Note on the squared multiple correlation as a lower bound to communality

A simple proof that the squared multiple correlation of a variable with the remaining variables in the set of variables is a lower bound to the communality of that variable is presented.     

Interpersonal attraction and person perception: Two tests of three balance models

Two experiments tested the adequacy of three balance models (equal-weights tetrahedron model, unequal-weights tetrahedron model, Feather model) for the p?o?x triad. In the first experiment, involving a variation of Byrne's anonymous-stranger technique, a PDP-11 computer was used to provide feedback on five attitude issues for each of the cells of a design created by five levels of the p?x variable (?2, ?1, 0, +1, +2) and five levels of the o?x variable (?2, ?1, 0, +1, +2). The dependent variable was p?o, interpersonal attraction. In the second experiment there were five-level manipulations of both p?x and o?p with an o-x (person perception) dependent variable. The correlations between obtained results and the predicted values for each of the three models were quite high (.64, .65, .61, respectively, in the first experiment and .60, .59, and .58, respectively, in the second), but the Feather model was judged least adequate. The data in the first experiment were best described by the unequal-weights tetrahedron model, and the data in the second experiment were best described by the equal-weights tetrahedron model. It was argued that avoidance of mutual dislike was responsible for the relatively greater support for the unequal-weights than equal-weights tetrahedron model in the first experiment.     

Popular induction: When is consensus information informative?1

An experiment was conducted in which information regarding a target persons evaluation of a target object was presented either in written form or via video tape, and information regarding the evaluations of four other people was also presented either in written form or via video tape. The results indicated that the effect of consensus on both person and object attribution was significantly weaker when the target-person information was video taped (concrete) and the other-people information was written (abstract) than in the other three conditions created by the combination of the two informational variables. It is argued that, in contrast to earlier speculation in the literature, type of consensus and its mode of presentation represent conceptually orthogonal dimensions. Further research is urged to map out the boundary conditions of consensus information; it is demonstrated that current work has largely concentrated upon only a portion of this attributional domain due to the prevalent confounding of these two independent dimensions.     

A two-valued logic or two-valued balance resolution of the challenge of agreement and attraction effects in p-o-x triads,and a theoretical perspective on conformity and hedonism

Investigated the effect of three different variables on agreement effects in p-o-x triads. The subjects were 740 male and female undergraduates at the University of North Carolina. Experiment 1 found that assumed similarity modified the agreement effect—but only on cognitive rating scales (expectancy, consistency, stability). Experiment 2 found that assumed knowledgeability of o regarding × modified the agreement effect on both affective (pleasantness, harmony) and cognitive (expectancy, consistency, stability) scales. Experiment 3 found that a manipulation of o to p liking that was either consistent or inconsistent with p and o agreement modified the agreement effect primarily on the affective scales.     

Stability of the Positive Mood Effect on Creativity When Task Switching,Practice Effect,and Test Item Differences are Taken into Consideration

Although experimentally induced positive mood can generally last for 20 min and the induced mood is conducive to creative performance, it is still unclear whether the facilitation effect is stable during these 20 min. Two studies were conducted to examine this issue while controlling for the impacts of task switching, practice effect, and test item differences. In Study 1, participants (N = 42) were randomly assigned to positive, negative, and neutral mood conditions. After watching a short video clip, participants answered four items of the Alternate Uses Test (AUT) in 20 min, with 5 min allotted for each item. Creative performance during each 5‐min period was scored in terms of fluency and flexibility. Separate repeated‐measures analyses of variances on these creativity scores showed that positive mood consistently enhanced performance over 20 min. Study 2 further eliminated the effects of test item differences and test order. Participants (N = 131) underwent the same mood induction procedure and answered the same four items of the AUT, except that these items were presented in four different sequences in accordance with the Latin square design. Consistent with the findings in Study 1, Study 2 showed that the facilitation effect of positive mood lasted for 20 min when the interference of task switching, practice effect, and test item differences were minimized. This finding not only sheds light on the debate regarding the stability of experimentally induced positive mood effect, but also contributes to the body of empirical evidence that future studies may use to examine the positive mood effect over a relatively long period of time.     

Organization of visual short-term memory

The authors examined the organization of visual short-term memory (VSTM). Using a change-detection task, they reported that VSTM stores relational information between individual items. This relational processing is mediated by the organization of items into spatial configurations. The spatial configuration of visual objects is important for VSTM of spatial locations, colors, and shapes. When color VSTM is compared with location VSTM, spatial configuration plays an integral role because configuration is important for color VSTM, whereas color is not important for location VSTM. The authors also examined the role of attention and found that the formation of configuration is modulated by both top-down and bottom-up attentional factors. In summary, the authors proposed that VSTM stores the relational information of individual visual items on the basis of global spatial configuration.     

“轴心”“连续”“突破”问题再审视

轴心连续突破问题分别涉及雅斯贝斯、张光直及马克斯·韦伯等人的理论,覆盖哲学、历史、宗教及文明类型、传统等诸多领域,且其中所延伸出的问题又极为丰富。本文可以视作是作者在此前研究基础上的一个总结或概括性思考。文章共六个部分,各部分标题依次为:一、雅斯贝斯:轴心说;二、张光直:连续与突破;三、马克斯·韦伯:传统与革命;四、偶然性与特殊性之于突破或革命的意义;五、静止与运动,关乎历史合法性;六、大传统与小传统。希望通过对这些问题本身及其延伸性的思考,能够深化相关问题的研究,或者能够使相关思考更丰富也更具体。