A multiple-choice test to measure social skills in delinquent and nondelinquent adolescent girls.

Developed a multiple-choice problem inventory for adolescent girls (PIAG) to measure social skills, and administered it to 55 delinquent and 69 nondelinquent girls. Results indicate that delinquent Ss were less competent in handling interpersonal problems than nondelinquent Ss. Correlation between frequent involvement in illegal activities and poor performance on the PIAG was high. It is concluded that the PIAG can assess the interpersonal problem-solving abilities of teenage girls and may be useful in screening teenagers for treatment programs. (2 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of social skills in delinquent and nondelinquent adolescent girls using a behavioral role-playing inventory.

Delinquent behavior in adolescent girls may be related to deficits in social skills; that is, some girls may behave maladaptively because they lack the skills to perform more competently. During the 1st phase of this research, the Problem Inventory for Adolescent Girls (PIAG) was developed to measure competence in social situations. The 2nd phase of the research compared the performance of carefully matched groups of 29 delinquent and 29 nondelinquent girls (mean age 16.25 yrs) on the inventory. The PIAG significantly discriminated between the groups; 40 of the 52 individual items also discriminated between the delinquent and nondelinquent Ss. 10 of the 12 nondiscriminating items were those for which the criteria had been developed by teenagers. This suggests that delinquency is more closely related to skill deficits in interacting with adult authority figures than to skill deficits with peers. Items on the inventory generally were independent of one another and lacked an interpretable clustering pattern. A discriminant analysis yielded a function that resulted in 85% of the Ss being correctly assigned to their appropriate delinquent or nondelinquent group on the basis of their performance on the inventory. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The punitive beliefs and behaviors of adolescent delinquent boys.

In a study with 22 institutionalized male delinquent and 22 matched high school students, delinquents were found to have very punitive beliefs relative to previously tested populations. The delinquents tended to have more punitive beliefs and did have more punitive behavior than the controls. Responses to Piagetian interview stories that represented 3 relationships between thief and victim (adolescent to mother, teacher, or peer) were significantly different with the mother story eliciting the most number of punitive responses. In a subsequent rat-training procedure the delinquent boys used punishment as their predominant response to the "misbehaving" rat showing cooccurrence of punitive belief and behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A measure of increased temporal perspective in successfully treated adolescent delinquent boys.

The proposition that the temporal dimension of fantasy, which is usually restricted in delinquent adolescents, could be extended by suitable psychotherapy was tested and confirmed. Using time spans in TAT-type stories as the measure of temporal perspective, comparison was made between stories told by 10 delinquent boys before and after vocationally oriented psychotherapy, as compared to stories told by 10 matched, untreated controls. Increase in prospective fantasy was greatest in stories told to cards designed to tap self-image and control of aggression. Increase in past-oriented fantasies was greatest in stories told to control of aggression cards. Changes in certain fantasy measures correlated with changes in practical achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Moral judgment in delinquent and nondelinquent adolescents and their mothers.

Although considerable research effort has been devoted to the investigation of moral judgment in normal children, the relationship of the child's moral judgment to significant moral conduct as well as to parental antecedents has received scant empirical attention. In the current research, the level of moral judgment of 10 male 14-16 yr old delinquents and their mothers was compared to 10 nondelinquent males (matched on IQ and age) and their mothers, using L. Kohlberg's structured moral dilemmas. Mothers in both groups combined were higher in moral judgment than their sons. Nondelinquent adolescents used higher stages of moral judgment than delinquent adolescents. Similarly, mothers of nondelinquents manifested more mature moral judgment than did mothers of delinquents. Parental influences on the moral development of the child are discussed. (29 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in the perception of interpersonal relationships in successfully treated adolescent delinquent boys.

Successful psychotherapy with adolescent delinquent boys revealed significant improvement in the perception of interpersonal relationships on thematic stories to pictures selected to measure 3 areas of personality functioning (self-image, control of aggression, and attitude toward authority). People in the stories were seen as having more highly differentiated roles and relationships. These changes were highly correlated with improved academic performance (revealed on achievement tests) and improvement in overt behavior (reduction in antisocial behavior and better employment history). The results are consistent with many views regarding the nature of personality change in psychotherapy and strongly indicate that improvement in the perception of interpersonal relationships is associated with higher levels of overall performance and integration. Exactly how these changes are brought about during psychotherapy still remains to be explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dimensions of moral interaction and moral judgment in delinquent and nondelinquent families.

Investigated the intrinsic relationship of parental morality to the development of delinquent behavior in the child. Ss were 8 delinquent and 8 nondelinquent male adolescents and their mothers. The level of moral maturity for mother and son was established through individual administration of L. Kohlberg's structured moral dilemmas, and each adolescent delinquent and nondelinquent and his mother were presented jointly with additional moral dilemmas and instructed to reach mutual agreement on their solution. Analysis of moral discussion between mother and son revealed significant differences between delinquent and nondelinquent families on a variety of interaction dimensions. The relationship of these dimensions to moral judgment and to delinquent behavior is explored. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward authority of delinquent and non-delinquent boys.

