Reactions to social vs self-evaluation: Moderating effects of personal and social identity orientations

People differ in the degree to which their identities are based on personal versus social identity characteristics. This experiment tested the hypothesis that people are most concerned about evaluations that are relevant to their salient identity orientation. The Aspects of Identity Questionnaire was used to classify subjects as low or high in personal and social identities. Subjects then anticipated taking a test, believing that their performance would be known by only them, by only a research assistant, by both them and a research assistant, or by no one. Subjects then completed thought-listing and self-report measures of evaluation apprehension. Subjects who scored high in social identity reacted more strongly to the social evaluation than subjects low in social identity. Although subjects high in personal identity were not particularly threatened by private feedback, personal identity seemed to buffer subjects against the threat of social-evaluation. The results are discussed in the context of recent work on private and public aspects of the self.     

Comparing parent and child perceptions of stigmatizing behavior experienced by children with burn scars

This study examined perceptions of stigmatization in a sample of 85 pediatric burn survivors and their parents. Survivors and a parent independently completed the Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire (PSQ) rating the frequency that the child experienced three types of stigmatizing behaviors: absence of friendly behavior, confused and staring behavior, and hostile behavior. The sample was divided into a high (top 25%) and low (bottom 75%) perceived stigmatization groups. The mean ratings of parents did not significantly differ from that of children reporting low stigmatization. The mean PSQ parent ratings were significantly lower than those of children reporting high stigmatization. Additionally, the concordance on PSQ subscale scores within child-parent dyads was significantly lower in children reporting high stigmatization relative to child-parent dyads of children reporting low stigmatization. Children surviving burns may experience stigmatization that is under-perceived by their parents. Clinicians should be alert to this potential discrepancy.     

The effect of mental progression on mood

Mood affects the way people think. But can the way people think affect their mood? In the present investigation, we examined this promising link by testing whether mood is influenced by the presence or absence of associative progression by manipulating the scope of participants' information processing and measuring their subsequent mood. In agreement with our hypothesis, processing that involved associative progression was associated with relatively better moods than processing that was restricted to a single topic (Experiment 1). Experiment 2 ruled out the possibility that conceptual plurality alone accounted for these mood differences; results converge with the view that mood is affected by the degree to which thoughts advance conceptually.     

Cognitive style: problem solving by rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) reared with living or inanimate substitute mothers

Cognitive style, reflected in the generation of novel solutions and the use of identifiable response strategies in problem-solving situations, was contrasted in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) reared individually with either canine companions or inanimate surrogate mothers. Four experiments were conducted over a 5-year period, examining problem solving in relatively unstructured as well as more formal situations. Results indicated that whereas the 2 rearing groups did not differ on most measures of performance, consistent response strategies were identified for the dog-raised monkeys. The results were compared with previously published data from the same monkeys demonstrating rearing group differences in abilities to engage in complex social interaction. The animate nature of the early rearing environment may facilitate-the development of a cognitive style that influences problem-solving abilities in both the social and nonsocial realms.     

Confronting Sexism: Promoting Confrontation Acceptance and Reducing Stereotyping through Stereotype Framing

Sex Roles - Relative to confrontations of other forms of prejudice and stereotyping, confronting gender stereotypes can be challenging, in part, because recipients may be unlikely to accept such...