Suzanne C. Thompson

Ecocentric and Anthropocentric Attitudes Toward the Environment

Abstract The relationship between two motives underlying environmental attitudes was examined: ecocentrism—valuing nature for its own sake, and anthropocentrism—valuing nature because of material or physical benefits it can provide for humans. Scales to measure ecocentric and anthropocentric attitudes and general apathy toward environmental issues were developed. In Study 1, the ecocentric and anthropocentric scales were found to predict independently conserving behaviors, apathy toward environmental issues, and membership in environmental organizations. In Study 2, these results were partially replicated and extended to include the relationship between ecocentric attitudes and an observed measure of environmentally-relevant behavior. In addition, it was demonstrated that the ecocentric-anthropocentric distinction explains behavior independently of environmental attitudes measured with a traditional attitude scale. Implications of the ecocentric-anthropocentric distinction for further research on environmental attitudes and behaviors are discussed.

Patient-oriented interventions to improve communication in a medical office visit.

Examined a simple intervention to improve the patients contribution to communication in a medical office visit. In the first study, women awaiting a medical appointment were randomly assigned either to a group that was asked to list three questions to ask their physician or to a control group. Women who listed questions asked more questions in the visit and reported being less anxious. In the second study, a third group that received a message from their physician encouraging question asking was added. Both experimental groups asked more of the questions they had wished to, had greater feelings of control, and were more satisfied with the visit in general and with the information they received. The two experimental groups did not differ significantly, suggesting that the effect may be attributed either to thinking ones questions out ahead of time or to the perception that ones physician is open to questions.

Primary versus secondary and central versus consequence-related control in HIV-positive men.

Two dimensions of perceived control (primary vs. secondary and central vs. consequence-related) were examined in a sample of 104 HIV-positive men. Two hypotheses regarding the use of primary control (acting to achieve specific outcomes) and secondary control (acceptance) were supported: The use of both primary and secondary control was associated with better adjustment. Secondary control served a protective role at lower levels of primary control, but was not associated with adjustment at higher levels of primary control. The 2 hypotheses regarding central control (over the infection) and consequence-related control (over consequences of the infection) were also supported. Perceptions of consequence-related control were higher than perceptions of control over HIV and more strongly associated with low depression.

The vividness effect: Elusive or illusory?

Abstract In spite of the widespread use of vived messages by advertisers and other would-be persuaders, empirical research has generated little support for the vividness effect. The apparently common belief in the persuasive powers of vividness, coupled with this lack of supporting research, suggests the possibility that vividness has an illusory effect on judgments. Two studies are presented which investigated this hypothesis. Both operationalized vividness as concrete and colorful languge. In Study 1, subjects rated vivid messages as significantly more persuasive than the same messages presented in a less colorful manner, thus demonstrating the pervasiveness of belief in the vividness effect. Study 2 confirmed that this belief may be the result of an illusion. Vivid messages produced an effect on judgments of a messages general persuasiveness, but not on judgments of ones own persuasion or on measures of actual attitude change. Study 2 also examined two possible sources of this illusion: (1) people recall vivid communications better than nonvivid messages and infer that they and/or others have been persuaded, and (2) people believe that interesting, attention-getting communications are persuasive and consequently infer that they and/or others have been persuaded after being exposed to a vividly presented communication. Results show that people infer persuasion based on interest and attention rather than recall.

Primary and Secondary Control Over Age‐Related Changes in Physical Appearance

Beliefs about appearance-related changes due to aging were used to test the effects of perceived control and secondary control (acceptance) in a sample of 412 young, early-middle-age, and late-middle-age college-educated adults. Mean difference in aging-related appearance control and hypotheses regarding the adaptiveness of primary and secondary control were examined. Primary control over aging-related appearance was lower in older adults and secondary control was higher. In addition, the results indicated support for the Primacy/Back-Up Model that primary perceived control is important at all levels of actual control. Those with stronger beliefs in their primary control were less distressed. Secondary control served a back-up function in that it was related to less distress only for those who had medium or lower beliefs in primary control. The implications of these findings, that primary control may be advantageous even in low-control circumstances, are discussed.

Illusions of Control How We Overestimate Our Personal Influence

Illusions of control are common even in purely chance situations. They are particularly likely to occur in settings that are characterized by personal involvement, familiarity, foreknowledge of the desired outcome, and a focus on success. Person-based factors that affect illusions of control include depressive mood and need for control. One explanation of illusory control is that it is due to a control heuristic that is used to estimate control by assessing the factors of intentionality and connection to the outcome. Motivational influences on illusory control and consequences of overestimating one s control are also covered.

Factors Relating to a Person's Ability to Find Meaning After a Diagnosis of Cancer

Two hypotheses about factors that would make it easier or more difficult to see ones life as meaningful after a major life stressor were examined in a sample of 79 cancer patients and their spouses. The authors predicted that greater meaning would be associated with positive interpretational styles (optimism and low endorsement of irrational beliefs) and a focus on internal rather than external goals. In addition, self-reports of both prediagnosis and current goals and interpretational styles was obtained. The results supported the hypotheses: greater meaningfulness was associated with optimism, few irrational beliefs, and endorsement of internal goals, even when physical functioning and depression were controlled for in a multiple regression analysis (ρ < .001). Patients reported significant changes regarding irrational beliefs and internal goals subsequent to the diagnosis of cancer. Current beliefs and goals predicted meaningfulness, but reports of prediagnosis beliefs and goals did not. The ability t...

On fighting versus accepting stressful circumstances: primary and secondary control among HIV-positive men in prison.

The primacy of primary control over secondary control and ethnic differences in control processes were tested in HIV-positive male state prison inmates. They rated their perceptions of control and psychological distress at an initial interview (N = 95) and 3 months later (N = 78). Regression analyses revealed that primary control had primacy as it had greater adaptive value. However, secondary control did not function as a backup to primary control, and temporal differences in control were not found. No mean differences due to ethnicity (African American vs. White) were found, but there was a strong ethnic difference in the effects of primary control. White participants showed the expected negative relationship between distress and primary control, but African American participants did not. The idea that the benefits of primary control would be the same across various subcultures was not supported.

Psychological predictors of college students' cell phone use while driving

Despite the known risk, many people talk on a phone while driving. This study explored psychological predictors of cell phone use while driving. College students (final N=69) completed a survey and predicted their driving performance both with and without a simultaneous phone conversation. Their actual performance on a driving simulator was then assessed. Cell phone use reduced performance on the simulation task. Further, perceiving oneself as good at compensating for driving distractions, overestimating ones performance on the driving simulator, and high illusory control predicted more frequent cell phone use while driving in everyday life. Finally, those who talked more frequently on a phone while driving had poorer real-world driving records. These findings suggest illusory control and positive illusions partly explain drivers decisions of whether to use cell phones while driving.

Control, Denial, and Heightened Sensitivity Reactions to Personal Threat: Testing the Generalizability of the Threat Orientation Approach

The threat orientation model proposes three dispositional responses to threats: control, heightened sensitivity, and denial. Two studies explored the psychometric properties of the previously developed threat orientation scales and the relationship between the orientations and the responses to a variety of threats. Study 1 found that the control-based and heightened sensitivity–based scales are reliable and were related to perceptions of health, financial, and terrorist threats with a nationally representative sample. Findings held across gender, age, and ethnic groups. Furthermore, Study 1 suggested two types of denial processes: optimistic denial and avoidance denial. Study 2 used a diverse sample to gain additional evidence for two processes of denial and developed measures of each type.