Attitudes toward career counseling: The role of public and self-stigma.

Although many students struggle with career-related issues in college, comparatively few engage the career services offered by their academic institutions for help with their difficulties. In addition, there is little research on the factors influencing students’ decisions to engage in counseling for career-related issues, making it difficult to develop programs to enhance students’ use of career counseling services. The present study examines the relationships between the stigma associated with help seeking and attitudes toward engaging in career counseling. Participants were 509 college students who completed measures of stigma and attitudes toward career counseling. Structural equation modeling results indicated that public and personal stigmas were linked to self-stigma, which in turn was linked to attitudes toward seeking career counseling. Sixty percent of the variance in self-stigma and 42% of the variance in attitudes was accounted for in the model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes of general practitioners in Northern Ireland toward abortion and family planning

A survey of the attitudes and practices of general practitioners in Northern Ireland regarding contraception and abortion was carried out in 1994 and 1995 with a randomized sample of 154 physicians. The vast majority of doctors who received requests for contraceptives from their patients fulfilled those request (94%). Overall, 13% of the doctors said a married patient had requested an abortion in the past three months, and 34% had had a similar request from an unmarried patient. Two-thirds thought that a woman together with her physician should decide whether to terminate a pregnancy, 19% did not think the choice should be left with the woman and her physician and 13% were undecided. Sixty-six percent believed that a joint strategy of improving contraceptive use and reducing premarital intercourse is the best approach for preventing unwanted pregnancy among teenagers, 21% specified only improving contraceptive use and 13% indicated only reducing premarital intercourse.     

Attitudes toward animal research.

263 university students completed a questionnaire about animal research, to assess the impression created by animal rights activists that there is a growing opposition in this country to the use of animals for research. Data show that most Ss were concerned about pain and suffering in animals but the majority appreciated and supported the need for using animals in research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward animal research.

Comments on the articles of S. Plous (see records 84-09797 and 84-20622) on attitudes toward the use of animals in psychological research. The present author attempts to dispel the common belief that "might is right." It is argued in response to other comments on Plous's article that concern for other people seems to go hand in hand with concern for oppressed groups and, hence, for animals as well. In addition, it is suggested in response to the argument that animals are useful to the extent that they resemble humans, psychologically or physiologically, that the very assumption that animals are like humans makes it hard to legitimize why we do to them that which we would not do to humans. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward involving minors in decisions.

A survey regarding the age at which minors with or without problems should be involved in decision making was administered to 70 university students, 73 6–20 yr olds referred for learning and behavior problems, and 42 of the parents of the latter group. All 3 groups indicated that children should take part in decisions related to everyday activity at an earlier age than in decisions related to health matters or major life events. For adults, there was a significant relationship between an orientation toward autonomy and younger proposed ages for involvement in decision making. Ss also generally proposed higher ages for persons with maladaptive behaviors or mental retardation. A 2nd survey of 182 therapists showed that half of the Ss asked minors to provide consent, most commonly to increase the motivation for therapy or to enhance the therapeutic relationship. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward mental health professionals.

Attitudes of 85 undergraduates toward various mental health professional roles were evaluated using a semantic differential assessment instrument. Expressed attitudes were most positive toward those roles identified with physical medicine (i.e., physician and nurse) and least positive toward those professions traditionally identified with mental illness (i.e., psychiatrist and psychoanalyst). However, the public appears to be making increasing differentiations in attitudes expressed toward the various professional groups identified with the "psyche" prefix. For example, counseling psychologist was rated consistently as one of the most positive professional role categories, whereas psychoanalyst was rated consistently as one of the most negative role designations. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes and beliefs toward mammography among women using an urban public hospital

Although overall use of mammography is steadily increasing, low-income and minority women consistently have relatively lower screening rates than white, middle-class women. To assess the mammography-seeking behavior of low-income women using an urban public hospital, this study sought to understand why women in this population decide whether or not to obtain a screening mammogram. Two qualitative techniques, elicitation interviews and focus groups, were used to develop an understanding of attitudes, concerns, and barriers of this group relative to mammography. Fear, embarrassment, susceptibility to breast cancer, inconvenience, cost, concerns about efficacy of mammography, fear of acquiring cancer, and scheduling difficulties were identified as important concerns. "People in the news" were the most influential social referents for mammography decision making, followed by physicians, family members, and friends. The insights gained from these women will assist in developing interventions that encourage mammography-seeking behavior by low-income women.     

Attitudes toward higher education and course evaluation.

Tested the hypothesis that course evaluations are related to (a) students' and instructors' own and perceived attitudes toward higher education and college teaching and (b) congruence between students' and instructors' own and perceived attitudes. Two experiments were conducted with 24 college instructors and 889 students. The evaluation measure contained 18 5-step items drawn from previous studies; factor analysis yielded 4 factors—Intellectual Challenge, Student–Instructor Rapport, Content/Structure, and Teaching Method—accounting for 64% of the variance in the final instrument. Regression analyses show that attitudes accounted for close to 50% of evaluative variance. The most efficient subset of predictors was instructors' attitudes as perceived by students such that the attribution to instructors of attitude items preferred by students was associated with positive course evaluation. These items tended to be progressive or social in orientation. Results support the hypotheses which were derived from directive state and balance theories. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes of psychiatry residents toward psychology.

Discusses how the development of health psychology will facilitate the trend for psychologists' continued involvement in medical settings, principally in departments of psychiatry. With the shortage of psychiatrists, it is anticipated that today's residents will assume major administrative roles in departments of psychiatry relatively early in their careers. The attitudes of 201 psychiatric residents with regard to organizational issues involving psychologists and the role of psychology in assessment, treatment, research, and training were assessed via a questionnaire. The majority of Ss felt that psychologists should not hold senior administrative roles in departments of psychiatry, and 47% felt that the medical model should be basic to both research and practice. There was substantial support for maintaining divisions of psychology within (rather than separate from) departments of psychiatry. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes of psychologists toward experimenter controls in research.

