Using UV Photography to Reduce Use of Tanning Booths: A Test of Cognitive Mediation.

Two laboratory studies were conducted in which a new type of intervention was used to reduce ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure from tanning booth use among college students (Time 1 Ns=70 and 134). The intervention uses UV photography to highlight the damage to facial skin caused by previous UV exposure. When the authors controlled for baseline measures of booth use, students in both studies who viewed their UV photographs reported less booth use at a follow-up session 3-4 weeks later than did students not shown a copy of their photograph. Also, in both studies, the decline in use was significantly mediated by a Tanning Cognition Index composed of variables suggested by the prototype-willingness (prototype) model of health risk: tanning attitudes, tanner prototypes, and willingness to engage in risky UV exposure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Political socialization at the University of Toronto: A three-year longitudinal study.

Analyzed change in the political orientation of 248 male students between their entrance and departure from a Canadian university; the characteristics related to change were also examined. These investigations were conducted in 2 settings-a laboratory where artificial conditions were set up to induce a change in attitudes and a natural field setting where changes in attitudes were viewed over a 3-yr period. Although results provide partial support for the hypothesis that Ss would be radicalized by their university experience, the change in attitudes was small. Reasons for the small amount of change are discussed. (French summary) (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

University environment as a mediator of Latino ethnic identity and persistence attitudes.

The authors examined whether the perception of the university environment mediated the relationship between ethnic identity and persistence attitudes of Latino college students. Participants were 175 Latino college students who attended a primarily White university. The results supported the hypothesized mediating role of the university environment. Higher Latino ethnic identity was associated with perceiving a more negative university environment and feeling less committed to finishing college. In turn, perception of a negative college environment was associated with feeling less committed to finishing college. When perception of the university environment was removed, no significant relationship was found between ethnic identity and persistence attitudes, indicating that it is the perceived context that influences Latino college students' persistence attitudes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anti-Black racism, self-esteem, and the adjustment of White students in higher education.

The present study examined the negative consequences of racism to White university students. It was hypothesized that anti-Black racism would impact students' self-esteem, college social adjustment, and college personal-emotional adjustment above and beyond academic adjustment. It was further expected that self-esteem would mediate the relationship between racism and college adjustment. In a White university student sample, students reporting attitudes reflecting a combination of overtly racist and egalitarian attitudes toward Blacks also reported lower levels of self-esteem and college social adjustment. Furthermore, self-esteem mediated the relationship between anti-Black racism and college social adjustment. Findings inform the multidimensional nature of negative consequences of racism to Whites in higher education. A discussion of implications from this research with regard to the creation of diverse and culturally sensitive university environments is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Student attitudes regarding the temporary closing of a major university.

Describes a set of attitudes linked to the temporary closing of a major university. Data came from 434 students who completed questionnaires sent to their homes prior to the reopening of the university. Results indicate that the average student was concerned, yet moderate in his views. A minority of students, however, (from 19-44%) gave answers to key questions which seemed to represent a "change at any price" syndrome: drastic educational change, overturn of the administration, and violence. A final portion of the questionnaire elicited attitudes presumed to be held by significant others. Students believed that parents, relatives, and friends agreed with them about most issues other than the justification of the student actions. Specific changes in student attitudes during the 10-day closing are enumerated and thought to result from the interaction between students and significant others. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Accuracy of attitude stereotypes: The case of inferences based on gender.

Three studies were undertaken to assess the accuracy of people's estimates of the attitudes of men and women. In Exp 1, attitudes of male and female college students were assessed on a broad range of social and political issues. In Exp 2, 30 male and 30 female college students estimated the attitudes of typical males and females on the same statements. These estimates were used to select a set of stereotypic male statements and a set of stereotypic female statements. In Exp 3, 44 male and 53 female college students estimated the attitudes of male and female students on the 2 sets of statements. Results of the 1st 2 studies indicated that both men and women expected larger gender differences in attitudes than actually exist. In the 3rd study, this result was confirmed and it was found that people were least accurate in their estimates of the attitudes of men. Partial support was obtained for the hypothesis that in-group stereotypes would be more accurate than out-group stereotypes. Men were more accurate than women in estimating the attitudes of men but men and women were equally accurate in estimating the attitudes of women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Knowledge and beliefs about confidentiality in psychotherapy.

