Self-disclosure among some Negro, white, and Mexican-American adolescents.

Administered W. H. Rivenbark's revision of the Self-Disclosure Questionnaire to 100 black, 100 white, and 100 Mexican-American 9th graders. Each group was composed of an equal number of males and females. Females reported more disclosure than males; when sexes were pooled, the white Ss reported the greatest amount of disclosure, the Mexican-American group least. Males favored the mother as the target of most disclosure, whereas for all groups the least favored target of self-disclosure was the father. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex identity in American children: Memory, knowledge, and preference tests.

Tested recall, knowledge and preference for masculine and feminine items in 240 US 5- and 8-yr-old white boys and girls from working-class and professional middle-class families. Ss recalled, knew, and preferred same-sex items significantly more than opposite-sex items. Girls' scores were less rigidly sex typed than were boys'. Older Ss showed greater stereotypy in preference tests than did younger ones. Sex differences in preference scores of older Ss were greater in the working than in the middle class. Compared with data for English 5 yr olds, US girls appeared less sex typed than did their English counterparts and accounted for the predicted decrease in sex polarity of preference scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of work sample test upon self-selection and turnover of job applicants.

Hypothesized that job applicants who were administered a pre-employment work sample test and who, consequently, had a more accurate expectancy about task requirements would have a higher job refusal rate and a lower voluntary turnover rate than applicants not administered the work sample test. Ss were 67 white and 93 black female applicants for the job of sewing machine operator. Some support for the hypotheses was found for white Ss but not for black Ss. Racial differences are explained in terms of the differential importance of factors in the work situation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Further data on key influencers of occupational expectation among minority youth.

Reports the relative frequency with which each of 9 specific "key figures" was reported by 73 Puerto Rican, 211 black, and 200 white high school females from "working-class" families to have exercised the principal influence over their selection of occupations they expected to hold as adults. Rank-order coefficients reveal the least similarity in citation of key figures between white and Puerto Rican Ss and virtually no difference between black and Puerto Rican Ss or between black and white Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Racial differences in job and work environment priorities among newly hired college graduates.

Conducted a study of 70 black and 179 white newly hired college graduates to assess racial differences in Ss' rated importance of various work and company characteristics. Responses to survey items asking the Ss to rate the importance of several job and company characteristics were factor analyzed. 2 factors emerged, the 1st reflecting a higher order future and growth orientation and the 2nd, a more hygienic job context factor. Results show that both black and white Ss rated the higher order growth characteristics as more important. However, black Ss rated each hygienic extrinsic item significantly higher than did white Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Female counselor–client dyads: Effects of counselor age, client marital status, and intimacy level of presenting problem on perceptions of counselors.

Explored the impact of counselor age, level of intimacy of clients' presenting problems, and client marital status on perception of counselors and the counseling relationship with 48 married females (mean age 21.9 yrs) and 48 unmarried females (mean age 26.3 yrs). Ss viewed a series of 3 videotapes, which were counterbalanced for level of intimacy of client's presenting problems and depicted initial interviews between young female clients and either younger or older female counselors. After viewing each individual vignette, Ss completed a counselor rating form, a client satisfaction form, and manipulation checks for presenting problem intimacy and counselor age. Overall, differences in presenting problems and counselor age were perceived as intended. Ss' marital status was unrelated to any measures. Counselors were judged as most expert, attractive, and trustworthy when dealing with presenting problems that were least intimate. Ss anticipated greater satisfaction with younger rather than older counselors only for the least intimate presenting problem. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Black militancy, affective attachment, and the fear of success in black college women.

Examined the fear of success in 252 black college women at 4 campuses. The proportion of fear of success found in TAT imagery of black women was consistently lower than has been found in studies of such imagery of white women. However, Ss endorsing the more militant black attitudes expressed more of this avoidance motive than Ss who endorsed less militant attitudes. Black militancy and fear of success were most closely associated for those Ss who did not report a permanent attachment to a man. This finding is interpreted as reflecting motivational dynamics similar to those of white women. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of reframing and self-control directives on loneliness, depression, and controllability.

57 female undergraduates who scored at least 1 standard deviation above the mean (47 or above) on the UCLA Loneliness Scale and who scored as moderately depressed (8–26) on the Beck Depression Inventory also completed the Causal Dimension Scale and were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: reframing, self-control directives, and a waiting-list control. Treatment groups met for 2 weekly ?-hr interviews. Interviewer responses in the reframing group focused on ways to experience loneliness more positively, whereas self-control responses involved encouraging Ss to overcome loneliness. All 3 groups were again administered the 3 measures posttreatment and 2-wk follow-up. Results indicate that Ss in the reframing group experienced a more significant reduction in depression than Ss in the self-control or control groups. All Ss became less lonely over time, but no treatment was more effective than another in reducing loneliness. No differences were found for controllability. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Judgments of proportions.

