The role of the evaluation and similarity principles in the false consensus effect.

Examined 2 principles of judgment derived from balance theory that may serve as foundations for the false consensus effect (FCE). The evaluation principle involves judges assuming the generally positive targets have other positive qualities. This principle was predicted to produce a limited FCE, emerging only for positive targets and only for qualities whose evaluation varies with the judge's own status. When the similarity principle is invoked, judges use self-knowledge directly as they infer that generally positive targets are "like me." This principle was predicted to produce an FCE for all characteristics, whether they were variably or universally evaluated. In Study 1, with 107 undergraduates, the evaluation principle was evoked as targets were chosen who had no relationship with the judges and who were described in positive, negative, or neutral terms. A limited FCE resulted, but for positive targets only. Study 2, with 173 Ss, attempted to evoke a similarity principle by using reference group targets to highlight the relationship between the judge and the target. A limited FCE resulted, suggesting that the evaluation principle predominated. Studies 3 and 4, with 344 Ss, attempted to evoke the similarity and evaluation principles within a single study so that they could be compared for ratings of individuals or groups. However, in both studies, limited FCEs were produced in all cases, suggesting that an evaluation principle again predominated. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of emotional arousal on the retention of film content: A failure to replicate.

This study is an attempt to replicate previous findings that recall after one week is a function of emotional state at the time of exposure. The hypothesis is if children are frustrated just before they see a movie, so that aggressive impulses are aroused, they remember more of the aggressive content of the film than do children who are not frustrated. The Ss were 190 children in 8 fifth and sixth grade school-rooms. By means of experimental techniques half of the Ss were frustrated and half non-frustrated, then a movie was shown. 1 week later the Ss were given a 66-item multiple-choice recognition test in the content of the movie they had seen. There were no significant differences between the frustrated and nonfrustrated groups in their recall of any of the different categories of film content. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The abdominal plain film. What will be its role in the future?

Conventional imaging studies are now being closely scrutinized for clinical utility. Some, like the skull film, are obsolete while others have secured an enduring place for themselves. The plain film of the abdomen occupies a middle ground with its role supplanted by other studies for many conditions but its value is still appreciated for the assessment of intestinal obstruction and perforation. Today, its special capabilities for the evaluation in diverticulitis and iron therapy have been under emphasized. In the future, the plain film will have a narrower focus but when combined with CT both examinations can be enhanced.     

The role of dispositional empathy and social evaluation in the empathic mediation of helping.

J. S. Coke et al (see record 1980-00984-001) proposed a 2-stage model of empathy-mediated helping, based on emotional arousal and perspective taking. The present study hypothesized that a dispositional factor—individual differences in empathy—and a situational factor—potential evaluation from others (demand)—should be included in the process. 123 female undergraduates received false GSR feedback, indicating that they had either high or low arousal during a broadcast of a person's need for help. In addition, Ss were led to believe that the experimenter either did or did not know their level of arousal (demand vs no demand). Ss' premeasured dispositional empathy (A. Mehrabian and N. Epstein's 1972 empathy scale) constituted the 3rd (continuous) variable. The effect of greater help following high- rather than low-arousal feedback found by Coke et al was replicated. However, this was true only for Ss higher in dispositional empathy in the demand condition. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of perceived race and gender in the evaluation of college teaching on RateMyProfessors.Com.

The present study examined whether student evaluations of college teaching (SETs) reflected a bias predicated on the perceived race and gender of the instructor. Using anonymous, peer-generated evaluations of teaching obtained from RateMyProfessors.com, the present study examined SETs from 3,079 White; 142 Black; 238 Asian; 130 Latino; and 128 Other race faculty at the 25 highest ranked liberal arts colleges. Results showed that racial minority faculty, particularly Blacks and Asians, were evaluated more negatively than White faculty in terms of overall quality, helpfulness, and clarity, but were rated higher on easiness. A two-stage cluster analysis demonstrated that the very best instructors were likely to be White, whereas the very worst were more likely to be Black or Asian. Few effects of gender were observed, but several interactions emerged showing that Black male faculty were rated more negatively than other faculty. The results of the present study are consistent with the negative racial stereotypes of racial minorities and have implications for the tenure and promotion of racial minority faculty. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of echography in the evaluation of gynecological neoplasia

Physiological and pathological echograms of the female genital tract are examined. Following a rapid review of the literature, the role of echography in gynecology is evaluated on their decennial experience.     

The role of aptitude, attitudes, motivation, and language use on second-language acquisition and retention.

