Showing papers by "University of Michigan published in 1991"

Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation.

Abstract: People in different cultures have strikingly different construals of the self, of others, and of the interdependence of the 2. These construals can influence, and in many cases determine, the very nature of individual experience, including cognition, emotion, and motivation. Many Asian cultures have distinct conceptions of individuality that insist on the fundamental relatedness of individuals to each other. The emphasis is on attending to others, fitting in, and harmonious interdependence with them. American culture neither assumes nor values such an overt connectedness among individuals. In contrast, individuals seek to maintain their independence from others by attending to the self and by discovering and expressing their unique inner attributes. As proposed herein, these construals are even more powerful than previously imagined. Theories of the self from both psychology and anthropology are integrated to define in detail the difference between a construal of the self as independent and a construal of the self as interdependent. Each of these divergent construals should have a set of specific consequences for cognition, emotion, and motivation; these consequences are proposed and relevant empirical literature is reviewed. Focusing on differences in self-construals enables apparently inconsistent empirical findings to be reconciled, and raises questions about what have been thought to be culture-free aspects of cognition, emotion, and motivation.

Motivating Project-Based Learning: Sustaining the Doing, Supporting the Learning

Abstract: Project-based learning is a comprehensive approach to classroom teaching and learning that is designed to engage students in investigation of authentic problems. In this article, we present an argument for why projects have the potential to help people learn; indicate factors in project design that affect motivation and thought; examine difficulties that students and teachers may encounter with projects; and describe how technology can support students and teachers as they work on projects, so that motivation and thought are sustained.

Keeping An Eye on the Mirror: Image and Identity In Organizational Adaptation

Abstract: This article addresses how individuals make sense of their organization's response to a nontraditional and emotional strategic issue. The reported research also concerned microprocesses involved in...

The vector field histogram-fast obstacle avoidance for mobile robots

Abstract: A real-time obstacle avoidance method for mobile robots which has been developed and implemented is described. This method, named the vector field histogram (VFH), permits the detection of unknown obstacles and avoids collisions while simultaneously steering the mobile robot toward the target. The VFH method uses a two-dimensional Cartesian histogram grid as a world model. This world model is updated continuously with range data sampled by onboard range sensors. The VFH method subsequently uses a two-stage data-reduction process to compute the desired control commands for the vehicle. Experimental results from a mobile robot traversing densely cluttered obstacle courses in smooth and continuous motion and at an average speed of 0.6-0.7 m/s are shown. A comparison of the VFN method to earlier methods is given. >

Managing cultural diversity: implications for organizational competitiveness

Abstract: Executive Overview The recent business trends of globalization and increasing ethnic and gender diversity are turning managers' attention to the management of cultural differences. The management literature has suggested that organizations should value diversity to enhance organizational effectiveness. However, the specific link between managing diversity and organizational competitiveness is rarely made explicit and no article has reviewed actual research data supporting such a link. This article reviews arguments and research data on how managing diversity can create a competitive advantage. We address cost, attraction of human resources, marketing success, creativity and innovation, problem-solving quality, and organizational flexibility as six dimensions of business performance directly impacted by the management of cultural diversity. We then offer suggestions for improving organizational capability to manage this diversity.

Measuring the hedonic and utilitarian sources of consumer attitudes

Abstract: It has been suggested theoretically that consumer attitudes have distinct hedonic and utilitarian components, and that product categories differ in the extent to which their overall attitudes are derived from these two components. This paper reports three studies that validate measurement scales for these constructs and, using them, show that these two attitude dimensions do seem to exist; are based on different types of product attributes; and are differentially salient across different consumer products and behaviors, in theoretically-consistent ways.

Potential field methods and their inherent limitations for mobile robot navigation

Abstract: Based on a rigorous mathematical analysis, the authors present a systematic overview and a critical discussion of the inherent problems of potential field methods (PFMs). The authors previously (1989) developed a PFM called the virtual force field (VFF) method. Much insight has been gained into the strengths and weaknesses of this method. Four distinct drawbacks with PFMs are identified. Because of these drawbacks, the authors abandoned potential field methods and developed a new method for fast obstacle avoidance. This method, called the vector field histogram method, produces smooth, nonoscillatory motion, while sampling time and hardware are identical to those used in the VFF method. >

Linear systems with state and control constraints: the theory and application of maximal output admissible sets

