Using the appraisal theory of emotion, I hypothesized a process model that depicts the effects of four negative emotions – boredom, anger, sadness, and anxiety – on two types of deviant behavior, rule-breaking and interpersonal aggression. I predicted that anger and anxiety would increase deviance in comparison to boredom, while sadness would decrease it. In addition, I argued that these effects would be mediated by physiological arousal, sensemaking, and attentional focus. I tested my model across three experiments (total N = 430), each of which used a different emotion induction. Overall, there was general support for the findings that anger and anxiety increase, while sadness decreases, deviant behavior. In addition, I found support for the hypothesized effects of emotion on arousal and sensemaking. However, there was no support for predictions regarding attentional focus or any indirect effects. Thus, the most significant finding was that sadness decreased deviant behavior, which emphasizes the importance of differentiating among different negative emotions when examining deviant behavior. Further implications are discussed.

Previous work on hurtful messages focused on receiving hurtful messages in dyadic relationships. However, hurt feelings are also elicited when people receive hurtful messages from individuals other than the person who originally stated the message. The current study examined peoples’ experience of hurt, perception of intent, and tendency to distance themselves from both perpetrators (those responsible for generating the hurt invoking message) and deliverers (those responsible for revealing or delivering the hurt invoking message). The investigation revealed associations between victims’ perceptions of the degree of similarity they shared with perpetrators and the intensity of hurt felt by victims, as well as the degree to which the message threatened victims’ negative face and the intensity of hurt victims felt. For both perpetrators and deliverers, as victims’ perceptions of intent increased, the distancing effect on the relationship also increased. The intensity of hurt victims felt was associated with the tendency for victims to distance themselves from perpetrators. Victims perceived that friends intentionally hurt their feelings to a greater extent than did romantic partners. / text

The program of research reported here was concerned with what makes difficult face-to-face communication in work settings difficult. A framework for analysing this problem was developed by bringing together the disparate literatures of communications theory and cognitive appraisal theory. The framework identified the outcome of an instance of face-to-face communication at work as a function of features of the situation, the appraisal that the worker makes in the situation, and the response strategies selected for dealing with the situation. The research program was directed to operationalising these constructs and studying their interrelationship. The first two studies reported in the thesis (Studies 1 and 2) revealed the types of communication encounters that are most difficult to manage at work, and offered insight into why these situations are difficult. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered and the quantitative data analysed using multidimensional scaling techniques. The results provided a taxonomy of difficult communication situations in the workplace. The next two studies (Studies 3 and 4) focused on the development of measures of primary and secondary appraisal, and on a taxonomy of response strategies applicable to work settings. A new measure of primary appraisal was developed from qualitative data pertaining specifically to the domain of difficult communication contexts. Principal components analysis was used in the development of the response strategies instrument. Study 5, the final study, reported the results of the application of cognitive appraisal theory to the context of difficult communication at work. In this study, the theory was applied to four difficult communication situations identified in Study 1, and the relationships among appraisal, response strategy, and outcome were investigated using principal components analysis and, subsequently, hierarchical regression analysis. The results indicated that, as the appraisal of the context varies, so too does the choice of response strategy, lending support to the transactional model. Appraisal contributes significantly to response strategy choice and to the outcome of the situation over and above that offered by response strategies alone. In addition, the findings revealed that appraisal of the situation differ across situations and according to the status of the other person in the encounter. The findings of the series of studies reported here point to the value of viewing difficult communication situations in the workplace in terms of the interrelated constructs of situations, appraisals, strategies rather than, as more commonly, in terms of characteristics of ‘difficult’ persons. Some situations are inherently more difficult than others, appraisals alter the difficulty level of situations, and the availability of response strategies influence outcome. Appraisal is, however, a construct of central importance, in much the same way it is in the research context from which it was appropriated, viz stress research. Appraisal contributes significantly to choice of response strategy and directly to outcome over an above the contribution of response strategy. The research program was not without its shortcomings, among them the reliance on retrospective reports of participants about their behaviour, and these need to be addressed in future research. The findings as they stand do, however, point to more useful ways of conceptualising difficult situations at work and devising methods of intervention that will ensure better outcomes, in a significant area of life in the modern workplace.

