Kann der regionale Kontext zur „Arbeitslosenfalle“ werden?

The focus of this paper is on mobility between local labour markets. Using multilevel data, the effect of local unemployment on mobility between local labour markets is investigated. A distinction is made between several dimensions of unemployment: (1) unemployment as a status in the life course at the individual level, (2) unemployment duration, (3) the unemployment rate at the regional level. One of the main results contradicts neoclassical economics: the rate of mobility between local labour markets decreases with increasing local unemployment. In a sense, persons become “trapped” in the local context because under bad labour market conditions unemployed persons, too, tend to immobility. As a result, a devaluation of human capital might be possible.     

Positive Effekte sozialen Faulenzens beim Lösen komplexer Probleme

The term “social loafing” refers to a decrease in motivation and achievement in group work due to sinking responsibility of the individual for the groups’ outcome. Recent studies assume a paradoxical relation between motivation and outcome, which should produce better outcome with decreased motivation. The current study addresses this question. Two experiments with N=60 subjects working in groups of 3 are reported. Subjects had to deal with a computer simulated scenario of a fire fighting situation. There was a simple and a more complex version; also, individual responsibility for the groups’ outcome was either given (coactive condition) or not (collective condition). During experiment 1, subjects could only deal with their own section of the scenario; in experiment 2, they were allowed to work on the whole field. Dependent variables were effort (in terms of commands given) and achievement (in terms of space saved). It turned out that under collective responsibility effort was reduced but this did not lead to decreased achievement. Under the complex condition, with decreased effort even an increase in achievement could be demonstrated. Implications for the collective effort model presented by Karau and Williams are discussed.     

Nonverbal behavior in families with adolescents

In fifty-three families, mothers, fathers and one adolescent were videotaped discussing two issues relevant to the adolescent's behavior: the aspects of their behavior they could change, and rules appropriate to life in the family. Family members later watched these videotapes and rated themselves and each other every 15 seconds on levels of perceived anxiety, involvement, strength and friend-liness. From these videotapes, each family member's behavior was also coded for the use of smiles, various face and head movements and gestures. Results revealed that adolescents looked frequently at both parents, but parents looked even more at each other and the adolescent. Adolescents smiled more than their parents, while mothers smiled and nodded their heads more than fathers. More nonverbal expresivity occurred in conversations between parents and daughters than between parents and sons, although these results were mainly due to the behavior of fathers with daughters. Ratings of involvement by parents were related to the adolescent's nonverbal behaviors, but other ratings were not. Mothers rated adolescents as more involved when they used more head up movements and nods. Fathers rated adolescents as more involved when they gazed and smiled more.     

Kriminalitätsfurcht — Ausdruck generalisierter ängste und schwindender gewissheiten?

Die vorliegende Studie ist mit der empirischen überprüfung der Generalisierungsthese in der Kriminalit?tsfurchtforschung befasst. Nach der Generalisierungsthese handelt es sich bei Kriminalit?tsfurcht nicht um eine spezifische Reaktion auf Kriminalit?tsrisiken, sondern um eine Projektion sozialer und existenzieller ?ngste, die aus gesellschaftlichen Transformationsprozessen gespeist werden. Kriminalit?t dient dabei als Metapher, um die transformationsbedingten ?ngste artikulierbar zu machen. Anhand von Befragungsdaten aus einer ?sterreichischen Stadt kann gezeigt werden, dass ein solches Verst?ndnis der Entstehung kriminalit?tsbezogener Unsicherheitsgefühle durchaus angemessen ist. Ein aus der Generalisierungsthese abgeleitetes Strukturgleichungsmodell kann die Daten besser reproduzieren als ein konkurrierendes „disorder”-Modell.     

Kommunikationsprobleme in Teams mit hoher aufgabenbezogener Diversität: Ursachen und Möglichkeiten zur Intervention

This paper starts with an analysis, based on the communication theories of Schulz von Thun (2000) and Clark (1996), of the reasons why teams with a high task-related diversity are particularly susceptible to communication problems. To reduce communication problems, a modularly composed training- and team-development concept, which applies on “individual” and “team” levels, is subsequently presented. Communication problems are defined as failure in understanding as well as low level of task-related openness and as absence of esteem and acceptance between communicating participants.     

Emergenz und Reduktion

The micro-macro-link is a common problem in nearly every scientific field. In contemporary philosophy of mind a new concept of emergence has been developed which could also be useful for sociology. After a brief overview of the debate in the field of philosophy of mind, three different answers to the micro-macro problem are being distinguished and then transferred to sociology: an eliminative (e.g. R. Collins), a reductionist (e.g. rational choice theories) and a non-reductive answer based on the concept of emergence (e.g. Emile Durkheim, and, partly, N. Luhmann). Using the argument of “multiple realization” the article argues for a “conceptual dualism”.