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PubMed1976

Multidimensional locus of control in sociopolitical activists of conservative and liberal ideologies.

Three studies were conducted to examine the relationship between a multi-dimensional measure of locus of control and sociopolitical activism, controlling for the effects of political ideology. In Study 1, 98 male college students completed a measure of conservatism-liberalism. Kerpelman's Activism scale, and locus of control scales designed to differentiate between two types of externals: belief in powerful others versus belief in chance forces. In Studies 2 and 3, female college students (Ns=26 and 40) who differed in the extent of their participation in leftist political activities or feminist causes responded to the multidimensional locus of control scales. As predicted, results from analyses of variance and trend analyses indicate that for liberals, increases in expectancies of control by powerful others are positively associated with increases in activism, while for conservatives, there is a negative relationship. The importance of controlling for ideology and the implications of the differentiated view of externality for understanding social action are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Cultural myths and supports for rape.

This article describes the "rape myth" and tests hypotheses derived from social psychological and feminist theory that acceptance of rape myths can be predicted from attitudes such as sex role stereotyping, adversarial sexual beliefs, sexual conservatism, and acceptance of interpersonal violence. Personality characteristics, background characteristics, and personal exposure to rape, rape victims, and rapists are other factors used in predictions. Results from regression analysis of interview data indicate that the higher the sex role stereotyping, adversarial sexual beliefs, and acceptance of interpersonal violence, the greater a respondent's acceptance of rape myths. In addition, younger and better educated people reveal less stereotypic, adversarial, and proviolence attitudes and less rape myth acceptance. Discussion focuses on the implications of these results for understanding and changing this cultural orientation toward sexual assault.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Sentencing goals, causal attributions, ideology, and personality.

Disparity in sentencing of criminals has been related to a variety of individual difference variables. We propose a framework establishing resonances or coherent patterns among sentencing goals, causal attributions, ideology, and personality. Two studies are described, one with law and criminology students, the other with probation officers. Relations among the different types of variables reveal two resonances among both students and officers. One comprises various conservative and moralistic elements: a tough, punitive stance toward crime; belief in individual causality for crime; high scores on authoritarianism, dogmatism, and internal locus of control; lower moral stage; and political conservatism. The second comprises various liberal elements: rehabilitation, belief in economic and other external determinants of crime, higher moral stage, and belief in the powers and responsibilities of government to correct social problems. Implications of these results are discussed for individual differences in sentencing, attribution theory, and attempts to reduce disparity.

Authoritarianism↗
PubMed1999

The relation of rational and experiential information processing styles to personality, basic beliefs, and the ratio-bias phenomenon.

A new version of the Rational-Experiential Inventory (REI), which measures rational and experiential thinking styles and includes subscales of self-reported ability and engagement, was examined in two studies. In Study 1, the two main scales were independent, and they and their subscales exhibited discriminant validity and contributed to the prediction of a variety of measures beyond the contribution of the Big Five scales. A rational thinking style was most strongly and directly related to Ego Strength, Openness, Conscientiousness, and favorable basic beliefs about the self and the world, and it was most strongly inversely related to Neuroticism and Conservatism. An experiential thinking style was most strongly directly related to Extraversion, Agreeableness, Favorable Relationships Beliefs, and Emotional Expressivity, and it was most strongly inversely related to Categorical Thinking, Distrust of Others, and Intolerance. In Study 2, a rational thinking style was inversely related and an experiential thinking style was unrelated to nonoptimal responses in a game of chance. It was concluded that the new REI is a significant improvement over the previous version and measures unique aspects of personality.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Isms and the structure of social attitudes.

Social attitude measurement has been limited by inadequate structural models. In this study, broad, basic dimensions were sought, with the assumption that crucial variables are represented as terms ending in -ism (isms). 266 isms were extracted from a dictionary, and items were built from their definitions. In a sample of 500 college students, the most replicable item structure had 3 factors; one of these 3 factors split into 2 factors in the 4-factor structure. A replication study confirmed that Conservatism and Authoritarianism are subcomponents of the largest factor. The other factors, though highly meaningful, seem more sparsely represented in previous research. No factor was highly related to personality traits other than Openness to Experience. The factors can serve as content-validity benchmarks for developing improved measurement models in this consequential, discrete domain of individual differences.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Religion in the home in the 1980s and 1990s: a meta-analytic review and conceptual analysis of links between religion, marriage, and parenting.

