The impact of salesperson credibility-building statements on later stages of the sales encounter

Salespeople frequently attempt to build credibility on their first encounter with a customer. Because customers actively evaluate persuasive messages, it is important to understand their reactions to credibility-building tactics and how these reactions shape the sales interaction. Accordingly, this study investigates customers' reactions to two types of credibility-building statements – benevolence and expertise – using a multistep qualitative analysis of sales transactions in the life insurance industry, along with surveys before and after the sales encounter. Empirical results show that customers are more likely to react positively to credibility-building statements that match their buying style expectations. Furthermore, when customers react positively to a credibility-building tactic, salespeople are more likely to continue using that tactic when addressing customer objections. However, whereas benevolence tactics for addressing customer objections lead to stronger relational outcomes, the findings indicate that expertise tactics do not. Thus, matching sales tactics with customers' buying style expectations is beneficial in the early stages of the sales encounter, but customer objections are best addressed with benevolence tactics, regardless of customers' buying style.     

The locus of self-inhibition in sequential retrieval

Self-inhibition refers to the suppression of a representational node following its use in a sequential task. Two general models of self-inhibition exist in the literature: one that models suppression following activation of a node (Houghton & Tipper, 1994), and one that models suppression following motor production of a node (MacKay, 1986). These two models make opposite predictions for units that are activated but not produced, with the post-activation model predicting interference and the post-production model predicting facilitation. These predictions were tested using operand--answer priming in two mental addition experiments. Addition problems with sums <10 were primed with addition problems that contained the correct sum as one of the operands (e.g., 5 + 8 preceding 3 + 2). Experiment 2 included an additional manipulation of prime-target discriminability to rule out episodic retrieval accounts of the interference effect. Both experiments indicated interference following operand-answer primes relative to control primes, consistent with the predictions of the post-activation model of self-inhibition.     

Testing QuickEst: No evidence for the Quick-Estimation heuristic

The Quick-Estimation heuristic (QuickEst) was introduced by Hertwig, Hoffrage, and Martignon (1999 Hertwig , R. , Hoffrage , U. , & Martignon , L. (1999) . Quick estimation: Letting the environment do the work . In G. Gigerenzer , P. M. Todd , & the ABC Research Group (Eds.) , Simple heuristics that make us smart (pp. 209 – 234) . New York : Oxford University Press . [Google Scholar]) as a fast and frugal method to generate numerical estimates. The heuristic posits that estimate-relevant knowledge is organised and searched according to ordered reference classes that are based on binary cue values. Two experiments tested two main predictions derived from QuickEst with respect to the memory search and estimation behaviour of human participants. The results provided no evidence that QuickEst is used in numerical estimation processes. As alternative explanation of our findings, we discuss a cyclic sampling mechanism that retrieves information from memory according to their associative strength.     

Unrelated look-alikes: Replicated study of personality similarity and qualitative findings on social relatedness

Twin research critics assert that similar treatment of monozygotic (MZ) twins results from their matched physical appearance, and that their similar treatment explains their within-pair behavioral similarities. A genetic explanation of MZ twins’ resemblance is, thereby, dismissed. To address this challenge, Segal (2013) found a lack of similarity in personality and self-esteem in pairs of unrelated look-alike individuals. The present study describes a constructive replication of that work, confirming these findings. It also presents an analysis of social relatedness within U-LA pairs. Most participants expressed moderate to little social closeness and familiarity, upon meeting and subsequently, over an average 8.98 year period (SD = 7.82). A qualitative analysis of U-LAs’ responses to unstructured social relationship questions further explored their perceptions of, and responses to, their physical resemblance. Participants were generally divided as to perceptions of “some” physical resemblance and “no” physical resemblance upon meeting; two-thirds indicated “some” resemblance at the time of the study. Reactions to their physical resemblance were distributed among positive reactions, negative reactions and within-pair contrasts. Theories addressing the bases of social relatedness provide context for these findings.     

Loss Shapes Political Views? Terror Management,Political Ideology,and the Death of Close Others

This study used longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample to examine long-term effects of loss on political views. Drawing on terror management theory, it was predicted that individuals would reinforce their political views in response to the loss of relatives or close friends. Results were consistent with this hypothesis, though the effects were more pronounced among conservatives than liberals. By showing that the death of loved ones can shape political attitudes, the findings shed new light on the long-term effects of death confrontation.     

The Optimal Team Functioning Model: A Grounded Theory Framework to Guide Teamwork in Curling

A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to investigate teamwork and team effectiveness in the sport of curling. Focus group and individual interviews were conducted with 78 athletes and 10 coaches from 19 high-performance curling teams. Data analysis led to the creation of the Optimal Team Functioning (OTF) model, which comprises 8?key components for optimal team functioning: (a) individual attributes, (b) team attributes, (c) foundational process of communication, (d) structural team processes, (e) individual regulation processes, (f) team regulation processes, (g) context, and (h) desired outcomes. Components and relationships within the model, along with practical implications, are discussed.

