CONCEPTUALIZATION AND MEASUREMENT OF REPORTED SELF-DISCLOSURE

This study investigated the dimensionality and measurement of self-reported self-disclosure. Self-perceptions of disclosure to 20 “target” persons were found to involve at least five relatively uncorrelated dimensions. An initial instrument was developed for measuring these dimensions. Further improvement in measurement was recommended.     

LANGUAGE INTENSITY AND RESISTANCE TO PERSUASION: A RESEARCH NOTE

Three hypotheses concerning the specific role of language intensity differentiation in both pretreatment and counterattitudinal messages were examined in two studies. The results indicate that low intensity pretreatments are more effective than either moderate or high intensity inoculations in conferring resistance to persuasion. The findings for refutational pretreatments were, therefore, not consistent with previous research. Future research in this area should be characterized by a greater degree of specificity concerning the possible effects of receiver expectations on subsequent attitude change.     

When you're not the Brady Bunch: Identifying perceived conflicts and resolution strategies in stepfamilies

This study was a qualitative analysis of interviews from 58 members of 17 stepfamilies regarding the sources of conflict and conflict resolution strategies. The majority of conflicts resulted from negotiation of family boundaries and were manifested in the following ways: (a) disagreements over resources; (b) loyalty conflicts; (c) individuals holding a “guard and protect” ideology; and (d) conflict with extended family members Wide arrays of resolution strategies were used, and some, but not all, resulted in positive outcomes.     

DESIGNING, PLANNING, AND SELLING PROJECT A

Because of its size and its focus on an entire personnel system, Project A represents an unusual chapter in the support of personnel research and development (R & D) by a funding agency. This paper describes the events that led up to the decision to create such a Request for Proposals (RFP), and the conditions that made it possible. The conditions that seem necessary to maintain such a project over the course of its life cycle are also discussed.     

Eclecticism revisited

Eclecticism as a counseling point of view has experienced a history of contempt and skepticism mixed with sporadic enthusiasm. A viewpoint described here as emerging eclecticism has promise as a counseling position for the practitioner faced with the needs to be comprehensive, flexible, and open in his theory and method. The emerging eclectic is a skilled observer in the scientific behavioral tradition; he knows the history of counseling theory and contemporary views; he is aware of his unique style and counseling setting. From these he forges his own comprehensive evolving view of behavior change.     

THE IMPLICATIONS OF PROFESSIONAL AND LEGAL GUIDELINES FOR COURT DECISIONS INVOLVING CRITERION-RELATED VALIDITY: A REVIEW AND ANALYSIS

Title VII court cases litigated since 1978 were reviewed to assess the implications of the latest professional and legal guidelines for court deliberations regarding the criterion-related validity of paper-and-pencil tests with adverse impact. Major topics important to an understanding of predictor, criterion, procedural, data analysis, and interpretation issues were examined. Among the major findings were the heavy reliance placed on test development procedures and the reluctance of many judges to accept recent research findings, often contained in professional guidelines, which are inconsistent with those in the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (1978). Suggestions are offered throughout to guide employers who are interested in successfully conducting or defending a criterion-related validation study.     

The Evaluative Consequences of Hedges,Hesitations, and Intensifies Powerful and Powerless Speech Styles

This article examines the separate and combined impact of hedges, hesitations, and intensifiers on perceptions of authoritativeness, sociability, character, and similarity, and the extent to which messages containing one or more of these language variables differs from a “prototypically” powerless message in evaluative consequences. A “prototypically” powerless message is one that contains not only hedges, hesitations, and intensifiers, but also contains polite forms and meaningless particles, such as “oh, well” and “you know.” Two studies indicated that hedges and hesitations individually affected perceptions of authoritativeness and sociability, but interactions among the variables were not found in the studies. Furthermore, only high intensifiers/low hedges/low hesitations and low intensifiers/low hedges/low hesitations messages differed significantly from the “prototypically” powerless message. The second study revealed that speaker status interacted to affect evaluative consequences. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for the power of speech style construct.