bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Coherence of Incoherent Discourse
Authors: Hobbs Jerry R. , Agar Michael H.
Published: March 2007

Some of the more ill-behaved vagaries of free-flowing conversation may seem to call into question the possibility of formal treatments of coherence in conversation. However, in this paper we show that the notions of planning and local coherence from artificial intelligence work in discourse interpretation make such treatments possible. Four fragments of an ethnographic life history interview are examined; they illustrate a negotiation of topic, an associative slide, discontinuous structure, and the emergence of a new conversational goal. In each case we show that the notions of planning and local coherence make possible an intricate analysis of how local incoherencies can disguise a larger, global coherence or of how global coherence can arise from the piecing together of locally coherent segments. Finally, we give an overview of the production of conversation based on these notions that accommodates these vagaries.
Men's and Women's Talk in Same-Gender and Mixed-Gender Dyads: Power or Polemic?'
Authors: Mulac Anthony
Published: March 2007

One hundred and eight university students (54 men and 54 women) were recorded in 108, eight-minute, problem-solving interactions under two dyadic conditions: (a) same-gender, and (b) mixed-gender. Interactants were coded during each minute for: (a) amount of Talk, (b) Mean Length Utterance (MLU) and (c) Rate. MANOVA results for Talk indicated that men in mixedgender dyads talked more than did men and women in same-gender dyads, and they in turn talked more than women in mixed-gender dyads. For MLU, men consistently spoke in longer utterances, regardless of gender of their partner. No Rate differences were found involving gender. Additionally, when there was a control for interactant gender, individuals who talked more and in longer utterances were rated by their partners as higher in Dynamism, an operationalisation of power. Finally, multiple regression analyses indicated that the Talk and MLU differences found were more predictable on the basis of gender than Androgyny, Empathy or Social Desirability. The findings suggest that gender leads to differences in talk behaviour that are consistent with the appearance, but not necessarily the actual implementation, of power.
Politeness and Forms of Address
Authors: Wood Linda A. , Kroger Rolf O.
Published: March 2007

The present paper considers the politeness of forms of address in terms of Brown & Levinson's (1987) theory of politeness. We present a conceptual analysis of the elements of politeness for six kinds of nominal address exchange and of the politeness expected for different categories of social relationship. These theoretical values are then compared to the politeness of address exchanges collected in a series of previous studies. The results of both the conceptual and empirical analyses are compatible with Brown & Levinson's assumption that negative politeness outweighs positive politeness. However, it appears that the formula for deriving the weightiness of face-threatening acts and hence politeness requires revisions that would give greater weight to status than to solidarity and incorporate the interaction of status and solidarity. We discuss the plausibility of the claim that negative politeness is more polite than positive politeness and consider the implications of our results for understanding the expression of solidarity and the relationship of affect to politeness.
Conceiving Selves: A Case Study of Changing Identities during the Transition to Motherhood
Authors: Smith Jonathan
Published: March 2007

This qualitative study follows one woman through her pregnancy and transition to motherhood, and is concerned with the changes which occur in her accounts of identity. The study has a dual focus: on the changing identity of the woman herself as she becomes a mother, and on the simultaneous construction of an identity for the growing foetus. The complex and ambiguous nature of the process is highlighted, for example, in the woman's move towards self-containment as well as engagement with key others. Consistent with a phenomenological approach, the woman's account is prioritised in the study. Only after a close reading of her account is the material theorised in relation to the existing literature, particularly Mead's notion of a symbiotic or relational self. Finally a deconstructionist reading of some of the material in the case is provided.
Interruption and Influence in Discussion Groups
Authors: Ng Sik Hung , Brooke Mark , Dunne Michael
Published: March 2007

This study examines two aspects of conversational behavior that might lead to high perceived social influence in newly formed discussion groups, namely, to gain speaking turns by interrupting others and, conversely, to retain speakership against others' interruptions. Subjects discussed the issue of euthanasia and afterward ranked their own and each other's influence. Relative to low-ranking members, high-ranking members were more successful in interrupting others and in gaining speaking turns by other, noninterruptive means. When being interrupted, high-ranking members were better able to maintain the floor. However, the former also yielded to interruptions more frequently, probably because of the larger number of overall interruptions they received. Further analysis showed that certain speech acts (dissent, offer, reply) were more strongly associated than others (consent, reaction, request) with the successful enactment of interruptions and that, contrary to stereotypic beliefs, interruptions were not always disruptive but couldfunction constructively in rescuingandpromotinggroup discussion.
Natural Order
Authors: Potter Jonathan , Wetherell Margaret
Published: March 2007

