GENERALIZATION AND MAINTENANCE OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN'S SOCIAL SKILLS: A CRITICAL REVIEW AND ANALYSIS

This paper summarizes the results of a retrospective review of generalization in the context of social skills research with preschool children. A review of studies from 22 journals (1976 to 1990) that assessed generalization as part of social interaction research provided information concerning the prevalence of studies that have assessed generalization, common practices concerning the production and assessment of generalization, and the overall success of obtaining generalization and maintenance of social behaviors. A comparison of the most and least successful studies, with respect to generalization, revealed some differences concerning the practices employed by studies within each group. Differences differentially related to the production of generalization are discussed and recommendations are provided to guide and support future research efforts.     

The evolution of prestige: Perspectives and hypotheses from comparative studies

In this review, we reorganize the concept and highlight the importance of prestige in humans and non-human animals by introducing key characteristics of dominance and prestige and related theories. Previous studies with non-human animals have mainly focused on dominance, presuming prestige as a human-unique social trait. However, to deepen our understanding of the evolution of prestige, comparative studies with non-human animals, especially our evolutionary closest relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, are essential. We propose the direction of future studies to investigate how prestige has emerged as a viable strategy for gaining social rank while diverging from dominance, which will establish a foundation for investigating the impact of prestige on propensities towards large-scale cooperation and cumulative culture which are still considered unique to humans. Such comparative viewpoints on prestige, along with some hypotheses of species differences, will provide powerful guidance for understanding the evolution of social hierarchies.     

How many roads lead to Rome? Equifinality set‐size and commitment to goals and means

Four studies examined the relation between the number of equifinal means to a goal, actors' commitment to that goal, and their commitment to the means. In Study 1, participants freely generated varying number of means to two of their work goals. In Study 2, they generated social means to their goals (people they viewed as helpful to goal attainment). In Studies 3 and 4, the number of means to participants' goals was experimentally manipulated. All four studies found that means commitment is negatively related, whereas goal commitment is positively related, to means number. Consistent support was also obtained for the notion that the relation between means number and goal commitment is mediated by the expectancy of goal attainment, and by goal importance. Conceptual and practical implications of the findings were considered that link together the notions of substitutability and dependency within a goal systemic framework. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reciprocity: weak or strong? What punishment experiments do (and do not) demonstrate

Economists and biologists have proposed a distinction between two mechanisms--"strong" and "weak" reciprocity--that may explain the evolution of human sociality. Weak reciprocity theorists emphasize the benefits of long-term cooperation and the use of low-cost strategies to deter free-riders. Strong reciprocity theorists, in contrast, claim that cooperation in social dilemma games can be sustained by costly punishment mechanisms, even in one-shot and finitely repeated games. To support this claim, they have generated a large body of evidence concerning the willingness of experimental subjects to punish uncooperative free-riders at a cost to themselves. In this article, I distinguish between a "narrow" and a "wide" reading of the experimental evidence. Under the narrow reading, punishment experiments are just useful devices to measure psychological propensities in controlled laboratory conditions. Under the wide reading, they replicate a mechanism that supports cooperation also in "real-world" situations outside the laboratory. I argue that the wide interpretation must be tested using a combination of laboratory data and evidence about cooperation "in the wild." In spite of some often-repeated claims, there is no evidence that cooperation in the small egalitarian societies studied by anthropologists is enforced by means of costly punishment. Moreover, studies by economic and social historians show that social dilemmas in the wild are typically solved by institutions that coordinate punishment, reduce its cost, and extend the horizon of cooperation. The lack of field evidence for costly punishment suggests important constraints about what forms of cooperation can or cannot be sustained by means of decentralised policing.     

人际同步对合作行为的促进机制及解释模型

同步作为集体仪式的核心要素, 对群体生存和发展具有重要意义。人际同步是一种特殊的协调行为, 具有锁时锁相的特征。近年来研究发现同步能够促进合作等亲社会行为, 具体的促进机制包括神经生理的激活、社会联结感的增强、认知灵敏度的提高和积极情绪的唤起, 学者们也从不同角度提出了三种不同的解释模型：自我-他人重叠模型、合作加强模型和集体沸腾模型。未来的研究需要进一步剖析同步行为的亲社会功能, 厘清同步效应的调节机制、特异性和普适性。     

Cooperating If One's Goals Are Collective‐Based: Social Identification Effects in Social Dilemmas as a Function of Goal Transformation1

Prior studies of the effect of group identification on cooperation in social dilemmas have advanced 2 competing accounts: the goal‐transformation hypothesis, which holds that identification makes personal and collective goals interchangeable; and the goal‐amplification hypothesis, which states that identification induces positive expectations about others’ cooperative behavior. However, prior studies have neglected to assess the process measures necessary to pit the one account against the other. The present study showed that the effect of identification was moderated by participants’ social value orientation. Identification influenced proselfs’ cooperation more than prosocials’ cooperation. Mediational analyses further showed that the effect of our identification manipulation was mediated by participants’ sense of collective self, and not by their expectations.     

