Professors are people too: The impact of informal evaluations of professors on students and professors

There are websites where individuals anonymously provide informal reviews of professors. What impact do such sites have on student and professor motivational factors? Research suggests that undergraduate students are affected (e.g. Edwards et?al. in J Comput Mediat Commun 14:368?C392, 2009; Kowai-Bell et?al. in Comput Hum Behav 27(5):1862?C1867, 2011). The goals of the present investigation are to (1) see if Master??s level students are also influenced and (2) investigate how professors are affected. We provided students (Study 1) and professors (Study 2) comments from an informal review website and they, respectively, took the perspective of a potential student or the professor described in the comments. In Study 1, consistent with prior research on undergraduates, Master??s level students were affected by the reviews (perceived control, outcome expectancies, affect toward taking the class, and likelihood of recommending to a friend), in accordance with the valence of the reviews. Among professors (Study 2), the valence of the reviews influenced affect and self-concept with respect to relational aspects of teaching (mood, affect toward teaching again, confidence that students liked them, and confidence that they would have rapport with future students) but did not have an effect on professor self-concept with respect to competence (teaching ability and teaching well in the future). Furthermore, preliminary evidence suggests that new professors are more susceptible than experienced professors. The results of these studies are relevant because of the degree to which students and instructors contribute to the socioemotional climate of the classroom (Frenzel et?al. in J Educ Psychol 103(3):705?C716, 2009; Radel et?al. in J Educ Psychol 102(3):577?C587, 2010).     

Gender bias and individualism: Responses to case vignettes among psychologists, professors, and students

This study examined the extent to which psychologists, when compared to university professors and evening school students, employ individualist values differentially in their responses to vignettes describing males and females. The participants responded to 6 vignettes by choosing initial hypotheses that reflected either utilitarian (tradition-ally masculine) or expressive (traditionally feminine) themes. Two vignettes involved a sex of client manipulation, but neither resulted in a sex of client effect. An analysis of the responses to the remaining 4 vignettes indicated a marked preference for the masculine form of individualism for males, but were evenly divided for females in all three groups. These results suggest that psychologists were just as likely to engage in bias as others.     

Gender bias and individualism: Responses to case vignettes among psychologists, professors, and students

This study examined the extent to which psychologists, when compared to university professors and evening school students, employ individualist values differentially in their responses to vignettes describing males and females. The participants responded to 6 vignettes by choosing initial hypotheses that reflected either utilitarian (tradition-ally masculine) or expressive (traditionally feminine) themes. Two vignettes involved a sex of client manipulation, but neither resulted in a sex of client effect. An analysis of the responses to the remaining 4 vignettes indicated a marked preference for the masculine form of individualism for males, but were evenly divided for females in all three groups. These results suggest that psychologists were just as likely to engage in bias as others.     

Ethics, Speculation, and Values

Some writers claim that ethicists involved in assessing future technologies like nanotechnology and human enhancement devote too much time to debating issues that may or may not arise, at the expense of addressing more urgent, current issues. This practice has been claimed to squander the scarce and valuable resource of ethical concern. I assess this view, and consider some alternatives to ‘speculative ethics’ that have been put forward. I argue that attempting to restrict ethical debate so as to avoid considering unacceptably speculative scenarios would not only leave scientific progress devoid of ethical guidance, but would also rule out some of our most important ethical projects. I conclude that the issue of speculation is a red herring: what is most important is not that ethicists concentrate on current issues or those that are most likely to arise; but that ethicists, scientists, and others focus on maximising what is most valuable.

Criteria, indicators and standards of accreditation of tenured University professors in Spain

The purpose of the work is to establish the criteria, indicators and standards of accreditation of the tenured university professors according to the opinion of Associate Professors and Professors. It is a cross-sectional study of the populations by means of surveys with probabilistic samples. The sample consisted of 1,294 university professors of whom 72% were Associate Professors and 28% Professors. The sample was selected by proportional cluster random sampling (the Full Professors' types and the fields of knowledge). A survey was used to establish criteria, indicators, and standards for each type of professor. The results show different standards according to the criteria in different fields of knowledge. Qualitative differences (according to the criteria) and quantitative differences (according to the standards) to accredit Associate Professors and Professors were found.     

Values,Consciousness, and Language

Two seminal thinkers, Edelman and Damasio, offer neurophysiological models of brain development and functioning that correspond with a contemporary psychoanalytic focus on dynamic experiential intersubjective systems. I describe their respective contributions under three headings derived from Edelman: values, consciousness, and language. I consider the scope of each of these topics as it abuts related psychoanalytic concepts.     

Values,abilities and behavior

The values of life, freedom and solidarity are the base on which we can build behaviors and abilities. Schools must be flexible, they must allow the young to explore and to express all their potential abilities. We must create a new balance, just as we must give the young a new sense of responsibility in the pursuit of their studies.     

Desires, Whims and Values

Neo-Humean instrumentalists hold that anagent's reasons for acting are grounded in theagent's desires. Numerous objections have beenleveled against this view, but the mostcompelling concerns the problem of ``aliendesires' – desires with which the agent doesnot identify. The standard version ofneo-Humeanism holds that these desires, likeany others, generate reasons for acting. Avariant of neo-Humeanism that grounds anagent's reasons on her values, rather than allof her desires, avoids this implication, but atthe cost of denying that we have reasons to acton innocent whims. A version of neo-Humeanismthat holds that an agent has reason to satisfyall of her desires that are not in conflictwith her values appears to allow us to grantthe reason-giving force of innocent whims whiledenying the reason-giving force of alien desires.     

Social Values, Conformity, and Dress

This study examined the influence of social values on the importance of various clothing features. A model is hypothesized in which social values lead to differing needs for group identification, affiliation, and conformity, which influence clothing feature importance. In general, social values are associated with a high need for affiliation and group identification, conformity, and a greater emphasis on both the utilitarian and the display aspects of clothing (style and brand name).