Abstract: The initial state of an unforced linear system is output admissible with respect to a constraint set Y if the resulting output function satisfies the pointwise-in-time condition y(t) in Y, t>or=0. The set of all possible such initial conditions is the maximal output admissible set O/sub infinity /. The properties of O/sub infinity / and its characterization are investigated. In the discrete-time case, it is generally possible to represent O/sub infinity / or a close approximation of it, by a finite number of functional inequalities. Practical algorithms for generating the functions are described. In the continuous-time case simple representations of the maximal output admissible set are not available, however, it is shown that the discrete-time results may be used to obtain approximate representations. >

Effects of Ethnic Group Cultural Differences on Cooperative and Competitive Behavior On a Group Task

Abstract: This study examined the hypothesis that differences in the cultural norms of Anglo-Americans and three other ethnic groups-Asian, Hispanic, and Black Americans-will result in different behaviors on...

Personality and susceptibility to positive and negative emotional states.

Abstract: Gray's (1981) theory suggests that extraverts and neurotics are differentially sensitive to stimuli that generate positive and negative affect, respectively. From this theory it was hypothesized that efficacy of a standard positive-affect induction would be more strongly related to extraversion than to neuroticism scores, whereas efficacy of a standard negative-affect induction would be more strongly related to neuroticism scores. Positive and negative affect was manipulated in a controlled setting, and the effectiveness of the mood induction was assessed using standard mood adjective rating scales. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that neurotic Ss (compared with stable Ss) show heightened emotional reactivity to the negative-mood induction, whereas extraverts (compared with intraverts) show heightened emotional reactivity to the positive-mood induction. Results corroborate and extend previous findings. With personality psychology undergoing a "decade of accomplishment" (Buss & Cantor, 1989) during what has also been called the "decade of emotion" (Tomkins, 1981), it is not surprising that studies of the relationship between personality and emotion now form an identifiable subdiscipline of research. Several relatively strong and consistent findings have accumulated in this area. Among the most consistently replicated findings are the relationships between extraversion and average levels of positive affect and between neuroticism and average levels of negative affect. For example, Costa and McCrae (1980) found that extraversion traits correlate strongly with positive affect and that neuroticism traits correlate strongly with negative affect. These same relationships were also found in a follow-up study by Costa and McCrae (1980), with extraversion predicting levels of positive affect 10 years later and with neuroticism predicting levels of negative affect 10 years later. These authors concluded that "extraversion. . . pre

Fever : role of pyrogens and cryogens

Abstract: The biology of cytokines is one of the most rapidly growing areas of biomedical research. It is understandable why the assumption was made several years ago that EP was equivalent to IL-1 (both alpha and beta) and subsequently to IL-1 alpha, IL-1 beta, and TNF. However, as more data have been obtained, it has become clearer that many cytokines and hormones are capable of participating in the febrile response. It is also becoming apparent that EPs and ECs might influence body temperature during nonpathological states, perhaps contributing to the elevation in temperature during or after exercise, the circadian variation in temperature, and others. Medical textbooks have begun to list IL-1 as the EP. As I attempted to make clear in this review, evidence that IL-1 alpha is a circulating EP is poor. The evidence is considerably stronger that IL-1 beta is an EP, at least during LPS-induced fever in rodents. The point I have tried to emphasize is that before any cytokine or hormone can be characterized as an EP or EC (or, for that matter, as being involved in any of the acute phase responses), clearly established rules must be followed, which are patterned after the traditional criteria used by Koch to distinguish a pathogenic microorganism from a benign one. As summarized in Tables 4 and 5, there are many candidates for EPs and ECs, but much more experimental evidence is essential before we gain a clear understanding of the relationship between contact with an exogenous pyrogen, the release of EPs and ECs, and the development of fever.

Construction of T-vectors, a rapid and general system for direct cloning of unmodified PCR products.

Abstract: Although the polymerase chain reaction (1,2) (PCR) can be used to produce a large amount of a specific DNA from a complex source, cloning the PCR products has not proven to be straightforward. Restriction endonuclease sites are often incorporated into the oligonucleotide primers used for amplification, so that cleavage of the product will create sticky ends that can theoretically be ligated to an equivalently cut vector (3). Unfortunately, many restriction endonucleases fail to cleave when their recognition sequences are located within a few base pairs of the end of a DNA fragment (4, 5). Ligation-independent PCR cloning schemes (6, 7, 8) involve the addition of at least 12 bases to the 5' end of the primer, which can increase the cost of synthesis substantially when done routinely. Attempts to clone PCR products as blunt-ended fragments have been very inefficient, due to the template-independent terminal transferase activity of Taq polymerase, which results in the addition of a single nucleotide at the 3' end of the fragment (9, 10). This nucleotide is almost exclusively an adenosine, due to the strong preference of the polymerase for dATP (9). Thus, cloning the products as blunt-ended fragments requires enzymatic processing to remove of the 3' overhang using an enzyme with 3' to 5' exonuclease activity (11).

