Showing papers by "Arizona State University published in 1994"

Critical service encounters: The employee's viewpoint

Abstract: In service settings, customer satisfaction is often influenced by the quality of the interpersonal interaction between the customer and the contact employee. Previous research has identified the so...

Management theory and total quality: improving research and practice through theory development

Abstract: We introduce this theory-development forum by comparing total quality and management theory at both global and topic-specific levels. Our analysis suggests that management research could be enhanced by incorporating some insights of total quality into management theory. We also conclude, however, that management practice could be improved by incorporating insights from management theory into total quality efforts, and that, in fact, total quality has already incorporated many such insights. Finally, we suggest some directions for theory development and research on total quality.

Relation of media exposure to eating disorder symptomatology: An examination of mediating mechanisms.

Abstract: Although investigators have postulated that the thin ideal for women espoused in the media is related to the high rates of eating disorders among females, little research has examined the relation between media exposure and eating pathology. This study assessed the relation of media exposure to eating disorder symptoms and tested whether gender-role endorsement, ideal-body stereotype internalization, and body satisfaction mediated this effect. In data from 238 female undergraduates, structural equation modeling revealed a direct effect of media exposure on eating disorder symptoms. Furthermore, mediational linkages were found for gender-role endorsement, ideal body stereotype internalization, and body satisfaction. The results support the assertion that internalization of sociocultural pressures mediate the adverse effects of the thin ideal.

Adverse effects of the media portrayed thin-ideal on women and linkages to bulimic symptomatology.

Abstract: Although researchers have postulated that the thin-ideal body image portrayed in the media contributes to eating pathology among females, little research has directly examined the effects of these images on women. The central aim of the present study was to experimentally assess the effects of exposure to the thin-ideal on women's affect, body satisfaction, and endorsement of the thin-ideal stereotype. The secondary aim was to link these putative mediators to bulimic symptomatology. Female undergraduates (N = 157) were randomly exposed to pictures from magazines containing either ultra-thin models, average-sized models, or no models. Results indicated that exposure to the thin-ideal produced depression, stress, guilt, shame, insecurity, and body dissatisfaction. Further, multiple regression analyses indicated that negative affect, body dissatisfaction, and subscription to the thin-ideal predicted bulimic symptoms.

Growth of biological thought

Abstract: A History of the Life Sciences. Second Edition. by Lois N. Magner. Dekker: 1994. Pp. 496. $59. 75.

Reframing the organization: why implementing total quality is easier said than done

Abstract: This article presents a cognitive theory of why planned organizational change efforts, such as total quality initiatives, often fail. The theory suggests that employees resist total quality because their beliefs about the organization's identity constrain understanding and create cognitive opposition to radical change. We propose a dynamic model in which successful implementation of fundamental organizational transformation is partly dependent on management's ability to re-frame the change over time. Implementation may best be accomplished through a series of middle-range changes that are large enough to overcome cognitive inertia and relieve organizational stress, but not so large that members believe the proposed change is unobtainable or undesirable.

The Relations of Emotionality and Regulation to Dispositional and Situational Empathy-Related Responding

Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to examine the prediction of adults' situational and dispositional empathy-related responses from measures of emotionality (emotional intensity and positive and negative affect) and regulation. A multimethod approach including self-reported, facial, and heart rate (HR) responses was used to assess situational vicarious emotional responding; Ss' (and sometimes friends') reports were used to assess the dispositional characteristics. In general, dispositional sympathy, personal distress, and perspective taking exhibited different, conceptually logical patterns of association with indexes of emotionality and regulation. The relations of situational measures of vicarious emotional responding to dispositional emotionality and regulation varied somewhat by type of measure and gender. Findings for facial and HR (for men) measures were primarily for the more evocative empathy-inducing stimulus. In general, the findings provided support for the role of individual differences in emotionality and regulation in empathy-related responding. Research on empathy and related emotional reactions has increased dramatically in the past decade. Of primary importance in this work has been the distinction between sympathy (sometimes labeled empathy) and personal distress (PD). Although definitions vary, sympathy frequently is denned as an emotional reaction that is based on the apprehension of another's emotional state or condition and that involves feelings of concern and sorrow for the other person (rather than merely a reflection of the other person's emotional state). In contrast, PD is an aversive emotional reaction, such as anxiety or discomfort, that is based on the recognition of another's emotional state or condition (see Batson, 1991; Davis, 1983; Eisenberg, Shea, Carlo, & Knight, 1991). Both of these emotional responses are viewed as frequently stemming from empathy (a vicarious emotional response that is identical or very similar to that of the other person), although they also may occur as a consequence of cognitively taking the perspective of another (perspective taking [PT]; Batson, 1991; Hoffman, 1982) or accessing information from one's memory (Eisenberg, Shea, et al., 1991).

Age of the earliest known hominids in Java, Indonesia

Abstract: 40Ar/39Ar laser-incremental heating of hornblende separated from pumice recovered at two hominid sites in Java, Indonesia, has yielded well-defined plateaus with weighted mean ages of 1.81 +/- 0.04 and 1.66 +/- 0.04 million years ago (Ma). The hominid fossils, a juvenile calvaria of Pithecanthropus and a partial face and cranial fragments of Meganthropus, commonly considered part of the Asian Homo erectus hypodigm, are at least 0.6 million years older than fossils referred to as Homo erectus (OH-9) from Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania, and comparable in age with the oldest Koobi Fora Homo cf. erectus (Homo ergaster) in Kenya. These ages lend further credence to the view that Homo erectus may have evolved outside of Africa. If the ancestor of Homo erectus ventured out of Africa before 1.8 Ma, the dispersal would have predated the advent of the Acheulean culture at 1.4 Ma, possibly explaining the absence of these characteristic stone cleavers and hand axes in East Asia.

Speech coding: a tutorial review

Abstract: The past decade has witnessed substantial progress towards the application of low-rate speech coders to civilian and military communications as well as computer-related voice applications. Central to this progress has been the development of new speech coders capable of producing high-quality speech at low data rates. Most of these coders incorporate mechanisms to: represent the spectral properties of speech, provide for speech waveform matching, and "optimize" the coder's performance for the human ear. A number of these coders have already been adopted in national and international cellular telephony standards. The objective of this paper is to provide a tutorial overview of speech coding methodologies with emphasis on those algorithms that are part of the recent low-rate standards for cellular communications. Although the emphasis is on the new low-rate coders, we attempt to provide a comprehensive survey by covering some of the traditional methodologies as well. We feel that this approach will not only point out key references but will also provide valuable background to the beginner. The paper starts with a historical perspective and continues with a brief discussion on the speech properties and performance measures. We then proceed with descriptions of waveform coders, sinusoidal transform coders, linear predictive vocoders, and analysis-by-synthesis linear predictive coders. Finally, we present concluding remarks followed by a discussion of opportunities for future research. >

Strategic Purchasing: A History and Review of the Literature

Abstract: This article provides a systematic review of the purchasing strategy literature over the past 30 years. It identifies gaps in the body of research and makes recommendations for future research. The basic managerial problem is that the purchasing function has the ability to influence corporate profitability only when it is operating at a strategic level in the firm. The evolution of the function has been slow; therefore, the contribution the purchasing function can make has yet to achieve its maximum level in many firms. The study reveals that much of the research completed in this area is either conceptual in nature or is based on a small number of case studies. While some studies do base their findings on data gathered from a large number of firms, most do not report the use of statistical analysis to support the findings of the research.

