Levels Of Integrative Complexity Research Articles

Understanding the Role of Linguistic Complexity in Famous Trial Outcomes

Famous trials not only generate immense popularity and intrigue, they also have the power to change history. Surprisingly, little research examines the use of complex language during these culturally-significant trial outcomes. In the present study, we helped fill in this gap by evaluating the relationship between attorneys’ use of integratively complex language and trial outcomes. Using the well-validated Automated Integrative Complexity scoring system, we analyzed the complexity of language in the opening and closing statements of famous trials. We found that higher levels of integrative complexity led to a significant increase in winning outcomes, but only for the prosecution. Further, this effect was driven by elaborative forms of complexity and not dialectical forms of complexity. Taken together, these results fill a large gap in our understanding of how language might influence the outcomes of culturally-significant legal proceedings.

Group-level integrative complexity: Enhancing differentiation and integration in group decision-making

Decision-making in organizations is often complex and involves groups, which have access to the pool of perspectives and knowledge their members hold individually. However, groups frequently fail to use their full decision-making potential. The concept of integrative complexity (IC) captures how complex decision-making profits from the differentiation and integration of diverse perspectives and knowledge. In a laboratory experiment with 4 conditions ( N = 12 groups of 4 students per condition), we found that group dissent enhanced differentiation and a stepwise recapitulation of the group discussion enhanced integration, thereby raising group-level IC. Dissent groups who performed a stepwise recapitulation reached the highest levels of group IC compared to ordinary dissent groups, consent groups, and individuals working alone. They also exceeded their own best member and achieved an equal level of IC to that of the best members of nominal groups. The study contributes to the body of research identifying factors that support groups in exploiting their potential and reaching more informed decisions and judgments.

Philosophical investigations on integrative complexity

Integrative complexity (IC) refers to a psychological construct, a measurement, and an experience. As a construct IC refers to our less than conscious thinking style in the face of difference or disagreement, how we process information, make decisions, solve problems. The cross-culturally validated empirical measurement frame of IC has predictive values. ’Low IC’ indicates a simple thinking style that is rigid and closed, a ’tunnel vision’ way of thinking that cannot respect or recognize different dimensions or perspectives on a topic, predicting destructive conflict or violence. An increasingly complex thinking style is able to ’see the big picture’, to differentiate and then integrate different dimensions and perspective on topics, linking them in some way, predicting more peaceful outcomes to conflict. As an experience, IC refers to less or more awareness of thoughts, emotion, and physical states in self and others related to IC management. The IC Thinking Research Group (University of Cambridge) pioneered the ’operationalization’ of the IC measure into an educational method, program and professional practices. The coding system i.e. empirical measurement frame, has been developed further to take elaborative aspects into account. The two components of complex thinking, differentiation and integration can each be broken down in two sub-components, elaborative and dialectical. In order to clarify the pros and cons of integrative complexity theory and its further developments in IC Thinking, it is useful to investigate its philosophical background. The theory and its applications are essentially dealing with language and the skill to use words or concepts. However it should be noted that besides the skills an essential part of the theory and its applications deals with our unconscious processes that are not explicitly controllable. An alternative for a philosophy of language behind the theory of integrative complexity is to consider an application of the use theory of meaning to explain its central components. Minimalist theory of fiction (MTF) was developed to explain the philosophical problems of fiction, but can also be applied to integrative complexity. Using words in different situations requires an ability to read contextual cues in order to follow the correct rules for the uses of words in particular contexts [1] . From these philosophical grounds, the theory of integrative complexity (IC) appears as a totality of the language games people are playing. One may be limited to one game, which means separating oneself from others, considering this game to be ultimately defining the correct uses of words. When one recognizes alternative games going on, it means reaching higher levels of IC. What is crucial is that this does not require a person to reject their core beliefs, since they may still be true. This approach challenges IC theory to improve its coding system but also offers possibilities for further developments and applications. [1] This ability, ’sensitivity to context’, is a key part of the IC management capacity. Article visualizations:

Creativity under workload pressure and integrative complexity: The double-edged sword of paradoxical leadership

Modern-day organizations often demand creativity, but motivating creativity under unfavorable conditions such as high workload pressure is difficult. Integrating paradox theory and social cognitive theory, we conceptualize creativity as a process that involves tensions among competing goals and demands, and those tensions become salient under high workload pressure. We propose that learning to constructively deal with such salient tensions is important for the development of creativity and that paradoxical leader behavior (PLB) may stimulate creativity by enhancing employees’ creative self-efficacy (CSE) in such challenging situations. However, PLB will only promote CSE and employee creativity when employees have a high level of integrative complexity to accept and appreciate the complex and paradoxical behaviors of the leader. Based on data from 252 employee-supervisor dyads, we found that through CSE, PLB was most effective in promoting employee creativity when workload pressure and integrative complexity were both high. However, PLB was less effective for promoting CSE and creativity when workload pressure was low, or when workload pressure was high while integrative complexity was low. Implications and limitations of our research are discussed.