Well‐being and the anticipation of future positive experiences: The role of income,social networks,and planning ability

The present study aims to answer two questions: (1) are expectations of future positive experiences related to well‐being in the general population?; and (2) what factors (social, psychological, economic) enable people to have expectations of future positive experiences. A community sample (N = 84) was assessed on a measure of anticipation of future positive and negative experiences, factors that might enable positive anticipation (measures of income, social networks, planning ability, and affective capacity) and measures of subjective well‐being (positive and negative affect and life satisfaction). Subjective well‐being was related to having more anticipated positive experiences, which was in turn related to having a large social network, having a high number of steps in plans to achieve goals, and, more marginally, to having a high household income.     

Well-being and the anticipation of future positive experiences: The role of income, social networks, and planning ability

The present study aims to answer two questions: (1) are expectations of future positive experiences related to well-being in the general population?; and (2) what factors (social, psychological, economic) enable people to have expectations of future positive experiences. A community sample (N = 84) was assessed on a measure of anticipation of future positive and negative experiences, factors that might enable positive anticipation (measures of income, social networks, planning ability, and affective capacity) and measures of subjective well-being (positive and negative affect and life satisfaction). Subjective well-being was related to having more anticipated positive experiences, which was in turn related to having a large social network, having a high number of steps in plans to achieve goals, and, more marginally, to having a high household income.     

价值取向与社会距离影响经济决策的合作与冲突行为：Chicken Game的证据

采用Chicken Game博弈任务,考察了不同社会价值取向个体（亲社会者与亲自我者）在面对不同社会距离的博弈对手（朋友和陌生人）时表现出的合作与冲突行为。研究结果发现：（1）社会价值取向与社会距离交互影响个体的合作与冲突行为;（2）社会价值取向影响选择策略的反应时,亲社会者选择合作的反应时长于选择冲突的反应时,亲自我者选择合作与选择冲突的反应时没有显著差异;（3）无论对亲社会者还是亲自我者,反馈类型都显著影响个体的合作与冲突行为的选择率以及随后决策的反应时。上述结果表明,个体的合作或冲突行为,并非单一地受到社会价值取向的影响,更可能是受到个人因素（社会价值取向）与其他社会因素（比如,社会距离）的共同调节,并且在这一过程中个体会根据决策后反馈信息不断的调整自己的行为策略。     

10～12岁儿童的同伴接纳类型与社交策略

为探讨10～12岁儿童同伴接纳与社交策略的关系,以儿童如何调整合作性行为来适应未来交往意愿作为社交策略的操作定义,利用最后通牒任务范式考察儿童的合作性水平,利用提名法考察同伴接纳类型与未来交往意愿。190名被试以群体施测的方式完成决策任务和问卷调查。结果表明大部分儿童在最后通牒任务中表现出公平合作的行为,女生比男生的合作性更高。被同伴接纳或拒绝的群体表现出不同的社会策略,前者合作性与未来交往意愿同向变化,后者则呈相反趋势。被同伴接纳的群体的社会策略更能有效促成交往并保护个体利益。     

从归因视角探讨公共物品两难中惩罚系统对合作的影响

社会两难中惩罚系统对合作的影响是当前的一个研究热点。前人研究发现惩罚系统可以促进合作,但也有学者提出惩罚系统对合作动机具有破坏作用,存在不一致结论。且这些研究大多只关注金钱惩罚而忽略了社会惩罚。本文采用2(惩罚类型:金钱,社会)×2(惩罚频率:高,低)×2(阶段:有惩罚,无惩罚)混合设计,利用"惩罚撤除"实验范式,比较了社会高低频惩罚和金钱高低频惩罚对合作、归因以及预期的影响。并探讨了合作、归因、预期之间的相互关系,结果发现:(1)金钱和社会惩罚均可提高被试合作水平;(2)金钱高频惩罚减少了对合作行为的内归因,惩罚撤除后合作行为下降,而低频惩罚没有出现下降效应;(3)社会惩罚增加了对合作的内归因,高低频惩罚在移除之后均保持较高水平,且之前的惩罚频率越高,保持效果越好;(4)合作、预期与内归因正相关,外归因负相关,同时合作与预期正相关。     

能以貌取人吗? 面孔宽高比研究述评

面孔宽高比是左右颧骨点之间的距离除以上面高所得到的比值,被认为是人类面孔性别二态特征之一。男性面孔宽高比被认为是男性睾酮水平的可信外显指标,与攻击行为、欺诈等不道德行为存在显著关联,并受到社会经济地位的调节;面孔宽高比与上进心、对内群体成员的牺牲精神等男性化积极社会行为亦存在显著关联。睾酮水平被认为是面孔宽高比和社会行为两者背后的共变因素,并引起激烈争论:面孔宽高比的性别差异在多个研究中未获支持,男性面孔宽高比与睾酮水平存在关联的直接证据亦有待进一步夯实。     

催产素对社会决策行为的影响

大量的研究已经证明催产素对人类社会决策起着重要的调节作用。以往研究者采用多种实验范式用于探讨催产素对社会决策的影响, 研究内容主要包括合作与保护行为、道德行为、信任行为和慷慨行为。研究者已提出三种关于催产素的可能的作用机制用来解释观察到的实验结果, 三种理论各有侧重。未来的研究中应关注鼻喷催产素和受体基因多态性等生理机制、并考虑催产素影响社会决策行为的性别差异、建立更完善并可供检验的理论模型。     

