Audience Activity and Soap Opera Involvement A Uses and Effects Investigation

This investigation examined the role of motives, attitudes, and audience activity in explaining the affective, cognitive, and behavioral involvement of 328 daytime soap opera viewers. Because inter correlations were found among motives, attitudes, activities, and involvement variables, canonical correlation analysis was used. There were two multivariate patterns. First, except for viewing to pass time, more salient viewing motivations (especially exciting entertainment and social utility), perceived realism, viewing intention, and attention were related to parasocial interaction, post viewing cognition, and post viewing discussion. Second, viewing for social utility, but not for voyeurism, and the lack of realism were related to post viewing discussion, but not to parasocial interaction. These audience orientations and the role of involvement in media uses and effects were discussed.     

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF STUDIES COMPARING BEHAVIORALLY ANCHORED RATING SCALES (BARS) AND OTHER RATING FORMATS1

All published studies comparing behaviorally anchored rating scales (BARS) with other rating formats were reviewed. Results indicate that BARS and other formats appear to differ relatively little (if at all) with regard to psychometric characteristics (leniency, halo, interrater agreement, ratee discriminability, validity and “accuracy”). Other variables, such as degree of rater participation in scale construction and rater preferences for different rating scale formats, also exhibited relatively little differences between BARS and other formats. A close examination of the studies, however, reveals numerous methodological problems confounding interpretations of results, making conclusions about the superiority or inferiority of BARS quite tenuous. Suggestions are made for more appropriate research directions and questions which seem more appropriate for rating scale investigations.     

INTERPERSONAL PERCEPTION BETWEEN INTIMATES An Integrative Review

Despite the considerable importance often attributed to interpersonal perception between married partners, family members, and other intimates, there have been few theoretical developments that address the distinctive factors affecting perception in these contexts. This article draws upon a broad literature review to suggest how interpersonal perception between intimates may be affected by such factors as familiarity, emotionality, behavioral interdependence, and ideological beliefs about intimacy. Particular attention is given to the role of perceptual bias in intimate conflict and relationship adjustment.     

Philosophy, Social Institutions, and the Ethics of Belief: A Response to Buchanan

abstract   First, Allen Buchanan, in the version of his paper entitled 'Philosophy and public policy: a role for social moral epistemology' that he presented at the workshop on 'Philosophy and Public Policy' held at the British Academy in London on March 8^th 2008, seems to imply that professional, academic philosophers have had little impact upon public policy. I mention an area where it can be argued in response that they have had a more benign, as well as a more widespread, influence on society than Buchanan acknowledges in that version of his paper: in legislation concerning animal welfare. Second, I question whether or not the liberal commitment to freedom of religion is compatible with the ethics of belief that Buchanan appears to advocate .