Увеличение интегративной сложности у осужденных террористов в Индонезии

Located in Indonesia, the aim of the present study was to test the dynamics of integrative complexity of convicted terrorists in a series of dialogs set by the researchers. It was expected that if the meeting containing ideas related to humanity, peace, and intergroup harmony could be able to make the attendees stay until the end, cognitive complexity of the last meeting would be higher than the first meeting. Fifty nine statements were randomly collected from thirty eight convicted terrorists who participated in the meeting. The statements, then, were scored based on the level of cognitive complexity. A measure of cognitive complexity showed significant (Wilks’ Lambda = .748, F (3, 56) = 6.30, p < .001, partial eta2 = .252) increase during the process of the four meetings; compared to meeting 1, the level of integrative complexity in meeting 2, 3, and 4 were consistently higher. The findings indicate the possibility to increase the level of integrative complexity of the members of terrorist groups in a series of dialogs by highlighting the discussion about humanity and peace.

Ideologically Motivated Perceptions of Complexity

While prior research has found linguistic complexity to be predictive across multiple domains, little research has examined how people perceive—or misperceive—linguistic complexity when they encounter it. Drawing from a model of the motivated ideological lens through which people view linguistic complexity, two studies examined the hypotheses that (a) participants are more likely to overestimate the complexity of political candidates when they believe they align with their own political views and (b) this complexity overestimation effect will be particularly strong for political liberals. Both studies presented participants with paragraphs from political candidates that varied in their actual integrative complexity levels and asked them to estimate the complexity of the paragraph. Consistent with expectations, Study 1 found that participants were significantly more likely to overestimate complexity levels for political candidates with whom they shared ideological beliefs and that this effect was particularly in evidence for political liberals. Study 2 replicated this basic pattern and further demonstrated that this effect was dependent on participants’ knowledge of their ideological agreement with the paragraph author. Because people misperceive linguistic complexity, researchers should move beyond thinking solely about how complex political rhetoric is; we have to also consider the degree that the intended audience may over- or underestimate complexity when they see it.

Corporate Communication and Worker Perceptions of Conflict Management and Justice

Organizations are well advised to develop a conflict culture promoting constructive conflict management and cooperation. But what does such a culture look like? Research from international and political relations has demonstrated that the level of integrative complexity (IC) as disseminated in political messages is an important factor in the context of conflict management. In our research, we hypothesize that, similar to political messages, corporate communication, which emphasizes a complex (i.e., differentiated and integrated) way of understanding multidimensional issues, is connected to cooperative conflict management and related variables like perceptions of organizational justice. Results of a multilevel field study support this proposition. Whereas the level of organizational IC was assessed by rating organizations’ communication (specifically their vision or mission statements published on the Internet), perceptions of conflict management and justice were assessed by asking employees. The study emphasizes the utility of addressing organizational level variables in relation to organizational members’ perceptions.

Network Hubs and Opportunity for Complex Thinking Among Young British Muslims

This study examines whether individuals in a network esteem peers who think in integratively complex ways about religious issues in the context of a small‐group educational course comprised of young British Muslims. Integrative complexity (IC) measures the degree to which an individual's information processing is characterized by (a) rigid, black‐and‐white thinking or (b) ability to recognize the validity of, and integrate, multiple perspectives. A novel measurement procedure was developed for this research called the Social Field Generator. Results from seven groups (n = 55) showed that (a) participants with levels of IC were described by their peers with more positive sentiment than their low‐IC counterparts; (b) the higher the IC scores of participants, the closer peers felt toward them; and (c) the highest IC individuals were consistently selected as sources of advice, whereas the lowest IC individuals were not viewed as sources of advice. This research shows that within an educational environment aimed at promoting complex thinking, group processes and grassroots religious leadership can encourage higher levels of IC as a group norm.

Getting the most out of living abroad: Biculturalism and integrative complexity as key drivers of creative and professional success.

The current research investigated how patterns of home and host cultural identification can explain which individuals who have lived abroad achieve the greatest creative and professional success. We hypothesized that individuals who identified with both their home and host cultures (i.e., biculturals) would show enhanced creativity and professional success compared with individuals who identified with only a single culture (i.e., assimilated and separated individuals). Further, we expected that these effects would be driven by biculturals' greater levels of integrative complexity, an information processing capacity that involves considering and combining multiple perspectives. Two studies demonstrated that biculturals exhibited more fluency, flexibility, and novelty on a creative uses task (Study 1) and produced more innovations at work (Study 2) than did assimilated or separated individuals. Study 3 extended these findings to general professional outcomes: Bicultural professionals achieved higher promotion rates and more positive reputations compared with assimilated or separated individuals. Importantly, in all 3 studies, integrative complexity mediated the relationship between home/host identification and performance. Overall, the current results demonstrate who is most likely to achieve professional and creative success following experiences abroad and why.

