Process and outcome evaluation of an on-line support group for Asian American male college students.

This study examined the process, outcome, and utilization patterns of an on-line support group (OSG) for Asian American male college students. Outcome measures indicated that the group participants felt supported, perceived the discussion topics as relevant, felt comfortable and connected to other group members, and preferred using aliases instead of their real identities. The discourse contained a high proportion of self-disclosure and provision of information, and more than half of the messages (58%) were responses to messages of other group members. These findings suggest that many of the components of group process theorized to be essential for effective groups can take place in OSGs. There were no significant posttest differences between the OSG (n?=?16) and control group (n?=?16) in ethnic identity or collective self-esteem. Implications of these findings for improving mental health and counseling services for culturally diverse populations are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of power on perceived and objective group variability: Evidence that more powerful groups are more variable.

The perception of group variability is affected by social power and status. Three different mechanisms may be responsible for these effects: (1) the power of the perceiver affects perceived group variability; (2) the power of the perceived group affects its perceived variability; and (3) the power of the group affects its actual variability. Two studies are reported to tease apart these three mechanisms and provide support for the third. In the first study, high- and low-power groups interacted and subsequently judged each other. In the second study, participants observed and rated the Study 1 groups, either knowing their power relationship or not. Results suggest that members of high-power groups manifest greater interpersonal variability than members of low-power groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some effects of situational threat on group behavior.

It was found that situational threat affected behavior in three main areas of functioning: interpersonal relations, utilization of actors' and other group members' resources, and effectiveness of the group. An attempt was made to analyze and interpret these results within the framework of a competing response theory of anxiety. 20 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment, group attraction and self-other agreement in interpersonal circumplex problems and perceptions of group members.

Graduate students (N=76) fulfilling a class requirement for interpersonal group participation completed measures of interpersonal problems and adult attachment at pretest. At the midpoint and at termination they completed measures of interpersonal problems and group attraction and provided interpersonal circumplex ratings of each fellow group member. As predicted, selected attachment insecurities were significantly correlated with interpersonal problems and group attraction. Attachment anxiety and avoidance, also as hypothesized, were associated with discrepancies in self-other perceptions. Whereas members with attachment avoidance tended to overestimate hostile and hostile-submissive problems, members with attachment anxiety were likely to overestimate interpersonal problems in the "friendly" half of the circumplex. Implications for the conceptualization of attachment-based distortions and interpersonal learning in group therapy are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modification of behavior through verbal conditioning: Effects in group therapy.

An hypothesis that seems to be gaining acceptance on the basis of experimental (as opposed to heretofore face) validity, is that the interpersonal relationship in therapy is not only able to modify the patient's behavior, but in a predictable and desirable direction. This hypothesis was cross-validated by using a group of patients in a Veterans Administration hospital, all in group therapy. The experimental condition, the independent variable, involved exposing S to a TAT-like situation outside of therapy. E responded differentially to the emotionally-toned words used by S: (a) by nodding and saying "mm-hm," (b) by communicating to S via a machine that emitted a clicking sound and added on a counter, and (c) a "no reinforcement" group. Change in the patient's behavior, the dependent variable, was assessed by ratings on a scale to measure interpersonal relationships in group therapy. Significant improvement in the measure of interpersonal behavior in the group therapy was noted in Condition A only. From Psyc Abstracts 36:01:3IG28U. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of group composition on Internet support groups: Homogeneous versus heterogeneous Parkinson's groups.

We hypothesized that (a) members of homogeneous Parkinson's disease (PD) Internet groups would show more commitment and attraction than heterogeneous groups and (b) members in homogeneous groups would show better outcomes. Six PD support groups, three heterogeneous and 3 homogeneous groups were composed on the basis of age and time since diagnosis. Cohesion, based on commitment and attraction, was measured using text analysis software measuring (a) the frequency of hope, positive feelings and thoughts, and affection linked to group as a target and (b) the frequency of "we," "our," and other words of inclusion. Pre-post changes were measured by depression, quality of life, and severity of PD. Multivariate analysis found that homogeneously composed groups were significantly more attracted and committed to their groups. A repeated measures multivariate analysis found that homogeneous groups showed significantly greater positive changes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpersonal perception and communication in discussion groups of varied attitudinal composition.

"The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of various degrees of minority-majority conditions on member behavior during the course of group discussions and to ascertain some of the relationships between various aspects of the interpersonal perceptions and discussion behavior… . The results… indicated an intimate linkage between interpersonal perceptions and discussion behavior… . The findings lend some support, as well as some qualifications, to Festinger's conclusions regarding influence effects in small groups." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality profile similarity as a function of group membership.

