The Relative Susceptibility of Pleasant, Unpleasant, and Indifferent Material to Retroactive Inhibition

Bunch, M. E.; Wientge, Kingsley

doi:10.1080/00221309.1933.9920918

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Derry and Kuiper (1981) found that individuals are less likely to remember negative than positive descriptions of themselves. Positive words are also learned faster than negative words (Rychlak, 1966; Bunch and Wientge, 1933), and people judge positive phenomena more accurately than negative phenomena. Managers, for example, are much more accurate in rating subordinates’ competencies and proficiencies when they perform correctly than when they perform incorrectly (Gordon, 1970).…”

Section: Inherent Inclinations Toward the Positivementioning

confidence: 99%

Cross-cultural research and positive organizational scholarship

Cameron

2017

CCSM

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Purpose In view of the emphasis in cross-cultural research on negative factors such as cultural misfit, cultural distance, and the liability of foreignness, the purpose of this paper is to offer one explanation for why this is the case and highlight the advantages of giving at least equal emphasis to research on positive factors. Three propositions are offered to guide future cross-cultural research. Design/methodology/approach Summaries of empirical studies on the inherent inclinations of human systems toward the negative, as well as inclinations toward the positive, produce explanations for each of these biases and their implications for cross-cultural scholarship. Findings By prioritizing positive factors instead of negative factors, individuals and organizations perform at much higher levels than when the reverse is the case. Virtuous practices, in particular, are associated with positively deviant performance. Inasmuch as virtuousness is universally valued, its emphasis can address some of the liabilities of difference inherent in cross-cultural contexts. Originality/value The three propositions offered in the paper explain why negative biases exist, how positive biases provide an advantage to individuals and organizations, and highlight future directions for cross-cultural research. Social scientists have been challenged to help enable 51 percent of the world’s population to flourish by mid-century, and prioritizing positive cross-cultural phenomena is one prescription for achieving that objective.

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Section: Inherent Inclinations Toward the Positivementioning

confidence: 99%

Cross-cultural research and positive organizational scholarship

Cameron

2017

CCSM

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“…Edwards (1969) found that individuals are less likely to remember negative than positive descriptions of themselves. Positive words are also learned faster than negative words (Bunch & Wientge, 1933;Rychlak, 1966), and people judge positive phenomena more accurately than negative phenomena. Managers, for example, are much more accurate in rating subordinates' competencies and proficiencies when they perform correctly than when they perform incorrectly (Gordon, 1970).…”

Section: Natural Tendencies Toward the Positivementioning

confidence: 99%

Paradox in Positive Organizational Change

Cameron

2008

The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science

153

124

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Positive organizational change is a paradox. On one hand, natural human inclinations toward the positive and heliotropic tendencies foster a proclivity toward positive change in human systems. On the other hand, human beings react more strongly to negative than to positive stimuli, so the presence of negative events overshadows positive events. Paradoxically, both tendencies—toward the positive and in response to the negative— are important enablers of positive change, but because the negative usually dominates, positive factors have to be given extra emphasis for positive change to occur. The concept of “positive” has created a great deal of controversy and confusion in organizational studies, spawning critics as well as promoters. The major connotations of this concept in organizational scholarship are clarified, and a way to reconcile the paradox of positive change is proposed. New investigations of positive organizational change are introduced that address various aspects of the positive change paradox.

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“…words into a single category of "emotional," companng the leaming rate on these words with the wcM-ds judged as being indifferent (Bunch & Wientge, 1933, Jwies, 1929, Lynch, 1932, Smith, 1921 There fcJlowed a host of studies dunng the 1930s which asked the subject to recall or othenvise leam a hst of words that had been prerated lô thers (l e , nomothetically) as to pleasantness (Carter, 1935, 1937, Carter bcjooes, 1937, White, 1936, White & Pbwell, 1936, White & Rathff, 1934, or that the subject had rated fw himself OT herself, (that is, ldiographically (Silyerman & Cason, 1934, Stagner, 1933, Thomson, 1930 The finding ofa leaming supenonty of jdeasant over un^deasant ami indifferent words continued to show through these collective results, particularly wlten the i»-ejudgments were handled ldiograplucally…”