Moral Conflict and Complexity: The Dynamics of Constructive Versus Destructive Discussions Over Polarizing Issues

Moral conflicts, whether over abortion, the death penalty, or the ‘right’ approach to addressing terrorism, pose serious challenges to societies worldwide. They can quickly escalate and polarize communities, and then trap people in destructive spirals of negativity, intergroup contempt and even violence. But moral conflicts need not spiral out of control, and can be managed constructively. This article sheds light on why and how. One laboratory study investigating the underlying temporal dynamics of moral conflict is presented, based on the following idea: the basic dynamics of protracted, destructive conflicts are those which have lost the complexity and balance inherent to more constructive social relations, and have collapsed into overly-simplified, coherent, self-organizing patterns which become resistant to change. The study, an experiment which induced high and low levels of integrative complexity, found relations between higher levels of emotional, cognitive and behavioral complexity and openness and more constructive moral conflict dynamics, and lower-levels of these parameters with more destructive dynamics. Results provide strong support for the main hypotheses. Implications and next steps for this research are discussed.

The language of violence: distinguishing terrorist from nonterrorist groups by thematic content analysis

This study examined whether quantitative content analysis of the value references, motive imagery, and integrative complexity expressed in the documents of two terrorist groups and two nonterrorist comparison groups could distinguish the violent groups from their nonviolent counterparts. The two terrorist groups were Central al Qa'ida and al Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula. For each, a comparison group that operated in the same context and had a similar ideology but did not engage in terrorist violence was chosen. Statistical analyses revealed that, compared with their nonterrorist counterparts, both terrorist groups described themselves by using more positive morality, religion, and aggression value references, and described their enemies by using more negative religion value references (e.g., references to being infidels). Relative to their nonviolent comparison groups, terrorist groups also used more power, ingroup affiliation, and achievement motive imagery, and expressed lower levels of integrative complexity.

An integrative complexity analysis of cognitive behaviour therapy sessions for borderline personality disorder

Integrative complexity (IC), a measure of cognitive style, was used to analyse discourse in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) sessions from patients with borderline personality disorder treated in the BOSCOT trial. It was predicted that patients' level of integrative complexity would be positively associated with the outcome of therapy. That is, an increase in patients' level of integrative complexity would be associated with good outcome. We also predicted that therapists would also show an increase in the level of complexity associated with their patient's increase in integrative complexity and good outcome. Ten patients who received CBT were categorized according to the outcome, good (N=5) and poor (N=5), using an algorithm that incorporated the number of suicide attempts and magnitude of change in severity of depression during therapy. For each patient and their therapist, an early and a late therapy session were transcribed and coded for integrative complexity (IC) (N=20 sessions transcribed). IC scores for patients and therapists were compared across early and late therapy sessions and for good and poor outcomes of therapy. The majority of discourse was at the lower levels of IC. Higher levels of IC at baseline were related to depression and anxiety. Good outcome was not associated with a change in the level of IC between earlier and later CBT sessions. Therapists, however, showed an increase in IC when patient's outcome was poor. In addition, an increase in patient's IC was associated with improvement in social functioning. Therapists may overcompensate for patient's poor outcome by giving more complex explanations to patients. Higher complexity does not necessarily lead to better outcomes.

Integrative Complexity in Correspondence

Integrative complexity, the interaction of conceptual and cognitive rules, is used in processing information. High integrative complexity people evaluate situations and make decisions diversely; low integrative complexity people reason simplistically and dichotomously. We examined the social psychology of South/North Korean relations in their correspondence by an integrative complexity coding process. Time series analysis predicted mean levels of integrative complexity for each half-year period between 1984 and 1997. Analysis showed that South/North Korean relations exert significant influence on integrative complexity levels. We also found a mutual effect of integrative complexity levels in the two. Major coordinative events relate to a decline in integrative complexity in the following half-year period. During South Korean presidential elections, correspondence integrative complexity levels decline in both.

ACCULTURATION STRATEGIES AND INTEGRATIVE COMPLEXITY AS PREDICTORS OF OVERSEAS SUCCESS.

With more companies operating globally and more and more employees at all levels working abroad, the study of the factors associated with expatriates' successful job performance is becoming increasingly important. However, the expatriate literature has often emphasized the importance of adjustment to the host culture as key to intercultural effectiveness and overlooked the importance of other possible mediators of successful performance, such as the cognitive skills that develop during second-culture exposure as a result of the tensions created by trying to internalize a new culture while also maintaining the old. In this paper I attempt to address these knowledge gaps by focusing on the effects of acculturation strategy and the mediating role of integrative complexity on performance. Based on the predictions of the Acculturation Complexity Model (ACM), I suggest that biculturals will reach higher levels of integrative complexity than will assimilated and separated individuals, and that consequently they ...

