Judgment Processes and Interpersonal Conflict Related to Societal Problem Solutions1

An application of multidimensional scaling to judgments about potential solutions to the overpopulation problem yielded two dimensions: Voluntary versus involuntary and economic versus noneconomic. The location of the “solutions” in this two dimensional space was closely related to their judged acceptability, for both original and cross-validation samples. The two-dimensional coordinates of the “solutions” were then used as implicit cue values in a “lens model” analysis of potential conflict among the subjects. This analysis indicated that judgmental inconsistency was likely to be the major source of conflict for these subjects.     

The Influence of Affirmative Action on Perceptions of a Beneficiary's Qualifications1

Relative to females, males tended to discount the qualifications of a woman promoted into management. However, the male-female difference was dependent upon the promoting organization's Affirmative Action environment. There were no differences between males and females when females thought that the organization promoting the woman had an Affirmative Action program in place. Under these circumstances females behaved as males in discounting the woman's qualifications. In contrast, females who thought that the organization promoting the woman was anti-Affirmative Action augmented the woman's qualifications. The interpretation of this is that these women viewed the organization's anti-Affirmative Action position as an inhibitory factor that could only have been overcome on the basis of the promoted woman possessing the necessary qualifications. Results are interpreted in relation to practical implications for Affirmative Action programs.     

Determinants of judgments of and responses to a complaint of sexual harassment

Judgments concerning a complaint of sexual harassment focused on the perpetrator as a cause of the complaint. However, judgments of the role of the victim's characteristics as a cause of the complaint and responses to the perpetrator were influenced by the victim's feminist orientation, when there was competition between the victim and the perpetrator for a promotion, and when decision makers were male. The findings have practical implications in that they point out factors that may affect how organizational decision makers judge and respond to complaints of sexual harassment.     

Development of a turnover model that incorporates a matrix measure of valence-instrumentality-expectancy perceptions

A sample of 365 managers of a full service U.S. restaurant chain was used to test a model incorporating a matrix measure of valence-instrumentality-expectancy (VIE) perceptions leading to the outcomes of job performance and turnover. This study used Hollenback's (1979) method of computing motivational force scores deriving from VIE perceptions. The model hypothesized one path from VIE to pay satisfaction, another from VIE to job performance, and a third set of links from job satisfaction to intentions to leave the organization to voluntary turnover. The results supported a revised model including the major hypothesized path from VIE perceptions to pay satisfaction to job satisfaction to intent to leave to voluntary turnover. In addition, the job performance to turnover paths were supported. The most noteworthy paths not receiving support were from VIE perceptions to job performance; however, there was an unhypothesized, indirect effect of VIE perceptions on job performance through pay satisfaction.     

The growth of gossip: Socialization of relational aggression from adolescence to emerging adulthood

The extant literature suggests that relational aggression appears in early childhood, and gradually increases throughout adolescence. However, very little research has examined the growth of relational aggression from adolescence to emerging adulthood. In addition, research generally examines socializing factors of relational aggression, such as parenting, peers, siblings, or media in isolation. Accordingly, the aim of the current study was to examine these socializing factors conjunctively as predictors of the growth of relational aggression over time. Participants consisted of 500 adolescents who completed several questionnaires over a 7-year period (between ages 14–20 on average). Results revealed that the vast majority of individuals (88%) showed low levels of relational aggression that decreased over time. Conversely, a small proportion of individuals (12%) had high, increasing levels of relational aggression between adolescence and emerging adulthood. High levels of maternal psychological control, sibling hostility, and relational aggression in the media at the initial time point all predicted being in the high and increasing group.     

Neuromuscular and spatial constraints on bimanual hand-held pendulum oscillations: dissociation or combination?