This article argues that the notion of natural language should be treated with caution, for natural language is not an empirical object so much as the product of a particular analytic stance that is sensitive to the action orientation and sequential embeddedness of discourse. The virtue of studying materials that are generated without the influence of researchers (e.g., records of talk in home and work situations) is pressed. However, it is suggested that social psychologists are impeded in pursuing such a course by their adherence to hypothetico deductivist methods, tocognitivist metatheory, and toetic rather than emic styles of analysis.
Objective Versus Perceived Vocal Interruptions in the Dialogues of Unacquainted Pairs, Friends, and Couples
Authors: Crown Cynthia L. , Cummins Debora A.
Published: March 2007

Two studies are presented that examined whether men interrupt differently than women and whether they are perceived to interrupt differently. First, 84 individuals participated in 25-minute conversations that were automatically summarized as a set of vocal interruptive behaviors. Statistical analyses indicated no sex differences. The second study had 80 judges rate five of the videotapes from the first study (selected on the basis of highly similar objective interruptions) in terms of the how interruptive the judges viewed the conversationalists to be. Women were perceived to interrupt significantly more then men. Tb help understand the discrepant findings, a subset of the original tapes was recoded using a subjective procedure. Findings replicated those yielded by the objective coding method. This set of findings suggests that differences in the interruptive behavior of men and women may be more perceived than actual.
The Investigation of Contiguity
Authors: Galliker Mark , Herman Jan , Imminger Kurt , Weimer Daniel
Published: March 2007

According to the research on delegitimization, negative stereotypes, prejudices, and verbal discrimination are based on contiguities of person categories and devaluations mainly in the area of delinquency. The extent to which contiguities can be economically and systematically ascertained is demonstrated by computer-assisted co-occurrence analysis, where co-occurrence is understood as the simultaneous appearance of verbal occurrences in a counting unit such as a sentence or paragraph. This study documents how the terms foreigners and crime appeared in the Neue Zurcher Zeitung (NZZ) from 1993 to 1995 using a new procedure with CD-ROM. Subject matter, as well as the hypothesis that the connection between the two terms became weaker after an antiracism plebiscite, are investigated. It was possible to broadly confirm these hypotheses on the basis of the material that was compared. The studypoints out thepossibility ofperceiving latent devaluations early. The material at hand, however, onlyprovides clues to how overt devaluations have been avoided.
Modern Racism as a Predictor of the Linguistic Intergroup Bias
Authors: Schnake Sherry B. , Ruscher Janet B.
Published: March 2007

Despite the fact that Maass, Salvi, Arcuri, and Semin's linguistic intergroup bias (LIB) seems to be an indicator of prejudice, research has failed to consider whether this phenomenon differs according to people's dispositional level of prejudice. The present study hypothesized that European Americans higher in prejudice against African Americans would demonstrate linguistic abstraction of stereotypical behaviors to a greater degree than EuropeanAmericans who are lower in prejudice. As predicted, high-prejudiced participants described African Americans' stereotypical behaviors in a more abstract fashion, whereas low-prejudiced participants described African Americans' stereotypical behaviors in a more concrete fashion. Because overall negativity of the descriptions was not influenced by level ofprejudice, the LIB appears to be a more subtle measure of prejudice level than degree of negativity.
Gender and Conversational Style as Predictors of Conversational Behavior
Authors: Hannah Annette , Murachver Tamar
Published: March 2007

Because gender and speech style co-vary, effects that have been attributed to speakers’ gender-based status might in fact be consequences of how people respond to particular styles of speech. To examine the relative impact of gender and speech style on conversants’ speech behavior, female and male confederates were trained to employ a facilitative or a nonfacilitative style of speech in interactions with young adults. Analyses of participants’ conversations with confederates showed that confederate speech style, rather than confederate gender, was a more reliable predictor of participants’ speech behavior. In conjunction with analyses of participant accommodation to confederate speech, the results revealed subtle differences in how women and men responded to the behavior of confederates.
Collaboration with Diverse Partners:
Authors: Gould Odette N. , Shaleen Lori
Published: March 2007

In this study, we investigate the ability and motivation of older women to adapt their speaking style to the receptive and conversational needs of their partner during dyadic interactions. Older women (M = 68 years) performed a series of collaborative tasks varying in cognitive difficulty with a female college student and a woman with mild mental retardation. These tasks included (a) a 3-minute getting acquainted task, (b) menu planning, (c) collaborative block design, and (d) finding 20 things in common. Particularly through their use of questions, commands, and self-disclosures, these older women were shown to adapt their collaborative style across different partner and task situations. In contrast, the content of self-disclosures made by the older women was similar across partner type.
Shedding a Tier or Filling a Need: Research in Local Education Authorities
Authors: Harbord Janet , Mortimore Peter
Published: March 2007

