Keeping up with the Joneses: A field study of the relationships among upward, lateral, and downward comparisons and pay level satisfaction.

The authors examined the relationship between the direction of pay comparisons and pay level satisfaction. They hypothesized that upward pay comparisons would significantly predict pay level satisfaction, even when controlling for other comparisons. Results reported in 2 samples (U.S. sample, N = 295; Belgian sample, N = 67) generally supported this hypothesis. Analyses showed that individuals who were paid much less than their upward pay comparison were dissatisfied with their pay level. The highest levels of pay level satisfaction were observed when actual pay was congruent with the upward comparison pay level. There was also evidence that individuals who were paid much more than their upward pay comparison were dissatisfied with their pay level. However, the negative effects of overreward on pay satisfaction were considerably smaller than were those of underreward. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex, power, and influence tactics in intimate relationships.

Examined the influence of sex, sex-role orientation, structural power, and interpersonal dependence on the use of influence tactics in 75 homosexual couples, 62 lesbian couples, and 98 heterosexual couples. Ss rated the frequency of 24 influence tactics on a 9-point scale, from which 6 dimensions of influence tactics were identified: manipulation, supplication, bullying, autocracy, disengagement, and bargaining. Several patterns of the effect of interpersonal power on influence tactics were found: Positions of weakness increased the use of supplication and manipulation, both "weak" strategies. Positions of strength somewhat increased the likelihood of bullying and the use of autocratic tactics, both "strong" strategies. Patterns of bargaining and the use of disengagement were more complex and varied across couple types. Both sex and sex-role orientation had consistent effects on influence dynamics, but these effects were limited primarily to the use of weak tactics. These effects of sex do not appear to be mediated either by interpersonal dependence or by structural power. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence tactics in psychotherapy.

Examined the process of psychotherapy within the context of social power theory. Therapist influence acts were classified in terms of the goals or reasons why therapists exercised influence and the strength of the influence attempt. The analysis was based on 22 tapes of psychotherapy sessions, provided by 5 female and 6 male therapists. Each therapist provided a tape of 1 male and 1 female client. Findings indicate that therapists were consistent in their use of tactics from one client to another. Male therapists, compared with female therapists, used significantly more influence tactics and interrupted their clients significantly more often. Therapists of both genders used significantly more passive forms of influence earlier in the session and more active forms later. Therapists of both genders told female clients what to do significantly more often than they did male clients, although they significantly more often explained thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to male clients than to female clients. Therapists used stronger influence attempts—those judged as demanding a response from the client—significantly more frequently with female clients than with male clients. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social comparison and adjustment to breast cancer: An experimental examination of upward affiliation and downward evaluation.

In a study designed to evaluate the divergence of social comparison activities under health threat, breast cancer patients (n?=?94) were assigned randomly to listen to an audiotaped interview in which the target's psychological adjustment and disease prognosis were manipulated to reflect good, poor, and unspecified psychological and physical health status. Results supported hypotheses regarding downward self-evaluative and upward affiliative comparison activity, as well as predictions regarding the influences of comparison dimension. With regard to desire for affiliation, participants demonstrated a greater desire for information and emotional support from the well-adjusted target than from the poorly adjusted target. Self-evaluation of adjustment and prognosis varied as a function of target characteristics, although a pervasive tendency toward downward comparison in self-evaluation also was noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Consequences of influence tactics used with subordinates, peers, and the boss.

A field study was conducted to discover how a manager's use of 9 different influence tactics is related to target task commitment and the manager's effectiveness. The variables were measured with a questionnaire filled out by subordinates, peers, and the boss of each manager. The most effective tactics were rational persuasion, inspirational appeal, and consultation; the least effective tactics were pressure, coalition, and legitimating. Ingratiation and exchange were moderately effective for influencing subordinates and peers but were not effective for influencing superiors. Inspirational appeal, ingratiation, and pressure were used most in a downward direction; personal appeal, exchange, and legitimating were used most in a lateral direction; coalitions were used most in lateral and upward directions; and rational persuasion was used most in an upward direction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence tactics, affect, and exchange quality in supervisor-subordinate interactions: A laboratory experiment and field study.

The hypothesis was tested that subordinates' impression-management tactics and performance affect supervisor–subordinate exchange quality by influencing supervisors' liking for and performance ratings of their subordinates. In Study 1, 96 undergraduates completed measures of liking, performance, and exchange quality after interacting with a subordinate who engaged in a high or low level of impression management and performed at a high, average, or low level of competence. LISREL results were consistent with the proposed model. In Study 2, 84 bank employees rated how frequently they engaged in each of 24 impression-management behaviors. Factor analysis revealed three types of tactics: job-focused, self-focused, and supervisor-focused. The employees' direct supervisors completed measures of liking, performance, and exchange quality. LISREL results indicated that supervisor-focused tactics affected supervisors' liking for subordinates, which in turn influenced exchange quality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Employee resistance to organizational change: Managerial influence tactics and leader-member exchange.

