Psychological Sense of Community Among Treatment Analogue Group Members1

The present study investigated the construct of psychological sense of community among individuals in a treatment analogue context. Specifically, sense of community among group members was examined as a function of three variables which have received extensive attention in the experimental social psychology literature and are central characteristics of many treatment settings: (a) perceived similarity with others in a group, (b) perceived freedom of choice in selecting a group, and (c) salience of membership in a category or group. As hypothesized, a main effect was found for valence of perceived similarity, with greater sense of community among those with a positive as contrasted to a negative shared characteristic. The hypothesized main effect for perceived freedom of choice received partial support, with greater sense of community among individuals high in perceived choice. The hypothesized salience by perceived similarity interaction also received partial support. In the high choice condition, high salience decreased sense of community among respondents sharing a negative attribute.     

人格特质及脑功能连接对社交网络的影响

采用网络分析的方法, 本研究从个体受欢迎程度和个体间亲密程度两方面探究了人格特质对社交网络的影响, 并在此基础上进一步探究了个体间大脑静息态功能连接相似性和社交网络的关系。结果发现：(1)高尽责性的个体在需要“值得信任”特质的社交网络中更受欢迎, 高宜人性的个体在需要“共享时光”的社交网络中更受欢迎; (2)在需要“相同兴趣”特质的社交网络中, 个体间人格相似性和社会距离呈显著负相关关系; (3)同样在需要“相同兴趣”特质的社交网络中, 个体间部分功能连接相似性与社会距离呈显著负相关关系, 这些功能连接主要集中在额顶控制网络以及背侧注意网络; 同时, 部分节点功能连接相似性与社会距离呈显著正相关关系, 这些功能连接主要集中在默认网络。研究结果揭示了人格特质对不同社交网络结构的影响, 以及个体间人格特质相似性和静息态脑网络相似性与社会距离的关系。本研究对理解社交网络的结构, 形成规律以及其中的信息传播规律有着重要启示意义。     

Conversation level syntax similarity metric

The syntax and semantics of human language can illuminate many individual psychological differences and important dimensions of social interaction. Accordingly, psychological and psycholinguistic research has begun incorporating sophisticated representations of semantic content to better understand the connection between word choice and psychological processes. In this work we introduce ConversAtion level Syntax SImilarity Metric (CASSIM), a novel method for calculating conversation-level syntax similarity. CASSIM estimates the syntax similarity between conversations by automatically generating syntactical representations of the sentences in conversation, estimating the structural differences between them, and calculating an optimized estimate of the conversation-level syntax similarity. After introducing and explaining this method, we report results from two method validation experiments (Study 1) and conduct a series of analyses with CASSIM to investigate syntax accommodation in social media discourse (Study 2). We run the same experiments using two well-known existing syntactic metrics, LSM and Coh-Metrix, and compare their results to CASSIM. Overall, our results indicate that CASSIM is able to reliably measure syntax similarity and to provide robust evidence of syntax accommodation within social media discourse.     

The coincidence effect in similarity and choice

Medin, Goldstone, and Markman (1995) recently described a series of parallel effects in similarity and choice. They suggested that similarity and choice are related in a nontrivial way such that choice may entail a similarity judgment to an explicit or constructed ideal. In this paper, the correspondences between similarity and choice were investigated with respect to a phenomenon in similarity known as thecoincidence effect. In coincidence (pronounced “coincide-ence”), two items that match on one dimension but have a large difference on another dimension receive a higher similarity rating than do two items that have only modest differences on both dimensions. We conducted five experiments in order to examine commonalities between similarity and choice processes with respect to coincidence. Four types of tasks were given: similarity ratings, desirability ratings, forced choice similarities (which of two items is most similar to a target), and forced choice preferences (which of two items one would prefer, given a target). We found a main effect for ratings as opposed to forced choices, with ratings showing greater coincidence effects than did choices. Similarity measures tended to produce more coincidence than did preference measures. The overall pattern of results suggests the presence of dimensional weighting processes sensitive to task characteristics and operating somewhat differently for similarity and decision making.     

