Gender and social influence: A social psychological analysis.

Men and women are believed to differ in how influential and easily influenced they are: Men are thought to be more influential, and women more easily influenced. In natural settings, men and women tend to differ in these ways, but these differences stem largely from formal status inequalities by which men are more likely than women to have high-status roles. Status is important because of the legitimate authority vested in high-status roles. Within appropriate limits, people of higher status are believed to have the right to make demands of those of lower status, and people of lower status are expected to comply with these demands. Yet, small, stereotypic sex differences in leadership and social influence generally have been found in laboratory experiments and other small-group settings where men and women have equal formal status. These small sex differences may occur because experience with hierarchical social structures in which men have higher status creates expectancies about male and female behavior, and these expectancies affect social interaction in ways that foster behavior that confirms the expectancies. Sex differences that occur in the laboratory as well as natural settings may stem from social structural factors—namely, from the existing distributions of women and men into social roles. (77 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Politicized collective identity: A social psychological analysis.

This article develops a social psychological model of politicized collective identity that revolves around 3 conceptual triads. The 1st triad consists of collective identity, the struggle between groups for power, and the wider societal context. It is proposed that people evince politicized collective identity to the extent that they engage as self-conscious group members in a power struggle on behalf of their group knowing that it is the more inclusive societal context in which this struggle has to be fought out. Next, 3 antecedent stages leading to politicized collective identity are distinguished: awareness of shared grievances, adversarial attributions, and involvement of society at large. This sequence culminates in the final triad because the intergroup power struggle is eventually triangulated by involving society at large or representatives thereof. Consequences of politicized collective identity are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Research on families and social policy in Canada.

Discusses the development of the Family/Socialization of Children Strategic Grants program in Canada for the purpose of generating factual knowledge for government decision makers about the incidence of family problems and the effects of certain policies such as paid leave for mothers or fathers and infant daycare. It is suggested that the Council could set up a study commission on the family to generate knowledge that could be incorporated in social policy decisions. (2 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multicultural organizational consultation: A social justice perspective.

Multicultural organizational consultation (MOC) possesses a strong social justice component because it is directed toward removing barriers to equal access and opportunity in organizations. As such, it often challenges the power and privilege of organizational policies and practices that oppress marginalized groups and perpetuate disparities. Four important characteristics of MOC are discussed: (a) the need for a conceptual framework of multicultural organizational development, especially how standard operating procedures (programs, policies, and practices) may enhance or impede diversity initiatives; (b) confronting the sociopolitical systems of power and privilege inherent in organizations; (c) the consultant's ability to understand his or her own worldview in relation to other diverse worldviews related to race, gender, sexual orientation, and other sociodemographic dimensions; and (e) integrating roles and tasks in facilitating difficult dialogues on race, gender, and sexual orientation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiple personality: A social psychological perspective.

48 undergraduates were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 interview treatments that varied in the extent to which they provided cues for manifesting multiple personality and were instructed to play the role of an accused murderer throughout the interview. The most explicit treatment (Bianchi treatment) included a role-played hypnotic interview that was used in diagnosing a suspect in the "Hillside strangler" rape–murder cases as suffering from multiple personality. A less explicit hypnotic treatment and a nonhypnotic treatment were administered to the remaining role players. Most Ss in the Bianchi treatment displayed the major signs of multiple personality (e.g., adoption of a different name, spontaneous "posthypnotic" amnesia). In a later session, Ss who role played as multiple personalities performed differently on psychological tests administered separately to each role-played identity. Those who failed to enact the multiple personality role performed similarly when tested twice. Findings are discussed in terms of a social psychological formulation that emphasizes the roles of active cognizing, contextual cuing, and social legitimation in the genesis of multiple personality. (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On social psychology and policy analysis.

Responds to criticisms by H. H. Kendler (see record 1984-12071-001), I. J. Mansdorf (see record 1984-12073-001), D. A. Resnick (see record 1984-12082-001), and G. Caplan (see record 1984-12061-001) of the present author's (see record 1983-32571-001) social-psychological assessment of the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace, based on an analysis of Yasser Arafat's cognitive style. The author upholds the validity of his use of psychological principles in policy analysis, responds to specific criticisms related to cultural and political realities in the Middle East, and argues that recent political events support his conclusions concerning the readiness of Palestinians to seek peace. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Milestones in the psychological analysis of social influence.

