Intergroup contact is often awkward, due to individuals’ concerns regarding outgroup members' evaluation of them, and these concerns are higher when the evaluation is perceived as uncertain and important (Vorauer, 2006). Although high evaluative concern has been identified as one of the key obstacles to smooth intergroup relations, many questions remain about the nature of evaluative concern and how it might be reduced. Three studies examined evaluative uncertainty- which has been theorized to be one of the main predictors of evaluative concerns during intergroup contact with an ostensible interaction paradigm. The key goals of this research were to: 1) develop and assess different potential measures of evaluative uncertainty, 2) investigate whether evaluative uncertainty is higher during intergroup contact than during intragroup contact and whether it fosters evaluative concerns, and 3) identify a strategy for reducing evaluative uncertainty. Study 1 followed a 2 (Participant Group Status: Majority vs. Minority) x 2 (Contact Type: Intergroup vs. Intragroup) factorial design and two promising measures of evaluative uncertainty were identified. In line with predictions, higher evaluative uncertainty was observed for both majority and minority group members during intergroup as compared to intragroup contact. Study 2 followed a 2 (Uncertainty Manipulation: Uncertainty vs. Certainty) x 2 (Contact Type: Intergroup vs. Intragroup) factorial design, using a modified version of a manipulation developed in previous research to manipulate general uncertainty. Unfortunately, however, the manipulation was not successful. Study 3 examined whether evaluative uncertainty can be reduced by prompting individuals to reflect on how their traits are usually perceived by others, and whether this reduced uncertainty can then lead to improved contact experiences. The study followed a 2 (General Meta-Evaluation Activation: Yes vs. No) x 2 (Participant Ethnicity: White vs. Chinese) x 2 (Contact Type: Intergroup vs. Intragroup) factorial design. As hypothesized, prompting individuals to reflect on how their traits are usually perceived by others led to reduced evaluative uncertainty and more positive interaction behavior (i.e., increased self-disclosure, more communication effort, and increased interaction enjoyment – the latter only in White participants).

Intergroup contact is often awkward, due to individuals’ concerns regarding outgroup members' evaluation of them, and these concerns are higher when the evaluation is perceived as uncertain and important (Vorauer, 2006). Although high evaluative concern has been identified as one of the key obstacles to smooth intergroup relations, many questions remain about the nature of evaluative concern and how it might be reduced. Three studies examined evaluative uncertainty- which has been theorized to be one of the main predictors of evaluative concerns during intergroup contact with an ostensible interaction paradigm. The key goals of this research were to: 1) develop and assess different potential measures of evaluative uncertainty, 2) investigate whether evaluative uncertainty is higher during intergroup contact than during intragroup contact and whether it fosters evaluative concerns, and 3) identify a strategy for reducing evaluative uncertainty. Study 1 followed a 2 (Participant Group Status: Majority vs. Minority) x 2 (Contact Type: Intergroup vs. Intragroup) factorial design and two promising measures of evaluative uncertainty were identified. In line with predictions, higher evaluative uncertainty was observed for both majority and minority group members during intergroup as compared to intragroup contact. Study 2 followed a 2 (Uncertainty Manipulation: Uncertainty vs. Certainty) x 2 (Contact Type: Intergroup vs. Intragroup) factorial design, using a modified version of a manipulation developed in previous research to manipulate general uncertainty. Unfortunately, however, the manipulation was not successful. Study 3 examined whether evaluative uncertainty can be reduced by prompting individuals to reflect on how their traits are usually perceived by others, and whether this reduced uncertainty can then lead to improved contact experiences. The study followed a 2 (General Meta-Evaluation Activation: Yes vs. No) x 2 (Participant Ethnicity: White vs. Chinese) x 2 (Contact Type: Intergroup vs. Intragroup) factorial design. As hypothesized, prompting individuals to reflect on how their traits are usually perceived by others led to reduced evaluative uncertainty and more positive interaction behavior (i.e., increased self-disclosure, more communication effort, and increased interaction enjoyment – the latter only in White participants).

