Social Individual Characteristics Research Articles

Two routes to managing diversity: individual differences or social group characteristics

Should managing diversity be seen as an attack on, or a contribution to, attempts to achieve greater workplace equality? Reviews US practitioner literature and US and UK research on the operation of equal opportunities policies. Suggests that there are two distinct strands to managing diversity approaches: one focusing on individual differences, the other on social group characteristics. Assesses the consequences both of a policy focus on differences and an individual versus a group approach to identifying these. Argues that both managing diversity and equal opportunity approaches could provide useful lessons.

Social-individual characteristics of patients with syphilis

Social-individual characteristics of patients with syphilis

The influence of dentofacial appearance on the social attractiveness of young adults

The purpose of the study was to determine whether the social attractiveness of a young adult would be influenced by his or her dentofacial appearance. Black and white photographs of an attractive male, an unattractive male, an attractive female, and an unattractive female were obtained and modified so that, for each face, five different photographic versions were available. In each version, the face was standardized except that a different dentofacial arrangement was demonstrated. These were normal incisors, prominent incisors, absence of upper left lateral incisor, severely crowded incisors, and unilateral cleft lip. Eight hundred young adults were shown one of the twenty photographs and asked to estimate the represented individual's social characteristics along a number of bipolar scales. Each photograph was viewed by a different group of forty young adults, equally divided as to sex. Their impressions of the depicted individuals' social attractiveness were recorded on visual analogue scales. The experimental procedure was such that the effect and interaction of different levels of facial attractiveness, different dentofacial arrangements, sex of the photographed individual, and sex of the judge could be analyzed. Faces displaying a normal incisor relationship gained the most favorable ratings for eight of the ten characteristics examined, and in four of these differences across the range of dental conditions were statistically significant. These were perceived friendliness, social class, popularity, and intelligence. The prominent incisor condition was rated highest for compliance and honesty, while the condition representing a unilateral cleft consistently attracted low ratings. Background facial attractiveness of either the male or female stimuli was often more assertive than the individual dental condition. The hypothesis that young adults with a normal dental appearance would be judged to be more socially attractive over a range of personal characteristics was upheld.

Effects of an insulin infusion pump and the label "diabetes" on observers' judgments of an individual's personality and social characteristics.

Summary The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the effects of labeling an individual as diabetic and the effects of wearing an insulin infusion pump (IIP) on observers' perceptions of such individuals' personality characteristics. Thirty female and 30 male college students were asked to view a photograph of a female and to speculate on the personality characteristics, social skills, and psychological problems they expected this female to have. S s were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. Half of the S s were told that the female was diabetic and half were given no label. Within each of these groups, half of the S s viewed the female wearing an IIP and half viewed the female without an IIP. The results indicated that the diabetic was rated as more socially acceptable and skilled and had fewer psychological problems. Presence of the IIP had little impact. It was concluded that college students' stigma-related self-report may differ from actual behavior.

The Structure of Electoral Political Participation

Research on electoral political participation frequently combines voting and campaing activity into a single scale and adopts the Michigan social-psychological perspective on political behavior. Using Canadian data, we find that (1) voting and campaing activity are qualitatively different forms of activity that need to be examined separately, and (2) the Michigan model, with its emphasis on individual interests and beliefs as the primary determinatn of political activities, applies to voting behavior but not to campaing activity. A "public-arena" model that distinguishes whether an individual was contacted to participate in campaign activities is suggested in its place. Results indicate hta, net of all else, being recruited to participate in campaing activity by 50%. Analyses suggest that an explanation of who is likely to be recruited should include both individual status and social network characteristics. Implications of the findings for a democratic polity are noted.

Contextual dissonance effects: nature and causes.

Contextual consonance or dissonance refers to the concordance of, or the discrepancy between, the individual's social characteristics and those of the population by which he is surrounded. Although a number of advantageous consequences have been shown to issue from contextual dissonance, self-esteem is not one of them. This article seeks to account for the deleterious effect of contextual dissonance on self-esteem by examining the nature of dissonant communications environments, dissonant cultural environments, and dissonant comparison reference groups.