Section: Emdencefrom Other Besearch Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A yiaMe thewy must draw empincal evidence frwn swirces that have not been generated by this specific outlook In the present section I will review yanous research findings that are readily subsumed by the tenets of LLT As noted aboye, findings on affection have been well documented, dating back at least to Tait (1913), who drew on Wundt's tl^ory of enwtions to demonstrate that pleasant words were easier to leam than unpleasant words Tolman (1917) was to find the same facilitaticm effect m a study of retroactive inhibition OccasMHially unjJeasant words were leamed more readily than wwds that were judged as "indifferent" by subjects This was unfortunate, because the practice then arose of himpmg jdeasant and unpleasant (liked vs dishked?) words into a single category of "emotional," companng the leaming rate on these words with the wcM-ds judged as being indifferent (Bunch & Wientge, 1933, Jwies, 1929, Lynch, 1932, Smith, 1921 There fcJlowed a host of studies dunng the 1930s which asked the subject to recall or othenvise leam a hst of words that had been prerated lô thers (l e , nomothetically) as to pleasantness (Carter, 1935, 1937, Carter bcjooes, 1937, White, 1936, White & Pbwell, 1936, White & Rathff, 1934, or that the subject had rated fw himself OT herself, (that is, ldiographically (Silyerman & Cason, 1934, Stagner, 1933, Thomson, 1930 The finding ofa leaming supenonty of jdeasant over un^deasant ami indifferent words continued to show through these collective results, particularly wlten the i»-ejudgments were handled ldiograplucally The g»ieral jwddem of affective mflueitte on leaming then fell from view for over a cfecade, until the "perceptual cfefense" studies refamfled an interest in this area W^k m the modem penod has focused jvimanly aa such frequency issues as I discussed m the p-evums section lypical problems addressed included whether the subject's affective assessments ({deasant-un^easant, good-bad, iilce-dislike) are truly in^pen-(fent of his or her extent oScoatact with a givoi term, saad the number of wwd-associates that a subject can prodxxce to an afifecbvely toned wwdstunulus (Cantcn;1935, CnHnwell, 1956ke, & Martin, 1961, Koen, 1962, Sarbin & Quenk, 1964, Staats, 1^9, Z^yctK, 1968 The dnft of these findmgs suggested that an aff<»^ve dimeasvm is at w(8-k m verbal meamng, o^ea asTelated with but still taiepeadesA from Cheese frequency measures of associatuH) value An especially int^esting study for present p...…”

Section: Emdencefrom Other Besearch Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Logical learning theory: A teleological alternative in the field of personality

Rychlak

1986

Journal of Personality

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Logical leanung theory (LLT) is presented as a teleological alternative to most current explanations of human behavior An organism construed as intentional IS more suitable to many personality/personological accounts than is an organism construed as mechanical It is first established that LLT is a predicational rather than a mediational explanation of behavior Tlie concept oStelosponstvity is then presented as an altemabve to the predominant view of hehavior as a supposed response to antecedent sbmulation Telosponsivity rests on the assumption of dialectical human cognition A review ofthe early work on a£Fective assessments in human cognibon follows Affection is a special case of telosponsivity, and not a physical feelmg or emotion per se Evidence drawn from empincal research outside ofthe stnct LLT hterature is also adduced m support of its tenets TTie presentation closes with a survey of current research being conducted on LLT It IS concluded that human agency is a viable theoretical outlook, and that a view resbng on such assumptions can he shovm to have empincal validity A teleological theory holds that the item under descnpbon-m the present case, a human being-is purposive, working toward ends, fulfilhng reasons, or bemg intentional m behavior Tradibonal explanabon in psychology has explicitly avoided teleological descnpbon as presumably nonscienbfic, anthropomorphic, and even spmtual in content However, recent developments m the nse of cognitive psjxihology and the consequent reliance on the models of arbficial intelhgence (AI) seem to be changing the ground rules TTius, Miller, Galanter, and Pnbram (1960) early referred to the new freedom m scientific theonzing which enabled the founders of cybranebcs and informabon-processing theory to construe machines with negabve feedback as "teleological nrechanisms" (p 42) Mmsky (1968) has openly avowed the use of "mentahst terms" such as meamng, arguing that they are fundamental to a descnptMm of the "behavior of machines" (p 2) Following her extensive review ofthe Requests for repnnts should be sent to

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The Relative Susceptibility of Pleasant, Unpleasant, and Indifferent Material to Retroactive Inhibition

Cited by 13 publications

References 3 publications

Cross-cultural research and positive organizational scholarship

Cross-cultural research and positive organizational scholarship

Paradox in Positive Organizational Change

Logical learning theory: A teleological alternative in the field of personality

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