No description available.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTERS OF ARTS in the DEPARTMENT OF AFRICAN LANGUAGES at the UNIVERSITY OF ZULULAND, 2000. / Topics falling under evaluative morphology have been wrongly placed in most grammar books dealing with African languages. cf. Doke (1956), Ziervogel and Mabuza (1996) and Nyembezi (1965) have placed diminutives , augmentatives and reduplication of nominal stems under derivative forms of the nouns. They also place the evaluative verbal extensions under verbal derivatives. This situation has led to inadequate and misleading treatment of . such topics. Most scholars have treated these topics in passing. Less attention has been paid to this aspect of Zulu grammar. This study endeavours to highlight important aspects of evaluative morphology. We want to ascertain whether or not the branch of morphology known as evaluative morphology is worth pursuing in Zulu. We shall therefore develop a theoretical basis for Zulu evaluative morphology. This study will attempt to deal with some important aspects of evaluative morphology. These aspects are :evaluative affixes used with nominals, evaluative affixes used with personal names and evaluative affixes used with the verb. Non-evaluative affixes will be excluded from this study.

Cette recherche explore le processus évaluatif tel qu'il se développe dans les disciplines scientifiques au collège, à l'initiative de professeurs. L'originalité et la nouveauté de cette investigation sont de focaliser les élèves dans les interactions évaluatives, inhérentes au processus évaluatif. L'enjeu est de contribuer à l'intelligibilité des comportements des élèves, c'est-à-dire d'expliquer et de justifier leurs actions et leurs réactions au comportement évaluatif du professeur. Alors que, dans les recherches antérieures, le comportement évaluatif du professeur est largement expliqué par ses intentions évaluatives et ses postures d'évaluateur, les travaux et les études ne donnent que très peu d'éléments concernant les élèves. Dans ce contexte : primo, l'existence d'un comportement d'un élève engagé dans une situation d'évaluation est postulé ; secundo, la notion de conscience évaluative individuelle d'un élève est proposée pour rendre compte de son comportement évaluatif et affirmer l'existence de l'élève-évalué ; tertio, l'étude des interactions évaluatives est menée à travers l'investigation et la caractérisation des écarts entre les intentions évaluatives du professeur-évaluateur et la conscience évaluative individuelle de chaque élève-évalué. La méthodologie mise au point a comme premier objectif de vérifier l'existence des intentions évaluatives et de la conscience évaluative, puis comme second objectif d'en étudier les écarts éventuels. Les études de cas sont adaptées à ces deux objectifs : les cas retenus sont des situations d'évaluation formelle particulières, organisées à l'initiative d'un professeur. Dix études de cas et une étude de cas multiples sont menées : les données ont été recueillies auprès de neuf professeurs, enseignant dans trois collèges différents de deux académies ; cent cinq élèves ont été sollicités, répartis dans cinq classes (4 classes de 5ème et 1 classe de 4ème). L'investigation, d'un point de vue didactique, privilégie les contenus de l'enseignement, le contrat et la négociation didactiques, les tâches prescrites. En effet, la place de ces concepts est centrale dans une situation d'évaluation parce que les acteurs - professeur et élèves - en ont une « compréhension symétrique » : cette bivalence en fait des outils permettant la comparaison des intentions évaluatives du professeur-évaluateur et de la conscience évaluative individuelle de chaque élève-évalué. Ces trois concepts apparaissent intriqués dans une situation d'évaluation formelle et y interfèrent en tant que système : dans toute situation d'évaluation formelle, aucun des trois éléments ne peut exister indépendamment des deux autres d'une part, et ce système est systématiquement présent d'autre part. En conclusion, cette recherche exploratoire montre l'existence de la conscience évaluative individuelle des élèves engagés dans une situation d'évaluation formelle. La corrélation entre les intentions évaluatives et la conscience évaluative est marquée par la présence d'écarts qui se