Age-related differences in children's perceptions of social deviance: Changes in behavior or in perspective?

Previous research by the present authors (see record 1985-14217-001) revealed grade-related changes in children's ratings of aggression and withdrawal in peers. The contributions to such changes of age-related differences in the perspective of the raters and in the behavior of the children rated were investigated. Study 1 examined 120 teachers' ratings of aggression and withdrawal in 1st-, 4th-, and 7th-grade children to assess effects of age of children rated. In contrast to earlier findings with peer raters, no differences were found across grade level in the organization of teacher ratings. Study 2 examined age of rater differences in 436 1st-, 4th-, and 7th-grade Ss' beliefs about behavior that might be displayed by hypothetical peers. Differences paralleled those observed earlier in children's actual peer ratings. Study 3 examined 351 1st- and 7th-grade Ss' ratings of peers who were older or younger than the raters to assess the influence of age of rater on Ss' ratings. Age of rater effects emerged even when Ss rated peers who were not their age mates. These findings suggest that differences across grade level reported in children's peer ratings largely reflect differences in the child raters' view of behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subprofessional therapists' use of reinforcement versus traditional psychotherapeutic techniques with schizophrenics.

Briefly trained 22 student nurses in both reinforcement and traditional psychotherapeutic techniques. Each nurse saw 2 chronic schizophrenic patients, 1 hr. daily for 7 wk. and used reinforcement with 1 and traditional techniques with the other. Each pair of Ss were matched on the Hospital Adjustment Scale (HAS) before treatment. Posttreatment HAS scores and improvement ratings by R. P. Knight's criteria showed significant improvement for reinforcement but not traditional methods. Ss' estimates of self-concept before and after treatment showed improvement with both techniques. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The evaluation of a "target problem" approach to outcome measurement.

Examined the agreement among 3 sources (patients, therapists, and independent judges) in their evaluation of psychotherapeutic improvement for 25 outpatients in group psychotherapy. Sources used a "target problem" approach that involved constructing an ideographic problem list for each patient before entering therapy. After 8 and 12 mo of therapy, they rated improvement on each of the individualized problems. Sources did not generally agree either on the content of Ss' problems or on Ss' improvement, even when assessment of agreement was limited to specific problem areas. Furthermore, mean target problem improvement ratings were highly correlated with simple global ratings made by each source, suggesting that the elaborate problem identification procedure was unnecessary. These findings, typical for psychotherapy outcome research, suggest psychometric weaknesses in ideographic assessment approaches that have been gaining popularity. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attributions, false consensus, and valence: Two field studies.

Two studies, with 1,056 Ss, investigated attitudes, knowledge, and behavior with regard to several environmental issues. Findings demonstrate that observers tend to perceive a false consensus with respect to the relative commonness of their own behavioral choices. This phenomenon was replicated across a variety of behaviors. This bias was not related, however, to Ss' trait inferences of the typical person who would choose a particular alternative. Neither estimated commonness of responses nor Ss' own behavioral choice provided an adequate explanation of the obtained differences in attributional inferences. Results show that Ss made more extreme and confident trait ratings about evaluatively positive behavior, irrespective of their own behavioral choice. Ss' trait ratings were in accordance with L. Ross's (1977) proposal, that Ss make more extreme ratings about dissimilar others, only when Ss rated their own behavioral choice relatively unfavorably compared with the behavioral alternative. Implications for previous investigations dealing with the false consensus effect are outlined, and evaluative and motivational mechanisms are proposed for research on social inference and attributional processes. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of ego-control, ego-resiliency, and IQ in delay of gratification in adolescence.

The delay-of-gratification behavior of 104 14-yr-old Ss was assessed in an experiment in which each S chose between immediate monetary payment and larger, delayed payment on 5 occasions. Personality data were obtained on these adolescents in the form of California Adult Q-Set ratings made by several research examiners who were blind to the Ss' delay behavior. The number of delayed payments chosen was strongly correlated with these personality ratings, within both sexes. Ss who exhibited the most delay of gratification tended to be independently described as responsible, productive, ethically consistent, interested in intellectual matters, and overly controlled. They tended not to be described as unable to delay gratification, rebellious, unpredictable, self-indulgent, or hostile. Delay behavior in both sexes was also correlated positively with IQ and with Q-sort-derived indexes of ego resiliency and ego control. The relationship between ego control and delay behavior was particularly strong after both IQ and ego resiliency were partialled. These results were interpreted as reflecting the fundamental importance of both cognitive skillfulness and impulse control for adaptive delay behavior in situations that contain strong motivational inducements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Physical attractiveness and mental illness.

