THE SEMANTICS OF ASKING A FAVOUR AN ATTEMPT TO REPLICATE CROSS-CULTURALLY

A field experiment was conducted in Scotland, replicating as closely as possible the method and procedure of an experiment in the U.S.A. by Langer and Abelson (1972), to test the hypothesis that the form in which an appeal for help is made is dependent upon the legitimacy of the request. The data indicated that help was given at a substantially higher level in Scotland than in the U.S.A., but that the form of the interaction obtained was similar. Compliance to an illegitimate favour was higher when the request emphasised the responsibility of the helper while compliance to a legitimate favour was higher when the emphasis was placed upon the plight of the victim.     

GENERALIZATION OF STUDENT QUESTION ASKING FROM SPECIAL CLASS TO REGULAR CLASS SETTINGS

This study investigated the use of videotaped exemplars taken from a regular education mathematics class to teach generalization of question asking. Three mildly handicapped fourth-grade students who asked few questions in the regular education class served as subjects. Measures of the frequency of question asking and percentage of accuracy on assignments were obtained in the regular class. Treatment included showing the videotapes to the subjects, structuring opportunities for rehearsing question asking, and providing feedback. The results showed training procedures implemented in the learning resource room were effective in increasing the level of participants' question asking and in improving their scores on assignments in the regular mathematics class.     

ENVISIONING ONESELF AS A LEADER: COMPARISONS OF WOMEN AND MEN IN SPAIN AND THE UNITED STATES

In an examination of aspirations for leadership in the United States and Spain, male and female students envisioned themselves as a chief executive officer, vice president, or mid-level manager in an industry with a feminine image (clothing manufacturing) or a masculine image (auto manufacturing). Although men and women perceived these roles as equally positive, women perceived them as less possible and less facilitative of close relationships and gender relationships. Other gender effects included more positive perceptions of the roles by women in the feminine industry and by men in the masculine industry. Cross-nationally men perceived the roles as more positive than women did only in Spain, and U.S. students perceived the roles as more possible than Spanish students did.