Coping, Stress, and the Psychological Symptoms of Children of Divorce: A Cross‐sectional and Longitudinal Study

Abstract: The authors conducted a cross-sectional and prospective longitudinal study of stress, coping, and psychological symptoms in children of divorce. The sample consisted of 258 children (mean age = 10.1; SD = 1.2), of whom 196 were successfully followed 5.5 months later. A 4-dimensional model of coping was found using confirmatory factor analysis, with the factors being active coping, avoidance, distraction, and support. In the cross-sectional model avoidance coping partially mediated the relations between negative events and symptoms while active coping moderated the relations between negative events and conduct problems. In the longitudinal model significant negative paths were found from active coping and distraction Time 1 to internalizing symptoms Time 2, while Time 1 support coping had a positive path coefficient to Time 2 depression. Positive paths were found between negative events at Time 1 and anxiety at Time 2, and between all symptoms at Time 1 and negative events at Time 2.

The Relations of Emotionality and Regulation to Children's Anger‐related Reactions

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the relations of emotionality (intensity and negative emotion) and regulation (attentional control, mode of coping) to preschoolers' naturally occurring anger reactions. School personnel's ratings of 4–6-year-olds' constructive coping and attentional control were associated with boys' constructive anger reactions whereas their ratings of acting out versus avoidant coping, emotional intensity, and anger intensity generally were correlated with low levels of constructive reactions to anger. Mothers' reports of children's constructive coping and low emotional intensity were associated with children's use of nonabusive language to deal with anger, whereas aggressive coping and negative emotionality were associated with escape behavior when angered. The findings are consistent with the conclusion that individual differences in emotionality and regulatory skills are associated with children's constructive versus nonconstructive anger reactions.

Purging inbreeding depression and the probability of extinction: full-sib mating

Abstract: Inbreeding depression has been a topic of interest in recent years from a number of perspectives, particularly in the captive breeding of endangered species. Generally, the goal of captive breeding is to avoid the detrimental effects of inbreeding depression and to retain genetic variation for future adaptation. However, an important component of another suggested approach to captive breeding is to purge rapidly the population of its genetic load so that its long-term fitness is not compromised. I have examined the effectiveness of purging the genetic load by documenting both the reduction in inbreeding depression and the increase of the probability of extinction when there is continous full-sib mating. When the genetic load is the result of- lethals, the inbreeding depression is quickly purged without a high probability of extinction, except when the total genetic load is high. On the other hand, if the load is due to detrimentals of relatively small effect, the genetic load becomes fixed, the mean fitness is reduced, and the probability of extinction may be greatly increased. In other words, the success of such a programme to purge genetic load without an increase in the probability of extinction is highly dependent, upon the genetic basis of inbreeding depression, information that is not readily available for most species.

Effect of hydrogen bonds on the thermodynamic behavior of liquid water.

Abstract: We propose an extension of the van der Waals equation which is designed to incorporate, in an approximate fashion, the effects of the network of hydrogen bonds that exist in liquid water. The resulting model qualitatively predicts the unique thermodynamic properties of water, including those of the deeply supercooled states. It also reconciles two proposals for the phase behavior of supercooled and stretched water and provides a thermodynamic origin for the observed polymorphism of the amorphous solid form of water.

Density-driven liquid–liquid phase separation in the system AI 2 O 3 –Y 2 O 3

Abstract: PHASE separation of liquid mixtures into two liquids with different compositions is a well-known phenomenon. It has been proposed1–9 that another type of liquid–liquid phase separation, driven by fluctuations in density rather than in composition, may occur in some elemental systems. Transitions between low- and high-density amorphous phases have been described for the one-component oxides H2O, SiO2and GeO2 (refs 10–17), and it has been suggested18–21 that a liquid–liquid phase transition might occur in supercooled water. If density-driven phase separation truly does occur in liquid mixtures, it should be possible to observe the coexistence of two liquids with the same composition but different density. Here we report the direct observation of such a situation. We observe two coexisting liquid phases in the supercooled melt of AI2O3–Y2O3 just above the glass transition at ambient pressure, both of which have the same composition. We propose that these two phases must differ solely in density, and that the transition is entropically driven. The occurrence of the phase transition in this system may explain why the crystallization of yttrium aluminium garnet, the host material for Nd3 +ions in YAG lasers, is sluggish22–25.