Inhibition of morphine tolerance and dependence by the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801.

Abstract: The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of the glutamate receptor is an important mediator of several forms of neural and behavioral plasticity. The present studies examined whether NMDA receptors might be involved in the development of opiate tolerance and dependence, two examples of behavioral plasticity. The noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 attenuated the development of tolerance to the analgesic effect of morphine without affecting acute morphine analgesia. In addition, MK-801 attenuated the development of morphine dependence as assessed by naloxone-precipitated withdrawal. These results suggest that NMDA receptors may be important in the development of opiate tolerance and dependence.

Center weighted median filters and their applications to image enhancement

Abstract: The center weighted median (CWM) filter, which is a weighted median filter giving more weight only to the central value of each window, is studied. This filter can preserve image details while suppressing additive white and/or impulsive-type noise. The statistical properties of the CWM filter are analyzed. It is shown that the CWM filter can outperform the median filter. Some relationships between CWM and other median-type filters, such as the Winsorizing smoother and the multistage median filter, are derived. In an attempt to improve the performance of CWM filters, an adaptive CWM (ACWM) filter having a space varying central weight is proposed. It is shown that the ACWM filter is an excellent detail preserving smoother that can suppress signal-dependent noise as well as signal-independent noise. >

Personality and the problems of everyday life: the role of neuroticism in exposure and reactivity to daily stressors.

Abstract: This article investigates mechanisms through which neuroticism leads to distress in daily life. Neuroticism may lead to distress through exposing people to a greater number of stressful events, through increasing their reactivity to those events, or through a mechanism unrelated to environmental events. This article evaluates the relative importance of these three explanations. Subjects were 339 persons who provided daily reports of minor stressful events and mood for 6 weeks. Exposure and reactivity to these minor stressors explained over 40% of the distress difference between high- and low-neuroticism subjects. Reactivity to stressors accounted for twice as much of the distress difference as exposure to stressors. These results suggest that reactions within stressful situations are more important than situation selection in explaining how neuroticism leads to distress in daily life.

Evolutionary personality psychology

Abstract: PERSONALITY COMPRISES PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS AND BEHAVIORAL STRATEGIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461 The Fundamental Situational Error . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . 461 Problem-Specificity of Psychological Mechanisms 461 The Sociobiological Fallacy .... . . . .... . . . . . ......... . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . ..... . .. . . . ... . . . . . . . . 463 Behavioral Strategies, Tactics, and Acts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . .. . 463 EVOLUTIONARY FOUNDATIONS OF PERSONALITy . . . . ... .... . 464 Adaptive Problems and Their Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464 Human Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466 Goal-Directed Tactics and Strategies as Units of Analysis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 468 Personality as the Adaptive Landscape: The Five-Factor Model 471 Explaining the Origins of Individual Diff erences . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473 Interim Summary. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . .. . . . 476 CLARIFYING CORE CONTROVERSIES IN PERSONALITY PSy CHOLOGy .. . .... 477 An Evolutionary Resolution of the Personality Consistency Debate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477 An Evolutionary Perspective on Interactionism . . . .. . . . . . ... . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . ... . . ...... 479 Context, Situation, and Environment 481 Emotions, Desires, Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482 Culture and Personality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 483 CONCLUSION........ . . .... . 484

Filtering and smoothing in an H/sup infinity / setting

Abstract: The problems of filtering and smoothing are considered for linear systems in an H/sup infinity / setting, i.e. the plant and measurement noises have bounded energies (are in L/sub 2/), but are otherwise arbitrary. Two distinct situations for the initial condition of the system are considered; the initial condition is assumed known in one case, while in the other the initial condition is not known but the initial condition, the plant, and measurement noise are in some weighted ball of R/sup n/XL/sub 2/. Finite-horizon and infinite-horizon cases are considered. Necessary and sufficient conditions are presented for the existence of estimators (both filters and smoothers) that achieve a prescribed performance bound, and algorithms that result in performance within the bounds are developed. In case of smoothers, the optimal smoother is also presented. The approach uses basic quadratic optimization theory in a time-domain setting, as a consequence of which both linear time-varying and time-invariant systems can be considered with equal ease. (In the smoothing problem, for linear time-varying systems, one considers only the finite-horizon case). >

