Search

Increased conspicuous consumption motivated by status-seeking behavior can undermine the gains in well-being derived from economic growth. Using expenditure surveys from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Uruguay, we assess visible consumption motivated by status seeking behaviour, analyzing different hypotheses about the role of externalities driven by social comparisons and income inequality. Specifically, we provide evidence for the relevance of different reference groups, assessing comparisons with richer (Veblen effects), poorer and similar profile groups (Duesenberry effects). We show that individuals are affected by multiple reference groups. Regarding between-group inequality, we find that individuals mainly seek to differentiate themselves from poorer groups, rather than imitating richer ones. In all cases, average reference group income of similar profile individuals is negatively related to visible consumption. Meanwhile, within-reference group responses are relevant in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico: increased visible goods consumption is associated with larger relative income gaps. In Argentina and Brazil, the sensitivity of visible goods expenditures to income is higher among households located above the reference threshold, which is consistent, again, with more affluent households trying to signal status by differentiating themselves from the most deprived group members. Meanwhile, in the case of Mexico, there is a symmetric response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reference groups can influence an individual's perceptions of social and gender norms which can affect health beliefs, behaviours, and outcomes. This qualitative study in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo explored young women's and men's reference groups for relationship dynamics and family planning. Some reference groups and mechanisms of influence were common to relationship dynamics and family planning. Some exercised influence through certain mechanisms but not others. Understanding these dynamics can contribute to effective interventions which curtail intimate partner violence and increase access to voluntary uptake of family planning, both paramount to advancing the rights and health of women and girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to utilize Social Comparison Theory and the Big Fish Small Pond Effect to examine the experiences of student-athletes and coaches from academically elite NCAA Division III institutions and their perceptions of what it means to them to be a student-athlete at an academically elite Division III institution. The authors examined the intersectional patterns of NCAA level, academic prestige, and aggregate athletics department success and then conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 student-athletes and 12 coaches across two academically elite Division III institutions. Four themes emerged: (1) understanding the recruiting competition and other schools academically elite Division III student-athletes consider, (2) the unique pairing of athletics rigor and academic rigor, (3) the role of having athletics at academically elite Division III institutions, and (4) "Why this?" – framing the academically elite Division III experience. Findings have implications for coaches, athletics administrators, and campus administrators as they situate the role of athletics offerings on campus and gain a better understanding of student-athlete experiences and priorities. Discussion focuses on the relevance of this environment in relation to frame-of-reference ideas, self-concept, Social Comparison Theory, and the Big Fish Small Pond Effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumer behavior research embodies a research line dedicated to the analysis of emotional factors that determine the purchasing intensions of wine consumers. Valle de Guadalupe (VDG) in Mexico is one of the most dynamic wine tourism regions in Latin America and the actors involved in its development are interested in generating a more competitive product offer based on better knowledge of wine consumers. A survey applied to 300 participants made it possible to establish, through a structural equation model, the determining effect of influence of reference groups regarding the intention to buy wine directly and by motivating purchase through positive emotions. This work concludes with recommendations on the adaptation and better management of the product offer for this segment in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this research is to analyze the motivation of a distributor belonging to an official marketing channel to participate in the gray market. We explore this motivation not as an opportunistic behavior but as a strategic decision aligned with the reference group to which it belongs and the homogenization or isomorphism of strategic decisions within the group. Based on a survey of a sample of Spanish official distributors of Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and an empirical study using PLS-SEM, found evidence that the imitation effect conditions strategic decisions and can be graduated according to the hierarchical position occupied or legitimacy within the reference group. The hypothesized model was supported by the data. This indicates that the reference group influences the agents that make it up and determines the actions expected of its members, offering a tool to the manufacturer or brand owner to manage the official distribution channel. The investigation of the effect of the reference group on the behavior of the official distributor offers an alternative to the classical explanation of its participation in the gray market, which has not been addressed by the academic literature so far, and which has traditionally been explained by the individual opportunism of the agents. The main managerial implication is to provide a monitoring element to the official distribution channel leader, such as influencing the behaviors of the reference group to efficiently manage the marketing channel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While studies on reference group influence in commercial consumption settings have been done extensively, the same cannot be said in international education setting. The aim of this study was to identify the reference groups of international students who influence their intention to study abroad. Interviews with international