Janet Harbord and Peter Mortimore are at the Institute of Education of the University of London. In this paper they discuss the research needs of local education authorities in the London region, and the difficulties which they currently face in trying to meet them. Such research, they conclude, is becoming more client led and this implies that its findings need to be disseminated more widely whilst also being targeted to specific audiences. They make some suggestions for achieving this.
An Exploratory Study of Novices and Experts in Educational Management
Authors: Bullock Kate , James Chris , Jamieson Ian
Published: March 2007

Kate Bullock and Professor Ian Jamieson are lecturers in the School of Education of the University of Bath and Professor Chris james is now at the University of Glamorgan Business School. This paper presents the findings of an exploratory study in which educational managers at three different stages in their careers were interviewed about their conceptions of educational management learning. Its conclusions have implications for the continuing professional development of those who work in schools and higher education.
Student Withdrawal from Higher Education
Authors: Thomas Marilyn , Adams Stephanie , Birchenough Allan
Published: March 2007

Each year, significant numbers of students withdraw from higher education. Each withdrawal represents to the individual student a considerable cost. To the institution, each withdrawal raises questions on admissions procedures, course and institutional information, student care and finance. In addition, recent quality assurance initiatives require institutions to reflect upon what they offer to students, and when students withdraw, it is necessary to investigate the reasons for this. These concerns formed the basis of this study of withdrawal at a UK institution, which attempted to determine whether more support could be provided to students.
Heads on Deputy Headship
Authors: Ribbins Peter
Published: March 2007

Headteachers are interesting, deputy headteachers are not. In exploring this theme, the paper attempts to say something about how deputy headship is depicted within both the small number of studies currently available which focus specifically on this role and the much more substantial literature on headship. It draws selectively upon 34 substantial, on-the-record, published interviews with head-teachers from secondary, primary and special schools in which the author and others have been engaged over the last few years to consider what we can learn of deputy headship from headteachers. For many of them, this was not seen as a positive experience.
Researching the Characteristics of Effective Primary School Principals in Cyprus
Authors: Pashiardis Petros
Published: March 2007

This article reports on a study which sought to identify the characteristics and behaviours of effective primary school principals in Cyprus. Forty-nine principals were identified by a panel of inspectors from the Ministry as excellent in their jobs. The researcher spent between 10 and 15 hours with each of these principals. Preliminary findings from the interview data he collected indicate that effective principals in Cyprus: (1) have a great love and ambition for their profession; (2) have pride in the national heritage and traditions of their country; (3) are deep thinkers and constant learners; (4) are good administrators; (5) will often take risks by opposing the will of the Ministry; and, (6) are good managers of time.
Restructuring Hong Kong's Schools
Authors: Dimmock Clive
Published: March 2007

Hong Kong, like many societies, is undertaking major restructuring of its school system. A close examination of the three main policies forming the backbone of the reform reveals a remarkable similarity to those introduced in the United States, Britain and Australia. Implementation of policy in this fashion raises important questions about its appropriateness to indigenous cultures. Even so, researchers working in the field of educational management have, to date, given relatively little attention to detailed analyses of the cultural matching of educational policy. This paper seeks to explore the appropriateness and synchrony between the policy reforms imported into Hong Kong and central features of its host culture. It draws upon Hofstede's cultural dimensions to provide a framework for identifying and matching the culture of Hong Kong in juxtaposition with other cultures.
The Effects of Senior Management Teams on Teacher Morale and Job Satisfaction
Authors: Evans Linda
Published: March 2007

This article reports on research which sought to examine the effects on teacher morale and job satisfaction of one primary school's management. It focuses on a relatively new management strategy in English and Welsh primary schools: the use of senior management teams. The findings reflect the views of the `managed' rather than the managers, and reveal the nature and quality of school management to have been the most influential factor in determining the quality of teachers' working lives, their job satisfaction and morale. Some of the problems emanating from the establishment of an SMT are examined. It is concluded that this approach does not represent a straightforward means of dealing with the pressures of contemporary headship and the author advocates a more radical approach.
The Cosmopolitan Society and Its Enemies
Authors: Beck Ulrich
Published: March 2007

