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- Title
- Actor-observer differences in the Big-Five personality factors: An information-processing explanation.
- Creator
- Janowsky, Alisha, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
- Abstract/Description
-
A basic difference between the perspectives of actors and observers is the amount of information each has to make attributional inferences. Jones and Nisbett (1972) suggested these informational differences lead to an inverse relationship between trait and situational attributions, such that better-known others receive more situational attributions while lesser-known others receive more trait attributions. While this difference has traditionally been accounted for as a function of individuals...
Show moreA basic difference between the perspectives of actors and observers is the amount of information each has to make attributional inferences. Jones and Nisbett (1972) suggested these informational differences lead to an inverse relationship between trait and situational attributions, such that better-known others receive more situational attributions while lesser-known others receive more trait attributions. While this difference has traditionally been accounted for as a function of individuals' perceptions of cross-situational variability in the actor's behavior, recent research has suggested that this explanation is inaccurate. Unfortunately, alternative explanations for the self-other differences in attributional tendencies have yet to be offered. It was hypothesized here that these differences might be better explained as a function of the specific traits people attribute to themselves versus those that are attributed to others. To that end, the first study in this paper examined different attributions offered for oneself versus one's acquaintance as a function of the social desirability of the Big Five personality traits (i.e., Extraversion/Introversion, Agreeable/Disagreeable, Conscientious/Not Conscientious, Emotionally Stable/Neurotic, Intelligent/Unintelligent). While it was expected that results would reflect self-enhancement tendencies on the subjects' part; i.e., subjects would make more positive trait attributions (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Intelligence) to themselves than to their acquaintances and more negative trait attributions (Introversion, Disagreeableness, Not Conscientious, Neuroticism, Unintelligence) to their acquaintances than to themselves, findings suggested that whether subjects chose to self-enhance was based, at least in part, on the trait in question. The most counterintuitive of these findings being that subjects labeled themselves as being more Introverted than their acquaintances. While self-enhancement explanations are traditionally described as a function of a motivational drive to protect one's self-esteem, such reasoning could not be applied to findings reported in Experiment 1. Experiment 2 offered the alternative explanation that attributional differences on the part of oneself and one's observers are based on the amount of information available to themselves versus their outside observers.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FADT12093
- Subject Headings
- Psychology, Social
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Coherence versus fragmentation in the self-system: Implications for self-evaluation and social behavior.
- Creator
- McMillan, Katharine K., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
- Abstract/Description
-
Self-systems process self-relevant information, act as platforms for action, maintain well-being, and shape interpersonal relationships. To perform these functions, coherent self-structure of evaluatively consistent self-aspects is required. Coherence is experienced as self-certainty (self-concept clarity, confidence, constancy). The issue is addressed from a dynamical systems perspective that conceptualizes the self as a complex system of self-organizing interdependent cognitive/affective...
Show moreSelf-systems process self-relevant information, act as platforms for action, maintain well-being, and shape interpersonal relationships. To perform these functions, coherent self-structure of evaluatively consistent self-aspects is required. Coherence is experienced as self-certainty (self-concept clarity, confidence, constancy). The issue is addressed from a dynamical systems perspective that conceptualizes the self as a complex system of self-organizing interdependent cognitive/affective elements. Self-structure coherence (SSC) is hypothesized to produce self-certainty, self-esteem, self-stability; extreme, positive, and confident self-evaluations of traits, roles; abstract mental representations; and consistency in self-evaluation. SSC is operationalized by entropy , an index of organization vs. disorganization of self-view. Participants (N = 135) indicated the frequency (always to never) of Big Five traits deconstructed into levels (extremely to not at all; e.g., how often are you highly helpful?). Endorsement of frequent vs. infrequent levels indicates self-structure coherence whereas equiprobable endorsement indicates self-structure incoherence of self-view. Participants indicated their standing on, certainty about, and personal importance of traits and roles; completed Rosenberg's (1968) self-esteem/self-stability scale, behavior identification form, and unipolar Big Five inventory. Coherent SSCs had higher self-certainty, self-esteem, and self-stability; more extreme, positive trait and role self-evaluations; and more abstract action representations than fragmented SSCs. Dynamics of self and structural features were examined using the mouse paradigm that captures moment-to-moment self-evaluation of stream-of-thought. Self-attention modes are hypothesized to affect evaluative coherence in fragmented vs. coherent individuals. Considering action evokes inconsistent self-evaluation (repair, N = 22) while planning action evokes consistent self-evaluation (expression, N = 22) and thinking about the self may evoke either state (control; N = 10). Fragmented SSCs showed a relationship between SSC and volatility of positive/negative self-evaluation in repair but not express mode. There was no difference in volatility between express and repair but there was greater volatility in control mode. These findings suggest that (a) considering action activates uncertainty for those with fragmented vs. coherent self-structures and (b) thinking about social interaction forges evaluative consistency for fragmented and coherent individuals. Self-structure coherence may allow the self vs. others to guide one's actions, facilitate self-concept maintenance, improve self-regulatory processes, and increase understanding of self and others.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12138
- Subject Headings
- Psychology, Social
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Attitudes as attractors: Toward dynamical systems of beliefs and values.