Students in 3 universities were compared in an investigation of the question as to whether personality similarity between Ss paired at random would increase as the homogeneity of the group from which they were drawn increased. Homogeneity was defined in terms of race, sex, social class, and field of study. The results failed to confirm the expectation but they furnished convincing evidence of the existence of a low, positive, and significant average profile similarity among Ss paired at random. Regardless of its source, this phenomenon of interperson profile similarity should be taken into account in future studies utilizing personality similarity as a variable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of procedural fairness and leader support on interpersonal relationships among group members.

In this article, the authors examine the impact of fair treatment by a group leader on people's relationships with and feelings toward other individual group members. Previous studies neglected procedural fairness effects on interpersonal relationships between group members. The authors hypothesized that fairness affects interpersonal relationships and feelings toward another group member only when the leader is regarded as representative and supported by the other group members. In three studies, the authors manipulated procedural fairness (no voice vs. voice) and other group member's support for the leader (full vs. mixed support for the leader). Two vignette studies supported the hypothesis. In addition, an experimental laboratory study showed that this interaction effect between procedural fairness and leader support was most pronounced among those with high belongingness needs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of training upon accuracy and variability in interpersonal perception.

The relationship between accuracy and variability in estimations and the effects of a training program in interpersonal relations upon interpersonal perception were investigated in 72 senior medical students divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received training in physician-patient relationships and the control did not receive such training. "Contrary to expectation, the experimental group tended to become less accurate than the control group… . These results, which agree with a hypothesis advanced by Cronbach, suggest that training programs devoted to increasing accuracy of interpersonal perception run the risk of decreasing accuracy when they increase the trainee's responsiveness to individual differences." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supervisor perception of work group morale.

Objectives were to determine the degree to which an "accuracy" measure of supervisory empathy is influenced by unrealistic estimation tendencies common among factory supervisors and to determine whether "group" empathy exists among supervisors. Subjects (Ss) were 38 supervisors and 190 subordinates in 3 plants. Measures were group morale (GM), predicted group morale (PGM), accuracy (ACC), typicality of prediction (TYP), and general effectiveness. ACC was negatively related to PGM (r = -.38, p     

Interpersonal knowledge and individual and group effectiveness.

"Measures of discrepancy between an objective group preference hierarchy structure of members and an individual estimate of this preference hierarchy structure were obtained for members of infantry rifle squads who had scored high and low on a criterion field problem." It was found that the appointed leaders, popular individuals, and members of effective groups were better able to estimate the preference hierarchy structure than were non-leaders, less popular individuals, and members of ineffective groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting attendance and expectations for group therapy.

Inconsistent membership is one of the leading problems in groups. Group therapy participants (N=310) from 2 university counseling centers were studied over a period of 7 years to examine interpersonal style, expectations, and attendance in group therapy. The Group Therapy Questionnaire (R. R. MacNair & J. Corazzini, 1994; R. R. MacNair-Semands, 1996, 1997, 2001) assessed client goals, substance use, and interpersonal problems in relation to expectations for group and attendance. A discriminant analysis demonstrated that angry hostility and social inhibition were predictive of low attendance. Additionally, clients with previous therapy reported more positive expectations about group, whereas those reporting greater substance use and more somatic symptoms had fewer positive expectations about group. Implications for treatment decisions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group support and the behavior of leaders and nonleaders.

In order to observe systematic behavioral differences between leaders, joiners, and nonjoiners, 17 Ss in each category were placed in a condition of group support followed by one of group nonsupport. In both conditions, 1 S from 1 of the 3 categories interacted with 3 paid participants in an attempt to solve a relatively unstructured task. As hypothesized, leaders made significantly more positive affect responses than nonjoiners across both situations and leaders made significantly fewer negative responses under support and significantly more negative responses under nonsupport than nonjoiners. 1 major hypothesis was not substantiated: Leaders did not make significantly more task oriented responses than either of the other categories under support or nonsupport. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Not so black and white: Memory for ambiguous group members.

