Earnings Gaps Between Israel's Native-Born Men and Women: 1982 1993

This study examines changes in the earnings gapbetween native-born Israeli Jewish men and women duringthe 1980s and early 1990s. The sample of native-bornIsraeli women was broken into two sub-groups: one of Western origin and the other of Easternorigin. Both were compared to the dominant group in theIsraeli labor market, namely native-born Jewish men ofWestern origin. Three Income Surveys were used for this purpose: 1982, 1987, and 1993. Theresults indicate that almost the entire gender-basedearnings gap is not due to productivity-relatedvariables, and that this figure has not changed muchduring this period.     

Teachers' Conservatism, Openness to Change, Transcendence and Self-Enhancement in Daily Life and in School Situations

In the present study we examined conservatism, openness to change, transcendence and self-enhancement as reflected in the relationships among teachers' values, attitudes and behaviors that presumably share common motivations, in daily life as well as in school situations. It is assumed that values cannot be fully understood and meaningfully measured without reference to the attitudes and behaviors which express them. In this study we hypothesized that the relationships among values as expressed in Schwartz's theory (e.g., 1992), also guide relationships among the respective attitudes and behaviors. We expected more consistency among values, attitudes and behaviors in daily-life as compared to school situations. Participants were 130 Israeli female teachers. Findings revealed compatibility between values and attitudes sharing common motivations and partial but nevertheless lawful relationships between values, attitudes and behaviors. We found that teachers' conservative behavior in daily life and their openness to change and transcendence in school situations were explained both by values and attitudes. However, attitudes were mediators between values and behaviors only with regard to conservatism in daily life and openness to change in school situations. We also found that across the motivational themes, values explained behaviors in daily life situations whereas attitudes explained behaviors in school situations.     

Engaging in distancing tactics among sport fans: effects on self-esteem and emotional responses

The authors examined the effects of distancing tactics on self-esteem and emotions, following a win or loss of one's favorite team. They measured state self-esteem and emotional responses of basketball fans as they exited the sport arena after their team had won or lost an official game. Half of the fans were given the opportunity to increase or decrease their association with the team before the measures of self-esteem and emotions; the remaining fans were given the opportunity after the measures. The fans tended to associate more with the team after team success than after team failure. In addition, self-esteem and positive emotions were higher, and negative emotions lower, when measured after, rather than before, the opportunity to increase or decrease association with the team. Those effects were more pronounced among high-team-identification fans than among low-team-identification fans. The results suggest a distinction between the short- and long-term effects of game outcome on the willingness to associate with one's team. In the short term, willingness to associate with the team may oscillate in accordance with team performance, even among high-team-identification fans; in the long term, only high-team-identification fans may maintain their allegiance to the team.     

Intergroup conflict management strategies as related to perceptions of dual identity and separate groups

The authors examined the relations between (a) the perceptions of dual identity and separate groups and (b) intergroup conflict management strategies, in two contexts: the conflict between the secular and religious sectors in Israel and the allocation of resources among organizational subunits. In both contexts, contention (i.e., forcing one's will on the other party) was associated with the perception of separate groups. Only in the organizational context, avoidance (i.e., doing nothing or discontinuing participation in the conflict) was associated with the perception of dual identity. Problem solving (i.e., finding a solution that is acceptable to both parties) was related to the perception of dual identity in the secular-religious context. In the organizational context, this relation appeared only under a low perception of separate groups. Yielding (i.e., satisfying the other party's needs at the expense of one's own) was related to the perception of dual identity in the organizational context. In the secular-religious context, this relation appeared only under a high perception of separate groups. The authors discussed the varying pattern of the associations between (a) the perceptions of dual identity and separate groups and (b) the conflict management strategies in the two contexts in terms of the Dual Concern Model and the perceived feasibility of the strategies.     

Similarity in Religiousness of the Solicitor,the Potential Helper,and the Recipient as Determinants of Donating Behavior1

In a 2 × 2 × 2 field experiment, 107 religious and secular subjects were requested by a religious/secular solicitor to donate money for a religious/secular needy family. Religious subjects donated significantly more than secular ones. The pattern of the cell means suggested that whereas the behavior of the religious subjects was guided by the need for positive self-presentation, the secular subjects were influenced by their similarity in religiousness to the solicitor and the recipient.     

Physical aggression: Effects of ethnicity of target and directionality of aggression

Physical aggression of members of a powerful majority ethnic group against an opponent either from a powerless and discriminated against minority or from their own group was tested as a function of aggression directionality and aggressor's attitudes. It was hypothesized that under bidirectional aggression where the opponent could aggress as well, members of the powerful majority group would adjust their aggressive responses to that of their opponent's regardless of his ethnic origin and regardless of aggressor's attitudes. However. under unidirectional aggression where the opponent was powerless, it was expected that those subjects who held unfavourable attitudes toward members of the minority group would be more aggressive against an opponent of that group than against an opponent of his own ethnic group. Subjects who had neutral attitudes would be equally aggressive toward all opponents. Ninety-six 11th grade vocational high school male students of Western origin, were given the opportunity to administer electric shocks to an opponent who was either of Western or Oriental origin in a competitive situation, Subjects were selected according to their attitudes toward Oriental Jews. Half expressed negative attitudes, the other half neutral attitudes. Half of the subjects expected their opponent to reciprocate shocks, the others did not. Contrary to expectations it was found that the attitudes of subjects of Western origin towards Orientals did not effect their aggressive behaviour. When aggression could not be reciprocated, all subjects were more aggressive toward an opponent of Oriental than of Western origin. The findings showed that when aggression was bidirectional, all subjects adjusted their aggressive behaviour, to their opponents'. However, they were less aggressive towards an opponent of Oriental than of Western origin.     

Retaliatory aggression in individuals and groups

Retaliatory aggression in individuals and groups was compared. Physically and verbally attacked males in group or individual conditions were given the opportunity to retaliate against their tormentor by administering him electric shocks in the context of a bogus learning experiment. Groups retaliated much more severely than did individuals. Analysis of the group decision-making dynamics suggested the process of social modelling as a mediator of group aggression. Additional data suggested the mediating influence of diffusion of responsibility as well.     

Escalation behavior in domains related and unrelated to decision makers' academic background

Based on Staw and Ross's (1987) analysis of escalation behavior it was hypothesized that (a) those who are involved with projects related to their academic background will tend to persist in a losing course of action and to judge the situation as reversible more than those who have to make decisions in areas unrelated to their specialty; (b) providing information that the loss is irreversible will decrease the tendency to invest additional resources. A secondary goal of the study was to examine whether there would be any difference in sunk cost decisions when the resource invested is financial as compared to time. Using a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design, a total of 296 students were given eight different scenarios in which relatedness of decision subject-matter to academic background, reversibility of the situation, and type of resources (time or money) were the independent variables, and commitment to a course of action was the dependent variable. The results confirmed the hypotheses. No significant main effect for type of resources (time vs. money) was found. Theoretical and practical implications of the results are discussed.The authors thank Dr. Michael Hoffman for his valuable contribution in preparing this paper.