A picture projective test designed to measure attitudes toward authority incorporating two levels each of three variables, male and female authority figures, high and low power authority figures, and high and low threat situations, was administered to 20 delinquent and 20 non-delinquent boys of age 10-12. The hypothesis that there are differences in attitudes of delinquents and non-delinquents toward authority was not supported. Results indicated significantly greater expressed hostility of both groups toward female authority figures than to male authority figures. Responses to different levels of threat and power varied significantly from individual to individual. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The mental health status of urban adolescents with nondelinquent and delinquent behaviors

Mental health was examined in two representative selections of urban adolescents of 15-17 years old: with nondelinquent (n = 624) and delinquent (n = 106) behaviour. The complex of sociomedical, psychological, sociological and statistic methods was applied. High frequency of mental pathology as well as a low level of mental health were revealed in the groups examined, especially in delinquent adolescents. There were determined some differences between the groups in frequencies of separate forms of mental disorders. In nondelinquent adolescents there were most frequently observed borderline mental disorders of subclinical level as well as neuroses; there weren't observed the states of borderline intellectual insufficiency in such individuals. Pathocharacterological personal development, alcoholism, neurotic- and psychopathic-like disorders were more frequently observed in delinquent teenagers. There was determined the leading role of personal psychological behavioral factors in development of considerable mental disorders in adolescents.     

Psychological services in state schools for delinquent boys.

A discussion of the results of a survey sent to 68 institutions which serve a male population between the ages of 12 and 18 and which are training schools, not penal institutions. The discussion covers the following topics: number of schools employing psychologists, training level of the psychologists, ratio of boys to psychologists, and the need for workers in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Loneliness and social skill deficits.

Exp I compared conversational behaviors of 48 high-lonely and low-lonely college students (UCLA Loneliness Scale) during brief heterosexual interactions. Results indicate that the 2 loneliness groups differed significantly in their use of a specific class of conversational behaviors termed partner attention, with high-lonely as compared to low-lonely Ss giving less attention to their partners. Exp II directly manipulated the use of partner attention in a group of 18 high-lonely male undergraduates. For that group, increased use of partner attention during dyadic interactions resulted in a significantly greater change in loneliness and related variables relative to interaction-only and no-contact control groups. The utility of conceptualizing loneliness as a social skills problem is discussed. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Familial and temperamental determinants of aggressive behavior in adolescent boys: A causal analysis.

On the basis of previous knowledge and theoretical considerations, a causal model was formulated and tested by path analysis on 2 representative samples of Swedish boys—76 13-yr-olds and 51 16-yr-olds. Ss' habitual aggression levels were assessed through peer ratings. Data on early rearing conditions and temperamental characteristics were obtained in retrospective interviews with all of the mothers and the majority of the fathers. Main results were that the 4 factors in the model—mother's negativism, mother's permissiveness for aggression, mother's and father's use of power-assertive methods, and boy's temperament—all contributed to the development of an aggressive reaction pattern, with the former 2 factors having the greatest causal impact. Results in the 2 samples were similar, and a substantial amount of variance in the boys' aggression levels could be explained by the variables included in the model. Neither the Ss' aggression level nor the rearing variables were related to the socioeconomic conditions of the family. (44 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of a moral development discussion group on delinquent and predelinquent boys.

50 delinquent or predelinquent 13–15 yr old males in institutional or dayschool special education programs were divided into 3 groups: moral discussion group; a placebo group that received a values clarification program, which was similar in content to the moral discussion group approach; and a control group, which received no treatment. The discussion and placebo groups addressed hypothetical, real-life, classroom behavior, and S-presented dilemmas. Pre- and posttest scores were obtained on a moral judgment interview and a self-control rating scale. Results indicate that the moral discussion group had a significant impact on Ss' moral reasoning ability as compared with the placebo and control groups. Findings also indicate that gains in moral reasoning did not necessarily lead to improved classroom behaviors. (80 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A performance model for academic achievement in early adolescent boys.

Tests a model for conduct-related school failure in young adolescent boys. In this model, family characteristics and child antisocial behavior serve as predictors of school adjustment and academic performance. Ss were 206 youths and their families, followed from the 4th through 8th grades. Results indicated that low parental academic achievement was associated with ineffective discipline practices and child antisocial behavior in the 6th grade. Ineffective discipline had a direct and negative effect on boys' 7th-grade academic engagement. Boys' academic engagement, in turn, had a direct and positive effect on 8th grade academic achievement. A smaller direct effect of parental achievement on child achievement was also found. Results are discussed in terms of research on parental influence on academic success and life span models of the development of antisocial behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Facial expressions of emotion and psychopathology in adolescent boys.

