois E.
Published: August 2006

The motivating potential of leader behaviors was investigated in a comparative test of two models relating leader behaviors, perceived role clarity, psychological influence, perceived self‐competence, self‐determination, and intrinsic motivation. Based on the data from 422 naval personnel and their immediate supervisors, it would appear that leaders' informational and controlling behaviors influence subordinates' perceptions of role clarity and psychological influence. Self‐determination and self‐competence also influence these perceptions. Psychological influence increases intrinsic motivation but role clarity influences intrinsic motivation only indirectly through its influence on psychological influence.
Voluntariness of Association as a Moderator of the Importance of Procedural and Distributive Justice
Authors: Gordon Michael E. , Fryxell Gerald E.
Published: August 2006

Tyler (1986) proposed that procedural justice was a more important factor in the evaluation of institutions when an individual's association with same was forced or compelled than when the association was voluntary. Unfortunately, Tyler's induction of a moderator effect was based upon questionable interpretations of data, and no deductive attempt was made to explain the phenomenon in theoretical terms. The present study confirmed the moderator effect of voluntariness of association by examining the patterns of correlations between institutional evaluations and procedural justice under two conditions—for members and non‐members of open shop (voluntary association) and agency shop (compelled association) unions. The concept of personal control was used to account for the moderator
The Effect of Matching Contribution Offers and Legitimization of Paltry Contributions On Compliance
Authors: Fraser Cynthia , Hite Robert E.
Published: August 2006

The use of a matching contribution offer in conjunction with legitimization of paltry contributions is examined in a door‐to‐door charitable solicitation context. Three hundred and twenty households were exposed to charitable contribution requests employing either legitimization of paltry contributions, a matching contribution offer, both, or a control. It was predicted that the matching funds offer, paired with legitimization of paltry donations, would increase both compliance rates and donation sizes and generate greater revenues than either tactic used singly. The results of a field experiment support this prediction.
Nonlinear and Nonmonotonic Effects of Outcome on Procedural and Distributive Fairness Judgments1
Authors: Conlon Donald E. , Lind E. Allan , Lissak Robin I.
Published: August 2006

It has generally been assumed that increases in the concrete outcomes of a procedure will result in judgments of greater procedural and distributive fairness, but research on this topic has been inconsistent. Using a classic procedural justice paradigm (Walker, LaTour, Lind, &. Thibaut, 1974), the experiment tested the effects of four levels of outcome. Forty‐eight male and female undergraduates were led to believe that their team had been wrongfully charged with cheating in a business simulation game. An adversary adjudication was held, purportedly to resolve the charge. The outcome of the adjudication was confiscation of all, two thirds, one third, or none of the subject's monetary winnings from the game. Both procedural and distributive fairness measures showed dear nonlinear outcome effects. The relationship between outcomes and both fairness measures showed some evidence of being nonmonotonic as well: A two‐thirds loss resulted in less favorable reactions than did a total loss. Ratings on other scales suggest that the nonlinear effects are due to beliefs that the judge did not fully consider the evidence in the two‐thirds loss and one‐third loss conditions. The discussion focuses on the theoretical implications of the findings for procedural justice and social exchange processes and the practical implications for conflict resolution procedure.
Locus of Control and Social Support: Clarifiers of the Relationship Between Job Stress and Job Satisfaction
Authors: Cummins Robert
Published: August 2006

The present study examined the role of social support and locus of control as determinants of job satisfaction and as moderators of the job stress—job satisfaction relationship. Support from a variety of sources focusing on problems at work was found to be stress buffering for internals whereas supervisory support was directly related to job satisfaction for externals. Type of support (integration) was associated with job satisfaction depending on perceptions of locus of control. In addition, different dimensions of locus of control (internal, external‐chance, external‐powerful others) had differing effects on job satisfaction independent of levels of social support. It is concluded that the buffering effect of social support may be applicable to job stress only when that support is content specific (issues at work) and individuals receiving such support believe they can impact their outcomes (internals on locus of control). The implication of these findings are discussed in terms of practical application in work organizations.
Computer Communication and Organizational Commitment: Tracing the Relationship in a City Government
Authors: Huff Acharles , Sproull Lee , Kiesler Sara
Published: August 2006