- Creator
- Morio, Hiroaki, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
- Abstract/Description
-
This study assessed whether dynamical properties of attitudes can be used to predict attitude change. In social psychology, attitudes have been defined as dispositions that are stable over time but also as mental states that are malleable in response to external influences. To solve this paradox, I proposed that attitudes should be conceptualized as fixed-point attractors for momentary evaluations that fluctuate over time. In dynamical systems, an attractor corresponds to a stable equilibrium...
Show moreThis study assessed whether dynamical properties of attitudes can be used to predict attitude change. In social psychology, attitudes have been defined as dispositions that are stable over time but also as mental states that are malleable in response to external influences. To solve this paradox, I proposed that attitudes should be conceptualized as fixed-point attractors for momentary evaluations that fluctuate over time. In dynamical systems, an attractor corresponds to a stable equilibrium toward which a system evolves. This conceptualization allows us to distinguish attitudes that are rather stable in a short time frame from momentary evaluations that fluctuate over time due to noise and external influence. To investigate this conceptualization, I utilized the mouse paradigm (Vallacher & Nowak, 1994) to assess momentary evaluation. A procedure developed by Johnson & Nowak (2002) was adopted to calculate an instability index and to identify the number of attractors in participants' mouse-generated trajectories of momentary evaluation. As attitude topics, I employed behaviors that are considered either acceptable or unacceptable by the majority of society. The majority viewpoint (i.e., normative attitude) for each behavior was assumed to function as a stable fixed-point attractor. The results supported this claim. Participants' attitudes tended to shift toward the normative behavior-specific attractor over time. When the initial attitudes were congruent with the norm, moreover, participants with multiple attractors showed greater attitude change than did those with a single attractor. A system with a single attractor can be stabilized only at that attractor whereas a system with multiple attractors can be stabilized at more than one equilibrium. Further research is recommended to determine whether the number of attractors is meaningfully related to other attitude properties (e.g., complexity or ambiguity). Future research is also recommended to refine the attractor methodology introduced in this study and to assess its generality.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2002
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12006
- Subject Headings
- Psychology, Social
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Maintenance versus emergence in social judgment: The case of rape.
- Creator
- Selz, Karen A., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
- Abstract/Description
-
The principles of action identification theory are used to form a foundation for a dynamic approach to social interaction that may capture both stability and change in social judgments. Attributions of blame in an ambiguous rape case were explored through the presentation of transcribed interviews with either an alleged rapist (Larry) or his alleged victim (Jane), under either an induced high or low level of action identification, followed by one of two courtroom "closing arguments,"...
Show moreThe principles of action identification theory are used to form a foundation for a dynamic approach to social interaction that may capture both stability and change in social judgments. Attributions of blame in an ambiguous rape case were explored through the presentation of transcribed interviews with either an alleged rapist (Larry) or his alleged victim (Jane), under either an induced high or low level of action identification, followed by one of two courtroom "closing arguments," attributing primary responsibility for the incident to either Larry or Jane. Responsibility judgments and personality trait ratings were obtained from each subject on both Larry and Jane. Action identification questionnaires for the Larry and Jane perspectives were administered to each participant. As predicted, compared to the high level subjects, subjects in the low level identity condition were more malleable in their judgments of either target. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1989
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14540
- Subject Headings
- Psychology, Social
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Equity and the formation of revolutionary and conservative coalitions in triads.
