The purpose of this investigation was to describe and explain the social dynamics of America's second most popular recreational sport, weight lifting, as performed on a university campus. Data were collected and analyzed using the participant observation approach to grounded theory research. Several hypotheses evolved from this analysis: (1) it is…

Discusses a study designed to explore behavior changes in subjects' performances as a function of evaluative feedback and examines the relations between judgements of physical attractiveness and social competence. (MH)

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…

In everyday conversation, people sometimes laugh as they speak. A study was conducted to determine whether the content of statements occurring with laughter differed systematically from that of statements occurring without laughter. Tape recordings of 20 utterances taken from a conversation among a small group of college students were categorized…

Provides evidence that high and low self-monitors are distinguishable not only by their initial interactions but also by their cognitive summaries of these sequences. Found that students who are high self-monitors appear to be more linguistically competent, in part because their scripted understanding of appropriate conversation is more extensive.…

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)

The relationship between cognitive style (field independence/field dependence), proctor/student interactions, and achievement of undergraduate students in a Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) course was studied. Field dependence/independence was measured using the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT), which measures ability to identify a…

An analysis and comparison of two frames, "conventioneering" and "game," as experienced by convention goers is presented to provide a partial explanation of convention behavior and stress response. Many of the concepts discussed come directly from books by Erving Goffman. Frames are principles of organization that govern…

Interpersonal communication competence has been conceptualized as a function of impressions of competence formed in the context of a dyadic relationship, and also in terms of individual behaviors. The Measure of Relational Competence, along with individual self-reports for empathy, role taking, and self-monitoring, were administered for 36…

The notion of symmetrical communication and its application in course teams at Deakin University, Australia, are considered. Symmetry in communications is evident in groups characterized by mutual recognition by members of one another as persons accepted and appreciated in their common striving for mutual understanding and consensus. The technique…

This book presents an analysis of the concepts of privacy, crowding, territory, and personal space, with regard to human behavior. Intended as an introduction to the environment-and-behavior field for undergraduate and graduate students, as a preliminary guide to research and theory for researchers, and as a model for integrating environmental and…

Reported are the results of a study testing dominance and subordination among the spatially central and peripheral in 14 college classrooms. Differences in the defense of territory, upon invasion, between spatially central and spatially peripheral humans were investigated. (BT)

Effects of resource capability and interpersonal attraction on coalition behavior were studied. Introductory psychology students role played across three experimental conditions. Subjects were asked to select a coalition partner, predict formation of coalition, estimate winnings distribution. Male and female choices and predictions differed.…