Examined retention of 2nd-language skills of 128 9th graders after a 9-mo absence of instruction in French as a 2nd language. Students were tested 3 times: at the beginning of the term, at the end of the semester, and 9 mo later. Ss perceived significant losses in speaking, reading, writing, and understanding French 9 mo after training ended. Written production skills also declined significantly, though recognition skills did not. Ss' attitudes toward the 2nd-language community and the learning situation also declined significantly, while their anxiety about using French increased. Few of the correlations of aptitude, attitude, motivation, or language anxiety with proficiency change scores were significant, although the correlations were substantial and stable from pretest to posttest. A casual model linking these measures to objective indices of French achievement explained the correlation among the variables. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of trust in program evaluation: Some guidelines for the perplexed administrator.

This paper argues that the major barrier to implementing program evaluation systems is not the lack of an adequate evaluation technology but rather the lack of an adequate foundation of trust. Basic psychological research in the areas of experimental games, source credibility, and interpersonal trust was examined in order to provide psychologists and other professionals with some potential guidelines for trust development. Application of the guidelines was illustrated with examples from two departments in a particular university setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factors affecting the evaluation of improvement: The role of normative standards and allocator resources.

In a simulated industrial setting, 108 undergraduates performed a clerical task while believing that their pay was being determined by a (fictitious) peer allocator. After being treated inequitably, Ss were able to request a (fictitious) 3rd party to review these allocations. The 3rd party established 1 of 2 "normative" standards to govern a 2nd series of allocations: either "fairness from now on" or "fairness now, plus compensation for the initial discrimination." Ss subsequently received increased outcomes that matched one or the other of these standards. Concurrently, the resources available to the allocator either remained constant, increased, or decreased. Results indicate dissatisfaction despite the improvement in outcome level when the increase was felt to be inadequate relative to a normative standard and to the "social" standard formed by the allocator's own outcomes. Related hypotheses based on a relative deprivation interpretation of discontent with improvement are presented. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relinquishment of control and the Type A behavior pattern: The role of performance evaluation.

Investigated the role of information processing in the control relinquishment decisions of individuals with Type A (coronary prone) and Type B (noncoronary prone) personalities. Pairs of undergraduates (N?=?147) who had previously completed the Jenkins Activity Survey worked independently on a task and received feedback indicating that their partner had performed at a comparable or superior level. On a 2nd task, Ss combined their efforts and made decisions concerning who would work on different parts of that task. One-third of the Ss made this decision before completing an evaluation of the initial performances. Another third completed the evaluation without knowing that they would subsequently make a control decision. The final third of the Ss completed their evaluations knowing that a control decision would follow. Results indicate that when the evaluations were completed last, or when the evaluations were completed first but without knowledge of the impending decision, Type A's relinquished less control to a superior partner than did Type B's. When evaluations were completed with knowledge of an impending control decision, Type A's and B's did not differ in their decisions. Results suggest that under certain conditions, Type A's use an automatic or mindless decision style with potentially maladaptive consequences. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of the psychologist in the disability evaluation of emotional and intellectual impairments under the social security act.

"Psychological examinations are frequently required for the evaluation of emotional and intellectual impairments in order to establish the degree of loss of function in workers who apply for disability benefits as well as in adults who are disabled in childhood… . The presence of severe and persistent illness should be associated with objective evidences of regression substantial enough to preclude vocational activity… . Psychological evaluations serve to pinpoint the specific functional capacities of the applicant so as to serve as a basis for the evaluation as well as for rehabilitation." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of women's alcohol consumption in evaluation of vulnerability to sexual aggression.

The authors examined the impact of alcohol consumption on women's risk perceptions and intended behaviors in a hypothetical situation in which the potential for establishing a relationship with an attractive man was coupled with the potential for sexual aggression. Fifty-nine single women, ages 21–29, were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 beverage conditions: (a) alcohol (dose sufficient to raise blood alcohol level to .08); (b) placebo, in which they were led to believe that they had consumed alcohol but had not; or (c) no alcohol, in which they neither expected nor received alcohol. Compared with women in the no–alcohol condition, women in the alcohol condition (a) rated the male character in the vignette more positively, (b) anticipated less risk and more benefit resulting from a series of behaviors likely to facilitate the relationship while increasing sexual vulnerability (e.g., engaging in consensual sexual activities), and (c) anticipated greater involvement in those behaviors. The placebo appeared to exert similar but weaker effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Brainstem lesions and gustatory function: III. The role of the nucleus of the solitary tract and the parabrachial nucleus in retention of a conditioned taste aversion in rats.