- Creator
- Messe, Lawrence A., Vallacher, Robin R., Phillips, James L.
- Date Issued
- 1975
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/2796510
- Subject Headings
- Social psychology., Social interaction.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The Cinderella effect: The psychological bases and mental dynamics of step-parental ambivalence.
- Creator
- Miller, Mandy E., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
- Abstract/Description
-
Cross-cultural empirical data show that stepchildren receive lower levels of parental investment than their genetic counterparts. Beyond economic deprivation, stepchildren are abused, neglected, and murdered at the hands of stepparents at significantly higher rates than their genetic counterparts (the Cinderella Effect). This study was focused on emotional capital as a resource for purposes of parental investment. Using the tools of dynamical systems, this study investigated the affective...
Show moreCross-cultural empirical data show that stepchildren receive lower levels of parental investment than their genetic counterparts. Beyond economic deprivation, stepchildren are abused, neglected, and murdered at the hands of stepparents at significantly higher rates than their genetic counterparts (the Cinderella Effect). This study was focused on emotional capital as a resource for purposes of parental investment. Using the tools of dynamical systems, this study investigated the affective components of the differential levels of parental investment in genetic and step-children in light of predictions derived from evolutionary and personality/synchronization based psychological mechanisms. This was accomplished by defining and comparing the valence and nature of step- and genetic parents' feelings toward genetic and step-children and by tracking the mental dynamics engaged in by such parents as they considered their genetic and step-children under varying commonplace circumstances. As predicted, positive affective parental investment was found to be allocated preferentially in favor of genetic children and parents were found to have consistently more positive, more parental, and less volatile feelings about their genetic children than about their stepchildren. Genetic parents were more attentive to environmental cues at an affective level and tended to resolve situational ambiguity in favor of adopting a positive affective stance, while stepparents were more prone to experience affective shifts between evaluative frames and to express negative affectivity in the face of social uncertainty. The data also revealed that both genetic and step-parents were more likely to express positive feelings for children to whom they felt similar, which similarity provided a basis for personal synchronization. Theoretically grounded in both the evolutionary perspective and personality-based theory, this study employed the methodology and tools of dynamical systems to extract structure from the dynamics inherent in parental evaluation and the expression of affect.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FADT12119
- Subject Headings
- Psychology, Social, Psychology, Developmental
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The dynamics of attitudes: Individual beliefs to cultural norms.
- Creator
- Harton, Helen C., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
- Abstract/Description
-
Dynamic social impact theory (DSIT; Latane, 1996a; 1996b), a macro-level theory of social influence, predicts that discussion will lead to a self-organization of public opinion through decreasing minority sizes, increasing spatial similarity, and emerging correlations. The catastrophe theory of attitudes (CTA; Latane & Nowak, 1994), a micro-level theory, suggests that attitudes are a joint function of issue involvement and information favorability. This paper describes the predictions leading...
Show moreDynamic social impact theory (DSIT; Latane, 1996a; 1996b), a macro-level theory of social influence, predicts that discussion will lead to a self-organization of public opinion through decreasing minority sizes, increasing spatial similarity, and emerging correlations. The catastrophe theory of attitudes (CTA; Latane & Nowak, 1994), a micro-level theory, suggests that attitudes are a joint function of issue involvement and information favorability. This paper describes the predictions leading from these theories separately and as integrated and meta-analytically combines analyses of almost 500 students discussing social and political issues over a computer network with twenty previous studies testing aspects of CTA. The results of an original computer simulation are also described. Involving attitudes are extreme and change nonlinearly, and involvement mediates thought-, information-, and discussion-induced attitude polarization. Involvement also relates to persuasion and the self-organization of opinion. These studies show converging support for CTA and DSIT and suggest that combining these theories may increase our ability to track the evolution of attitudes from individual beliefs to cultural norms.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1998
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12568
- Subject Headings
- Psychology, Social, Psychology, Personality
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The dynamic construction of moral judgment.
