Distance-maintaining in infants' reaction to an adult stranger

In an infant-controlled experiment, 38 babies aged 9–10 months, while accompanied by their mothers, were confronted with a novel inanimate object and an unfamiliar person. Among them, 17 who approached both the toy and the stranger were labeled ‘bold,’ while 17 others approached the toy but not the stranger, and were classified as ‘shy.’ A comparison of the familiarization strategies displayed by these two groups in the stranger situation was performed. It showed (1) that no fear nor any clear-cut sign of negative affect towards the stranger appeared in either group; (2) that the same process of maintaining a distance between themselves and the stranger was apparent in all infants, bold as well as shy; and (3) that a main difference between the two groups was the pace at which they performed the same kind of distal familiarization. A reinterpretation of the function of distance-maintaining in infant reaction to strangers is proposed, whereby it is seen as a positive and appropriate social behavior, rooted in the conception of persons that infants of that age are believed to possess.     

Chernobyl's Effects on the Perceived Risks of Nuclear Power: A Small Sample Test

This paper presents the results of two risk perception surveys, one taken just before and one just after the accident at Chernobyl in May, 1985. The results show that Chernobyl affected short-term perceptions of nuclear power risks in ways that are predictable and measureable. In this sample, perceived levels of dread of nuclear power increased, perceived knowledge increased, and perceived severity decreased. Overall, the results are informative about how a single event could affect perceived risk characteristics.     

Accuracy and Confidence on the Interpersonal Perception Task: A Japanese-American Comparison

This study compared the accuracy and confidence of Japanese and American participants on the Interpersonal Perception Task (IPT-15). The IPT contains 15 brief, real-life scenes on videotape for which there are objectively correct answers about relationships and deception. A total of 344 participants were run in a 2 (Japanese vs. American participants) × 2 (Audiovisual vs. Visual-Only presentation) × 2 (Sex of participant) design. Support was found for the hypothesized greater accuracy of Americans over Japanese, but a Culture × Presentation Modality interaction qualified the main effect of culture. Specifically, Japanese and American participants had virtually identical scores on the IPT-15 in the Visual-Only condition, but Americans' scores increased while Japanese scores decreased in the Audiovisual condition. Analyses of the confidence measures indicated that American participants were much more confident than the Japanese participants, but this difference was larger in the Audiovisual condition than in the Visual-Only condition. In addition, the prediction that women would be more accurate on the IPT, but still report lower confidence than men, was also supported. Finally, Japanese participants with moderate proficiency in spoken English were more accurate on the IPT than those with low English proficiency. The likely processes underlying these differences and the possible directions for future research are discussed.     

Perception of Risks From Electromagnetic Fields: A Psychometric Evaluation of a Risk-Communication Approach

Potential health risks from exposure to power-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) have become an issue of significant public concern. This study evaluates a brochure designed to communicate EMF health risks from a scientific perspective. The study utilized a pretest-posttest design in which respondents judged various sources of EMF (and other) health and safety risks, both before reading the brochure and after. Respondents assessed risks on dimensions similar to those utilized in previous studies of risk perception. In addition, detailed ratings were made that probed respondents' beliefs about the possible causal effects of EMF exposure. The findings suggest that naive beliefs about the potential of EMF exposure to cause harm were highly influenced by specific content elements of the brochure. The implications for using risk-communication approaches based on communicating scientific uncertainty are discussed.     