The authors reviewed 94 studies published in journals since 1980 on religion and marital or parental functioning. Meta-analytic techniques were used to quantify religion-family associations examined in at least 3 studies. Greater religiousness appeared to decrease the risk of divorce and facilitate marital functioning, but the effects were small. Greater Christian conservatism was modestly associated with greater endorsement and use of corporal punishment with preadolescents. Isolated findings suggested that greater parental religiousness relates to more positive parenting and better child adjustment. The scope, meaningfulness, and potential strength of findings were restricted because of reliance on global or single-item measures of religious and family domains. To facilitate more conceptually and methodologically sophisticated research, the authors delineated mechanisms by which the substantive and psychosocial elements of religion could benefit or harm family adjustment.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2006

The end of the end of ideology.

The "end of ideology" was declared by social scientists in the aftermath of World War II. They argued that (a) ordinary citizens' political attitudes lack the kind of stability, consistency, and constraint that ideology requires; (b) ideological constructs such as liberalism and conservatism lack motivational potency and behavioral significance; (c) there are no major differences in content (or substance) between liberal and conservative points of view; and (d) there are few important differences in psychological processes (or styles) that underlie liberal versus conservative orientations. The end-of-ideologists were so influential that researchers ignored the topic of ideology for many years. However, current political realities, recent data from the American National Election Studies, and results from an emerging psychological paradigm provide strong grounds for returning to the study of ideology. Studies reveal that there are indeed meaningful political and psychological differences that covary with ideological self-placement. Situational variables--including system threat and mortality salience--and dispositional variables--including openness and conscientiousness--affect the degree to which an individual is drawn to liberal versus conservative leaders, parties, and opinions. A psychological analysis is also useful for understanding the political divide between "red states" and "blue states."

Humans↗
PubMed2003

The origins of symbolic racism.

The theory of symbolic racism places its origins in a blend of anti-Black affect and conservative values, particularly individualism. We clarify that hypothesis, test it directly, and report several findings consistent with it. Study 1 shows that racial prejudice and general political conservatism fall into 2 separate factors, with symbolic racism loading about equally on both. Study 2 found that the anti-Black affect and individualism significantly explain symbolic racism. The best-fitting model both fuses those 2 elements into a single construct (Black individualism) and includes them separately. The effects of Black individualism on racial policy preferences are mostly mediated by symbolic racism. Study 3 shows that Black individualism is distinctively racial, with effects distinctly different from either an analogous gender individualism or race-neutral individualism.

Attitude↗
PubMed2004

Gender gaps in sociopolitical attitudes: a social psychological analysis.

This research examined the proposition that differential role occupancy by women and men fosters gender gaps in sociopolitical attitudes. Analyses of the General Social Survey (J. A. Davis & T. W. Smith, 1998) and a community sample showed that women, more than men, endorsed policies that are socially compassionate, traditionally moral, and supportive of equal rights for women and for gays and lesbians. To clarify the sources of these gaps, the research examined (a) similarities between gender gaps and gaps associated with other respondent attributes such as race and parenthood, (b) interactions between respondent sex and other attributes, (c) the temporal patterning of gender gaps, and (d) the mediation of attitudinal gender gaps by 3 ideological variables--commitment to equality, group-based dominance, and conservatism versus liberalism.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Signal detection by human observers: a cutoff reinforcement learning model of categorization decisions under uncertainty.

Previous experimental examinations of binary categorization decisions have documented robust behavioral regularities that cannot be predicted by signal detection theory (D.M. Green & J.A. Swets, 1966/1988). The present article reviews the known regularities and demonstrates that they can be accounted for by a minimal modification of signal detection theory: the replacement of the "ideal observer" cutoff placement rule with a cutoff reinforcement learning rule. This modification is derived from a cognitive game theoretic analysis (A.E. Roth & I. Erev, 1995). The modified model reproduces all 19 experimental regularities that have been considered. In all cases,it outperforms the original explanations. Some of these previous explanations are based on important concepts such as conservatism, probability matching, and "the gambler's fallacy" that receive new meanings given the current results. Implications for decision-making research and for applications of traditional signal detection theory are discussed.