At the beginning of the 21st century the conditio humana cannot be understood nationally or locally but only globally. This constitutes a revolution in the social sciences. The `sociological imagination' (C. Wright Mills) so far has basically been a nation state imagination. The main problem is how to redefine the sociological frame of reference in the horizon of a cosmopolitan imagination. For the purpose of empirical research I distinguish between three concepts: interconnectedness (David Held et al.), liquid modernity (Zygmunt Bauman) and cosmopolitization from within. The latter is a kind of class analysis after class analysis, which takes on board globalization internalized. For the purposes of social analysis, therefore, it is necessary to distinguish systematically between the national manifestation on the one hand and cosmopolitan reality of `global flows', currents of information, symbols, money, risks, people, social inequalities, on the other. This internal involuntary and often unseen cosmopolitanization from below of the national sphere of experience is occurring, however, with the power of economic globalization. So what does inner `cosmopolitanization' mean? The key concepts and questions of a way of life, such as nourishment, production, identity, fear, memory, pleasure, fate, power and politics, can no longer be located and understood nationally, but only globally whether in the shape of globally shared collective futures, capital flows, impending ecological or economic catastrophes, global foodstuff chains, transnational power games, or the `Esperanto' of pop music. In this article I look at transformation in the understanding of space-time, of identity, of the production paradigms, as well as at the resulting consequences for key sociological concepts like class and power and, within this frame, point to certain dilemmas of cosmopolitanism.
Altered States
Authors: Venn Couze
Published: March 2007

Derrida, in some remarks about the inauguration of new refuge-cities in Europe and America,argues for the invention of a new cosmopolitical polity which would be instituted on the basis of an ethics of hospitality. The implications run up against current notions of sovereigntyand challenge many current assumptions about citizenship and rights which draw from Enlightenment thought. This article will sketch these issues, linking up notions of rights and sovereignty inherited from the Enlightenment to their possible transmutation in contemporary conditions and to questions of an ethics of responsibility and hospitality. It will examine the implications for the dissolution of the public sphere as it is now constituted and the emergence of culturally plural and transmodern forms of sociality.
Developments in the Behavioural Codes between the Sexes: The Formalization of Informalization in the Netherlands, 1930-85
Authors: Wouters Cas
Published: March 2007

This article is about changes in dominant modes of social conduct, particularly involving relationships between the sexes. Changes in behavioural codes and ideals were noted in the course of a comparative analysis of etiquette books published in the Netherlands from 1930 to 1985. There was a gap of approximately thirteen years (1966-79) during which, with one exception, no books on this subject were published. There was, however, an upsurge of books on liberation and self-realization, coupled with a relative loosening of behavioural codes and ideals. Since the start of the 1980s, there appears to have been a tightening of these codes and ideals, both as regards relationships between men and women and in general.

These changes are presented as developments in the sense of informalization and formalization, aspects of civilizing processes. The article commences with a short elaboration upon the concepts of informalization and formalization, goes on to present the results of the comparative analysis of the etiquette books, and concludes that nowadays a (re)formalization of preceding informalization is taking place, a stage in the long-term process of informalization.
Bauman's Ways of Seeing the World
Authors: Morawski Stefan
Published: March 2007

Drawing on Richard Kilminster and Ian Varcoe's article concerning the main themes of Bauman's sociology, this article emphasizes what was left aside (for example, the discontinuities of the thought under consideration, the shift from a systematic science-minded approach to hermeneutics, or the aporetic, somehow dramatic seizure of the culture-power relations which indeed are the chief pillars of Bauman's interest and scrutiny). Another characteristic quality is focusing on the Polish issues, that is, the native tradition in humanities, the specific vicissitudes of sociology after 1945, Bauman's personal background, his gradual change of philosophic views through the phase of his dissident activity till the 1970s, when he transgressed the Marxist worldview. The way in which way Bauman combines many talents (scholarly and literary, of the researcher and the teacher) is also pointed out and analysed and his latest creative period, opened by the publication of Legislators and Interpreters, is brought to light. Bauman's diagnosis and weighted appreciation of the present-day cultural breakthrough, named postmodernity, were enriched and deepened with each subsequent book. There is a touch of genius in the scope and mode of dealing with this problematic. Bauman's international fame seems to be well deserved and firmly grounded.
Identity and the Limits of Comparison
Authors: Varcoe Ian
Published: March 2007

The reception of Zygmunt Bauman in Germany can be understood against the background of the two great public debates that have dominated post-war West German cultural, political and intellectual life, that over the Sonderweg thesis, and the Historikerstreit. This reception is analysed. It was in terms of the questions those debates had raised and the positions taken by the participants in them that Bauman's writings on modernity and postmodernity, and the Holocaust in particular, were received. A universal theme was involved. The legitimate use of historical understanding was at stake, with identity and comparison being central issues for a set of positions, a field of forces in which Bauman is the `odd one out'. Bauman is an outsider to the debates. He is someone with stimulating ideas which sometimes appear paradoxical, and which drove wedges between established ideological alignments. To the Germans, he seems, understandably, an interesting and puzzling figure.
Civil Rights in Notts: A Response
Authors: Friel M.J.
Published: March 2007

The Clerk of the Court attacked by Ted Perry (PJ December 1984) exercises right of reply.
Community Work and the Probation Service
Authors: Henderson Paul
Published: March 2007