The present work investigated the effects of spatial and neuromuscular constraints on the mean states and variability of interlimb coordination patterns performed in the para-sagittal plane of motion in a hand-held pendulum oscillation task. Nine right-handed students had to oscillate two pendulums through wrist adduction-abduction movements. Relative movement direction was manipulated by asking participants to perform both isodirectional and non-isodirectional movements. Participants were required to grab the pendulums either with both forearms in the same neutral or supine posture or with one forearm in neutral while the other one was in prone-inversed position. When both forearms were in a similar posture, isodirectional movements were generated predominantly by simultaneous activation of homologous muscle groups whereas non-isodirectional movements mainly resulted from simultaneous activation of non-homologous muscle groups. When forearms were in dissimilar posture, isodirectional movements were generated predominantly by the simultaneous activation of non-homologous muscle groups whereas non-isodirectional movements mainly resulted from simultaneous activation of homologous muscle groups. Standard deviation of relative phase and absolute error of relative phase were analyzed for each forearm posture condition. We hypothesized that neuromuscular and spatial constraints would affect two different aspects of coordination performance, i.e., pattern stability and accuracy, respectively. Comparison of the results obtained for similar and dissimilar postures suggested that changes of pattern stability were mediated by changes in the nature of the muscle activation patterns that gave rise to wrist movement in each condition. On the other hand, the results also showed that movement direction exclusively affected phase shift. The findings are consistent with the conclusion of Park et al. [Park, H., Collins, D. R., & Turvey, M. T. (2001). Dissociation of muscular and spatial constraints on patterns of interlimb coordination. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 27, 32-47.] that neuromuscular constraints affect variability of relative phase (attractor strength) and spatial constraints affect the shift of relative phase (attractor location).     

Gender Differences in Video Game Characters’ Roles, Appearances, and Attire as Portrayed in Video Game Magazines

Video game characters have the potential to shape players’ perceptions of gender roles. Through social comparison processes, players learn societal expectations of appearances, behaviors and roles. Forty-nine articles were coded from current U.S. gaming magazines, resulting in 115 coded characters. This content analysis of video game magazine articles investigated how characters are portrayed, focusing on gender differences. Males were more likely to be heroes and main characters, use more weapons, have more abilities, and were more muscular and powerful. Females were more often supplemental characters, more attractive, sexy, and innocent, and also wore more revealing clothing. Understanding these video game messages is an important first step in understanding the effects games and magazines may have on behavior and attitudes.     

Use of a driving simulator to assess performance under adverse weather conditions in adults with albinism

Participants with albinism have reduced vision and nystagmus with reduced foveation times. This prospective study evaluated driving in 12 participants with albinism and 12 matched controls. Participants drove a vehicle simulator through a virtual rural course in sunny and foggy conditions. Under sunny conditions, participants with albinism showed a narrower preferred minimum safety boundary during car-following tasks than did controls, but there was no difference under foggy conditions. Their driving did not differ significantly from that of controls when approaching a stop sign or when choosing gap size between oncoming vehicles when crossing an intersection. However, when compared to control drivers, participants with albinism had a decreased minimum safety boundary for car-following that should be included in counseling regarding driving safety.     

Creating New Ways of Being and Relating

The therapeutic action of psychoanalysis has been broadened beyond interpretation to the creation of new ways of being and relating. The concept of analysis as including both understanding and creation is rooted in two major analytic traditions: the British Independent school and the relational movement. It is proposed that central concepts from each tradition can be combined to form a theory of technique that is focused creating new ways of being to replace the patient's historical patterns. The clinical strategy advocated here is aimed toward bringing dissociated self states to consciousness and then using the now conscious conflicting states to create new self-world relationship patterns. A theory of technique is suggested that combines the relational concepts of dissociated patterns of interaction with Winnicott's theory of potential space for the purpose of transforming latent psychic capacities into new forms of being. Specific criteria are proposed for identifying new potentially authentic ways of being, and a technique for facilitating their evolution from nascent dispositions to new ways of being is delineated. Two cases are used to illustrate how the technical strategy can be used to create ways of being from previously dormant psychic potential.     

The impact of political skill on career success of employees' representatives

Works councillors are elected representatives of employees in German companies. It is their job to protect and bargain the interests of the employees with the company. We investigated the impact of 558 works councillors' individual political skill on their career success, where career ascendancy is based on success in upward elections and not on appointments by supervisors. The participants were from core German industries mostly working in large companies. We found that the stronger works councillors' political skill the more successful they were in their career still after controlling for sex, age, and union membership. Implications and limitations of the study and consequences for future research are discussed.