Teaching and learning guide for: Imagined intergroup contact: Theory, paradigm, and practice

A goal shared enthusiastically amongst many social psychologists is the improvement of intergroup relations. Conflict between groups is usually related to distinct, and in many cases opposing, identities, based on (for example) ethnicity, nationality, and religion, but also gender, age, sexual orientation and political or individual preferences. Our research has developed a new intervention for improving intergroup relations based on an integration of theory and empirical work on social cognition and intergroup relations. We've called the technique Imagined Contact because it is based on the mental simulation of intergroup contact experiences. Collectively, our research has focused on refining and evaluating imagined contact as an effective tool for the enhancement of intergroup relations. Our article in Social and Personality Psychology Compass provides a summary of the basic theory underlying imagined contact, a review of empirical findings to date, and a framework for developing practical applications of the intervention (in particular as a school-based intervention). We wanted to offer a teaching and learning guide for this article because we believe that the imagined contact task provides a flexible, effective, and easy-to-use tool for teachers, seminar leaders, students, and practitioners. The task can be used as a basis for encouraging more positive and open attitudes towards other groups, a way of preparing people for future intergroup encounters, a stimulus for discussions about the value in experiencing social diversity, and a way of illustrating the power of mental processes in forming and challenging attitudes about others

Korpusbasierte Analyse der Semantik von Idiomen

Idioms are usually defined in semantic terms as non-compositional units whose meaning does not result from the meaning of their parts. This definition implies that idioms have exactly one meaning. But if we examine idioms in context in large electronic corpora, we observe that the meaning of idioms is contextually variable, like that of words. We observe uses that exceed the range of the conventionalized and (lexicographically) codified meaning. A case study (the German idiom ins Gras beißen, literally "to bite into the grass", 'to die, to bite the dust') is used as an illustration of the relation between core meaning and contextual variability or meaning extension in idioms and the underlying mechanisms of this process

Linguistische Komplexität - Ein Phantom? : Tagung auf Schloss Rauischholzhausen vom 30. September bis 2. Oktober 2015

Vom 30. September bis 2. Oktober 2015 fand die von Mathilde Hennig (Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen) organisierte Tagung zum Thema „linguistische Komplexität“ in Rauischholzhausen statt. Das Phänomen der Komplexität beschäftigt die linguistische Forschung bereits seit einiger Zeit, insbesondere die Begriffsbestimmung sowie die Operationalisierung des Begriffs. Das Ziel der Tagung war, „durch einen möglichst breiten Blick auf Detailfragen linguistischer Komplexität in ‚well-defined areas‘ eine Ausgangsbasis für übergreifende Diskussionen zu den Beziehungen zwischen Komplexitätsbefunden auf verschiedenen linguistischen Ebenen und unter verschiedenen Gesichtspunkten zu schaffen“ (Tagungsexposé M. Hennig). In insgesamt vierzehn Beiträgen beleuchteten die Vortragenden das Phänomen der linguistischen Komplexität aus unterschiedlichen Blickwinkeln. Mit Fragen der Begriffsbestimmung befassten sich explizit Fischer, Engelberg, Lobin, Warnke und Staffeldt. Die Möglichkeiten der Operationalisierung und der Anwendung wurden in allen Beiträgen angesprochen; fokussiert wurden dabei unterschiedliche linguistische Beschreibungsebenen sowie vielfältige Zusammenhänge mit anderen semiotischen Ressourcen

The effect of insularity on the seasonal population structure of \u3cem\u3eMesobuthus gibbosus\u3c/em\u3e (Scorpiones: Buthidae)

We compared the population structure of Mesobuthus gibbosus from autumn to mid-summer at two similar phryganic ecosystems, one in continental Greece (Thessalia, near Volos city) and one in insular Greece (eastern Crete). Data were collected monthly using the capture-recapture method. At both sites, density was low during the cold period and increased towards summer. During the samplings, only a small percentage of each population was present. Population density and co-occurrence of scorpions with scorpions or other animals was higher in Crete than in Volos, probably due to the higher inter- and intraspecific competition in Volos. The population structure of the studied species depends on the interspecific competition, the seasonal fluctuations of which influence the intraspecific relations of scorpions, which is reflected in the higher degree of sociality of the insular population

Where to draw the line? The influence of prior relationship, perpetrator-target sex and perpetrator motivation on the point at which behavior ‘crosses the line’ and becomes stalking

The present study examines the influence of prior relationship (intimate, non-intimate), perpetrator-target sex (male-female, female-male) and perpetrator motivation (romance, upset) on (1) the point at which behavior crosses the line and becomes stalking, and (2) the likelihood of offering five forms of advice to the target (formal support, informal support, protective measures, avoidance measures, threatening action). The study used a 2 × 2 × 2 between-participants experimental design. Four-hundred and sixty-one UK students read one of eight versions of a hypothetical scenario that they were informed may or may not depict a stalking situation. Analyses revealed that 97.8% (n = 451) of participants believed the perpetrator's behavior constituted stalking, and that behavior was perceived to cross the line earlier in the scenario when the perpetrator's motivation was to upset the target in the context of a non-intimate prior relationship only. Prior relationship, perpetrator-target sex and perpetrator motivation also influenced the likelihood of offering various forms of advice to the target. These findings further demonstrate the impact of situational characteristics on perceptions of stalking and highlight the importance of educational campaigns and programs to increase people's understanding of stalking