A Comparison of Nonverbal Compensatory Behaviors Within Direct Face-to-Face and Television-Mediated Interviews1

A study was performed to compare direct face-to-face and television-mediated interviews with regard to a hypothesized compensatory relationship between intimacy level of conversation topic and individuals' looking and smiling behaviors. Thirty-two male subjects were randomly assigned to one of two communication settings and asked a series of questions that varied according to topic intimacy. Subjects' looking, smiling, talking, and listening times were scored from videotapes made of the interviews. In support of predictions derived from Argyle and Dean's (1965) affiliative-conflict theory, it was observed that a shift in topic intimacy from low to high resulted in a decrease in the percent of time subjects spent looking at the interviewer. Further, the results of the present study replicated those reported by other investigators, indicating that a shift in topic intimacy (1) primarily affects subjects' looking while talking and not looking while listening and (2) does not affect subjects' smiling behavior. With the exception that more looking while listening occurred in the television-mediated interviews than in the direct face-to-face interviews, no differences were found in subjects' behaviors between the two communication conditions. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed from the perspective of affiliative-conflict theory and its application to social interactions conducted via two-way television.     

A FAILED RECONCILIATION: FURTHER REFLECTIONS ON STERBA'S PROJECT

Although I do not find any of Sterba's responses to my recent criticisms of his work How to Make People Just convincing, I shall not attempt to answer them point by point since this would be a boring, scholastic exercise at best.1 Rather, I shall expand upon what I believe continue to be the three major problems with Sterba's theory and explain why his recent responses to my criticisms (and the criticisms of others) along these lines are not adequate.     

Phenomenology of film music

This is a revised version of a paper written for Professor David Raksin's class in film music, Fall 1976, at the University of Southern California.     

Empathic joy and the empathy-altruism hypothesis

Three experiments tested whether empathy evokes egoistic motivation to share vicariously in the victim's joy at improvement (the empathic-joy hypothesis) instead of altruistic motivation to increase the victim's welfare (the empathy-altruism hypothesis). In Experiment 1, Ss induced to feel either low or high empathy for a young woman in need were given a chance to help her. Some believed that if they helped they would receive feedback about her improvement; others did not. In Experiments 2 and 3, Ss induced to feel either low or high empathy were given a choice of getting update information about a needy person's condition. Before choosing, they were told the likelihood of the person's condition having improved--and of their experiencing empathic joy--was 20%, was 50%, or was 80%. Results of none of the experiments patterned as predicted by the empathic-joy hypothesis; instead, results of each were consistent with the empathy-altruism hypothesis.     

Physiology and Faith: Addressing the "Universal" Gender Difference in Religious Commitment

That men are less religious than women is a generalization that holds around the world and across the centuries. However, there has been virtually no study of this phenomenon because it has seemed so obvious that it is the result of differential sex role socialization. Unfortunately, actual attempts to isolate socialization effects on gender differences in religiousness have failed, as have far more frequent and careful efforts to explain gender differences in crime. There is a growing body of plausible evidence in support of physiological bases for gender differences in crime. Making the assumption that, like crime, irreligiousness is an aspect of a general syndrome of short–sighted, risky behaviors leads to the conclusion that male irreligiousness may also have a physiological basis. If nothing else, this article may prompt creative efforts to salvage the socialization explanation.     

The effects of the Positive Environment Program (PEP) on the behaviors of adults with profound cognitive and physical disabilities

This study evaluated the effects of the Positive Environment Program (PEP) on the behaviors of residents and staff in a state‐operated residential facility during a 2½ year period. The participants included 19 adult residents with profound cognitive and physical disabilities and 11 staff members who worked with them. Data were collected on alertness, leisure material availability, engagement, staff interactions, and resident affect during two samples of data collection six months prior to implementation of PEP. Training was then provided to staff on positive interaction skills. Following the training, researchers implemented a monitoring program and a staff incentive program. The results of this project showed improvements in staff interactions, resident interaction with leisure materials, improved levels of alertness, and increases in a ‘happiness index’. The benefits and limitations of this project as well as future research are discussed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Processing impairments in OCD: it is more than inhibition!

The study aimed to address a significant gap in the literature on inhibition impairments in OCD, by concurrently studying facilitation and inhibition processes and the effect of threat on these twin mechanisms. Participants were 20 persons with symptomatic OCD, 11 with remitted OCD, 20 with panic disorder and 20 normal control participants. Participants were required to respond to words that were either neutral or personally threatening, which during an immediately preceding trail, were responded to as targets (facilitation) or inhibited as non-targets (inhibition). OCD participants displayed greater facilitation and reduced inhibition, differences that were related to their diagnostic status but unrelated to symptomatic status. Threat had no effect on facilitation, but exacerbated inhibition problems in the symptomatic OCD and panic groups. This research suggests that underlying differences in both facilitation and inhibition, combined with influences of activated threat-schema on inhibition may play a role in the development and maintenance of OCD.     

The Effects of Weight Loss Attempts, Exercise Initiation, and Dietary Practices on Health Related Quality of Life

This study (N = 98) randomly placed participants in either a higher protein or American Heart Association diet group with each group initiating an aerobic exercise program. Body composition (BC) was measured using four different methodologies (DEXA, BIA, skinfold, BMI) along with height and weight, while Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) changes were measured using the Medical Outcomes Short Form 36 (SF-36). There were no significant time/diet interactions in HRQOL scores, body fat measures, and weight with the exception of Role-Physical scores (p = .006) with posttest scores higher in participants in Diet 1. Role-Physical scores changed significantly in participants in Diet 1 (p = .0001) and Diet 2 (p = .026) with higher posttest scores in each group. Social functioning had a significant main effect for time in both groups with pretest scores in both diet groups lower than their respective posttest scores (p = .015). HRQOL pretest scores were not significantly different between groups at baseline (p = .56). ANOVA revealed no significant differences in average calories between groups (p = .88). Analysis revealed no differences in exercise in minutes (p = .66) nor statistically significant changes in BC or weight (p = .65). Conclusions: Improvements in HRQOL were demonstrated in two subscales related to physiological and psychological functioning. These novel findings add to literature suggesting that HRQOL, at least concerning social functioning, work and other daily activities (Role-Physical) may improve by initiating an exercise and dietary program even when weight loss or BC improvements have been unsuccessful.     

The Dynamics of Cyber China: The Characteristics of Chinese ICT Use

This paper provides a preliminary examination of the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs)—limited to mobile phone and internet use—in contemporary China. Based on fieldwork undertaken since 2003 in Guangzhou and Beijing, the paper focuses on the relationship between society and technology in the Chinese cultural context. An analysis of the data on ICT use in China shows how Chinese cultural traits and the speed of the ICT evolution in China have combined to bring about a unique cyber experience. This analysis may be helpful to other scholars who wish to compare the impact of ICTs in various cultures or who are interested in discovering how Mainland China went ‘cyber’.