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The contributions of social scientist Rolf P. Lynton are presented. These include the improvement of individual competencies and orientation, the enhancement of institution building, and the development of referent organizations.

Development is the process of unfolding the unique potential and strengths of individuals and groups in a society. This process is fostered by the presence of certain values that constitute a special culture--a combination of assertiveness (autonomy, achievement, and creativity) and extension (concern for others and collective action). Each societal culture has characteristics that have both functional and dysfunctional aspects for development. The task of action research is to sift functional from dysfunctional aspects, to build on and strengthen the former, and to reduce and manage the latter. This article describes projects that led the author to this formulation and to his current emphasis on the role of political culture in development. Implications for the role of psychologists and other social scientists in contributing to the functionality of political culture are presented.

Multi-practice adoption behavior of farmers in a North Indian village, measured in terms of Adoption Quotient, was treated as a dependent variable in this research. The independent variables, were three value orientations (conservatism-liberalism, fatalism-scienticism, and authoritarianism-nonauthoritarianism), change-proneness, and level, of aspiration. Multiple regression on analysis eliminated level of aspiration and change-proneness. The three value orientation dimensions were observed, to contribute jointly toward 59 percent of the predictability of the adoption behavior (R² = .59); 41 percent of variation in adoption remained to be accounted for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Is socioeconomic status unidimensional or multidimensional? This question usually has been answered on the basis of theoretical reasoning. The various dimensions have been suggested a priori. Factor analysis provides an empirical answer to this question. Analysis of data from a sample of farmers In India on a rural socioeconomic status scale, using centroid method of factor analysis with orthogonal rotation, revealed three factors in socioeconomic status-social influence or quality of living, caste or occupation, and land or economic status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents information regarding the importance of motivation in development. Psychologists' interest in the area of motivation, as evinced by researches and publications, has greatly increased in the last few years. This certainly reflects psychologists' concern for searching for more satisfying answers to the question of "why" of human behavior. According to this view, motivation occupies an important position, exerting influence in both directions at the same time. It "causes" behavior in the society as well as it exerts almost determining influence on the societal system. Motivation thus has a special significance in the planning of change in a society. If motivation occupies such an important position in the dynamic cycle of social change, its functioning should be properly studied. Little work has been done in understanding and measuring different complex motives, especially those that seem to be significant for the social change of development. Achievement motivation has been shown to be responsible for entrepreneurial activity in a society. However, development is not a function of achievement motivation alone. Concern for other people or the society also seems to be important for development.

On sélectionne deux groupes distincts (les “communicateurs”-clefs et les non-“communicateurs”) dans une communauté villageoise de l'Inde sur la base des interactions personnelles qui déterminent la diffusion à l'intérieur du village de trois nouvelles techniques agricoles. Les deux types de personnes différent (.01) relativement à 8 variables: statut socio-économique, relation avec l'origine du changement, comportement vis-à-vis de l'innovatisn, popularité, personnification du fermier idéal, aptitude à la communication, taille de l'exploitation, autorité en matière d'opinion, mais ne présentent pas de différences relativement à quatre autres (amour du changement, conservatisme, fatalisme, cosmopolitisme). Une analyse de type D2 portant sur six de ces variables prises ensemble donne un F significatif; sur la base de ces résultats, on peut établir un profil caractéristique des “communicateur”-clefs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sociométrie et ré seau de communication dans un village indien. On compare, dans un village indien, les données sociométriques aux communications interpersonnelles qui se produisent aux différentes étapes de l'adoption de trois nouvelles techniques agricoles. La distribution des données sociométriques et celle des communications présentent la měme structure: elles révèlent qu'il y a beaucoup d'isolés ou “non-communiquants” et un petit nombre de membres influents. Les “étoiles” sociométriques se trouvent ětre des “communicateurs-clefs” ou, tout au moins, des personnes qui communiquent davantage. De měme, la plupart des “non-communiquants” sont isolés. On constate que les communications inter-personnelles sont limitées au sous-groupe sociométrique (clique), bien que les communications hors-clique ne soient pas totalement absentes. Il semble que la popularité dans le village soil fondamentalement en liaison avec l'influence personnelle, ce qui témoigne du caractère charismatique de l'autorité. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses motivational patterns and planned social change. Social scientists have attempted to explain social change in several ways. The conceptual model used in the article is nearer the Marxist position. A societal system determines motivation and values, which in turn cause or determine the behavior of individuals in the society. According to this paradigm, a societal system, that is the system and the structure of the society mainly characterized by the level and kind of technology utilized and the pattern of interrelationships among main classes in the society, and its reinforcing mechanisms. Social change or change in behavior in a society is a result of the motivational pattern and the pattern of expectancy, which themselves are products of a societal system and its reinforcing mechanisms. The paradigm assumes that each societal system generates a particular pattern of motivation, which sustains and maintains that system by causing appropriate behavior among individual members in the society. Motivation occupies an important place in the strategy of planned change. Since a motivational pattern not only causes behavior but also influences the societal system, it deserves careful attention if a strategy of planned social change is to be effective. An effective strategy for inducing social change would consist of bringing about change in the societal system, its reinforcing mechanisms, the development of appropriate patterns of motivation and expectancy through suitable program. For any social change, the primary condition is a change in a societal system without which appropriate changes cannot be introduced or cannot be sustained.

Studies in the adoption of improved farm practices have used various measures. Adoption has been studied both as singlepractice adoption behaviour (Gross, 1949; Gross & Taves, 1952; Hoffer, 1942; Lindstrom, 1958; Ryan & Gross, 1943, 1950; Wilkening, 195ob, 1953) and as multipractice adoption behaviour (Bauder, 1960; Bose, 1961, 1962; Bose & Dasgupta, 1962; Bose, Dasgupta, & Das, 1963; Copp, 1956; Dasgupta, 1963a, 1963b; Duncan & Kreitlow, 1954; Fliegel, 1956; Freeman, 1961; Hoffer, 1942; Marsh & Coleman, 1954a, 1954b, 1954c; Pedersen, 1951; Rahim, 1961; Ramsey, Polson, & Spencer, 1959; Rogers, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1962; Rogers & Burdge, 1962; Rogers & Capener, 1960; Rogers, Havena, & Cartano, 1962; Rogers & Leuthold, 1962; Wilkening, 195oa, 1952). In the former case, the ratio of farmers adopting a practice to the farmers not adopting it has been used as a measure; while in the latter case, the ratio of the number of practices adopted to the number of practices advocated has usually been used as a measure of adoption. In a few cases, the The journal of Applied Behavioral Science time of adoption has also been used (Bose, 1962; Bose, Dasgupta, & Das, 1963; Dasgupta, 1963a, 1963b; Rahim, 1961; Rogers, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1962; Rogers & Burdge, 1962; Rogers & Capener, 1960; Rogers, Havena, & Cartano, 1962; Rogers & Leuthold, 1962).Adoption is complex behaviour. It involves a number of variables. A simple index based on one variable may not give an accurate measure of adoption. This paper presents a new scale for measuring adoption behaviour, taking into account the different variables involved. The final scale was tried in a village in North India, the results of which have been reported (Chattopadhyay & Pareek, 1964a). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]