Being watched or being special: How I learned to stop worrying and love being monitored, surveilled and assessed

ABSTRACT This paper explores the relationship between display of feedback (public vs. private) by a computer system and the basis for evaluation (present vs. absent) of that feedback. We employ a social interpersonal context (speed-dating) in a controlled laboratory setting. Participants (in male-female pairs) receive real-time performance feedback, either only about themselves (private) or about both participants (public). Participant perceptions of monitoring, conformity, and self-consciousness about themselves and their dating partner, as well as perceptions of system invasiveness, system competence, and system support are assessed. There is a consistent pattern of significant interaction between feedback display and basis for evaluation conditions. Public feedback with an added, trivial basis for evaluation creates significantly lower perceptions of monitoring, conformity, self-consciousness, and system invasiveness, than do the other three conditions. Additionally, there is a main effect for basis for evaluation with respect to system competence and supportiveness; the presence of a basis produces more positive assessments than its absence. This research shows that reactions to being monitored and evaluated do not differ strictly along the dimension of public vs. private; basis for evaluation of feedback functions as a mediator and thus co-determines participant attitudinal responses. The implications are discussed at several levels, and motivate a broader cultural explanation in terms of the theory of rationalization. Issues concerning the utility of linking laboratory settings to larger cultural contexts in this and related fields of inquiry are presented

Phytotoxicity, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity evaluation of organic and inorganic pollutants rich tannery wastewater from a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) in Unnao district, India using Vigna radiata and Allium cepa

The leather industry is a major source of environmental pollution in India. The wastewater generated by leather industries contains very high pollution parameters due to the presence of a complex mixture of organic and inorganic pollutants even after the treatment at a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) and disturbs the ecological flora and fauna. The nature, characteristics and toxicity of CETP treated wastewater is yet to be fully elucidated. Thus, this study aims to characterize and evaluate the toxicity of CETP treated tannery wastewater collected from the Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, India. In addition to measuring the physico-chemical parameters, the residual organic pollutants was identified by GC-MS analysis and phytotoxicity, cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of the treated wastewater was evaluated using Vigna radiata L. and Allium cepa L. Results showed that the treated wastewater contained very high pollution parameters (TDS 3850mg/L, BOD 680mg/L, COD-1300mg/L). GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of various types of residual organic pollutants including benzoic acid, 3-[4,-(T-butyl) Phenyl] furan-2-5-dione, benzeneacetamide, resorcinol, dibutyl phthalate, and benzene-1,2,4-triol. Further, toxicological studies showed the phytotoxic nature of the wastewater as it inhibited seed germination in V. radiata L. and root growth of A. cepa. Genotoxicity was evidenced in the root tip cell of A. cepa where chromosomal aberrations (stickiness, chromosome loss, C-mitosis, and vagrant chromosome) and nuclear abnormalities like micronucleated and binucleated cells were observed. Thus, results suggested that it is not safe to discharge these wastewater into the environment