Sorry, Not Sorry: Effects of Different Types of Apologies and Self-Monitoring on Non-verbal Behaviors.

This study examines the effects of different types of apologies and individual differences in self-monitoring on non-verbal apology behaviors involving a server apologizing to a customer. Apologies divide into sincere apologies that reflect genuine recognition of fault, and instrumental apologies, made for achieving a personal goal such as avoiding punishment or rejection by others. Self-monitoring (public-performing and other-directedness) were also examined. Fifty-three female undergraduate students participated in the experiment. Participants were assigned randomly to either a sincere apology condition or an instrumental apology condition. They watched the film clip of the communication between a customer and server and then role-played how they would apologize if they were the server. Participants' non-verbal behavior during the role-play was videotaped. The results showed an interaction between the apology condition and self-monitoring on non-verbal behaviors. When public-performing was low, gaze avoidance was more likely to occur with a sincere apology than an instrumental apology. There was no difference when the public-performing was high. Facial displays of apology were apparent in the instrumental apology compared to the sincere apology. This tendency became more conspicuous with increased public-performing. Our results indicated that the higher the public-performing, the more participants tried to convey the feeling of apology by combining a direct gaze and facial displays in an instrumental apology. On the other hand, results suggest that lower levels of public-performing elicited less immediacy in offering a sincere apology. Further studies are needed to determine whether these results apply to other conflict resolution situations.

Charge Transport in Intermixed Regions of All-Polymer Solar Cells Studied by Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy.

Charge transport in intermixed regions of all-polymer solar cells based on a blend of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT; electron donor) with poly[2,7-(9,9-didodecylfluorene)-alt-5,5-(4',7'-bis(2-thienyl)-2',1',3'-benzothiadiazole)] (PF12TBT; electron acceptor) was studied by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM). For a blend film fabricated from a chlorobenzene solution, intermixed regions were detected between the P3HT-rich and PF12TBT-rich domains. The overall hole current in the intermixed regions remained almost constant, both before and after thermal annealing at 80 °C, but it increased in the P3HT-rich domains. For a blend film fabricated from a chloroform solution, the entire observed area constituted an intermixed region, both before and after thermal annealing. The overall hole current in this film was significantly improved following thermal annealing at 120 °C. These finely mixed structures with efficient charge transport yielded a maximum power conversion efficiency of 3.5%. The local charge-transport properties in the intermixed region, as observed via C-AFM, was found to be closely related to the photovoltaic properties, rather than the bulk-averaged properties or topological features.

Electron Transport Nanostructures of Conjugated Polymer Films Visualized by Conductive Atomic Force Microscopy.

We have successfully measured electron transport nanostructures of conjugated polymer thin films by conductive atomic force microscopy, using an air-stable electron-injecting electrode coated with ethoxylated polyethylenimine. Electron- and hole-transport networks in donor/acceptor polymer blends can be selectively observed by using an appropriately coated electrode. This approach enables us to visualize phase-separated nanostructures of donor/acceptor polymer blends for thin-film electronic devices based on their semiconducting properties.