On the basis of the widespread belief that emotions underpin psychological adjustment, the authors tested 3 predicted relations between externalizing problems and anger, internalizing problems and fear and sadness, and the absence of externalizing problems and social–moral emotion (embarrassment). Seventy adolescent boys were classified into 1 of 4 comparison groups on the basis of teacher reports using a behavior problem checklist: internalizers, externalizers, mixed (both internalizers and externalizers), and nondisordered boys. The authors coded the facial expressions of emotion shown by the boys during a structured social interaction. Results supported the 3 hypotheses: (a) Externalizing adolescents showed increased facial expressions of anger, (b) on 1 measure internalizing adolescents showed increased facial expressions of fear, and (c) the absence of externalizing problems (or nondisordered classification) was related to increased displays of embarrassment. Discussion focused on the relations of these findings to hypotheses concerning the role of impulse control in antisocial behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychodynamics of social mobility in adolescent boys.

"In this paper, a first effort is made… to analyze some of the psychic accompaniments of upward and downward mobility strivings among adolescent boys… by distinguishing varieties of mobility behavior… the mechanisms through which the differing aspirations become established… The findings reveal sharp differences, in the prediction directions, between upward and downward aspiring groups." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Risk for hypertension and pain sensitivity in adolescent boys.

Reduced pain perception has been observed in many studies of spontaneously hypertensive rats and human hypertensive patients. To determine whether a reduced sensitivity to pain could be observed in a group of clearly normotensive individuals who may be at risk for hypertension, a mild to moderate pain stimulus was administered to 177 14-year-old boys. Boys with a normatively elevated resting systolic blood pressure tolerated mechanical finger pressure significantly longer than boys with lower blood pressure. As well, boys with both normatively elevated resting systolic blood pressure and a parental history of hypertension reported significantly less pain during finger pressure than lower risk participants. These findings could not be explained by personality factors and suggest that hypertension-related hypoalgesia is associated with processes involved in the development of the disorder. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent-child relations and father identification among adolescent boys.

50 items from the California Psychological Inventory were administered to high school boys and their parents. Extent of identification with the father was determined and the highest and lowest boys with regard to father identification were given an incomplete stories test. Analysis of the data revealed a significant relationship between high father identification and perception of the father as a highly rewarding affectionate person. Strong identification of the father was associated with perceptions of relationships with parents as highly rewarding and warm. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Resilience, desistance and delinquent career of adolescent offenders

This study examines resilience and desistance from delinquent behaviours and attempts to identify factors which predict persistent or increased or decreased delinquency between adolescence and early childhood. A sample of 363 young people was obtained from the population of five public institutions in 1987 and 1992. Their delinquent trajectories were described on the basis of legal records. These suggested that resilience is a rare phenomenon and is associated with stable relationships, absence of diagnostic label and good adaptation to the institution. Two axes were identified which can be used to describe the population, the family background and the psychological characteristics of the individual. Information which predicted desistance from a delinquent career was identified by means of a stepwise multiple regression. Analyses were conducted separately for each age group to take account of differences in time after the placement. The results indicated that there are important age-related differences in the characteristics which influence desistance or risk. They also show length of stay in an institution to be a predictor. Desistance from further delinquency seems to depend on the time spent in the residential environment associated with an increase of guilt, an improvement of self-image and of attachment to one or more other people.     

Signaling in expository hypertexts compensates for deficits in reading skill.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 101(2) of Journal of Educational Psychology (see record 2009-04640-014). The URL published for the supplemental material was incorrect. The correct URL is provided in the erratum.] Expository hypertexts may contain specific types of signals such as navigable topical overviews and hyperlinks that map conceptual relationships between text contents. Two experiments with German university students (N = 130, 75% female, mean age 25 years) were conducted to test the hypothesis that hypertext-specific signals particularly support learners with badly routinized reading skills in organizing and integrating complex learning materials. The experiments were based on naturalistic texts and essay-writing tasks typical for exam preparation. Learning outcomes were measured by characteristics of participants' essays (amount of knowledge, knowledge focusing, knowledge integration). In both experiments, a hypertext with a high amount of signaling yielded better learning outcomes than did a linear text for readers with a low level of skill, whereas there were no differences for readers with a high level of skill (ΔR2 from .03 to .08 for the interaction). In Experiment 2, the same interaction pattern was found for hypertext with a high versus a low amount of hypertext-specific signals (ΔR2 from .04 to .10). Moreover, a lack of signals led to less efficient navigation behavior. These results demonstrate that hypertexts equipped with hypertext-specific signals may compensate for deficits in reading skill. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)