Integrative Complexity in Face-to-Face Negotiations Between the Chiapas Guerrillas and the Mexican Government

For the first time, integrative complexity (IC) levels were examined in the verbatim transcription of a face-to-face negotiation (between the Chiapas guerrillas and the Mexican government in the spring of 1995). Results showed that: (1) such interactive exchanges can be scored reliably for IC; (2) daily mean IC levels were positively related to negotiation progress (as judged by the press); (3) afternoon negotiation sessions tended to show lower IC, presumably because of fatigue; (4) government negotiators’ comments were effective in influencing the IC of the other parties, but not vice versa; and (5) the government's representatives obtained the highest IC scores, the mediators almost as high, and the insurgents were lowest. Various empirical and theoretical issues related to the use of IC scoring are discussed.

Avoiding the Pitfalls of Politicized Psychology

This article provides two arguments for using caution when interpreting the results of a Global Change Game simulation indicating that people high in right‐wing authoritarianism are particularly likely to bring the world to ruin. First, we review research that demonstrates that extremists on both the political left and right share characteristics likely to be associated with poor performance in the Global Change Game (e.g., lower levels of integrative complexity) and that there are reasons to be cautious about letting political extremists on either the left or right inherit the earth. Second, we caution that political psychologists need to be aware of how their own values shape the types of research they conduct and the inferences they draw from that research and that the same results can be construed very differently depending on the lens through which they are viewed.

Everyday value conflicts and integrative complexity of thought.

This study examined the value pluralism model in everyday value conflicts, and the effect of issue context on complexity of thought. According to the cognitive manager model we hypothesized that respondents would obtain a higher level of integrative complexity on personal issues that on professional and general issues. We also explored the relations of integrative complexity to value priorities, measured by the Schwartz Value Survey, and to emotional empathy. The value pluralism model was not supported by the data collected from 126 university students from social science, business and technology. The cognitive manager model was partially confirmed by data from females but not from males. Concerning value priorities, more complex respondents had higher regard for self-transcendence values, and less complex respondents for self-enhancement values Emotional empathy was also significantly related to complexity score.

Integrative Complexity of South-north Korean Correspondences

Integrative complexity signifies the complexity of conceptual and cognitive rules that people use in processing information. People with high complexity take diverse approaches in evaluating situations and making decisions, and those with low integrative complexity rely on simplistic and dichotomous reasoning. An integrative complexity coding scheme is used to analyze correspondences exchanged between South and North Korea. Time-series models are used to predict mean levels of integrative complexity in South and North Korea for each half-year period between 1984 and 1994. Results show that trends in South-North Korean relations exert significant influence on integrative complexity levels, and major coordinative events are associated with a decline in complexity in the following half-year period. During presidential elections in South Korea, complexity levels decline in both South and North Korea.

Conflict in Clayoquot Sound: Using thematic content analysis to understand psychological aspects of environmental controversy.

The present study examined the information campaigns of groups involved in the Clayoquot land-use debate for the presence of motivational and cognitive factors that may undermine the quality of forest land-use discussions. Integrative complexity, motive imagery (need for achievement, affiliation, and power) and value pluralism were measured in the publicity campaigns of 7 groups (3 environmentalist, a forest industry advocacy group, a forest company, the B.C. government, and a government-appointed forestry advisory panel). The campaigns were generally characterized by low levels of integrative complexity and of affiliation and achievement imagery, and high levels of power imagery. The complexity of the combined texts of the government and the advisory panel (M = 1.96) were significantly higher in integrative complexity (p < .05) than those of the environmental groups (M = 1.49). The complexity score of the forest industry advocates fell between those of the above groups (M = 1.80), and did not differ significantly from either. The values endorsed by the environmental and forest industry advocacy groups were non-overlapping, whereas the government/advisory texts contained values that overlapped with those of both advocacy groups, and had significantly (p = .02) higher levels of achievement imagery.

The Integrative Complexity of American Decision Makers in The Cuban Missile Crisis

The focus of this study is the integrative complexity of information processing of Kennedy administration officials before, during, and after the Cuban missile crisis (CMC). Three elements of the CMC decision-making environment have been commonly noted: a high level of stress, ideological disputes among the decision makers, and the need to present a policy outcome palatable to the American public. Overall, American leaders maintained moderate levels of integrative complexity through even the most dangerous moments of the crisis but showed a pattern compatible with the cognitive manager and disruptive stress models of complexity change in response to environmental challenge. There was no significant difference in the complexity of remarks of the so-called hawks and doves among the Kennedy team, calling into question either the veracity of the alleged rift or the manifestations of value conflict in complexity data. Leadership statements made in camera were significantly more complex than public presentations.