Terrorism as Collective Communication: The Collective Communication Model of Terrorism (CCMT)

This paper proposes that the psychological and behavioral effects of terrorist threat can be understood as a collective communication process that occurs between terrorists and their potential victims. Based on classic communication theory, terrorists are regarded as the senders of a specific collective message (such as ‘stop oppressing our culture’); a terrorist incident as the collective message itself (through its performance, modality and targets); and the potential victims as its collective receivers (who interpret the intention of the attack as a function of their pre-existing attributes, such as traits or salient social identities). The perception of terrorism as a dynamic and interactive process between collective senders, messages and receivers opens new theoretical perspectives regarding whether (a) terrorism can be successful in reaching its collective aim; (b) if it is interpreted as rational or irrational; and (c) how to counteract the vicious, cyclical relationship between terrorism and counter-terrorism. Previous findings on the psychology of terrorism can be organized within this theoretical framework, and the psychological impact of varying attributes of the perpetrators (senders), incident (message), and the reactions of the potential victims (receivers) systematically investigated. A series of self-conducted studies are also reviewed and found to provide direct support for the collective communication model of terrorism.     

中国乡村社区集体行动的一个理论模型:以抗交村提留款的集体行动为例

本文以一类假想中的、很有可能曾经在中国乡村社区中发生过的抗交村提留款的集体行动为对象,以社会运动/集体行动这一研究领域内的现有理论成果为基础,提炼出了用于解释村民家庭户是否参与了抗交村提留款的集体行动这一因变量取值的一系列自变量组群,从而再现了社会运动/集体行动研究传统中的四大理论取向--古典理论、文化主义、结构主义和理性主义--的综合,对于中国经验案例的理论指导意义.     

A Multilevel Contextual Model of Neighborhood Collective Efficacy

Different data sources were used to examine hypothesized relations among neighborhood-, family-, and individual-level variables, and perceptions of neighborhood collective efficacy. Data were from 1,105 individuals (56% female, 42% African American, and 58% White) nested within 55 neighborhoods and 392 families, analyzed within a multilevel design using a 3-level model. At the neighborhood level, the study examined relations between Census, police, and neighborhood representative indicators. At the family level, the model examined the influence of marital status and family income. At the individual level, gender and age were examined. Results indicated that age at the individual level, marital status at the family level, and poverty and perceived gang activity at the neighborhood level predicted levels of neighborhood collective efficacy. The study illustrated significant variation across neighborhoods and families, and demonstrates the utility of combining different sources of neighborhood data to examine relations of interest within a multilevel framework.     

A Model of the Perceived Competence of Conflict Strategies

This study examines how strategic communication is linked to specific relational features. We hypothesize that perceptions of a communicator's competence mediate the effects of conflict strategies on the relational outcomes measured by trust, control mutuality, intimacy, and satisfaction. The components of competence were specific and general appropriateness, effectiveness, and global competence; these were included in LISREL analyses to investigate How the variables conflict, competence, and relational outcomes were linked. Participants reported on their partners’ conflict strategies, their own perceptions of the partner's competence, and relational variables. The results reveal that integrative strategies were positively linked to competence, whereas distributive and avoidant strategies were negatively linked to competence. The results support the view that competence perceptions mediate the link between conflict messages and relational outcomes.     

歧视知觉对流动儿童群体幸福感的影响及内部机制

采用整班联系、自愿参与的方式对1350名北京市流动儿童进行问卷调查,考察学业领域和社会生活领域的歧视知觉对流动儿童群体幸福感的影响,以及流动儿童对所在群体的情感认同、认知认同和内群体地位感在这一过程中的影响作用。结果表明:(1)学业领域的歧视知觉对流动儿童的群体幸福感具有非常显著的消极影响;(2)社会生活领域的歧视知觉对流动儿童的群体幸福感也存在一定的消极影响,但其影响效应相对较弱;(3)学业领域的歧视知觉主要通过降低流动儿童对其群体的情感认同和内群体地位感,间接降低其群体幸福感,不存在直接的影响效应;(4)社会生活领域的歧视知觉主要通过内群体地位感的中介效应间接地影响流动儿童的群体幸福感,同时也存在一定的直接影响效应。     

Intersectional Consciousness in Collective Victim Beliefs: Perceived Intragroup Differences Among Disadvantaged Groups

