Product evaluation bias under minimal group situations

The present study was designed to identify the source of product evaluation bias. Three experiments were conducted to see if the evaluation bias occur in the minimal group situation defined by [Tajifel, H., Billig, M., Bundy, R., & Flament, C. (1971). Social categorization and intergroup behavior. European Journal of Social Psychology, 1, 149–178], and to determine the factors responsible for making evaluation bias. Relative measure of product evaluation played a major role in producing an evaluation bias in minimal group situation. Similarly, relative measure of distribution was a critical factor affecting distribution bias. The possible boundary condition of [Tajifel, H., Billig, M., Bundy, R., & Flament, C. (1971). Social categorization and intergroup behavior. European Journal of Social Psychology, 1, 149–178] minimal group situation in evaluation bias were also discussed.     

Assimilation and discriminatory perceptions and experiences: The case of Hispanics in the United States

This paper examines the relationship between assimilation and discriminatory practices encountered by Hispanic-Americans. Theories of intergroup relations have typically assumed that as members of minority ethnic groups assimilate to a dominant group, they perceive and experience lower degrees of discrimination directed against them. In reviewing theories of majority–minority relations, we have called this the “assimilationist” model. This view has been opposed by some scholars who argue that as minority ethnics assimilate and become more knowledgeable of the larger society, they perceive and experience higher levels of discrimination against them and their group. We have termed this the “conflict model” of interethnic relations. Using data from the 2002 National Survey of Latinos, conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center, we test opposing hypotheses based on these two models. Our findings, while exploratory, largely support the assimilationist model, with a few contradictory results. We discuss these findings and their implications for understanding the current situation of Hispanics in the United States.     

Interdisciplinary Co-Facilitation of Support Groups for Parents of Children with Autism: An Opportunity for Professional Preparation

Skillful cofacilitation of groups provides group members with shared leadership, combined knowledge, and broadened problem-solving capability. Interdisciplinary cofacilitation offers group members different points of view and diverse professional expertise. This article presents a support group approach for parents of children diagnosed with autism and describes the benefits of interdisciplinary cofacilitation by social workers and early childhood special educators. The advantages and challenges of interdisciplinary cofacilitation are discussed.     

Lower-Status Participation and Influence:Task Structure Matters

Status hierarchies readily form in groups and , once established , limit lower-status group members' opportunities for contributing to and influencing group decisions . Recent findings , however , suggest that the type of task on which a group works may allow lower-status individuals to break through power and prestige orders in a cooperative way while conflicting with ideas of their higher-status group members . In this article , we review a research program that investigates how task structure relates to status and influence in small groups . In one experiment, using groups of three female students as participants , we found that open-structured tasks allow lower-status group members to participate , receive positive evaluations , and improve their status more than closed-structured tasks . In a second experiment, using groups of two female students and a female experimenter as participants , we found that open-structured tasks and lower-status confederates foster more divergent thinking and indirect influence than closed-structured tasks and higher-status sources . Our findings contribute to the understanding of how immediate problem-solving environments contribute to status change and influence in small groups.     

“Keeping It Real”: An Evaluation Audit of Five Years of Youth-Led Program Evaluation

Youth are increasingly seen as competent in participating in research and program evaluation, two activities previously reserved for adults. This article is a report of the findings from an evaluation audit of Stand Up! Help Out!, a participatory action after-school youth leadership development program for disadvantaged urban youth that utilized youth evaluations to develop a best practices service model. The youths' feedback assisted providers in improving services so that youth engagement in the program was 99% (by comparison with national highs of 79%). Here, the authors describe an important aspect of the process of youth-led program evaluation leading to such high youth engagement: how youth interviewed each other so as to optimize the authenticity of their program evaluations and contributions to program design. Drawing from over 5 years of program evaluation data collected by youth, the authors report on the youths' experiences as informants and coresearchers, consider strategies used to help youth best describe their experiences in the program, and describe implications for other settings looking to incorporate youth-led program evaluation. Youth-led program evaluation has considerable promise for helping service providers make programs more meaningful for disadvantaged youth.     

Gender, Hierarchy, and Leadership: An Introduction

Although women's status has improved remarkably in the 20th century in many societies, women continue to lack access to power and leadership compared with men. This issue reviews research and theory concerning women's leadership. The articles included in the issue provide evidence of bias in the evaluation of women, discuss effects of gender stereotypes on women's influence and leadership behaviors, and evaluate strategies for change. This introductory article provides a brief summary of changes in women's status and power in employment and education and the absence of change at the upper echelons of power in organizations. Also included is an outline of the contributions of the other articles in the issue.     

Hungary in transition: a computable general equilibrium model comparison with Austria

We approach the problem of Hungary's transformation from a partially centrally planned to a market-oriented economy with a cross-country comparison using two computable general equilibrium (CGE) models of Hungary, 1977 and 1986, and one of Austria, 1976. These three models represent a continuum of small open economies and allow a “quasidynamic” analysis using static CGE models. We examine two types of transformation issues: external (trade liberalization, import price reductions, and redirection of foreign trade; “Dutch Disease reversal”) and internal (decreases in subsidy levels). Overall, it is clear that with Hungary's borrowing constraints, liberalization should not be pursued in isolation; a change in the tax structure is necessary at the same time. The results for Austria indicate that liberalization brings smaller welfare improvements accompanied by smaller increases in the current account and government deficits.     

