Journal of Abnormal & Social Psychology

Zajonc, R. B.

doi: 10.1037/h0047987pmid: 13787720

To test the effect of mental set on thinking and communication, Ss were asked to describe an individual from a "letter" written to a potential employer by a "job applicant." Impressions of the personality of the "letter writer" were elicited under several conditions: (a) S was asked to communicate his findings to another (but unknown) group; (b) S was the recipient of such information; and (c) S was asked to communicate findings to, on the one hand, or be the recipient of findings from, on the other, a "group" with attitudes known to be contrary to those expressed by S. Being a "transmitter" or "receiver," as well as incongruence of "other group" attitudes, affected the impression formed and communcated.

Zajonc, R. B.; Morrissette, J.

doi: 10.1037/h0046610pmid: 13787719

Cognitive change was hypothesized to be related to level of S's feeling of uncertainty. Judgments of a photographic stimulus under varying conditions of feedback and quality of stimulus were elicited. The results indicated that change in judgment (cognitive change) is associated with change in level of uncertainty, and the conditions of cognitive change were similar to the Lewinian conceptualization of social change.

Holzman, P. S.; Gardner, R. W.

doi: 10.1037/h0041295pmid: 13715615

The Schematizing Test (see ^W35:^n 2266) and a psychophysical task utilizing the method of single stimuli were used to differentiate a group of "levelers" (in a perceputal sense––or, in a psychoanalytic sense, repressors) from "sharpeners." Ss were asked to relate requested details of a story (the Pied Piper of Hamlin), the story being used as a measure of remote memory. The groups were differentiated on the basis of such recall. The results were seen as supporting the effects of cognitive style upon memory.

Deutsch, M.; Krauss, R. M.

doi: 10.1037/h0042589pmid: 13722331

The effect of threat on the process of bargaining was investigated experimentally by asking Ss to imagine proceeding across a certain route on a map and having various experiences. Threat was seen to affect bargaining detrimentally. In that regard, cooperative ventures were seen to be safer than competitive ones.

Matarazzo, J. D.; Saslow, G.; Pareis, E. N.

doi: 10.1037/h0043763pmid: 13768034

The capacity to condition verbalizations of an interviewee was seen to be related to S's awareness of what was going on but independent of such variables as the age, sex, vocabulary level, (Taylor) anxiety level, and word rate of Ss. Specific content could be successfully conditioned, particularly those words which related to people; such words as plural nouns were unaffected by the reinforcement procedures.

Alpert, R.; Haber, R. N.

doi: 10.1037/h0045464pmid: 13682679

Scales of general anxiety (Taylor, Welsh, and Freeman) and of anxiety specific to academic situations (Mandler-Sarason, Achievement Anxiety Test) were administered to college freshmen. Academic achievement included verbal aptitude, the Scholastic Aptitude Test, overall grade-point average, and performance in psychology courses. The 2 tests of specific anxiety were seen to be measuring something different than the more general tests and were differentially related to academic performance. "Facilitating" vs. "debilitating" anxiety was distinguished. Results are related to the general body of knowledge in area. (18 ref.)

Wrightsman, L. S.

doi: 10.1037/h0040144pmid: 13786836

The generally held notion that "misery loves company" was tested on college students. Ss were exposed to an anxiety-producing situation, i.e., a recording of an apparently nerve-wracking procedure going on in the "next room" to which they soon would be exposed. 3 experimental conditions were employed; after exposure to the anxiety producing stimulus S was: (a) left alone, (b) put with other Ss and allowed to talk, or (c) put with others but not allowed to talk. Effect of group on experience of anxiety was measured. Being with others was effective in reducing anxiety only in Ss who were first-born children, and there was an effect on S's experience of anxiety when allowed to communicate.

Solomon, L.

doi: 10.1037/h0047571pmid: N/A

"The present study sought to determine how a player in different positions of relative power could exercise this power in the form of various game playing strategies so as to induce an individualistic S to adapt to a cooperative orientation." The greater the power S experiences over another, the more trusting he can permit himself to be; S will respond differently to varying degrees of co-operativeness in another under conditions of equal power.

Zigler, E.; Phillips, L.

doi: 10.1037/h0041431pmid: 13788462

Symptoms (of hospitalized patients) characterized as (a) self-directed, (b) directed against others, or (c) avoidance of others were related to measures of premorbid social effectiveness. More effective social adjustment was related to (a), which tended also to characterize symptoms of females. (c) was most consistently found in schizophrenics and was related to better premorbid adjustment than (b), which was most consistently found in character disorders.

Steiner, Ivan D.; Field, William L.

doi: 10.1037/h0040441pmid: N/A

15-minute discussions of the desegregation issue were held by 34 groups of 3 college students, 2 whose attitude scores had reflected nonsegregationist views and a 3rd who was E's accomplice and always expressed segregationist views. "When specific roles were not assigned [in half the groups], the nonaccomplice Ss: (a) had greater confidence in their appraisals of the accomplice's attitudes, (b) indicated greater sociometric preference for one another (rather than for the accomplice) at the conclusion of the discussion period, (c) produced shorter communications, and (d) yielded more to the segregationist arguments expressed by the accomplice. Contrary to expectation, when no roles were assigned, Ss did not indicate less esteem for the accomplice than was the case when roles were assigned."