Leon Rappoport

Gender and Age Differences in Food Cognition

Results from three studies relevant to a model of food cognition based on the evaluative dimensions pleasure, health, and convenience are reported. In the first study, discriminant analyses of the evaluative ratings (n = 248) of 35 meals and snacks yielded significant gender and age differences on the pleasure and health dimensions. Separate factor analyses of the pleasure and health ratings revealed that males and females grouped foods differently on these criteria. The factor analysis of convenience ratings suggested that males and females perceive the meaning of convenience differently. In the second study, 336 college students rated 27 meals on the three evaluative dimensions and also indicated their preferences for each meal. Multiple regression analyses showed that preferences could be significantly predicted, and other results showed that as compared to males, females give higher health, pleasure and convenience ratings to healthy meals. The third study employed a modified free association technique to investigate gender and age differences in the meanings of nine familiar foods. Data from 96 males and females aged 18 to 86 revealed a substantial variety of significant age and gender differences for specific foods. It is suggested that taken together, these results indicate important cognitive and affective sources for gender and age-related food attitudes.

Interpersonal conflict in cooperative and uncertain situations

Abstract Conflicts between persons who disagree over decisions related to their attainment of a mutually desired goal are defined as noncompetitive. Such conflicts are seen as serious and frequent when decisions must be based on uncertain information. A laboratory model of noncompetitive conflict is described and demonstrated. Empirical results show that noncompetitive conflict may be generated under controlled conditions. Moreover, S s given an intuitive set toward their task develop less conflict, and have a greater tendency to resolve their conflict by compromise, than S s given an analytical set. The laboratory model is evaluated in the light of these results and implications for further research are discussed.

Conceptual differences between meals

Abstract This study follows up prior research findings indicating that people employed evaluative and social-emotional criteria in significantly different ways when asked to conceptualize their recent morning, midday and evening meals. A convenience sample ( N =157) of males and females ranging in age from 18 to 87 rated their most recent and their “ideal” morning, midday and evening meals on a series of evaluative and social–emotional scales. Analysis of the combined recent and ideal meal ratings showed that regardless of the variable meal contents, morning meals were generally seen as significantly less expensive, more casual, convenient and lighter than other meals, whereas evening meals were seen as more unusual, elderly, masculine and happy than other meals. Comparisons between recent and ideal meals revealed that the latter are seen as significantly better liked, less convenient, happier, heavier, and more unusual than the former. Moreover, older women stood out as rating both their recent and ideal meals as healthier than all other respondents. Additional factor analytic results showed substantial structural differences between the patterns of evaluative and social–emotional ratings applied to recent morning, midday and evening meals. Pending further research with a larger, more representative sample, it is concluded that there are important conceptual and social–emotional differences between morning, midday and evening meals.

Policy-capturing in the field: The nuclear safeguards problem

Abstract In order to understand the nuclear safeguards problem underlying the judgment policy research described in this report, it must first be discussed in a very broad context. Most informed people today realize that introduction of any major technological innovation may entail new problems and uncertainties equal to, or greater than, those which the innovation is supposed to resolve. This report concerns a particular type of technological innovation which has emerged in connection with what may be called the world electricity dilemma.

Violence and Vietnam: a Comparison between Attitudes of Civilians and Veterans

Based on a multidimensional concept of violence, this study introduces a questionnaire permitting the assessment of general and specific orientations toward violence, and compares responses obtained from six representative groups: middle-aged males, females, college males, females, enlisted Vietnam veterans, and serving field grade officers. Findings indicate that among the civilian groups, middle-aged males are most positive toward violence, while college females are least positive. In the enlisted veteran and officer samples, those who report heavy combat experience have the highest general violence scores. Factor analyses reveal specific attitude patterns for the different samples, with violence in the service of law and order being the major dimension of response variance. Several implications are discussed.

Cognitive conflict as a function of socially-induced cognitive differences:

The cognitive conflict model described by Hammond (1965) is based on the premise that cognitive differences may cause serious interpersonal conflicts, even in the extreme case of persons who are working together to attain a mutually desired goal. Empirical support for this premise has been obtained in several studies showing effects of cognitive differences upon subsequent conflict, learning, and compromise (e.g., Rappoport, 1965; Todd, Hammond, and Wilkins, 1965; Hammond, Todd, Wilkins, and Mitchell, 1967; Hammond, Bonaiuto, et al., 1967). However, these studies have all been experiments in which persons previously trained in the laboratory to think differently about an uncertain task disagree when they must make joint decisions concerning the task. If the cognitive conflict model is to serve as anything more than a laboratory

On Praxis and Quasirationality.

The implications of the concept of praxis for general and developmental psychology are discussed via illustrations drawn from the writings of Laing and Mao

The activity record: a measure of social isolation-involvement.

An interview schedule, the Activity Record (AR), was developed to provide measures of social isolation-involvement. The AR differentiates normal and abnormal Ss and relates to personality variables such as MMPI Si and sociometric variables. It defines and loads heavily on an introversion-extraversion factor. Its ease of administration, reliability, and validity make it a suitable alternative where direct observation is not desirable or feasible, and it can be used where E is not studying all members of a closed group such as is required with sociometry.

Conflict in 2-Person Teams Working on a Mixed Cognitive Perceptual-Motor Task

This study applies Hammonds cognitive conflict paradigm to a mixed cognitive perceptual-motor (P-M) situation in which Ss must agree on a strategic decision and then must coordinate their P-M activity to implement this decision. The study was designed to permit the observation of the effects of cognitive differences on conflict and P-M performances. The task was designed around a 3-choice-point maze leading to a single goal. 18 2-person teams completed the maze by using a 2-channel control system. Ss with discrepant prior experience disagree when required to make joint decisions. Disagreements are greatest during the initial portion of their joint task but taper off on subsequent trials. There was no significant relationship between decision conflict and the efficiency of an entailed P-M performance.