Conflict outcome in male green swordtail fish dyads (Xiphophorus helleri): Interaction of body size, prior dominance/subordination experience and prior residency

The relative contribution of asymmetries in prior experience, size, and prior residency to the determination of dyadic dominance between unacquainted individuals was examined using pairs of green swordtail fish, Xiphophorus helleri. Four types of encounters were staged between an intruder and a smaller resident: (1) both had experienced prior victory; (2) both had experienced prior defeat; (3) the intruder had experienced prior victory and the resident prior defeat; and (4) the intruder had experienced prior defeat and the resident prior victory. In a fifth condition in which two intruders met, one was a prior subordinate and the other a prior dominant smaller in size than its opponent. In all these encounters, the superiority in lateral surface of one fish varied between 0 to 30% over that of its opponent. Results showed that (1) when size differences between contestants were within the range of 0-10% and there was an asymmetry in prior social experience, conflicts were essentially resolved according to prior experience with prior winners systematically defeating prior losers; (2) prior residency of 3 hours was an advantage only when both opponents had experienced prior defeat before meeting and when size asymmetries were small (e.g. <20%). It was not an advantage between prior winners or between a prior winner and a prior loser; (3) when large size asymmetries existed (e.g. 20-30%), size uniquely determined dominance outcome and nullified other advantages or disadvantages due to prior social experience and prior residency; and (4) at intermediate levels of size asymmetries (e.g. 10-20%), size partially cancelled any advantage due to a prior victory, and gradually beacme the most important factor in accounting for victories

Outcome of dyadic conflict in male green swordtail fish, Xiphophorus helleri: effects of body size and prior dominance

The relative contribution of prior experience and of size asymmetries to the determination of dyadic dominance between unfamiliar individuals was examined using pairs of green swordtail fish, Xiphophorus helleri. Three experiments were conducted to assess the extent to which superiority in size could override potential handicaps resulting from prior experience. These results indicated that prior experience accounted for dyadic dominance when the size advantage of a previously subordinate over a previously dominant opponent was less than 25 mm2. However, as the lateral surface of the subordinate fish increased, neither previous experience nor size differences clearly accounted for the outcome of dyadic conflict. Even when the size advantage of subordinate opponents was in the 126-150 mm2 range, size differences did not adequately explain the outcome. In conflicts between large previously subordinate and smaller dominant fish, there was evidence for an inverse linear relation between the effects of size and the likelihood of establishing dyadic dominance. In general, males with prior experience as subordinates had to be at least 40% larger than a previously dominant fish to win a significant proportion of conflicts. These results indicate that prior agonistic experience and body size effects can be additive when at the advantage of one opponent. These factors can also cancel each other out when in opposition, at least when size differences are not extreme. The results also confirm the main effect of both factors as well as their interaction in the determination of conflict outcomes for X. helleri

Enhanced Multi-Faceted Teaching Methods: Phase II

This paper is an extension of a previously published paper of the same name which created a matrix of soft and hard learning technologies and two evaluation scales measuring the value of use and level of use of various teaching technologies and methods for undergraduate and graduate students.&nbsp; A questionnaire was subsequently developed to gather data from full time faculty on the actual classroom utilization and evaluation of sixteen &ldquo;hard&rdquo; and &ldquo;soft&rdquo; teaching technologies.&nbsp; This paper represents the analysis of data from eighteen faculty members from the Adelphi University School of Business. The third phase of this research will gather data from adjunct faculty to develop comparisons between the two groups

Teaching Methods And Technologies: Aggregated Faculty Analysis, Conclusions And Recommendations Phase IV

This paper culminates three years of research on the use of various teaching technologies and methods by the faculty of Adelphi University School of Business in Garden City, New York. Previously, papers on this research were published on the development of the research instrument, the administration and data analysis for full time faculty (Part II), and most recently the analysis of data from adjunct faculty (Part III). This paper (Part IV) includes a number of new faculty additions to the data set and analyzes and interprets the aggregated data. Our overall findings suggest a wide variety of soft and hard technologies where the aggregate group expressed a statistically significant higher perceived &ldquo;value of use&rdquo; than a &ldquo;level of use&rdquo;. Newer classroom types were also valued more highly than used.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The research controlled for &ldquo;department&rdquo;, &ldquo;status&rdquo;, and &ldquo;teaching experience&rdquo;.&nbsp; Factors tended to be non-significant with some interesting exceptions.&nbsp; We note our conclusions, make policy recommendations, and suggest opportunities for expanded research

