Publication Type: Symposium Paper
Abstract: Children with high levels of dysregulated affect and negative reactivity experience a range of emotional and behavioral problems, including low levels of prosocial behavior, aggression and delinquency. Alongside this research, studies have demonstrated a link between low levels of emotional reactivity and aggression. The current study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the joint contributions of affect dysregulation and deficient affect in predicting aggression and violence in a sample of 179 adolescents. Results show that affect dysregulation and deficient affect are independently related to aggression, but highlight important differences with respect to their functioning in older versus younger adolescents.

Publication Type: Roundtable Format
Abstract: The presenter used an affective approach in a diversity course to help teacher candidates develop a positive multicultural mind-set. Course activities redesigned based on the model will be shared.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This study presents several arguments. First, the public’s evaluation of issue importance, which is the dependent variable in most agenda setting studies, is influenced by issue saliency in the news as well as by the evaluative tone of media coverage (positive, negative or neutral). This evaluative tone or affective attribute attached to the issue is part of the second-level of agenda setting. Second, these affective attributes that people attach to issues further play an important role in the process of priming. The priming effect itself is stretched here to include voting behavior instead of performance evaluations. Third, it is argued that the electoral behavior of voters is simultaneously influenced by media framing, and especially by media attribution of responsibility. Consequently, these arguments point to the mutual behavioral impacts of agenda setting (at the firs and second levels), and priming and framing in the electoral process. All arguments are supported by empirical analyses. The controversy between second-level agenda setting and framing is also discussed, although it is not resolved.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This experiment tests the effects of brain hemispheric dominance on young adults’ behavioral responses to conversational partners’ shifts in nonverbal affection. Thirty-two individuals identified as having standard (left-brained) hemispheric dominance and 32 individuals identified as having anomalous (right-brained) hemispheric dominance interacted with trained confederates who manipulated their nonverbal affection behaviors during eight-minute laboratory interactions. Participants’ behaviors were coded from videotapes of the laboratory sessions. The findings indicated that, regardless of hemispheric dominance, most participants matched the behavioral changes of the confederates. Moreover, those with standard dominants showed stronger patterns of matching for increases in affectionate behavior, but not for decreases. Participants’ and confederates’ sexes both exerted moderating effects.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The desire to achieve local status may motivate participation in a wide range of groups. This study uses expectations derived from a general model of status achievement to evaluate data from a diverse range of avocations: mushroom collecting, high school debate, blood donation, boxing, basket weaving, and social movement participation. The analysis seeks to explain variation in investment in group activities, and in particular looks for evidence that competition for local status can explain the generation of zeal, or the apparent irrational willingness of some participants to sacrifice and risk in performance of groups related activities. More broadly this analysis seeks to reveal the scope and limits of the theory of status achievement, and to draw comparisons between avocations across different institutional settings. If conditions that facilitate status competition predict zeal across institutional settings, then this suggests that this general social process is a more likely explanation of zeal than the particular content of the activity. Implications for the explanation of altruism and deviance are discussed, with special attention to micro-level models of social movement participation.