Surveyed 200 high school students, 308 undergraduate psychology students, 34 former clients from a community mental health center, and 40 former clients from a university counseling center regarding their knowledge of and attitudes toward confidentiality in therapy. Overall results show that the vast majority of Ss viewed confidentiality as an all-encompassing, superordinate mandate for the psychology profession and that most Ss wanted to be told of the limitations to confidentiality but would have limited therapeutic communications when told. It is concluded that the general population, including those who have been in therapy, does not have an accurate perception of current ethical limitations regarding confidentiality in psychotherapy. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vested interest as a moderator of attitude–behavior consistency.

Two studies examined the hypothesis that the degree to which an individual perceives an attitude as hedonically relevant affects the relationship between attitudes and behavior. In Exp I, 99 undergraduates' willingness to work actively against the passage of a referendum that would raise the legal drinking age was associated with their age and, consequently, the degree to which this change would affect them. In Exp II with 100 college students, Ss who felt strongly that they would be affected either positively or negatively by the imposition of a university-wide senior comprehensive examination were consistent with their expressed attitudes toward the examination. The behavior of Ss who felt that the test would not affect them, however, was not strongly related to their attitude toward it. Ego involvement did not moderate attitude–behavior consistency. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A scale measuring attitudes toward working for the government.

To develop a measure of attitudes toward government employment, a preliminary scale administered to 173 college students was item analyzed and then tried out on 493 government employees and 299 private industry employees. A final scale was selected that includes 70 items that discriminate between satisfied government and private industry employees in professional and managerial positions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding and promoting AIDS-preventive behavior: Insights from the theory of reasoned action.

Psychological determinants of AIDS-preventive behaviors were examined from the perspective of the theory of reasoned action in prospective studies of gay men, heterosexual university students, and heterosexual high school students. Across samples, preventive behaviors, and prospective intervals of 1 and 2 months' duration, AIDS-preventive behaviors were predicted by behavioral intentions; behavioral intentions were a function of attitudes and norms; and attitudes and norms were a function of their theorized basic underpinnings. Discussion focuses on the development of AIDS-prevention interventions that modify intentions, attitudes, and norms concerning performance of AIDS-preventive behaviors by targeting the empirically identified underpinnings of attitudes and norms related to specific preventive behaviors in specific populations of interest. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting union attitudes in student part-time workers.

Examined the predictors of general union attitudes in a sample of 84 high school and 42 first year university students (aged 15–21 yrs) who were employed part-time. In addition to two aspects of family socialization towards unions (parents' perceived union attitudes and perceived union activities), Ss' job quality and satisfaction with both co-workers and supervisors were also assessed as predictors of their own general union attitudes. Results show that only Ss' perception of their parents' general union attitudes was significantly associated with their own general union attitudes. Thus, family socialization contributed the greatest amount of variance to general union attitudes. Neither job quality, nor supervisory or co-worker satisfaction were associated with Ss' union attitudes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vicarious punishment in a work setting.

Investigated the effects of punishment on the attitudes and behavior of co-workers (CWs) who observed a peer receiving punishment to test the hypothesis that observing a CW receive punishment will have a positive effect on observers' productivity without damaging job satisfaction. 60 students were hired through a university placement office for temporary clerical employment. Ss were exposed to observing either a CW receiving a reduction in pay or a threat of a reduction in pay or to no punishment (controls). Results support the hypothesis that punishment may be used effectively in work settings: Ss who observed a CW receiving a reduction in pay produced significantly more than controls and Ss who observed a threat of a reduction in pay. These effects did not diminish after 1 wk, and Ss across groups did not differ in levels of job satisfaction. Because none of the Ss knew each other, it is suggested that the absence of negative side effects may not have held if CWs had observed someone they knew receiving punishment. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes towards people with disabilities between Chinese rehabilitation and business students: An implication for practice.

Objective: To study the effects of curriculum on changing the attitudes of students toward people with disabilities. Participants: Seventy-three rehabilitation students and 107 business students in either their 1st or 3rd year at a Chinese university. Main Outcome Measures: The Attitude Towards Disabled Persons (ATDP) Scale and a questionnaire on course work and personal experience. Results: At the end of the 1st year, rehabilitation students had significantly more positive attitudes, whereas the business students were more negative. In the 3rd year, these attitudes were also found among both groups of students. Conclusion: Rehabilitation psychologists should expand their practice to foster positive attitudinal changes in students in nonrehabilitation programs, which helps create a positive environment for people with disabilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceiver-induced constraint: Interpretations of self-generated reality.