manifestent dans le sens donné respectivement par le professeur et chacun de ses élèves, aux contenus de l'enseignement, au contrat didactique et aux tâches prescrites, globalement à l'ensemble des trois, considéré en tant que système. Ces écarts interrogent d'une façon inédite la fiabilité d'une situation d'évaluation formelle pour chaque élève et donc les inférences évaluatives induites. Cette recherche met surtout en lumière que l'élève est un acteur-clé de la situation d'évaluation formelle et pas seulement l'objet de l'évaluation à travers sa production. / This research explores the evaluative process as it is developing in science subjects at middle schools on the teachers' initiative. The originality and the novelty of this study consist of the focus on students in the evaluative interactions inherent in the evaluative process. The aim is to contribute to the intelligibility of students' behaviours, i.e. to explain and to justify the factors that affect student overall actions and reactions to the teacher's evaluative behaviour. While the teacher's evaluative behaviour has been largely explained in previous researches through his or her evaluative intentions and position as an evaluator educational literature has not yet collected sufficient data as regards student characteristics. In this context this investigation examines three interrelated topics denoted as follows. First, the existence of a behaviour characterising students involved in an evaluation situation is postulated. Second, the concept of individual evaluative awareness is proposed in order to take into greater account his or her evaluative behaviour and to establish the existence of the evaluated-student as equally effective. Third, the evaluative interactions are examined through the investigation and the characterisation of divergences between the evaluative intentions of the teacher-evaluator and the individual evaluative awareness of each evaluated-student. With the help of some new methodological approach, the primary goal is to explicit the existence of both evaluative intentions and evaluative awareness, and the second objective is to examine their potential divergences. The case studies are appropriate to these two objectives: the cases presented are specific formal evaluation situations organized to teacher's initiative. Ten case studies and a multiple case study have been carried out: data were collected from nine teachers teaching in three different middle schools belonging to two regional education academies; one hundred five students were contacted throughout five classes (4 classes of "5ème" and 1 class of "4ème", respectively 4 classes of 7th grade and 1 class of 8th grade). From a didactic perspective the investigation focuses on curricular contents, the didactic contract and negotiation, the tasks assigned. These concepts definitely hold a central place in any evaluation situation because the proficient users - teacher and students - have a "symmetrical understanding" of it: this bivalence produces tools for the comparison of the evaluator-teacher's evaluative intentions and the evaluated-student's evaluative awareness. These three concepts intertwined in a formal evaluation situation and conjugate as a system: in any formal evaluation situation, none of the three elements can exist independently from the two others on the one hand, and this system is always present on the second hand. In conclusion, this exploratory research shows the existence of the student individual evaluative awareness when involved in a formal evaluation situation. The correlation between the evaluative intentions and the evaluative awareness is defined by the presence of divergences that emerge concerning under the meaning given respectively by the teacher and each student to the curricular contents, the didactic contract and didactic negotiation, the tasks assigned, globally to the combination of the three concepts regarded as a system. These divergences call into question in an unprecedented manner the finality of a formal evaluation situation for each student and thus the evaluative inferences induced. This research more specifically highlights the idea that the student is a key-player of the formal evaluation situation and not only the object of the evaluation through his or her performance.