3岁幼儿的二级观点采择及合作互动的影响

研究以经典的乌龟任务(实验1)和改良的滤镜任务(实验2)对3岁幼儿的二级观点采择进行探究, 并探讨其在短暂的社会互动前后的变化。结果表明：(1) 3岁幼儿尚难以自发进行二级观点采择, 但已具备进行这一加工的潜质; (2)短暂的合作互动可在一定程度上提高幼儿采择他人观点的成功率, 而竞争互动则无类似影响。该发现为从建构主义角度解释视觉观点采择发展提供了新的证据。     

Reward, punishment, and cooperation: a meta-analysis

How effective are rewards (for cooperation) and punishment (for noncooperation) as tools to promote cooperation in social dilemmas or situations when immediate self-interest and longer term collective interest conflict? What variables can promote the impact of these incentives? Although such questions have been examined, social and behavioral scientists provide different answers. To date, there is no theoretical and/or quantitative review of rewards and punishments as incentives for cooperation in social dilemmas. Using a novel interdependence-theoretic framework, we propose that rewards and punishments should both promote cooperation, and we identify 2 variables—cost of incentives and source of incentives—that are predicted to magnify the effectiveness of these incentives in promoting cooperation.A meta-analysis involving 187 effect sizes revealed that rewards and punishments exhibited a statistically equivalent positive effect on cooperation (d =0.51 and 0.70, respectively). The effectiveness of incentives was stronger when the incentives were costly to administer, compared to free. Centralization of incentives did not moderate the effect size. Punishments were also more effective during iterated dilemmas when participants continued to interact in the same group, compared to both (a) iterated dilemmas with reassignment to a new group after each trial and (b) one-shot dilemmas. We also examine several other potential moderators, such as iterations, partner matching, group size, country, and participant payment. We discuss broad conclusions, consider implications for theory, and suggest directions for future research on rewards and punishment in social dilemmas.     

Contextualizing Procedural Fairness: Factors Mediating the Effect of Process Control on Leadership Evaluation in Organizations

Two studies were conducted to examine contextual mediators of the relationship between process control and evaluations of authority in organizations. Specifically, the studies investigated the role in this relationship of intragroup conflict, the necessity for future cooperation, and group members' level of experience. In Study 1, subjects with current experience working in schools were led to believe that future cooperation among teachers in a hypothetical school was important, and thus were more likely to give a favorable evaluation to a leader who used a decision-making procedure lacking in process control than were subjects who had not worked in a school. The experienced subjects in the future cooperation condition also judged that cooperation among group members would more likely be saved by this procedure. In Study 2 -- a survey conducted in several elementary and high schools -- experienced teachers who perceived considerable need for future cooperation in their schools placed less emphasis on process control when they evaluated their supervisors. Results suggest the need for further examination of group and individual factors as mediators of the procedural fairness effect in organizations.     

On the Relationship between Social Capital and Individualism–Collectivism

Both social capital and individualism–collectivism (IC) have been, and still are, popular and well‐researched constructs in social sciences. Many theorists have argued that individualism poses a threat to social cohesion and communal association. Other researchers believe that growth of individuality, autonomy, and self‐sufficiency are necessary conditions for the development of social solidarity and cooperation. The present article reviews the studies on the relationship between social capital and IC, using different data and different measures. We conclude that countries with higher level of social capital (where people believe that most people can be trusted) are also more individualistic, emphasizing the importance of independence, personal accomplishments, and freedom to choose one’s own goals. In societies where trust is limited to the nuclear family or kinship alone, people have lower levels of social capital. Social capital increases as the radius of trust widens to encompass a larger number of people and social networks, bridging the ‘gap’ between the family and state.     

Social dominance in preschool classrooms

The authors examined preschoolers' aggressive and cooperative behaviors and their associations with social dominance. First and as predicted, directly observed aggressive interactions decreased across the school year, and same-sex aggression occurred more frequently than cross-sex aggression. Next, the authors examined the relation between aggression and reconciliation, cooperation, and social display variables. Teacher ratings of children's aggression related to observed aggression but not to observed "wins" of aggressive bouts. Instead, wins were related to cooperation and display variables. Finally, they examined the relative power of wins and cooperation in predicting 2 measures of social dominance. After age was controlled, wins alone predicted teacher-rated social dominance. Results are discussed in terms of different forms of competition and how school ethos affects these forms.     

Explicit Training in Human Values and Social Attitudes of Future Engineers in Spain

In Spain before the 1990s there was no clear and explicit comprehensive training for future engineers with regard to social responsibility and social commitment. Following the Spanish university curricular reform, which began in the early 1990s, a number of optional subjects became available to students, concerning science, technology and society (STS), international cooperation, the environment and sustainability. The latest redefinition of the Spanish curriculum in line with the Bologna agreements has reduced the number of non-obligatory subjects, but could lead to improving preparation for social responsibility due to the requirement that the design of curricula and the assessment of students should be based on competencies, some of which include human values and attitudes.