Agricultural Education has been informed by four major areas including agricultural education (teaching and learning), educational policy, agricultural policy (industry collaboration) and research. Historically agriculture teachers have been removed from the policy process affecting their profession in these four areas (Thompson, 1963). A review of historical literature suggests that only twice have teachers been involved in the policy process. The purpose of this study was to examine the involvement levels of stakeholders in agricultural education across the state of Kentucky. Specifically, examining the emotional appraisal of specific issues in agricultural education and if the emotions of stakeholders influence their involvement in these issues (Sherer, 2005). The researcher found that the involvement level of stakeholders in Kentucky was consistent with the historical research suggesting that stakeholders including teachers are not actively engaged in policy affecting their profession. The researcher also found that stakeholders that appraised a specific issue with a joyous emotion (contentment) became more involved in a local agricultural education program than those apprehensive about the same issues. Recommendations for the profession and specific stakeholder groups have been provided by the researcher to attempt to engage stakeholders in the polices that affect their classroom and profession.

SILVA, Gerlylson Rubens dos Santos. Manifestações avaliativas de engajamento no gênero relatório de pesquisa produzido por alunos do ensino médio. 2016. 152f. – Dissertação (Mestrado) – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Departamento de Letras Vernáculas, Programa de Pós-graduação em Linguística, Fortaleza (CE), 2016. / Submitted by Márcia Araújo (marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-06-15T11:09:41Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_dis_grssilva.pdf: 1387331 bytes, checksum: 23a31b5f082b2a37ee430ebed8c2b08e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Márcia Araújo (marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-06-15T11:43:09Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_dis_grssilva.pdf: 1387331 bytes, checksum: 23a31b5f082b2a37ee430ebed8c2b08e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-15T11:43:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_dis_grssilva.pdf: 1387331 bytes, checksum: 23a31b5f082b2a37ee430ebed8c2b08e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016 / Inserted into a context of interventions that aims to restructure the high school curriculum, Ceará public schools pride themselves with the arrival of an approach that brings new practices of literacy. This new approach, named Core Labor, Research and Social Policies (Núcleo de Trabalho, Pesquisa e Práticas Sociais – NTPPS), intends to develop socio-emotional skills of students in order to use scientific research as an educational principle in high school learning process. Within this context, this research seeks to verify the state of scientific literacy (MILLER, 1983; OSBONER, 2002; SANTOS 2007) of NTPPS students through the evaluative expressions of Engagement (MARTIN; WHITE, 2005) mobilized in Theoretical Framework section of their research reports. The study explains the association we conjecture that exists between certain dialogic choices assumed by the producer of the report and the state of scientific literacy evidenced by these linguistic marks. The corpus of this work, collected in July 2015, consists of thirty-six Theoretical Frameworks of scientific research reports produced by first-year students of high school. We analyze the data identifying the dialogic choices adopted by the producers and the inter-subjective level of engagement assumed in the construction of argumentative positions. The material revealed the presence of 810 evaluative expressions of Engagement, 222 classified as monoglossics and 588 classified as heteroglossics that pass by all the subcategories found in this subsystem classification network. More than a half of evaluations (60,5%) concerns of Dialogic Contractions while 39,5% enter in the expansive scope of dialogue. We observed that 61,5% of the Theoretical Frameworks present a range of linguistic marks of evaluation that reveal a minimum criteria of suitability in levels of engagement with the text, presenting appropriate evidences of authorial role. The analysis of the material allowed us to infer that the NTTPS intervention has shown positive results in the development of scientific literacy skills of high school students. The discursive practices ruled by scientific methodology, that had sporadically been worked in schools are, nowadays, parts of the school community as a belonging exercise of a large portion of students. We observe the consequences of this in their research reports, which we can view as representative products of the process of scientific literacy acquisition. / Inserida em um contexto de intervenções que visam à reestruturação do currículo do Ensino Médio, a educação pública cearense brinda a entrada de uma abordagem que pretende trazer à rotina escolar novas práticas de letramento. Essa nova abordagem carrega o título de Núcleo de Trabalho, Pesquisa e Práticas Sociais (NTPPS), objetiva desenvolver as competências socioemocionais do corpo discente e utilizar a pesquisa científica como princípio educacional no processo de aprendizagem do Ensino Médio. Dentro desse contexto, o presente trabalho busca verificar o estado das habilidades de letramento científico (MILLER,1983; OSBORNE, 2002; SANTOS, 2007) do aluno de NTPPS por meio das manifestações avaliativas de Engajamento (MARTIN e WHITE, 2005) acionadas na seção Referencial Teórico de seus relatórios de pesquisa. O estudo explica a associação que conjecturamos existir entre determinadas escolhas dialógicas assumidas pelo produtor textual e o estado de letramento científico evidenciado por essas marcas linguísticas. O corpus desse estudo, que teve sua coleta encerrada em julho de 2015, é formado por trinta e seis Referenciais Teóricos de relatórios de investigação científica produzidos por alunos matriculados na primeira série do Ensino Médio. Os dados foram analisados através da identificação das escolhas dialógicas adotadas pelos produtores textuais e do nível de engajamento intersubjetivo assumido na construção argumentativa dos posicionamentos. Em todo material de análise, foram pontuados 809 casos de avaliações por Engajamento, sendo 222 classificadas como avaliações monoglóssicas e 587 como avaliações heteroglóssicas que perpassam por todas as subcategorias encontradas na rede de classificação desse subsistema. Mais da metade das avaliações (60,5%) é calcada no solo das Contrações Dialógicas, enquanto 39,5% entram no âmbito expansivo do diálogo. Observamos que 61,5% dos Referenciais Teóricos apresentam uma gama de avaliações linguísticas que revelam o alcance de critérios mínimos de adequação em níveis de engajamento com o texto, apresentando adequadas evidências de protagonismo autoral. A análise desse material nos permitiu inferir que a intervenção NTPPS tem apresentado positivos resultados quanto ao desenvolvimento das competências de letramento científico dos alunos do Ensino Médio. As práticas discursivas regidas pela metodologia científica que, antes, eram trabalhadas na escola de forma esporádica, hoje, fazem parte da comunidade escolar como exercício de pertença de grande parcela dos alunos. Os reflexos disso são observados em seus relatórios de pesquisa, objetos vistos como produtos de representatividade do processo aquisitivo das competências do letramento científico.

