Effects of anticipating listening (state) anxiety on the stability of receiver apprehension scores

The concept of stability is an important criterion for trait anxiety measures. In the present study the stability of the Receiver Apprehension Test (RAT) was investigated.     

Two empirical tests of a videotape designed to reduce public speaking anxiety

These studies were designed to determine: 1) if a videotape could be used to help people cope with public speaking anxiety; 2) how this videotape compared with other interventions; 3) whether the video could be used on a self‐help basis; and 4) whether the video would be effective over time. These issues were addressed in two separate studies. These studies indicated that the videotape reduced self‐reported levels of trait CA, state CA, and negative thinking. The first study linked the videotape to reduced rigidity while the second linked the videotape to reduced agitation. The second study also found trait CA to be reduced over time. Meta‐analysis was used to compare these data with other interventions. That analysis revealed this videotape was generally more effective than other interventions in reducing trait CA in study one. The videotape was found to reduce state CA and negative thinking more than other interventions in study two. These and other results are discussed at the conclusion of these studies.     

信息素质教育与公安院校教育改革

本文论述信息素质与公安院校教育改革的关系、在教学环节树立信息观念及培养信息意识、在课程设置中让学生掌握信息知识及具备信息能力、在实践环节中提高信息综合运用能力，探索一条向新形势、新时期公安实战输送高素质公安人才的新路。     

Speech anxiety affects how people prepare speeches: A protocol analysis of the preparation processes of speakers

Why does public speaking anxiety lead people to present speeches of judged lower quality? Prior research suggests a number of variables that might detrimentally affect the performance of highly anxious speakers when they present speeches. But does speech anxiety affect only presentation behavior, or does it also affect the ways in which people prepare their speeches? Measures of public speaking anxiety, and most texts focusing on presentational speaking, assume that the anxiety's effect is limited to performance. In the current study we examine this notion. Using a number of variables drawn from a conceptual model of the speech preparation process, we first find that the way people go about preparing their speeches is meaningfully associated with the quality of their presentation. Second, we discover that public speaking anxiety is significantly related to how people prepare speeches. People with high levels of speech anxiety engage in a variety of preparation actions that may limit the effectiveness of their presentations. When the impact of speech anxiety is statistically removed from the preparation process, the relationship between preparation and speech quality is much smaller. In understanding how speech anxiety affects public presentations, it is critical to examine not only what happens during the speech but also how the speech is prepared.     

Readability and acceptance of public relations releases from institutions of higher education

This study compared readability levels for PR releases used and not used by newspapers to determine if they differ in reading difficulty. Flesch scores and other readability measures were calculated. Releases used were easier to read. However, releases with longer paragraphs were more acceptable with shorter paragraphs.     

Trait anxiety,experience, and the public speaking state responses of Finnish university students

This study focuses on the public speaking state responses among 47 Finnish subjects. Cognitive, behavioral, and physiological components of stale‐responses were investigated in relation to speakers’ trait communication anxiety and amount of previous experience speaking in public. Trait communication anxiety was found to correlate significantly with the cognitive aspect of state response, whereas amount of previous experience was found to be reflected in subjects’ heart rates. Characteristics of the Finnish speech culture and educational system are discussed when interpreting the results.     

Disposition versus situation: Neurocommunlcology and the influence of trait apprehension versus situational factors on state public speaking anxiety

Research indicates that individuals with elevated levels of public speaking anxiety report significantly different mental representations of the public speaking context, when compared to individuals with lower levels of anxiety. To examine the effect of the differences in mental representations, narratives for three public speaking contexts were developed. Results indicated that disposition (i.e., trait apprehension) was a better predictor of state anxiety when giving an impromptu speech. Situational factors (i.e., importance, skills, impression), however, were better predictors of state anxiety when either giving a speech to a 5^th grade class or giving a speech to friends.     

The selection of controversial issues and speakers for air time by American broadcasting stations

The broadcasting media are an important segment of our communication processes, and especially so in bringing major controversial issues to the public. Thus, if an opinion is presented over the air depends on whether the licensee feels that the issue is sufficiently relevant or important. This article presents the salient points concerning the decisions that enter into such a presentation.     

