Since many acts of aggression in society are more than simply an aggressor-victim encounter, the role played by third person instigated aggression also needs examination. The purpose of this study was to develop a laboratory procedure to systematically investigate instigation. In a competitive reaction time task, high and low Machiavellian Males…

This study tests the hypothesis that persons will express relatively independent degrees of preference for ambiguity in different experiential domains. An original measure consisting of four subscales was developed to assess individual differences in the theoretical, social, economic and aesthetic domains, and was administered to a student sample.…

Students high in moral development cheated less than other students overall, but in a low threat/low supervision situation, they were just as likely to cheat as subjects low in moral development. (Ed.)

At the George Peabody College for Teachers, Nashville, Tennessee, 50 male students responded to a questionnaire concerning their reactions to individuals having mental or physical disabilities, to persons of another race, and to gifted persons. The 20 questions (scale items) focused on association with 12 types of "disabled" persons (disability…

It was hypothesized that similar testing situations would reveal consistent behavior in 20 preschoolers. No significant correlations were found when the intersession interval was three to four days, but significant correlations were noted when the interval was 12 to 14 days, apparently due to perceived novelty of the second situation. (RL)

The "diffusion of responsibility" hypothesis as an explanation of helping behavior (or lack of same) is qualified by suggesting that the hypothesis applies only in non-interacting situations. It is hypothesized that interacting groups who are aware of a help-demanding situation actually focus the responsibility and, therefore, take action as a…

The effects of feedback letters sent to students thanking them for their course ratings were examined in two experiments. In the first study, students who initially rated the course highly were not affected by the feedback letters. However, after being exposed to poor instructional materials (an inadequately prepared study guide), students who…

Criteria and methods for developing a taxonomy for different situational categories are presented. (CK)

In this study an attempt was made to measure variables which were expected to be related to individual differences in infants' social responsiveness toward strangers. The subjects were 48 infants (24 boys and 24 girls) between 8 and 13 months of age. Most were children of Cornell University faculty or graduate students, but a broad range of…

Twenty-four children aged five and twenty-four children aged six were interviewed individually three times during a calendar year. It was found that not only did the children's language develop over the period, as judged syntactically and lexically, but they also showed an increasingly fluent control over their own style. All the children…

A comparative method for analyzing efforts of induced change in cross-cultural situations is described. Case histories of efforts to introduce innovations to local communities of the developing nations were separated into 'success' and 'failure' groups. The behavioral components that influenced such outcomes were categorized according to whether…