Preferences For Labels Research Articles

Correlates of racial label use among Americans of African descent: Colored, Negro, Black, and African American

This article investigates the influence of sociodemographic factors on the choice of racial labels among adult Black Americans. Through three surveys we analyzed the preference for Colored, Negro, Black, Afro-American, or African American: the 1971 and 1992 Detroit Area Studies and the 1979–1980 National Survey of Black Americans. No label was universally accepted nor was any determinant consistently significant. Age was the best predictor of label preference, and though less so, so too were social class, region, and gender.

PREDICTORS OF RACIAL LABEL PREFERENCE IN DETROIT: EXAMINING TRENDS FROM 1971 TO 1992

This study examined African Americans' racial label preferences at two time points using data collected in the 1971 and 1992 Detroit Area Studies. Survey respondents chose from the following racial labels: Black, Negro, Colored, Afro-American, African American, or no preference/it makes no difference which label. At both time points, there were significant differences in age and education by preferred labels but gender and income differences by preferred labels were not statistically significant. Racial label preference was associated with protest ideology and perceptions of Whites' discriminatory intent in 1971 and with perceptions of Whites' discriminatory intent in 1992. In multivariate analyses, age, gender, protest ideology, and the perception of Whites' intent were significant predictors of emergent racial labels. Suggestions for future research on the relationship between institutional inequality, self-designation, and identity were discussed.

Driver Preferences for Adjustable Distance Control Labels for an Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) System

This study investigated driver preferences for labels of adjustable distance controls for an adaptive cruise control (ACC) system. Thirty-six participants were introduced to the concept of ACC by using a computer prototype of an ACC system. Participants were asked to provide their preferences for labels for two types of adjustable distance controls: one type that adjusts both speed and distance (shared controls) and another that adjusts only distance (separate control). For shared controls, participants preferred the labels ACC/DEC over ‘+/-’ and ACC/COAST. The labels preferred for the separate control were NEAR/FAR as opposed to symbols (arrows or chevrons). Due to some confusion that may arise from the abbreviations on the shared controls, additional investigations into appropriate labels, with the emphasis on international use (i.e., symbols), are recommended. Finally, because these preferences were obtained through the use of a computer prototype of ACC, usability tests should be conducted on the road to validate the results.

Racial Self-Designation, Racial Identity, and Self-Esteem Revisited

The present study examined the relationships among racial self-designation, racial identity attitudes, self-esteem, and demographic variables in a diverse sample ofM232AfricanAmericans. Reasonsfor particular racial self-designations were explored qualitatively. Results indicated significant differences in prefer-ences for particular racial labels; 41% preferred Black and 30%o preferred African American. A content analysis of reasons for preferences indicated that participants preferring the term Black primarily appeared to have no particular ideological reasonfor choosing that term. However, those participants preferring the term African American indicated reasons related to its symbolic, political, and cultural meaning. Furthermore, preencounter and immersion racial identity attitudes varied significantly, according to racial self-designation. Gender, income level, and educational level were each significantly correlated with various racial identity attitudes. The implications of the results and the limitations of the study are also discussed.

Gender Labels and Play Styles: Their Relative Contribution to Children's Selection of Playmates

The relative contribution of gender labels and play styles (masculine or feminine) in playmate selection was evaluated in 60 children between the ages of 4 and 8 years using a novel interview measure. In the interview, when targets' gender labels and targets' play styles were presented as independent dimensions, children showed predicted sex differences in preferences for gender labels and for play styles (including toys, rough-and-tumble play, and activity level). However, when targets' gender labels and targets' play styles were presented as competing dimensions, boys of all ages chose female targets with masculine play styles over male targets with feminine play styles. In contrast, younger girls (4-5-year-olds) chose female targets with masculine play styles, whereas older girls (6-8-year-olds) chose male targets with feminine play styles. This suggests possible sex differences in the contribution of gender labels and of play styles in the development of children's preferences for same-sexed playmates.

Automated auditory brainstem response interpretation

The authors report a complete automated system for auditory brainstem response (ABR) identification and waveform recognition. The goal was to develop an automated analysis methodology that would facilitate the clinical use of auditory brainstem responses by reducing the time required to manually label and measure absolute and interpeak latencies. The system presented here accomplished this goal, supplying not only threshold information, but also additional diagnostically significant information. In addition, such an automated system will standardize the labeling process, which can vary depending on the labeling preference of individual clinicians. There are currently no commercially available systems capable of labeling ABR peaks or interpreting results originating from a wide range of stimulation intensities. The system developed in this study performs both peak labeling and assessment functions. >

What's in a name? The moderating role of public self-consciousness on the relation between brand label and brand preference.

What's in a name? The moderating role of public self-consciousness on the relation between brand label and brand preference.

A survey of prescription label preferences among community pharmacy patrons.

Fifty-five randomly selected community pharmacy patrons were surveyed regarding their preferences between four different prescription labels. The variables displayed on the four labels were: (i) laser printed, (ii) dot-matrix printed, (iii) glossy surface, and (iv) matt surface. The study population was stratified by age and gender. Statistical analysis of the results indicated a clear preference by all groups for the laser printed labels (P less than 0.001), and the only other statistically significant finding was the preference for the matt surface (P less than 0.05) of females between the ages of 16 and 39. The implications for these differences on label readability are discussed, and recommendations are offered for the use of improved laser technology for computer-generated prescription labels.

Making life easier for computer novices: some factors determining initial performance

A link between subjects' preferences for certain labels over others in an Electronic Mail System (EMS) and their performance was established in an earlier study conducted in a pen/paper format. The same tasks were completed on a computer in this study to test the extent to which pen/paper studies may be indicative of subsequent performance on a computer. This link was found to be quite strong. Three further experiments, also carried out on the computer, isolated two other factors of importance for novices in their initial interaction with a computer. Pre-experimental training on a single task eliminated any effects of vocabulary, regardless of whether or not the serial position of items presented on the screen was randomized between trials, and of whether subjects saw the same or different lists of labels in the pre-experimental and the experimental phase. It was concluded that position constancy of items presented on the screen and knowledge of task requirements are as important for determining initial performance for novices as vocabulary.

Towards a solution to vocabulary problems in computing: a measure of goodness of fit

Three experiments are reported in the following study which explored people's preferences for certain labels in the context of electronic mail and the extent to which such preferences may be indicative of performance using these. Two measures of ‘goodness of fit’ were used to assess the degree to which short labels describing typical service elements provided in such systems matched descriptions of these services. In Experiment 1 three different labels were tested for each of 16 services. The data showed that people clearly preferred generic over technical labels. This was confirmed in Experiment 2 which employed a different method of measurement. A simulation of an electronic mail system was prepared in a pen/paper format for Experiment 3 to assess the link between preferences and performance. This was found to be quite high in some of the tasks.