Journal of Applied Social Psychology

Fisher, Jeffrey D.; Baum, Andrew

doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1980.tb00703.xpmid: N/A

In an anticipatory crowding context, an attempt was made to assess the effects of various control‐relevant messages for ameliorating crowding stress. Two informational foci (i.e., situational and emotional) were employed, and it was found that situational information was more effective in relieving discomfort associated with anticipated high‐density than emotionally‐focused information. In addition, an exploratory attempt was made to evaluate the effectiveness for relieving crowding stress of control‐relevant information highlighting different aspects of density (i.e., overload, spatial intrusion, and interference). In general, it was found that such messages were effective in relieving discomfort to the extent that they accurately described the characteristics of the setting that subjects were anticipating.

Loken, Barbara; Fishbein, Martin

doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1980.tb00704.xpmid: N/A

Recent studies have indicated that the relationship between family size and occupational variables (e.g., work status, occupation, total number of years worked, career decisions) may be influenced by a number of different variables. The present study uses Fishbein's Theory of Reasoned Action to analyze the effects of different occupational variables on the beliefs, attitudes, and subjective norms that underlie intentions to have a child (within the next 3 years). Consistent with the theory, occupational variables were significantly related to childbearing intentions only if they were related to attitudes toward having a child and subjective norms. Furthermore, these latter relationships were themselves dependent upon relations between the occupational variables and underlying beliefs, evaluations, and motivations to comply. As expected, different occupational variables influenced intentions in different ways. Thus, Fishbein's theory allows a means for identifying the loci of effects of occupational variables on childbearing intentions. Finally, the two components of the model were sufficient to predict childbearing intentions; in general, occupational variables did not contribute to prediction of childbearing intentions over and above childbearing attitudes and subjective norms.

Woo, Tae O.; Castore, Carl H.

doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1980.tb00705.xpmid: N/A

The expectancy‐value model was examined in the context of a nuclear power plant siting controversy in an attempt to verify a relationship between attitudes toward an object (a nuclear power plant) and beliefs held with rcgard to the object in question. A set of beliefs about the attributes of the object and the evaluation of those attributes believed to be linked to that object were jointly conceptualized as the overall utility perception (including both benefit and cost perccptions) associated with the attitude object from a more general framework. A significant relationship between the overall utility perception and the overall evaluation of the power station was found in a random sample drawn from the population of northern Indiana residents living within 30 miles of a proposed nuclear power station construction site. In addition, the positions of different subgroups were found to be closely linked to their differential benefit and cost perceptions. The effect of selective exposure on attitude formation was also noted in the comparisons of the importance and the number of beliefs held by different groups.

Davis, Mark H.; Stephan, Walter G.

doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1980.tb00706.xpmid: N/A

The expectancy confirmation and egotism approaches to attributions in achievement settings are contrasted in this study. It was found that students in two psychology classes expected to do well on their exams and that these expectations were based on internal factors (ability, effort). Post‐test attributions were determined almost entirely by the simple valence of the outcome (success‐failure). High outcomes were associated with internal attributions and low outcomes were associated with external attributions. It appears that students who perform poorly avoid the blame for failure by making ego‐defensive external attributions and that these attributions enable them to make unreasonably high predictions for future performance. Some limited support was found for the notion that attribution may be affected by the degree to which outcomes confirm or disconfirm expectations.

Warnick, Dell H.; Sanders, Glenn S.

doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1980.tb00707.xpmid: N/A

Previous research on group performance in judgmental tasks reveals that groups are rarely inferior, and often superior, to the average individual. The present study examined whether this pattern of results extends to the accuracy of eyewitness reports of a crime. It was found that group discussion led to accounts that were significantly more accurate than the average individual. A requirement to reach a unanimous decision did not alter any of the effects of group discussion. Group superiority was especially clear in terms of the completeness of the reports and in estimations of the duration of the incident. The discussion considered the implications of the present results for the current practice of prohibiting group discussion as an aid to the preparation of testimony.

Derlega, Valerian J.; McAnulty, Michael; Strout, Sally; Reavis, Charles A.

doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1980.tb00708.xpmid: N/A

Data were obtained in two areas dealing with expectancy effects: When are tutors susceptible to expectancy effects and do expectancies inevitably lead to discrimination against low ability students? We arranged for 76 black undergraduates to teach a lesson dealing with Eire safety in the home to a 10‐year‐old boy. Two black males and two white males served as confederates. Subjects were told that a child had either high I.Q., low I.Q., or were given no information (the control group). Subjects' knowledge about the black confederates' alleged I.Q. did not influence expectancies or subsequent teaching behavior toward low I.Q. children. On the other hand, subjects rated white confederates in the high I.Q. condition as more intelligent than children in the low I.Q. condition. White confederates in the low I.Q. (or low expectancy) condition were asked more questions and given fewer expressive gestures than white confederates in the control condition. In addition, subjects maintained more physical distance with white than black confederates. The present results were compared to earlier research on white subjects dealing with nonverbal mediators of expectancy effects. It was suggested that an adequde model of expectancy effects must consider the contribution of cognitive mediators to understand when and how the phenomenon occurs.

Mercer, G. William; Bunting, Brendan; Snook, Suzi

doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1980.tb00709.xpmid: N/A

Northern Ireland university students' contact with the Northern Ireland civil disturbances was examined with regard to five dimensions: Friends' Contact; Bomb Contact; Confrontation or Riot Contact; Harassment; and Property Damage. Confrontation and Bomb contact dimensions were further investigated in terms of their personality, social attitude, and alcohol use correlates. Since analyses of variance did not differentiate Protestants and Roman Catholics in terms of intelligence, socioeconomic status, age, location of residence (rural‐urban), or religious homogeneity of peer group with regard to these two contact dimensions, these two groups were combined in stepwise discriminant analyses. The discriminant analyses suggested that, for both genders, contact with the “troubles” may be conceptualized in terms of a positive feedback loop involving social dissatisfaction and helplessness combining with previous contacts to produce future contacts. Further, having been in a bombing appeared to subdue males, but to produce pro‐social aggression in females. The sample consisted of 65 males and 133 females.