The role of “irrelevant” derogation in vicarious aggression catharsis: A field experiment

In order to test hypotheses about the occurence of aggression catharsis, a field experiment was conducted in which passengers in taxi cabs served as subjects. En route to each subject's destination, the taxi driver left the cab with the meter operating for an amount of time which resulted in a small or large overcharge (the first independent variable). When the driver returned, subjects read one of four letters which either praised or derogated the driver (the second independent variable) on a relevant or irrelevant dimension (the third independent variable). Subjects' responses confirmed the principal hypothesis on several different atitudinal and behavioral dependent measures: angered subjects tended to complain less often, more often paid the overcharge, and more often left a tip, when they read the irrelevant derogation letter. The results contribute to the delineation of a set of conditions under which vicarious catharsis can be clearly observed.     

Components of IQ Scores Across Levels of Measured Ability

Forty-three (43) students from the Talent Identification Program's Summer Residential Program living in North Carolina took the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC-R; Wechsler, 1974) during the program. The test was also administered to 50 other North Carolina Students who qualified for the SRP but did not attend, as well as 34 students who had not been identified as gifted. The scores were evaluated for normative and idiographic strengths and weaknesses on the 12 subtests of the WISC-R. The idiographic differences were calculated by comparison against the average score of only the 6 subtests in the same subscale of the test (Verbal or Performance) as well as against all 12 subtests on the test. It was found by means of the former comparisons that the gifted students showed significantly more idiographic strengths on the Verbal scales and weaknesses on the Performance scales than the academically competent sample.     

The role of transportation in the persuasiveness of public narratives

Transportation was proposed as a mechanism whereby narratives can affect beliefs. Defined as absorption into a story, transportation entails imagery, affect, and attentional focus. A transportation scale was developed and validated. Experiment 1 (N = 97) demonstrated that extent of transportation augmented story-consistent beliefs and favorable evaluations of protagonists. Experiment 2 (N = 69) showed that highly transported readers found fewer false notes in a story than less-transported readers. Experiments 3 (N = 274) and 4 (N = 258) again replicated the effects of transportation on beliefs and evaluations; in the latter study, transportation was directly manipulated by using processing instructions. Reduced transportation led to reduced story-consistent beliefs and evaluations. The studies also showed that transportation and corresponding beliefs were generally unaffected by labeling a story as fact or as fiction.     

Truth or consequences: the role of philosophers in policy-making

Reflecting on his experiences as a staff philosopher on the President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research and with other advisory bodies, Brock contends that there is a deep conflict between the goals and constraints of the public policy process and those of scholarly activity in general and philosophical activity in particular. Whereas unconstrained search for the truth is the central virtue of scholarly work, the first concern of policy makers is the impact of their actions on policies and people. The need to persuade policy makers and to maintain their own credibility leads philosophers to cut and trim their views. While the philosophers should be open to radical change if persuasive argument supports it, policy makers deal in incremental change. Philosophers can help widen the policy agenda, but their contribution should be limited and temporary and their primary base should remain an academic one.     

Prayer and the Soul: Dialogues that Heal

Prayer is more than a bowed head and folded hands. It is the deep longing that is expressed by mute bodies and by our souls, the center of being that connects us to God. Chaplains engage in dialogues that heal, as they risk the encounter with another—soul to soul—discerning the heart of another's concern to find the healing required.