In traditional tasks of formal reasoning, participants are asked to evaluate the validity of logical arguments. While this research tradition has contributed in many ways to our understanding of human reasoning, the extent to which this body of research generalizes to everyday, or informal, reasoning is unclear (e.g., Evans & Thompson, 2004; Galotti, 1989). The main goal of this dissertation was to illustrate the benefits of applying an informal approach to the study of conditional reasoning. In six experiments, everyday conditionals in the form of inducements (promises and threats) and advice (tips and warnings) were investigated. The results support three main conclusions. First, people recruit a substantial amount of background knowledge when interpreting and reasoning with these conditionals. Specifically, inducements were found to be different from advice on several pragmatic variables (Experiment 1); these variables also predicted differences in inference patterns (Experiment 2). Second, these studies provide further support for a probabilistic interpretation of conditionals (e.g., Evans & Over, 2004; Oaksford & Chater, 2001). Thus, in Experiments 3-5, estimates of different conditional probabilities predicted a number of judgments people make about inducements and advice. A particularly interesting finding was that the effectiveness of these conditionals in changing behaviour did not seem to depend on how likely they were perceived to be true. Finally, Experiment 6 adopted a decision-theoretic analysis (e.g., Over, Manktelow, & Hadjichristidis, 2004), showing that the effectiveness and quality of inducements and advice were tied to perceptions of subjective utility and preferences among possible outcomes. This dissertation concludes with a theoretical discussion of the nature of the relationship between formal and informal reasoning.

In traditional tasks of formal reasoning, participants are asked to evaluate the validity of logical arguments. While this research tradition has contributed in many ways to our understanding of human reasoning, the extent to which this body of research generalizes to everyday, or informal, reasoning is unclear (e.g., Evans & Thompson, 2004; Galotti, 1989). The main goal of this dissertation was to illustrate the benefits of applying an informal approach to the study of conditional reasoning. In six experiments, everyday conditionals in the form of inducements (promises and threats) and advice (tips and warnings) were investigated. The results support three main conclusions. First, people recruit a substantial amount of background knowledge when interpreting and reasoning with these conditionals. Specifically, inducements were found to be different from advice on several pragmatic variables (Experiment 1); these variables also predicted differences in inference patterns (Experiment 2). Second, these studies provide further support for a probabilistic interpretation of conditionals (e.g., Evans & Over, 2004; Oaksford & Chater, 2001). Thus, in Experiments 3-5, estimates of different conditional probabilities predicted a number of judgments people make about inducements and advice. A particularly interesting finding was that the effectiveness of these conditionals in changing behaviour did not seem to depend on how likely they were perceived to be true. Finally, Experiment 6 adopted a decision-theoretic analysis (e.g., Over, Manktelow, & Hadjichristidis, 2004), showing that the effectiveness and quality of inducements and advice were tied to perceptions of subjective utility and preferences among possible outcomes. This dissertation concludes with a theoretical discussion of the nature of the relationship between formal and informal reasoning.

Although a vast amount of research has examined why job seekers become attracted to organizations, few studies have focused on how job seekers develop an initial attraction and attachment to organizations. In order to address this gap in the literature, this study examined the relationship between the ways new organizations communicate and potential job seekers' perceptions of organizational attractiveness and anticipatory organizational identification. The organizational identification literature has previously shown that organizations often use a variety of inducements in their communication to foster identification among members, and that when members perceive that membership in an organization is an opportunity to affirm, distinguish, or enhance their self-concepts, the perceived organizational identity becomes more attractive. Drawing upon these findings, this study posited that a similar relationship would occur between organizations and potential job seekers. In addition, based on findings on social categorization, this study examined whether the effectiveness of identification inducements varied depending on whether the new organization was situated within an established or emerging industry. In established industries, new organizations face the risk of being stereotyped based on job seekers' preexisting knowledge of the industry, and therefore effectively invisible to job seekers as unique organizations. In emerging industries, because it is not entirely clear what defines this set of organizations, new organizations face the risk that job seekers may be less certain about how they might connect with these organizations, and therefore tend to find them less attractive. As a consequence of these cognitive differences, this study posited that the effectiveness of identification inducements would depend on the type of industry. An experiment was conducted to test these hypotheses. Participants consisted of students either currently or recently active in job seeking activities. The findings indicate that the presence of identification inducements in an organization's external communication positively impacted job seekers' perceptions and attachment to organizations, and that the primary mechanism for this effect was job seekers' perception of similarity. No differences were found between new organizations in established versus emerging industries in terms of the impact of identification inducements. Theoretical and managerial implications of these results were discussed. / text

Channel relationships, market knowledge, strategic partnerships and brand equity are examples of marketing resources which firms can possess. Marketing resources are especially valuable when they are properly leveraged by agents of the firm (Srivastava, Fahey, and Christensen 2001). This dissertation examines how one marketing resource - corporate sponsorships - can be leveraged by companies to enhance financial performance. Based on the tenets of social identity theory (Tajfel and Turner 1985), two conceptual models are developed which propose corporate sponsorship can develop the attractiveness of a company's identity and thus enhance levels of company identification among salespeople (Study 1) and customers (Study 2). It is further proposed that through this strengthening of company identification, these stakeholders will become motivated to perform supportive behaviors on behalf of the company which will lead to the firm's enhanced performance. To empirically test the conceptual models, data were collected from the sales force and a sample of customers of a Fortune 1000 company which actively engages in a single national corporate sponsorship. The data set used in Study 1 includes survey responses from 490 sales representatives (21.7% response rate) which are combined with objective sales data gathered from company records. The data were analyzed utilizing linear regression and Hierarchical Linear Modeling. The conceptual model developed in Study 2 was tested utilizing structural equation modeling of survey data collected from 246 active customers. The two studies contained in this dissertation make several important theoretical and substantive contributions to both marketing theory and practice. First, evidence is provided that company identity can be influenced by a company and its marketers. By affiliating with a prestigious entity through a corporate sponsorship, a firm can enhance the attractiveness of its identity which in turn, influences levels of identification among salespeople and customers. The studies also provide additional evidence highlighting the power of identification in terms of predicting firm-directed supportive behaviors. The analysis in Study 1 shows that company identification influences salesperson sales growth and Study 2 confirms that customer-company identification leads to customer sales and positive word-of-mouth communications. Implications of these findings are provided.

How do states win wars against other states? We have three explanations. By selection, states enter more winnable wars. By warfighting, states use negative inducements so enemies fear fighting. By peacemaking, states use positive inducements so enemies hope for settling. This dissertation investigates peacemaking. It theorizes that states optimally produce influence only if they efficiently combine warfighting negative and peacemaking positive inducements. It hypothesizes that using some peacemaking on average improves outcomes verses using none. The dissertation tests this with a statistical analysis that measures peacemaking as law of war compliance and estimates effects on all inter-state outcomes from 1899 to 1991. It finds that compliance likely on average improves immediate military and final political relative outcomes. This dissertation also tests peacemaking in four case studies from the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 and World War II. These case studies find that state peacemaking to enemy states, allies, leaders, troops, and civilians probably on average improves absolute war outcomes. These complementary and independent empirical results provide unprecedented support for the peacemaking explanation of how states improve inter-state war outcomes. To succeed, states should be prudent by selection, fierce in warfighting, and principled for peacemaking. / Government

「能者多勞」是指能幹員工在職場中做更多工作的現象。近年來，能幹員工對於組織的重要性獲得高度關注，儘管過往證據顯示這些員工在職場上有時會受到來自太多工作或是責任的負擔，目前仍很少有研究檢驗員工能幹程度與工作過荷的關聯，本研究即以實證方式檢驗此現象的存在與其對職場心理健康的衝擊，並將主管的角色納入考量，探討主管青睞可能扮演的調節角色，以及在工作要求－資源模式的基礎上，試圖了解組織誘因的緩衝效果。本研究採用便利取樣，並以對偶問卷進行資料蒐集，研究對象為一般企業之直屬主管及部屬，共回收紙本問卷188套及網路問卷33套，得有效問卷169套，有效回收率為76%。研究結果顯示，自評的部屬能幹程度能預測部屬之工作過荷感受，且工作過荷可以中介能幹程度至職場心理健康的負面影響；然而，主管青睞與組織誘因在能幹程度、工作過荷與職場心理健康的關聯中皆無發現預期的調節效果。最後，本研究針對結果進行討論，並說明研究貢獻、研究限制與未來研究方向。 / "All Lay Loads on a Willing Horse" refers to the phenomenon that high-competence employees do more work in the workplace. In recent years, the importance of high-competence employees in the organizations is highly valued. Although previous evidence supported that these employees are sometimes burdened with too much work or responsibility in the workplace. The relationship between employees' competence and work overload was rarely examined. This study aims to investigate the existence of this phenomenon and its impact on workplace mental health in an empirical way. Takes the role of supervisor into account, discuss the moderating role of supervisors’ liking. Meanwhile, tries to understand the buffering effect of organizational inducements on the basis of JDR model. Research data is collected by a dyadic questionnaire survey with convenience sampling. Subjects are paired supervisor and subordinate in general enterprises. 188 sets of paper questionnaires and 33 sets of internet questionnaires were returned. Totally get 169 sets of effective questionnaires, the effective rate is 76%. The result reveals that self-evaluation competence can predict the subordinates’ work overload, and work overload can mediate the negative impact on workplace mental health. However, supervisors’ liking and organization inducements do not have expected moderating effect in the relationship between competence to work overload and work overload to workplace mental health. Finally, research finding, theoretical contribution, research constraints and future research directions are discussed.