In recent years an uncertain momentum has built up towards probation officers becoming more involved in community work. The author reports on his recent survey of community initiatives in probation teams, and discusses what action is required to prevent the tentative exploration of community probation from coming to a premature halt.
Industrial Relations in a Cold Climate
Authors: Drakeford Mark
Published: March 2007

Employer-employee relationships in the Service receive scant attention in an otherwise profuse probation literature, and many feel uncomfortable with 'industrial relations' in a welfare service. Yet the importance of an informed and organised stance, at a local as well as national level, is crucial to defend and promote members' interests, particularly in the face of a third term of Thatcherism.
Reflecting Probation Service Values in Management
Authors: Boswell Gwyneth , Worthington Mike
Published: March 2007

The publication of 'Punishment, Custody and Community' has brought clearly within earshot some of the distant but longstanding rumblings about how much longer the Probation Service can hold onto its traditional base of social work values. Whilst recognising the inherently problematic and ambiguous nature of the term 'values', the authors offer one interpretation applicable to the Service and discuss some ways in which managers can promote the longevity of Service values by reflecting them in their own practice.
Poor Marx
Authors: Harris Robert
Published: March 2007

A decade after the publication of 'Probation Work: Critical Theory and Socialist Practice' (Basil Blackwell, 1981) by Hilary Walker and Bill Beaumont, three commentators assess its original appeal and lasting merits. Hilary Walker takes a self critical retrospective view.
The Real Goals for Mobility Education
Authors: Carey Kevin , Carey Kevin
Published: March 2007

The following is an edited version of a presentation made to the Mobility and Independence Specialists in Education (MISE) Conference in Coventry on 7 March 2000.
Assessing learning aptitude in blind children
Authors: Tobin M.J.
Published: March 2007

This paper is a description and appraisal of the Blind Learning Aptitude Test. The BLAT items consist of raised-line abstract symbols which the child is required to discriminate and make deductions from. Trials carried out by the author show that, despite some reservations, the BLAT may be a useful complement to the existing tests o f intelligence, aptitude and achievement.
Visually handicapped students in further and higher education: some facts and figures
Authors: Butler Michael
Published: March 2007

This article is based on a survey of blind and partially sighted students known to the RNIB who were in further and higher education between 1969 and 1985 (1). It shows how the number of these students has been growing, together with the variety of establishments attended and courses pursued. Issues related to admission, student support services and employment are dealt with. Although the sample does not include all visually handacapped students in further education during this period, it is probably representative enough to indicate major trends and allow tentative conclusions to be drawn.
Can't I finish the story? teaching braille to infants
Authors: Stone Juliet
Published: March 2007

The teaching of literacy to young children through braille is a complex matter. Although the principles underlying tactile readan have been established for a long time, new teaching approaches and reading schemes have much to offer the teacher. for a long time, new teaching approacbes and reading
The arts through touch perception: present trends and future prospects
Authors: Raffray Monique
Published: March 2007

The importance of the sense of touch is being increasingly accepted and one sign of this is the growing involvement of visually handicapped people with the arts. Using as a focal point the seminar held at Leicester University (Art and Touch Education for Visually Handicapped People', 25-26 March 1988), this article outlines what has been achieved through recent developments in this field. It concludes by suggesting some essential objectives for the future.
The role of the social worker in a low vision clinic for children (Israel)
Authors: Dror Nili , Dickstein Nachum
Published: March 2007

This paper describes the importance of the role of a social worker in a low vision clinic in Israel. Although the emphasis in the clinic is on the medical treatment, the multi-disciplinary staff also help the children - who come from all over the country — with their social and psychological problems.
On being a whole body seer: an epistemic condition for the education of the blind
Authors: Hull John M.
Published: March 2007

This article is based on an address given in Hereford Cathedral on 25 March 1990, when materials from the project 'Cathedrals Through Touch and Hearing' were dedicated. It explores the ways of knowing of the blind and the sighted person and determines what separates and what unites them.
Education and rehabilitation: a meeting of minds?
Authors: Lomas Jeanette , McCall Steve , van Dijk Karin
Published: March 2007

There is an urgent need to strengthen links between the education and the rehabilitation of visually impaired people in developing countries and to change some current attitudes and approaches. The following article, based on the points discussed at a meeting held at the University of Birming ham on 28 November 1991, outlines problems of particular concern and considers ways in which they might be addressed. It lists the recommendations drawn up with a view to future action and further meetings.
Partners in change
Authors: Braithwaite Mark
Published: March 2007

The following article is a shortened version of the paper given at the HUSITA Conference, Maastricht, 15-18 June 1993. The author describes a new regional initiative involving the RNIB Vocational College Outreach Service and a consortium of local Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs). The project aims to provide local visually impaired people, including those with a hearing impairment, with the option of well-resourced and integrated training.
Nystagmus: neglected no longer ?
Authors: Sanders John
Published: March 2007

Nystagmus is an eye condition which has so far received comparatively little attention. This article discusses the nature and effects of the condition with particular reference to children. It emphasises the need for a wider knowledge of the disease and for further research into treatment and possible cures.
Vision Welfare: Inter-Professional Co-operation or Fragmentation?
Authors: Hill Adrian R.
Published: March 2007

Often professional language and professional practices create communication barriers which adversely affect patient care in low vision services. The use of a common, non-technical information medium owned by the patient may be an effective way of holding relevant information for all professionals in a case.
Motives to Remain Platonic, Equity, and the Use of Maintenance Strategies in Opposite-Sex Friendships
Authors: Messman Susan J. , Canary Daniel J. , Hause Kimberley S.
Published: March 2007

This study examined maintenance strategies used by hetero-sexual participants in opposite-sex friendships. Individual reasons for adhering to a platonic relational definition and equity were used to predict maintenance behaviors. Factor analyses revealed six reasons for maintaining opposite-sex friendships as platonic: Not Attracted, Network Disapproval, Time Out, Safeguard Relationship, Third Party, and Risk Aversion. Relying on equity theory, we also investigated maintenance strategies of Support, No Flirting, Share Activity, Openness, Avoidance, and Positivity according to equity group membership. Finally, both motives and inequity (overbenefitedness and underbenefitedness) were associated with the use of six maintenance strategies. Results revealed that positive and proactive maintenance behaviors were used in equitable (versus under-or overbenefited) friendships and that reasons for maintaining the platonic nature of opposite-sex friendships predict maintenance strategies that friends employ. In particular, Safeguard Relationship was a consistent predictor of maintenance behaviors. (ln)equity also predicted the use of four maintenance strategies. Overall, support was found for using people's motives in conjunction with equity to predict relational maintenance strategies of opposite-sex friends.
Perceived Social Competence and Depression
Authors: Gable Shelly L. , Shean Glenn D.
Published: March 2007

Differences in impressions of social skills between depressed and non-depressed college student participants were investigated. Participants engaged in a 15-minute, face-to-face `getting acquainted' exercise with an assigned partner of the same sex. Based on Beck Depression Inventory scores, participants were classified as depressed or not and three types of dyads were studied: (i) depressed participant interacting with depressed participant; (ii) depressed participant interacting with non-depressed participant; and (iii) non-depressed participant interacting with non-depressed participant. Prior to the interaction, participants reported their mood. After the interaction, participants evaluated their own social competence and the competence of their partners, and completed a second measure of their mood. On all measures of social competence, depressed participants rated themselves as less competent than non-depressed participants. Depressed participants also rated their partners as less competent than non-depressed participants, regardless of the depression level of the partner. Participants' mood prior to their interaction covaried with ratings of one's own skills but not ratings of partners' skills. These results suggest that depressed individuals have a trait-like bias to perceive themselves and others in a negative manner, independent of the mood and manner of expression of their partners. Non-depressed participants did not rate depressed partners as less competent than non-depressed partners, suggesting that depression may be associated more closely with a cognitive set than a skills deficit.
Constructing Personal Identities in Holiday Letters
Authors: Banks Stephen P. , Louie Esther , Einerson Martha
Published: March 2007

A collection of holiday letters is analyzed using the grounded theory method to generate a matrix of relationships among descriptive categories and conceptual dimensions of this epistolary genre. The final step of the grounded theory protocol analyzes holiday letters as a genre of writing that conveys personal stories set within a bracketed period to achieve ongoing autobiographies. The narratives create positive identities for the writer and his or her intimates, and depict those autobiographies as progressing toward the good and the preferred in the dominant culture. Discussion focuses on the ways in which holiday letters manage the dialectics of contradictions between modernist sensibilities, desires, and selfhood, and the postmodern social conditions in which they are written.
Dealing with Relational Conflict: A Picture in Milliseconds
Authors: Buysse Ann , Clercq Armand De , Verhofstadt Lesley , Heene Els , Roeyers Herbert , Oost Paulette Van
Published: March 2007

