Adjusting for the correspondence bias: Effects of causal uncertainty, cognitive busyness, and causal strength of situational information

This research examined the conditions under which people who have more chronic doubt about their ability to make sense of social behavior (i.e., are causally uncertain; [Weary and Edwards, 1994] and [Weary and Edwards, 1996]) are more likely to adjust their dispositional inferences for a target’s behaviors. Using a cognitive busyness manipulation within the attitude attribution paradigm, we found in Study 1 that higher causal uncertainty predicted increased correction of dispositional inferences, but only when participants had sufficient attentional resources to devote to the task. In Study 2, we found that higher-causal uncertainty predicted greater inferential correction, but only when the additional information provided a more compelling alternative explanation for the observed behavior. Results of this research are discussed in terms of their relevance to the Causal Uncertainty (Weary & Edwards, 1994) and dispositional inference models.     

Perceived likelihood as a measure of optimism and pessimism: support for the Future Events Scale

The Future Events Scale (FES; S. M. Andersen, 1990) is an expectancy-based measure of optimism and pessimism, grounded in cognitive theories of depression, with implications for clinical practice. Although ample research has documented the utility of the FES in predicting important cognitive and behavioral outcomes, psychometric data on the scale are lacking. The current article presents multisample analyses to show that the FES has clear factor structure, good reliability, and a theoretically meaningful nomological network. The FES is shown to be distinct from the best known measure of optimism and pessimism, the Life Orientation Test (M. F. Scheier & C. S. Carver, 1985). Applications are discussed.     

An on-line look at automatic contrast and correction of behavior categorizations and dispositional inferences

The current study examined on-line behavior recategorization as a mechanism underlying corrections for contextual influences in dispositional inferences. After watching an initial comparison video that portrayed either a successful or unsuccessful performance on a spatial ability task, cognitive load and no load participants watched and made real-time ratings of a target performance. The comparison video was expected to exert a contrastive influence on participants' automatic impressions of the performance (behavior categorizations) and the child's intelligence (dispositional inferences). Load participants' on-line and post-video performance and ability ratings showed this expected effect, as did no load participants' initial on-line performance ratings. However, no load participants' later on-line and post-video ratings did not. These findings support the notion that corrections for contextual influence can occur at the level of behavior identification as perceivers encode behavioral cues.     

Bayesian estimation in the two-parameter logistic model

A Bayesian procedure is developed for the estimation of parameters in the two-parameter logistic item response model. Joint modal estimates of the parameters are obtained and procedures for the specification of prior information are described. Through simulation studies it is shown that Bayesian estimates of the parameters are superior to maximum likelihood estimates in the sense that they are (a) more meaningful since they do not drift out of range, and (b) more accurate in that they result in smaller mean squared differences between estimates and true values.The research reported here was performed pursuant to Grant No. N0014-79-C-0039 with the Office of Naval Research.     

Children and the Commons Dilemma1

The management of a commons dilemma analog by same-age, same-sex groups of children from age 3 to age 16 was examined. The effectiveness of commons dilemma management by the groups was greater than expected. Effectiveness increased with age and from one period to another. There were no sex differences, but a significant age x sex interaction indicated that girls manage the commons better in the younger groups and boys manage it better in the older groups.     

Affiliativeness: A trait measure in relation to single-act and multiple-act behavioral criteria

The validity of trait affiliativeness is examined. Based on an assertion related to attitudes, it was predicted that a trait measure would predict a single-act criterion worst, a repeated measure of a single act better, and a multiple-act criterion best. The prediction was confirmed, supporting the notion that traits are, as originally conceived, good predictors of broadly based behavioral tendencies but not necessarily of isolated acts.     

FISH: a commons dilemma simulation

A local-area-network-based commons dilemma (CD) simulation is described. The program usesfishing as its CD metaphor; research participants experience the metaphor through both graphics (fish may be seen in an ocean) and text (CD terms such as “resource regeneration” are translated to fishing terms such as “spawning”). Common CD parameters, such as the availability of the resource, payoff values, the number of harvesters, the rate of regeneration, knowledge about the state of the resource, and awareness of other harvesters’ actions may be varied Other CD parameters that are not yet widely studied may also be varied, such as variability in regeneration rate, uncertainty in the amount of the resource, operating costs necessary to harvest the resource, length of time for the resource to regenerate (spawn), and whether the resource is visible to harvesters. The program worked well in pilot testing and in a study in progress.