Is interest maturity related to linguistic development?

A group (Group A) of 119 college freshmen whose quantitative (Q) scores on the ACE Psychological Examination were 20 or more points higher than their language (L) scores, were compared with a group (Group B) of 110 students (equated with Group A on Q scores) whose Q and L scores did not differ by more than 4 percentile points. Strong VIB scores for 6 occupational scales and for 3 non-occupational scales were compared for the 2 groups. The Group B, with equal Q and L scores, scored significantly higher than Group A on the Interest Maturity VIB scale. No other differences were significant. "In view of the findings… , IM appears to be related to a balance in development between verbal and quantitative abilities." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Defensiveness as a factor in sex differences in anxiety.

Hypotheses involving defensiveness as a rationale for explaining sex differences in scores on anxiety questionnaires were investigated. Instruments differentially susceptible to the influence of defensiveness, the Structured-Objective Rorschach Test (SORT) and the Taylor MA scale were used in gathering data from 236 college students enrolled in a general psychology course. The following results were obtained: the relation between the MA scale and SORT was not higher for females (contrary to predictions); MA scale scores were higher for females (as predicted) while SORT scores were higher for males (no difference predicted); and no relation between either the SORT or the MA scale and grade-point average was found (contrary to predictions). The results appeared to fit an acquiescence rationale better than a defensiveness rationale, and it was argued that this hypothesis merits further research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relation of self-efficacy expectations to academic achievement and persistence.

Examined the relation of self-efficacy beliefs as measured by indices constructed using procedures of N. E. Batz and G. Hackett (see record 1982-02194-001) to 42 undergraduates' persistence and success in pursuing science and engineering college majors. Ss had participated in a 10-wk career-planning course on science and engineering fields. Self-efficacy measures tested their perceived ability to fulfill the education requirements and job duties of a variety of technical and/or scientific occupations. Results show that Ss who reported high self-efficacy for educational requirements achieved higher grades and persisted longer in technical and/or scientific majors over the following year than those with low self-efficacy. Self-efficacy was moderately correlated with objective predictors of academic aptitude and achievement. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

College experiences and managerial performance.

Studied relationships between various college experiences and management potential, as demonstrated in assessment center performance and later promotions, in 2 longitudinal samples of managers (one graduating in the 1950's and one in the 1970's) and for 386 middle-aged (median age 46 yrs) and 380 young (median age 25 yrs) managers in 10 organizations. The 2 longitudinal samples included (1) 274 male college graduates (median age 24 yrs) and 148 males (median age 30 yrs) who did not have college degrees and (2) 344 college graduates (median age 25 yrs), 158 of whom were female and 107 of whom were of minority status. Five types of college characteristics were studied independently and in combination—level of education, grades, quality of undergraduate institution, major field of study, and extracurricular activities. Results varied according to the managerial quality studied, with college major, extracurricular activities, and higher education accounting for most of the variance in management performance. Grades related specifically to intellectual ability and motivation to do quality work, whereas better-quality schools seemed mostly to produce nonconformity. Humanities and social science majors had the best overall performance, with particularly good interpersonal and verbal skills; in contrast, engineers and mathematics and science majors lacked many important mangerial skills. The Master of Business Administration degree was primarily related to administrative and cognitive abilities. (44 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Participation in a wellness course and attitude toward physical education

70 women and 46 men enrolled in a college physical education course emphasizing concepts of wellness were administered the Attitude Toward Physical Activity Inventory at the beginning and end of a semester. Gender differences at the end of the semester were obtained on Social Experience, Health and Fitness, Aesthetic Experience, and Ascetic Experience, with the scores for men significantly higher than those for women. When comparing scores of students required to participate in the course with those of students electing to, no significant differences were found. Scores by gender showed significant differences on Ascetic Experience by men, with scores of noneducation majors significantly higher than those of education majors. Significantly higher scores at Time 2 for women on Health and Fitness and for men on Ascetic Experience were obtained.     

Birth cohort differences in self-esteem, 1988–2008: A cross-temporal meta-analysis.

Three meta-analyses find increases over the generations in Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (RSE) scores between 1988 and 2008 among American middle school (d = 0.78, n = 10,119), high school (d = 0.39, n = 16,669), and college students (d = 0.30, n = 28,918). The changes are consistent with an increasing emphasis on self-worth in American culture and, for high school students, with small increases in academic competence over time. College students' scores change only when the RSE is administered with a 4-point Likert scale with no midpoint. By 2008, a score of 40 (perfect self-esteem) was the modal response of college students, chosen by 18% of participants; 51% scored 35 or over. Given these shifts in responses, the possibility of revising the RSE is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An investigation of different levels of agreement between expressed and inventoried vocational interests among college women.

