This study explores new directions to study and combine measurements of instructional expertise and teachers' interpersonal relationships with students. The sample comprises 34 in-service teachers.... Show moreThis study explores new directions to study and combine measurements of instructional expertise and teachers' interpersonal relationships with students. The sample comprises 34 in-service teachers. The My Teacher questionnaire (MTQ) was used to operationalize teachers' instructional expertise. The Questionnaire of Teacher Interaction (QTI) was used to describe teachers' interpersonal relationships with students. Hypotheses were tested using circular mixed-effects models. Results indicate that teachers' interpersonal relationships differ at successive levels of instructional expertise. Results further indicated that increases in instructional expertise are associated with a sharp decrease in the within-class variance in interpersonal relationships. Specifically, the higher teachers' instructional expertise, the more teachers' interpersonal relationships are described as "directing" and "helpful" by all students in the class. Show less
Biologists and social scientists have long tried to understand why some societies have more fluid and open interpersonal relationships and how those differences influence culture. This study... Show moreBiologists and social scientists have long tried to understand why some societies have more fluid and open interpersonal relationships and how those differences influence culture. This study measures relational mobility, a socioecological variable quantifying voluntary (high relational mobility) vs. fixed (low relational mobility) interpersonal relationships. We measure relational mobility in 39 societies and test whether it predicts social behavior. People in societies with higher relational mobility report more proactive interpersonal behaviors (e.g., self-disclosure and social support) and psychological tendencies that help them build and retain relationships (e.g., general trust, intimacy, self-esteem). Finally, we explore ecological factors that could explain relational mobility differences across societies. Relational mobility was lower in societies that practiced settled, interdependent subsistence styles, such as rice farming, and in societies that had stronger ecological and historical threats. Show less