The authors explored the relationship between managerial influence tactics and employee resistance to organizational change. Using attribution theory, the authors developed a series of hypotheses concerning the effects of influence tactics on employee resistance to change and the ways in which these relationships are moderated by leader-member exchange. Results, which are based on multisource data, suggest that employee resistance reflects both the type of influence a manager uses and the strength of leader-member exchange. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Competence, delinquency, and attempts to attain possible selves.

The impact of impulsivity, possible selves, and social and communication skills on delinquent involvement in 230 inner-city high school and incarcerated boys (aged 13–17 yrs) was explored. Impulsivity, perceived attempts to attain possible selves, and balance in possible selves were hypothesized to directly influence delinquency. Social and communication skills were hypothesized to influence delinquency directly and indirectly through their effects on impulsivity, balance, and attempts to attain possible selves. These factors discriminated moderately well between high school and incarcerated youths. Impulsivity was an especially powerful predictor of self-reported delinquency among high school youths but not among incarcerated youths. The effect of other variables differed somewhat for different categories of delinquency (aggression, theft, hooliganism, and school truancy) and between subsamples, suggesting the importance of examining the subjective meaning of each of these behaviors for the individual in his social context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Familism, mother-daughter mutuality, and suicide attempts of adolescent Latinas.

National surveys in the U.S. reveal that Latina adolescents have higher rates of suicide attempts than females of other ethnic and racial groups. Past reports indicate that the suicide attempts among Latinas are lodged within family contexts in which sociocultural and individual experiences influence parental and adolescent behaviors. To better understand the parent-adolescent relations that explain the Latina suicidal phenomenon, we examined how the high value on family unity and support, as reflected by familism, and its effects on mother-daughter mutuality (i.e., reciprocal empathy and engagement) were evident in a group of adolescent Latinas with suicide attempts and a group of adolescent Latinas without suicide attempts. Drawing from data on 169 mother-daughter dyads recruited from Latino communities in a Northeastern metropolis and who self-identified as being of Latino origin or heritage, we considered how differences in familism between mothers and daughters influenced their sense of mutuality, the adolescents' internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and suicide attempts. Results show that gaps in familism (mothers scoring higher than their daughters on the scale) predicted less mother-daughter mutuality and more externalizing behaviors in the adolescents. Also, mother-daughter mutuality was negatively related to internalizing and externalizing behaviors which, in turn, predicted suicide attempts. Findings point to further research on family interactions that raise the risk for suicidality in Latino youth, particularly to including fathers and siblings in study designs. Clinical implications point to enhancing family and dyadic communication skills focusing mutuality while observing the cultural value of familism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Commonsense objectives in paradoxical interventions.

Discusses paradoxical interventions (PIs) in relation to the objectives for which they are used: to alleviate pressure, gain voluntary control, invalidate operating premises, legitimize, make unacceptable actions conscious, and appeal to "oppositionality." It is suggested that organization by objectives can promote better understanding and use of PIs. The appropriateness of presenting the rationale to the client is related to the objectives of the intervention. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence tactics used by subordinates: A theoretical and empirical analysis and refinement of the Kipnis, Schmidt, and Wilkinson subscales.

The research of D. Kipnis et al (see record 1980-33577-001) is critiqued and their subordinate influence subscales examined in four studies. In the first, the subscale items were given to 34 judges, who rated each item for dimensionality. In the second, the 27 items plus several additions were administered to a sample of 251 employed MBA students, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. A third study used a similar sample (N?=?281) and the same analyses. Finally, a fourth study used 181 clerks and secretaries and the same analyses. The results support the dimensionality of the subscales but also indicate that substantial improvements could be made by deleting some subscale items and adding others. Suggestions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of trust, aspiration, and gender on negotiation tactics.

Used 60 male and 60 female undergraduates in same sex dyads to study the effects of trust (defined as belief that the other negotiator is cooperatively motivated), aspirations, and gender on the conditions and processes leading to outcomes that jointly benefit both parties. Under high aspirations, high trust produced self-consciously cooperative behavior in the form of direct information exchange; low trust produced self-consciously distributive (competitive) behavior and one form of indirect information exchange. A correlational analysis showed that joint benefit was a positive function of a set of trial and error tactics and 2 forms of indirect information exchange, a negative function of the use of distributive tactics, and unrelated to direct information exchange. Joint benefit was greater under higher aspirations but was not a function of trust or the interaction between trust and aspirations. Women engaged in less distributive behavior and were less interested in the task than men, especially under high aspirations. A theory of strategic choice is presented to explain the findings. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smoking prevalence, quit attempts and successes

OBJECTIVES: This article provides a brief overview and update of Canadian smoking trends since 1966. It presents the characteristics of daily smokers who have successfully quit as well as those who have tried to quit but continue to smoke daily. DATA SOURCES: The time series smoking data are from a variety of surveys. The analyses pertaining to individuals who tried to quit smoking and those who successfully quit are based on a Health Canada-sponsored supplement to the 1994/95 National Population Health Survey (NPHS). MAIN RESULTS: In contrast to the overall trend, smoking rates among teens have been rising in the 1990s. Approximately 16% of daily smokers reported that they had recently stopped smoking. The majority of former daily smokers indicated that their main reason for quitting was concern about their future health. The vast majority reported that they had gone cold turkey. About four in ten daily smokers reported that they had tried, unsuccessfully to quit smoking in the 12 months before their NPHS interview.     

