Leoncio Camino

Effects of movie violence on aggression in a field setting as a function of group dominance and cohesion

In this quasi-experimental field study, delinquent members belonging to two cottages viewed aggressive commercial movies every evening for a week, while at the same time, subjects from two other cottages were exposed to neutral commercial movies. Behavioral observations were obtained through a nonhier-archical, minimally inferential procedure of a time-sampling nature; they were taken during a baseline week (at noon and in the evening), a treatment week (noon and evening) and a posttreatment week (noon). The main immediate effects of the violent films were an overall increase of both active behaviors and physical aggression; the effects on verbal aggression were more persistent but limited to one of the two cottages. On the other hand, more interactions occurred as an immediate consequence of viewing the films in both neutral treatment cottages; moreover, one of these two cottages also decreased its level of physical (short-term effect) and verbal (short- and long-term effects) aggression. In the aggressive treatment cottage, which was most affected, subjects who were most dominant, most popular, and least popular were influenced the most: an opposite effect was exhibited by those subjects who were judged as least aggressive by their peers. Complementary data are presented and discussed; the difference between the single individual laboratory paradigm and the existing group field paradigm is especially stressed.

Culture and the distinctiveness motive : constructing identity in individualistic and collectivistic contexts

The motive to attain a distinctive identity is sometimes thought to be stronger in, or even specific to, those socialized into individualistic cultures. Using data from 4,751 participants in 21 cultural groups (18 nations and 3 regions), we tested this prediction against our alternative view that culture would moderate the ways in which people achieve feelings of distinctiveness, rather than influence the strength of their motivation to do so. We measured the distinctiveness motive using an indirect technique to avoid cultural response biases. Analyses showed that the distinctiveness motive was not weaker-and, if anything, was stronger-in more collectivistic nations. However, individualism-collectivism was found to moderate the ways in which feelings of distinctiveness were constructed: Distinctiveness was associated more closely with difference and separateness in more individualistic cultures and was associated more closely with social position in more collectivistic cultures. Multilevel analysis confirmed that it is the prevailing beliefs and values in an individuals context, rather than the individuals own beliefs and values, that account for these differences.

Cross-Cultural Variations in Attitudes Toward Love

Using the Love Attitude Scale, the first objective of this study was to examine the extent to which Lee’s six-factor colors of love model was able to account for data gathered across a large number of countries in Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the structure postulated by Lee could be applied across multiple cultures. The second objective was to study possible cross-cultural variations in attitudes related to love. The hypotheses were that (a) factors involving strong personal feelings, such as mania, Eros, and agape, would be largely free of cultural influences and (b) factors involving strict social rules, and consequently low affects, such as Pragma, Storge, and Ludus, would be dependent on cultural influences. Each of these hypotheses was well supported by the data.

Beyond the ‘East-West’ Dichotomy: Global Variation in Cultural Models of Selfhood

Markus and Kitayamas (1991) theory of independent and interdependent self-construals had a major influence on social, personality, and developmental psychology by highlighting the role of culture in psychological processes. However, research has relied excessively on contrasts between North American and East Asian samples, and commonly used self-report measures of independence and interdependence frequently fail to show predicted cultural differences. We revisited the conceptualization and measurement of independent and interdependent self-construals in 2 large-scale multinational surveys, using improved methods for cross-cultural research. We developed (Study 1: N = 2924 students in 16 nations) and validated across cultures (Study 2: N = 7279 adults from 55 cultural groups in 33 nations) a new 7-dimensional model of self-reported ways of being independent or interdependent. Patterns of global variation support some of Markus and Kitayamas predictions, but a simple contrast between independence and interdependence does not adequately capture the diverse models of selfhood that prevail in different world regions. Cultural groups emphasize different ways of being both independent and interdependent, depending on individualism-collectivism, national socioeconomic development, and religious heritage. Our 7-dimensional model will allow future researchers to test more accurately the implications of cultural models of selfhood for psychological processes in diverse ecocultural contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record

Contextualism as an Important Facet of Individualism-Collectivism Personhood Beliefs Across 37 National Groups

Beliefs about personhood are understood to be a defining feature of individualism-collectivism (I-C), but they have been insufficiently explored, given the emphasis of research on values and self-construals. We propose the construct of contextualism, referring to beliefs about the importance of context in understanding people, as a facet of cultural collectivism. A brief measure was developed and refined across 19 nations (Study 1: N = 5,241), showing good psychometric properties for cross-cultural use and correlating well at the nation level with other supposed facets and indicators of I-C. In Study 2 (N = 8,652), nation-level contextualism predicted ingroup favoritism, corruption, and differential trust of ingroup and outgroup members, while controlling for other facets of I-C, across 35 nations. We conclude that contextualism is an important part of cultural collectivism. This highlights the importance of beliefs alongside values and self-representations and contributes to a wider understanding of cultural processes.