Conflict and Creativity in Groups

Consultants and researchers have long recognized the debilitating effects that conflict between group members can have on both group and individual outcomes . Yet less attention has been paid to the important role that conflict may play in helping generate innovative solutions to ill-structured problems . Furthermore , conflict (properly managed) is critical to the avoidance of groupthink (i . e ., the tendency to sacrifice quality decision making and problem solving for the sake of consensus and conflict avoidance) . What strategies can group members use to incorporate conflict , or more specifically , dissent in group problem solving? We argue that the delivery of dissenting opinions (negative evaluations) affects the extent to which dissent fosters creativity . We report the results of an experiment in which the target of negative evaluations was varied (e . g ., source of an idea vs . idea itself ) and compared to a condition in which no negative evaluations were incorporated . The results show that (1) creativity is higher in the conditions involving idea-targeted negative evaluations than source-targeted or no negative evaluations; (2) negative evaluations from others increase in conditions in which there are source-targeted negative evaluations and idea-targeted negative evaluations , compared to no negative evaluations; and (3) group members report higher levels of satisfaction when working under conditions involving idea-targeted negative evaluations , compared to source-targeted or no negative evaluations . We discuss the implications of this research for organizational settings , with particular attention to how they might inform the design of group decision support systems .     

Adolescents' Judgments of Doubly Deviant Peers: Implications of Intergroup and Intragroup Dynamics for Disloyal and Overweight Group Members

Group membership, loyalty, and weight are highly relevant for adolescent peer evaluations at school. This research tested how in‐group/out‐group membership affected judgments of peers who deviated from social norms for weight and loyalty. Two hundred and forty 11–13‐year‐olds (49 percent female; 94 percent Caucasian) judged two in‐group or out‐group peers: one was normative (loyal and average weight) and the other was non‐normative (i.e., ‘deviant’). The deviant target was overweight, disloyal to their own group (school), or both (‘doubly deviant’). Derogation of overweight relative to average weight peers was greater if they were in‐group rather than out‐group members, revealing a strong ‘black sheep effect’ for overweight peers. Disloyal out‐group deviants were judged favorably, but this effect was eliminated if they were doubly deviant, suggesting that their disloyalty was insufficient to overcome the overweight stigma. Consistent with developmental subjective group dynamics theory, effects of group membership and types of deviance on adolescents’ favorability toward peers were mediated by adolescents’ perceptions of how well the deviant members would ‘fit’ with the in‐group school. Implications for theory and strategies to reduce peer exclusion, particularly weight stigmatization, are considered.     

Delineating state groups through cluster analysis

This discussion is extracted from a larger research project in which an attempt is made to remedy the conceptual difficulties surrounding the “middle state” in international relations by defining the middle state vis-à-vis other types of states and without reference to any single dominant ontological framework. In this section of that project, the statistical technique of cluster analysis is used to demonstrate that the international state system contains three delineable state groups (labeled great, middle and small states). This article also demonstrates the use and usefulness of the cluster technique in international relations research.     

Interest group influence on the ideological orientations of local party activists

This paper uses a national survey of local Democratic and Republican Party officials to determine the extent to which interest group attempts to develop a formal organizational presence within the grassroots Democratic and Republican parties might push the parties towards taking more ideologically extreme positions. It is hypothesized that members of predominantly Democratic and Republican groups will be more ideologically extreme than other local party officials. The survey results provide support for the hypothesis. Group-influenced party activists tend to be more ideologically extreme than other party officials. However, while a large percentage of Democratic and Republican local party officials are members of interest groups, only a relatively small percentage reported being recruited to party activism through their group involvement. The survey provides little support for the thesis that interest groups have systematically tried to “take over” grassroots party organizations.     

THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO GROUP WORK APPROACHES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUTUAL SUPPORT GROUPS AMONG THE ELDERLY

Two major group work approaches were compared on their effectiveness in developing support groups among community based elderly. One approach, Type 1, was based on a discussion, group process type of format with a less structured and less directive leadership style than the Type 2 approach, which was more structured and task oriented, utilizing behavioral role play and analysis to enhance social and supportive skills. Group work participants were assigned to two Type 1, two Type 2, and two control groups. Results clearly suggest that the Type 1 group approach is more effective for the development and maintenance of mutual support groups among the elderly.     

The Importance of Status Legitimacy for Intergroup Attitudes Among Numerical Minorities

This study investigated whether the legitimacy of the status structure influences the interactive effects of group status and numerical representation on intergroup attitudes. Participants were randomly assigned to conditions in a 2 (level of status; high, low) by 2 (legitimacy of status; legitimate, illegitimate) by 2 (numerical representation; majority, minority) between-subjects design. The predicted three-way interaction indicated that, when status was illegitimate, majority groups with high status showed more ingroup bias than majority groups with low status, but minority groups with high status did not show more ingroup bias than their counterparts with low status. By comparison, when status was legitimate, high-status groups were more biased than low-status groups, regardless of numerical representation.     