Social influence research has been, and remains, the defining hallmark of social psychology. The history of this preoccupation is reviewed selectively, and important contributions to social influence and persuasion are discussed. The central thesis of the presentation is that a return to a consideration of the social group, a critical source of identity and individuality, pays major dividends in understanding the processes of social influence. Moscovici's insistence on the importance of minority influence processes is seen as a harbinger of the return of the group to social influence. Finally, the leniency contract is proposed as a model that integrates these insights with important features of social identity, the elaboration likelihood model, and considerations of structural attitude theory in developing a predictive device that accounts for immediate and persistent majority attitude change as well as indirect and delayed focal change attributable to minority persuasion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Desegration: A psychological analysis.

The "significance of the Supreme Court's decision [against public school segregation] from the stand-point of a science of psychology is that it provides a rare opportunity to acquire more of the kind of knowledge we need in order to make better interpretations of such matters than is now possible." To be most useful, social psychology must develop a framework for viewing the present scene which will "go beyond explanations of specific phenomena, and provide a schema within which a range of events can be organized and understood." Major topics considered are: Attitude Changes Following Intergroup Contact. Public Position-Taking on Consequential Issues. Will the Needed Research be Done? It is felt that "we understand the events of this dramatic period in American history well enough to be able to conceive a fruitful research attack upon their meaning for social relations in general." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The social psychological basis for public acceptance of the social security system: The role for social research in public policy formation.

Examined the issue of carrying out research that meets traditional standards of quality while bearing upon significant public issues. Measures of orientation toward socal security were studied, using an opinion questionnaire administered in 615 home interviews in 3 cities. Results indicate that people are committed to social security because it is work-connected through the payroll tax. There is no dissatisfaction with the system by persons who appear to bear the brunt of its inequities. Factors related to willingness to pay into the system are noted. The question of why there has been no previous social psychological research on the social security program is considered, and ways of coping with this lack are suggested. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethnic relations in rental housing: A social psychological approach.

Conducted interviews with a random sample of 59 French Quebecer landlords within a section of Montreal to explore the social psychological bases for discrimination in rental housing. Evidence that Social Identity factors related to the overwhelming preference for in-group tenants was obtained. When landlords were asked to focus on 4 out-groups (Haitians, Italians, Asiatics, and English Quebecers), factors subsumed under Realistic Conflict theory also contributed strongly to the variation in willingness to rent to some out-groups as opposed to others. Overall, results suggest a dissociation model where Social Identity and Realistic Conflict factors operate independently and additively in relations with out-group tenants. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical ideology and judgments of social psychological research: Multidimensional analysis.

24 undergraduates completed the 1st author's ethics position questionnaire and then compared the ethical similarity of 15 experiments through a series of 105 paired comparisons. Through multidimensional scaling, 3 factors—potential harm to experiment participants, use of manipulative illegitimate procedures, and the ratio between benefits and risks—were identified as the key characteristics associated with moral judgments of social psychological studies. Ss who endorsed different ethical ideologies, however, differed in their emphasis of these factors. "Situationists" emphasized risks relative to benefits and the potential harm to experiment participants. "Absolutists" based their judgments on costs created for participants and the riskiness of the procedures. Judgments by "subjectivists" were associated with the harmfulness, legitimacy, and invasiveness of the procedures. "Exceptionists" emphasized the consequentiality of the research, as well as scientific legitimacy, magnitude of costs, and deception. Findings are in general consistent with a taxonomy of ethical ideologies based on individual differences in relativism and idealism and have implications for current debates concerning the ethics of social psychological research. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experimental social psychology in Canada: A look at the Seventies.

Topics included in this literature review include attitude change, group processes, aggression, helping behavior, impression formation, attribution, moral judgment, the social psychology of criminal justice, and discipline-related issues. Unfortunately, programatic research constituted only a small portion of the reviewed literature. The review of the entire body of experimental literature did not reveal any distinctly Canadian issues, but rather those of social psychologists in general. (French abstract) (5? p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pre-hurricane perceived social support protects against psychological distress: A longitudinal analysis of low-income mothers.