Two experiments, with 87 university students, examined whether perceivers tend to infer correspondent attitudes when an actor expresses opinions that the perceivers know to have been completely controlled by the perceivers themselves. Exp I demonstrated that such "inducers" of behavior were no more likely than observers to adjust their attributions for the constraining effects of their inducing behaviors when access to relevant situational information was equalized. Exp II replicated and clarified this finding. Inducers were just as likely to infer correspondent attitudes from constrained opinions when they were merely the instruments of behavioral induction (i.e., causing the actor to behave as the experimenter requested) as when they were the origins of behavioral induction (i.e., having a choice with regard to the actor's behavior). Results suggest that correspondence bias (the tendency to infer correspondent dispositions from constrained behavior) may not simply be a reflection of the relatively low salience of situtational forces and that inducers who are clearly aware of their control may nevertheless treat constrained behavior as diagnostic. The experiments also present a flexible paradigm for further studies of constraints induced by the social perceiver. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Doctoral candidates' attitudes toward models of professional training.

Administered a questionnaire to 226 clinical graduate students from scientist-professional programs (SPP) and 223 graduate students from professional school programs (PSP) to assess attitudes toward their current training program's curriculum. Findings show that 85% of PSP and 70% of SPP Ss expressed positive attitudes. When divided into those aspiring to applied practice, research, and combined applied/research careers, 67% of SPP Ss who aspired to applied practice careers (28% of this sample) expressed preference for a professional school training model. In contrast, two-thirds or more of PSP Ss in all career-aspiration categories expressed a preference to remain in their existing programs. Findings were consistent across age, sex, entry degree, and internship experience. Results are discussed in relation to Vail Conference recommendations and forces that shape psychology graduate curricula. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A decade review of college teaching research: 1970–1980.

Reviews research by Canadian psychologists on college and university teaching in 1970–1980. One group of studies investigated the effectiveness of various instructional innovations, ranging from the learning cell to educational TV. A 2nd body of research focused on the evaluation of effective teaching, especially the reliability and validity of teacher rating forms. A 3rd research approach examined the characteristics of learners, teachers, and courses, including such factors as the background and attitudes of both faculty and students, student achievement, personality and cognitive variables among learners, the training of teachers, and the content and structure of courses. Three general questions are discussed in the light of the available research evidence: whether Canadian research on college teaching can be considered unique, whether it is significant, and whether it has affected psychological theory or teaching practice. (French abstract) (70 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Appreciation of university education in relation to employment expectations.

A survey of students enrolled in Introductory, Fourth-Year, Graduate and Extension studies in psychology indicated that psychology was studied because it is intellectually challenging and is concerned with people. Students, particularly females, perceive difficulties in finding employment following graduation. The university is valued for its contribution to intellectual, personal and social development. Attitudinal differences between males and females, among the four subject groups, and among students from Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perfectionism dimensions, perfectionistic attitudes, dependent attitudes, and depression in psychiatric patients and university students.

P. L. Hewitt and G. L. Flett's (1991b) model of perfectionism dimensions (i.e., self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed perfectionism) was compared with A. T. Beck's model (G. P. Brown & A.T. Beck, 2002) of dysfunctional attitudes (i.e., perfectionistic attitudes [PA] and dependent attitudes [DA]) in predicting depression in 70 psychiatric patients and 280 university students. Socially prescribed perfectionism uniquely predicted both PA and DA. Dysfunctional attitudes failed to consistently predict additional variance in depression beyond perfectionism dimensions (and vice versa). Evidence for Hewitt and Flett's specific vulnerability hypothesis and Beck's specific cognitive vulnerability hypothesis was equivocal. Beck's conceptualization of perfectionism as a unitary cognitive style obscures important information by overlooking the distinction between the self-related and socially based features of perfectionism. Hewitt and Flett's conceptualization of perfectionism as 3 distinct personality traits allows for precise conclusions by recognizing the differential contribution of the self-related and socially based features of perfectionism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in attitudes toward authority figures with the move to college: Three experiments.

Explored changes in attitudes toward authority of 2 samples of students (N = 508), who were tested before and after college entrance. Differences were reported between the sexes and between students who continued to reside at home and those who moved to the campus. The increase in negative attitudes toward authority observed in high school adolescents was found to continue into the college years, in contrast to predictions derived from psychoanalytic theory. The changing attitudes are interpreted in the context of other cognitive changes during the college years. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)