Facial perception studies using the macintosh

Research on how people perceive human faces has benefited from recent advances in microcomputer technology. The present paper describes techniques that can be used to prepare and present facial stimuli on a Macintosh computer and the advantages of using a computer for preparing and presenting such stimuli.     

Gender differences in moral reasoning

This research tests Gilligan's hypothesis that men are more likely to consider moral dilemmas chiefly in terms of justice and individual rights, whereas women are more likely to be chiefly concerned with questions of care and relationships with others. In addition, we have investigated the effects of dilemma content upon orientation of moral judgment. Protocols from interviews with 50 college students, half women and half men, to three moral dilemmas were coded according to moral orientation. Results indicated that both moral orientations were widely used by both men and women, but that women were more likely to employ prodominantly care considerations. In a test of mean differences in proportion of justice responses, content of the specific moral dilemma showed a strong influence upon moral reasoning. Results suggest that both gender and situational factors need to be considered in our understanding of moral reasoning.     

An automated apparatus for the assessment of social preferences in rodents

Preference apparatuses offer a straightforward method for the assessment of social preference in a controlled manner. The present paper provides the information necessary for the construction of an automated preference apparatus for rodents and a demonstration of the operation of this apparatus. In a representative study,Peromyscus polionotus females demonstrated preference for intact over castrated males.     

A cross-validation of sex differences in the expression of depression

A considerable amount of evidence has accumulated indicating a greater rate of depression among females compared to males. In addition, recent investigations have revealed distinct patterns of depressive responding as a function of sex. The present study provided a cross-validational test of findings reported by Funabiki and colleagues. Male and female college students indicated the likelihood that they would engage in 79 behavioral analytically derived behaviors or cognitions if depressed. Stepwise discriminant function analyses were performed to determine maximum separation of male and female responses. This procedure yielded a 55.6% overall variable cross-validation rate. Many of the findings were consistent with Radloff and Rae's theoretical view of sex differences in learned susceptibility to depression. The data also suggest several avenues for future research and support the utility of investigating theories of depression within the context of a continuity between normal mood states and depressive phenomena.Useful comments on an earlier draft of this article were provided by Mark Hammarlund and Lorence S. Miller. The order of authorship was determined by the flip of a coin.     

Gender expectations for alcohol use: A study of the significance of the masculine role

One hundred sixteen undergraduates assigned traditional gender-stereotyping adjectives and adjective phrases to two male and two female stimuli. Included in this set of traits were statements regarding drinking beer, drinking wine, and getting drunk. Results indicated that male stimuli were attributed stereotypically masculine traits (e.g., acts as a leader, is willing to take risks), and were attributed both beer drinking and getting drunk significantly more often than the female stimuli. By contrast, female stimuli were attributed stereotypically feminine traits (e.g., dependent, sensitive) and were attributed wine drinking significantly more often than the male stimuli. These data provide direct evidence that expectations regarding beer drinking and getting drunk are aspects of the traditional male gender role. The social and mental health implications of the findings are discussed.     

Achieving productive synergy: Integrating departments into a company

Collaboration between departments and divisions is critical for companies to use their resources successfully. Many executives are experimenting with liaison officers, project teams, and matrix designs. However, groups must believe that their goals are cooperative to use these procedures. Common tasks, shared rewards, supportive attitudes, and shared values develop motivating cooperative goals for organizational units. Case studies illustrate how cooperative goals and coordination devices integrate departments into a company.The author thanks the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for its financial support.     

Him,her, or either: Sex of person addressed and interpersonal communication

The present paper examines the relationship between sex of intended receiver and projected images and messages in one of the most widely used modes of written interpersonal communication. The sample consists of 477 traditional birthday cards randomly selected from 14 retail outlets in a metropolitan area. Each outlet represented a geographically distinct high-traffic area varying in type of establishment (discount, drug, dime, department, grocery, and card stores) and socioeconomic level of community. Cards intended for males are compared with those intended for females. Sex-specific cards are then compared with cards in which sex of receiver is not indicated. Implications are discussed.This research was supported in part by a 1984–1985 University of Southwestern Louisiana Faculty Research Award. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the Mid-South Sociological Association, Jackson, Mississippi, 1986. We are indebted to Nancy Henley for her suggestions for revision.     

Predicting career-entry pay expectations: The role of gender-based comparisons

This research investigated three sets of factors (career path factors, perceived job inputs, and reference group comparisons) as predictors of career-entry pay expectations for management students about to enter the workforce. As predicted, reference group comparisons accounted for a larger proportion of unique variance in students' pay expectations than either career path factors or perceived job inputs. In addition, same-sex comparisons were stronger predictors of career-entry pay expectations than opposite-sex comparisons. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

Animats and what they can tell us

Animats-autonomous robots or simulations of animals-and the animat approach represent the most recent attempt to comprehend the capacity of animals for autonomous generation of adaptive, intelligent behavior in complex, changing environments. Motivated by perceived limitations in classical artificial intelligence (AI), the animat approach promulgates an alternative, bottom-up route to understanding intelligent behavior. Important tenets include: (1) that adaptive behavior is best understood by focusing on the interaction between a behaving individual and its environment, hence the interest in `embodied' physical robots `situated' in natural environments; (2) that specific abilities, `behaviors', are more natural units of analysis and design than general, information-processing functions and world models; and (3) that high-level behaviors will emerge as systems composed of simple behavioral competences become more complex. Thus, animat research often begins with low-level sensorimotor abilities and then moves up towards higher, cognitive functions. Both in analysis and in design, the animat approach borrows heavily from ethology, psychology, neurobiology and evolutionary biology, as well as from connectionism. For AI and robotics researchers, understanding the mechanisms behind adaptive behavior is secondary to creating them, but natural scientists can hope for tools and concepts to aid understanding of biological systems.