Cultural Shock and Adaptation

Abstract: Multicultural domestic and international relations create cultural shock for both immigrant and resident groups. This article addresses the nature, stages, and causes of cultural shock to provide broad guidelines for managing cultural shock experiences in a variety of circumstances. Cultural shock is described from psychophysiological and sociocultural perspectives. The nature of cultural shock experiences suggests that resolution be addressed through cognitive orientation and behavioral adjustment involving recognition of cultural shock characteristics and implementation of strategies for its resolution. Adaptive strategies for guiding constructive interventions are summarized from an integration of literature on cultural shock adaptation, cross-cultural training effectiveness, and intercultural effectiveness.

Selecting indicator taxa for the quantitative assessment of biodiversity.

Abstract: Introducing greater objectivity to selection of indicator taxa produces results that are likely to reduce uncertainty, be more efficiently obtained and more clearly communicated. Seven criteria are presented that can be used to objectively test the claim that a given taxon is an ideal indicator: (i) well known and stable taxonomy; (ii) well known natural history; (iii) readily surveyed and manipulated; (iv) higher taxa broadly distributed geographically and over a breadth of habitat types; (v) lower taxa specialized and sensitive to habitat changes; (vi) patterns of biodiversity reflected in other related and unrelated taxa; and (vii) potential economic importance. These criteria have different priorities depending on which of two general categories of biodiversity the indicator taxon is to be used. Monitoring places an emphasis on sensitivity to habitat change, and inventory places an emphasis on systematics. An index is suggested by which the results of selecting an indicator taxon can be more accurately communicated. This index is based on the number of criteria that are successfully tested for the proposed indicator and their priority.

Influence of Communicative Competence on Peer Preferences in a Preschool Classroom

Abstract: Recent research suggests that children’s linguistic competence may play a central role in establishing social acceptance. That possibility was evaluated by examining children’s peer relationships i...

Mothers' Reactions to Children's Negative Emotions: Relations to Children's Temperament and Anger Behavior.

Abstract: The relation was studied between mothers'reactions to children's negative emotion and children's temperament and anger behaviors. Mothers reported their reactions to their 4- and 6-year-old children's negative emotions in a variety of contexts; mothers and school personnel rated children's dispositional emotional intensity, negative affectivity, and attentional regulation; and children's behaviors when angered were observed at school

The Development and Emergence of Services Marketing Thought

Abstract: Offers the personal interpretations of authors as participant‐observers together with a data‐based analysis of the evolution of the services marketing literature. Bibliographic analysis of more than 1,000 English language, general services marketing publications, spanning four decades, provides an additional resource. Using an evolutionary metaphor as the framework, traces the literature through three stages: Crawling Out (1953‐79): Scurrying About (1980‐85); and Walking Erect (1986‐present). Shows how the literature has evolved from the early services‐marketing‐is‐different debate to the maturation of specific topics (e.g. service quality, service encounters) and the legitimization of the services marketing literature by major journals. Presents a classification and summary of publications and authors. Closes with discussion and speculation on the future of the services marketing literature.

Interdependence of Form and Function in Cognitive Systems Explains Perception of Printed Words

Abstract: Perception is described within a complex systems framework that includes several constructs: resonance, attractors, subsymbols, and design principles. This framework was anticipated in J. J. Gibson's ecological approach (M. T. Turvey & C. Carello, 1981), but it is extended to cognitive phenomena by assuming experiential realism instead of ecological realism. The framework is applied in this article to explain phonologic mediation in reading and a complex array of published naming and lexical decision data. The full account requires only two design principles: covariant learning and self-consistency. Nonetheless, it organizes and explains a vast empirical literature on printed word perception.