One hundred and twenty psychologists responded to a questionnaire concerning attitudes toward experimenter bias and related issues. Most respondents felt the area to be of considerable importance and that many facets of research appear to lack adequate experimenter-related controls. These controls and concerns are slow to appear in professional journals. Psychologists in perception, physiological, or animal research were much less concerned with the area and its implications than those in social, clinical, or personality areas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward old people in an older sample.

A previous study (Kogan, 1961) presented a scale measuring attitudes towards old people. That study was based on data gleaned from college samples; the present assesses the attitudes of older people towards the old on the same scale. The older sample tended to describe older people in more positive terms than the younger sample. The results were discussed in terms of the psychology of older people as well as of an acquiescent response tendency on the part of the aged sample. From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4FI16K. (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)     

Attitudes toward intimate partner violence in dating relationships.

Prevention of intimate partner violence on college campuses includes programs designed to change attitudes, and hence, a scale that assesses such attitudes is needed. Study 1 (N = 859) cross validates the factor structure of the Intimate Partner Violence Attitude Scale-Revised using exploratory factor analysis and presents initial validity data on the scale. In Study 2 (N = 687), the obtained three-factor structure (Abuse, Control, Violence) is tested using confirmatory factor analysis, and it is shown to be concurrently related to assault in romantic relationships and to predict psychological aggression 14 weeks later. The findings are discussed in the context of how understanding and modifying attitudes assessed by the Intimate Partner Violence Attitude Scale-Revised may improve interventions aimed at reducing intimate partner violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward death: A psychological perspective.

Discusses research on death. The influencing aspect of consciousness of death is active over the entire age continuum and is not restricted to the sick, aged, suicidal, or combat soldier. The meaning of death is multidimensional and varies not only between individuals but within the same person. Dying and death possess psychological and social features and are not merely biological events. Socially repressive orientation toward death promotes neurotic concerns about it. More intimate familiarity with death is required in developmental upbringing and culture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Employment and career status of women psychologists.

Examined the employment status of doctoral recipients in psychology from 1960-1970. Data collected by the Office of Scientific Personnel of the National Academy of Sciences, provided the information for these analyses. The career status of academic female psychologists as compared to male psychologists is examined and discussed utilizing national data on faculty collected by the Carnegie Commission of Higher Education and the American Council on Education. This investigation of the career status of academic psychologists clearly documents the relatively low status of academic women in psychology in comparison to their male colleagues. Although it could be argued that the female psychologist's lower rank, lower salary, and lack of tenure are a consequence of merit consideration (e.g., degree held, publications), these analyses suggest strongly that such is not the case. Among new PhDs women have always had a somewhat harder time locating employment than have men, and these sex differences have been increasing in the recently tightening job market. Compared to sex differences in academic rank, salary, and tenure, however, the relative difficulty that the new woman PhD finds in securing initial employment appears to be minor. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward psychology relative to other disciplines.

In a rapidly changing health care marketplace, professional psychologists are increasingly concerned about the public's attitude toward psychology. In two samples, one of the general population and one of college faculty, both psychology and sociology were rated as having made less important contributions to society and as having less expertise than biology, chemistry, medicine, and physics. The implications of these findings are considered in relation to the recent American Psychological Association (APA) public education campaign and the field's century-long concern about the public perception of psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes of schizophrenics and normals toward success and failure.

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that schizophrenics, as compared with normals, are relatively more highly motivated to avoid failure than to achieve success. A total of 291 Ss, including 136 hospitalized male schizophrenics, 103 normals, and--as a contrast group--52 neurotics, were administered the Success-Failure Inventory (SFI), a 22-item True-False instrument designed to assess attitudes toward success attainment and failure avoidance. As predicted, the schizophrenic samples manifested greater relative failure avoidance than the normals. Further, active schizophrenics evidenced greater relative failure avoidance than did remitted schizophrenics. Remitted schizophrenics and neurotics were not significantly different. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Men and women, alcohol and aggression.

The purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of alcohol on aggressive behavior in men and women in a laboratory setting. Participants were 526 (261 men and 265 women) healthy social drinkers between 21 and 35 years of age. They were randomly assigned to either an alcohol or a placebo group. Aggression was measured using a modified version of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm in which electric shocks are received from, and delivered to, a same gender fictitious opponent during a supposed competitive interpersonal task. Aggression was operationalized as the intensity and duration of shocks that participants administered to their “opponent.” Overall, men were more aggressive than women. Alcohol increased aggression for both men and women but this effect was stronger for men. This is one of the first laboratory studies to demonstrate that alcohol increases aggression in women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward sex in the aged

Right ventricular systolic sub-periods were examined in the group of 18 healthy subjects, basing on simultaneous electrocardiographic, phonocardiographic and pulmonary artery pressure tracings. The values established were compared with corresponding left ventricular systolic periods and correlated with selected hemodynamic parameters. Following mean values of the right ventricular systolic sub-periods were found: Q -- 1. sound interval = 0.051 sec., systolic time = 0.404 sec., ejection period = 0.319 sec., pre-ejection period = 0.085 sec., and isovolumetric contraction time = 0.034 sec. Both the right ventricular systolic and ejection periods were significantly longer than the corresponding left ventricular systolic ones. The ratio: right ventricular pre-ejection period to ejection period was lower than that calculated for the left ventricle. Both the right ventricular systolic and ejection periods negatively correlated with heart rate, whereas the ratio: right ventricular isovolumetric contraction time to ejection period depended on pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary resistance and right ventricular work index.