Investigated the relation between physical attractiveness and mental disorder in 2 studies of women. In the 1st study, 23 hospitalized mental patients, 30 university employees, and 29 shoppers served as Ss. Results show that the hospitalized mental patients were decidedly less physically attractive than normal controls, based either on live (face-to-face) ratings or on ratings of photographs of the Ss by judges who were unaware of the Ss' mental statuses. Early and current adjustment were reliably associated with appearance for both mental patients and nonpatients. A 2nd study of 50 mental patients replicated some of the 1st study's findings and further examined the consequences of appearance within a psychiatric hospital setting. As compared to the more attractive patients, homelier patients were less socially responsive in a standardized interview procedure, had more severe diagnoses, were hospitalized for longer periods, and received fewer visitors from the community. Physical attractiveness accounted for a large significant amount of length-of-hospitalization variation when degree of psychopathology and other possible moderator variables were controlled statistically. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Schizophrenic thought disorders and impaired perspective.

Hypothesized that impaired perspective on the idiosyncracy of their own behavior is a central factor in the speech and thought pathology of schizophrenics and bizarre patients. 30 schizophrenic and 29 nonschizophrenic patients (mean age 25 yrs) rated the typicalness of their own and other patients' responses to proverbs. An index of perspective was calculated by correlating these ratings with trained judges' ratings of the idiosyncracy of the responses. Perspective on patients' own responses was significantly lower among schizophrenics and bizarre patients than among nonschizophrenics and nonbizarre patients. Poorer perspective occurred in patients' ratings of their own responses than in their ratings of other patients' responses. Results suggest that (a) loss of global perspective concerning the idiosyncracy of one's own verbalizations is closely associated with a tendency toward disordered speech. (b) Somewhat impaired perspective on what behavior is socially appropriate is common to all types of disturbed patients but is more severe in schizophrenics. (c) The impairment in schizophrenics is selective, involving difficulty in maintaining perspective on their own behavior, with better perspective when assessing others' behavior. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patient defense/therapist interventions.

Studied patient defensive behavior and therapist addressing defense (TAD) in short-term dynamic psychotherapy and brief adaptive psychotherapy in 28 adult patients with personality disorders. Three levels of patient defense (immature, intermediate, and mature) were coded. Only intermediate defensive behavior such as intellectualization and rationalization decreased. The greater the frequency of Ss' intermediate and immature defenses early in treatment, the better the outcome. Ss' defensive behavior was significantly correlated with the therapist addressing this behavior and with a decrease in immature and intermediate defenses. The frequency of TAD was significantly correlated with patient outcome. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relations between maternal employment and development of nursery school children.

Examined the relations between maternal employment status and nursery school children's sex role concepts, cognitive development, and adjustment. 110 children formed 4 groups according to their sex and their mothers' employment status. It was predicted that maternal employment would be associated with a broadening of Ss' sex role concepts and differential cognitive development depending on the sex of the S. Results show that Ss' sex role concepts were broader if their mothers were employed. Ss' perceptions of their mothers were not related to their employment status, but fathers were perceived more negatively by their sons if the mother was employed. Sons of employed mothers had lower IQ scores than either daughters of employed mothers or Ss with nonemployed mothers. Ss with employed mothers received better adjustment ratings from their teachers. (French summary) (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Meanings of counselor nonverbal gestures: Fixed or interpretive?

Determined the extent to which perceptions of counselors' nonverbal gestures may be influenced by subjective factors on the part of the perceivers. 24 college freshmen met individually with an interviewer for 15 min each. Ss' global impressions of the interviewer were manipulated during the interviews to produce impressions either of empathy or of preoccupation. Eight standardized nonverbal gestures—4 empathic and 4 preoccupied—were embedded in each interview. A videotape-assisted recall procedure was used to obtain Ss' ratings of the interviewer's behavior at the times of occurrence of each of the 8 cues. Results indicate that the overwhelming determinants of Ss' impressions of the interviewer at the times the embedded cues were emitted were the Ss' global impressions. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Voice quality in depression.

32 depressed patients were interviewed daily throughout their hospitalization. Spectrum analyses of the patients' speech were compared with mood ratings made by the 2 clinicians who jointly conducted the interviews. Using a stepwise multiple regression with cross-validation for each patient, predictions of the mood ratings from the voice spectra correlated significantly (1% level) with the ratings for 25 of the 32 patients. These cross-validation correlations were largest for those patients who showed considerable change in their mood. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of behavioral problem analysis versus instructional environment information on teachers' perceptions.

Compared 2 types of problem analysis information for their effects on 48 regular education teachers' problem attributions, ratings of acceptability, and preferences for intervention alternatives. Ss were given problem analysis vignettes containing either behavioral or instructional environment information after watching a videotape of a 2nd-grade girl exhibiting classroom behavior problems. Instructional environment information led to more problem attributions involving conditions in the classroom. Behavioral information led to more problem attributions concerning student characteristics and behavior and remote contextual variables. Ss in both informational conditions preferred instructional modification as a means of responding to the student's problems. Ratings of the intervention categories correlated significantly with Ss' problem attributions, perceptions of problem severity, and perceived likelihood for resolution in the classroom. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patients' preferences for pain treatment modalities in a multidisciplinary pain clinic.

