A questionnaire measure of individual differences in stimulus screening and associated differences in arousability

This paper presents the rationale for a questionnaire measure of individual differences in stimulus screening—namely, individual differences in automatic (i.e., not conceptual or intentional) screening of irrelevant stimuli and rapid habituation to distracting, irrelevant stimuli. The information rate-arousal hypothesis implies that screeners who impose a hierarchy of importance or pattern on the various components of a complex situation thereby reduce its information rate and should be less arousable than nonscreeners. In confirmation of these theoretical notions, the primary component of the questionnaire, low arousability, was directly correlated with the second component, speed of habituation to intense stimuli, and with all other components representing screening in various sense modalities. That is, all components of the questionnaire were intercorrelated and represented a unitary dimension of individual differences in information processing. Also, as predicted, screeners were underrepresented among characteristically aroused persons and among females relative to males. The final 40-item questionnaire, which consists of nine intercorrelated components, is balanced to control for acquiescence and is free of social desirability bias. Applications of the measure in studies of environmental psychology are discussed.The author is grateful to Leo Collins for his assistance in writing items for Study 1 and keypunching the data obtained in that study. He also wishes to express his thanks to William Fishman and Paula Sapon, who assisted in writing more items for Study 2, helped run that study, and keypunched the data.     

Do statements about desired family size predict fertility? the case of Taiwan, 1967–1970

The predictive accuracy of respondents' statements about their future fertility is examined, using interview data from a longitudinal study conducted in Taiwan. Two measures of preference are found to be highly intercorrelated; and regardless of which one is used, Taiwanese women are shown to predict their subsequent fertility at least as well as U.S. women. The preference measures are also predictive of rates of contraceptive use and abortion. While demographic and social characteristics are correlated with fertility in expected directions, statements about wanting more children prove to be highly predictive of subsequent fertility for both modern and less advanced segments of the population.     

Learning empathy through literature

ABSTRACT

In the field of organization studies, little consideration has thus far been devoted to the study of literature. The lacuna in the extant scholarship is unfortunate insofar as there is much to be gained for researchers interested in understanding organization to critically engage with literature. As an illustrative example of how literature can inform myriad pertinent discourses in organization studies, in this piece we study the question of empathy. That is, we describe just some of what may be gleaned about empathy from literature using anecdotes from a pedagogical exercise. Finally, we close this piece with a brief overview of the articles selected for this special issue.     

Evaluation of an experimental short interview form designed to collect fertility data: The case of Peru

A comparison is made of demographic data gathered using an experimental short interview form with that from the more traditional in-depth fertility and contraceptive KAP interview. The short form is weakest in measuring current fertility, somewhat more adequate in measuring cumulative fertility, and about equally as effective as the depth interview in measuring infant/child mortality. Most of the deficiency in the quality of the short-interview data can be attributed to accepting information from other household members or neighbors when the woman herself was not available.     

Zero growth of the population of the United States

It is sometimes said that there is no population problem in the United States because the U.S. fertility rate is approximately at the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman. However the population of the United States increased in 1992 by approximately three million people. There are two major causes of continued population growth even when fertility is approximately at the replacement level. One is population momentum; the other is immigration. This paper examines what must be done if we want to achieve zero growth of the population of the United States immediately, without the long delays caused by population momentum.     

Living arrangements of widows in the United States and Israel, 1960 and 1961

One of the neglected areas in the study of the social structure of the family is that of widowhood, the last stage in the family life cycle. A study of living arrangements of the widowed provides an opportunity to examine the kinship solidarity of a society and to point up in bold relief the influence of a variety of factors that contribute to the residential patterns of the widowed. The data in this study were drawn from the 1960 Census of the United States and the 1961 Census of Israel, the latest which offer comparable data. Five ethnic-religious groups are examined in Israel and eight in the United States. Goode and others have stated that family modernization is a universal trend, and this is borne out by the results of this study. The small family system shows that age and children ever born are the most important predictors of living alone among the widowed in both countries. Otherwise, among the 13 ethnic-religious and ethnic-racial groups there is a general similarity of the importance of the variables in the total prediction scheme.     

Indicators of elite status in persons aged over 60 years: A study of Elderhostelers

One definition of elite status as applied to successful aging makes reference to self-actualizing behavior. Elderhostelers as a group were considered to evidence such behavior. The aims of the study were to compare Elderhostelers with reference norms on indicators of behavioral style and basic function capabilities, and to assess structural relationships among the indicators. Our primary hypothesis was that behavioral style is more indicative of successful aging than functional age; consequently, the behavioral style indicators were predicted to differentiate the Elderhostelers from reference norms more strongly than the basic function indicators. The prediction was confirmed in that greatest differentiation was obtained on four behavioral style indicators: psychological hardiness, low anxiety, cognitive ability, and habitual physical activity level. With respect to structure, the personality indicators clustered more with basic function variables than with each other.     

Eurocentrism: a worldwide phenomenon with regional peculiarities

In this article I will heuristically remove the term Eurocentrism from its negative connotations. I describe Eurocentrism as a structure of, and for, cognition, whose constituent components of rational logic and objectivity continue to have validity for gaining scientific knowledge. Such a view of Eurocentrism starts with the origin of the phenomenon, not with its effects. Further, its driving forces can be detailed, as they ‐ until the present ‐ have been interpreted mostly phenomenologically and not analytically. Here, Eurocentrism shall be defined as a phenomenon that, across space and time, has become a productive force for the development of man and nature from the Enlightenment to the present day.