消费者食品安全风险认知与风险规避行为分析

以风险认知理论为基础,通过实证研究探讨了消费者食品安全风险认知下的传播行为对风险规避行为的影响。研究发现,目前我国消费者普遍存在一种对食品安全风险担忧的情绪,食品安全风险认知下的传播行为较为活跃,且食品安全风险认知下的传播行为比风险认知本身更能预测消费者的风险规避行为。     

辱虐管理、心理安全感知与员工建言

基于中国组织情境中辱虐管理对员工建言行为影响的研究,认为企业上级领导实施辱虐管理,首先会削弱员工的心理安全感,继而影响员工建言行为,心理安全感知是辱虐管理与员工建言之间的关系的中介。此外,研究结论还表明,辱虐管理对心理安全感知的削弱作用会受到员工不确定性规避特质的影响,对于高不确定性规避的员工而言,企业上级领导实施辱虐管理,此类员工感受到的"心理不安全"更强。最后,以来自新疆维吾尔自治区2家石化企业中的258名员工和102名上级领导的配对数据验证了以上理论假设。     

政策传播视角下农业保险购买行为研究

加强农业保险政策宣传、贴近农户内在需求,是促进农户购买农业保险的先行手段。基于湖南、湖北、河南3省985份农户微观调查数据,结合传播学中“自我互动”理论和趋同心理,构建三阶段最小二乘法（3SLS）系统估计联立方程,考察政策传播下农户购买农业保险行为的内在机制。结果显示,政策宣传会通过提高农户的内部农业保险认知度和外界舆论感知度对农业保险购买行为产生积极作用。两条作用路径相比较,政策认知度的影响更为显著。此外,随着年龄和收入的增加,农户的农业保险购买决策会从倾向于内在政策认知度偏向于外在舆论感知度,而教育水平的增加则会使政策认知度的作用更加显著。因此,政府相关部门应该加强政策性农业保险信息宣传工作,重视农户对农业保险的内在需求,营造良好的投保舆论环境。     

Cellular Telephone,New Products,and the CPI

Since their introduction in 1983, cellular telephones' adoption has grown at 25%–35% per year. At year end 1997, about 55 million cellular telephones were in use in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) did not know that cellular telephones existed, at least in terms of calculating the Consumer Price Index (CPI), until 1998 when they were finally included in the CPI. Omitting cellular telephones from the CPI created a significant bias. I estimate a bias in the BLS estimate of the telecommunications-services index of between .8%–1.9% per year because of the omission of the cellular telephone. Rather than telecommunications-service prices increasing at about 1.1% per year, the correct calculation has them decreasing at about .8% per year. Omission of new goods from the CPI, for significant periods of time, leads to important bias in the calculation of the CPI.     

欺骗并胁迫而索财行为之定性研究

诈骗罪和敲诈勒索罪的教义学结构决定了一个行为不能同时构成诈骗罪和敲诈勒索罪。考察欺骗并胁迫而索财行为的性质,不能以被害人的实际心理状态为依据,也不能以行为人的主观认识为标准,而必须借助于社会一般观念对行为的客观性质进行分析。以欺骗、胁迫、索财三个行为要素之间的关系为切入点,可将欺骗并胁迫而索财的行为分为单一胁迫型、单一欺骗型、以骗为主型和以吓为主型四种行为类型。对于单一欺骗型与以骗为主型的欺骗并胁迫而索财行为而言,行为人的欺骗行为起到了根本性的作用,它为行为人的索财行为提供了正当性依据,因而成立诈骗罪;对于单一胁迫型与以吓为主型的欺骗并胁迫而索财行为而言,行为人的胁迫行为发挥了关键的作用,它是行为人的索财行为得以进行的事实保障,因而成立敲诈勒索罪。     

焦虑情绪、风险认知与邻避冲突的实证研究——以北京垃圾填埋场为例

以北京六里屯垃圾填埋场为个案,通过描述统计、多元回归分析等统计方法,对填埋场周边民众的焦虑情绪、风险认知和邻避态度三者状况及其内在关联进行实证分析。研究发现:近3/4的居民属中度以上焦虑,近6成居民邻避态度强烈;焦虑情绪与邻避态度具有显著的正相关关系;在风险认知的4个因素——生活品质、环境污染、身体健康、补偿意愿中,补偿意愿与邻避态度存在显著的负相关关系,生活品质、环境污染、身体健康三者均与邻避态度呈显著的正相关关系。