Various theories and management policies suggest that there should be a positive relationship between communication and commitment to the organization. However, support for that relationship remains equivocal. We report the results of a questionnaire on communication and commitment filled out by 376 employees of a mid‐sized city government. They were asked about the mode and frequency of their communications within the organization and about their commitment to the city government. Consistent with our hypotheses about the nature of computer‐mediated communication, use of computer mail and bulletin boards predicted organizational commitment, but use of the telephone and paper modes of communication did not. In addition, those most likely to benefit from the immediacy and memory of computer communication—shift workers—evidenced a stronger relationship between computer mail use and commitment than did regular employees. Two mechanisms for mediating the relationship between communication and commitment were evaluated. Evidence supports active participation in communication as a mediating mechanism in the relationship between communication and commitment. The informational value of communication does not appear to be important in this regard.
Sexual Aggression and Control In Dating Relationships
Authors: Stets Jan E. , Pirog‐Good Maureen A.
Published: August 2006

This paper examines the effect of interpersonal control on sexual aggression while dating. A sample of white, heterosexual, college dating relationships is examined. Data are collected on men and women who inflict and sustain sexual aggression. The results indicate that, net of other effects, interpersonal control is a significant predictor of both men and women inflicting and women sustaining sexual aggression. It is argued that future research should look more to interaction patterns among couples rather than viewing sexual aggression as the result of men demonstrating their masculinity.
Causal Attributions and Parent‐Child Relationships in a Self‐Help Group for Families of the Mentally III1
Authors: Medvene Louis J. , Krauss David H.
Published: August 2006

A study of a local chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally 111 (NAMI) suggests that parents think about the causes of their offsprings' psychiatric disabilities in terms of psychogenic, organic and moral attributions. Comparisons of retrospective and current self‐reports suggest that parents' attributional processes were influenced by their organizational participation. Comparatively stronger endorsement of the organic attribution (that biochemical illness is a primary causal factor) and comparatively weaker endorsement of the psychogenic attribution (that deficits in parenting are a primary causal factor) were associated with participation. Increased comfort in parent‐child relationships was also associated with participation. It was speculated that these cognitive and behavioral changes were mediated by learning a comprehensive schema of information about schizophrenia that included information about causes, symptoms and methods of treatment.
AIDS, FRAIDS, and Quarantine: Student Responses to Pro‐Quarantine Initiatives in California
Authors: Winslow Robert W. , Rumbaut Ruben G. , Hwang Jimmy
Published: August 2006

In the literature on AIDS, only a few empirical social reactivist studies of heterosexuals have been done, probably due to the preoccupation with explaining the incidence of AIDS among high‐risk groups. The following study of 563 students enrolled in a large Southern California university adds to the heterosexual student literature by operationalizing an important research variable, FRAIDS, and by embarking on explanatory analysis of attitude and self‐reported behavior. FRAIDS, which we will define as the fear of getting AIDS from casual contact sources, may be helpful in explaining both high‐risk sexual behavior among heterosexuals and pro‐quarantine sentiment. However, only the subsets of the FRAIDS variable (FRAIDS‐dry and FRAIDS‐wet) proved explanatory. FRAIDS‐dry (fear of HIV infection from dry sources) proved significant in explaining sexual activity, while FRAIDS‐wet (fear of HIV infection from wet casual contact sources) was found significant in explaining pro‐quarantine sentiment. The converse was not true. Using homophobia as a control variable, homophobia was found to overshadow FRAIDS‐wet for males but FRAIDS‐wet rivaled homophobia in predicting pro‐quarantine sentiment for females. Growing quarantine sentiment was noted among the students, as the survey took place during two different time periods (Fall of 1986 (N= 375) and Spring of 1988 (N= 188)), essentially before and after the actual vote in November 1986 on a pro‐quarantine initiative (Proposition 64) that appeared on the California ballot. This apparent increase in pro‐quarantine sentiment among students (and voters) highlights the need for attention to homophobia as well as detailed discussion of the fear of wet casual contact in AIDS education.
The Effect of Punishment Probability on Overconsumption and Stealing in a Simulated Commons1
Authors: Bell Paul A. , Petersen Teresa R. , Hautaluoma Jacob E.
Published: August 2006

In laboratory simulations of the commons dilemma, overconsumption depletes the shared resource, whereas allowing the players to steal from each other helps preserve the resource since players take from each other rather than from the central supply. In this study, we factorially crossed three levels of punishment probability for overconsumption (0%, 25%, 75%) with three levels of probability of punishment for stealing (0%, 25%, 75%). Subjects (n= 270) in three‐person groups harvested points from a slowly regenerating central pool. Results indicated that punishment of overconsumption decreased overconsumption, increased stealing, and helped preserve the commons, whereas punishment of stealing decreased stealing, increased overconsumption, and facilitated depletion of the commons. Rather than punishment of one selfish behavior suppressing the other selfish behavior, a compensatory effect occurred: Punishment of one behavior increased the occurrence of the selfish alternative.