In recent decades the role of context in food consumption behaviour has been the focus of some research. However little is known about whether context influences the way in which we learn to like foods. Most of our food likes and dislikes are acquired through experience. A number of different processes are thought to be involved. One such mechanism is flavour-flavour evaluative conditioning (EC). In flavour-flavour EC a novel flavour (Conditioned Stimuli; CS) is repeatedly paired with a flavour that already evokes an affective response (Unconditioned Stimuli; US). The outcome of these repeated pairings is a shift in liking towards the CS that is in line with the affective value of the US. There is reason to believe that certain contextual factors may influence this type of food preference learning. However few studies have investigated this. In this thesis the impact of several contextual factors on flavour-flavour EC is explored. We also explore the use of approach behaviour as an indirect measure of liking.Chapters 2 and 3 present evidence of the influence of two external contextual factors in flavour-flavour EC. In Chapter 2 the effect of information was investigated. Conditioning in unrestrained eaters was marginally enhanced when conditioning was presented in the context of positive information regarding the CS-US pairings. Results show that information may influence flavour-flavour EC, possibly through assimilation and contrast effects. In Chapter 3 the effect of physical context on flavour-flavour EC was explored. Results showed that conditioning was context specific. Conditioning effects were strongest when participants acquired conditioning and were tested in the same context compared to those who acquired conditioning in one context and moved to a second context for testing. Chapter 4 presents a methodological investigation of the efficacy of using approach behaviours as a way to indirectly measure liking for real drink stimuli. Approach behaviours were shown to differ according to drink valence with quicker approaches exhibited for pleasant drinks compared to aversive drinks. Approach behaviours were then used as an indirect measure of drink liking in Chapter 5. Chapters 5 and 6 explore two factors related to the internal context. Chapter 5 explores the role of cognitive resources in flavour-flavour EC. In two experiments conditioning was shown to be reduced under conditions of cognitive load suggesting a role for cognitive resources in flavour-flavour EC. Chapter 6 presents an exploration of the effect of mood on flavour-flavour EC. There was no effect of mood on conditioning per se, however results showed that sad participants rated CS flavours more positively than happy participants, a finding that is interpreted with reference to mood regulation. The work presented in this thesis provides evidence that many factors related to the context within which learning occurs can influence flavour-flavour EC. Flavour-flavour EC is shown to be context specific, dependent upon cognitive resources and open to influence from information and mood. These findings highlight the importance of context in food behaviour.

The purpose of this study is to determine an evaluative instrument for evaluating a modern school program.

The proposed research explores a contextual perspective in multiple object situations. Specifically, I focus on the context effect created by an object associated with strong attitude on the subsequent evaluative judgment of a target object. Through five studies, I find that the context effect of a strong attitude object is greater for objects with neutral-strength attitudes than for the objects with very strong or very weak attitudes, which result in a curved relationship between the magnitude of the context effect and the strength associated with attitudes towards targets. In addition, I find that the direction of the context effect of a strong attitude object is determined by the valence of the attitudes towards the target objects: targets with positive attitudes become less positive, and those with negative attitudes become less negative. That is, the results of the context effects represent as a form of decreased extremity of the attitudes towards targets. More importantly, it is found that these differing magnitudes and directions of the context effect of an object with strong attitude finally result in evaluative space distortion. I trace the underlying process mechanism of theses effects and find that: 1) the divergent magnitudes of the context effects are the result of the differing level of comparison difficulty between a contextual object and target objects; and 2) the divergent directions of the context effects are the product of perceived uncertainty about the attitude towards target objects.

No description available.

This dissertation investigates interactions between gender and number and gender and evaluative morphology in a sample of 100 African languages, and provides a method for assessing the role that these interactions play in the grammatical complexity of gender systems. The dissertation is organised around three research foci. First, the dissertation surveys patterns of interaction between gender and number along the following dimensions: exponence, syncretism, indexation, correlations in type of marking, and gender assignment. The study provides evidence for the possibility that nominal features are organised in a relevance hierarchy. In addition, the study shows that animacy and lexical plurality play a crucial role in the distribution of special patterns of plural indexation. The study also shows that pervasive indexation systems in the language sample always involve both gender and number. Finally, the study shows how gender assignment can be used as a means for encoding variation in the countability properties of nouns and noun phrases. Second, the dissertation surveys patterns of interaction between gender and evaluative morphology in the languages of the sample. Two types of interactions are found. The study shows that the distribution of the two types depends on three factors: the type of gender system, the number of gender distinctions and the possibility of assigning a noun to more than one gender. Third, the dissertation investigates the role that interactions of gender and number and gender and evaluative morphology play in the absolute complexity of gender. The study proposes a metric for gender complexity and uses this metric to compute complexity scores for the languages of the sample. The results suggest that the gender systems of the language sample lean toward high complexity, that genealogically related languages have the same or similar complexity scores, and that the distribution of the outliers can often be understood as the result of language contact.