The Effect of Effort and Weight Controllability on Perceptions of Obese Individuals

We examined the impact of offset controllability (capability of losing weight) and offset effort (efforts to lose weight) on judgments of an obese target. Participants (n = 216) read about an obese person whose body weight was controllable/uncontrollable, and who did/did not put in effort to eat healthily and exercise. Effort played a more important role than controllability in evaluations of the target. Targets who put in effort to be healthy were ascribed fewer obesity stereotypes, evoked less disgust, and were considered to have a more acceptable lifestyle. These findings extend attribution theory and have implications for strategies to reduce weight bias.     

Outcome effects: The impact of decision process and outcome controllability

An ‘outcome effect’ refers to the phenomenon whereby performance evaluations of decision makers are affected by the outcomes of those decisions. Although some consider such an effect to be a judgmental error, judgment by outcomes may not be dysfunctional when the evaluator does not know how the decision maker chose his or her action. In such situations, outcomes may provide some noisy information about decision quality. We test whether an outcome effect will still occur when the decision methodology and quality are more explicitly identified. Further, we test whether outcome controllability, a previously unexplored moderator variable, will have an impact on the outcome effect. Our first experiment, using undergraduates as subjects, shows that decision quality and controllability have an impact on performance evaluations but that the ubiquitous outcome effect still obtains. These results were replicated with experienced business people, except that controllability only affected their judgments in the case of negative outcomes. Implications of these results are discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Flexible coping responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome-related and daily life stressful events

Based on the theoretical framework of coping flexibility, the present study examined the coping flexibility of university students in response to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-related and daily life stressful events. The Coping Flexibility Questionnaire was used to investigate 93 university students' coping responses toward 10 SARS-related stressful events and 10 daily life stressful events that generally occur among university students. Results showed that the patterns of coping flexibility were different for the two types of stressful events. The flexible and the active-inflexible patterns were most commonly found in coping with daily life stressful events. By contrast, the passive-inconsistent pattern was dominant when coping with daily life stressful events. Moreover, participants showed lower discriminating ability to situation controllability, and displayed poorer strategy-situation fit to cope with SARS-related events than with daily life stressful events. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.     

心理健康素质测评系统·中国成年人生活信念量表的编制

本研究的目的是编制适合中国社会文化特点的生活信念量表。通过搜集整理已有相关文献,并考虑《心理健康素质测评系统》的整体结构,确定了该量表的合理性和可控性两维度的理论构想。通过参考国外同类量表项目以及在心理学专家中征集项目的方式形成初始量表,并通过预测筛选确定量表的最终项目。测试结果表明,生活信念量表具有较高的重测信度、内部一致性信度和较高的结构效度、内容效度、聚合效度以及同时效度。结论：生活信念量表具备令人满意的心理测量学特征,可以被用来评估中国成年人的生活信念。     

不同出生年代的中国人生活满意度的变化

通过世界价值观调查项目研究中国人1990年到2007年生活满意度、心理控制感、经济满意度的变化及其相互关系。结果发现, 性别与调查时间对生活满意度的影响有交互作用, 调查时间与出生年代对生活满意度和心理控制感都有交互作用, 调查时间和出生年代对经济满意度的主效应均显著。四次调查中, 中国人的生活满意度、心理控制感及经济满意度均发生显著变化, 经济满意度和心理控制感对生活满意度均有显著预测作用。     

工作应激与个体归因特点关系的研究

工作应激一直是组织行为中的热点问题,但综观前人研究,很少有研究者从归因的视角揭示其产生过程。本研究从个体的应激源感受性出发,探讨了个体归因特点与其工作应激的关系,建构了相应的模型,并结合压力管理问题,对研究进行了有益展望。     

“Foot-in-the-Mouth” Versus “Door-in-the-Face” Requests

Abstract

According to the attribution-value model, prejudice toward a group stems from 2 interrelated variables: attributions of controllability and cultural value. Thus, prejudice toward gay men and lesbians may stem from others' holding them responsible for their behaviors and perceiving negative cultural value regarding homosexuality. The author tested that model by using the issue of homosexuality. The participants were Turkish undergraduates who completed a homophobia scale and answered questions about the origins of homosexuality, cultural attitudes toward homosexuality, and their own gender and sexual preferences. In general, the participants were prejudiced against gay men and lesbians. As expected, attributions of controllability and negative cultural value regarding homosexuality operated jointly to explain 39% of the variation in homophobia. The participants who thought that homosexuality was controllable had more negative attitudes toward gay men and lesbians than did those who thought that homosexuality was uncontrollable. The female participants were more tolerant of homosexuality than were the male participants.     

心理健康素质测评系统·中国成年人健康信念量表的编制

编制适合中国社会文化特点的成年人健康信念量表。根据健康信念对心理健康影响的大量研究结果,确定健康信念量表包括合理性和可控性两个维度的理论构想;通过访谈相关医务工作者以及在心理学专家中征集项目的方式形成初始问卷,并通过预测筛选,确定量表的最终项目。对天津市387名大学生、事业单位职员、公务员和农民工进行正式施测,检验量表的各项心理测量学指标。结果：健康信念量表包括两个维度,分别是可控性和合理性,量表具有良好的重测信度、内部一致信度、结构效度、内容效度以及校标关联效度。结论：健康信念量表具备令人满意的心理测量     

对生活事件知觉的认知──知识系统模型

研究中测量了２６３名大学生被试对６０项生活事件的控制力知觉及其心理控制源倾向（ＩＥ）和抑郁水平（ＢＤＩ）。生活事件的实际可控性分为高、中、低三组。相关及方差分析的结果表明,当事件的实际可控性介于中间时,抑郁水平与心理控制源倾向对控制力知觉有显著的影响;当事件的实际可控性较低时,抑郁的作用不显著,心理控制源的作用显著;性别的作用在各种事件的控制力知觉中都有显著的作用;性别、内外控及抑郁水平间存在显著的交互作用。     

Power Bases and Attribution in Three Cultures

Abstract

The authors used a Saudi context to verify the cross-cultural generality of findings (A. Rodrigues & K. L. Lloyd, 1998) reported for U.S. and Brazilian samples in which compliant behavior caused by reward, informational, and referent influences was perceived as more controllable and more internal than compliant behavior resulting from legitimate, expert, and coercive influences. This differential attribution led, in turn, to different affective and behavioral responses. In the present study, cognitive and affective reactions of Saudi students were measured with regard to compliant behavior (leading to a good outcome or a bad outcome) caused by each of the 6 bases of power described by B. H. Raven (1965). As expected, power bases had significant effects. However, when the outcome of the compliant behavior was bad, compliant behavior caused by a coercive influence led to the perception of more internality and controllability. Also—and not found in previous studies—the perception of less internality and controllability of compliant behavior was caused by an informational influence. Findings are discussed in the light of related research and Saudi cultural characteristics.