This study investigated the processes that underlie estimates of relative frequency. Ss performed 4 tasks using the same stimuli (squares containing black and white dots); they judged "percentages" of white dots, "percentages" of black dots, "ratios" of black dots to white dots, and "differences" between the number of black dots and white dots. Results were consistent with the theory that Ss used the instructed operations with the same scale values in all tasks. Despite the use of the correct operation, Ss consistently overestimated small proportions and underestimated large proportions. Variations in the distributions of actual proportions affected the extent to which Ss overestimated small proportions and underestimated large proportions in the direction predicted by range–frequency theory. Results suggest that proportion judgments, and by analogy probability judgments, should not be taken at face value. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Race, economic class, and perceived outcomes of work and unemployment.

Tested 2 hypotheses derived from locus-of-control and expectancy theory: (a) black and/or unemployed men will perceive weaker relationships between working and positive and negative outcomes than white and/or working class men, and (b) black and/or unemployed men will perceive stronger relationships connecting not working with the same set of outcomes. Instrumentality ratings were gathered from 200 black and white working-class and unemployed men as part of a larger interview. Significant multivariate race, economic class, and interaction effects occurred for both types of ratings, but the direction of effects was not as predicted. Black Ss saw stronger relationships between working and various outcomes than whites, and positive-compared to whites' negative-instrumentalities of unemployment. The economic-class main effects were opposite in direction for blacks and whites, and the largest differences occurred between the black and white working class. Results are discussed in terms of experiential differences and shifts in levels of adaptation. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An investigation of the Color-Your-Life technique with childhood cancer patients.

Assessed how children with cancer use the Color-Your-Life (CYL) technique and compared the results to K. J. O'Connor's (1983) clinical impressions of this technique. 20 cancer patients and 20 healthy students (aged 6–12 yrs) completed the study. Ss were given a piece of white paper and a standard box of 8 crayons. A chart was displayed that listed the 8 colors and the specific feelings that corresponded with that color. Ss were told that the paper represented their lives and that they should use the colors that represented the feelings they had in their lives. Findings show differences in the styles of drawing, percentages of color/feeling represented in the drawings, and percentage of white space between pediatric Ss with cancer and control Ss. Findings are consistent with O'Conner's findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affect and age: Cross-sectional comparisons of structure and prevalence.

The self-reports of 207 young-adult (aged 18–30 yrs), 231 middle-aged (aged 31–59 yrs), and 828 older-adult (aged 60 yrs and over) Ss were used to study the structure of affect. Affects were represented by terms included in various circumplex arrays of emotions as presented by previous investigators. A set of 46 affects was subjected to exploratory analysis, and a final set of 38 affects was subjected to confirmatory factor analysis. The goodness of fit of each group's factor loadings to the hypothesized factors of positive affect, depression, anxiety–guilt, contentment, hostility, and shyness was not up to the desired .90 level, and some significant differences in factor structure were observed for each age-group comparison. There were few age differences in levels of positive affect. Depression was most frequent among younger Ss and least frequent among older Ss. Younger Ss were most often anxious and shy. Older Ss were most often content and least often hostile. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Skimming lists of food ingredients printed in different brightness contrasts.

76 29-72 yr. old Ss searched for particular words in lists of ingredients printed on white paper, reflectance 85%, in ink with densities of 1.3, .4, .2, and .1 (reflectances 4, 34, 53, and 68%). The print was 6-pt lower-case Univers with .6-pt leading. There were 4 sets each of 15 lists. A 4 * 4 factorial design was used that confounded list difficulty with order. In separate experiments the lighting was 40 and 2 ft-c. There were large drops (p .05). 2 Ss failed to locate any ingredients in the poor light when the density of the ink was .1. It is concluded that ingredients printed in 6-pt lower-case Univers on white paper should have an ink density of at least .4. The contrast ratio between the ink and the paper is then at least 60%; the relative brightness ratio is at least 2.5:1. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Delay of gratification as a function of incentive preference and race of experimenter.

