摘要:

Two studies were conducted to specify what attributes of life change events increase the risk of future psychological distress. It was hypothesized that the events perceived as both undesirable and uncontrollable would be most likely to be linked to subsequent distress. In the fiist study, which employed a retrospective methodology, 117 college students reported the life changes that occurred to them over a 3‐month span and indicated the desirability and controll‐ability of each event. These subjects also responded to an inventory, used in studies of community mental health, to assess symptoms of psychological distress. The findings indicated that only events perceived as both undesirable and uncontrollable were related to the incidence of psychological distress symptoms. Study 2 examined the same hypothesis in a prospective methodology. As in Study 1, only undesirable, uncontrollable life events were significantly related to subsequent psychological distress symptoms. The results of both studies implicate the importance of perceptions of control over aversive events in understanding the link between real life outcomes and illn

ISSN:0021-9029    

DOI:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1981.tb00830.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1981

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Doctors' schedules are often overcrowded by unnecessary consultations with people complaining of minor or harmless symptoms. Such people typically decide to seek medical attention after hearing the opinions of family and friends. The present study explored some factors that might affect one's readiness to be influenced by nonprofessional opinions. Subjects in a role‐playing setting were asked to imagine they were experiencing various symptoms, and then were given social comparison information suggesting they either should or should not see a doctor. As an orthogonal factor, subjects were also given an objective basis, via a simple physical test, for believing the symptoms either did or did not require medical attention. Consistent with Festinger's (1954) propositions, objective information suggesting the need to see a doctor eliminated the influence of social comparison. However, objective information suggesting the symptoms were harmless failed to reduce the impact of social comparison. These results indicate that providing an objective basis for deciding to sec a doctor will not be effective in controlling unnecessary visits, since “don't go” objective information is completely overridden by “go” social comparison in

ISSN:0021-9029    

DOI:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1981.tb00831.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1981

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Eighty dental patients were pretested with a scale measuring health locus of control and then exposed to a persuasive communication designed to manipulate their beliefs about the seriousness of periodontal disease and their susceptibility to it. The high seriousness condition increased feelings of fear, concern, and threat as well as intentions and reported compliance with recommended oral hygiene procedures. However, patient's perceived personal efficacy in performing the recommended behavior was the most important predictor of subsequent behavior. The implications of the results for Roger's protection motivation theory are discussed.

ISSN:0021-9029    

DOI:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1981.tb00832.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1981

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

A laboratory experiment and a reanalysis of data collected in a previous field study examined the effects of cooperation and competition on liking for other group members who varied in competence. It was hypothesized that when other members of a cooperative group are relatively incompetent, they will tend to be disliked because they decrease the subject's chances of success. On the other hand, in competitive groups incompetent group members should not be disliked because they do not reduce the probability of the subject's success. Both the laboratory experiment and the field study found support for these suggestions. In addition, in the field study it was found that the race of the other group members did not affect these tendencies. Other results from the present study yielded information concerning some of the psychological processes that determine attraction in cooperative and competitive groups. These results were discussed in terms of their implications for the use of cooperative groups in desegregated schools.

ISSN:0021-9029    

DOI:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1981.tb00833.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1981

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Previous research has indicated that attorneys' opening statements may have powerful effects on jurors' verdicts. However, since attorneys can never be certain of exactly how witnesses will testify, it may be unwise for them to make extensive opening statements and run the risk of promising more than the evidence can show; they may discredit their cases. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of those opening statements that make promises that are not fulfilled in evidence. Subjects read one of three different versions of a transcript of a simulated criminal trial: (1) the promise‐only version, in which the defense attorney promised evidence that would clearly indicate the defendant's innocence; (2) the promise‐reminder version, in which the same promise was made, followed by a reminder in the prosecuting attorney's closing argument drawing attention to the discrepancy between the promise and evidence; or (3) the non‐promise‐control version, in which neither the promise nor reminder was made. Although the promise led to less guilty verdicts than were found in the control condition, this effect was nullified by the prosecution's reminder. It was suggested that the defense attorney's promise affected the thematic frameworks that jurors used in interpreting the evidence in the case. Implications for trial practice were di

ISSN:0021-9029    

DOI:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1981.tb00834.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1981

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Two experiments examined the reactions of victims of disadvantage to compensation designed to improve their lot. In Experiment 1, subjects participated in an organizational simulation where they were disadvantaged with respect to their pay. Subsequently, a third party intervened with one of a number of strategies which varied according to whether or not the subjects received compensation and whether or not the person responsible for their disadvantage suffered. The interaction between compensation and suffering was significant on a satisfaction measure and the pattern indicated that subjects were most satisfied when the harmdoer suffered to provide compensation. This interaction was not significant on a measure of perceptions of fairness. Experiment 2 examined the possibility that the intervention of the third party in Experiment 1 may have created feelings of indebtedness. In a similar paradigm, subjects were either disadvantaged by a harmdoer or by external events and received compensation that either was or was not accompanied by a request for repayment. When subjects had been disadvantaged by external events, they were more satisfied and felt more fairly treated when there was an opportunity for reciprocation than when there was not, while the opposite pattern was the case when the harmdoer was responsible for the disadvantage. The results were discussed in the context of the complexity of the receipt of aid phenomenon and possible implications for the design of ameliorative social programs.

ISSN:0021-9029    

DOI:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1981.tb00835.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1981

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

In an investigation of perceptions of victim response to assult, 84 female and 70 male subjects read a narrative in which either a female or a male victim was roughly assaulted by a male stranger. The victim was described as either offering no resistance, resisting in a verbally aggressive manner, or resisting in a physically aggressive manner. Results of 3 × 2 × 2 ANOVA's revealed that women and men expected different outcomes for aggressive victim resistance. Women anticipated a worse outcome than did men, especially for victims who resisted. Men expected the most favorable outcome for the victim when he or she fought with the assailant; women expected the most positive outcome with nonresistance, especially for female victims. Female victims were seen as much more likely than male victims to be raped by the assailant. Women rated rape as a more likely outcome for physically aggressive victims while men considered rape least likely when the victim fought back. Sex differences in evaluations of victim resistance are discussed in terms of identification and empathy with the victim, goals of the victim's response strategy, and the expected effectiveness of aggressive and nonaggressive reactions to attac

ISSN:0021-9029    

DOI:10.1111/j.1559-1816.1981.tb00836.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1981

数据来源: WILEY