Ethical decision making and psychologists' attitudes toward training in ethics.

Discusses the inadequacy of old, and the lack of new guidelines for the protection of the rights of individuals in psychological treatment. A questionnaire containing vignettes of clinical and research situations that required decision-making processes was completed by 113 members of the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association. Data suggest that there is inconsistency in decision making. Suggestions for improving the decision-making process and enhancing consistency are presented. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The structure of attitudes toward alcohol: Specific beverages differ from generic alcohol.

Examined the extent to which attitudes about alcohol in general differ from attitudes toward specific types of alcoholic beverages (e.g., beer, wine) and whether S variables such as drinking status and drink preference moderate alcohol-related attitudes. 82 male and 102 female college students completed a computerized attitude and drinking habits assessment. Ss did discriminate among alcoholic beverages on the dimensions of potency and positivity. Five of the 6 specific beverages were rated as less potent than generic alcohol (GA); mixed drinks were rated more positively than GA. Ss consistently rated their preferred beverage more positively than GA. Results suggest that the attitude structure characterizing specific alcoholic beverages differs from that of GA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Decision making in CPR: attitudes of hospital patients and healthcare professionals

The medical records of 478 SLE patients were reviewed. Ninety-five patients (19.9%) with a history of seizures were identified. EEG reports were available on 62. EEGs were interpreted as normal in 8 (12.9%) and abnormal in 54 (87.1%). Abnormal EEGs were reviewed for the presence of unilateral and bilateral abnormalities. Left hemisphere abnormalities were identified in 43 (79.6%), right hemisphere abnormalities in 4 (7.4%), and bilateral abnormalities in 7 (13.0%) patients with SLE. Abnormalities included theta and delta slowing and sharp wave activity. In 32 of the 43 (74.4%) patients with left hemisphere abnormalities, the abnormalities were localized to the left temporal leads. These findings suggest selective damage to the left temporolimbic region in patients with SLE.     

Measurement of attitudes toward alcohol and their relation to personality variables.

2 10-item alcohol attitude scales were developed from an available item pool. 1 scale measures favorability of attitude toward "social drinking" while the other taps attitude toward "alcoholism and the alcoholic." Scores on the scales were consistent with ratings of attitudes and of drinking behavior made from interview reports obtained from 2 college student samples participating in a longitudinal study, 92 students at Stanford University and 102 at the University of California, Berkeley. Alcohol attitudes of these groups were correlated with scores on 2 personality variables, "social maturity" and "impulse expression." Differences between the 2 samples, and between the sexes, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of heredity on attitudes toward alcohol, cigarettes, and coffee.

Administered a 20-item bipolar rating scale of attitudes toward alcohol drinking, cigarette smoking, and coffee drinking to 46 monozygotic and 38 dizygotic twins (age range 16-31 yrs). Genetic factors accounted for 51% of the variation in the attitude toward alcohol (p     

Effects of social anxiety and alcohol expectancies on stress-induced drinking.

The utility of trait social anxiety and alcohol expectancies in predicting increased alcohol consumption under socially stressful conditions was investigated. Forty-two male and 42 female undergraduates participated in a 2-day study, serving as their own controls. In each session, participants consumed their preferred alcoholic beverage during a 30-min drinking period. The lst session established baseline consumption under nonstressful conditions, while in the 2nd session, participants drank while anticipating the required delivery of a speech. Measures of social anxiety and alcohol expectancies were completed. Participants consumed more absolute alcohol during the stressful session, but those with high trait social anxiety and men expecting alcohol to increase assertiveness were most likely to show this effect. These findings suggest specificity in the connection between individual characteristics and stress-induced drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Person-environment transactions in youth drinking and driving.

Drinking and driving is a significant health risk behavior for adolescents. This study tested mechanisms by which disinhibited personality traits (impulsivity and sensation seeking) and aspects of the adolescent home/social environment (parental monitoring and alcohol accessibility) can influence changes in drinking and driving behavior over time. Two hundred two high school age youths were assessed at 2 time points, approximately 8 months apart. Zero-inflated Poisson regression analyses were used to test (a) an additive model, where personality and environmental variables uniquely predict drinking and driving engagement and frequency; (b) a mediation model, where Time 2 environmental variables mediate the influence of disinhibited personality; and (c) an interaction model, where environmental factors either facilitate or constrain the influence of disinhibited personality on drinking and driving. Results supported both the additive and interaction model but not the mediation model. Differences emerged between results for personal drinking and driving and riding with a drinking driver. Improving our understanding of how malleable environmental variables can affect the influence of disinhibited personality traits on drinking and driving behaviors can help target and improve prevention/intervention efforts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alcohol outcome expectancies, attitudes toward drinking and the theory of planned behavior

OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated whether alcohol outcome expectancies are empirically distinguishable from attitudes toward drinking. Specifically, the contribution of expectancies and attitudes to the Theory of Planned Behavior was assessed. METHOD: Undergraduates (N = 316; 170 male), of legal drinking age, who drank at least once a month participated. Intentions to drink "too much" and self-report excessive consumption episodes served as criterion measures, and attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and alcohol outcome expectancies were employed as predictor variables. Stepwise regression analyses were performed separately for men and women. RESULTS: The Theory of Planned Behavior appeared to be a valid framework for predicting excessive alcohol consumption among undergraduates. The predictive power of the model, however, was enhanced through the inclusion of gender-specific alcohol outcome expectancies. Specifically, in addition to attitudes and perceived behavioral control, women's expectancies for sociability enhanced the prediction of intentions to drink "too much." Expectancies for sexual functioning (male) and assertiveness (female) improved the prediction of excessive consumption, over and above intentions and perceived behavioral control. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol outcome expectancies, unlike attitudes, are proximal predictors of excessive alcohol consumption among undergraduates.     