Research: Social Origins of American Scholars: A Reevaluation

give credence to popular stereotype of Catholic Church as a dogmatic and authoritarian institution that restricts free thought and is particularly hostile to science. authors thus concluded that the conspicuous dearth of scientists among Catholics suggests that tenets of church are not consonant with scientific endeavor. Assertions like these have appeared in a number of studies conducted over several decades on social origins of American scientists and scholars (E.C. Thorndike, The Origins of Superior Men, Scientific Monthly, Vol. 56, 1943; A. Roe, 77m? Making of a Scientist, Dodd, Mead, 1952; R. H. Knapp and H. B. Goodrich, Origins of American University of Chicago Press, 1952; J. L. Holland, Undergraduate Origins of American Scientists, Science, September 1957; D. L. Thistlethwaite, College Environments and Development of Talent, Science, July 1959). assumption running through these studies is that groups high in productivity have values that are compatible with science and intellectual achievement, whereas groups low in productivity lack appropriate set of values. most recent example of this sort is a study by Kenneth R. Hardy on Social Origins of American Scientists and Scholars, published in Science (August 1974). ensuing controversy was at times heated, sparking at least one mention in a nationally syndicated newspaper column and a great many letters to editor. Hardy's study is based on published data on baccalaureate origins of students who eventually received their doctorates. Although he does not have data on social characteristics of individuals who receive doctorates, he can identify some characteristics of baccalaureate institutions that have been relatively successful in producing future PhDs. On this basis, he attempts to draw certain inferences concerning factors associated with a high level of scholarly productivity. It is important to underscore fact that productivity is defined and measured solely in terms of PhD production. A college producing talented writers and artists, dedicated social workers, competent doctors, ministers, and businessmen, or simply educated men and women would not be considered productive by criterion employed. Still, it is certainly valid to ask, as Hardy does, what kinds of colleges produce how many PhDs. However, Hardy goes far beyond this and tends to construe a low rate of productivity as evidence of a defective intellectual and cultural ethos.

Social Rank, Residential Effects and Community Satisfaction

Building on the work of Robert Park, Eshref Shevky, Scott Greer and studies of contextual effects, this article inquires into the impact of residence in neighborhoods of varying social rank on peoples' satisfaction with their communities. An aggregate-survey data file on four cities is used to test three hypotheses. Earlier studies have reported little interactive relationship between individual and contextual characteristics on community evaluations. The findings reported here suggest that self-selection factors are at work producing the spurious appearance of a zero relationship. However, even with the effects of neighborhood change controlled, no support is found for the hypothesis that individuals who inhabit neighborhoods of comparable social rank would be more satisfied with their community than those in dissimilar neighborhoods. In addition, the evidence fails to demonstrate an interactive relationship between individual and city social rank characteristics on community feelings. Finally, limited support is found for a predicition that community feelings would be a multiplicative function of relative economic stake and frequency of neighborhood contacts.

The Dissonant Religious Context and Emotional Disturbance

Contextual dissonance refers to a situation in which the individual's social characteristics differ from those of the population by which he is surrounded. Data from a sample of high-school students suggest that children reared in a dissonant religious context are somewhat more likely to have low self-esteem, to manifest psychosomatic symptoms of anxiety, and to experience depressive affect. Experiences of prejudice appear to contribute to these results. Among those in dissonant contexts, children reared in "culturally dissimilar" neighborhoods appear more likely than others to manifests symptoms of emotional disturbance.

The Influence of Family Size on Some Aspects of Teen-Agers' Attitudes, Behavior and Perceptions of Home Life

From his concept of self to his interpretation of sensory impressions the individual is shaped within the limits of his biological heritage by his experience. This experience is not be interpreted as merely personal but carries with it the impact of the culture in which he lives. The quality and variety of such experience is normally dependent to a great extent upon the type of family setting within which it takes place. All established schools of sociological and psychological thought accord great importance to the family as a determinant of or at least a major influence upon personal and social development and adjustment. There are many variables in terms of which families can be classified one of the most obvious being sheer size. Clearly as the size of family increases the number of relationships and experiences which may occur within it are multiplied. It would seem reasonable to hypothesize therefore that family influences the formation of personality. Numerous questions are posed by such a broad general hypothesis: Are there differences in the personal and social characteristics of individuals related to the size of their families which are measurable by behavioral scientists with currently available methods? What are the specific personal and social characteristics most greatly and directly affected by variation in family size? In a study of eighth and eleventh grade students in Michigan reported in 1952 Nye found that adolescents relations with their parents as evaluated by themselves indicated that children from smaller families had better adjustments to their parents than those from larger families. (excerpt)