Construal level theory and escalation of commitment

Escalation of commitment causes people to continue a failing course of action. We study the role of construal level in such escalation of commitment. Consistent with the widely held view of construal level as a primed effect, we employed a commonly used prime for manipulating this construct in a laboratory experiment. Our findings revealed that the prime failed to produce statistically significant differences in construal level, which was measured using the Behavior Identification Form (BIF). Furthermore, there was no effect of the prime on escalation of commitment, or on constructs that have previously been linked to construal level such as the perceived importance of feasibility considerations relative to desirability considerations, and the number of pros and cons that subjects can think of.

Interestingly, however, subjects’ actual construal level scores on the BIF were found to significantly affect escalation. Specifically, our findings show that people with a low construal level are less willing to continue a failing project. This relation is mediated by the perceived importance of the feasibility of the project relative to its desirability. For people with a low construal level, the perceived importance of feasibility relative to desirability is higher, which in turn makes escalation of commitment less likely.

Our findings are consistent with prior research suggesting that priming construal level may not always be effective. Thus, while construal level has typically been regarded as a state-like variable that can be primed, in this study, we show that construal level may also be considered as a trait.

     

Early Parental Positive Behavior Support and Childhood Adjustment: Addressing Enduring Questions with New Methods

A large literature provides strong empirical support for the influence of parenting on child outcomes. The current study addresses enduring research questions testing the importance of early parenting behavior to children's adjustment. Specifically, we developed and tested a novel multi‐method observational measure of parental positive behavior support at age 2. Next, we tested whether early parental positive behavior support was related to child adjustment at school age, within a multi‐agent and multi‐method measurement approach and design. Observational and parent‐reported data from mother–child dyads (N = 731; 49 percent female) were collected from a high‐risk sample at age 2. Follow‐up data were collected via teacher report and child assessment at age 7.5. The results supported combining three different observational methods to assess positive behavior support at age 2 within a latent factor. Further, parents' observed positive behavior support at age 2 predicted multiple types of teacher‐reported and child‐assessed problem behavior and competencies at 7.5 years old. Results supported the validity and predictive capability of a multi‐method observational measure of parenting and the importance of a continued focus on the early years within preventive interventions.     

Effects of a Poverty Intervention Policy Demonstration on Parenting and Child Behavior: A Test of the Direction of Effects*

Objectives. This study compares two explanations for the effects of an employment‐based anti‐poverty intervention, the New Hope project, on parenting and child behavior. (1) Did the New Hope intervention directly affect child behavior and, if it did, is this the result of New Hope effects on earlier parenting practices? (2) Did the New Hope intervention directly affect parenting practices and, if it did, is this the result of New Hope effects on earlier child behavior? Methods. Assessments were collected two and five years after parents were randomly assigned to participate in New Hope or in a control group. The two models were tested using Baron and Kenny's (1986) recommendations for regression to test mediation. Results. The results support the second research question, but only for boys; neither model was supported for girls. New Hope led to increased positive behavior and reduced behavior problems for boys after two years; children's behavior accounted for experimental effects on parents' reports of their parenting behaviors after five years. Conclusions. Employment‐based interventions designed for low‐income parents can affect children directly; expanding such programs may help improve children's life chances.     

社区教育工作者队伍建设:困境、根源与出路——基于广肇两地社区教育工作者素质状况的调查

社区教育工作者队伍素质对社区教育工作开展起着重要作用.调查表明,目前社区教育工作者队伍的结构层次较低,性别有失平衡.社区教育工作者主要承担社区活动"组织者"角色.影响社区教育工作者队伍建设和素质提高的最主要因素是,缺少资金、资源或项目支持.文章对社区教育工作者队伍建设提出了相应策略.     

Participation in Science Service: Factors Influencing Volunteers’ Intentions

In spite of previous researches in large-scale volunteerisms have explored volunteer’s theory of planned behavior (TPB), little has been known concerning the scale development of volunteers’ Satisfaction and Motivation in related to science volunteer service. This study tested an expanded TPB model with a sample of 443 volunteers taken from a project for science volunteers run by the Ministry of Science and Technology in Taiwan. To explore volunteers’ perspectives on their involvement in science service, structured questionnaires examined their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, Satisfaction and motivation via continued observation throughout the duration of the project. The findings from the path analyses suggest that the TPB is a useful tool for understanding event volunteers’ intention. In addition, Satisfaction emerged as the exclusive determinant of sustained volunteering and also as the potential predictor of the effects of other variables on future volunteering behavior. However, it was found that the science volunteers’ motivation had significant negative correlation with behavioral intention. In general, the expanded model of TBP provided an appropriate framework for understanding the factors associated with volunteering. Practical implications and future research directions for science volunteer management are also discussed.     