Although our experiences are shaped by multiple social identities such as race, class, and gender, most research has focused on single‐identity groups (e.g., race). This includes research on collective victimization, which assumes that violence impacts group members uniformly. Conversely, work on intersectional consciousness examines awareness of how multiple social identities intersect and create within‐group differences. Integrating and expanding the research on intersectional consciousness and on collective victimhood, this article investigates perceived intragroup differences in experiences of victimization stemming from intersecting identities of gender and class among two disadvantaged groups in the understudied context of India. We conducted individual interviews (N = 33) and focus groups (K = 12; N = 66) among Muslims and Dalits (lower‐caste Hindus). Thematic analysis revealed that—even though ingroup cohesion (i.e., intragroup similarity) is often enhanced by external threat— people expressed awareness of intragroup differences in experiences of victimization in three distinct ways: highlighting relative privilege, engaging in competitive victimhood, or describing qualitative differences. We discuss the implications for conflict and solidarity within minority groups in the context of political developments in India, where there have been attempts to polarize intragroup divisions.     

A Cylindrical Model of Communication Behavior in Crisis Negotiations

This article integrates existing theoretical perspectives on message content and negotiator motivation to formulate a comprehensive definitional model of the interrelationships among communication behaviors in crisis negotiation. A sample of 189 nuclear dialogue spans were transcribed from 9 resolved cases of hostage negotiation and each utterance coded at the level of thought units across 41 behavioral variables. Results of a nonmetric, multidimensional scaling solution provided clear support for the hypothesized cylindrical structure of communication behavior, revealing 3 dominant levels of suspect‐negotiator interaction (Avoidance, Distributive, Integrative). At each level of the structure, interactions were found to modulate around 3 thematic styles of communication (Identity, Instrumental, Relational), which reflected the underlying motivational emphasis of individuals' dialogue. Finally, the intensity of communication was found to play a polarizing role in the cylinder, with intense, functionally discrete behaviors occurring toward the boundary of the structure.     

A Dual-Capacity Model of Communication Media Choice in Organizations

Most previous research concerning communication media choke in organizations has stressed the capacity of media to convey data. More recently, scholars have examined the capacity of media to convey and manifest meaning. Rarely have both functions been considered concurrently. In this artcle, a model is proposed that not only permits the simultaneous examination of these two functions but reflects that media use is influenced by characteristics of the task, individual and organizational capability constraints, and normative factors. By exploring the implications of this expanded dual-capacity perspective, a more encompassing theory of the determinants of communkation media use in organizations is proposed.     

Helping the Less Fortunate: A Predictive Model of Collective Action

A model of factors that lead members of an advantaged group to perform collective action intended to help a disadvantaged out-group is tested. A distinction is made between easy and demanding collective activities. Two different routes are expected to lead to collective action. First, an indirect link is proposed between a common in-group identity and collective action. This link is believed to be mediated by perceived mobilization resources. Second, the link between relative deprivation on behalf of others (RDBO) and collective action will vary according to the type of behavior considered. While, RDBO is expected to be directly associated with easy collective behavior, the link between RDBO and demanding collective activities is mediated through perceived mobilization resources. In turn, perceived resources are linked to both forms of collective behaviors. The predicted model is tested among 273 undergraduate respondents. Findings point to the relevance of all factors considered and the pivotal role of perceived mobilization resources on collective action.     

The Relationships of Perceived Motivational Climate to Cohesion and Collective Efficacy in Elite Female Teams

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships of perceived motivational climate to cohesion and collective efficacy in elite female teams. A total of 124 basketball and handball athletes completed two season measures (T1, T2). Relationships were examined at an individual level both statically and across time. Canonical correlations revealed that a combination of high perceptions of an ego-involving but low perceptions of a task-involving climate were associated with low perceptions of task cohesion at Time 1. High perceptions of a task-involving but low perceptions of an ego-involving climate were associated with higher perceptions of task cohesion and collective efficacy at Time 2. Moreover, low perceptions of an ego-involving and moderately low perceptions of a task-involving climate were associated with high perceptions of social cohesion at Time 2. Regression analyses including autoregressive influence indicated that a task-involving climate positively predicted variance in T2 group integration-task and collective efficacy after controlling for T1 scores. In contrast, an ego-involving climate negatively predicted changes in T2 athletes’ perceptions of social cohesion (individual attractions to the group-social [ATG-S], group integration-social [GI-S]) and group integration-task [GI-T] after controlling for T1 scores. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