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This study aims to better understand tough love as a communication interaction, specifically focusing on defining and understand tough love from a receiver’s perspective. Thirteen respondents between the ages of 18-28 were recruited from a mid-sized Midwestern university. Flexible in-depth interviews were conducted given the exploratory nature of this study. Lazarus’ Appraisal Theory was used as a lens to better understand tough love as a process. Analysis of the data found that emotions in the primary appraisal phase are often negative, with codes such as hurt, angry, and embarrassed arising in the data. The secondary phase demonstrated the intentionality of this message, with respondents understanding the purpose of tough love as encouraging resilience or teaching a lesson. Reappraisals often occurred when respondents realized the message was tough love. Relational factors such as closeness and authority were determinants in whether this message was received positively or negatively.

The research investigated consumers' decision-making process during pre-adoption and consumption stages of consumer-based technologies via the context of mobile apps. In an attempt to integrate consumer resistance in predicting the end-decisions to adopt/not adopt or continue/discontinue the use of a technology, the study presented some interesting findings. Employing the theoretical framework of cognitive appraisal theory, the study integrated the TAM, paradoxes of technology, and coping strategies to propose and empirically validate a process-based model of decision-making.Data were collected via a self-administered web-based survey. Two versions of the questionnaire were used to elicit consumers' responses from adopters and non-adopters of mobile apps. A total of 646 smartphone owners responded to the survey, of which, 375 respondents had downloaded apps in the past and 271 respondents had not downloaded any apps. The proposed hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling.Results demonstrated that most part of the TAM3 framework is replicable in a consumer-based setting. Additional findings provided evidence for the strong role of goal relevance in the TAM framework. The study also supported the effect of perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use on different technology paradoxes. The factor structure of the technology paradoxes suggested three distinct dimensions. Consumers' evaluation of control, freedom, newness, assimilation, and fulfillment of need as derived from the use of mobile apps was captured by Perceived Benefits. The construct, Perceived Apprehension, comprised of consumers' assessment of the chaos, enslavement, obsolesce, isolation, and creation of needs as a result of using mobile apps. Finally, the factor, Perceived Obscurity, investigated the confusion and/or ambiguity within individuals by measuring their perceived inefficiency and incompetence in using mobile apps.Most importantly, separate investigations of the pre-adoption and consumption stages highlighted consumers' use of varying degrees of resistance as influenced by their appraisal of the technology. The non-adopters resisted the use of mobile apps by either being indifferent towards it or postponing the decision to adopt. The adopters of mobile apps were also found to reject its use by distancing, abandoning, or neglecting the apps. The role of positive coping investigated the positive behavioral tendencies employed by consumers to overcome the challenges of using mobile apps. Managerial implications are discussed.

