Kathryn A. Morris

Understanding and preventing HIV risk behavior

Kathryn A. Morris et al. — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:34:52 PST

Think fast: Using web-based reaction time technology to promote teaching about racial bias and diversity

Kathryn A. Morris et al. — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 12:30:51 PST

When comparisons arise

Daniel T. Gilbert et al. — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:39:27 PST

People acquire information about their abilities by comparison, and research suggests that people restrict such comparisons to those whom they consider sources of diagnostic information. We suggest that diagnosticity is often considered only after comparisons are made and that people do not fail to make nondiagnostic comparisons so much as they mentally undo them. In 2 studies, participants made nondiagnostic comparisons even when they knew they should not, and quickly unmade them when they were able. These results suggest that social comparisons may be relatively spontaneous, effortless, and unintentional reactions to the performances of others and that they may occur even when people consider such reactions logically inappropriate.

Attachment styles, self-esteem, and patterns of feedback seeking from romantic partners

Kely A. Brennan et al. — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:35:54 PST

Previous research indicates that persons with secure or dismissing attachment styles differ dramatically in their tolerance of and appreciation for intimacy; despite these differences, both types of individuals display high self-esteem. The two groups' interpersonal orientations suggest that their sources of self-esteem may differ. Secure individuals should derive self-esteem from warm associations with others, whereas dismissing individuals, lacking such associations, may learn to compensate by deriving self-esteem from alternative sources. To test these ideas, the authors related attachment styles to two distinct components of self-esteem-self-liking and self-competence. Overall, security was associated with self-liking, whereas dismissing avoidance was associated with self-competence. The former results were qualified somewhat by gender: Although females' security was associated solely with self-liking, males' security was associated with both self-liking and self-competence. Discussion focuses on the role of relationships in the maintenance of self-worth.

Teaching Students About Classic Findings on the Detection of Deception

Kathryn A. Morris — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:29:12 PST

I describe a classroom exercise that demonstrates people's inability to detect deception better than chance. In the exercise, students worked in pairs and took turns asking each other a series of questions. Students lied to their partners some of the time, and they in turn attempted to determine when their partners lied to them. Students also reported their degree of confidence in their lie detection abilities. The results consistently replicated classic findings in this area of research. In addition, students who participated in this exercise retained the knowledge gained from their participation for 6 to 30 months. I discuss the courses in which this exercise might be useful.

Keeping it "All in the Family:" Does Nepotism in the Hiring Process Really Benefit the Beneficiary?

M. Y. Padgett et al. — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:26:21 PST

The purpose of this research was to examine the consequences of being perceived as having benefited from a family connection during the hiring process. One hundred and ninety-seven upper-level undergraduate students reviewed materials describing three candidates for a managerial position. Selection method (merit vs. nepotism) and gender of the person who received the position were manipulated in the materials. Results revealed that not only was nepotism perceived as being less fair than merit-based hiring, but individuals believed to have benefited from a family connection during the hiring process were viewed less favorably than individuals believed to have been hired based on merit.

HOMER as an Acronym for the Scientific Method

Jessica L. Lakin et al. — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:21:43 PST

Mnemonic strategies, such as acronyms, effectively increase student retention of course material. We present an acronym based on a popular television character to help students remember the basic steps in the scientific method. Our empirical evaluation of the acronym revealed that students found it to be enjoyable, useful, and worthy of use in future courses.

The Confronting Prejudiced Responses (CPR) Model: "CPR" for Hispanic Professionals

Leslie Ashburn-Nardo et al. — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:11:16 PST

Hispanics are the largest minority group in the United States, comprising over 15% of the total population (Pew Hispanic Center, 2007). Perhaps not surprisingly, along with their growing numbers come frequent experiences with ethnic harassment in the workplace. Specifically, Hispanic employees are often the targets of derogatory comments and jokes about their ethnicity, and the more they experience such verbal harassment, the lower their life satisfaction, even after controlling for dispositional negative affect (Schneider, Hitlan, & Radhakrishnan, 2000). Given today's unstable economy, such intergroup conflict is likely to escalate (see LeVine & Campbell, 1972), underscoring the need for employers to implement effective diversity training and education strategies. Unfortunately, research on diversity education programs suggests that they are often atheoretical (Paluck, 2006) and have mixed (i.e., positive, negative, and neutral) effects (see Bell & Kravitz, 2008). These findings suggest that diversity educators may want to consider new techniques to complement traditional diversity education programs.

The Implicit Association Test as a Class Assignment: Student Affective and Attitudinal Reactions

Kathryn A. Morris et al. — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:06:04 PST

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a popular means of examining “hidden” biases. However, some express concerns about classroom use of the IAT, citing students' potentially negative affective reactions to taking the IAT and discovering their implicit biases. To investigate the validity of this criticism, 35 social psychology students completed affect measures after taking and discussing the Race IAT. Students reported more positive than negative affect both immediately after taking the IAT and 1 week later. They also reported greater awareness of their own and others' implicit racial biases, knowledge of implicit processes, and perceived value of the IAT demonstration.

Gender Differences in Communication:Implications for Salespeople

Daniel H. McQuiston et al. — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:06:02 PST

As more women enter into the traditionally male-dominated occupations of sales and purchasing, an understanding of gender differences in communication can provide salespeople with added information to increase their effectiveness. 1his paper begins with a review of the research on gender differences in verbal and non-verbal communication and then applies these findings to the field of sales. The paper concludes with managerial implications and recommendations for how salespeople might account for gendered aspects of their communications and by so doing potentially increase the effectiveness of their sales process.