Computer dialogue system (CDS): A system for capturing computer-mediated dialogue

In the process of studying human tutoring sessions as a basis for building an intelligent tutoring system, we developed a computer dialogue system (CDS) that allows two PC users to communicate with each other over a telephone line by typing at a computer keyboard. CDS records the content of dialogue on a disk in a specified, well-formatted way. It also makes available a way to mimic some of the characteristics of face-to-face dialogue such as repair. It was developed in the Smartcom III (Hayes Communication package) environment. Thus, it is fast, portable, and easy to use. In addition, to help us study the recorded dialogues, we have also written a numbering program to label each turn and each sentence within each turn. Although CDS was originally designed for the study of tutorial dialogues between students and teachers, it can be used to conduct and record dialogues of any kind.     

Retrospective coping strategies during sexual identity formation and current biopsychosocial stress

Background: Lesbian, gay men, and bisexual individuals (LGBs) often experience distress related to the recognition, self-acceptance, and disclosure of their sexual orientation. Objectives and Design: Retrospectively reported coping strategies enacted during sexual identity formation among LGBs were assessed in relation to current stress indices measured using environmental (frequency of perceived daily hassles), psychological (perceived distress), and biological (allostatic load [AL] levels representing physiological dysregulations) perspectives. Methods: Forty-six healthy LGBs between the ages of 18 and 45 (M = 23.91, SE = .80) participated. Questionnaires included the Ways of Coping Checklist adapted to disclosure milestones, Daily Hassles Inventory, and Perceived Stress Scale. AL was calculated using 21 biomarkers of neuroendocrine, immune, cardiovascular, and metabolic functioning. Results: Avoidance coping during sexual identity formation was positively associated with frequency of daily hassles (β = .598, p < .001), perceived stress (β = .361, p = .015), and AL (β = .405, p = .006). By contrast, seeking social support was negatively associated with perceived stress (β = –.598, p = .048). Conclusions: Emotion-focused coping strategies during LGB sexual identity development are associated with current indices of biopsychosocial stress.     

Collectivism coexisting with individualism: an Indian scenario

A sample of 292 respondents, drawn from three locations, participated in a study designed to examine the effects of eighteen situations on the choice of collectivist and individualist behaviour and intentions, or their combinations. The findings indicated that concerns for family or family members evoked a purely collectivist behaviour. Compelling and urgent personal needs and goals in conflict with the interests of family or friends led to a mix of individualist and collectivist behaviour and intentions. Individualist behaviour intended to serve collectivist interests was the third most frequently opted choice. Respondents' education had a significant effect and other background variables had indeterminate effects on the choice of either purely collectivist or a mix of collectivist and individualist behaviour and intentions.     

Communication accommodation in text messages: Exploring liking,power, and sex as predictors of textisms

This mixed-methods study applies Communication Accommodation Theory to explore how liking, power, and sex predict one’s likelihood for using textisms in digital interpersonal interactions. Textisms are digital cues that convey nonverbal meaning and emotion in text communication. The main experiment used a hypothetical texting scenario to manipulate textism amounts (none/many) and participant’s perceived power levels (low/equal/high) during texting interactions to examine the number of textisms participants used in subsequent responses in comparison to the number of textisms they viewed. Primary results show that (1) participants moderately converged to use similar amounts of textisms, and (2) those with low power who viewed many textisms were more likely to use textisms themselves during subsequent responses. Through the examination of adaption behaviors in text messaging, scholars can better understand the contexts in which users will include textisms to intentionally convey nonverbal meaning and emotion in digital communication.     

Correlates of the Protestant Ethic of Hard Work: Results From a Diverse Ethno-Religious Sample

We examine the demographic and personality correlates of the Protestant ethic and how it correlates with contemporary individual and social issues. Success is more prevalent among Christian fundamentalists, those who were born outside the United States, individualists, individuals who have a higher locus of control, and individuals who believe in a just world. Hard work is more prevalent among Asian Americans and Filipinos, women, those who have a higher internal locus of control, and those who believe in a just world. Our data show that success and hard work are correlated positively with hours worked, total hours worked, and liberalization of drug laws. No other study has examined these issues using a diverse ethno-religious sample.     

Intrinsic Religious Orientation: The Conservative Christian Connection

This study investigated the claim that intrinsic religious orientation (IRO), as developed by Gordon Allport, has an inherent conservative Christian bias that may be denominationally identified. We tested this claim in two ways by using a sample of 546 churchgoers drawn from five congregations representing four denominations (two Unitarian Universalist, two Mainline Protestant, and one Evangelical). First, we correlated IRO scores with a measure of conservative Christian beliefs (CCBs). A high, significant correlation was obtained suggesting that, in general, high IRO scores go with CCBs. Second, we divided the sample into two groups: those who scored high and those who scored low on four measures of religious commitment: participation in church activities, and frequency of attendance, prayers, and meditation. This comparison also confirmed the IRO and conservative Christian connection: the IRO scores of the Evangelical congregation were significantly higher than those of other congregations in both the high and low religious commitment groups. But judgment needs to be reserved about the low commitment group as the number of Evangelicals that fell in this category was very small for two of the four commitment measures: church attendance and prayers.     

ROLE OF SOCIAL VALUES IN INDIAN ORGANIZATIONS

The transplant of the western form of industrial organizations in India was expected to bring a radical shift from a dependency and personalized to a contractual work relationship, from a steeply hierarchical to a reasonably egalitarian authority structure, ascribed to occupational bases of identity formation. The shift did not occur to the extent it was expected. Instead, technological requirements and job demands at many places were unduly compromised with the socio-cultural factors leading to soft management style which proved to be dysfunctional. At other places, the same socio-cultural factors helped develop a synergetic work culture where workers and managers worked together for higher productivity and greater viability. The critical factor which made the difference was the establishment of work as the master value. The other social values played a facilitating role in establishing and realizing the work values.     

Affective Commitment to Congregations

This study identified four multidimensional factors that significantly influence affective commitment of church members to their congregations. The sample (N = 382) consisted of members of three congregations: Unitarian Universalist (UU), United Methodist (UMC), and Evangelical Free Church (EFC). Stepwise multiple regression—with affective commitment to the congregation treated as the dependent variable—revealed that committed members in all three congregations valued their churches as sources of spiritual experiences, but they wanted these experiences delivered to them efficiently. The importance attached to programs and services offered by their congregations appeared as a significant factor in only one congregation (UMC). Suggestions for additional research are offered.     

Multimethod Probes of Allocentrism and Idiocentrism

Collectivism and individualism are cultural syndromes that have some common cores. Allocentrism and idiocentrism are constructs at the individual level that correspond to collectivism and individualism respectively at the cultural level. In two studies, the first with American (from Illinois) and the second with Japanese subjects, we examined the best way to measure these common cores. We also present the recommended items in two appendices, and provide information about the reliability and convergent validity of the items in these appendices. Finally, we tested the hypothesis that women will be more allocentric than men. We obtained only directional support in the US but fairly good support of this hypothesis in Japan.