Evidence of Empowerment in Resident Council Groups: An Examination of Two Leadership Models in Assisted Living

Individuals living in long-term care facilities and the professionals working with them are seeking methods to enhance resident choice and self-direction in personal care and internal community planning. This article presents findings from a study examining the incidence of empowerment opportunities in two resident council groups in assisted living facilities; one group used a resident leadership model and the other used an administrative leadership model by residents' choice. Results indicate that even with health and mental health challenges, residents were able to exercise choice in complicated situations under both leadership models, suggesting that resident council groups are a beneficial empowerment strategy.     

Aspects of a new world development strategy II: Factors affecting the long-term prospects of developing nations

This paper explores some quantitative dimensions of the interdependence of rich and poor regions in the context of the United Nations World Model. It extends the original work on that model in three ways: (1) by updating some of the key parameters and exogenous variables in the light of recent data; (2) by developing a “control” solution to be used as a point of reference in policy simulations; and (3) by exploring the sensitivities of each of two groups of regions— developed and developing—to changes in one another's growth rates. Goals of closing the income gap between developed and developing regions and of increasing income levels in the latter are discussed.     

Intergroup Evaluations and Norms about Learning Ability

Children's evaluations of classmates with learning difficulties tend to be less positive than their evaluations of classmates without learning difficulties; but it is not clear if these evaluations are associated with age, group norms, and group identification. These associations were examined within the context of inclusive elementary school classrooms. Participants (N = 192) were asked about their attitudes and their peers' attitudes towards children with or without learning difficulties. They were also asked to evaluate fictional target children who gave biased or unbiased opinions about children with or without learning difficulties. Results showed that group identification was predicted by age and group judgment. Participants with high group identification and judgment scores in favour of children without learning difficulties were inclined to believe other children would be similarly biased. However, most participants preferred the target child who gave unbiased opinions. Theoretical and educational implications are discussed.     

Explaining third-party success in gubernatorial elections: The cases of Alaska, Connecticut, Maine and Minnesota

In the 1990s alone, four states elected third-party governors. Walter Hickel of Alaska and Lowell Weicker of Connecticut were elected in 1990. Maine elected Angus King in 1994. And Jesse Ventura was elected governor of Minnesota in 1998. In this article, I examine these four cases in an attempt to identify the factors that contribute to third-party electoral success. I apply two models to these cases. The first model, “alternative culture,” holds that certain voters—regardless of specific context—are predisposed to support alternative candidates. The second model, “institutional context,” looks at factors such as name recognition, resources, and access to media as explanations of third-party success. I find that except for the influence of “partisan independence,” there is little evidence to support the persistence of an alternative culture of third-party voting. Rather, these four cases are linked by a context particularly favorable to these alternative candidates.     

Fitting in: Group effects and the evolution of fundamentalism

We provide an evolutionary model of conflict based on dyadic interactions within and between individuals drawn from a society containing fundamentalists and “others.” Thus, the paper presents an asymmetric game representation of group effects. Fundamentalist control of society is inversely related to the degree of social stratification, and fundamentalists’ intolerance of others. If, however, fundamentalism can be feigned (by displaying certain traits), then fundamentalists must balance their intolerance and insularity to take power. The model provides a novel means for distinguishing democratic versus open societies. This leads to a central result characterizing how fair and open societies can peacefully contravene fundamentalism.     

What works for whom? An analysis of active labour market programmes in Norway

This article examines whether some active labour market programmes (ALMP) targeted at social assistance recipients are more effective for some groups than for others in increasing self-sufficiency , i.e. gross earnings . The study focuses on the interaction between two types of programmes – employment programmes and training programmes – and the social charac-teristics of the participants. The data are derived from the pool of the entire population of social assistance recipients registered in Norway in 1995. The study adopts a quasi-experimental design. To handle selection bias, a matching procedure based on a propensity score approach is applied. Training programmes yield positive outcomes overall and for subgroups, whereas employment programmes produce no significant effects overall. However, for employment programmes there is an interaction effect between the likelihood of participation and outcome: beneficiaries with social characteristics (e.g. age, education, work experience) that are associated with a medium chance of participating experience a positive and significant increase in earnings. For those with lower and higher chances, the effect is negative. This points to the importance of conducting stratified analyses in effect evaluations. Thus, the results are also likely to be more relevant to policy makers.     

Five ways to ration capital: The case of a developing economy

The performances of two programming models and three “simple” investment rules, the benefit-cost ratio, internal rate of return, and present value to constrained cost ratio, are compared in solving a four-year capital rationing problem in a Latin American nation. The properties and advantages of the various approaches are discussed and policy conclusions are drawn. In addition, the effects of including project timing variants and political/ bureaucratic constraints are explored.