The influence of goal orientation and self-regulation tactics on sales performance: A longitudinal field test.

The authors investigated the influence of goal orientation on sales performance in a longitudinal field study with salespeople. As hypothesized, a teaming goal orientation had a positive relationship with sales performance. This relationship was fully mediated by 3 self-regulation tactics: goal setting, effort, and planning. In contrast, a performance goal orientation was unrelated to sales performance. These results suggest that a focus on skill development, even for a veteran workforce, is likely to be associated with higher performance. Management should seek evidence of a teaming goal orientation when selecting new employees, while avoiding an excessive focus on performance goal orientation without a comparable skill-development focus. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of sympathectomy on the lateral hypothalamic lesion syndrome.

Two experiments with male Long-Evans rats examined sympathetic involvement in the lateral hypothalamic (LH) lesion syndrome. Ss were surgically or chemically sympathectomized and then given LH lesions. At 24 hrs postlesion, lesion-induced hyperglycemia but not hyperthermia was attenuated by splanchnicectomy and celiac ganglionectomy. Hyperthermia but not hyperglycemia was attenuated by adrenal demedullation, adrenalectomy, and daily neonatal guanethidine (50 mg/kg) treatment. Guanethidine-sympathectomized Ss also displayed lower basal temperatures, more perilesion chromatolysis, and more severe external symptoms than controls. No form of sympathectomy affected lesion-induced gastric pathology, plasma gastrin concentrations, or body weight loss, nor did any sympathectomy influence the recovery of ingestive behavior, daily food intake, the feeding response to 2-deoxy-dextro-glucose, or body weight maintenance in recovered LH-lesioned Ss. Results suggest that sympathetic hyperactivity contributed to some aspects of the acute LH syndrome: Hyperglycemia resulted from sympathetic outflow to the abdomen, whereas hyperthermia was determined by circulating catecholamines and extra-abdominal sympathetic innervation. Findings fail to support the hypothesis that chronic increases in sympathetic tone are responsible for the reduced food intake and body weight of the LH-lesioned Ss. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teenage smoking, attempts to quit, and school performance

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the relationship between school performance, smoking, and quitting attempts among teenagers. METHODS: A logistic regression model was used to predict the probability of being a current smoker or a former smoker. Data were derived from the 1990 California Youth Tobacco Survey. RESULTS: Students' school performance was a key factor in predicting smoking and quitting attempts when other sociodemographic and family income factors were controlled. CONCLUSIONS: Developing academic or remedial classes designed to improve students' school performance may lead to a reduction in smoking rates among teenagers while simultaneously providing a human capital investment in their futures.     

Lifetime suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in Asian Americans.

Few studies have examined the role of culturally relevant factors in suicidal behavior among Asian Americans. Using the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS) (Alegria et al., 2004; Heeringa et al., 2004), the current study examined the role of culturally related variables (family conflict, perceived discrimination, and ethnic identity) on suicidal ideation and suicide attempts in a nationally representative sample of 2,095 Asian Americans. Important covariates were sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, marital status, years of education, household poverty, and nativity status), depressive and anxiety disorders, and number of chronic conditions. Gender related correlates were also explored. The lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempts was 8.8% and 2.5%, respectively. Female gender, family conflict, perceived discrimination, and the presence of lifetime depressive or anxiety disorders were positively correlated with suicidal ideation and attempts. A high level of identification with one’s ethnic group was associated with lower rates of suicide attempts. Among Asian men, but not women, the presence of chronic medical conditions was associated with suicidal ideation. Findings highlight the contributions to suicide risk of cultural factors and gender differences in Asian Americans. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fluctuating asymmetry, sociosexuality, and intrasexual competitive tactics

Heterosexual men and women were told they were competing with another same-sex individual for a date with an attractive opposite-sex interviewer. After answering 6 questions, participants were asked to tell the competitor why the interviewer should choose them over the competitor. Participants' videotaped behavior was coded for different behavioral tactics. Men who were more symmetrical and who had a more unrestricted sociosexual orientation were more likely to use direct competition tactics than were less symmetrical and restricted men. Restricted men accentuated their positive personal qualities, presenting themselves as "nice guys." Structural equation modeling revealed that fluctuating asymmetry (FA) was directly associated with the use of direct competition tactics. However, the link between FA and presenting oneself as a nice guy was mediated through sociosexuality. No effects were found for women.