A comparison of MMPI scores of Anglo- and Mexican-American psychiatric patients.

Reports MMPI profiles of 40 bilingual Mexican-American and 109 Anglo-American psychiatric patients. There were controls for the major variables of age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and presenting problem. With K -corrected T scores, Mexican-American Ss scored higher on the L and K scales and significantly lower on the Pd, Pt, and Ma scales. Anglo-American males scored higher than Mexican-American males on the Mf scale. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of college attendance on locus of control.

Determined the stability of the social-psychological concept of locus of control (LOC) and measured the extent to which LOC changes with the acquisition of postsecondary education. Because measurement errors could affect naive measures of stability and change, the common regression approach was avoided in favor of LISREL, a general method for the analysis of covariance structures that is appropriate for the analysis of panel survey data. Data were obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972, which involved a stratified national probability sample of 22,652 students. The analysis reported here was confined to data on 8,650 White males. Results show that education beyond high school had little or no effect on LOC. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teacher accuracy in decoding nonverbal indicants of comprehension and noncomprehension in Anglo- and Mexican-American children.

Examined the degree to which Anglo- and Mexican-American 1st-grade teachers can accurately decode nonverbal indicants of comprehension and noncomprehension in young children. 16 teachers from each group viewed silent videotapes (visual cues only) of 3 groups of 1st graders—Anglo-American, proficient bilingual, and limited English-speaking Mexican-American—while the children listened to an easy or difficult lesson on animal habitats. There were 24 boys and 24 girls, and 16 Ss in each linguistic grouping. The Ss estimated the students' level of understanding on the basis of their nonverbal responses. Degree of accuracy was assessed by comparing Ss' ratings of comprehension with the children's actual posttest comprehension scores. No differences in decoding accuracy between S groups were found. Ss perceived boys as understanding more than girls, particularly in the Anglo-American and limited English-speaking groups. Training raters improved overall decoding accuracy. Slight cultural differences were found in children's nonverbal behavior, but it did not appear that the behavior was misinterpreted by either group of Ss. (45 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Locus of control and political participation of college students: A comparison of unidimensional and multidimensional approaches.

Compared 2 research instruments concerned with the "locus of control" variable-Rotter's Internal-External Control (I-E) Scale and Coan's Personal Opinion Survey-to see how each could predict political participation of newly enfranchised college freshmen (N = 102) in a presidential election year. The Personal Opinion Survey yielded significant correlations (p .05). Discussion of the different theoretical approaches of the scales includes (a) an evaluation in light of the present data of the arguments against the usefulness of the I-E scale; and (b) the need for a change in research orientation to a multidimensional approach, which the Personal Opinion Survey utilizes. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of identity and intimacy statuses in college students and alumni.

Previous research has shown that empirical tests of E. H. Erikson's (1963) psychosocial theory have yielded limited information on development after the college years. In the present study, the effect of college graduation on the identity and intimacy crises of 93 college seniors and 66 24–27 yr old alumni from the same university was studied. College graduation was regarded as a life transition that would stimulate growth in the areas of identity and intimacy. It was hypothesized that more alumni than students would be located in the more mature statuses. Ss were given measures of identity status and intimacy status. Four areas of identity were rated: achievement, moratorium, foreclosed, and diffuse. Intimacy status was rated in terms of the categories of intimate, merger, pre-intimate, pseudo-intimate, and stereotyped and isolated. Findings show that in all areas, alumni were in the identity achievement status more frequently than were college students, who, in turn, were more frequently foreclosed. Differences in the other 2 identity statuses varied by identity area. Alumni were more frequently in the intimacy statuses of intimate and merger, whereas more students were rated as preintimate or low in intimacy. Intimacy was related to identity status only for alumni. Results support the hypothesis and suggest greater commitment on identity than intimacy for students. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alienation in college students: A comparison of counseling seekers and nonseekers.

Investigated alienation level in 100 undergraduates who sought personal adjustment or vocational-educational counseling and 50 who did not seek counseling. A battery of tests, including the Lowe and Damankos Anomie Scale, Berger Self-Acceptance Scale, Dean Social Isolation Scale, and Keniston Cultural Alienation and Cultural Commitment Scales were used to assess degree of general, self-, interpersonal, and cultural alienation, respectively. Although results of a factorial analysis of variance indicate that Ss who sought counseling reported more pronounced feelings of alienation on all scales than Ss who did not seek counseling, differences were due mainly to the elevated scores of the personal adjustment group. (25 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reported stressful events during developmental periods and their relation to locus of control orientation in college students.