Adult Problem Solving: Contributor to Parenting and Child Outcomes in Divorced Families

This cross-sectional study extends child outcome models by focusing on factors in the adult social domain as contributors to parenting. The sample included 138 divorced mothers, their focal sons, and their support confidants assessed approximately 5 years after marital separation. The multimethod latent variable analysis tested a hypothesized progression stating observed confidant support would enhance problem solving outcomes achieved by mothers and confidants. Resolving parenting and personal issues for the mother was expected to benefit parenting practices (i.e., monitoring, discipline, and mother/child problem solving), which in turn would predict a macro level measure of child antisocial behavior. Analysis of the simplex model supported the progression. The final model explained 36% of the variance in antisocial behavior, 15% of the variance in parenting, and 53% of the variance in problem solving outcome. Dyads with cohabiting partners scored higher on problem solving outcomes than did dyads with friends or family members. The model is discussed in the context of social interactional and social learning theory.     

The world of parents and peers: coercive exchanges and children's social adaptation

The relation among child antisocial behavior, child coercive exchanges with parents and peers, and the social adaptation of middle-childhood-aged boys and girls was investigated. The 374 children were observed during laboratory tasks with their parents and during recess with peers. A covariance model was tested that hypothesized that coercive exchanges with parents and peers would contribute uniquely to a multiple-agent assessment of child antisocial behavior, supporting an ecological view of social development. A single model described both boys and girls adequately, although minor gender-specific variations in effect size did produce a better fit. Children's antisocial behavior was associated with school maladaption primarily among boys, as represented by academic engagement in the classroom and peer nominations of social preference. Children's antisocial behavior and coercive interactions, in contrast, were correlated with peer antisocial behavior in both girls and boys.     

Testing between alternative models of choice under uncertainty—Comment

Battaglio, Kagel, and Jiranyakul use experimental tests to compare rank-dependent expected utility (RDEU), regret theory, prospect theory, and Machina's generalized smooth preferences model. They conclude that none of these models consistently organizes the data. The purpose of this note is to point out that RDEU theory was tested in combination with a hypothesis on the choice of functional form that has been explicitly rejected by the original author of the model (Quiggin, 1982, 1987). When the original form of RDEU theory is tested, it performs quite well.     

The use of analytical methods and tools in international negotiations: A practitioner's perspective

This paper presents a practitioner's perspective on the use of systematic analytical techniques to improve the practice of international negotiations, primarily in a multilateral context. A generic model of the negotiation process is presented and the utility of various analytical methodologies is evaluated against the component functions described by the model. Overall, analytical tools for negotiation support are viewed as most useful in the prenegotiation phase. Conclusions are based primarily on practical experience, not on theories of negotiation.     

Proposing a Model of Service Delivery for Victims/Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) from Ethnic Minority Communities in Australia

A systematic literature review on child sexual abuse (CSA) and ethnic minority communities was conducted to help address the current gap in knowledge in the area. This article reports on one explored theme – aspects of service delivery models identified as effective, as the basis for developing a model for Australia. The findings indicate two key aspects of effective service delivery: (i) models should be ecologically grounded to the specific cultural context, and (ii) individuals should be placed at the center of intervention so their needs and experiences are not ‘boxed in’ by their ethnicity. The model proposed for the Australian context is guided by these two key principles. Service delivery models are important because they help guide practice and standardize treatment and support in the field. However, the model proposed here also values flexibility, cultural competency, a strengths-based approach, an empowerment-based approach, intersectionality, and a feminist framework. These model elements are particularly relevant in relation to the family cohesion and support that collectivist cultures offer; whether, to what extent, and how they act as a risk or protective factor, or even both, is best determined by the victim/survivor. The utility of the model for practitioners and clients requires rigorous evaluation.     