Sistemas de valores e atitudes democráticas de estudantes universitários de João Pessoa

Este artigo apresenta duas pesquisas empiricas que analisam a relacao entre sistemas de valores e atitudes democraticas de estudantes universitarios. No primeiro estudo (n= 350), investigam-se as dimensoes subjacentes a estrutura e ao conteudo do sistema de valores de estudantes de uma universidade publica. Na interpretacao das dimensoes obtidas considera-se a teoria de Schwartz sobre os tipos motivacionais e a teoria de Inglehart sobre os valores materialistas e pos-materialistas. Os resultados mostram que os valores se organizam em funcao de tres sistemas: o religioso; o materialista; o pos-materialista. No segundo estudo (n= 200), repetem-se os resultados do Estudo 1 numa amostra de estudantes de uma universidade privada, e relaciona-se a estrutura de valores obtida com as atitudes democraticas. Constata-se que a adesao ao sistema de valores religiosos associa-se com a atitude negativa em relacao a democracia, enquanto que esta atitude se relaciona positivamente com os valores pos-materialistas. A discussao girou em torno do significado da democracia para estes estudantes.

Análise fatorial confirmatória do Questionário de Valores Psicossociais - QVP24

Abstract Confirmatory factorial analysis of the Psychosocial Values Questionnaire – QVP24. This study shows thatthe Psychosocial Values Questionnaire is an adequate instrument to measure value systems of universitystudents. The results of a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (N = 300) show the conceptual validity of thestructure and content that organizes students’ value systems: materialist, religious, hedonist and post-materialist. The results also confirm that these value systems are positively correlated. The discussionemphasizes the societal nature of the values systems and the validity of the Psychosocial Values Questionnaireto measure these systems. Keywords: values; values systems; psychosocial values survey conteudos dos sistemas de valores dos grupos sociais. Con-tudo, os estudos sobre a validade desse instrumento utilizamtecnicas estatisticas que nao permitem testar o modelo teori-co subjacente ao QVP , o que, em tese, poderia comprometer asua validade teorica. Portanto, este artigo apresenta uma in-vestigacao que testa empiricamente a adequacao do

Social Norms and Prejudice against Homosexuals

Different studies regarding the role of norms on the expression of prejudice have shown that the anti-prejudice norm influences people to inhibit prejudice expressions. However, if norm pressure has led to a substantial decrease in the public expression of prejudice against certain targets (e.g., blacks, women, blind people), little theoretical and empirical attention has been paid to the role of this general norm regarding sexual minorities (e.g., prostitutes, lesbians and gays). In this sense, the issue we want to address is whether general anti-prejudice norms can reduce the expression of prejudice against homosexual individuals. In this research we investigate the effect of activating an anti-prejudice norm against homosexuals on blatant and subtle expressions of prejudice. The anti-prejudice norm was experimentally manipulated and its effects were observed on rejection to intimacy (blatant prejudice) and on positive-negative emotions (subtle prejudice) regarding homosexuals. 136 university students were randomly allocated to activated-norm and control conditions and completed a questionnaire that included norm manipulation and the dependent variables. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) as well as subsequent ANOVAS showed that only in the high normative pressure condition participants expressed less rejection to intimacy and less negative emotions against homosexuals, when compared to the simple norm-activation and the control conditions. Positive emotions, however, were similar both in the high normative pressure and the control conditions. We concluded that a high anti-prejudice pressure regarding homosexuals could reduce blatant prejudice but not subtle prejudice, considering that the expression of negative emotions decreased while the expression of positive emotions remained stable.

Caracterização dos meninos em situação de rua de João Pessoa

This paper describes street children in Joao Pessoa, Brazil. Participants were 31 boys, 12 to 17 years old, who were interviewed on the streets. All of them were performing some remunerated activity in the informal work-market on the streets. The results showed the existence of a great valorization of working, which starts because of socioeconomic family needs, and little valorization of delinquent acts. The results also showed that these children have a strong desire to study. They believe that studying would be one of the means through which they could become rich. However, because the need to work is one of the factors that prevent them from going to school, it becomes a hindrance to finding qualified jobs later on.

Um estudo sobre a integração dos níveis de análise dos sistemas de valores

This work is a study on the articulation of the analysis levels of university students’ value systems. The results (N=406) show 4 systems underlying the organization of the students’ value systems: materialist; hedonist; religious; post-materialist. The analyses of the convergences between values systems and motivacional types of Schwartz’s theory showed that there are correlations between materialist and self-enhancement values, between hedonist system and opening to change values types, between religious and conservation values, and between post-materialism and self-transcendence motivational value type. The discussion emphasizes the societal nature of the values system connecting their sources to social ideologies.