The reactions of observers (N=168 college students) to an actor's embarrassment were examined by manipulating the perceived link between actor and observer (cooperative, competitive, or independent) and the observational set of the observer (empathic or nonempathic). The observers' self-ratings of embarrassment and measures of their skin potential…

Theoretical interpretations of cooperation and competition are discussed in relation to motivational and situational determinants. It is suggested that the degree of competition exhibited in an interaction is an inverse function of the quantity of resources available, and that the effect of situational characteristics on cooperative behavior is…

Previous research indicates that social beliefs can act in a self-fulfilling manner, affecting responses to individuals and thereby constraining these individuals to behave in ways that spuriously confirm attitudes about them. The possible role of self-perception, i.e., whether targets of such self-fulfilling prophecies not only alter their…

Present research explored whether crowding effects are caused by subjects or by those with whom they are crowded. In one experiment, 45 male, female, or mixed-sex pairs of subjects discussed a legal case, each pair seated first five feet apart and then almost touching. All subjects reacted more negatively when crowded with males than with females.…

The present study investigated how type of interaction between groups affects intergroup hostility and how this intergroup hostility may be reduced. In the first phase of the study groups were led to believe that they were either competing, cooperating, or having no interaction with a second group. The results indicated that competition led to the…

This study investigates seating distance and angles of location and orientation in a conversational situation as a function of several variables: attitudinal agreement or disagreement by a stranger, agreeing or disagreeing normative information, and personality variables. Subjects were 52 randomly selected introductory psychology students from the…

A group of 40 parents were brought into the laboratory with two of their children (one preschool-age, one toddler) and given a cognitive task which competed with child care for their attention. This competing cognitive activity had substantial effects on parental behavior compared to a control phase with no competing task. In general, positive…

Should a stimulus be defined as the single event immediately preceding a response (simple stimulus) or as a constellation of antecedents representing several preceding events (complex stimulus)? Sixty-eight families with a child between four and eight years of age were observed, and family interactions coded in the naturalistic setting of the…

The National Crime Survey measured the occurrence of an estimated 3.8 million violent crimes among intimates, i.e., acquaintances or relatives, during 1973 to 1976, in which three-tenths of the crimes involved persons married or otherwise related to each other. The data collection focused on identification of crime location, time of day or night,…

The possibility that child behavior could affect parental choice of socialization technique was examined. Girls, age nine, (N=3) were trained to act high and low in person-orientation, and served as confederates. Female college students (N-24), who were unaware that the children were trained, each participated in one session. Results demonstrated…

Generational differences in the balance of power contribute to varying patterns of influence strategy use within cohorts of young, middle-aged, and older adults. The self-report Likelihood of Influence Tactic Use Scale was administered to 10 males and 10 females in each of three cohort groups to investigate the influence tactics used at different…