To ascertain whether high levels of stress at different periods of development may be related to an external locus of control (as measured by the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale), 30 externals (15 males and 15 females) and 30 internals (15 males and 15 females) completed the Life Events Scale. Data indicate that for females, stress in the preschool and pubescent years and for males in the elementary and pubescent years was related to externality. It is suggested that there may be different critical developmental periods for males and females during which high levels of stress may be related to an external locus of control. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Specificity in the assessment of daily hassles: Hassles, locus of control, and adjustment in college students.

Argues that there are important differences in the hassles experienced by various populations and that measures of daily life hassles (DLHs) should be constructed specifically for the particular population being studied. The argument is supported by 2 studies conducted with 413 college students who received a modified version of the Hassles Scale, a multidimensional measure of locus of control, and various measures of adjustment. The Hassles Scale was associated significantly with depression in Study 1 and with depression and anxiety in Study 2. However, the perception of DLHs did not interact with an external locus of control to predict unique variance in adjustment scores in either study. Moreover, it was found in both studies that females gave higher severity ratings to their DLHs. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Academic control and action control in the achievement of college students: A longitudinal field study.

A contradiction to the typical pattern of academic success occurs when bright, enthusiastic high school students fail after entering university. Two measures, perceived academic control and action control (i.e., preoccupation with failure) were administered to 524 college students at the beginning of a 2-semester course. Achievement-related cognitions, emotions, motivation, and final grades were measured at the end of the course. High-academic-control students exerted more effort, reported less boredom and anxiety, were more motivated, used self-monitoring strategies more often, felt more in control of their course assignments and of life in general, believed they performed better, and obtained higher final grades. Failure-preoccupied students received higher final grades, which corroborated their self-reported performance. Of note, high-control, high-failure-preoccupied students outperformed the other 3 groups by 1 to 2 letter grades. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multidimensional locus of control and drug use among high school students.

Examined the relationship between D. W. Reid and E. E. Ware's multidimensional measure of internal–external (I–E) locus of control and licit and illicit drug use among 920 high school students over a 2-yr period. Results based on 1-way ANOVAs indicate that dimensions of I–E control are differentially related to drug use. Greater externality on the dimension of fatalism was significantly related to the use of a number of drugs, while externality on the dimensions of self-control and sociopolitical control was not consistently related to drug use. Certain interpretations regarding the relationship between fatalism and drug use were tested. Since the I–E subscales appear to have a different validity, it is concluded that older unidimensional scales may obscure the relationship between I–E and drug use. The use of multidimensional measures is suggested since these offer more precise measurement of particular expectancy domains. (French summary) (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Premarital sexual standards among U.S. college students: comparison with Russian and Japanese students

The study of the sexual permissiveness of young adults has been popular topic in sociology and social psychology, especially since the empirical and theoretical work of Reiss. We extended previous research on premarital sexual standards by examining the degree of sexual permissiveness and the endorsement of the traditional double standard in a large sample of young adults in the United States (N = 1043). In addition, comparative data were collected from young adults in two other countries: Russia (N = 401) and Japan (N = 223). American subjects expressed more acceptance of premarital sex than did the Russian and Japanese subjects. Men were more sexually permissive than women in the U.S. and in Russia but not in Japan. The degree to which the double standard was endorsed also depended on culture and gender. Russian subjects were more likely to endorse the double standard than Japanese and American subjects. However, American men were most likely to endorse the traditional double standard concerning sex early in the dating relationship.     

Beyond the uniformity myth: A comparison of academically successful and unsuccessful test-anxious college students.

72 college students were administered a battery of tests including the Test Anxiety Scale, Worry-Emotionality Scale, Fear of Negative Evaluation, and Academic Self-Evaluation Questionnaire. Two levels of test anxiety were crossed with 2 levels of academic performance in a factorial design. High-anxious Ss differed from low-anxious Ss on traditional cognitive and somatic indicators of test anxiety, but not on any measure of study or test-taking skills. Ss with high grades, regardless of their anxiety level, scored higher on measures of academic skills than Ss in both "low" performing groups. A measure assessing ability to control negative internal dialog revealed significant differences only between performance groups, implicating cognitive control as a factor influencing academic performance. Expectations that Ss had about the amount of material they needed to know to be prepared for examinations were related to test anxiety, especially among successful but anxious Ss. Implications are noted for designing interventions specifically tailored to the needs of 2 types of test-anxious students: those who perform well in school and those who are less successful. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mexican-American mothers' socialization strategies: effects of education, acculturation, and health locus of control

The present study examined maternal education, acculturation, and health locus of control beliefs in relation to parenting strategies that promote the internalization of healthy eating habits in Mexican-American children. Eighty low-income Mexican-American mothers and their 4- to 8-year-old children participated in the study. Mother-child interactions during dinner were observed, and mothers were interviewed about the socialization strategies they used to influence their children's food consumption. Results indicated that mothers with more external health locus of control beliefs were less likely to use socialization techniques associated with internalization. Acculturation was negatively related to the use of internalization techniques, with less traditional mothers using more directive strategies. Education did not predict maternal behavior after controlling for health locus of control beliefs.     

