Miami University

About: Miami University is a education organization based out in Oxford, Ohio, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 9949 authors who have published 19598 publications receiving 568410 citations. The organization is also known as: Miami of Ohio & Miami-Ohio.

Discovery of Hidden Profiles by Decision-Making Groups: Solving a Problem Versus Making a Judgment

Abstract: An information-sampling model proposed by Stasser and Titus (1985,1987) and observations of discussion content (Stasser, Taylor, & Hanna, 1989) suggest that face-to-face discussions often fail to disseminate unshared information. However, groups may be less prone to overlooking unshared information if they believe that their task has a demonstrably correct answer (Laughlin, 1980). University students read a murder mystery and then met in groups to discuss the case. Groups believed they had either sufficient (solve set) or insufficient (judge set) evidence to determine the guilty suspect. When critical clues were unshared before discussion, 67% of solve, but only 35% of judge, groups identified the guilty suspect. Discussion content analyses showed that solve groups focused more on the critical clues. Stasser, Taylor, and Hanna (1989) found that decision-making groups were much more likely to discuss information that members shared before discussion than to discuss information that was held by members individually. This finding was anticipated by an information-sampling model of discussion that was proposed by Stasser and Titus (1985,1987). The central idea in the model is that the probability of discussing an item of information increases as the number of members who can recall and mention the item increases. This is a fairly simple idea, but it has some disconcerting implications. For example, it suggests that group discussion may be an ineffective way of disseminating information; information that is known to only one or a few members will often be omitted from discussion. Moreover, Stasser, Taylor, and Hanna (1989) found that groups were not only more likely to mention information if it was distributed to all before discussion, but they were also more likely to bring it up repeatedly throughout discussion. These findings suggest that group decisions will often reflect the common knowledge shared by members before discussion and not the diverse knowledge emanating from their unique perspectives and experiences. Of particular interest in this article is the possibility that the failure of groups to consider fully unshared information may be due in part to how members construe their decision-making task. Members may view the task as a "matter of judgment" and let their discussion be. guided by the goal of reaching a consensus. Conversely, members may view the task as a problem to be solved and presume that there is a critical set of information that would allow them not only to identify the correct answer

Partitioning Species Diversity across Landscapes and Regions: A Hierarchical Analysis of α, β, and γ Diversity

Abstract: Species diversity may be additively partitioned within and among samples (alpha and beta diversity) from hierarchically scaled studies to assess the proportion of the total diversity (gamma) found in different habitats, landscapes, or regions. We developed a statistical approach for testing null hypotheses that observed partitions of species richness or diversity indices differed from those expected by chance, and we illustrate these tests using data from a hierarchical study of forest-canopy beetles. Two null hypotheses were implemented using individual- and sample-based randomization tests to generate null distributions for alpha and beta components of diversity at multiple sampling scales. The two tests differed in their null distributions and power to detect statistically significant diversity components. Individual-based randomization was more powerful at all hierarchical levels and was sensitive to departures between observed and null partitions due to intraspecific aggregation of individuals. Sample-based randomization had less power but still may be useful for determining whether different habitats show a higher degree of differentiation in species diversity compared with random samples from the landscape. Null hypothesis tests provide a basis for inferences on partitions of species richness or diversity indices at multiple sampling levels, thereby increasing our understanding of how alpha and beta diversity change across spatial scales.

Corporate social responsibility reports: a thematic analysis related to supply chain management

Abstract: Firms are increasingly under pressure from stakeholders to incorporate the triple-bottom line of social, environmental and economic responsibility considerations into operations and supply chain management strategies. This research uses content analysis software that performed centering resonance analysis to examine corporate communication to stakeholders through corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports. The intent is to determine how supply chain strategies factor in to the triple-bottom line of 100 socially and environmentally responsible global companies. This research compares and contrasts the influential words in the CSR reports of firms from a range of industries, sizes and geographical regions. The content analysis revealed ten themes that provide a snapshot of how top global companies integrate and improve the triple-bottom line in internal operations and external supply chains. Findings indicated that while institutional pressure is the major driving force behind strategy development for all of the industries studied, companies emphasize different facets of social, environmental and economic responsibility upstream and downstream in supply chains based on industry, size and geographic location. The analysis revealed unique insights regarding corporate communications that other methodologies would not find.

Reconceptualizing the Model of Multiple Dimensions of Identity: The Role of Meaning-Making Capacity in the Construction of Multiple Identities.

Abstract: We reconceptualize Jones and McEwen's (2000) model of multiple dimensions of identity by incorporating meaning making, based on the results of Abes and Jones's (2004) study of lesbian college students. Narratives of three students who utilize different orders of Kegan's (1994) meaning making (formulaic, transitional, and foundational, as described by Baxter Magolda, 2001) illustrate how meaning-making capacity interacts with the influences of context on the perceptions and salience of students' multiple social identities. Implications for theory, research, and professional practice are discussed.

Eyeheight-scaled information about affordances: a study of sitting and stair climbing.

Abstract: Previous work has shown that both the perceived and actual critical (maximum) heights of surfaces that afford "sitting on " and "climbing on" can be expressed as constant proportions of each actor's leg length. The current study provides evidence that these judgments of critical action boundaries are based on an existing source of size and distance information that is already scaled with reference to the actor's eyeheight. In Experiment 1 changes in judgments of "perceived eyeheight" (an index of the intrinsic scalar) as a function of viewing distance were shown to be highly correlated with changes in the maximum height that was perceived to afford sitting on or climbing on. In Experiments 2 and 3 observers wore 10-cm blocks and made judgments about whether the heights of various surfaces afforded sitting or climbing. The use of eyeheight-scaled information as the basis for their estimates predicted the obtained pattern of errors in these judgments. With a modicum of experience wearing the blocks, however, observers were able to retune accurately their critical action boundary to a degree that would not have been predicted from their consistent overestimation of the height of the block on which they were standing. These results have implications for understanding how observers obtain information about their specific action boundary.