Public Broadcasting & Paid Membership: A Pilot Study to Assess the WNED Buffalo-Toronto Dilemma

Using mutually-reinforcing components, this pilot study seeks to identify the barriers that are preventing viewers of WNED Buffalo-Toronto, a public broadcaster, from becoming paid members. A review of literature considers the changing nature of membership, the success of televangelism, and PBS’s own experience with paid membership. Drawing on organizational commitment theory, and the notional categories of membership developed by Gruen, Summers & Acito (2000), this study analyzes both the external communications documents produced by WNED and feedback from Canadian viewers, both members and non-members. From these results, the study makes three preliminary recommendations. It suggests that WNED take steps to increase the amount of coproduction implied in membership, that it begin investing in Web 2.0 to better leverage its content and foster brand communities, and that it augment membership with crowdfunding initiatives. The study concludes with the suggestion that membership is changing and that more relational models may be more attractive to viewers.

Public Broadcasting & Paid Membership: A Pilot Study to Assess the WNED Buffalo-Toronto Dilemma

Using mutually-reinforcing components, this pilot study seeks to identify the barriers that are preventing viewers of WNED Buffalo-Toronto, a public broadcaster, from becoming paid members. A review of literature considers the changing nature of membership, the success of televangelism, and PBS’s own experience with paid membership. Drawing on organizational commitment theory, and the notional categories of membership developed by Gruen, Summers & Acito (2000), this study analyzes both the external communications documents produced by WNED and feedback from Canadian viewers, both members and non-members. From these results, the study makes three preliminary recommendations. It suggests that WNED take steps to increase the amount of coproduction implied in membership, that it begin investing in Web 2.0 to better leverage its content and foster brand communities, and that it augment membership with crowdfunding initiatives. The study concludes with the suggestion that membership is changing and that more relational models may be more attractive to viewers.

The effectiveness of the “But-you-are-free” technique: Meta-analysis and re-examination of the technique

The “But you are free...” (BYAF) technique is a well-known technique from commitment theory and reactance theory, with the addition of these little terms leading to higher compliance to confederates to, for example, give spare for the bus. In this pre-registered meta-analysis, we examine the effect of the BYAF technique in 52 studies (N = 28759). An analysis of 74 effect sizes showed medium effect (g = 0.44, 95% confidence intervals (CI) [0.36, 0.51]) for the BYAF technique. A moderator analysis found an effect stronger for Face-to-face interactivity over others. All the other moderators we used were non-significant, given too few studies involved in one condition. We did not find any differences between articles published before and after Carpenter’s (2013) meta-analysis. Finally, we found several limitations. Most recent studies on the subject are too low-powered, there are some possibilities of publication bias, and recent research questioned the theoretical foundations. We propose some improvements to the design, experiments, and commitment theory to ensure the effects found in the literature exist and are replicable. All materials are available on https://osf.io/8eqa5/

Charles Peirce on Assertion

Charles Peirce claimed that the principal ingredient in assertion is an act of “taking responsibility” for the truth of what is asserted. Some people writing about the Commitment Theory of Assertion have at times construed Peirce’s claim as his espousal of that contemporary theory, but this, I argue, is mistaken. Peirce saw “taking responsibility” as the assumption, not of an obligation, but instead of a liability, a penalty to be incurred if one’s assertion turned out to be false. I then consider how this point connects to other parts of Pierce’s analysis of assertion, specifically his claims that we assert to persuade, that assertion involves an intentional exhibition of our assumption of liability, and that this assumption of liability furnishes evidence for what is asserted. I conclude by sketching on Peirce’s behalf how the assumption of liability could constitute, and be intelligibly offered as, evidence for what is asserted.

Stuck in the middle with you: Predictors of commitment in midlife

Rooted in commitment theory, this study examines dedication, perceived investments, and felt constraint, three unique aspects of commitment, in midlife using data gathered from a sample of 224 adults surveyed at ages 43 and 50 years. Positive and negative dimensions of couple relations (partner supportiveness and the extent to which one’s partner is demanding and critical, referred to as strain) assessed longitudinally and midlife-specific circumstances, including being in a first marriage or remarriage and parental and empty nest status, were examined as predictors of commitment at age 50. Latent change score modeling revealed partner support and strain as robust predictors of commitment. Higher levels of partner support at age 43 and a more gradual intraindividual decrease in support between ages 43 and 50 predicted higher dedication and perceived investments and less felt constraint at age 50. Higher age 43 levels of partner strain predicted more perceived investments and felt constraint at age 50, while a more rapid increase in strain predicted less dedication and more felt constraint. Being in a first or remarriage, being a parent, or having an empty nest did not predict commitment. These results highlight the importance of initial levels and changes in couple relations for shaping midlife commitment.

Neoclassical Realist Theory, Alliance Politics, and Nonproliferation

Chapter 2 develops neoclassical realist theory. It explicates how the two systemic variables—the current distribution of power in a region and the time horizons for threats to the hegemon’s interests in that region—can create incentives for US presidential administrations to favor coercive or accommodative strategies toward a vulnerable ally seeking nuclear weapons. When confronted with such high domestic mobilization hurdles to their preferred strategies, however, administrations will pursue hybrid strategies—ones that combine accommodative and coercive elements—toward an ally. This chapter unpacks the measurement of the variables and the types of empirical evidence that might confirm or disconfirm the hypotheses. It also outlines three alternative explanations (nuclear domino theory, security commitment theory, and credible sanctions theory) and the types of evidence that might confirm or disconfirm their hypotheses.

Understanding the determinants of guests’ behaviour to use green P2P accommodation

Purpose This study aims to develop and empirically test a comprehensive framework in which to understand the determinants of guests’ behavior to use green peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation in the UK P2P context by emerging the theory of planed behavior, environmental commitment theory and the value-belief-norm (VBN) theory into one model. Design/methodology/approach Adopting a quantitative approach, the present study proposes an integrated model integrating theory of planed behavior, environmental commitment theory and the VBN theory and subsequently tests the model using structural equation modeling data analysis. Data collected from 721 respondents were analyzed through (AMOS) to test the proposed model. Findings The results indicate that our integrated framework demonstrates a favorable level of prediction power for guests’ behavior, which verified the superiority of the suggested framework. Furthermore, the findings verified the moderating impact of guest attributes on guests decision regarding the booking process. Practical implications This study contributes to the existing theory and practice by offering important insights about determinants of guests’ behavior to use green P2P accommodation in the UK P2P context. Originality/value This research was the first to explore the determinants of guests’ behavior to use green P2P accommodation in the UK P2P context.

Truthmaking, Supervenience, and Reduction

There are two main theories of ontological commitment: the quantifier view, and the truthmaker view. Since there are some truths that apparently commit us to certain entities, but actually do not, any ontological commitment theory must also contain an ontological reduction theory. Advocates of the quantifier view propose the paraphrasing method of reduction, while some advocates of the truthmaker view propose the supervenience method. In this paper, after a brief discussion of the quantifier view, the author proposes a modified version of truthmaker-based ontology, and shows that a plausible account of the supervenience method can be deduced from his version. He then shows that the supervenience method could explain why the paraphrasing method is successful. The author also argues that according to the truthmaker view we must accept composite objects as something over and above the particles which constitute them.