Joseph E. Grush

Individual differences in attitudinal versus normative determination of behavior

Abstract Previous research has identified certain dispositional variables that might moderate the relationship between attitudes and behaviors. Building on this work, the present study predicted that individuals who are both aware of their own attitudes (high in private self-consciousness) and unconcerned with the opinions of others (low in self-monitoring) would display high attitude-behavior correspondence. In contrast, individuals with other combinations of these traits were expected to display high norm-behavior correspondence. To test these predictions, attitudes, norms and behaviors relevant to spending time on school work were measured for 226 college students. The results showed clear support for the predicted personality differences in attitude-behavior and norm-behavior correspondences. In addition, other findings showed that attitudes and norms are distinct rather than redundant constructs. Alternative interpretations and theoretical implications of the findings were discussed.

Effects of impuisivity, depression, provocation, and time on aggressive behavior

Abstract Impulsive and nonimpulsive males, who were temporarily depressed or nondepressed, were provoked or nonprovoked prior to participation in a communication task. The task was structured so that the male subjects could administer 25 shocks to a male confederate. As predicted, impulsive males who were depressed administered more intense shocks than did nonimpulsive males who were depressed. In contrast, impulsive and nonimpulsive males who were not depressed did not differ. On early shock trials, impulsive males also gave shocks of longer duration than did nonimpulsive males. Other findings showed that attitudes toward administering painful shocks and depressed mood together accounted for 51% of the variance in the shock intensity scores. In contrast, neither attitudes nor moods mediated aggressive responding on the shock duration measure. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings were discussed. It was concluded that emotionally triggered impulsivity can have a significant impact on human aggression.

The Student as Consumer of the Teaching Process

College students in social-behavioral science courses described their personality traits, their teachers’ traits, dimensions of classroom behavior, and their attraction to their instructors (graduate teaching assistants) “as persons” and “as teachers.” Correlational analyses showed that teacher skill was not related to students’ self-perceived personality traits or their attraction to teachers “as persons,” but was correlated positively with certain teacher personality traits and attraction to instructors “as teachers.” Regression analyses further identified those teacher traits (ascendancy, personal relations, vigor) and classroom behaviors (teacher control, absence of negative affect) most important for effective teaching. It was concluded that college students are objective consumers of the teaching process and their judgments should be solicited to identify variables important for teacher effectiveness.

A Summary Review of Mediating Explanations of Exposure Phenomena

Six mediating explanations of exposure effects were reviewed. Existing evidence suggests that correlated hypotheses, response competition, or attitude formation can explain exposure effects on novel stimuli, but only attitude formation can explain exposure effects on meaningful stimuli. It was suggested that future research should resolve technical problems and then study all mediating processes as contributing factors rather than as sufficient causes if exposure effects are to be more fully understood.

Audiences Can Inhibit or Facilitate Competitive Behavior

Individuals played a Prisoners Dilemna Game against a confederate. Individuals with a dominant response of competition when playing under alone conditions were exposed to a Previous Winners, Human Relations, or No Audience condition. Results showed that compared to the No Audience, the Previous Winners audience facilitated and the Human Relations audience inhibited competition. Discussion suggested that cognitive and learning models could account for the findings and that more research should be devoted to inhibition effects. Examples were given of inhibition effects that may occur within and outside the laboratory.