Seeing how it’s done: matching conditions for observer rats (Rattus norvegicus) in the bidirectional control

In an attempt to increase the reliability of the demonstrator-consistent responding effect produced in the bidirectional control procedure, experiments 1–4 sought conditions that would magnify the matching effect. The aim was to produce a robust demonstrator-consistent responding effect in order that future analytic experiments could investigate the psychological processes responsible for this effect. The joystick responses of observer rats trained using the standard bidirectional control procedure parameters were compared with those of observers subject to conditions identified in the social learning literature as favourable for imitation. Unlike mice, observer rats in experiments 1 a and 1 b tended to push a joystick in the same direction as their demonstrators when the demonstrators were either familiar or unfamiliar males and females. Comparable demonstrator-consistent responding occurred following observation of a standard and a salient joystick response (experiment 2). Experiment 3 showed that the discriminative accuracy of a demonstrator’s responding was important for matching behaviour, and suggested that matching might be enhanced with more than the conventional single observation session. Experiment 4 confirmed that the bidirectional control effect is sensitive to the amount of observational experience; after six observation sessions, demonstrator-inconsistent responding occurs. The results of experiments 1–3 are, and those of experiment 4 are not, compatible with the hypothesis that demonstrator-consistent responding in the bidirectional control is caused by olfactory cues deposited by demonstrators on the joystick. Received: 29 May 2000 / Accepted after revision: 28 August 2000     

‘What's New?’ at the Dinner Table: Family Dynamics During Mealtimes in Two Cultural Groups in Hawaii

This study shows systematic differences in how parents structure mealtime discourse in two cultural groups in Hawaii. Fifty-nine families were videotaped during week-day evening meals at home. Thirty of the families were middle-class Japanese-American (JA) families; 29 were middle-class Caucasian-American (CA) families. Evening meals in the Caucasian-American homes in this sample are clear-cut events. Families sit at tables and talk throughout the meal. Children are encouraged to describe their experiences, wishes, plans and perceptions. Parents cue children to focus on distinctive aspects of their realities, to talk about ‘what's new’, or unfamiliar to the audience. Evening meals in the Japanese-American homes are less focused on formal discussion. Half the families watch television while eating; others play games, cook, listen to music, talk on the phone or play with babies or pets during dinner. JA family members talk to each other less and structure their discourse differently. Rather than report on distinct, individual experiences, JA family members co-narrate and comment on what they are collectively doing. The observed differences are related to cultural differences in construals of self and other. The cultural importance of being able to clearly communicate individual realities across separate beings is seen in the CA mealtimes. Appreciation of smooth, group process and coordinated belonging is seen in the JA evening meals.     

Parents’ influence on the development of their children’s ethnic intergroup attitudes: a longitudinal analysis from middle childhood to early adolescence

This study investigated to what extent parents’ intergroup attitudes influence the development of their children’s ethnic intergroup attitudes (i.e., ingroup bias), and which socialization factors moderate this influence. We report on a four-year longitudinal study of 213 children (M_age = 7.94) and their parents conducted in Eastern Germany. Findings showed significant interindividual differences in children’s developmental trajectories, which could, in part, be explained by child gender, socio-economic status and parental attitudes. The influence of parents’ intergroup attitudes was moderated by parenting style and parental similarity in attitudes both of which, our findings suggest, can make the transmission of parental attitudes more likely.