This thesis is concerned with explicating the role of language in mobilising action through management emails. Situated within the context of organisational change in a globalised manufacturing business, the project is framed by behavioural observations from management scholars Palmer and Hardy (2000) of mobilisation strategies that utilise linguistic resources since they: (a) involve a sense of obligation or inclination in directives; (b) show how co-operation will produce mutual benefits; (c) construct desired actions as legitimate, beneficial or inevitable; and (d) use past or anticipated meanings, for or against certain actions. Systemic Functional Linguistics is the underlying framework employed to provide a theoretically principled account of the intuitively derived observations from Palmer and Hardy (2000) which are applied to a sample of twenty-seven email texts, through corpus- and text-based analysis. A major finding is that the representation of action is enacted interpersonally through the verbal group. This view complements experientially dominated accounts of the verbal group which focus on the tense system. Further, action is found to be motivated through the negotiation of evaluative stance. By relating the grammar of the verbal group as well as other resources to the discourse semantics of Appraisal, modulation (of obligation or inclination) is found to be enabled by both negative as well as positive judgements of capacity. Specifically, judgements of capacity are re-interpreted as invocations of high obligation as managers seek to mobilise (further) positive performance. The analysis demonstrates that elements in the verbal group (complex) and Appraisal co-opt action through enabling positioning of the writer, in terms of assessing and grading categorical meanings, manipulating interpersonal time, or foregrounding solidarity. A significant contribution to the thesis is an extension of the system of GRADUATION: FOCUS (Hood, 2004a) through the demonstration of how resources of the verbal group negotiate expectations of appearances and achievements. This study has also extended the resources of GRADUATION: FORCE by applying it to the management context. The practical contribution of the study is that these insights may more explicitly inform management training and enable managers to participate more effectively within their community of practice.

This thesis is concerned with explicating the role of language in mobilising action through management emails. Situated within the context of organisational change in a globalised manufacturing business, the project is framed by behavioural observations from management scholars Palmer and Hardy (2000) of mobilisation strategies that utilise linguistic resources since they: (a) involve a sense of obligation or inclination in directives; (b) show how co-operation will produce mutual benefits; (c) construct desired actions as legitimate, beneficial or inevitable; and (d) use past or anticipated meanings, for or against certain actions. Systemic Functional Linguistics is the underlying framework employed to provide a theoretically principled account of the intuitively derived observations from Palmer and Hardy (2000) which are applied to a sample of twenty-seven email texts, through corpus- and text-based analysis. A major finding is that the representation of action is enacted interpersonally through the verbal group. This view complements experientially dominated accounts of the verbal group which focus on the tense system. Further, action is found to be motivated through the negotiation of evaluative stance. By relating the grammar of the verbal group as well as other resources to the discourse semantics of Appraisal, modulation (of obligation or inclination) is found to be enabled by both negative as well as positive judgements of capacity. Specifically, judgements of capacity are re-interpreted as invocations of high obligation as managers seek to mobilise (further) positive performance. The analysis demonstrates that elements in the verbal group (complex) and Appraisal co-opt action through enabling positioning of the writer, in terms of assessing and grading categorical meanings, manipulating interpersonal time, or foregrounding solidarity. A significant contribution to the thesis is an extension of the system of GRADUATION: FOCUS (Hood, 2004a) through the demonstration of how resources of the verbal group negotiate expectations of appearances and achievements. This study has also extended the resources of GRADUATION: FORCE by applying it to the management context. The practical contribution of the study is that these insights may more explicitly inform management training and enable managers to participate more effectively within their community of practice.