A comparison of cognitive and interpersonal-process group therapies in the treatment of depression among college students.

We compared cognitive (CT) and interpersonal-process (IP) group therapies in the treatment of moderate, unipolar depression in college counseling-center clients. Subjects who sought services early in the semester were randomly assigned to CT or IP groups and compared with a waiting-list group composed of subjects who requested services just prior to the Christmas recess. Multivariate analyses revealed no significant differences between treatment and waiting-list conditions. Because the control was confounded by the Christmas holiday, we compared the CT and IP groups directly. Both treatments led to significant reductions in depression and depressed thinking and to increments in self-esteem at midtreatment, posttreatment, and follow-up assessments but did not differ from each other at any other time. There was no evidence of differential effectiveness or mechanisms of therapeutic change as a function of type of treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teacher control strategies and choice of educational objectives among college students.

Studied effects of high vs low teacher control strategies on student educational objectives in a quasi-simulation university career game. 60 undergraduates, divided into 2 groups on the basis of scores on A. Mehrabian's measure of achievement motivation, were randomly assigned to high or low teacher control conditions. High-control Ss heard a 20-min lecture on choices available in a university career. Low-control Ss were invited to begin the simulation game immediately and explore alternatives as they proceeded. Results show that high-control Ss made significantly more goal choices for educational efficiency, while low-control Ss made significantly more choices favoring personal and social growth. Individual level of achievement motivation modified these overall results in predicted directions. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pastoral counseling students and secular counseling students: A comparison.

Considers that many counseling authorities are convinced that the clergyman's religious beliefs and values make him more dogmatic toward and less accepting of the client than are secular counselors. To test this contention, 90 secular counseling students and 58 pastoral counseling students were administered the Inventory of Religious Belief, the Rokeach Dogmatism Scale, and the Test of Counselor Attitudes. Group responses were analyzed with t tests and Mann-Whitney U statistics. Although pastoral counseling students had stronger Christian religious beliefs and less nondogmatic openness and flexibility of belief, they responded at a higher level of client acceptance than secular counseling students. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Illusion of control for self and others in depressed and nondepressed college students.

108 depressed or nondepressed undergraduates, as assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory and Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, judged either how much control they themselves had or how much control a male or female confederate (C) had over a noncontingent, but positive, outcome. Replicating past findings (i.e., L. B. Alloy et al, 1981) on depression and judgments of control, depressed Ss judged relatively accurately that they exerted little control over the experimental outcome, whereas nondepressed Ss overestimated their personal control. Ss' judgments of the C's control were a function of the S's mood state and sex as well as of the C's sex. With 1 exception (depressed males in the male other condition), depressed Ss tended to overestimate the C's (male or female) control over the noncontingent outcome. Nondepressed females also judged that the C (male or female) exerted a high degree of control, thus succumbing to the illusion of control both for themselves and others. Nondepressed males tended to judge more accurately that the C (particularly the female C) exerted little control and thus succumbed to the illusion of control for themselves but not for others. Findings imply that an adequate understanding of depressive and nondepressive cognition requires an interpersonal as well as an intrapsychic perspective. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Communication with college students.

Discusses the problems of communication with college students which are part of the alienation pattern that developed during the 1960s. Many Ss now actively distrust psychological tests and experiments; and neither these Ss nor the compliant Ss who want to give the investigator whatever he wants can be a source of objective data. To remedy this alienation requires better methods of communication. Conspicuous among the forms of "metacommunication" which undermine the communicative process are the deception of Ss and artificially controlled experiments on human affective states (e.g., frustration). Methods for restoring communication with students should include the reinstatement of interviews in test designs, awareness of the changing values of Ss and appropriate modification of assessment procedures, and the development of better theories of communication, since most communication models of the past have been too objective, ignoring intrapersonal processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A locus of control scale for children.

Presents reliability and validity evidence concerning a new measure of a generalized locus of control for children. Construction procedures (with an initial sample of 152 3rd through 9th grade children and a validating sample of 1,017 3rd through 12th grade Ss) leading to the final 40-item scale are described. Preliminary work showed that scores were not related to social desirability or intelligence test scores but to achievement. Continued research with the instrument conducted over a wide range of S populations has provided additional construct validation across variables such as popularity, ability to delay gratification, and prejudice. (22 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)