Wendy J. Harrod

RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF A BRIEF VERSION OF LEVENSON'S LOCUS OF CONTROL SCALE

A 9-item locus of control scale was constructed from Levensons (1974) 24-item locus of control scale. Principal components and second-order factor analyses of responses from 129 undergraduates indicated satisfactory reliability and construct validity of the reduced scale. Structural equation analysis using a scaled measure of perceived risk supported the predictive validity of the reduced scale.

Leadership emergence in task groups with egalitarian gender-role expectations.

Although they differ in their explanations of the antecedents of gender-role expectations, gender role and expectation states theories agree that mixed-sex and initially leaderless task groups will confirm these expectations by selectively reinforcing male task participation and leadership emergence. Based upon this assumption held in common by the two theories, we hypothesized that groups whose members expressed significantly egalitarian gender-role expectations would reinforce male and female task participation and leadership emergence impartially. Analysis of data from 31 mixed-sex groups whose members expressed significantly egalitarian gender-role expectations, and who were racially and ethnically homogeneous, found that males participated more in group discussions and were more likely to be selected as task leaders. Male advantages were explained only partly by token effects and their advantages in task resources. Implications are suggested for theories of male and female role performance in initially leaderless groups.

Social demographic and attitudinal determinants of consumer acceptance of food irradiation

The effects of eleven social demographic and attitudinal variables on four measures of acceptance of food irradiation were evaluated in a laboratory experiment. Subjects were presented with balanced information on food irradiation and allowed to discuss the process to simulate the effects of word-of-mouth on acceptance. Trust in government and industry was found to be the most important predictor of all four dependent variables, including participation on a taste panel for irradiated chicken meat. Implications of the findings for consumer education are presented.

Social Dilemma: A Teaching Game.

Social Dilemma is a game designed to show how individuals are related to each other in society and why individuals do not always act in their own, collective best interest. The game teaches students to recognize (1) the reward structure leading to social dilemmas, (2) the individualistic (rather than collective) strategy people follow in social dilemmas, (3) the inefficacy and hypocrisy of communication in social dilemmas, and (4) the emergent and coercive nature of social norms.

In-Group Bias in the Minimal Organizational Setting

more favorably, evaluate the products of their own group more highly, and give preferential treatment to the members of their own group in comparison with other groups. This tendency has been found among members of business organizations (Blake and Mouton,1961), among college students in laboratory experiments (Ryan and Kahn, 1975), among children at a summer camp (Sherif et al., 1961), as well as among subjects in cross-cultural research (Brewer, 1979a). In fact, the phenomenon of in-group bias was recognized in the theoretical literature as early as 1907

Social Dominance Orientation and Opinions about What is America's Most Serious Social Problem

This study tested whether a measure of Social Dominance Orientation was associated with opinions about Americas most serious social problem. 150 undergraduates enrolled in social problems classes responded to the 14-item scale and to an open-ended question, “In your opinion, what is the most serious social problem in our country today?”. Analysis shows that mean scale scores differed significantly across social problem responses. Correspondence analysis, plotting association between scale scores and social problem responses, was interpreted as support for social dominance theory. Higher scale scores were associated with problems of crime and negative values and lower scores with problems of education and racism.