Promoting Coexistence by Means of Conflict Education: The MACBE Model

This article presents a conflict education program designed to restore relationships among adversaries experiencing protracted, seemingly intractable intergroup conflict. It is designed on the basis of a systems model. The underlying assumption is that breaking the escalation cycle and ameliorating the adversaries' relationships requires a comprehensive intervention. Consequently, the curriculum imparts knowledge about conflict dynamics and teaches constructive conflict resolution skills, enhancing the probability of behavior and attitude change. The program is deemed relevant to efforts of improving Arab-Jewish relations in Israel. Implementation of the intervention requires ample resources, cooperation of local communities, and forbearance of program initiators and participants, which rarely exist in tandem. Nonetheless, even partial implementation can contribute to peaceful coexistence of Arabs and Jews.     

Extended Contact through Story Reading in School: Reducing Children's Prejudice toward the Disabled

The aim of this study was to develop and assess a prejudice-reduction intervention for young children based on a relatively recent psychological concept, extended contact. A number of extended contact interventions were tested based on different models of generalized intergroup contact. A 3 (type of extended contact: neutral, decategorization, and "intergroup") × 2 (time of interview: pre- vs. post-extended contacts) mixed design was used, with the latter variable being within participants. Non-disabled children ( N = 67) aged 5–10 years took part in a 6-week intervention involving reading stories featuring disabled and non-disabled children in friendship contexts. The main dependent variables were children's attitudes and intended behavior toward non-disabled and disabled people. Results showed that extended contact led to increased positivity toward the disabled, and this was most pronounced in the intergroup-extended contact condition. These findings suggest that extended contact can provide a prejudice-reduction intervention tool that can be used with young children in contexts in which the opportunity for direct contact is low. The findings also add to the psychological literature, providing support of the Hewstone and Brown (1986) "intergroup" model in the context of extended contact.     

Domestic violence and child protection: exploring the role of perpetrator risk assessments

This article explores the issue of severity in relation to domestic violence and provides a number of reasons for the necessary engagement by workers with such a contentious issue. The specific role that the assessment of the risks posed by the perpetrator which has now developed in some police forces in the United Kingdom is examined, and its relevance to child welfare intervention discussed. A range of factors are identified that heighten the risks of increased violence. These include prior sexual assault; stalking and controlling behaviour; substance misuse and mental‐health problems; separation and child contact disputes; pregnancy; escalation including the use of weapons and psychological abuse; attempts and threats to kill; child abuse; isolation and barriers to help‐seeking. The ways in which perpetrator risk assessment can be used to inform the filtering of referrals to the statutory child care agency, enhance multi‐agency working, provide a structure for the assessment of the perpetrator, enhance partnership‐working with survivors (usually women) and inform the protection strategies for workers are explored.     

中国社会文化背景下社会网络资本的测量

本文提出了一套由网络规模、网顶、网差、网络异质性、网络的密度所构成的社会网络资本的测量模型。基于2003年和2006年中国综合社会调查数据,借助结构方程模型的方法,验证了这个测量模型在中国社会文化背景下具有良好的信度和效度;同时,也说明了春节拜年网是测量中国人社会网络资本的有效工具。     

Cultural socialization of toddlers in emotionally charged situations

This study examined mothers’ responses to foster emotional competence from a cultural perspective. Fifty‐one European American, 52 Turkish, and 40 Romanian mothers of 2‐year‐old children provided open‐ended responses to vignettes of anger‐, sadness‐, fear‐, and happiness‐eliciting situations. Mothers’ responses were compared between the family models of independence (United States) and psychological interdependence (Turkey, Romania) to understand cultural variations. To anger, all mothers endorsed problem‐focused responses that emphasized teaching coping skills at similar rates, suggestive of an autonomy‐orientation. European American mothers also endorsed behaviorally oriented discipline to cope with anger independently more than Turks and Romanians, who endorsed reasoning and comforting responses more, reflecting a relatedness emphasis. To sadness, problem‐focused and comforting responses did not reveal cultural differences. Expected differences in reasoning and dismissive responses were partly supported. To fear, comforting was the dominant response, with the highest rate reported by European Americans. Turkish and Romanian mothers’ relative emphasis on reasoning was characteristic of their family model. In happy situations, European American mothers validated toddlers’ happiness most often, whereas Turkish mothers reported the escalation of happiness most often. Despite sharing the psychological interdependence model, differences in some responses to sadness, fear, and happiness were noted between Turkish and Romanian mothers.     