Objective: In this study, we examined the influence of pre-disaster perceived social support on post-disaster psychological distress among survivors of Hurricane Katrina. Method: Participants (N = 386) were low-income mothers between 18 and 34 years of age at baseline (M = 26.4, SD = 4.43). The majority (84.8%) was African American; 10.4% identified as Caucasian, 3.2% identified as Hispanic, and 1.8% identified as other. Participants were enrolled in an educational intervention study in 2004 and 2005. Those who had completed a 1-year follow-up assessment prior to Hurricane Katrina were reassessed approximately 1 year after the hurricane. Measures of perceived social support and psychological distress were included in pre- and post-disaster assessments. Using structural equation modeling and multiple mediator analysis, we tested a model wherein pre-disaster perceived social support predicted post-disaster psychological distress both directly and indirectly through its effects on pre-disaster psychological distress, exposure to hurricane-related stressors, and post-disaster perceived social support. We predicted that higher pre-disaster perceived social support would be predictive of lower pre-disaster psychological distress, lower hurricane-related stressors, and higher post-disaster perceived social support, and that these variables would, in turn, predict lower post-disaster psychologically distress. Results: Our analyses provide partial support for the hypothesized model. Although pre-disaster perceived social support did not exert a direct effect on post-disaster psychological distress, the indirect effects of all 3 proposed mediators were significant. Conclusions: Pre-disaster social support can decrease both exposure to natural disasters and the negative psychological effects of natural disaster exposure. These findings underscore the importance of bolstering the post-disaster social support networks of low-income mothers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapy as a personal relationship: A social psychological perspective.

Shows how theory and research on personal relationships can increase understanding of the therapy relationship. The article focuses on a social exchange approach to satisfaction and commitment to therapy, responsiveness in the therapy relationship, and the development of the therapy relationship (gradual or accelerated). By examining how therapy is a professional relationship and how it is similar to other personal relationships, therapists and clients may be encouraged to acknowledge the personal elements in the therapy relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychological organizations of Canada.

Canadian psychologists have formed no less than eighteen national or provincial organizations. This paper provides a brief historical sketch of these organizations and indicates their present status and functions. The first organizations sought to advance psychology as both a science and a profession, but most of the later-established ones developed directly or indirectly out of efforts to institute statutory control of the profession of psychology. In an addendum, an appeal is made for source material on the provincial organizations for deposit in the CPA archives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multicultural approaches in psychotherapy: A rejoinder.

In this rejoinder, the authors address several issues raised by R. L. Worthington and F. R. Dillon (see record 2010-26150-001) and C. R. Ridley and M. Shaw-Ridley (see record 2011-00622-001) regarding (a) the measurement of multicultural competencies (MCCs), (b) sampling considerations in multicultural research, and (c) the conceptual frame of multicultural psychotherapy research. The authors challenge the wisdom of exploring MCCs in psychotherapy research and provide a different framework to understand therapists' multicultural effectiveness with clients based on their cultural race/ethnicity. Additionally, the concept of therapists' multicultural orientation or approach is introduced to illuminate the process of aligning with clients about salient cultural issues in psychotherapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes and behaviour in second language acquisition: A social psychological interpretation.

Four behaviors involved in the acquisition of a 2nd language are achievement in the language, the decision to remain in the language program, behavior in the classroom, and social contact with members of the 2nd language community. In general, these behaviors have been considered in isolation of formal psychological models and of each other. The present authors review research relevant to each of these behaviors, examining them within the theoretical frameworks proposed by M. Fishbein (1967), Fishbein and I. Ajzen (1975), and K. Lewin (1951). It is suggested that a better understanding of the role of attitudes in 2nd language acquisition can be achieved by postulating a general motivational syndrome, the integrative motive, which involves a complex of attitudinal/motivational variables. This model is related to the formulations of Fishbein and Ajzen, and Lewin, and the general approach appears to have implications for situations concerned with the interplay of attitudes and behavior. (French summary) (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multicultural and ethnic attitudes in Canada: An overview of the 1991 National Survey.

Assessed attitudes toward aspects of multiculturalism (Multicultural Ideology, Perceived Consequences of Multiculturalism, and Multicultural Program Attitudes) and toward ethnic and immigrant groups, as well as Tolerance and Canadianism with 3,325 Ss. Attitudes toward multiculturalism were moderately positive, and tolerance moderately high; there was also a relatively high sense of attachment and commitment to Canada. Immigrant and ethnic groups of European origin were more positively evaluated than those of non-European origin. Variations in these attitudes by region of residence and ethnic origin revealed significant differences, as Ss of French origin living in Quebec tended to be less supportive than Ss of British and other origins living outside Quebec. Despite some signs of ethnocentrism, there are good prospects for achieving a diverse and tolerant society in Canada. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)