- Creator
- Rockloff, Matthew Justus, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
- Abstract/Description
-
The time dynamics of moral judgments were investigated in two studies. In the first, participants recorded verbal recollections of an event in which they had been treated unjustly by another. Listening to their own recordings, participants used a relatively new instrument (the mouse paradigm) to express their moment to moment feelings, attributing "responsibility," "justification" and "intent" to their antagonist. In a second experiment, a different group of participants recorded their...
Show moreThe time dynamics of moral judgments were investigated in two studies. In the first, participants recorded verbal recollections of an event in which they had been treated unjustly by another. Listening to their own recordings, participants used a relatively new instrument (the mouse paradigm) to express their moment to moment feelings, attributing "responsibility," "justification" and "intent" to their antagonist. In a second experiment, a different group of participants recorded their feelings about a scripted academic honor code violation. While listening to their recordings, participants used the computer mouse to indicate their moment to moment feelings about the "actor," "transgression," and "punishment" described in the story. Results from both studies suggest that at any one moment, participants made judgments that uniformly characterized the transgressor in either positive or negative terms. Expressions of moral judgments, however, often changed dramatically from moment to moment between positive or negative modal values. Moreover, the flow of moral judgment resembled the temporal patterns observed in many formal and natural dynamical systems. Despite these changes, moral judgments became more stable over time; demonstrated coherence among the separately measured dimensions; and showed sensitivity to an importance manipulation. By replicating these classic findings in the attitude literature, this research helps validate the utility of the mouse paradigm in measuring moral judgments. The results further suggest that moral judgments are multi modal over time---casting doubt on the usefulness of the (averaged) judgments that are computed with traditional questionnaire instruments.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1999, 1999
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12611
- Subject Headings
- Psychology, Social, Psychology, Experimental
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The relations of gender identity to preadolescents' adjustment and friendship patterns.
- Creator
- Carver, Priscilla Rouse, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
- Abstract/Description
-
The purpose of this study was twofold: first, this research was conducted in order to replicate and extend Egan and Perry's (2001) work linking four components of gender identity to adjustment; second, this research was intended to extend knowledge of the relation between gender identity and affiliational patterns in the peer group. Measures of gender identity were (a) feelings of gender typicality, (b) contentment with one's gender assignment, (c) felt pressure for gender conformity, and (d)...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was twofold: first, this research was conducted in order to replicate and extend Egan and Perry's (2001) work linking four components of gender identity to adjustment; second, this research was intended to extend knowledge of the relation between gender identity and affiliational patterns in the peer group. Measures of gender identity were (a) feelings of gender typicality, (b) contentment with one's gender assignment, (c) felt pressure for gender conformity, and (d) intergroup bias (feeling that one's own sex is superior to the other). Measures of adjustment included self-esteem, peer rejection, victimization by peers, and specific social behaviors. Participants were 206 children in Grades 3 through 8. Low gender typicality, low gender contentedness, and high felt pressure were all associated with maladjustment. Furthermore, children were especially likely to be at risk for poor adjustment when two of these factors occurred together (e.g., low gender typicality in combination with high felt pressure, low gender contentedness in combination with high felt pressure, or low gender typicality in combination with low gender contentedness). Intergroup bias was unrelated to adjustment. Analyses relating gender identity to characteristics of reciprocated friends and disliked peers indicated that children tend to choose friends with similar clusters of gender identity-linked characteristics and avoid children who do not possess those characteristics. Interpretations and directions for future research are offered.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2002
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/11978
- Subject Headings
- Psychology, Social, Psychology, Developmental
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Interpersonal engagement in social perception: the consequences of getting into the action.
- Creator
- Knight, Jeffrey A., Vallacher, Robin R.
- Date Issued
- 1981
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/2796496
- Subject Headings
- Social interaction., Cognition., Social psychology.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- What do people think they're doing? Action identification and human behavior.
- Creator
- Vallacher, Robin R., Wegner, Daniel M.
- Date Issued
- 1987
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/2796518
- Subject Headings
- Social interaction., Social psychology., Motivation (Psychology).
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Risk factors in peer victimization: Concurrent and longitudinal findings.