A pilot study on alienation and anxiety during a rumored plant closing

As deliberative forums proliferate, scholars and practitioners need to establish a shared evaluative framework grounded in a theoretical definition of deliberation, applicable across contexts, and capable of yielding results comprehensible to public officials and key stakeholders. We present such a framework and illustrate its utility by evaluating the Oregon Citizens' Initiative Review (CIR), a public event that serves as both a critical case study and an important practical innovation in its own right. Our analysis shows that the CIR met a reasonable standard for democratic deliberation, and we pinpoint CIR features that both aided and detracted from its overall quality. We also show how we summarized these results to communicate our evaluation efficiently to the Oregon State Legislature. We conclude by making recommendations for future applications of our theoretical model and evaluative framework and offer practical suggestions for future deliberative forums.     

Differences in anticipatory anxiety and adaptation rate as a function of affect management strategy

This study applies Eysenck's (1967) and Buck's (1984) psychophysiological theories of anxiety development to explain individual differences in anticipatory anxiety and rate of adaptation during public speaking. Sensitivity to anxiety creating stimuli predispose individuals to either an internalizing or externalizing affect management strategy. Because social conditioning and neurological processes combine to create anxiety, internalizing individuals are more responsive to punishment and are more likely to appraise an anxiety‐provoking situation as threatening than are externalizers. However, their overall conditionability permits internalizers to adapt to speaking situations more rapidly than their externalizing counterparts who are less susceptible to negative reinforcement. The findings are reviewed in light of various phobia reducing treatment strategies, such as flooding, systematic desensitization, and cognitive appraisal therapy.     

图书馆建筑的实体与灵魂

图书馆建筑有一个建造过程,最终建成一个实体,这个成果对设计者、建造者和使用者来说都是重要的,但建馆理念和长远规划更为重要,因为后者是前者的灵魂。     

Opportunities and challenges of digitized discretionary practices: a public service worker perspective

Public service workers exercise discretionary power during policy implementation. Due to an immense diffusion of information and communications technology (ICT) in public service provision, they are increasingly exposed to reforms aiming at more efficient and fair decision-making. Whereas extant literature has found that ICT can both enable and constrain public service workers' ability to exercise discretion, we know less about underlying explanations for these inconclusive findings. This paper addresses this research gap by exploring how and why public service workers react to digitized discretionary practices. We draw upon institutional logics to show the underlying considerations of public service workers when they are faced with multiple conflicting demands from market-oriented goals of digitization and professional norms. To identify their reactions and underlying considerations, we have conducted a multiple case analysis of two Norwegian organizations; a district court and a tax administration office. We conclude that public service workers are positive to digitization when it promotes professional aspects of their work and that professional discretion is considered necessary to accomplish tasks of greater complexity.     

Information technology and public policy: a socio-human profile of Indian digital revolution

The paper describes the role of information and Information Technology (IT) and discusses the infrastructure, human resources, telecommunications, and research and development in IT within the Indian context. It highlights the features of the liberalization of the Indian government software policy of 1986, including developments in networking and the growth of the IT industry in the country, and documents the proliferation and application of IT in India in various fields. It provides a detailed look at the socio-human dimensions of IT in terms of its impact on the socioeconomic conditions of the people, especially in the countryside. The paper describes the limitations of the Indian digital revolution in reaching out to the general masses and the various factors responsible for the lopsided character of the information revolution.     

Self presentation in online environments: a study of Indian Muslim matrimonial profiles

This study examines the self presentation practices of Indian Muslim men and women in online matrimonial advertisements. Findings indicate that while Indian Muslims are using the new medium to adhere to traditional cultural and religious values, they are also making critical adjustments to adapt to the medium itself. While Muslim men and women claimed to possess different attributes in their profiles drawing upon gender role expectations in Indian society, they were identical in their preference for light skin or what is termed as ‘fair complexion’ in Indian English. An overwhelming majority of advertisers claimed to possess desirable skin tones and body types. Few Indian Muslim profiles highlighted external manifestations of religiosity, such as praying five times a day, wearing a hijab or burqa, and observing Ramadan. Further, results of this study also illuminate the influence of South Asian culture on Islamic practice, which is evident in the mention of caste identifications in the online matrimonial profiles.