Decision Making↗
PubMed2006

Groups as epistemic providers: need for closure and the unfolding of group-centrism.

Theory and research are presented relating the need for cognitive closure to major facets of group behavior. It is suggested that a high need for closure, whether it is based on members' disposition or the situation, contributes to the emergence of a behavioral syndrome describable as group-centrism--a pattern that includes pressures to opinion uniformity, encouragement of autocratic leadership, in-group favoritism, rejection of deviates, resistance to change, conservatism, and the perpetuation of group norms. These theoretical predictions are borne out by laboratory and field research in diverse settings.

Cognition↗
PubMed2005

Talker variability and recognition memory: instance-specific and voice-specific effects.

The author investigated voice context effects in recognition memory for words spoken by multiple talkers by comparing performance when studied words were repeated with same, different, or new voices at test. Hits and false alarms increased when words were tested with studied voices compared with unstudied voices. Discrimination increased only when the exact same voice was used. A trend toward conservatism in response bias was observed when test words switched to increasingly unfamiliar voices. Taken together, the overall findings suggest that the voice-specific attributes of individual talkers are preserved in long-term memory. Implications for the role of instance-specific matching and voice-specific familiarity processes and the nature of spoken-word representation are discussed.

Humans↗
PubMed2004

Predator-induced behaviour shifts and natural selection in field-experimental lizard populations.

The role of behaviour in evolutionary change has long been debated. On the one hand, behavioural changes may expose individuals to new selective pressures by altering the way that organisms interact with the environment, thus driving evolutionary divergence. Alternatively, behaviour can act to retard evolutionary change: by altering behavioural patterns in the face of new environmental conditions, organisms can minimize exposure to new selective pressures. This constraining influence of behaviour has been put forward as an explanation for evolutionary stasis within lineages and niche conservatism within clades. Nonetheless, the hypothesis that behavioural change prevents natural selection from operating in new environments has never been experimentally tested. We conducted a controlled and replicated experimental study of selection in entirely natural populations; we demonstrate that lizards alter their habitat use in the presence of an introduced predator, but that these behavioural shifts do not prevent patterns of natural selection from changing in experimental populations.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Doctors' attitudes towards the detection and treatment of hypertension in older people.

Within the former northern region a questionnaire was sent to a one in two random sample of general practitioners and to consultant physicians involved in the treatment of older hypertensive patients, to determine current attitudes of doctors to the management of hypertension in older people. A total of 407 general practitioners and 125 consultant physicians (including 38 consultant geriatricians) completed the questionnaire; response rates of 58% and 73% respectively. The median (range) threshold level for intervention of an otherwise well 75-year-old patient was 180 (140-240)/100 (90-120) mm Hg for general practitioners as against current recommendations of > or = 160/90 mm Hg. Geriatricians adopted significantly lower thresholds than both general practitioners and other specialists. Target blood pressure (BP) and drug therapy were in line with British Hypertension Society recommendations. The majority of general practitioners stated that they would initiate treatment for hypertension later, be less aggressive in their treatment and accept higher levels of BP than with younger patients. Approximately half perceived compliance and lifestyle changes as problematic in older people, while approximately a third were concerned about the problems created by drug treatment and uncertainty about the practicality of treating all older hypertensive patients. A quarter expressed reluctance to initiate hypertensive treatment because of side effects and to treat isolated systolic hypertension. These stated attitudes amongst general practitioners may explain the continuing conservatism in the management of hypertension. This study found considerable variation in diagnostic threshold between doctors, which suggests that current management of hypertension in older people is likely to vary significantly.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Comparison of field-observed and model-predicted plume trends at fuel-contaminated sites: implications for natural attenuation rates.