A Model and Measure of Mobile Communication Competence

This article deals with two studies that develop a measure and model of mobile communication competence (MCC). The first study examines the dimensionality of the measure by conducting an exploratory factor analysis on 350 students at a large university in the midwestern United States. Results identified six constructs across 24 items: willingness to use, mobile preference, asynchronous communication, communication efficacy, affect, and appropriate communication. The relationships of the constructs were theoretically synthesized in a proposed model of MCC. In the second study, the MCC model was submitted to confirmatory factor analysis on 212 university students in order to test the model's theoretical structure. Results indicate that the MCC model predicts 59% of the variance in mobile phone use.     

Predicting Employee Turnover From Communication Networks

This article investigates three social network models of employee turnover: a structural equivalence model, a social influence model, and an erosion model. It was predicted that structurally equivalent individuals would be more likely to behave similarly (i.e., leave or stay at their position). The rocial influence model predicted that employees with a greater percentage of direct communication links with leavers would be more likely to leave their job. The erosion model posited that individuals located on the periphery of a social network would be more likely to leave their job or “fall off” the edges of the social network. A total of 170 employees, a census of an organization, were administered a communication network questionnaire asking them to identify the people with whom they communicate at work. Network self-report data were analyzed using NEGOPY and UCINET software. Results provided support for all three models of turnover, with the erosion model explaining more of the variance than the other two models. Future research examining communication networks and employee turnover is proposed, on the basis of these results.     

Perceived Collective Efficacy and Parenting Competence: The Roles of Quality of Life and Hope

Parents' perceptions of their parenting competence predict successful implementation of parenting tasks and contribute to their interest and involvement in parenting and to their children's development. Thus, identifying factors that contribute to parents' perceptions of parenting competence can help inform efforts to promote children's safety and well-being. The present study employs social disorganization theory to examine the relationship between collective efficacy and parents' sense of competence, measured along two dimensions: parental efficacy and parental satisfaction. It examines the direct association between the two constructs and whether the association is mediated by parent perceptions of their quality of life (QOL) and sense of hope. Data were collected from 198 parents residing in a neighborhood in southern Tel Aviv, Israel. The analyses indicated that high collective efficacy was directly associated with high parental efficacy, but not with high parental satisfaction. Using structural equation modeling, a mediation model was found whereby higher collective efficacy was associated with (a) higher QOL, which in turn was related to a greater sense of hope, which was linked with higher parental efficacy; and (b) higher QOL, which was directly associated with higher parental satisfaction. The findings provide further support to the idea that neighborhood characteristics play an important role in parents' ability to care for their children.     

A Qualitatively Constructed Interpersonal Communication Model A Grounded Theory Analysis

This study examined 288 interpersonal research articles published during the past 25 years in Human Communication Research. The method used was grounded theory. Through constant comparison analysis, a 17-part categorization system was developed to account for each of the articles. The categories were cognition, nonverbal communication, compliance-gaining, message type, personality, interpersonal effects, conversation, close relationships, perception, deception, initial interaction, culture, relationship development, apprehension, self-disclosure, competence, and conflict. The categories were then placed in relationship with one another to create a model of interpersonal communication that consists of seven components. The final representation provides a new model of interpersonal communication, which is obtained from data, empirically supported, and analytically derived.     

Personality, Social Networks, and Perceived Social Support among Alcoholics: A Structural Equation Analysis

ABSTRACT In this study we tested relations among personality characteristics, social network properties, and perceived social support both concurrently and prospectively. A sample of 294 men in treatment at a Department of Veterans Affairs Alcohol Treatment Unit was assessed during treatment and 3 months after discharge. Results of the cross-sectional structural equation analyses indicated that the personality characteristics of extraversion and neu-roticism were related to both social network properties and perceived social support. Characteristics of the alcoholic's social network were also related to perceived availability of support. Longitudinal analyses of perceived social support after treatment indicated that two social network properties (size of the network and the proportion of confidants) were predictive net of initial levels of social support. Extraversion and neuroticism were found to be indi-rectly related to perceived social support at Time 2 through their effects on social network properties and perceived social support during treatment. Implications of these findings for models of the nature and determinants of perceived social support are discussed.     

