Gerald P. Ginsburg

Sociality Effects on the Production of Laughter

Abstract Certain facial displays (typically the human smile) have been found to vary with a situations sociality. Because the facial display that accompanies laughter is under less voluntary control, it is a stronger test of sociality effects. Participants (N = 162) were videotaped watching a humorous videoclip in 1 of 3 conditions: alone, in a same-sex dyad with a stranger, or in a same-sex dyad with a friend. The frequency and time spent laughing were significantly greater in one or both dyadic conditions than in the alone condition, although no differences existed for self-reported evaluations of the videoclips funniness or amusement felt. When the self-report measures were controlled for, the dyads of strangers (compared with the alone condition) were associated with the frequency of laughter. Although the results provide further support for sociality effects, the situational demands faced by participants may be a better predictor of facial displays than level of sociality.

Blackjack and the risky shift, II: Monetary stakes

Group influence on risk taking was studied in a realistic casino setting, using blackjack as the criterion risk task and amount bet as the risk measure. State trial judges from around the nation volunteered to serve as participants and bet their own money. The results clearly reveal a shift to risk and replicate findings from prior blackjack studies which had used college students as subjects and gaming chips of no real monetary value. Specifically, a modest increase in risk levels over time was found for individuals before they entered into group play; and a strong increase in risk levels was obtained during subsequent group play. These findings were accounted for by Blascovich and Ginsburgs two-process model.

Social Episodes and Person Perception: The Fluctuating Structure of an Academic Group

Summary The effects of different social episodes on interpersonal perception were studied in a well-established academic group consisting of male and female faculty members, research students, and staff. Group members (N = 16) were asked to rate one another on a number of personality dimensions in each of four social episodes commonly occurring in their social milieu. The relevance of the rating scales used for each of the episodes was previously established in a pilot study. Interpersonal judgments were analyzed by (a) a multidimensional scaling technique, and (b) by subsequent discriminant analyses of the group spaces. Results indicated that (a) the traits used were different in the four episodes, (b) the number of dimensions used varied with the episode, (c) the status of group members was differentially relevant in different episodes, and (d) status groups differed in their perceptions of the group structure in each of the four episodes. The importance of situational variables in social perception was...

Retirement as a Process of Active Role Transition

Occupational retirement looms as a social fact for many workers in industrialized countries. And with the continuing development of public and private pension programs and increased longevity and health, the number of retired workers is constantly growing. As an aggregate, the occupationally retired will be an important political and economic force, and they also will represent a pool of considerable talent and expertise. But retirement is not only a societal phenomenon; it also is a significant personal event in the lives of workers. Up to the time of retirement, the work role is a central role in the lives of many people. Not only is it a means for obtaining a variety of rewards and gratifications, but it also structures day-to-day behavior, provides status and social interaction, and generally shapes the nature of the worker’s life style as a whole. Given these considerations, the transition from the work role to the retirement role—whether in fact or in anticipation—is likely to instigate a period of adaptation on the part of the retiree. But exactly how people make the transition from work to retirement is, as yet, a poorly understood process.

Risky Shifts and Gambling: What's At Stake?

the CDQ has led to a waning interest in and criticism of the-topic of group influences on risk taking. It is our position that the understanding of the social psychology of risk taking including group influence on risk taking is valuable and should not be abandoned, and that new, more adequate paradigms in the laboratory and in the field can further understanding in that regard. Although a full discussion of the concept of risk is impossible here, it is possible to describe briefly what the authors consider the conceptual criteria for risk taking to be. First, there must be subjective recognition on the part of the risk taker that something is or will be at stake. This necessarily includes awareness on the part of the individual that he is or will be engaging in risk taking behavior. Second, the individual must take action which by its nature makes the stake irreversible and which in its normal course will lead to outcomes.

Heart Rate and Competitive Decision Making

The viability of combining experimental-game and physiological measurement techniques to establish relationships between heart rate and competitive decision making was demonstrated. The results indicated that heart rate was a reliable predictor of success in a competitive decision-making situation, a zero-sum game, for males but not for females.