Offered 14 incentive items to 133 black and 85 white 7-12 yr olds. Each S could choose 1 of 4 "inexpensive" items ($.05-.08) to receive at the end of the school day on which the test was given, or 1 of 10 "expensive" items ($.25-.35) to receive 3 wks later. The black and the white Ss differed in their preferences for expensive incentive objects. No statistically reliable differences were found between the black and the white Ss in ability to delay gratification. Results are contrasted with those obtained by B. R. Strickland (see record 1972-24694-001). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences in test performance between brain-damaged, schizophrenic, and medical patients.

Gave 18 white male hospitalized patients from each of 3 diagnostic categories (brain-damaged, schizophrenic, and medical) a battery of 9 psychological tests, including 5 from the Halstead Impairment Index, the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, the Trail Making Test (R. Reitan), and 2 tests from the WAIS. 16 measures were obtained, and the 3 groups of Ss were compared on each. The performance of the brain-damaged was significantly inferior to the medical patients on 14 of the 16 measures, and to the schizophrenics on 9 of the 16. There were no significant differences between the schizophrenics and the medical group on any of the 16 measures. When the scores on the 4 different tests were combined into Z scores, 78% of the brain-damaged, 67% of the schizophrenics, and 78% of the medical Ss were correctly diagnosed for presence or absence of brain damage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping profiles associated with psychiatric, physical health, work, and family problems.

Examined coping profiles of 11 samples (identified in the stress literature) with a total of 1,298 individuals experiencing psychiatric, physical health, work, or family problems. Comparisons were made in Ss with and without anxiety and depression to control for the effects of distress. Coping was similar for Ss in similar problem categories, but different for Ss in different categories. Psychiatric Ss made more use of avoidance and less use of social supports. Ss with physical health problems were among the most frequent users of social supports. Ss with a family problem were among the most frequent users of problem-focused coping and the least frequent users of self-blame. Ss with work stress were the most frequent users of self-blame. Results support the hypothesis that persons with psychopathology cope in maladaptive ways involving dysfunctional strategies that constitute the behavioral disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Color vision and color preference in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) with colorless oil droplets.

Studied the significance of the coloration of retinal oil droplets in the color vision of 90 young quail. Colorless oil droplets were produced in Ss by dietary exclusion of carotenoids in their mothers. Carotenoid-free chicks were able to distinguish red, yellow, green, and blue of constant intensity from white light of different intensities. This indicates that the colored oil droplets are not essential in the color vision of quail. Testing color preferences by offering the 4 primary colors in 6 paired combinations indicated that normal Ss as well as Ss with colorless oil droplets preferred green the most and red the least. However, carotenoid-free Ss were different from controls in preferring blue over yellow. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relative efficacy of self-reward, self-punishment, and self-monitoring techniques for weight loss.

Randomly assigned 48 female and 5 male obese adults to 5 groups: (a) self-reward, (b) self-punishment, (c) self-reward and self-punishment, (d) self-monitoring, and (e) information control. All Ss were given information on effective stimulus control techniques for weight loss. Self-monitoring Ss were asked to weigh in twice per week for 4 wks and to record their daily weight and eating habits. Self-reward and self-punishment Ss, in addition to receiving self-monitoring instructions, were asked to award or fine themselves a portion of their deposit contingent on changes in their weight and eating habits. After 4 wks of treatment, self-reward Ss lost significantly more weight than either self-monitoring or control Ss. At a 4-mo follow-up, Ss who had received self-reward instructions continued to show greater improvement than either the self-punishment or control Ss. Findings provide a preliminary indication that self-reward strategies are superior to self-punitive and self-recording strategies in the modification of at least some habit patterns. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affect, sex guilt, gender, and the rewarding-punishing effects of erotic stimuli.

40 male and 40 female college students were classified as high or low in sex guilt (HSG and LSG, respectively) using the Mosher Forced-Choice Guilt Inventory. Experimental Ss were shown erotic slides following each "correct" choice in a discrimination task and nonerotic slides following each "incorrect" choice. Controls were shown nonerotic slides following all choices. HSG Ss made fewer choice responses leading to erotica than did LSG Ss, and females made fewer erotica-producing choices than did males. HSG and female Ss were less positive in their affective reactions to the erotica than were LSG and male Ss. Correlational and regression analyses revealed that sex guilt and gender differences in choice behaviors leading to erotica were predicted solely on individual differences in intensity of positive affective responses. Regardless of sex guilt and gender, for those high in positive affect, the erotic stimuli functioned as rewards, but for those low in positive affect, the stimuli functioned as punishers. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)