Grandparent Carers II

Summary

A demonstration project was undertaken in two of New York City's five boroughs using an intervention model to assess how a three-prong approach using outreach, provision of support groups, and case management could be used to aid grandparents acting as primary carers for children with developmental delay or disabilities. Three small community-based agencies participated in the demonstration. Several common themes were identified that warrant attention when working with older adults who assume later-age parenting roles: (1) recruitment, (2) pressing grandparent problems, (3) unresponsive service systems, (4) falling between the cracks, (5) mutual support, and (6) need for long-term planning.     

Understanding family support provision within the context of prevention: a critical analysis of a local voluntary sector project

This paper presents a model of service process for a family support service at the preventative level as part of a wider debate about child welfare systems in the UK and beyond. The paper places the debate about the shape of preventative family support services within the policy context and uses it to critique various models of service provision, principally the ‘child rescue’ paradigm. From this, the paper explores the characteristics that constitute a complex, yet preventative, family support service. This model is then illustrated using empirical evidence collected from the evaluation of a voluntary and community sector project in the North West of England that describes the service process and some of its characteristics. The paper argues that the model of family support presented has implications for the type of service process that can effectively put the theory into practice. Finally, questions for further research are defined in relation to the implications that this model poses for professional–user relationships and for the professional forms that can deliver preventative family support.     

Increasing aging and advocacy competency: the intergenerational advocacy pilot project

The Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Strengthening Aging and Gerontology Education for Social Work (SAGE-SW) project, funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation partnered with the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM) to develop an Intergenerational Policy and Advocacy Project (IAP). This curriculum pilot project, based on a community organization model, was conducted with 13 baccalaureate social work (BSW) and master's social work (MSW) programs across the country and 122 students. The project was one method to pursue CSWE SAGE-SW's efforts to infuse aging content into social work foundation curricula, to support intergenerational teaching, to strengthen social work advocacy skills, and to provide social work students with positive experiences working with older adults. Pilot sites were asked to carry out the project as part of an existing course foundation or field practicum course. Project activities included collaboration with a variety of community agencies, holding issues or "town hall" forums in order to educate community members about critical policy issues affecting older adults; making contacts and establishing relationships with local, state and/or federal legislators; and conducting assessments of the service needs of older adults in the students' communities. Questionnaires, feedback, pre-post evaluations as well as brief accounts of each project are presented. Participants considered the IAP to be a successful project in terms of the objectives of increasing awareness and competency among social work students of aging issues and of promoting intergenerational linkages between older people and social work students.     

An Outcomes Focus in Carer Assessment and Review: Value and Challenge

Correspondence to Elinor Nicholas, Research Fellow, Social Policy Research Unit, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK. E-mail: en2{at}york.ac.uk Summary A focus on outcomes and a desire to improve assessment and supportto carers are central to government policy, crystallized inthe 2000 Carers and Disabled Children Act. This paper exploresthe benefits and challenges of implementing an outcomes approachto carer assessment and review, highlighted by a research anddevelopment project, undertaken in partnership with one localauthority. The project developed and tested research-based practicetools which aimed to promote carer-centred practice, togetherwith clarity in communication and recording of outcomes intendedand achieved. Findings indicated that practice could be enhancedwith the help of a clear conceptual framework and tools, flexiblyand sensitively used to assist discussion and decision-makingwith carers about outcomes. Information about outcomes, aggregatedfrom individual records, was perceived as potentially usefulfor informing service development. Some significant obstaclesand challenges also emerged; not least, the subtle but significantculture shift required, and the additional time needed to effectivelyidentify and address outcomes with carers. A number of factorswere highlighted as important in introducing such an approach:collaboration with, and between, all stakeholders; trainingand support for practitioners to include practice in recordingoutcomes, and opportunities for continuing discussion and reflectionduring implementation.     

RAP Therapy: A Group Work Intervention Method for Urban Adolescents

ABSTRACT

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) places a premium on the development of cultural competence among practitioners. To this end, the present study highlights how social work practitioners, specifically group work leaders, can utilize elements of the culture of urban adolescents to develop effective group work intervention strategies. The article compares adolescent participants' perceptions of usefulness of traditional group therapy and similar group work sessions using RAP music as a conduit to support prosocial skills development. A nomenclature of three adolescent groups was tested: violent offenders, status offenders, and a control condition of high school students with no criminal history. Findings were unequivocally in favor of the RAP therapy as a tool for advancing prosocial behavior.