Although behavioral research has provided important insights into the relational features of conflict, it leaves open the whole field of conflict-related processes that are unavailable for self-report or behavioral observation. The information-processing paradigm offers a useful approach to the study of these important and unexplored aspects of relational conflict. The present article describes a first attempt to `translate' and test some of the most intriguing aspects of relational conflict in more information-processing terms. We start from three observations derived from observational and self-report research: (1) Avoidance is a frequent response to relational conflict; (2) the outcome of avoidance of relational conflict varies, depending on the extent to which the conflict threatens the relationship; and (3) husbands avoid more frequently than wives. The specific aim of the present article is to understand two processes that give rise to male avoidance in response to relationship-threatening conflicts: Defensive protection, a motivational process, and the management of cognitive dissonance, a cognitive process. In line with the information-processing paradigm, a reaction time and recognition study is reported in which 126 partners of 63 couples were exposed to conflict information in an experimental dual task paradigm. The experiment provided a set of findings that is consistent with previous research and supports the case of motivated distraction in males, but also breaks new ground because it offers insight into processes unavailable for self-report or behavioral observation.
Relationship Development in Dating Couples: Implications for Relational Satisfaction and Loneliness
Authors: Flora Jeanne , Segrin Chris
Published: March 2007

This study examined the associations among relationship development, relational satisfaction, and loneliness. One hundred participants in a current romantic relationship and 100 participants in a recently broken-off romantic relationship completed measures of relationship development, including a newly developed self-report measure to assess relationship trajectories and a series of open-ended questions that assessed cognitive appraisals of relationship development. Participants also completed measures of relationship satisfaction and loneliness. Results indicated that reports of faster and broader relationship development trajectories and cognitive appraisals of the relationship development that indicated `weness' over separateness, glorifying the struggle with past stressors, and minimal relational disappointment were positively associated with relational satisfaction. These relationship development assessments, along with relational satisfaction, were also negatively related to loneliness.
Hurt Feelings among New Acquaintances: Moderating Effects of Interpersonal Familiarity
Authors: Snapp Christine M. , Leary Mark R.
Published: March 2007

Previous research suggests that people's feelings are hurt more frequently by those whom they know well than by strangers and acquaintances, but these findings are based on retrospective accounts of hurtful events. This study examined the moderating effect of familiarity on hurt feelings among people who have recently become acquainted. Participants were led to experience either a relatively low or high degree of familiarity with a confederate. Afterwards, the confederate chose to listen either primarily to them or another participant as they talked about themselves. Results showed that participants were significantly more hurt when they were ignored by a confederate who barely knew them than by a confederate who was more familiar with them. Effects of being ignored showed a similar pattern on a measure of state self-esteem.
General and Specific Attachment Representations in Adulthood: Is there a Relationship?
Authors: Ross Lynda R. , Spinner Barry
Published: March 2007

Social and relational research assessing adult attachment often appears to be based on the assumption that adults operate, in their interpersonal relationships, with a single internal working model of attachment. The current investigation explored attachment from an alternative perspective. We hypothesized that most adults will rate their attachment orientations differently depending on the relationship context in which the ratings are taken. We also expected that general measures of attachment, taken outside the context of specific relationships, would vary from attachment ratings adults report when they are referring to specific attachment relationships. Two hundred and twenty-four participants responded to a survey containing standardized measures (RQ: Bartholomew, 1990; Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991) assessing Secure, Fearful, Preoccupied, and Dismissing attachment styles in four self-identified attachment relationships. The RQ was also used to measure general attachment orientations. Results indicated that the majority of adults rated themselves differently on each of the Secure, Fearful, Preoccupied, and Dismissing dimensions of the RQ across their various attachment relationships and that attachment ratings measured in response to specific attachment relationships were not equivalent to the attachment ratings measured outside the context of specific attachment relationships. This study sheds light on the associations between specific and general attachment tendencies and raises some concerns about conceptualization and measurement of adult attachment.
Social Activism, Self-Advocacy, and Coping with Hiv Illness
Authors: Brashers Dale E. , Haas Stephen M. , Neidig Judith L. , Rintamaki Lance S.
Published: March 2007

Activist organizations are a relatively unique collective setting for people living with an HIV infection or AIDS. Communication within these organizations includes educational and motivational practices designed to facilitate change for the group and for its individual members. In this study, we examined differences between activist and nonactivist individuals (N = 174) with HIV or AIDS. Results demonstrated that, in comparison with nonactivists, activists (i) used more problem-focused coping and less emotion-focused coping, (ii) had greater knowledge of HIV-treatment information sources, and (iii) had greater HIV social network integration. We speculate that there are two reasons for these differences: (i) there are behavioral and psychological predisposing factors that lead to membership in an activist group, and (ii) the educational and motivational environments established through the relationships of activist group members (i.e., the social tasks of the collective) lead to changes in individuals.
Child and Parent Perceptions of Hurtful Messages
Authors: Mills Rosemary S. L. , Nazar Jane , Farrell Heather M.
Published: March 2007