students who were studying in a US higher education institution were conducted. Since graduate students are more likely to have exposure with more reference groups in their decision-making process, this study focused on Master and PhD students. Surprisingly, the students reported that their own opinion and motivation were more influential in their intention to study abroad than the reference groups.' Besides the self, major reference groups include parents, friends, or relatives who have been abroad and professors. Finally, a number of suggestions for international education marketers were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the economic integration of rural-to-urban migrants in China from a subject-centered perspective, placing migrants' choice of reference group at the centre of the analysis. I empirically demonstrate that the choice of reference group significantly shapes migrants' success frames and their aspirations to attain comparable economic status as urban residents (i.e. aspirations for economic integration). To study the causal effect of reference group choice on economic integration and to address the endogeneity of reference group choice, I implement instrumental variables estimation using exogenous variation in home ties. The results show that choosing urban residents as the reference group shapes both particular frames of success, which entails not only income but also possession of consumer durable goods, and aspirations for economic integration, which together, in turn, stimulate migrants to realise greater economic integration. After disentangling self-motivated work hours from total work hours by fixing the causal pathways of reference group choice, I find evidence that migrants attain a higher degree of economic integration by working longer hours. These findings suggest that migrants' success frames and aspirations for economic integration, embedded in their choice reference group, are essential for understanding what shapes their pathways to economic integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socio-economic comparison among individuals is the process by which individuals assess their own socio-economic position in relation to others. In this study we identify which are the most salient groups in socio-economic comparisons among individuals, clarify the role of individual-level characteristics in the selection of specific comparison groups, and test if contextual factors explain variation in individuals' choices regarding their socio-economic comparison groups. We utilise a unique data-set that allows the choice of socio-economic comparison groups in 34 countries in Central, Southern and Eastern Europe and Central Asia to be investigated. The results indicate that individuals make socio-comparisons not only with close groups, such as friends and neighbours, but also within their own families, cross-nationally, and over time. Multilevel and multivariable and analyses suggest that individuals' demographic and socio-economic characteristics and the extent of their social trust are significantly linked with the selection of specific comparison groups. We also find that the distance from the city of Frankfurt in Germany of countries where individuals live is an important factor in why people compare their own socio-economic position with those who live in Western Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This paper explores an aspect of the process and outcomes of two children's reference groups: the ways the young members of the reference groups consider the role of the arts in research concerning wellbeing. Methods: Two case studies draw on qualitative data from the projects offering insight into child reference group work over the life of a research project: from recommendations to implementation. Results: The findings demonstrate that both reference groups enabled the research to achieve a fuller engagement with meaning making in relation to data collection by consulting with children. Conclusion: The data reveal how the members offered "insider knowledge" to the researchers concerning the role of the arts in research concerning wellbeing. Themes within the analysis about the impact of the reference group's knowledge and recommendations on the research project's data collection methods include the role of the arts connected to empathy, safety and confidentiality and in relation to difference and choice. The Research in England was supported by the LankellyChase Foundation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2 studies conducted in Germany, we investigated preservice teachers' stereotypical judgement biases regarding Turkish female students and the application of shifting standards in stereotyping. Study 1 (N = 148) showed that Turkish students' German language proficiency received lower judgements, but other – particularly social – dimensions received more favourable judgements compared with German students. In Study 2 (N = 290), we examined shifting standards in stereotyping in relation to Turkish female students, considering different reference groups. These 2 reference groups differed in academic achievement levels and prestige. Preservice teachers did not judge the Turkish student more positively when her reference group was high achieving, indicating shifting standards, but they judged the German student more positively when she was in a low-achieving group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why is it that when debating the economic crisis, actors in the Portuguese parliament invoke more frequently countries affected by the crisis, whereas actors in the Spanish parliament invoke economically well-off countries more often? This article explores this mystery by studying how and why certain countries are evoked in the decision-making process. The analysis reveals that the actors mention different countries to contextualize the nation. We argue the actors in these two countries resort to different reference groups to identify or distance the nation in this concrete period even if they present similar challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research in the social sciences has shown recurrently that life satisfaction varies across countries. More recently, the question was raised whether Europeans are comparing living conditions in European countries, and whether these comparisons are affecting the way they assess their personal situation. The paper uses original survey data from nine European countries in order to answer these questions. We analyze the way European citizens assess the living conditions in the various countries under analysis. And we test whether assessments of other countries are significantly interrelated with reported levels of life satisfaction. Finally, we measure the extent to which these effects hold if other reference groups (friends, neighbors, own country) and individual socio-demographic traits are included in the analysis. Our findings paint a mixed picture. Assessing living conditions in other European countries is widely diffused and attests a marked 'cognitive Europeanization'. However, comparisons with other countries play a less relevant role for reported life satisfaction, when compared to the assessment of the own national economy and the own household situation. Moreover, Switzerland as a non-EU-member is a more significant target than most other EU-members, attesting that we are rather speaking of a European frame of reference, than an EU-related one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little empirical work has investigated the influence of acquaintanceship among the members of a focus group on the output of that group. None has examined the influence of analyst identity on group output, occurring in the scoring of a transcript of the group's conversations. This research investigates these two effects and their interaction on idea quantity and idea quality. Findings show small interaction and acquaintanceship effects but moderate to large analyst identity effects. Findings have important implications for basic and applied research using focus groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study suggests various theoretical and practical promotional implications based upon empirical tests of reference group influence. The authors examine the role of reference groups and promotional appeals in satisfying consumer motivations. Three motivational reference group functions are emphasized: informational, utilitarian, and value-expressive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a paper on the significance of socialization constructs to the teaching methods of teachers. Studying the way how teachers teach seems to be socialization theory. The importance of the socialization construct is that it centers on processes which acts as a go-between the individual's personality and the role expectations of the institution. Conflict and bargaining are the two general patterns of interaction that have been delineated. The four processes of socialization are anticipatory socialization, reference groups, the training period, and the world of work.

This exploratory study proposes that one way to understand how and why journalists get influenced is to focus on their economic and cultural capital. Based on a survey of 349 journalists from the Philippines, this study found that journalists with low economic capital tend to perceive political influence as more influential on their work, while journalists with low cultural capital tend to perceive economic influence and reference groups as more influential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the process and outcomes of a children’s reference group within the context of child psychotherapy research in residential care. The reference group was set up to consult children about the design of a research project which seeks to evoke, represent and understand children’s views of psychotherapy. No work to date has explored the experience of reference groups in the context of child psychotherapy in residential care in Malta. The paper contextualises the research within the literature on reference groups in child research, which identifies the potential of reference groups as a participative and co-reflexive activity which can inform research design. The paper critically examines the nature and conduct of the reference group by acknowledging the specific context of this work rather than assuming this is necessarily positive. It does so by specifying and evaluating the outcomes of the reference group in line with its aims. The paper draws on the recordings of the reference group meetings and reference group field notes taken by the researcher as key data which were thematically analysed. The main outcomes of the reference group include children’s contribution to the design of data collection methods especially in terms of not relying only on words during data collection. Children also identified key ethical issues from the point of view of young psychotherapy service users, especially in relation to issues of trust within a residential care context. Children also reviewed and appraised research information material. The reference group process drew from the researcher’s and participants’ contexts and contributed significantly to the researcher’s reflexive process especially in terms of acknowledging his power and positioning as an adult and his dual role as a practitioner/researcher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern democracy is based on the expression of political opinions; however, in democratic societies where political violence exists, it decreases. Once violence is over, the recovery of free speech and the exchange of opinions become a key area for peace studies. This exploratory study investigates the expression of opinions about the violence suffered once it has ended. We focus on the Basque Country where the Euskadi Ta Askatasuna group (ETA, Basque Homeland and Freedom) had been using political violence from 1959 to 2011. Using survey data (N = 257), we investigate how (1) the fear of being in a minority position, (2) the closeness to the reference groups, and (3) the interaction between both variables affect opinion expression. Results show that fear of being in a minority position about violence in the Basque Country decreases opinion expression and that closeness to the reference groups has direct and indirect effect on opinion expression. This study contributes, firstly, to the limited research on the political opinion expression about the violence experienced in the Basque Country, secondly, to the limited research on its peace process, and thirdly, by adopting as reference groups those resulting from the use of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: We propose a method for estimating the timing of in-bed intervals using objective data in a large representative US sample, and quantify the association between these intervals and age, sex, and day of the week. Methods: The study included 11,951 participants 6 years and older from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2006, who wore accelerometers to measure physical activity for seven consecutive days. Participants were instructed to remove the device just before the nighttime sleep period and put it back on immediately after. This nighttime period of non-wear was defined in this paper as the objective bedtime (OBT), an objectively estimated record of the in-bed interval. For each night of the week, we estimated two measures: the duration of the OBT (OBT-D) and, as a measure of the chronotype, the midpoint of the OBT (OBT-M). We estimated day-of-the-week-specific OBT-D and OBT-M using gender-specific population percentile curves. Differences in OBT-M (chronotype) and OBT-D (the amount of time spent in bed) by age and sex were estimated using regression models. Results: The estimates of OBT-M and their differences among age groups were consistent with the estimates of chronotype obtained via self-report in European populations. The average OBT-M varied significantly by age, while OBT-D was less variable with age. In the reference group (females, aged 17-22 years), the average OBT-M across 7 days was 4:19 AM (SD = 30 min) and the average OBT-D was 9 h 19 min (SD = 12 min). In the same age group the average OBT-D was 18 minutes shorter for males than for females, while the average OBT-M was not significantly different between males and females. The most pronounced differences were observed between OBT-M of weekday and weekend nights. In the reference group, compared to the average OBT-M of 3:50 am on Monday through Thursday nights, there was a 57-minute delay in OBT-M on Friday nights (entering the weekend), a 69-minute delay on Saturday nights (staying in the weekend), and a 23-minute delay on Sunday night (leaving the weekend). For both OBT-M and OBT-D, in most age groups and for most days of the week, there were no statistically significant differences between males and females, except for OBT-D on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with males having 31 (p-value < 0.05) and 45 (p-value < 0.05) minutes shorter OBT-D, respectively. Conclusions: The proposed measures, OBT-D and OBT-M, provide useful information of time in bed and chronotype in NHANES 2003-2006. They identify within-week patterns of bedtime and can be used to study associations between the bedtime and the large number of health outcomes collected in NHANES 2003-2006. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theself-reference effect(SRE), enhanced memory for information encoded through self-related processing, has been established in younger and older adults using single trait adjective words. We sought to examine the generality of this phenomenon by studying narrative information in these populations. Additionally, we investigated retrieval experience at recognition and whether valence of stimuli influences memory differently in young and older adults. Participants encoded trait adjectives and narratives in self-reference, semantic, or structural processing conditions, followed by tests of recall and recognition. Experiment 1 revealed an SRE for trait adjective recognition and narrative cued recall in both age groups, although the existence of an SRE for narrative recognition was unclear due to ceiling effects. Experiment 2 revealed an SRE on an adapted test of narrative recognition. Self-referential encoding was shown to enhance recollection for both trait adjectives and narrative material in Experiment 1, whereas similar estimates of recollection for self-reference and semantic conditions were found in Experiment 2. Valence effects were inconsistent but generally similar in young and older adults when they were found. Results demonstrate that the self-reference technique extends to narrative information in young and older adults and may provide a valuable intervention tool for those experiencing age-related memory decline. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The use of reference groups made up of members of the population being researched has been encouraged within the qualitative research literature. This paper describes the use of reference groups made up of children and young people and promotes them as a space within which co-reflexive activities can help researchers reconsider their research approaches and assumptions, their methodologies and methods and the new knowledge created. The paper uses three case studies to highlight the benefits the authors have encountered as well as those identified by children and young people themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article sheds light on older women’s body images and problematizes assumptions that women’s aging is more painful and shameful than men’s aging since men are not expected to live up to youthful beauty norms, the so-called double standard of aging hypothesis. Based on 12 qualitative interviews with women from the age of 75 from the Swedish capital area, I argue that older women have access to a double perspective of beauty, which means that they can relate to both youthful and age-related beauty norms. The results also illustrate that women’s body image is created in a context where previous body images are central and that this time perspective can contribute toward a positive body image. Further, the results show how age codings of appearance-related qualities create a narrow framework for older women’s body images and point to the benefits of shifting the analytical focus toward a material-semiotic body where corporeality and discourse are seen as interwoven. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large field experiment sent mail to randomly selected low–turnout propensity, young Latino voters in Colorado during the 2008 presidential election. One treatment reported that 90% of young Latinos intended to vote in the election. A second treatment added the fact that only 20% of young Latinos actually voted in 2006. A third treatment provided the additional fact that 40% of older Latinos voted in 2006. Compared to the control group, the treatment reporting low levels of prior turnout decreased participation in the 2008 election. This unintended consequence of the campaign provides evidence of the effectiveness of descriptive social norms for purposes of electoral mobilization. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Reference groups serve as markers for citizen-consumers to determine tastes and preferences about work and material and cultural consumption. These groups have evolved slowly in socialist Cuba, mostly during the post-Soviet era. This paper examines the symbolism, roles, and meanings of three such groups: the Cuban Diaspora, Cuban Gen-Yers or Millennials (survivors), and entrepreneurs. A combination of these groups is changing values about a new consumption taking hold across the island and offers insight into material and cultural consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This work analyses the motivations behind consumers' online shopping intentions for specific tourism services, such as hotel reservations, across both Internet shoppers and Internet surfers (i.e. those who exit the website before completing the reservation). A structural equation analysis features a sample of 1289 Spanish Internet users (530 shoppers and 759 surfers). The results indicate that perceived usefulness is the most important aspect conditioning the intention to buy online for Internet shoppers, whereas the role of convenience is more significant for Internet surfers. The empirical findings suggest different managerial guidelines for encouraging online reservations by Internet surfers and can help facilitate decision making processes for managers in this industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the activity of the university, the choice of channels of communication and the key message are very important. Values to be conveyed include the quality of the education, the solid chances of finding work, and the prestige and status of various specialties. Other essential tasks include determining who opinion and reference group leaders are and regular monitoring of the interests and problems of target groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers debate whether one represents the magnitude of a fraction according to its real numerical value or just the discrete numerosity of its numerator or denominator. The present study examined three effects based on the notion that people possess a mental number line to explore how children represent fractions when they compare fractions with common numerators. Specifically, the effect of the spatial numerical association of response codes (SNARC), the distance effect and the size effect in representing fractions were examined in a sample of 72 sixth graders, who successfully solved the fraction comparison task with a real number (.2) or a fraction (1/5) as the reference. Results showed that in the fraction-reference group (1/5 as the reference), there was a significant reverse SNARC effect and a distance effect between the denominators of the target fractions and the reference fraction; in the real number-reference group, the three effects were also observed. These results revealed that both groups used the mental number line to represent fractions and did not represent their real numerical values but rather the discrete numerosities of denominators when comparing fractions with common numerators. It seems that the way people represent fractions may depend on their strategy choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Discrepant results regarding the association between alcohol consumption and metabolic syndrome may be partly attributable to the different selection of the reference group. Methods: Data from a representative sample of 6,432 Korean adults in 2008 were analyzed. Results: Using lifetime abstainers as the reference group, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among men was increased in ex-drinkers [[3.15 (1.69-5.89)]], responsible drinking [[0.1-39.9 g/day; 1.77 (1.0-3.13)]], and hazardous drinking [[≥40 g/day; 2.06 (1.05-4.07)]]. Conclusions: Alcohol consumption in men, but not in women, is associated with a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gerontologists have long noted that people find it hard to imagine themselves growing old. Previous research has also shown that, despite the increased variability and diversity of postmodern life courses, people still tend to project normative life courses, centering on marriage, childbearing and grandchildren. It has been argued that this tendency, combined with the scarcity of representations of older queer people, creates particular difficulties for younger queer people in imagining later life positively. This article presents findings from a study where members of a bisexual community used creative methods to imagine their futures. Predominantly, they created positive and non-normative futures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Asian Indians as an ethnic group are at particularly high risk of insulin resistance and central obesity. It is now emerging convincingly that these disorders begin in childhood. No satisfactory reference curves and cut-off points for overall or central adiposity exist for Indian children. Aim: To present reference curves and age- and sex-specific cut-off points for the body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) of affluent Asian Indian children. Subjects and methods: Cole's LMS method was applied to longitudinal data on a cohort of 320 affluent, physically active children representing the five major geographical regions of India to derive smoothed BMI and WC centile curves. Age- and sex-specific cut-off points for overall and central adiposity were derived by identifying centiles analogous to adult Asian Indian cut-off values. Results: Adult BMI cut-offs for overweight/obesity corresponded to the 87th/96th and the 82nd/93rd centiles in boys and girls, respectively. Adult WC cut-offs for men and women corresponded to the 95th and 96th centiles in boys and girls, respectively. Age- and sex-specific BMI and WC cut-off points for Asian Indian children aged 3--18 years are described for the first time. Conclusions: These reference data could be used to identify affluent Asian Indian children with an elevated risk of developing obesity-related disorders and provide a baseline for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various measures of satisfaction with life or happiness in China appear not to have risen in recent years, despite China's remarkable growth of income per capita. The paper brings together and integrates the results of four papers by the authors to provide a methodologically and substantively innovative explanation for this paradox. The four papers are based on a cross-section national household survey relating to 2002 and containing questions on subjective well-being. Their findings help to explain the time-series evidence: they highlight the importance of relative income, rising urban insecurity, rapid urbanization, and changing reference groups in preventing happiness from rising with income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students of Congress highlight the connections that legislators cultivate with constituents, bonds that help to secure voters' trust and incumbents' reelection. We revisit the forces that shape citizens' evaluations of their senators, embedding a survey experiment in the 2006 Cooperative Congressional Election Study to test for the impact of party labels. We show that citizens think more highly of senators from the opposite party when prompted with that senator's party label, results that are consistent with the psychological theory of 'reference group effects.' The theory and results help explain how senators maintain favorable reputations from cross-partisans in periods of partisan voting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United Kingdom, as in many other countries, New Labour governments have heavily promoted different forms of 'service-user involvement' in decision making about public services. The current orthodoxy would appear to be that involvement activities carry with them de facto benefits that are both affirmative and empowering. However, relatively little research has been carried out into considering the real impact (emotional or otherwise) of involving citizens in such processes. In this paper, the findings from a small-scale qualitative study led the authors to reflect that when outcomes of consultation are undesired and that when the precise role of those involved is left unclear in terms of purpose, responsibility and accountability, people can be left with powerful, often uncomfortable, feelings. The ethical dimensions of involving people without adequate, prior preparation or ongoing support are discussed, with suggestions made as to how public organisations can take an ethically sound approach to participation. Drawing on research ethics, and informed by the ethics of care, methods through which the potentially harmful effects of involvement can be mitigated are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social dominance orientation (SDO), right-wing authoritarianism (RWA), and socially desirable responding were examined among a sample of self-identified supporters of gifted education (N = 341), 70% of whom had an official role in gifted education as researchers, teachers, or gifted-talented (G/T) trainers. The sample was primarily female, White, well-educated, and upper middle class. The relationship of SDO, RWA, socially desirable responding, and support for various gifted education practices such as testing for identification, curricular differentiation in a heterogeneous classroom, and cooperative learning was explored through latent class analysis and logistic regression. Two distinct groups, communitarians and individualists, were found on the basis of their support for different gifted programming. Higher deference to authority among communitarians predicted support for an inclusive social norm, compared to a preference for maximizing potential without regard for inclusion among the individualists, who were less likely to defer to authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reference-group effects (discovered in cross-cultural settings) occur when responses to self-report items are based not on respondents' absolute level of a construct but rather on their level relative to a salient comparison group. In this article, we examine the impact of reference-group effects on the assessment of self-reported personality and attitudes. Two studies illustrate that a reference-group effect can be induced by small changes to instruction sets, changes that mirror the instruction sets of commonly used measures of personality. Scales that specified different reference groups showed substantial reductions in criterion-related validities for academic performance, self-reported counterproductive behaviors, and self-reported health outcomes relative to reference-group-free versions of those scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study empirically tests the notion of global youth through an investigation of college-educated youths' attitudes toward global brands and the influential drivers behind such attitudes in China and the United States. In both samples, a significantly positive relationship was found between the motivations of global media usage and exposure to global media. Both global media exposure and reference group influences have positive, significant relationships with attitudes toward global brands. The results suggest that similar values may be held by college-educated youth in disparate countries although there are differences in media usage behaviors across cultures. Implications for global marketing strategies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religiosity and campus culture were examined in relationship to alcohol consumption among college students using reference group theory. Participants and Methods: College students (N = 530) at a religious college and at a state university complete questionnaires on alcohol use and religiosity. Statistical tests and logistic regression were utilized to examine alcohol use, religiosity, and campus environment. Results: Alcohol consumption was significantly higher among students at the university (M = 26.9 drinks) versus students at the religious college (M = 11.9 drinks). University students also had lower religiosity scores (M = 23.8) than students at the religious college (M = 26.5). Students who attend a secular university are 4 times more likely to be moderate or heavy drinkers compared to students attending a religiously affiliated college. Students with the least religiosity were 27 times more likely to be a heavy alcohol user and 9 times more likely to be a moderate alcohol user compared to students with greater religiosity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Lundby Study is a prospective cohort study, which has followed a Swedish unselected community sample between 1 July 1947 and 1 July 1997. The aim was to study the risks of mental morbidity and different DSM-IV disorders in subjects with intellectual disability (ID) in the Lundby cohort between 1 July 1947 to 30 June 1997. The diagnosis of ID was re-evaluated according to DSM-IV in subjects who had been considered to have ID between 1947 and 1997. Multiple sources of information were used to obtain best estimate consensus diagnoses of mental disorders. The relative risk of mental disorder was 1.34 in subjects with ID as compared with the reference group. Dual diagnosis was more prevalent in mild ID than in moderate ID. No subject with severe ID was diagnosed with mental disorder. The cumulative incidence of any mental disorder in subjects with ID was 44%. The most common DSM-IV diagnoses were: Mood Disorders (11.5%), Anxiety Disorders (11.5%), Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders (8%), Mental Disorder NOS Due to a General Medical Condition (8%), Dementia (3.8%) and Alcohol Abuse (1.9%). Mental disorders were more common in subjects with ID than in the reference group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effect of own income versus reference group income and the subjective factors considered important in a job for a sample of off-farm migrants in China. We find that own income has a positive effect on job satisfaction while the effect of reference group income is gender specific. We find evidence that males experience a tunnelling effect (higher income co-workers increase their job satisfaction) while females experience a jealousy effect (higher income co-workers lower their job satisfaction). We explain this result in terms of men reacting more positively in competitive environments and that, in China, males have better prospects for promotion. We find that compared with employees in western countries, off-farm migrants in China place much more emphasis on income and less importance on collegiality and job stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we address the question of the relative importance of within and between country differences in income and material deprivation in the European Union in the context of recent suggestions that insufficient attention has been paid to the latter. In particular, we respond to the argument that the 'state bounded' relative income approach obscures the significance of EU-wide reference groups. Making use of EU-SILC 2004, we have sought to quantify the magnitude of relevant within and between country differences and their relative impact. Overall, our analysis supports the view that the predominant frame of reference is a national one. The limited impact of European reference groups observed in our analysis does not require explanation in terms of the emergence of a European social stratification system. Furthermore, the significance of such comparisons depends not only on the expectations of those affected by European inequalities but on the degree of legitimacy afforded to ensuing demands. While an EU-wide income-threshold can provide information regarding progress of the Union towards greater social cohesion, its usage for this purpose does not require a strong sense of European identity. Given the current status of the European Social Model, it would seem unwise to attribute an undue degree of policy relevance to the relatively modest impact of EU-wide reference groups revealed in our analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social identity theory suggests that an individual's self-concept is shaped through group identification and positive social identities are established by favorably comparing the individual's in-group against an out-group. When unfavorable intergroup comparisons occur, individuals perceive a negative social identity. Because of the motivation to maintain a positive self-concept, this perception creates a need to cope. On the basis of face-to-face interviews with Mexican immigrants, the author examined the ways in which negative social-identity perceptions triggered different coping mechanisms. The findings offer support for two coping mechanisms—individual mobility and social creativity, with social creativity used more often than individual mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Musculoskeletal strain and other symptoms are common in visual display unit (VDU) work. Psychosocial factors are closely related to the outcome and experience of musculoskeletal strain. The user - computer relationship from the viewpoint of the quality of perceived competence in computer use was assessed as a psychosocial stress indicator. It was assumed that the perceived competence in computer use moderates the experience of musculoskeletal strain and the success of the ergonomics intervention. The participants (n = 124, female 58%, male 42%) worked with VDU for more than 4 h per week. They took part in an ergonomics intervention and were allocated into three groups: intensive; education; and reference group. Musculoskeletal strain, the level of ergonomics of the workstation assessed by the experts in ergonomics and amount of VDU work were estimated at the baseline and at the 10-month follow-up. Age, gender and the perceived competence in computer use were assessed at the baseline. The perceived competence in computer use predicted strain in the upper and the lower part of the body at the follow-up. The interaction effect shows that the intensive ergonomics intervention procedure was the most effective among participants with high perceived competence. The interpretation of the results was that an anxiety-provoking and stressful user - computer relationship prevented the participants from being motivated and from learning in the ergonomics intervention. In the intervention it is important to increase the computer competence along with the improvements of physical workstation and work organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of peer influence has long been recognized as important in the drinking decisions and behaviors of young people. Specifying the mechanisms behind these relationships, however, remains relatively underdeveloped. In this study we examine the moderating influence of group identity on the relationship between injunctive norms and drinking behavior. A total of 620 male and female undergraduate students completed an Internet questionnaire comprised of social identity, injunctive norms (perceptions of others' approval of their heavy drinking), and alcohol consumption measures (drinks per occasion). Three separate hierarchical regression models were run examining the relationship between social identity, injunctive norms, and alcohol consumption