Effects of information on attitudes toward and interpersonal acceptance of persons who are deaf.

225 undergraduates completed measures of authoritarianism and attitudes toward persons with disabilities before reading sketches that contained information about deaf target persons labeled as deaf or labeled and described as deaf. Measures of acceptance of the target person and attitudes toward persons who are deaf were then taken. Results indicate partial support for the prediction that information affects attitudes toward persons who are deaf but no support for the prediction that information also affects interpersonal acceptance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dimensions of attitudes toward technology.

Administered an 80-item questionnaire measuring attitudes toward mechanization to 45 undergraduate students in physical science, biological science, social science, and fine arts. Responses were factor analyzed using a varimax rotation. Factor scores were created for 6 of the resulting factors: Global Mechanism, Mechanical Curiosity, Preference for Hand-made Goods, Alienation, Spiritual Benefits of Technology, and Human Vitalism. These factor scores were then used as dependent variables in a multivariate comparison of the students in different major fields. Most of the between-group differences in attitude toward mechanization were reflected by differences in mechanical curiosity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological androgyny and attitudes toward feminism.

Administered the Bem Sex-Role Inventory and Spence and Helm Attitudes toward Women Scale to 50 male and 50 female undergraduates. Only males with a preference for the feminine sex role differed from the other sex and level-of-androgyny groups, in that they exhibited traditional, conservative attitudes toward the rights and roles of women in contemporary society. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Authoritarianism and attitudes toward high achievers.

In 2 studies 204 Ss completed scales measuring right-wing authoritarianism, general attitudes toward high achievers, global self-esteem, and items concerned with voting preference, causal attributions, personality characteristics, deservingness, responsibility, and affective reactions to the rise and fall of 3 political leaders. Study 1 distinguished between components of right-wing authoritarianism and showed that the nonaggressive rule-follower with high global self-esteem was more likely to favor the fall of high achievers. Study 2 showed that right-wing voting preference moderated relations between authoritarianism and Ss' affective reactions and that prediction of these variables was significantly enhanced when personality, attribution, and derservingness were added to the regression equation after controlling for the effects of age and gender, right-wing political preference, and authoritarianism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Decision making in cardiology: methodology

This article reviews the methods employed in usual clinical thinking for making decisions, the problems and limitations inherent in them and claims that a more frequent utilization of the so called "Evidence Based Medicine" methods is a more valid and efficient alternative for medical decision making. We also describe the theoretical basis and strategies used in the medical decision process; the specific concepts and basic components for building decision trees are also shown. Finally, a real case is presented and approached step by step: the statement of the decision problem, its possible alternatives, the allocation of probabilities to each outcome based on the best available evidence, and the calculations of the expected values (projected usefulness, cost-effectiveness) and sensitivity analysis by means of specific software for making decisions.     

Toward a theory of hynotic behavior: Effects on suggestibility of task motivating instructions and attitudes toward hypnosis.

Attitudes toward hypnosis were assessed in 75 college students. 3 weeks later the students were required to participate in an experiment in which they were tested individually on the Barber Suggestibility Scale. The scale was administered under 3 experimental treatments with 25 Ss, ? with positive attitudes toward hypnosis and ? with nonpositive attitudes, assigned randomly to each treatment. The treatments were: Task Motivating Instructions, Hypnotic Induction Procedure, Direct Suggestions (Control). The findings confirmed Hypotheses 1 and 2 which stated: (a) Ss given either brief task motivating instructions or a procedure of the type traditionally termed a hypnotic induction show greater response to suggestions than Ss given neither task motivating insructions nor a hypnotic induction; and (b) brief task motivating instructions and an extended hypnotic induction procedure both elicit high levels of suggestibility. (46 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing the structure of prejudicial attitudes: The case of attitudes toward homosexuals.

Two studies assessed the structure of attitudes toward homosexuals. In Study 1, Ss completed measures of stereotypes, symbolic beliefs, and affective associates as well as attitudes toward homosexuals. They also completed the right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) scale. The results reveal that (1) stereotypes did not provide a complete representation of attitudes, (2) RWA was negatively correlated with attitudes toward homosexuals, (3) the relative importance of the predictor variables differed for high and low RWA Ss, and (4) the 3 predictors accounted for more variance in the attitudes of low RWA than of high RWA Ss. Study 2 also included measures of past experiences and perceived value dissimilarity. Results revealed that past experiences significantly added to the prediction of attitudes only for high RWA Ss and that much of the RWA–attitude relation was accounted for by the consideration of symbolic beliefs and perceived value dissimilarity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correlates of managers' attitudes toward change.

Correlated a measure of a general readiness to accept change and a measure of attitudes toward change in a specific area (promotions policy) with age, education, managerial rank, frustration-contentment, level of self-confidence, and extraversion and neuroticism (Maudsley Personality Inventory) in 258 managers. Older managers were more conservative than the younger managers, and the confident were more radical than the unconfident. Stable introverts and emotional extraverts tended to support innovation, while emotional introverts and stable extraverts did not. The relation between readiness to accept change and managerial status, education, and contentment depended on the type of change and was not always linear. Results support the notion of a general readiness for change underlying attitudes toward change in a specific area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Black-white differences in attitudes toward job characteristics.

Used data from 2 recent national opinion surveys to compare the job preferences of a total of 89 Black and 756 White workers. It was found, largely in contrast to previous findings, that Blacks were more likely to prefer high income and less likely to prefer work which is important and gives a feeling of accomplishment. These differences were consistent within a number of subgroups. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)