Stereotype threat: effects on education

Numerous stereotypes exist regarding race and gender, and while all are difficult to eradicate, one still regnant throughout society is the notion that females are not as capable as males within the fields of math and science. In order to expose this belief as faulty, an in depth literature review was initiated, with special attention being placed on interventions considered helpful in eliminating stereotype threat. The paper’s primary purpose centered on how, and to what extent, stereotype threats affect the mathematics scores of females and minorities. In addition, case studies and a critical perspective regarding the research, as well as suggestions for future research, are discussed.     

鲍德里亚是一个后现代主义者吗?——兼论现代技术与后现代的关系

鲍德里亚是否是一个典型的后现代论者,长期以来一直是国内外学界争论的核心问题。本文认为,这一问题并不是一个简单的概念之争。在鲍德里亚思想是否归属于“后现代主义”之争的背后,它反映的人们对现代消费社会、后工业社会、仿真社会或超真实社会的性质及其特征的认识。澄清并深化这一问题的研究,有助于加深对鲍德里亚思想的理解。为此,本文从现代技术的特征,即技术的仿真、仿像和超真实性等特征出发,对现代技术与现代性、后现代性的关系进行了考察,并在此基础上指出,鲍德里亚是一个以原始的“象征交换”为原则,对现代性进行激进批判的理论家和预言者,一个具有诸多后现代主义的特征,但又不仅仅局限于后现代性特征的学者,一个后现代性的超论者。当然,在这一问题的探讨中,必须对现代性、后现代性等概念加以给予必要的界定。     

组织中主管-下属关系的运作机制与效果

基于社会交换的理论视角, 以下属关系投入-主管资源回报的概念架构来展现组织中主管与下属关系互动的实质, 对主管-下属关系的运作效果与机制进行跨层次的实证研究。通过问卷法获得54个工作群体的426名下属与主管的对偶数据, 基于HLM分析的结果表明：下属在工作之余对主管的私人关系投入不仅能直接获得主管的工具性资源回报与情感性资源回报, 还能通过领导-成员交换(LMX)间接地获得主管的工具性与情感性资源回报, 而在工作群体内基于私人关系进行人力资源管理决策的特征对主管与下属之间的关系互动与关系质量也存在一定程度的影响。     

与领导关系好就能获得职业成功吗？一项调节的中介效应研究

采用结构化问卷, 在2个时点进行2轮问卷调查, 共收集到206份问卷。根据Edwards和Lambert (2007)推荐的程序, 检验了领导-部属交换与下属职业成功间的调节的中介效应模型。结果表明：(1)网络能力、人际影响、社会机敏性、外显真诚4种政治技能调节了领导-部属交换对下属职业成功的直接效应和总效应; (2)在上述4种政治技能的调节下, 心理授权在领导-部属交换与下属职业成功之间起着部分中介作用或完全中介作用; (3)人际影响调节了领导-部属交换对下属心理授权的作用, 外显真诚调节了心理授权对职业成功的作用。     

Heroic DVD portrayals: What US and Taiwanese adolescents admire and understand

Viewing media aggression can be a risk factor for the long-term well being of viewers, and heroes have been targeted as a major risk factor in this relationship because they commit justified acts of aggression. However, little is known about the specific aspects of heroic conduct that viewers find worthy of emulation. We examined US and Taiwanese adolescents' and college students' identification with, and perceptions of, heroic characters portrayed in a DVD narrative as well as their comprehension of the narrative. Those who thought that certain characters were heroes were more likely to identify with them. However, the qualities that viewers found attractive in heroes were compassion and thinking before using force, not aggression or vengeance. Those who did not understand the program well were more likely to identify with the villain, and they were also more likely to misattribute prosocial qualities to the villain. The results suggest that at least for older viewers, heroic behavior is admired and emulated for prosocial rather than antisocial conduct, and that poor plot-comprehension is one factor that contributes to younger viewers' identification with, and imitation of, antisocial role models.     

Self-construal as a predictor of communal and exchange orientation in Taiwan and the USA

Based on a three-dimensional model of self-construal (independent, collective interdependent, and relational interdependent self-construal), the present study investigated whether self-construal systematically related to exchange and communal orientation with data (357 participants) collected in Taiwan ( N  = 178) and the USA ( N  = 179). United States participants scored significantly higher on all scales except for relational interdependent self-construal. Females exhibited significantly higher scores for relational interdependent self-construal and communal orientation. As predicted, independent self-construal was related to exchange orientation and relational interdependent self-construal was related to communal orientation. However, in contrast to what was expected, collective interdependent self-construal was only marginally related to communal orientation. The findings for scales revised for validity were compared with scales including all items. This comparison disclosed differences for exchange orientation.     

What Does It Mean to Be Human? A Personal and Catholic Perspective

A philosopher-poet-theologian ponders the implications of the multimillion-year biogenetic process that produced Homo sapiens and is beginning to reveal itself ever more clearly as evolution of the mind and consciousness. As meaning trappers and makers, called to actualize the divine image imprinted upon us, we are now facing biological and cultural evolution with deliberate human input as well as the evolution of evolution. As communicating animals that are becoming ever more aware of our adaptive behavior, we have the potential of affecting our own destiny by listening to the spirit within and nurturing the genes and memes that give rise to physical, intellectual, creative, and moral excellence. In the matrix of cyberspace we have the opportunity to heal the two-culture split, to reinvent ourselves, to incubate/weave the emergent religions of the future, and to create our multiple "Ways" appropriate to the dawning Age of Global Dialogue.     

Hobbes, Rousseau, and The “Gift” in Interpersonal Relationships

This paper compares and contrasts the philosophical positions of Hobbes and Rousseau from the standpoint of interpersonal communication theory. Although both men argued from the state of nature, they differed fundamentally on the nature of humankind and the purpose of relationships. These differences should be of concern for interpersonal scholars insofar as they reflect differing sets of axioms from which to begin theorizing. The second part of the paper establishes a link between Hobbes' philosophy and the social exchange tradition: The Hobbes-social exchange tradition begins with the assumption that individuals form relationships to maximize rewards and minimize costs; a Rousseauist position must begin with the assumption that individuals form relationships in pursuit of some common goal. Thus, relational continuity and quality are not a function of cost-benefit ratios, but of how well partners work together toward their common good.     

Cognitively active externalization for situated reflection

This paper offers an explanation of how collaboration leads to abstract and flexible problem solving. We asked the individual and paired subjects to indicate 3/4 of 2/3 of the area of a square sheet of paper and found that (1) they primarily folded or partitioned the paper rather than algorithmically calculating the answer, (2) they strongly tendened to backtrack and confirm their proto‐plans on externalized traces such as creases on the paper, and (3) only the paired subjects shifted to the mathematical strategy in their second trials. Based on these results, we propose that two factors, individuals' activeness in choosing and confirming the initial strategies and the frequent role exchange between task‐doing and monitoring in collaborative situations, interact in collaboration to generate various solutions differing in the degree of abstraction, which are then reflected upon by the participants to lead them to abstraction.