Exponential increases in multiracial identities, expected over the next century, create a conundrum for perceivers accustomed to classifying people as their own- or other-race. The current research examines how perceivers resolve this dilemma with regard to the own-race bias. The authors hypothesized that perceivers are not motivated to include ambiguous-race individuals in the in-group and therefore have some difficulty remembering these individuals. Both racially ambiguous and other-race faces were misremembered more often than own-race faces (Study 1), though memory for ambiguous faces was improved among perceivers motivated to include biracial individuals in the in-group (Study 2). Racial labels assigned to racially ambiguous faces determined memory for these faces, suggesting that uncertainty provides the motivational context for discounting ambiguous faces in memory (Study 3). Finally, an inclusion motivation fostered cognitive associations between racially ambiguous faces and the in-group. Moreover, the extent to which perceivers associated racially ambiguous faces with the in-group predicted memory for ambiguous faces and accounted for the impact of motivation on memory (Study 4). Thus, memory for biracial individuals seems to involve a flexible person construal process shaped by motivational factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Group climate development in cognitive and interpersonal group therapy for social phobia.

This study was designed as a longitudinal study of 80 participants in cognitive group therapy (RCT, n = 40) and interpersonal group therapy (RIPT, n = 40) for social phobia during 10 weeks of residential therapy. The aim was to investigate the patterns of group climate development and its impact on treatment outcome. Data were collected using MacKenzie's Group Climate Questionnaire (GCQ) 4 times during treatment, and a multilevel (mixed) model approach was used in the analyses. Engagement in RCT groups showed a linear increase during treatment in contrast to a linear decline among patients in RIPT groups. This divergence might be explained by the focus on extragroup and intragroup relationships in RCT and RIPT, respectively. Neither conflict nor avoidance followed the expected pattern, nor did their mean levels influence outcome. However, when 6 extreme values of conflict were removed, there was support for a low–high–low pattern of conflict. In general, these results do not support MacKenzie's generic model of group climate development but suggest that sample characteristics, treatment models, and setting can play major roles in determining the group climate. Of the group climate variables, only the mean level of engagement predicted a change in social anxiety over the course of treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of group size.

This paper reviews 31 empirical studies of small groups in which the major independent variable, group size, was related to several classes of dependent variables: group performance, distribution of participation, the nature of interaction, group organization, member performance, conformity and consensus, and member satisfaction. Many of these variables were found to be significantly affected by group size, but methodological shortcomings characterizing this group of studies preclude the assertion of broad generalizations. Several dependable and nondependable intervening variables are suggested which may help to account for many of the observed effects. Conclusions are: group size is an important variable which should be taken into account in any theory of group behavior, and future research on group size should proceed more systematically than in the past. (46 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The generality of accuracy and response sets in interpersonal perception.

In experiment I, 15 measures of Ss' perception of other people were obtained. Only 8 of the intercorrelations were significant. In experiment II, Ss' judgments of other people were obtained in 3 sessions distributed over a school year. Comparison of the 3 sets of judgments indicated low relationship among accuracy scores, high relationship among response-set scores. Assumption of general ability of interpersonal perceptiveness is untenable; reliability of interpersonal perception may be due to consistency in response set rather than in ability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

二十辊轧机支撑辊组变形及板形调控分析

 板带材的产能和质量是一个国家工业水平发展的重要标志,铜板带材的生产能力和地位更加显著。森德威二十辊轧机是冷轧铜板带材轧制生产的关键设备,其最外层A、D支撑辊组的弯曲变形是最重要的板形调整手段之一。支撑辊组鞍座位移变化可以使支撑辊芯轴发生弯曲变形,变形会反映到背衬轴承上并且向下依次传递给中间辊和工作辊,最终影响板厚和板形。传统的假设折线法和超静定梁法将芯轴和背衬轴承考虑为一个整体,而忽略了两者之间的变形对整体支撑辊组变形的影响。因此,基于有限元方法进行仿真拟合各段背衬轴承弯曲变形得到简化后的一次函数表达式,将各段背衬轴承拟合结果汇总进而得到整体的支撑辊组弯曲变形的线性表达式,再结合辊系弹性变形模型和金属塑性变形模型构成的板形预报模型评估支撑辊组变形程度对板形和板厚的影响。研究结果表明,对上辊系中的4个鞍座施加不同的位移组合之后,板厚和板形分布在整个板宽方向上并非局部变化,而是呈现整体的变化趋势,且4个鞍座对板形和板厚的调整效果并不相同;在施加同样的鞍座位移条件下,中部鞍座比边部鞍座对板形和板厚的影响效果更加显著,并且即使在支撑辊组中心两侧施加对称的鞍座位移,其对板厚和板形的影响也是非对称的。