Bilateral electrolytic lesions of the nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) or ibotenic acid lesions of the pontine parabrachial nuclei (PBN) failed to disrupt retention of a preoperatively acquired conditioned taste aversion (CTA) to 0.3 M alanine. For both sham- and NST-lesioned rats, the CTA persisted following 3 nonreinforced conditioned stimulus (CS) presentations. For PBN-lesioned rats, retention was more labile. The preoperatively acquired CTA was extinguished by the 3rd nonreinforced CS exposure. When assessed postoperatively using a novel CS, NST-lesioned rats acquired a new CTA, although they were rendered anosmic with zinc sulfate (P. S. Grigson et al, see record 199707487-016). Rats with PBN lesions, however, failed to acquire a 2nd CTA postoperatively. Thus, the PBN is essential for the acquisition of a CTA, but neither of the brainstem gustatory nuclei need be intact for the retention of a preoperatively acquired CTA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mechanical evaluation of craniofacial osseointegration retention systems

This study evaluates mechanical behavior of retention systems that have been used in craniofacial osseointegration. A loading/measuring apparatus was custom designed and constructed. Test bases that represented a typical auricular situation were constructed. These bases allowed for three points of retention. Jigs that could be reproducibly positioned carried the reciprocal portion of the retentive components. The test apparatus provided vertical and horizontal loads in five locations. The system was used to test two ball-and-socket attachments (Dalla Bona; Nobelpharma), cast and preformed bar and clips (Nobelpharma), and three magnet systems (Dynamag; Neomag; Technovent). The loading/measuring apparatus was also used to evaluate the performance of two facial prosthetic adhesives. Retention systems employed in craniofacial osseointegration offer more predictable retention than the facial prosthetic adhesives. The mechanical retention systems are best suited to situations where tensile and shear forces will operate. Magnet systems are best used where only tensile forces are anticipated or where horizontal forces on the implants are to be avoided.     

Studies in management training evaluation: II. The effects of exposures to role playing.

(see 33: 11142) How effective is role playing as a tool in management human relations training? "A campus conference group of residential contractor foremen participated in this study." A film was shown and role players enacted completion of the criterion case. There were repeated exposures prepost Employee-orientation comparisons. Impact was the important thing-not repeated exposure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The precise time course of retention.

Fits of retention data were examined from 5 conditions: 3 types of cued recall, an old–new recognition task, and a remember–know recognition task. In each condition, 100 participants had either 18 recall or 27 recognition trials at each of 10 delays between 0 and 99 intervening items, providing the first data obtained in experimental psychology that were precise enough to distinguish clearly among simple functions. None of the 105 2-parameter functions tested produced adequate fits to the data. The function y?=?a?e–t/1.15?+?a?e–t/T2?+?a? fit each of the 5 retention conditions. The T? parameter in this equation equaled 28 for the 3 recall conditions and the remember–know recognition condition and 13 for the old–new recognition condition. Individuals' recall data fit the same function with parameters varying with gender and scholastic aptitude scores. Reaction times support the claim that the a?e–t/1.15 term describes working memory, and the remaining 2 terms describe long-term memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of scintigraphy in the evaluation of fever of unknown origin

Nuclear medicine imaging techniques are an important adjunct to other currently used modalities in the evaluation of patients with fever of unknown origin. Bone scanning performed with technetium-labeled phosphonate agents may identify osteomyelitis when plain radiography fails and may disclose sites of joint inflammation or unsuspected osseous tumor metastasis. Indium-labeled autologous leukocytes localize at sites of inflammation in the same manner as unlabeled leukocytes. Gallium citrate accumulates in areas of inflammation and in some tumors, most notably lymphomas. In most cases, scintigraphy is best used to determine the location of a lesion rather than to specifically identify the pathologic process.     

Serotonin and fear retention in the rat.

Parachloramphetamine (PCA), which releases serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) stores in brain regions, injected (5 mg/kg, ip) into male Sprague-Dawley rats 30 min prior to the presentation of 4 inescapable shocks resulted in a profound fear-retention deficit as characterized by the total loss of the freezing and immobility posture that is normally the aftermath of shock presentation. The "PCA effect" on fear retention was found at the 2.5 mg/kg but not at the 1.25 mg/kg dose, and when PCA (5 mg/kg) had been injected at least 8 hrs before conditioning. The selective 5-HT uptake inhibitors zimelidine and fluoxetine, but not the noradrenaline (NA) uptake inhibitor desipramine, blocked the PCA effect, as did the 5-HT antagonist methergoline, but not the selective dopamine antagonist pimozide. A total retention impairment with a conditioning-testing delay of just 60 min was also evidenced, and the administration of PCA up to 2 hrs before fear-retention testing also produced the retention deficit, suggesting a "retrieval failure." The 5-HT specificity of the PCA effect on fear retention was established by the demonstration that 5-HT-depleted Ss, but not NA-depleted Ss, showed a nearly complete blockade of the fear-retention deficit. These experiments describe a role for 5-HT in both memory storage and retrieval processes. (72 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)