- Creator
- Hodges, Ernest Van Every, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
- Abstract/Description
-
This dissertation involved two studies The first evaluated the hypothesis that the behavior problems which place children at risk for victimization by peers are likely to lead to victimization primarily when children are also at "social risk" for victimization. Social risk was defined as lacking supportive friends or as being rejected by the peer group. Subjects were 229 boys and girls in the third through seventh grades (M age = 11.2 years). Sociometric and peer nomination instruments were...
Show moreThis dissertation involved two studies The first evaluated the hypothesis that the behavior problems which place children at risk for victimization by peers are likely to lead to victimization primarily when children are also at "social risk" for victimization. Social risk was defined as lacking supportive friends or as being rejected by the peer group. Subjects were 229 boys and girls in the third through seventh grades (M age = 11.2 years). Sociometric and peer nomination instruments were used to measure behavior problems, friendship variables, peer rejection, and victimization. As predicted, behavior problems (internalizing problems, externalizing problems, and physical weakness) related more strongly to victimization when children had few friends, had friends who were incapable of fulfilling a protective function (e.g., were physically weak), or were rejected by peers than when children had more friends, had friends capable of defending them, or were better liked by peers. Results support the theory that social risk conditions invite and permit abuse of vulnerable children. Study 2 was a one-year longitudinal investigation designed to evaluate whether the behavioral and social problems that characterize victimized children are antecedents of victimization, consequences of victimization, or both. To examine these issues, 173 children from Study 1 were assessed one year later on the same variables that were measured in Study 1. Results provide information about both the antecedents and the outcomes of victimization.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1996
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12469
- Subject Headings
- Psychology, Behavioral, Psychology, Social, Psychology, Developmental
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The effects of dispositional perspective taking, cognitive busyness, and situational information on retaliative aggression: An attributional interpretation.
- Creator
- Jones, Charles Eric, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
- Abstract/Description
-
Previous research has concluded that individuals high in perspective taking respond less aggressively to provocation than do those low in perspective taking. Whether the perspective-taking effect is automatic or not and many other process-related questions remain largely unanswered. One hundred sixteen female college students participated in a competitive reaction-time task, received escalatory negative feedback purportedly from another participant. In addition to being categorized as either...
Show morePrevious research has concluded that individuals high in perspective taking respond less aggressively to provocation than do those low in perspective taking. Whether the perspective-taking effect is automatic or not and many other process-related questions remain largely unanswered. One hundred sixteen female college students participated in a competitive reaction-time task, received escalatory negative feedback purportedly from another participant. In addition to being categorized as either high or low perspective takers, participants also received either high or low levels of situational information about the other and high or low levels of cognitive busyness. Participants high in perspective taking who were under high cognitive load responded significantly less aggressively than did participants low in perspective taking. Results suggest that perspective taking is an automatic process. The findings are discussed in terms of attribution theory, complexity-extremity theory, and in terms of an arousal-dominant response model.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2000
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12657
- Subject Headings
- Psychology, Behavioral, Psychology, Social, Psychology, Experimental
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Social context and sex-typing in young children: Friendship status and peer affect influences.
- Creator
- Sung, Hung-yen Angela, Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
- Abstract/Description
-
Social context effects on young children's sex-typing were examined in two studies. In Study 1 sex-typed toy choices of 139 children aged 4 to 8 were assessed first for a solitary-play context, and then for three social contexts distinguished as to friendship status of a specified play partner (represented by a photo): best friend, acquaintance, and an unfamiliar peer. For each context, children selected preferred toys from photographs of a neutral toy paired with either a same- or opposite...
