Denise M. Driscoll

Cognitive organization of impressions: effects of incongruency in complex representations

Two experiments investigated the organization in memory of expectancy-congruent and expectancy-incongruent information pertaining to multiple trait concepts in an impression-formation task. In Experiment 1, when multiple trait concepts were represented in the information describing the target person, both congruent and incongruent items reflecting the same trait concept were stored together and were directly associated in memory, and both types of items were recalled equally well. In Experiment 2, when only one trait concept was represented in the information, incongruent items were recalled with higher probability than congruent items, and the latter were not directly associated in memory. Results suggest that with increasing categorical complexity of stimulus information, processes are invoked that do not occur in simpler impression-formation contexts. Implications for theoretical models of person memory are discussed.

Can Perceivers Identify Likelihood to Sexually Harass

We investigated how men who differ in theirlikelihood to sexually harass (LSH) are perceived bythemselves and others. In Study 1, 36 Caucasian maleparticipants, who were paid for their participation, were videotaped being interviewed by asubordinate female. Participants rated her performanceand then responded to self-report attitudinal andpersonality scales. Higher LSH men reported moretraditional attitudes toward womens roles, a less femininepersonality, and lower competency ratings for the femaleinterviewer. Study 2 investigated whether participantscould differentiate between high and low LSH men from videoclips. Eighty-one male and 76female Caucasian participants, who were fulfilling acourse requirement, rated high LSH men (compared to lowLSH men) as (1) higher in LSH, (2) more masculine, (3) less feminine, and (4) more traditionaltoward womens roles than low LSH men. Implications ofthis ability to detect likelihood to sexually harass arediscussed.

Five guiding principles to help to improve diversity training assessment

Diversity training (DT) is currently the main diversity-management tool inorganizations.ArecentsurveyofindividualsinUKorganizationschargedwith diversity-management responsibilities found that 94 per cent ofrespondents said their organization employed DT awareness training,and 77 per cent mentioned offering manager DT (CIPD, 2006). With ourcombined experience as both academics and DT practitioners, we havepreviously reported how little mainstream social science andmanagement theory and research finds its way into the development ofDT programmes (Pendry et al., 2007). In the present article, we turn ourattention to the topic of putting DT assessment into practice. In simpleterms, when and how can practitioners incorporate what we know fromthe social-science and management literatures to better assess theeffectsofDT?In discussing why assessment is not a more routine part of diversitymanagement, we provide a clear picture of hurdles that can deter apractitioner from including assessment in his or her work. We hope thatacknowledging some of these hurdles – and discussing how tocircumvent those hurdles that cannot be jumped – serves as an impetustopractitionerstotryassessment.Inthispaperwe: