Malevolence, stigma, and social distance: Maximizing intergroup differences in HIV/AIDS discourse

This study examined the intergroup language used by young heterosexual Australians in conversations about HIV/AIDS and safe sex. Sixty male and 72 female heterosexuals participated in four-person facilitated conversations (same-sex or mixed-sex) about HIV/AIDS and safe sex, which were recorded and transcribed. We focused on extracts concerning strangers or malevolent individuals who appear to be group members, along with extracts involving foreign national groups. Discourse analysis showed that groups at lower levels of social distance were constructed mainly in terms of individual responsibility. At moderate social distance, stereotypes were more negative, but sub-typing was common, whereas at the highest levels, people were constructed entirely in intergroup terms. The findings of this study suggest that HN prevention programs should make reference to all salient outgroups, so as to neutralize communicative strategies that strengthen intergroup boundaries as a means of reducing perceived personal threat of HIV infection.

Stereotype distinctiveness: How counterstereotypic behavior shapes the self-concept

Three experiments examined the relationship between distinctiveness and self-schematicity. Experiment I revealed that people were more likely to be self-schematic in domains of strong performance when they felt distinct from family and peers in those domains. Experiments 2 and 3 extended this finding into the arena of stereotypes by demonstrating that people were more likely to be self-schematic in domains of strong performance when their performance was counterstereotypic rather than stereotypic. In particular, African Americans and women were more likely to be schematic for intelligence than Caucasians and men if they performed well academically, whereas Caucasians-especially men-were more likely than African Americans to be schematic for athletics if they performed well athletically. These results suggest that counterstereotypic behavior plays a uniquely powerful role in the development of the self-concept.

Causes of communication problems at work: A qualitative analysis of supervisor-subordinate differences

This study provided information about how individual workers perceive, describe and interpret episodes of problematic communication. Sixteen full-time workers (5 males, 11 females) were interviewed in depth about specific incidents of problematic communication within their workplace. Their descriptions of the attributed causes of the incidents were coded using a categorisation scheme developed from Coupland, Wieman, and Giles' (1991) model of sources of problematic communication. Communication problems were most commonly attributed to individual deficiency and group membership, although there were differences depending on the direction of communication. The most negative attributions (to personality flaws, to lack of skills, and to negative stereotypes of the outgroup) were most commonly applied by individuals to their supervisors, whilst attributions applied to co-workers and subordinates tended to be less negative, or even positive in some instances (where individuals attributed the fault to themselves). Overall, results highlighted distinctions between the perceptions of communication problems with supervisors and with subordinates, and are interpreted with reference to social identity theory.

The effect of defendant gender on juror decision-making

Research investigating the role of stereotypes in jury decision-making has typically considered stereotypes as acting as peripheral cues in determin ing the credibility of experts or likelihood of guilt of defendants — with counter-stereotypic courtroom participants faring less well. The present study investigated the possibility that the extent to which courtroom participants are stereotypic can alter the mode of information processing. Students (N = 78) read a transcript of a case in which either a male or female allegedly committed an armed robbery. As predicted, the female counter-stereotypic defendant was distracting and effortful processing only occurred when the defendant was male. The male was seen as more guilty and the prosecution's case was more convincing when the prosecution had a strong, but not weak, case. There were no effects of case strength for the female defendant. Results are discussed in terms of the role of stereotypes in the jury decision-making.

The impact of expert testimony on jurors' decisions: Gender of the expert and testimony complexity

The present study investigated whether people used the gender of an expert witness as a heuristic cue to evaluate the evidence presented by the expert. Specifically, the gender of the expert and the complexity of the expert's testimony (low, high) were varied systematically within a simulated civil trial involving an antitrust price-fixing agreement. It was expected that the male expert would be more persuasive than the female expert, but only when the testimony presented was complex. As predicted, this interaction was revealed across a range of dependent measures. Somewhat unexpected was the finding of a female expert advantage in the low-complexity condition. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Language strategies in the attribution of blame for HIV and AIDS

This article examines the language strategies used in everyday explanation by young heterosexual adults to attribute blame for the transmission of HIV: Seventy-two-female and 60 male Australian university students took part in the study. They were formed into groups of four, with each group taking part in discussions about HIV: AIDS, and related matters. Transcripts were examined for instances of blaming, and a coding scheme for levels of attributed responsibility applied to those instances found. Language strategies of distancing self from HN and AIDS were then coded, including checks for who was blamed whether they were members of participants' ingroups or outgroups, and whether justifications were used. These findings are discussed in terms of positioning the self vis-a-vis HIV and AIDS, as well as the ways in which negative stereotypes were used in attributing blame to members of outgroups.

Older adults' trait ratings of three age groups around the Pacific rim

In this paper, we assess the traits that older adultsassociate with younger, middle-aged, and older adults in fivePacific Rim nations from Western and Eastern cultural traditions(Australia, People's Republic of China (PRC), Hong Kong,Philippines, Thailand). We find cross-cultural trends whichreplicate patterns found in the US context. In most cultures,attractiveness, strength, activity, liberalism, health, andflexibility are seen to decline with increasing age. Kindnessassessments are positively associated with age across cultures. Mixed patterns are found with assessments of wisdom andgenerosity, with respondents from the PRC and Hong Kong beingnotably more negative about increasing age than otherrespondents. Implications for the aging process across culturesare discussed, and suggestions made for future research.

Social rules for managing attempted interpersonal domination in the workplace: Influence of status and gender.

The present study utilized a social rules approach to investigate the relative influence of gender and status on managers' self-evaluations of their effectiveness in handling a dominating subordinate. In the first study 84 White middle-class participants identified the prescriptive and proscriptive rules for socially appropriate responding to a stimulus situation involving a pushy subordinate. Four rule sets were identified for female and male managers and subordinates, respectively. Rule-sets shared a number of common rules and showed some variation according to gender roles. In the second study, 91 White middle-class participants rated the individual rules for importance and also rated their personal and managerial effectiveness when responding to the stimulus situation using gender- and status-consistent and gender-and status-inconsistent response strategies. Both men and women rated the female gender and status- consistent strategy as most effective, and rated the status-inconsistent strategy as less effective than a gender-inconsistent response. Results were interpreted as providing more support for a situational gender-related theory of workplace behavior, rather than a traditional gender role perspective.

Perceptions of stranger and acquaintance rape: The role of benevolent and hostile sexism in victim blame and rape proclivity

In Studies I and 21 after reading an acquaintance-rape but not a stranger-rape scenario, higher benevolent. sexist but not hostile sexist participants blamed the victim significantly more. In Study 2, higher hostile sexist but not benevolent sexist male participants showed significantly greater proclivity to commit acquaintance (but not stranger) rape. Studies 3 a effects of nd 4 'slippor,ted the hypothesis that the benevolent sexism and hostile sexism are mediated by different perceptions of the victim, as behaving. inappropriately and as really wanting sex with the rapist. These findings show that benevolent sexism and hostile sexism,underpin different assumptions about women that, generate sexist reactions toward rape victims.

International images and mass media: The effects of media coverage on Canadians' perceptions of ethnic and race relations in Australia

Recently, there has been much speculation about the impact of international media coverage of Australia's position on Indigenous people, migrants and asylum seekers on other nations' images of Australia. In this experiment we examined whether there was any basis for such concerns by considering the short-term impact of negative TV coverage of Australians on Canadian viewers. A questionnaire provided baseline data on Canadian students' perceptions of Australians and Australian race relations. Four months later, the students were assigned to one of three conditions that varied media contact with Australians. Students viewed one of two television programs (about right-wing political independent, Pauline Hanson, and her emotive criticisms of Aborigines and Asian immigrants or about an ethnically-mixed group of young Australians and their positive sense of cultural identity), or they viewed no program (no contact control). Results indicated that both positive and negative media coverage of Australians affected Canadians' views of Australia in the short-term. In particular, negative coverage (of Hanson) promoted less favourable views of Australians and Australian race relations over time and relative to the positive media and no media control conditions. The media's role in shaping international images is discussed.

Cultural information gathering by Australian students in France

Interviews with Australian university students returning from study in France indicate that problems in accessing crucial information are common experiences, and frequently lead to students reproducing stereotypes of French administrative inefficiency. Our paper argues that the issue is not one of information per se but of cultural differences in the dissemination of information. It analyses the ways in which students interpret their information-gathering difficulties, and the appropriateness of the strategies they devise for overcoming them. It then examines the pedagogical implications for preparing students for study abroad, suggesting means of both equipping students with alternative ways of understanding 'information skills' and intervening in the perpetuation of stereotypes. Cet article se base sur une quarantaine d'interviews avec des étudiants australiens ayant effectué des séjours d'études en France. La difficulté d'accéder aux renseignements jugés indispensables revient souvent au cours des entretiens, source de frustrations qui amène les Australiens à reproduire un stéréotype de l'inefficacité française. Nous posons qu'il s'agit moins d'un manque d'informations que d'une différence culturelle dans la diffusion des renseignements. Notre analyse porte sur les façons dont les étudiants interprètent leurs difficultés, ainsi que sur l'utilité de leurs stratégies pour réunir les données souhaitées. Ce travail a des conséquences pédagogiques pour la préparation de tels séjours : nous suggérons des moyens de conduire les étudiants à concevoir autrement la recherche de l'information et leurs expériences, intervenant ainsi dans la transmission des stéréotypes.

The market valuation of environmental capital expenditures by pulp and paper companies

The objective of this study is to examine the market valuation of environmental capital expenditure investment related to pollution abatement in the pulp and paper industry. The total environmental capital expenditure of $8.7 billion by our sample firms during 1989-2000 supports the focus on this industry. In order to be capitalized, an asset should be associated with future economic benefits. The existing environmental literature suggests that investors condition their evaluation of the future economic benefits arising from environmental capital expenditure on an assessment of the firms' environmental performance. This literature predicts the emergence of two environmental stereotypes: low-polluting firms that overcomply with existing environmental regulations, and high-polluting firms that just meet minimal environmental requirements. Our valuation evidence indicates that there are incremental economic benefits associated with environmental capital expenditure investment by low-polluting firms but not high-polluting firms. We also find that investors use environmental performance information to assess unbooked environmental liabilities, which we interpret to represent the future abatement spending obligations of high-polluting firms in the pulp and paper industry. We estimate average unbooked liabilities of $560 million for high-polluting firms, or 16.6 percent of market capitalization.

How does mental health status relate to accessibility and remoteness?

Objective: To determine whether mental illness is associated with accessibility and remoteness. Design: A cross-sectional, population-based, computer-assisted telephone interview survey, stratified by Accessibility and Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) categories. Setting: Secondary analysis of data collected from 2545 South Australian adults in October and November 2000. Outcome measures: Psychological distress and depression as determined by the Kessler 10 Psychological Distress Scale, the SF-12 measure of health status, and self-reported mental illness diagnosed by a doctor in the previous 12 months. Results: Overall, mental illness prevalence estimates were similar using the three measures of psychological distress (10.5%), clinical depression (12.9%) and self-reported mental health problem (12.7%). For each measure, there was no statistically significant variation in prevalence across ARIA categories, except for a lower than expected prevalence of depression (7.7%) in the accessible category. There was no trend suggesting higher levels of mental illness among residents of rural and remote regions. Conclusions: The prevalence rates of psychological distress, depression and self-reported mental illness are high. However, we found no evidence that the prevalence of these conditions varies substantially across ARIA categories in South Australia. This finding may challenge existing stereotypes about higher levels of mental illness outside metropolitan Australia.

Hereditary pancreatitis in a family of Aboriginal descent

Hereditary pancreatitis is an autosomal dominant condition characterized by recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis, usually starting in childhood. We present a family who was ascertained when an 11-year-old girl presented with an episode of acute pancreatitis. Her father and other family members had also had recurrent bouts of acute pancreatitis. Genetic testing revealed a pathogenic mutation in the cationic trypsinogen gene in the proband, her father and her paternal grandmother. As far as we are aware, this is the first Aboriginal kindred with mutation-proven hereditary pancreatitis. Hereditary pancreatitis is an important differential diagnosis to consider in a patient with recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis with no obvious precipitating cause. This family is of Aboriginal descent and the implications of the family's background are also discussed when considering the aetiology of the condition. We emphasize the need to ascertain a full family history from patients with a history of repeated episodes of acute pancreatitis and also emphasize the need to avoid ethnic stereotypes when assessing patients.