Theoretical analysis of an alphabetic confusion matrix

A study was undertaken to acquire a confusion matrix of the entire upper-case English alphabet with a simple nonserifed font under tachistoscopic conditions. This was accomplished with two experimental conditions, one with blank poststimulus field and one with noisy poststimulus field, for six Ss run 650 trials each. Three mathematical models of recognition, two based on the concept of a finite number of sensory states and one being the choice model, were compared in their ability to predict the confusion matrix after their parameters were estimated from functions of the data. In order to ascertain the facility with which estimates of similarity among the letters could lead to a psychological space containing the letters, η_ij, the similarity parameter of the choice model was input to an ordinally based multidimensional scaling program. Finally, correlation coefficients were computed among parameters of the models, the scaled space, and a crude measure of physical similarity. Briefly, the results were: (1) the finite-state model that assumed stimulus similarity (the overlap activation model) and the choice model predicted the confusion-matrix entries about equally well in terms of a sum-of-squared deviations criterion and better than the all-or-none activation model, which assumed only a perfect perception or random-guessing state following a stimulus presentation; (2) the parts of the confusion matrix that fit best varied with the particular model, and this finding was related to the models; (3) the best scaling result in terms of a goodness-of-fit measure was obtained with the blank poststimulus field condition, with a technique allowing different distances for tied similarity values, and with the Euclidean as opposed to the city-block metric; and (4) there was agreement among the models in terms of the way in which the models reflected sensory and response bias structure in the data, and in the way in which a single model measured these attributes across experimental conditions, as well as agreement among similarity ami distance measures with physical Similarity.     

A dissociation between similarity effects in episodic face recognition

University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia Memory similarity, the similarity between a test lure and memory traces, reduces confidence and accuracy in all forms of recognition memory. In contrast, Tulving (1981) showed that, in recognition memory for scenic pictures, choice similarity, the similarity between forced choice test alternatives, increased accuracy but decreased confidence. In the present study, we replicated both memory and choice similarity effects and the dissociation between accuracy and confidence with pictures of faces. State-trace analysis confirmed the dissociation and identified two dimensions underlying these effects, one associated with choice similarity and another associated with memory similarity. Further analysis showed that the effect of study—test lag was associated with the memory-similarity dimension.     

Personality and online/offline choices: MBTI profiles and favored communication modes in a Singapore study.

This study presents an initial investigation of the degree to which personality, as classified by the four dimensions of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) affects an individual's choice of online or offline means for conducting social interactions. Results yield some evidence that personality affects choice of online or offline options, with an especially significant correlation between online/offline choices and the dimension of Extraversion and Introversion. Significant results are also seen for the Judging-Perception and Thinking-Feeling dimensions, but the Sensing-iNtuition dimension showed no correlation.     

Social identity theory: past achievements,current problems and future challenges

This article presents a critical review of Social Identity Theory. Its major contributions to the study of intergroup relations are discussed, focusing on its powerful explanations of such phenomena as ingroup bias, responses of subordinate groups to their unequal status position, and intragroup homogeneity and stereotyping. In addition, its stimulative role for theoretical elaborations of the Contact Hypothesis as a strategy for improving intergroup attitudes is noted. Then five issues which have proved problematic for Social Identity Theory are identified: the relationship between group identification and ingroup bias; the self‐esteem hypothesis; positive – negative asymmetry in intergroup discrimination; the effects of intergroup similarity; and the choice of identity strategies by low‐status groups. In a third section a future research agenda for the theory is sketched out, with five lines of enquiry noted as being particularly promising: expanding the concept of social identity; predicting comparison choice in intergroup settings; incorporating affect into the theory; managing social identities in multicultural settings; and integrating implicit and explicit processes. The article concludes with some remarks on the potential applications of social identity principles. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

J.P. Rushton’s theory of ethnic nepotism

Unreciprocated aid among co-ethnics and the emotional intensity of ethnic conflict have long been explanatory challenges to evolutionary science. J.P. Rushton’s theory of assortative ethnic affiliation–altruism, mating and friendship directed towards fellow ethnics–derives from his more general theory of genetic similarity (GST). GST proposes that humans give preferential treatment to others in whom they detect genetic resemblance and that such behavior enhances genetic fitness. The theory coincides with W.D. Hamilton’s theory of inclusive fitness as applied to relations between populations. GST helps explain core features of ethnicity, including its basis in putative kinship and correlation with gene frequencies. Ethnic nepotism due to similarity is a weak social force compared to social identity. However its pervasiveness makes it a potential driver of evolutionary and social change, a potential borne out by sociological studies of the impact of ethnic diversity on social cohesion and public altruism. Genomics confirms the theory for interactions within populations with sufficient genetic diversity, such as ethnically mixed societies. GST applied to ethnicity is promising for further research in evolutionary social science because it unifies evolutionary and behavioral mechanisms in a single theory.     