Show moreSocial context effects on young children's sex-typing were examined in two studies. In Study 1 sex-typed toy choices of 139 children aged 4 to 8 were assessed first for a solitary-play context, and then for three social contexts distinguished as to friendship status of a specified play partner (represented by a photo): best friend, acquaintance, and an unfamiliar peer. For each context, children selected preferred toys from photographs of a neutral toy paired with either a same- or opposite-sex toy. Results indicated social context effects for girls but not boys, in that girls tended to display more sex-typed toy choices in the solitary and best-friend than in the acquaintance or unfamiliar peer contexts. In general, however, girls approached same-sex toys less than boys, while both sexes avoided opposite-sex toys to a similar extent. In Study 2 subjects were 68 children aged 4 to 7. They were asked to imitate videotaped masculine, feminine, and neutral actions of a hand puppet. For different children, the puppet was designated (by name and photo display) as either a best friend or acquaintance, and it engaged in the sex-typed activities with either gender-congruent or incongruent affect (happy for same-sex actions and sad for opposite-sex actions, or the reverse). Friendship status and gender-affect congruency effects which varied with age level were evident for several memory measures. Incongruency promoted accurate imitative matching for the acquaintance context in younger children, and for the best-friend context in older children. In addition, best-friends' feminine actions were imitated more accurately than their masculine or neutral actions. Subject age and sex also interacted with activity gender type and gender-affect congruency to influence peer affect recall, with poorer recall of feminine-activity affect by boys in the incongruent condition. While social context had little impact upon boys' reported affect, girls' enjoyment was lower for masculine activity imitation in the best-friend congruent-affect condition. Overall, the two studies demonstrate that young children's gendered behaviors show considerable sensitivity to social context factors, and indicate the important influence of affective factors in early sex-typing.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1996
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12473
- Subject Headings
- Psychology, Social, Psychology, Developmental, Psychology, Experimental
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Dynamical minimalism: why less is more in psychology.
- Creator
- Nowak, Andrzej
- Date Issued
- 2004
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/2181982
- Subject Headings
- Personality., Social psychology.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- ACTION IDENTIFICATION THEORY IN EFFECTIVE VERSUS INEFFECTIVE PERFORMANCE.
- Creator
- SOMOZA, MARIA P., Florida Atlantic University
- Abstract/Description
-
Performance effectiveness was explored from the perspective of action identification theory. The theory holds that any behavior can be identified in many ways, from depictions emphasizing the action's details (low level identities) to those emphasizing the action's effects and self-evaluative implications (high level identities). For optimal performance, the theory suggests that easy actions should be indentified in relatively high level terms, whereas more difficult actions should be...
Show morePerformance effectiveness was explored from the perspective of action identification theory. The theory holds that any behavior can be identified in many ways, from depictions emphasizing the action's details (low level identities) to those emphasizing the action's effects and self-evaluative implications (high level identities). For optimal performance, the theory suggests that easy actions should be indentified in relatively high level terms, whereas more difficult actions should be identified in lower level terms. This general prediction was tested for self-perceived effectiveness in "giving a speech." Subjects delivered a prepared speech to either a sympathetic audience (easy task) or an antagonistic audience (difficult task). As predicted, a focus on the lower level identities promoted greater self-perceived effectiveness (e.g., persuasion) for the difficult than for the easy task, whereas a focus on higher level identities (e.g, self-evaluation) proved more optimal for the easy task.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1987
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14382
- Subject Headings
- Performance, Social psychology
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Perceptions of situational variability: Redefining its role in trait attributions.
- Creator
- Janowsky, Alisha, Florida Atlantic University, Monson, Thomas C.
- Abstract/Description
-
A basic difference between the perspectives of actors and observers is the amount of information each has to make attributional inferences. Jones and Nisbett (1971) suggested these informational differences lead to an inverse relationship between trait and situational attributions, such that better-known others receive more situational attributions while lesser-known others receive more trait attributions. We hypothesized that attributors typically ignore their perceptions of situational...
Show moreA basic difference between the perspectives of actors and observers is the amount of information each has to make attributional inferences. Jones and Nisbett (1971) suggested these informational differences lead to an inverse relationship between trait and situational attributions, such that better-known others receive more situational attributions while lesser-known others receive more trait attributions. We hypothesized that attributors typically ignore their perceptions of situational variability when constructing their trait attributions as these perceptions are biased by the number of available observations. Subjects were given two or eight samples of behavior for a series of different targets and asked to independently make both trait and situational attributions. Subjects with access to eight observations perceived more behavioral variability and made more trait attributions than those with access to two observations. Furthermore, attributors' perceptions of situational variability were more closely related to measures of biased "sample variances" than to measures of "estimated population variances."
