Suchergebnisse

This study examined the relationship between the severity of negative consequences of a blameworthy behavior and attribution of responsibility for that behavior. Under the guise of comparing their judgments with that of a jury, 480 college students read a transcript of a lawsuit stemming
from a bank holdup case in which a customer was injured either slightly or severely by a bullet fired by a bank robber when a teller disobeyed the robber's command not to move. Subjects rated the robber, teller, and victim on several scales. Results indicated more responsibility attribution
as severity increased, although this result was qualified by the sex of the involved stimulus persons. Higher punishment and compensation ratings were also made in the severe condition. It was found that as the victim's injury increased in seriousness, his suffering was attributed less
to chance. The results demonstrated the value of using a nonaccident paradigm which includes clearly blameworthy behavior, and distinguishes between the victim and perpetrator of the negative behavior. Under such conditions severity-dependent attribution of responsibility may often occur.

Three experiments explored the effects of variation in room illumination and in seating distance between members of a small group on moods, evaluations, attraction, and opinion expression. Groups of three subjects and a moderator discussed a socially relevant issue and then made several
ratings. During the discussion, group members sat either very close to each other or far apart. In the first two studies room illumination ranged from normal lighting to darkness, and in the third study the room was either red or blue in hue. Check questions indicated successful manipulation
of the variables. However, across the three experiments there were only slight effects for the several measures of affective response. The results indicate that, contrary to expectation, interaction distance is not per se a very powerful variable. Very likely, pleasant or unpleasant
effect will depend on distance only under relatively circumscribed boundary conditions, which are, as yet, undetermined.

Past research has indicated the existence of both positive and negative relationships between emotional arousal and persuasion. The present study is one of a series in a program designed to examine the relationships between extraneous arousal and persuasibility. Male and female subjects
role played either a relaxed or an aroused mood state, and then listened to a persuasive communication. Subjects' mood ratings were recorded both prior to and immediately following the communication. Attitudes and recall were assessed after the communication. Results indicated that the
role playing manipulation was successful in creating different moods. No arousal differences were found for the attitude measure, but significant sex differences were found. A weak negative relationship between arousal and attitude was found for female subjects. Factor analyses of the data
yielded potentially useful information regarding mood states and attitudes. The finding of a negative relationship between arousal and persuasion for females and virtually no relationship for males is comparable with other recent research. The present data provided tentative support for Leventhal'
(1970) parallel response model.

AbstractOne's attitudes toward love and sexuality are influenced by many factors, including gender. To explore the role of gender (and other variables) in participants' attitudinal orientations toward love and sexuality, data were collected in the United States at three time points (1988, 1992, 1993), resulting in a total sample of 1,090 participants. Data analyses showed gender differences in both sexual attitudes and love. Men were more sexually permissive than women (consistent with previous research), although women and men similarly endorsed other aspects of sexuality, including sex as an emotional experience. Men and women differed on several relationship variables (e.g., women were more oriented to friendship‐based love, and men to game‐playing love). However, correlational analyses showed many similar patterns for women and men. These findings underline the need to consider both gender differences and similarities in sex and love within intimate relationships.

The psychological experiment has been characterized by Orne as a formal role situation which subjects take seriously. Increased seriousness may be reflected in many behaviors, even in the way in which one signs one's name. Initial signup names and signatures within the experiment
proper were available for two group rating experiments. Analyses showed that 22% of all subjects used different versions of their signature for the two occasions. Of this sample of changers 88% used a signature in the experiment that was more formal than their signup signature.
These data were interpreted as in line with Orne's theorizing.