Allison S. Shaw

Online Language: The Role of Culture in Self-Expression and Self-Construal on Facebook

This article investigated how culture influences self-construal and self-expression on Facebook, a popular social networking site. To examine actual self-description representative of self-construal, unaltered independently existing information was garnered from the Facebook pages of Caucasian Americans, African Americans, and ethnic Asians attending a Midwestern University. Findings indicated that culture plays a significant role in influencing the communication of psychological attributes, individuating information, and the quantity of self-descriptive expression. Furthermore, evidence and argumentation are provided for a greater inclusion of African Americans in self-construal research.

The Legitimization of Paltry Favors Effect: A Review and Meta-Analysis

A meta-analysis was conducted on the legitimization of paltry favors (LPF) effect (Cialdini & Schroeder, 1976). A total of 19 studies met the inclusion criteria, with a combined sample of 2,730 subjects. Excluding studies in which the LPF request was delivered via mail and those studies that accepted pledges as the dependent variable resulted in a homogeneous set of effect sizes (r = .18, OR = 2.41). While the data provide clues as to possible mediating mechanisms, the cause of the effect is still not clear. Directions for future research are suggested.

Assessing Deception Detection Accuracy with Dichotomous Truth–Lie Judgments and Continuous Scaling: Are People Really More Accurate When Honesty Is Scaled?

Deception detection experiments consistently find that people are only slightly better than chance at distinguishing truths from lies. Interpersonal deception theory research, however, claims that people can accurately detect deception when honesty is assessed with continuous scaling. This article reports an experiment (N = 140) directly testing if the type of measurement meaningfully impacts accuracy results and conclusions. The findings suggest that the difference is largely illusory, and that the differences that are observed are attributable to differential variances in the measures. Substantively, both methods yield similar conclusions including slightly better-than-chance accuracy, persistent truth bias, and a robust veracity effect.

Do Superdiffusers Argue Differently? an Analysis of Argumentation Style as a Function of Diffusion Ability

Boster et al.s (2006) dimensions of diffusion ability were used to determine if the argumentation of superdiffusers of health information (those who are well-connected, persuasive, and knowledgeable about healthy lifestyles) is different from those who are not. In Study 1, 164 undergraduates completed the measures of diffusion ability. They were then asked how they would try to persuade a target either to lose weight or to avoid smoking. The scenario they were given was either simple or complex. For the participants who responded to the avoiding smoking scenario a 2 (superdiffuser or not) X 2 (scenario complexity: simple or complex) interaction was found such that superdiffusers who responded to the complex scenario produced more arguments, more overall themes in their arguments, and addressed more elements of the scenario than any of the other three groups. Superdiffusers produced more arguments when they responded to the weight loss scenario. A second study was conducted with 35 participants who were interviewed about their beliefs on dieting. Their responses were coded for argument complexity. Superdiffusers produced more complex arguments than non-superdiffusers. In sum, results indicated that superdiffusers argue in ways that would facilitate the effective diffusion of health information.

Dump-and-Chase: The Effectiveness of Persistence as a Sequential Request Compliance-Gaining Strategy

Two field experiments were performed assessing the effectiveness of the dump-and-chase, a compliance-gaining technique employing strategic persistence. These two experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the dump-and-chase relative to other known compliance-gaining techniques. Experiment 1 found the dump-and-chase more effective than pooled data from the door-in-the-face and placebic information technique. Experiment 2 found the dump-and-chase more effective than the door-in-the-face, placebic information, and foot-in-the-door. The dump-and-chase produced consistently higher compliance-gaining proportions across experiments. Moreover, because the contextual features of two experiments differed substantially, the effect was robust to important contextual differences.