A Comparative Analysis of Social Learning and Social Control Theories in the Prediction of College Crime

This research examines the comparative ability of social control and social learning theories to predict crime on a college campus. Data were obtained from self-report surveys from the first wave of a longitudinal study at a liberal arts college in the Mid-Atlantic region. Results from correlation and regression analyses indicate that both social control and social learning components are related to crime and drug use, with the greatest amount of variance explained by models that include elements of both theories. Issues such as the temporal ordering of peer and individual delinquency and the similarity between belief and definitions are discussed.     

A study of metrics of distance and correlation between ranked lists for compositionality detection

Compositionality in language refers to how much the meaning of some phrase can be decomposed into the meaning of its constituents and the way these constituents are combined. Based on the premise that substitution by synonyms is meaning-preserving, compositionality can be approximated as the semantic similarity between a phrase and a version of that phrase where words have been replaced by their synonyms. Different ways of representing such phrases exist (e.g., vectors (Kiela and Clark, 2013) or language models (Lioma, Simonsen, Larsen, and Hansen, 2015)), and the choice of representation affects the measurement of semantic similarity.We propose a new compositionality detection method that represents phrases as ranked lists of term weights. Our method approximates the semantic similarity between two ranked list representations using a range of well-known distance and correlation metrics. In contrast to most state-of-the-art approaches in compositionality detection, our method is completely unsupervised. Experiments with a publicly available dataset of 1048 human-annotated phrases shows that, compared to strong supervised baselines, our approach provides superior measurement of compositionality using any of the distance and correlation metrics considered.     

Rorschach movement and color responses and MMPI social extraversion and thinking introversion personality types

Results of an analysis of MMPI profiles and Rorschach protocols scored by the Exner method for 100 psychiatric patients provided partial support for Rorschach's hypotheses that perceptions of color (FC, CF, and C) and movement (M) tap separate personality dimensions. First, the proportion of M responses on a protocol correlated significantly (p < .01) to thinking introversion as defined in terms of a subject's MMPI profile similarity to a prototypic MMPI profile with peak PtSc elevations. Second, the proportion of FC responses correlated negatively (p < .01) to social extraversion defined in terms of MMPI profile similarity to a prototypic MMPI profile with peak PdMa elevations. Hence, use of FC signified a socially reserved, controlled behavior. The findings regarding CF and C were inconclusive. Third, color and movement responses did not correlate significantly with somatization defined in terms of similarity to a prototypic MMPI profile with peak Hs, D, Hy elevations. Finally, the nonsignificant correlations of FC with M and with MMPI thinking introversion plus the nonsignificant correlation of M with color responses and MMPI social extroversion further supported the hypotheses that movement and color responses tap essentially unique personality dimensions.     

金融危机背景下家庭社会地位对大三学生择业动机的影响：社会支配倾向的中介作用

以504名来自5所高校三年级大学本科生为被试,采用问卷法收集数据,探讨了家庭社会地位对大学生择业动机的影响。结果表明：（1）家庭社会地位对大学生内部择业动机具有显著的预测作用,家庭社会地位越高,内部择业动机越强;（2）社会支配倾向对家庭社会地位与内部择业动机之间的关系起中介作用,家庭社会地位通过社会支配倾向对内部择业动机产生间接影响;（3）未发现家庭社会地位、社会支配倾向与外部择业动机之间的显著相关。     

How shared preferences in music create bonds between people: values as the missing link

How can shared music preferences create social bonds between people? A process model is developed in which music preferences as value-expressive attitudes create social bonds via conveyed value similarity. The musical bonding model links two research streams: (a) music preferences as indicators of similarity in value orientations and (b) similarity in value orientations leading to social attraction. Two laboratory experiments and one dyadic field study demonstrated that music can create interpersonal bonds between young people because music preferences can be cues for similar or dissimilar value orientations, with similarity in values then contributing to social attraction. One study tested and ruled out an alternative explanation (via personality similarity), illuminating the differential impact of perceived value similarity versus personality similarity on social attraction. Value similarity is the missing link in explaining the musical bonding phenomenon, which seems to hold for Western and non-Western samples and in experimental and natural settings.     

