The Effect of Transformational and Transactional Leadership Perceptions on Feedback-Seeking Intentions

This paper explores the relationship between leadership style as operationalized by trans-formational/transactional leadership (Bass, 1985) and feedback-seeking behavior. Participants ( n = 132) were presented with a vignette describing either a transformational or a transactional leader. Leadership style (transformational leader) was significantly related to higher feedback-seeking intentions. Further, controlling for manipulated leadership style, participants' perceptions of leader consideration behaviors resulted in higher feedback-seeking intentions. These findings suggest that not only does exposure to a certain leader affect feedback-seeking behavior, but also perceptions of certain characteristics of a leader's behavior are important. These findings explain one potential mechanism through which transformational leaders might affect the development of their subordinates and raises interesting implications for leadership coaching.     

The Frequency of Prayer,Meditation and Holistic Interventions in Addictions Treatment: A National Survey

This study examines the prevalence of endorsing the twelve step approach and the use of prayer, meditation, and holistic techniques in a national sample of 139 substance abuse treatment centers. Ninety one percent of the programs endorsed a twelve step orientation. Twenty six percent of the programs actively used prayer and 58% used meditation as a component of treatment. Thirty three percent of the programs used some form of a self-designated holistic technique. There was a divergent range of techniques that were used by programs, falling into four broad categories: (1) nutrition, exercise, relaxation and physical health; (2) recreation and adventure-based activities; (3) religious and spiritual practices; and (4) the use of specific therapy modalities.     

School-Wide Behavioral Support: Starting the Year Off Right

Two years of office referral data are presented in evaluation of a school-wide behavioral support program designed to define, teach, and reward appropriate student behavior in a rural middle school (grades 6, 7, and 8). During 1994-95, the school had 530 students and recorded 2,628 office referrals. The 1995-96 school year began with a full day in which students were taught five school expectations. Throughout the year, students also received rewards for appropriate behavior and office referrals for infractions. Results during 1995-96 document a 42% reduction in office referrals from the previous year. While the evaluation results do not document functional relationship, they suggest an efficient process for evaluating school-wide behavioral support, teaching appropriate behaviors, and changing the overall climate of the school. Implications for future research, and the use of schools as a unit of analysis, are discussed.     

Media Effects and Communication Bias in Diverse Groups

This paper extends research on factors influencing effective communication in diverse groups. The effects of social group membership on attention and influence were examined using 17 groups of three men and three women. Each group discussed a controversial topic face-to-face or using either an anonymous or an identified group support system environment. Social group membership biased both attention and influence; these effects were eliminated when discussions were conducted electronically—even when social group membership of participants was identifiable in the electronic media.     

The effects of assertiveness training on the nontraditional role assumption of geriatric nurse practitioners

The Nurse Practitioner movement has been an important element in upgrading health care for the elderly, principally by reducing costs and increasing availability. One central concern in this movement is the ability of Nurse Practitioners [NPs] to break out of the restricted and repressed role of nurse. The teaching of assertive behavior has been an accepted method of assisting NPs in this role change. This study evaluates the effects of assertiveness training using a measure of role assumption in addition to the typical self-report attitude measures. Three cohorts of NP students (N=59) were evaluated with a pre-post administration of attitude measures of assertiveness and a six-month follow-up to measure role assumption. Although the training did have a significant impact on the attitude measures, the impact on nontraditional role assumption was minimal. Policy implications are discussed.     

Stimulus generalization of schedule-induced polydipsia

Five rats were exposed to an intradimensional discrimination by associating two tones of different frequency with the components of a multiple random-time 30-sec, extinction schedule of food presentation. After schedule-induced polydipsia developed and the intermittent schedule of food presentation established stable differential licking rates during the stimuli associated with the multiple schedule, a stimulus generalization test was conducted. When generalization testing was conducted by presenting stimuli that varied on the frequency dimension during the random-time 30-sec component of the multiple schedule, all five rats demonstrated moderately sloping symmetrical gradients. Thus, schedule-induced polydipsia can be brought under the control of stimuli other than the food pellet.     

Selection of verbal probabilities: A solution for some problems of verbal probability expression

A method for verbal expression of degree of uncertainty is described. It requires the subject to select a phrase from a list that spans the full range of probabilities. In a second, optional, step, the subject indicates the numerical meaning of each phrase. The method avoids two problems of verbal probabilities—the indefinitely large lexicon and the individual differences in the interpretation of words. To test whether context and ordinal position might bias subjects' selection or interpretation of the verbal expressions in the list, the list order was varied. When the verbal expressions were arranged in random order, ordinal position had a significant effect on the selection of expressions. However, these effects did not occur when the phrases were listed in ascending or descending order. Considerations of accuracy and interpersonal agreement also support the use of ordered phrase lists.