Raising the Price of Agreement: Public Commitment and the Lowball Compliance Procedure1

Three studies examined the effect on compliance when a requester raises the price of the request. Participants in Experiment 1 were told that they would receive a free coffee mug for donating money to a fundraiser but were interrupted before they could respond and were told that the fundraisers were out of mugs. These participants were less likely to donate money than a group told nothing about the mugs. Experiments 2 and 3 compared this interruption procedure with the lowball procedure, which also uses a small‐to‐large price progression. The results from these two studies indicate that allowing people to respond to the initial price is critical for producing the lowball effect. Without a statement of public commitment, the small‐to‐large price progression led to a decrease rather than an increase in compliance relative to a control group.     

Experimental evidence for aggressive antipredator behavior in black skimmers (rynchops niger)

We experimentally studied the aggressive antipredator behavior of black skimmers Rynchops niger nesting in a salt marsh and sandy beach with the use of a live herring gull Larus argentatus. Although there were no significant habitat differences in vegetation cover, distance from the edge of the colony, or nesting density, skimmers nesting in salt marshes were more aggressive toward the herring gull than were those nesting on the beach. Aggression increased during the first three minutes of the test, and decreased slightly thereafter. Aggression levels were highest when the gull moved compared to when it was stationary. Skimmers made few responses when a person was present with the gull, but aggression increased dramatically when only the gull remained. Our results suggest skimmers may engage in more aggressive behavior in defense of their nests than previously thought, particularly when exposed to a predator that actually takes eggs and chicks. Further, we suggest that conclusions about antipredator behavior drawn only from studies of interactions with people may need further amplification. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

W. I. Thomas and social reform: His work and writings

W. I. Thomas was a major figure in the founding of sociology, especially symbolic interactionism. His concern with and commitment to social reform, however, is rarely recognized. This neglected aspect of his thought and activities is crucial for the interpretation and assessment of his writings and status in the profession. Examination of this facet of his work also illuminates some of the important contributions made by women to the development of his thought and career.     

Personality,Social Activities,Job-Search Behavior and Interview Success: Distinguishing Between PANAS Trait Positive Affect and NEO Extraversion

Past research has found that trait positive affect as measured by the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and extraversion as measured by the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) are highly correlated. We examined the relation between these two measures within the context of three social behaviors. Approximately 4 months before graduation, college seniors entering the job market completed the PANAS and the NEO-FFI and reported on their social activities during college. Three months later, these students were contacted again and described their job search strategies and success at obtaining follow-up job interviews. Trait positive affect scores and extraversion scores were highly correlated and both predicted behavior in each of the three areas investigated. Regression analyses indicated that trait positive affect predicted behavior in all three areas after the effects of extraversion were removed. However, extraversion did not add significantly to predicting behavior in any of the three areas after the effects of trait positive affect were removed. The findings have implications for the conceptual relation between extraversion and trait positive affect.     

Willingness to Falsely Take Blame among Friends: Closeness,Reporting Wrongdoing,and Identity

This study examined people’s willingness to falsely take the blame for a friend’s offense. We sought to identify whether friendship closeness and individual differences would predict false blame-taking. Participants were randomly assigned to think of either a close or casual friend engaging in driver negligence and indicated their willingness to falsely take responsibility. Although self-construal was unrelated to willingness, oneness mediated the relationship between friendship closeness and blame-taking willingness. Negative attitudes about reporting wrongdoing predicted a greater willingness, and men were more willing to take the blame than women. Results may help those in the legal system to better identify false confessions.     

Factors affecting the extent of Monday blues: evidence from a meta-analysis

A meta-analysis of 34 samples identified a small but reliable "Monday blues" effect (-.08 < or = d < or = -.06) in samples reporting current or real-time moods for each day of the week. However, the size of the effect in samples reporting recalled summaries of moods experienced over the course of a day varied depending on whether the sample involved university students or nonstudents. University students reporting recalled summaries of daily moods showed a large Monday blues effect (d = -.25), whereas married men who were not students reported smaller effects with greater variance (-.19 < or = d 相似文献   

Public Self-Disclosure and Speaker Persuasiveness1

Two experiments were conducted to examine the conclusion of several rhetorical critics that intimate self-disclosure by high-ranking officials will be viewed by an audience as inappropriate and will result in lowered speaker persuasiveness. In Experiment 1 college students viewed a videotape of a speaker described as either a member of an oratory club, a candidate for Congress, or a congressman. Half of the subjects heard a speech in which the speaker revealed some intimate information about himself. Little disclosure was included in the other speech. It was found that the greater the prestige of the speaker, the more self-disclosure was seen as inappropriate. The audience was least likely to be persuaded by the speaker when he was perceived as a congressman who had disclosed personal information. This effect was replicated in Experiment 2, where individual differences in the audience members' l]evels of perceptiveness about disclosure appre priateness were examined. No significant effects for this individual difference variable were uncovered.     

Recalled parental behavior and objective personality measures: a canonical analysis.

Information about an individual's past relationships with his parents is an important component in psychological assessment procedures. To systematically connect these relationships and personality, two groups of college students completed an objective inventory designed to assess parental child rearing behaviors. Canonical correlational analysis was employed to relate these measures to the CPI and MMPI. A recalled parental behavior component described as Acceptance vs. Hostile Detachment/Involvement emerged as being highly related to aspects of both personality inventories, with greater recalled acceptance (and lesser recalled hostility) being associated with the more positive aspects of personality. Additional findings are enumerated.