Social identification and permeability of group boundaries

Two experiments were conducted to investigate some of the factors affecting social identification. In Experiment 1 ingroup identification was measured for subjects who were members of high or low status groups with either permeable or impermeable boundaries, and who received high, average or low ability feedback. The main results are that (1) members of high status groups show more ingroup identification than members of low status groups (2) members of low status groups with permeable boundaries identify less with their group than members of low status groups with impermeable boundaries and (3) in low status groups ingroup identification decreases as group members have higher individual ability. In Experiment 2, in addition to manipulating group status and individual ability, permeability was further differentiated into separate possibilities for upward and downward mobility. The most important results of Experiment 2 are that (1) members of high status groups show more ingroup identification than members of low status groups and (2) group members with high individual ability identify less with their group when upward mobility is possible than when upward mobility is not possible. These results are discussed in relation to social identity theory.     

The effects of intelligence test preparation

The first goal of this study was to investigate the effects of reading a book concerning intelligence tests and the effects of a specific test-training programme on numerical and verbal intelligence tests. The second goal was to investigate to what extent the acquisition of test-specific problem-solving strategies affects the ability to solve items on different, but comparable tests (transfer). In the experimental design two factors were included: practice (pretest or no pretest) and (level of) preparation (none, book, or training), so there were six conditions. Each condition consisted of about 26 subjects, who had been randomly assigned to one of the conditions. The results showed a strong effect of preparation, especially for the numerical intelligence test and to a lesser degree for the verbal intelligence test. No practice or pretest effects were found. Positive transfer was demonstrated for the numerical test. The results for the verbal test were less clear. The implications for the predictive and construct validity are discussed.     

Component analysis with different sets of constraints on different dimensions

Many of the classical multivariate data analysis and multidimensional scaling techniques call for approximations by lower dimensional configurations. A model is proposed, in which different sets of linear constraints are imposed on different dimensions in component analysis and classical multidimensional scaling frameworks. A simple, efficient, and monotonically convergent algorithm is presented for fitting the model to the data by least squares. The basic algorithm is extended to cover across-dimension constraints imposed in addition to the dimensionwise constraints, and to the case of a symmetric data matrix. Examples are given to demonstrate the use of the method.The work reported in this paper has been supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, grant number A6394, and by the McGill-IBM Cooperative Grant, both granted to the first author. The research of H. A. L. Kiers has been made possible by a fellowship of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. We thank Michael Hunter for his helpful comments on earlier drafts of this paper.     

Cognitions and behaviour in a hierarchy: Mulder's power theory revisited

In this study, Mulder's power theory consisting of the power distance reduction tendency (PDR) of less powerful group members towards more powerful others, and the power distance enlargement tendency (PDE) of more powerful group members towards less powerful others, is investigated. In particular, two different interpretations of the relationships Mulder hypothesized between power distance and power tendencies are examined. In Experiment 1 no support was found for the interpersonal interpretation. Evidence for the intrapersonal interpretation was found only for the PDE. The most remarkable difference between these results and the results of previous experiments was that we did not find any consistent support for an increased interpersonal PDR with smaller power distance. Therefore, in Experiment 2 a more extensive investigation was undertaken focusing on interpersonal measures similar to the one used earlier by Mulder and his co-workers. Results of these measures yielded support for the interpersonal interpretations of both tendencies. In the discussion an explanation for the obtained results is offered that departs from the (in) stability of the power hierarchy.     

An efficient algorithm for TUCKALS3 on data with large numbers of observation units

A modification of the TUCKALS3 algorithm is proposed that handles three-way arrays of order I × J × K for any I. When I is much larger than JK, the modified algorithm needs less work space to store the data during the iterative part of the algorithm than does the original algorithm. Because of this and the additional feature that execution speed is higher, the modified algorithm is highly suitable for use on personal computers. This research has been made possible by a fellowship from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences to the first author.     

Minimization of a class of matrix trace functions by means of refined majorization

A procedure is described for minimizing a class of matrix trace functions. The procedure is a refinement of an earlier procedure for minimizing the class of matrix trace functions using majorization. It contains a recently proposed algorithm by Koschat and Swayne for weighted Procrustes rotation as a special case. A number of trial analyses demonstrate that the refined majorization procedure is more efficient than the earlier majorization-based procedure. The research of H. A. L. Kiers has been made possible by a fellowship from the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.     

Knowledge management in strategic planning: The case of the dutch fourth report

This article examines the management and use of knowledge in a relatively complex planning and policy process, i.e., the preparation and implementation of the Fourth Report on Physical Planning in the Netherlands. Attention is given to the organization of this process; the manner in which research, policy design and plan negotiation were intertwined in the various phases of the process; and the solutions developed for the problem of obtaining sufficient knowledge without losing the impetus essential to policy-making. General conclusions are derived especially concerning the interrelationship between policy-making and the accretion and depletion of knowledge stocks. While his earlier publications were primarily concerned with the application of demographic research in spatial policy, he has more recently shifted his attention to knowledge utilization problems in general.     

Upward power tendencies in a hierarchy: Power Distance Theory versus bureaucratic rule

Two contrasting notions concerning upward power tendencies within hierarchically structured groups are investigated. Power Distance Theory assumes that people have a desire for power that results in a tendency to reduce the power distance towards a more powerful other, and this tendency is assumed to be stronger the smaller the power distance. The bureaucratic rule implies that a vacant position may only be taken over by someone from the level immediately below the vacant position. In Experiment 1, power distance from the top position of a hierarchy was manipulated by assigning 120 subjects to a higher or a lower position in a power hierarchy. Results showed that only the motivation derived from the bureaucratic rule (i.e. entitlement) mediated the relationship between power distance and upward tendencies. In Experiment 2, a more pertinent test of the two theoretical notions was performed by assigning 139 subjects to one of three positions. The main results were consistent with the bureaucratic rule: (1) subjects immediately below the top position showed a stronger upward tendency towards this position than subjects in the two lower positions, whereas no differences were found between subjects in these two lower positions; (2) again only entitlement mediated the relationship between power distance and upward tendencies.