44 male and 74 female patients (aged 22–78 yrs) in a multidisciplinary pain clinic rated their preferences for 9 pain treatment modalities: ice, transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation (TENS), relaxation, group therapy, social work, physical therapy, massage, heat, and lectures. Relaxation, physical therapy, and ice were most liked; TENS, heat, and social work were least liked. Multiple regression analyses indicated that preference for relaxation was the best predictor of decreased pain ratings, while preference for heat was correlated with increased pain ratings. Liking for physical therapy predicted self-ratings at discharge of positive well-being and minor life disruption. Liking for heat predicted self-ratings of major life disruption and nurses' ratings of pain behavior at discharge. Results suggest that treatment regimens should take into account patients' moods and personality styles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Initial sociometric impressions of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and comparison boys: Predictions from social behaviors and from nonbehavioral variables.

Compared the influence of naturalistic social behaviors and nonbehavioral variables on the development of peer status in 49 previously unfamiliar boys, aged 6–12 yrs. 25 boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 24 comparison boys participated. Physical attractiveness, motor competence, intelligence, and academic achievement constituted the nonbehavioral variables; social behaviors included noncompliance, aggression, prosocial actions, and isolation, measured by live observations of classroom and playground interactions. As early as the first day of interaction, ADHD and comparison Ss displayed differences in social behaviors, and the ADHD Ss were overwhelmingly rejected. Whereas prosocial behavior independently predicted friendship ratings during the 1st wk, the magnitude of prediction was small. In contrast, the Ss' aggression (or noncompliance) strongly predicted negative nominations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-concept of the married psychiatric patient and his mate's perception of him.

26 married psychiatric patients and their spouses were administered a 50-item questionnnaire to assess their concepts of themselves and of each other 1 wk. after acute hospitalization and then again 7 wk. later. Ss' initial self-images and their mates' perception of them were both more negative than their own and their spouses' images of the average person. Ss and their mates viewed the S as the most disturbed family member with both seeing the spouse in a more positive light than the S. Ss' self-images improved during hospitalization. The spouses' images of the Ss also tended to become more positive, but the spouses still viewed the Ss more negatively than themselves. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self- and spouse ratings of anger and hostility as predictors of coronary heart disease.

Self- and spouse ratings of anger and hostility were examined as predictors of coronary heart disease (CHD) in 185 cardiac patients. Patients completed the Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAI) and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability (MCSD) Scale; the MAI (rewritten to 3rd person) was completed by Ss' spouses or by a peer. Thallium scans were used to measure CHD status. Results show that patient-rated MAI scores were inversely correlated with MCSD. There were no gender differences for patient-rated MAI scores, but spouse ratings showed gender effects for Anger-Arousal and Hostile Outlook: Women rated their husbands higher than men rated their wives. Patients with positive thallium scans were no different from those without CHD on patient-rated MAI scores; however, spouse ratings indicated that those with CHD had higher Hostile Outlook and Anger-In scores. After accounting for the effects of traditional CHD risk factors, only spouse-rated hostility contributed significant incremental variance to the prediction of CHD status. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teacher judgments concerning the acceptability of school-based interventions.

Investigated the influence of behavior problem severity, interventionist, and modality of case presentation on teacher's judgments of school-based interventions. 54 regular and special education teachers attending a university summer course used an intervention scale and the Semantic Differential to rate all possible combinations of 2 interventions (principal or teacher implemented) applied to 2 behavior problems (daydreaming and destruction of others' property). Ss read about or viewed a videotape of a 5th-grade boy engaging in 1 of the 2 problem behaviors. An ANOVA of Ss' ratings of intervention acceptability showed that behavior problem severity and interventionist significantly affected Ss' judgments of intervention acceptability. Findings show that interventions that could be implemented by the teacher were more acceptable. In addition, Ss rated interventions as more acceptable when applied to behavior problems of greater severity. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Semantic homophone priming in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer's type.

To examine the role of semantic processes in the verbal priming deficits of patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT), 15 DAT patients, 8 amnesic patients, and 12 controls were administered a homophone spelling bias task. Ss' spellings were biased against their previously preferred homophone spellings by presenting the homophones aurally in a semantically related context. The results showed that DAT patients were not significantly different from controls or amnesic patients on the immediate priming measure. However, both patient groups' semantic priming effects decayed more rapidly and their recognition performance was significantly impaired in relation to those for control Ss. These results suggest that DAT patients can perform normally on some semantic priming tasks if the task demands are within the capacity of the patients' remaining intact semantic structure and if the delay between presentations is brief. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Culture conflict in the treatment of "mental illness" and the central role of patient leader.

Describes new treatment programs which emphasized patients' responsibility and problem-solving action and heightened the conflict with patients' expectations that they be held unaccountable for their deviant behavior and excused from taking corrective action. Results from 50 patients showed Ss' attitudes were markedly less favorable toward a new program than toward a more traditional one. Patient leaders played an important role by organizing Ss to produce an active program, thereby encouraging staff tolerance for a nonrestrictive, continuous hospital stay for all interested Ss. Leaders were evaluated more favorably than nonleaders by both Ss and staff, with the exception of behaviors related solely to staff goals. The stalemate, successfully negotiated by the leaders, was broken only after the staff imposed a time limit on hospital stay. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)