Lay Summary: Developing effective sport teams is a challenging and complex process. Unfortunately, few resources are available to guide coaches and athletes in their efforts to optimally function and perform as a unit on a daily basis. This novel team dynamics research was carried out with high-performance coaches and athletes to uncover a comprehensive and ecologically valid model mapping out effective teamwork within the sport of curling. The Optimal Team Functioning Model focuses on concrete actions that can be applied to successfully set up and manage a team and its individual members throughout a season.     

Ethical Issues in HIV/STD Prevention Research With High Risk Youth: Providing Help,Preserving Validity

Many preventive intervention studies with adolescents address high-risk behaviors such as drug and alcohol use, and unprotected sex. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) are the gold standard methodology used to test the effectiveness of these behavioral interventions. Interventions outside the rigidly described protocol are prohibited. However, there are ethical challenges to implementing inflexible intervention protocols, especially when the target population is young, experiences many stressful events, and lives in a resource-poor environment. Teens who are at high risk for substance use or sexual risk behaviors tend to be at risk for other problems such as exposure to violence, sexual and physical abuse, depression, and homelessness. How should investigators deal with the psychological and social needs of teenagers in prevention programs in an ethically appropriate way and at the same time preserve the validity of RCT results? We have identified program characteristics, participant characteristics, interaction with parents, and problems with adolescents not in the study as sources of ethical dilemmas in RCT with at-risk adolescents. As a result of our experience, we recommend that every behavioral intervention study develop an ethics protocol, which should include rules for providing help to participants, has contact information for experts to provide guidance, and an emergency procedure for dealing with life threatening situations. In addition, studies should have a resource manual, train research staff in these ethical issues, and work with a data safety and monitoring board or ethics committee.     

Caregiver Demand and Parent Distress in Juvenile Rheumatic Disease: The Mediating Effect of Parent Attitude Toward Illness

Parents of youth with juvenile rheumatic diseases (JRD) often take on illness management responsibilities that can become burdensome, potentially resulting in poor parent adjustment outcomes. However, not all caregivers will experience increased distress as a result of variability in stress appraisals. The current study examined the role of parent illness attitudes in the relation between perceived caregiver demand and parental distress. Youth (N = 70) ages 7–18 years diagnosed with a JRD and their parents were recruited from a pediatric rheumatology clinic. Parents completed measures of caregiver demand, parental distress, and illness attitudes. Hierarchical regression revealed a relationship between caregiver demand and parental distress. A significant relationship was also found between caregiver demand and parent illness attitudes, as well as parent illness attitudes and parental distress. Thus, parent illness attitudes mediated the relationship between caregiver demand and parental distress. Techniques aimed at altering negative illness attitudes may help parents cope with their caregiving responsibilities.     

An Analysis of Child Maltreatment Content in Introductory Psychology Textbooks

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which introductory psychology textbooks cover child maltreatment and to evaluate how appropriately the information was presented. We randomly selected 15 introductory psychology textbooks from Koenig et al.’s (2004) Compendium of Introductory Psychology Texts. Three analyses included a subject index review, a content review, and a content analysis review. Although all of the textbooks covered the topic of child maltreatment in some fashion, they varied considerably in the specific forms of child maltreatment that they addressed. Furthermore, content that addressed child maltreatment consistently lacked appropriate emphasis and clear definitions. The results are discussed to enhance understanding regarding the most appropriate information on child maltreatment to include in introductory psychology textbooks.     

Which body features are associated with female adolescents’ body dissatisfaction? A cross-cultural study in Australia,China and Malaysia

This study investigated how dissatisfaction with various aspects of the body is associated with overall body dissatisfaction among female adolescents in Western and Asian cultures. Data used in the study were obtained from 58 Malaysian Malays, 95 Malaysian Chinese, 242 Chinese from China, and 81 non-Asian Australians aged 12–19 years (M = 15.72, SD = 1.72) who were recruited from high schools. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing dissatisfaction with their body overall, and dissatisfaction with varying aspects of their body. Malaysian Chinese were the most dissatisfied with their bodies. After controlling for body mass index (BMI), age and dissatisfaction with weight/shape, upper, middle and lower body, and muscles, dissatisfaction with the face was positively correlated with overall body dissatisfaction among Malaysian Malays and Australians. These findings demonstrate the importance of using assessment measures that address all possible areas of body focus as well as being tailored to the relevant culture.