Relational Framing Theory: Utterance Form and Relational Context as Antecedents of Frame Salience

Using relational framing theory, this article examines the influence of utterance type and relational context on the salience of relational frames. The authors report the results of two studies that used scenarios to manipulate utterance form and information about the relationship between interactants. Participants rated the relevance of dominance-submissiveness and affiliation-disaffiliation frames to interpreting the hypothetical interactions. Results showed that judgments of dominance-submissiveness frame salience were sensitive to variations in utterance type and relational context, but the results were mixed for the affiliation-disaffiliation frame. The authors discuss the implications for relational framing theory and the possibility of an affiliation bias.     

What underlies successful word problem solving? A path analysis in sixth grade students

Two component skills are thought to be necessary for successful word problem solving: (1) the production of visual-schematic representations and (2) the derivation of the correct relations between the solution-relevant elements from the text base. The first component skill is grounded in the visual–spatial domain, and presumed to be influenced by spatial ability, whereas the latter is seated in the linguistic–semantic domain, and presumed to be influenced by reading comprehension. These component skills as well as their underlying basic abilities are examined in 128 sixth grade students through path analysis. The results of the path analysis showed that both component skills and their underlying basic abilities explained 49% of students’ word problem solving performance. Furthermore, spatial ability and reading comprehension both had a direct and an indirect relation (via the component skills) with word problem solving performance. These results contribute to the development of instruction methods that help students using these components while solving word problems.     

Monetary donations to an open source software platform

Online open source software platforms, such as Sourceforge.net, play a vital role in creating an ecosystem that enables the creation and growth of open source projects. However, there is little research exploring the interactions between open source stakeholders and the platform. We believe that the sustainability of the platform crucially depends on financial incentives. While platforms can obtain these incentives through multiple means, in this paper we focus on one form of financial incentives—voluntary monetary donations by open source community members. We report findings from two empirical studies that examine factors that impact donations. Study 1 investigates the factors that cause some community members to donate and not others. We find that the decision to donate is impacted by relational commitment with open source software platform, donation to projects and accepting donations from others. Study 2 examines what drives the level of donation. We find that the length of association with the platform and relational commitment affects donation levels.     

数据库细粒度访问控制技术应用研究

讨论了数据库细粒度访问控制的几种常见技术,并结合实例介绍了如何使用VPD、应用上下文和视图来构建企业细粒度访问控制体系。经实践证明,该体系可有效增强数据库安全性。     

Using genetic algorithms to evolve a population of topical queries

Systems for searching the Web based on thematic contexts can be built on top of a conventional search engine and benefit from the huge amount of content as well as from the functionality available through the search engine interface. The quality of the material collected by such systems is highly dependant on the vocabulary used to generate the search queries. In this scenario, selecting good query terms can be seen as an optimization problem where the objective function to be optimized is based on the effectiveness of a query to retrieve relevant material. Some characteristics of this optimization problem are: (1) the high-dimensionality of the search space, where candidate solutions are queries and each term corresponds to a different dimension, (2) the existence of acceptable suboptimal solutions, (3) the possibility of finding multiple solutions, and in many cases (4) the quest for novelty. This article describes optimization techniques based on Genetic Algorithms to evolve “good query terms” in the context of a given topic. The proposed techniques place emphasis on searching for novel material that is related to the search context. We discuss the use of a mutation pool to allow the generation of queries with new terms, study the effect of different mutation rates on the exploration of query-space, and discuss the use of a especially developed fitness function that favors the construction of queries containing novel but related terms.     

英语插入语的交际语境顺应性研究

在对存在于各种语体中的插入语研究进行回顾和总结的基础上,尝试采用Verschueren的顺应理论(Theory of Adaptation)分析在言语交际插入语的使用和交际语境之间的关系.通过具体分析,指出插入语的使用是人们顺应交际语境的结果.     

Using Rhetorical/Relational Goal Theory to Examine College Students’ Impressions of Their Instructors

Guided by rhetorical/relational goal theory, the purpose of this study was to examine whether students’ impressions of their instructors’ credibility, attraction, and homophily are influenced by four specific rhetorical and relational communication behaviors that instructors use when communicating with their students in the classroom. Participants were 193 undergraduate students enrolled in a variety of introductory communication courses at a large mid-Atlantic university. Using a series of multiple regression analyses, it was found that (a) clarity emerged as the sole indicator of instructor competence, trustworthiness, and task attraction; (b) clarity and confirmation emerged as indicators of goodwill; and (c) humor and confirmation emerged as indicators of social attraction and attitude homophily.     

Relational Maintenance and Social Support in the Aftermath of Sudden and Expected Death

Bereavement is a state of grieving after the loss of a loved one. Past research has suggested that bereavement is particularly challenging, both physically and emotionally, in the aftermath of unexpected death. Here, we examine bereavement in which death occurred suddenly, compared to a chronic condition where death was expected, in terms of perceived social support and relational maintenance with the deceased in the form of imagined interactions and social media interactions. Results indicated that individuals experiencing sudden death bereavement were more likely to engage in both postmortem relational maintenance techniques and perceived less social support than individuals in the expected death bereavement group. Results are discussed in terms of previous findings.     

科技英语的文体特征

科技英语作为一种功能语体是在普通英语的基础上发展起来的。因而无论在词汇方面,还是在语法方面,它同基础英语没有绝对的界限。但是在语言发展的长期过程中,其独特的活动形式使之在语言方面形成了许多其他语言变体所没有的特点。采用现代文体学理论,从字位、词汇、句法/语法、语境四个层面对科技英语的文体特征进行分析,定会对科技英语的阅读理解,写作与翻译提供某些启示,对进一步推广和发展科技英语具有十分重大的意义。     

The Role of Relational Uncertainty in Topic Avoidance among Couples with Depression

To address a key gap in theorizing and research, we consider relational uncertainty as an explanation for why individuals experiencing depressive symptoms may be reluctant to talk about sensitive issues. We report closed-ended online survey data from 126 romantic couples in which one or both partners had been professionally diagnosed with depression. Results indicated that relational uncertainty mediated the positive association between depressive symptoms and topic avoidance. Partner effects from men to women also emerged. These findings are valuable for identifying relational uncertainty as a mechanism that may explain people's unwillingness to discuss challenging topics when they are experiencing depressive symptoms.