Perceived Disagreement and Heterogeneity in Social Networks: Distinct Effects on Political Participation

ABSTRACT

Although the coexistence of conflicting opinions in society is the very core of democracy, people’s tendency to avoid conflict could keep them away from political discussion and participation. On the other hand, being exposed to diverse political views could motivate citizens to participate. We conducted secondary analyses on two 2013 ITANES (Italian National Election Studies) probability samples in order to test the hypotheses that perceived network disagreement (between an individual and her/his discussion partners) and heterogeneity (among discussants holding different political opinions) exert independent and opposite effects on political participation through motivation and knowledge. Results converged in showing that disagreement dampened, while heterogeneity encouraged, political participation (voting, propensity to abstain in future, offline and online activism, and timing of vote decision) by decreasing or increasing, respectively, political interest and, in turn, knowledge.     

基于贝叶斯网模型的多级计分诊断测验分类及比较研究

贝叶斯网模型提供了一种方便和直观的框架结构来表示变量间的关系,非常适合在诊断测验中对教育评估的内容进行建模。本研究将两种贝叶斯网分类模型与序列多级计分诊断模型S-GDINA进行综合比较。考察两种贝叶斯网分类模型与S-GDINA在Q矩阵正确界定和包含一定比例(25%、 30%)的错误时,两者对被试的分类性能;并将贝叶斯网分类模型应用到实证数据中,展示贝叶斯网分类模型在实证数据中的分类过程和分类性能。研究结果表明：当Q矩阵由专家正确界定时,朴素贝叶斯分类模型的分类效果与S-GDINA模型相差不大,同样可以达到很好的分类效果,树增广的朴素贝叶斯分类模型的分类性能也能达到良好。实证结果进一步表明,将贝叶斯网分类模型应用于教育测量领域中的诊断分类工具是有其优势和可行的,尤其是当测验数据对于所选用诊断模型的拟合较差、测验的Q矩阵中包含错误或测验数据中包含较多的噪音时。     

A Formal Model for the Study of Communication Support Systems

The lack of conceptual frameworks available for integrating research on organizational computer-based communication technologies is documented. An integrated model for studying communication support phenomena in organizations is formalized from a knowledge management perspective using set-theoretic notation. Key constructs for understanding and exploring communication support systems are identified, such as knowledge workers, knowledge management activities, communicate-abilities, and knowledge management episodes. The implications associated with the identification and formalization of each of the foregoing constructs is discussed and further research avenues are explored. The model provides researchers and system developers with a means of studying both human and computer-based knowledge workers in organizations. Two types of communication support systems are defined.     

Management Communication and Employee Performance: The Contribution of Perceived Organizational Support

This study used a cross-lagged panel design to examine the temporal relationship between management communication and perceived organizational support (POS), and its consequences for performance. We assessed management communication and POS 2 times, separated by a 3-year interval, in a social services organization (N?=?236). Our findings suggest that management communication was positively associated with a temporal change in POS. In addition, we found that POS fully mediates the relationship between management communication and both in-role and extra-role performance. The present study advances our theoretical knowledge concerning how management communication affects performance, with implications for practice. Specifically, it reveals that management communication affects performance mainly because it signals that the organization cares about the well-being and values the contributions of its employees.     

自闭症儿童父母歧视知觉对群际关系的影响:一个有调节的中介作用模型

采用问卷法对474名自闭症儿童父母进行调查研究,考察歧视知觉对自闭症儿童父母群际关系的影响,同时考察群际焦虑的中介作用以及自尊对该中介过程的调节。结果表明：（1）歧视知觉对自闭症儿童父母的群际关系具有显著负向预测作用;（2）群际焦虑在自闭症儿童父母的歧视知觉和群际关系中起部分中介作用;（3）自尊调节了群际焦虑在歧视知觉和群际关系间中介作用的直接路径和后半路径。具体而言,在高自尊情况下,自闭症儿童父母的歧视知觉对群际关系的影响作用加强;在低自尊情况下,自闭症儿童父母的群际焦虑对自闭症儿童父母群际关系影响作用加强。