In a normative descriptive study of child and parent perceptions of hurtful messages from one another, 48 children (28 girls, 20 boys) between 7 and 10 years of age and their mothers recalled an instance when their feelings had been hurt, rated their emotions, made causal attributions, and described their responses. Hurt feelings were typically caused by disciplinary encounters or messages of disregard, and comprised a painful quality and other negative emotions. Among other findings, the more children and mothers reported feeling hurt, the more negative their self-perceptions, the more they felt rejected, and (for children) the more feelings about the other person changed. Discussion focused on the similarity between the child's and the mother's perceptions, the congruence with research on adults, and directions for future research.
Sequences in Separation: A Framework for Investigating Endings of the Personal (Romantic) Relationship
Authors: Lee Loren
Published: March 2007

A multi-parameter framework is proposed for examining `break-ups' of the pre-marital romantic dyad. The model delineates five stages in dissolution: Discovery of Dissatisfaction (D), Exposure (E), Negotiation (N), Resolution (R) and Transformation (T). Termination scenarios may be specified by Stage, Operator, Content and Latency parameters. Utility of the framework is explored in a retrospective study of 112 break-ups. Subjects reporting (E) and (N) Stages (engagement on issues) view their relationships as more intense and enduring and themselves as more intimate with and similar to their partners than subjects reporting omission of these stages. The time span of termination (D to T) is shown to correlate positively with attraction towards and agreement with partner, as well as with loneliness and fear during dissolution. Patterns of decision (at R) and follow-through (at T) are linked to perceived qualities of the dyad: two scenarios, the `scale-down' and the `inconsistent break', are characterized by high strength of the couple bond and considerable feelings of confusion during the termination period.
Parental and Marital Role Stress During the School Entry Transition
Authors: Anderson Stephen A.
Published: March 2007

Three issues related to the oldest child's school entry transition were addressed. Retrospective reports of parents' initial response to their oldest child's school entry were contrasted with their responses three months later, revealing a significant decline in parental and marital role stress for mothers and a significant decline in parental role stress for fathers. Mothers reported significantly more parental and marital role stress at school entry than fathers. A second analysis, addressing relationships between demographic variables and parents' initial response to their child's school entry, identified the child's previous experience in pre-school as significantly related to stress for both parents, and level of education and being married previously as significantly related to fathers' stress. The final issue, predicting changes in parents' stress following a three-month period of adjustment, revealed that selected demographic and communication variables were significant predictors.
Taboo Topics in Close Relationships
Authors: Baxter Leslie A. , Wilmot William W.
Published: March 2007

This study is placed within a dialectic framework, illustrating the contradictory needs that exist for relationship openness and closedness. It explores one type of closedness in close relationships - the `taboo topic'. Ninety ethnographic interviews solicited informant accounts of topics which were `off limits' in the context of an opposite-sex relationship in which they were involved. Results indicated that there were six primary types of `taboo topics': the state of the relationship, extra-relationship activity, relationship norms, prior relationships with opposite-sex parties, conflict-inducing topics, and negatively-valenced self-disclosures. Of these topic categories, the state of the relationship was the most pervasive as a `taboo'. In an analysis of the reasons why topics were `taboo', it was apparent that the informants held a negative vision of relationship talk as destructive, inefficient, futile and risky. Extra-relationship activity, relationship norms, prior relationships, and conflict-inducing topics were avoided largely because of the negative relational metacommunication implicit in those topic categories. The findings are discussed in terms of metacommunication and uncertainty reduction.
Racetrack Buddy Relations: Compartmentalized and Satisfying
Authors: Rosecrance John
Published: March 2007

Although friendship is a topic of universal interest, social scientists have not precisely defined this concept. Traditional definitions have emphasized the all-encompassing, generalized, and personalisitic quality of the relationship. On the other hand, current research has suggested that modern relationships are often compartmentalized and confined to the situational. My investigation builds upon the latter research. Using qualitative data drawn from a two-year study of the social world of off-track horse race gamblers, I delineate the buddy relationships that have developed among the participants. Within this distinct social world, the gamblers share contingencies and communication channels that set them apart from non-horseplayers. Despite being specialized and contextual, racetrack buddyship is a relationship that is meaningful, enduring, and satisfying to the interactants.
Reasons for Changes in Commitment: Variations by Courtship Type
Authors: Surra Catherine A.
Published: March 2007

The aim of this study was to compare partners in different types of courtship on the reasons they gave for changes in commitment. In previous research four courtship types (accelerated, accelerated-arrested, intermediate and prolonged) were identified from differences in newly weds' graphs of changes in the chance of marriage during courtship. In this study respondents' explanations for each turning point in the graph were coded as: intrapersonal/normative, dyadic, social network, or circumstantial. Significant differences among the types were found for the number of dyadic and circumstantial reasons and the proportions of intrapersonal/normative and circumstantial reasons. The types also tended to differ on the proportions of intrapersonal/normative and dyadic reasons for downturns. The results, combined with previously identified differences on partners' performance of activities together and with the social network, indicate that the types reflect distinct developmental patterns.