Show less - Date Issued
- 2001
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12838
- Subject Headings
- Personality, Attribution (Social psychology)
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- EMERGENCE OF CLOSE RELATIONSHIP CONSTRUALS: AN ACTION IDENTIFICATION APPROACH.
- Creator
- Cope, Morgan A., Maniaci, Michael R., Florida Atlantic University, Department of Psychology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
- Abstract/Description
-
The current study examined the emergent nature of close relationship construals from the perspective of Action Identification Theory. Specifically, participants were induced to think about the actions of a romantic partner or close friend at a high- (i.e., overall meaning) or low- (concrete details) level, and then instructed to rate the validity of false feedback regarding the nature of their relationship (i.e., spontaneous, or predictable). Marginal support was found for the main prediction...
Show moreThe current study examined the emergent nature of close relationship construals from the perspective of Action Identification Theory. Specifically, participants were induced to think about the actions of a romantic partner or close friend at a high- (i.e., overall meaning) or low- (concrete details) level, and then instructed to rate the validity of false feedback regarding the nature of their relationship (i.e., spontaneous, or predictable). Marginal support was found for the main prediction that focusing on low level details rather than high-level meaning would lead individuals to rate false high-level relational construals as more valid, although this effect was found only for those reporting on a romantic relationship, but not a close friendship. Further, exploratory analyses examining potential interaction effects demonstrated the relative influence of partner concept-clarity and relationship satisfaction on patterns of psychological emergence.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2021
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013720
- Subject Headings
- Interpersonal relations, Social psychology
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- Self-evaluation of social ability: An action identification analysis.
- Creator
- Kingree, Jeffrey Brooks, Florida Atlantic University, Vallacher, Robin R., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Psychology
- Abstract/Description
-
A critical discrepancy in the self-evaluation literature concerns whether self-uncertainty leads to accurate or biased self-evaluations. After discussing the prior research which has rendered this discrepancy, I propose an experiment to reach a resolution to the discrepancy. Principles of action identification theory are used in proposing that the link between self-uncertainty and self-evaluation is moderated by the amount of evaluative threat inherent to the situation in which the self...
Show moreA critical discrepancy in the self-evaluation literature concerns whether self-uncertainty leads to accurate or biased self-evaluations. After discussing the prior research which has rendered this discrepancy, I propose an experiment to reach a resolution to the discrepancy. Principles of action identification theory are used in proposing that the link between self-uncertainty and self-evaluation is moderated by the amount of evaluative threat inherent to the situation in which the self-evaluation is taking place. The experiment established that subjects who are induced to identify their actions in low level terms are more likely to exhibit biases when pursuing self-evaluations of their social ability, with the biases manifested in these subjects' preferences to be evaluated in non-diagnostic ways. The implications of this general finding and suggestions for further research are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1991
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/14728
- Subject Headings
- Intentionalism, Self, Social psychology
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- Title
- The Relationship Between Socio-Economic Status and Attitudes Toward Selected Historical Problems.
- Creator
- Greene, William E., Curl, Donald W., Florida Atlantic University
- Abstract/Description
-
This thesis concerns itself with an examination of the relationship between social class background and the study of history. Chapter One includes an §varview of previous research done in this area and the effects of different social class backgrounds on students' educational development. It was hypothesized that in as much as the social class an individual emerges from can greatly influence his general attitudes, educational achievement , and political ideas, it therefore should influence...
Show moreThis thesis concerns itself with an examination of the relationship between social class background and the study of history. Chapter One includes an §varview of previous research done in this area and the effects of different social class backgrounds on students' educational development. It was hypothesized that in as much as the social class an individual emerges from can greatly influence his general attitudes, educational achievement , and political ideas, it therefore should influence how a student views historical problems. A survey was administered to all 180 second year history students at Broward Junior College to determine their socio-economic status and their attitudes on ten selected historical problems. A modified Warner method was used and the results correlated. There appears to be a relationship between social class and historical attitudes but it is not clear what this relationship is. Only on questions concerning communism was any pattern apparent. Further research would be necessary to determine the exact relationship.
Show less - Date Issued
- 1970
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00000922
- Subject Headings
- Attitude (Psychology), Social classes.
- Format
- Document (PDF)