Subsequent to modeling of natural attenuation processes to predict contaminant trends and plume dynamics, monitoring data were used to evaluate the effectiveness of natural attenuation at reducing contaminant concentrations in groundwater at seven fuel-contaminated sites. Predicted and observed contaminant trends at seven sites were compared in order to empirically assess the accuracy of some fundamental model input parameters and assumptions. Most of the models developed for the study sites tended to overestimate plume migration distance, source persistence, and/or the time required for the benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylenes (BTEX) plumes to attenuate. Discrepancies between observed and predicted contaminant trends and plume behavior suggested that the influence of natural attenuation process may not have been accurately simulated. The conservatism of model simulations may be attributed to underestimation of natural source weathering rates, overestimation of the mass of contaminant present in the source area, and/or use of overly conservative first-order solute decay rates.

Benzene Derivatives↗
PubMed2001

Analysis of local recurrence and optimizing excision margins for cutaneous melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines for the treatment of melanoma favour conservatism; however there is still uncertainty regarding best practice for lesions of intermediate thickness. Local recurrence, a measure of treatment adequacy, can be used to determine optimum excision margins and give prognostic information for survival. METHODS: An analysis of the Auckland Melanoma Unit database was performed. Patients with local recurrence were identified and stratified by lesion thickness. Optimum excision margins were derived by regression analysis and evaluated against the database population. Survival and prognostic factors were studied. RESULTS: Eighty-four of 1155 patients (7 per cent) developed local recurrence. Median follow-up was 51 months. Margins predicted to give a local recurrence of zero were: 1 cm for lesions < or = 1 mm thick; 1.5 cm for lesions 1-2 mm thick; and 2 cm for lesions > 2 mm thick. Applied to 1155 patients, there were significant differences in both local recurrence and mortality rates between optimally and suboptimally excised lesions, except for those > 4 mm thick. Thirty-three patients (39 per cent) with local recurrence died. Thickness, local recurrence and ulceration were of prognostic significance. CONCLUSION: Development of local recurrence in melanomas < or = 4 mm thick is due to inadequate treatment. It signifies progressive disease and a poor prognosis. Care must be taken to ensure that all such lesions are optimally excised.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Amount and structure of intra- and interspecific genetic variation in the moss genus Polytrichum.

Allozyme electrophoresis was used to determine amount and structure of genetic variation within and between five congeneric haploid moss species: Polytrichum formosum, P. commune, P. uliginosum, P. piliferum and P. juniperinum. For the different species, gene diversity within populations (HS) ranged from very low (0.025) to moderate values (0.127), being, on average, lower than those observed for vascular plants and many other moss species. Polytrichum piliferum and P. juniperinum showed significantly higher levels of HS than the other species examined, which possibly might be explained by sexual reproduction being more prevalent in these two species, that often live in more dynamic habitats, where turnover of individuals is more frequent. Genetic variability was observed to be structured in contrasting ways at different levels. At the intraspecific level genetic differentiation among populations of most Polytrichum species was low, FST </= 0.1, indicating a considerable degree of gene flow by wind-dispersed spores over substantial distances. At the interspecific level strong divergence, genetic identities being on average I=0.222, was observed between most species studied, despite low levels of divergence at the morphological level. These I-values are significantly lower than observed for congeneric vascular plant species and most congeneric bryophyte species. This suggests that the morphological conservatism is not due to lack of genetic variability and evolutionary potential.

Genetic Variation↗
PubMed2001

The value of marginality in a medical school: general practice and curriculum change.

OBJECTIVE: To report the process of introduction, development and sustenance of a curriculum for a department of general practice in the context of changing curricula required by the General Medical Council. SETTING AND CONTEXT: Tayside Centre for General Practice, the Department of General Practice within Dundee University Medical School. METHODS: Use of action research methodology common in educational and sociological research. Action research utilizes a range of data collection techniques which allow the participants in the research full opportunities to reflect on the data as it emerges and make developments accordingly. ANALYSIS: This took place as part of the process of the 5-year project. The analysis used as its starting point the sociological theory of the social construction of power within institutions. It offers the thesis that marginality seems to be a prerequisite in confronting institutional conservatism. CONCLUSIONS: Use of an action research model facilitated more effective change by providing a supportive atmosphere in which to tackle changes. The marginal status of the general practice group in relation to the medical school allowed creative negotiation of alliances within the medical school. Other groups within the medical school who are introducing new curricula can learn from this report.

Curriculum↗