Enhanced Multi-Faceted Teaching Methods: Phase III- Adjunct Faculty

This paper is the third in a series conducting research on teaching methods and technologies at Adelphi University School of Business. First, (Phase I) the methods and instrument were developed. Second, data from full time faculty was collected and analyzed (Phase II). Third, (Phase III) data has been collected concerning the extent of use and perceived value of use of various technologies from part-time faculty which we analyzed and compared to the results from the full-time faculty. The issues of part-time faculty attitudes toward technology and their use of technology to support teaching are important to the academic mission and emphasized under AACSB standards for business schools. In the environment studied, part-time faculty perceptions of the levels of use and their opinions of the value of use of various technologies were virtually indistinguishable from those of full-time faculty.&nbsp; Neither departmental affiliation nor teaching experience was a significant factor in explaining the responses of part-time faculty.&nbsp; The authors conclude that the part-time faculty cadre studied is highly socialized and consistent with the full-time faculty on the dimensions studied

L'association entre le climat d'humour au travail et la cohésion d'équipe

La recherche sur l’humour au travail fait l’objet d’un intérêt limité depuis de nombreuses années. Pourtant, ce sujet est étudié dans plusieurs autres domaines, notamment en médecine, où ses bienfaits sont documentés. Plusieurs gestionnaires croient que l’humour est un aspect essentiel du monde organisationnel et qu’il devrait être davantage présent. Un des bienfaits attribués à l’humour est son impact sur le fonctionnement des équipes de travail. Suivant cette logique, la cohésion d’équipe, un concept y étant directement lié, devrait être favorablement influencée par la présence d’humour. De plus, l’humour semble corrélé à plusieurs variables positives au travail, notamment la rétention du personnel, la créativité, la satisfaction au travail et l’engagement. Cependant, le peu d’études ayant mis en relation l’humour et les fonctionnements d’équipes obtiennent des résultats mitigés et plus nuancés qu’initialement anticipé. Une seule des études recensées se penche directement sur le lien entre humour et cohésion d’équipe à l’aide d’un devis quantitatif. Afin de remédier à cette lacune de la documentation, un devis de recherche quantitatif est proposé, visant à déterminer la nature du lien existant entre l’humour (en fonction de l’humour positif, de l’humour négatif, de l’humour envers l’exogroupe et du soutien du gestionnaire envers l’humour) et la cohésion d’équipe (en fonction de la cohésion de tâche, de la cohésion sociale et de l’attraction envers le groupe). Pour ce faire, un échantillon de 281 travailleurs issus de trois établissements faisant partie d’un même centre hospitalier universitaire ont rempli des questionnaires auto-complétés mesurant la cohésion d’équipe, les climats d’humour et le soutien du gestionnaire envers l’humour. Les données ont notamment été analysées par l’intermédiaire d’analyses de régression linéaire multiples et hiérarchiques. Parmi les résultats les plus pertinents, on dénote le fait que l’humour de type positif est associé positivement à toutes les composantes de la cohésion d’équipe, tandis que l’humour de type négatif et l’humour envers l’exogroupe (exercé au détriment de la haute-direction et des politiques organisationnelles) sont négativement liés à la cohésion de tâche. Ces résultats indiquent que le fait de mesurer l’humour est approprié pour appréhender la cohésion d’équipe et alimentent un courant de recherche qui demeure peu exploré à ce jour. Ils permettent également d’affirmer que l’humour n’est pas en contradiction avec les objectifs et les tâches à accomplir et, en ce sens, pistent les gestionnaires et psychologues organisationnels sur les comportements à adopter face au phénomène. Finalement, l’inclusion de types d’humour non positifs dans la présente recherche vient nuancer les propos des défenseurs de l’humour au travail, en jetant de la lumière sur les liens nuisibles que l’humour négatif ou l’humour envers l’exogroupe entretiennent avec la cohésion d’équipe

Radio parlée, élections et démocratie.

Le Centre d'étude s'est intéressé au rôle qu'ont joué les deux radios privées de format parlé de Québec lors des élections à la mairie à l'automne 2007. Nous avons analysé ce que CHOI et le 93,3 ont proposé à leurs nombreux auditeurs pendant les trois semaines officielles de cette campagne électorale. Nos travaux montrent clairement que les deux stations de Québec n’ont pas respecté les consignes du CRTC ni les normes qu’on retrouve dans le Code de déontologie de l’Association canadienne des radiodiffuseurs, auquel elles ont pourtant adhéré. Elles n’ont pas traité de manière équitable la candidate du RMQ, Ann Bourget. Elles n’ont pas assuré une couverture « complète, juste et appropriée » de cette campagne à la mairie de Québec. Au contraire, des animateurs se sont servis abusivement du pouvoir que leur confère l’accès quotidien aux micros de stations très écoutées, et les dirigeants de ces stations ont laissé faire