Regulation of transendothelial neutrophil migration by endogenous interleukin-8

Abstract: Movement of neutrophils from the bloodstream to inflamed tissue depends on the activation of both the neutrophil and the endothelial cell. Endothelial cells lining the postcapillary venule respond to proinflammatory mediators by expressing adhesion molecules and synthesizing a variety of neutrophil-activating factors. Endothelial cell production of a 77-amino acid variant of interleukin-8 (IL-8) was found to be a requirement for the invasion of neutrophils through a vessel wall model. IL-8 secreted by cytokine- or lipopolysaccharide-stimulated endothelial cells induced the rapid shedding of neutrophil lectin adhesion molecule-1, the up-regulation of leukocyte beta 2 integrins, and the attachment and transmigration of the neutrophils. Thus, endogenous endothelial IL-8 regulates transvenular traffic during acute inflammatory responses.

Social Factors and Psychopathology: Stress, Social Support, and Coping Processes

Abstract: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DISTRESS AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY: A CHANGING VIEW 403 Focus on Diagnosis .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . ... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . .. . . . .. 403 An Emerging View of Depression and Other Psychopathology .. . . """"""""""" 406 Implications for the Study of Social Factors and Psychopathology . ..... " ... "........ 407 THE STRESS PROCESS 408 Stress . . . ..... . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408 Social Support .... . . . .. . . ... . .. . . . .. ........ .. . ... " 411 Coping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . .. . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . .. . 414 Violence. Sexual Abuse. and Other Victimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416 COMMENTARY 418

Enhancing Student Motivation: A Schoolwide Approach

Abstract: What little motivational research is directed toward the practical world of education is primarily addressed to classroom teachers. We presume to speak to those in school leadership roles. Building on current interest in restructuring schools as well as the recent attention to motivational issues, we suggest how the school as a whole can be redesigned so as to enhance student motivation and learning. Our proposal is based firmly on an established program of research and is framed by goal theory. In addition to presenting a rationale for school change and a process to effect that change, we describe an ongoing project based on the theory and directed toward school change.

Plumage coloration is a sexually selected indicator of male quality

Abstract: FEMALE choice of mates based on the expression of characters that correlate with male quality remains a controversial and largely untested idea1. By choosing quality males, females stand to gain resources2, genetic benefits for their offspring3–5, or both. In the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus), male plumage coloration is a function of dietary intake of carotenoids6,7. Here I present results of field studies that indicate that females prefer to mate with colourful males and that plumage brightness correlates with a male's capactity for parental care and perhaps its genotypic quality. Artificially brightened males paired more quickly and frequently than sham control or lightened males. Among unmanipulated males, plumage coloration was correlated with nest attentiveness and overwinter survival. In addition, there was a positive correlation between the coloration of fathers and sons.

The multicultural organization

Abstract: Executive Overview Organizations are becoming increasingly diverse in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, and nationality. This diversity brings substantial potential benefits such as better decision making, greater creativity and innovation, and more successful marketing to different types of customers. But, increased cultural differences within a workforce also bring potential costs in higher turnover, interpersonal conflict, and communication breakdowns. To capitalize on the benefits of diversity while minimizing the potential costs, leaders are being advised to oversee change processes toward creating “multicultural” organizations. What are the characteristics of such an organization, and how do they differ from those of the post? What mechanisms are available to facilitate such a change? This article addresses these questions. It also describes a model for understanding the required features of a multicultural organizations and reviews tools that pioneering companies have found useful in changing organ...

Mixed H/sub 2//H/sub infinity / control: a convex optimization approach

Abstract: The problem of finding an internally stabilizing controller that minimizes a mixed H/sub 2//H/sub infinity / performance measure subject to an inequality constraint on the H/sub infinity / norm of another closed-loop transfer function is considered. This problem can be interpreted and motivated as a problem of optimal nominal performance subject to a robust stability constraint. Both the state-feedback and output-feedback problems are considered. It is shown that in the state-feedback case one can come arbitrarily close to the optimal (even over full information controllers) mixed H/sub 2//H/sub infinity / performance measure using constant gain state feedback. Moreover, the state-feedback problem can be converted into a convex optimization problem over a bounded subset of (n*n and n*q, where n and q are, respectively, the state and input dimensions) real matrices. Using the central H/sub infinity / estimator, it is shown that the output feedback problem can be reduced to a state-feedback problem. In this case, the dimension of the resulting controller does not exceed the dimension of the generalized plant. >