Charles A. Lowe

Cohesiveness and Performance on an Additive Task: Evidence for Multidimensionality

Abstract This experiment contrasted two predictions regarding the effects of two types of cohesiveness on the performance of American students. Task-based cohesion and interpersonal cohesion were manipulated independently. Results show that high task cohesion facilitated performance, whereas interpersonal attraction had no apparent effect on production. Increases in interpersonal cohesion did, however, result in higher task commitment and more frequent interactions among group members. A path analysis suggested that potentially beneficial effects on production of increasing task commitment were obviated by the increased conversation also resulting from interpersonal cohesion. These data suggest that cohesiveness should be conceptualized as a multidimensional rather than as a unitary variable.

TOWARD AN UNDERSTANDING OF GENDER DIFFERENCES IN INFERRING SEXUAL INTEREST

Research has shown that, after brief opposite-gender interactions, men perceive women more sexually than women perceive men (e.g., Abbey, 1982). This study examined interpersonal perceptions following dyadic cross-gender interactions between unacquainted individuals. Of particular concern were perceptions of sexual traits, interaction qualities, and physical attractiveness. The influence of being gender schematic on sexual judgments was examined. The results provide further support for Abbeys finding that men oversexualize women following brief interactions but failed to support the hypothesized gender schema effects. Additional analyses suggest the presence of another gender difference in judging attraction. Women who rated their partners as physically attractive also attributed more positive qualities to their partner and the interaction. By contrast, mens ratings of women revealed more limited associations with perceived physical attractiveness. Results are discussed in terms of gender differences in judging sexual attraction, the correlates of physical attractiveness, and continuing efforts to explain oversexualization.

Face-ism as a Determinant of Interpersonal Perceptions: The Influence of Context on Facial Prominence Effects

The influence of facial prominence on traitratings made about videotaped men and women described aspursuing either stereotypically masculine or femininecareers was examined. Most participants (N = 168) were White women. Facial prominence failed toinfluence perceptions when gender or occupationstereotypes were strong. However, when those stereotypeswere weaker, facial prominence effects emerged such that individuals were rated as possessing moreof the trait when shown with high facial prominence. Forexample, men were rated higher on evaluative traits whenshown with high, as opposed to low, facial prominence. The results suggest that facialprominence differences observed in the media mayreinforce stereotypes.

Nonverbal Expression of Effort as Causally Relevant Information

The effects of nonverbal effort cues on causal attributions were assessed. Subjects watched a videotape of an athlete running on an exercise treadmill. The athlete either succeeded or failed and was either expressive or nonexpressive. As hypothesized, expressive athletes were seen to exhibit more effort than nonexpressive athletes. More important, significant interactions showed that for failure conditions nonexpressive athletes were seen to have less ability and as more responsible for their failure than expressive athletes. Implications for attribution research, attribution theory, and self-presentation were discussed.

Causal Attribution for Performance By Cross-age Tutors and Tutees

In two studies, 122 children participating in cross-age tutoring programs were asked to indicate what they saw as the causes of successful or unsuccessful learning using tutorial instruction. Regardless of when attributions were measured (prior to, during, or after tutoring), both tutors and tutees felt that tutorial learning was most dependent on effort rather than ability factors. Also, children tended to attribute positive learning consequences to their tutoring partner, but tended to attribute negative learning consequences to themselves. Findings are related to both attribution theory and cross-age tutoring.

The Effect of Stimulus Person Valence on Divergent Self-Other Attributions for Success and Failure.

Abstract Two experiments investigated self-other attributions for success and failure. In Experiment 1, high and low achievers completed a modified IAR scale either for themselves or another. Regardless of achievement motives, more personal attribution for failure was assigned to oneself than to a neutral other. In Experiment 2, additional scales for liked and disliked others were administered and scale item importance was varied. On global and individual causal measures, neutral and liked others were credited more and disliked others less for success than oneself, and liked others were blamed less and disliked others more for failure than oneself and neutral others. Item importance produced few effects. Results were interpreted in terms of informational considerations in self-other attribution.

EFFECTS OF ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVE ON DIVERGENT SELF-OTHER ATTRIBUTIONS FOR SUCCESS AND FAILURE

Subjects varying in their level of achievement motivation (high vs low) evaluated achievement outcomes (success vs failure) allegedly occurring to themselves or another person (self vs other). Over-all, subjects (n = 118 male students) assigned more personal cause to self-failure than to others failure. Contrary to previous results, achievement motivation per se did not influence attributions of personal cause or effort. High achievers did attribute more personal cause to self than to others, especially for failure, and low achievers attributed somewhat less personal cause to self than to others, especially for success. A discussion of the different information about achievement behavior available to perceivers with different perspectives and with different levels of achievement motivation was offered to explain these results.

Effort Attributions Task Novelty, Perceptual Focus and Cue Utilization

This study examined the effects of task novelty and attributional focus on effort cue utilization. It was predicted that attainment value would serve as an effort cue when tasks were novel to the achiever and when perceivers made attributions about their own performances. Outcome information was more likely to be used on familiar tasks and by observers. A second purpose of this study was to examine actor/observer differences in achievement attributions. Self-perceivers, yoked with observers, worked on either familiar or unfamiliar tasks. As expected, self-perceivers were more likely to use attainment value as an effort cue than other-perceivers. Other-perceivers were more likely than self-perceivers to use outcome information but only on familiar tasks. The data also indicated support for actor/observer differences in achievement attributions.

You Get What You Ask For: Forced-Choice versus Free-Response Measures of Causal Attributions

To test predictions from Kelleys (1967) attribution model, subjects were presented with stimulus items consisting of a behavior description and high or low consensus and distinctiveness information. In Study I 59 subjects chose among four causal alternatives to explain behavior; in Study II free-response explanations were solicited from 49 other subjects. For Study I person attribution was most frequent given low consensus and low distinctiveness information. In Study II person attribution was frequent under low consensus and environmental attribution under high consensus, but no effect was found for distinctiveness information. It is suggested that observers employ consensus information alone when seeking a sufficient cause to explain behavior; when refined causal discriminations are required, observers employ both consensus and distinctiveness information.