for three reference groups: friends, peers, and fraternity/sorority members, controlling for participant gender and race/ethnicity. Stronger identification with a reference group was associated with heavier drinking for all three models. Participants' perceptions of their friends' acceptability of their heavy drinking was positively associated with alcohol consumption; however, the injunctive norms term was not significant for the models examining peers or fraternity/sorority member reference groups. In each model, significant two-way interaction terms representing the cross-product of the social identity and injunctive norms indices indicated that among respondents who identified strongly with a reference group, perceptions of heavy drinking acceptability were positively associated with greater alcohol consumption. These results have implications for norms-focused interventions that fail to account for varying identification with different social groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current research explores the effects of dissociative reference groups on consumer preferences. Males had more negative evaluations of, and were less inclined to choose, a product associated with a dissociative (i.e., female) reference group than a neutral product (Study 1). This finding was moderated by whether the product was consumed in public or private (Study 2) and public self-consciousness (Study 3). We suggest the mechanism underlying our effects is a desire to present a positive self-image to others. The role of dissociative reference groups in marketing communications is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to describe and analyse the thought patterns of Swedish auditors with regard to the way in which they audit information provided by listed companies, and possible changes in their duties. Eighty-two auditors were interviewed using the repertory grid technique and open-ended interview questions. To check the stability in the thought patterns of the respondents, six retests were made and, to validate the findings, an expert panel and two reference groups consisting of auditors and other representatives of the accounting and auditing professions were consulted. Distinct patterns emerged in the mean grid of the thought patterns of all the respondents. One dimension was related to the time perspective, past versus future, and another to auditing practice. Auditors devote a relatively long time and considerable effort to objects that can be satisfactorily verified, but not to objects that they perceive as being of primary importance to investors and other stakeholders. This inconsistency in the thought patterns of the auditors is similar to the gap between auditing in practice and stakeholders' expectations of auditing, which is a phenomenon frequently found in previous research. Moreover, the auditors were very reluctant to make statements about any information except that elicited according to current practice. In addition to this traditional view, the auditors appear to be more concerned about their own situation than that of the parties they are meant to be protecting. Doing things right seems to be more important than doing the right things. That the auditors spend much time on objects that they themselves do not consider to be of primary importance for the investors and other stakeholders, and their unwillingness to change current practice is of great concern in Sweden, where there is a strong belief in self-regulation of the auditing profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collaborative research undertaken in the state of Queensland, Australia, resulted in major changes in cervical cancer screening and treatment for Indigenous women. Guided by an Indigenous statewide reference group and with an Indigenous researcher playing a lead role, qualitative data were collected using interviews, focus groups, and larger community meetings; and case studies were conducted with health workers and community members from diverse rural, remote and urban communities, to explore the different cultural and structural factors affecting understanding and awareness of cervical cancer and indigenous women's use of and access to health services for screening, diagnosis and treatment. These data were supplemented by an analysis of clinical data and health service checklists. We discuss the methodology and summarize the key social and structural factors that discourage women from presenting for screening or returning for follow-up. These include women's misunderstanding of cervical cancer screening, fear of cancer, distrust of health services, poor recall and follow-up systems, and the economic and social burden to women presenting for treatment. We describe how the research process and subsequent activities provided Indigenous women with a vehicle for their own advocacy, resulting in important policy and program changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While consumer behavior researchers have long studied word-of-mouth and diffusion of information among reference groups, the emergence of the internet has recently provided the means to empirically establish just how this process takes place, as well as who contributes to it. In this study, the way information was shared among consumers in relation to two product categories was described as following a power law. Implications for marketing and research are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines normative influences on impulsive buying and compulsive buying behavior within a different cultural context in South Korea. Based on a general consumer sample, it confirms that the relationship between buying impulsiveness and impulsive purchase decisions is controlled by subjective norms. Furthermore, the author extends the concept of subjective norms to compulsive buying tendencies in South Korea.

This article explores through photography the affinities and antagonisms between the Situationist International and the Surrealist movement. It begins with an outline of the Situationists' preliminary engagement with the legacy of Surrealism. Next it shows how this engagement took on a photographic dimension in the theoretical journal of the Situationists as part of a strategy to create a distinctive group identity, not to be confused with the more established Surrealist movement. The conclusion compares Situationist and Surrealist uses of photography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]