This study was designed to test two alternative explanations for the foot-in-the-door phenomenon. It was found that the issue similarity variable had no effect on compliance. However, within the similar issue condition there was a cumulative effect of persuasive message and small request. (Author)

Two experiments are reported: one in which presentation of external information about a stranger evoked significantly higher attraction ratings than available psychological information; and a second where similarity of Subject and Other on external characteristics had greater effects upon attraction scores than did similarity of psychological…

Males (N=54) and 46 females who scored high or low on a sensation seeking scale were exposed to slides of physically attractive or unattractive person stimuli. High sensation seekers both liked and expected to recognize the physically attractive persons in the future more than the physically unattractive persons. (Author)

Examines the effect on a recipient of another's effort to provide help. Two variables, locus of responsibility for initiating a help attempt and type of outcome resulting from the help attempt, were manipulated in a three x two factorial design. Results indicated that the Requested help condition yielded the strongest obligation to help others.…

In this study a male experimenter's style of dress had significant influence upon the number of agreements from older and younger women to answer the interviewer's questions and no influence upon men. Older individuals were more influenced by clothing than were younger ones. Results are discussed. (Author)

The relative power of cooperative and trusting patterns of behavior versus those of exploitation and distrust in affecting the results of group decision-making processes was investigated. The outcome of a study using the Prisoner's Dilemma Game seems to suggest the disproportionate influence of competitive people in these settings. (Author)

The relationship between the ability to coordinate social perspectives and levels of anxiety induced by the social context was studied. Results showed a relative failure to coordinate perspectives in the "anxious" compared with the "neutral" condition and were discussed in terms of social contextual effects on aspects of social cognitive…

It was predicted that the amount of satisfaction following an interpersonal exchange will be higher when the resource given is similar to the one reciprocated and lower when they are dissimilar. Interpersonal exchange situations were experimentally created in which two independent variables were manipulated. (Author)

Independent groups of seven-year-old subjects listened to humor on headphones, either with a nonlistening companion (audience) or with a companion who also listened (coactor). In coaction sessions, children sitting closer engaged in more eye contact, laughter, and smiling. (Author)

The effects of several factors on willingness to take a counterattitudinal position in a forthcoming debate were investigated. Subjects were presented with the dilemma of either compromising their own position and thereby not forfeiting a competitive advantage in the debate or forfeiting a competitive advantage by not compromising their own…

Subjects (N=430) rated social images of eight groups on 67 variables which previous study has shown to be important in employment hiring situations. Factor analysis yielded six major dimensions in social images. Variations in factor scores were examined to clarify disadvantages of each group in hiring situations. (Author)

Social exchange theory was employed to predict instigative helping behavior as a function of two types of resources available to the recipient for reciprocation (social and non-social). The possibility of influencing reciprocation of both types of resources produced significant increases in subjects' helping. (Author)

This study investigated how "correct" and "incorrect" dissenters from erroneous group consensus affect conformity on visual and opinion stimuli under normative and informational social pressure. Results are consistent with earlier data. (Author)

Male and female subjects (N=186) participated in a simulated jury experiment in which race of the victim, race of the defendant, and amount of evidence against the defendant were varied. Results indicated racial similarity of the defendant and/or victim to subject jurors influenced levels of negative traits attributed to the defendant. (Author)

Experiments involving "desirability for a date" ratings of black and white stimulus persons who varied in attractiveness indicated white male and female subjects gave appreciable weight to race and attractiveness, but females gave race more weight than attractiveness, while attractiveness was given more weight than race by males. (Author)