The effect of subject's gender on judgments of similarity and choice of a comparison other

This study examined the implications for social comparison theory of the proposition that women have lower self-confidence than men when there is a socially defined standard of performance. To this end, it was hypothesized that women would judge themselves to be similar to a lower ranked person, whereas men would judge themselves to be similar to a higher ranked person. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that women would choose to see a score lower than their own, whereas men would choose to see a score higher than their own. The results on the measure of similarity indicated that men did judge themselves to be similar to a higher ranked person, whereas women showed no consistent preferences in their judgments of similarity. The results on the choice of a comparison other were not as clear-cut.     

Social comparison,attraction, and choice of a comparison other

The effects of attitudinal similarity and task-relevant affiliative status, together with three situational factors (presence or absence of a monetary reward, choice of information source or work partner, and choice made before or after Ss completed preliminary work on the task), on the choice of comparison others were examined. The most significant determinant of the comparison other chosen was attitude similarity (p < .01). There was also a significant interaction between attitude similarity, task-relevant affifliative status, and time of choice (p < .05). The nature of the interaction suggested that general impressions such as conveyed by general attitudinal information may be more important in the selection of referent others than comparability on situation-specific factors.     

Stimulus similarity and order as factors in visual short-term memory in nonhuman primates.

The short-term retention of nonhuman primates for a single sample or for two successively presented samples was assessed in four delayed matching-to-sample experiments with delays of .03, 4, 8, 16, and 32 sec. The single sample tasks included one (Experiment 1) or two (Experiment 4) distractor stimuli in the choice set (matching test). In the two successive samples tasks, the animals matched (reconstructed) the order of presentation of two samples with (Experiment 3) and without (Experiment 2) a distractor stimulus. Also, the possible combinations of eight stimuli (four colors and four shapes) were arranged to test the effects of sample set and choice set similarity. Taken together, analyses of the errors indicated that both sample and choice set similarity were significant sources of confusions in delayed matching. Order errors occurred independently of similarity but were a source of forgetting primarily at the longest delays (16 and 32 sec). Two exceptions to the similarity effect (second response errors in Experiment 3 and errors of an inexperienced group in Experiment 4) were observed. Possible reasons for the exceptions and several implications of these findings for theories of short-term memory are discussed.     

Identification Model Based on the Maximum Information Entropy Principle

A new theoretical approach to stimulus identification is proposed through a probabilistic multidimensional model based on the maximum information entropy principle. The approach enables us to derive the multidimensional scaling (MDS) choice model, without appealing to Luce's choice rule and without defining a similarity function. It also clarifies the relationship between the MDS choice model and the optimal version of the identification model based on Ashby's general recognition theory; it is shown theoretically that the identification model derived from the new approach includes these two models as special cases. Finally, as an application of our approach, a model of similarity judgment is proposed and compared with Ashby's extended similarity model. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.     

Choice Matters More with Others: Choosing to be with Other People is More Consequential to Well-Being than Choosing to be Alone

Stable social relationships are conducive to well-being. However, similar effects are not reported consistently for daily social interactions in affecting episodic (experiential) subjective well-being (ESWB). The present investigation suggests that the choice of being in a social context plays an important moderating role, such that social interactions increase ESWB only if taken place by one's choice. Moreover, it is argued that choice matters more in a social context than in an alone context because experiences with others are amplified. These ideas were tested and supported in two studies: An experiment that manipulated social context and choice status, and a 10-day experience-sampling study, which explored these variables in real-life settings. Results showed that being with others by one’s choice had the strongest positive association with ESWB, sense of meaning, and control, whereas being with others not by one’s choice—the strongest negative association with ESWB. Effects of being alone on ESWB also varied by choice status, but to a lesser extent. The findings offer theoretical and practical insights into the effects of the social environment on well-being.

     

Social Comparison in Medical School: What Students Say About Gender and Similarity

The social comparison strategies of 43 (21 female, 22 male) fourth-year medical students were surveyed to determine the influence of student and target gender on comparison selections. Questions were included to see what types of comparisons (standard-setter, universalistic, particularistic, and downward) students made in five domains (diagnostic ability, relationships with patients, clinical skills, writing patient reports, and relationships with physicians). Results showed that women compared themselves to female and male targets and men tended to compare themselves to male targets. In general, standard-setter and universalistic-comparisons were most prevalent, suggesting that self-improvement and self-evaluative goals played a significant role in the comparison process. Convenience of comparison other was also identified as a significant determinant of comparison selection. Overall, these results showed that similarity is an important determinant of comparison choice, but, contrary to previous research, gender is not necessarily the primary source of this similarity.