Selected 175 female university students who were equally distributed over the 7-point Index of Agreement scale, which reflects the relation between expressed and inventoried interests. The Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) was used as a measure of inventoried interests. ANOVAs over the 7 groups indicated that there were significant differences in the relation between the VPI and college majors, in the relation between expressed choices and college majors, and on J. L. Holland's (1973) construct of differentiation. Analyses of extreme group differences, using low- and high-congruence groups, confirmed the differences found in the overall analyses. In addition, significant group differences were found on the Vocational Decision Making Difficulty Scale. The differences found consistently suggest that the groups lower in agreement between expressed and inventoried interests were less career decided than the groups higher in agreement. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Kinetic analysis of a mutational hot spot in the EcoRV restriction endonuclease

The EcoRV endonuclease contacts the minor groove of DNA through a peptide loop encompassing residues 67-72. This loop adapts to distorted DNA in the specific complex and to regular DNA in the nonspecific complex. Random mutagenesis had previously identified glutamine 69 as the key component of the loop and this study reports on mutants with glutamate (Q69E), lysine (Q69K), or leucine (Q69L) at this position. The mutants bound DNA specifically at the EcoRV recognition site in the presence of Ca2+, in the same manner as wild-type EcoRV. In the absence of divalent metals, Q69K and Q69L showed the same nonspecific binding as native EcoRV while Q69E failed to bind DNA. Glutamate at position 69 presumably repels nonspecific DNA whilst allowing the adaptations to specific DNA. Both Q69E and Q69K had severely impaired DNA cleavage activities, while Q69L had a steady-state k(cat) within an order of magnitude of wild-type EcoRV though its primary product was nicked DNA, in contrast to double strand breaks by wild-type EcoRV. The activity of Q69L required higher concentrations of Mg2+ than the wild-type and showed a sigmoidal dependence upon the Mg2+ concentration, indicating two metal ions per strand scission. Transient kinetics on Q69L gave lower rate constants for phosphodiester hydrolysis than wild-type EcoRV and its reaction also involved a slow conformational change preceding DNA cleavage that had no equivalent with the wild-type. Gln69 in EcoRV thus plays key roles in the adjustments of the protein to varied DNA structures and in the alignment of the catalytic functions for DNA cleavage.     

Authority orientations of police officers.

86 police officers, all attending college, responded to the Hierarchical Control Scale, an attitude scale measuring preferences for control based on knowledge, status, and authority. 40 Ss also took the Dogmatism Scale. While dogmatism scores of police officers were not different from those of nonpolice Ss of the same age and education, Hierarchical Control Scale scores differed significantly. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of bone mineral density between athletic and non-athletic Chinese male adolescents

For the evaluation of the effect of exercise on bone mineral density of adolescent athletes, twenty-nine Chinese male adolescent athletes, each of whom had regular training in his major sport which included baseball, swimming, judo and middle/long-distance running for one to six years and eight age-matched non-athletic controls were included in this study. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured in all study subjects using dual photo absorptiometry at the second to fourth lumbar spines (L2-4) and the right femoral neck (FN). The results revealed the following: (1) the combined group of athletes had significantly greater BMD of L2-4 (1.08 +/- 0.09 g/cm2) than the control group (0.99 +/- 0.08 g/cm2) and a tendency for greater BMD of FN (1.15 +/- 0.13 g/cm2) than the control group (1.09 +/- 0.13 g/cm2); (2) judo majors had significantly greater BMD of L2-4 than baseball majors (P < 0.05), swimming majors (P < 0.01), track majors (P < 0.05) and controls (P < 0.005); (3) baseball majors had significantly greater BMD of L2-4 than controls (P < 0.05) and greater BMD of FN than swimming majors (P < 0.05), judo majors (P < 0.05), track majors (P < 0.005) and controls (P < 0.005); (4) body weight and body mass index (BMI) had good correlation with BMD of L2-4 and FN in control group, (5) in the combined group of athletes, weight and BMI were only strongly linked to BMD of FN, and not to BMD of L2-4. There was no good correlation between BMI and BMD of L2-4 and FN in any group of athletes. We concluded that (1) physical activity during adolescence may contribute significantly towards increasing BMD of athletes and (2) the training type may provide a specific stimulus for increasing BMD at specific localized sites experienced in training.     

Extreme academic talent: Profiles of perfect scorers.

This study provides information on characteristics of students who scored perfectly on at least one subtest of the American College Testing Assessment Program (English, Mathematics, Social Studies, or Natural Sciences). The sample consisted of 5,615 perfect scorers from a total population of 729,606 high school juniors and seniors. Boys had a higher incidence of perfect scores in each subtest except English. Asians and Whites were overepresented among perfect scorers, and all other ethnic groups were underrepresented. "Perfection" in one academic area did not assure comparable high performance in other academic areas. Few perfect scorers planned college majors or careers in the disciplines in which they attained perfect scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expressed vocational choice and vocational indecision.

Equally divided 232 male and female college students into 4 groups based on their responses to the Occupational Alternatives Question. Groups were composed of Ss who had a 1st choice and no alternatives, a 1st choice plus alternatives, no 1st choice but alternatives, and neither a 1st choice nor alternatives. The hypothesis tested was that these groups would differ on dependent variables related to vocational decision making. No significant differences were found on socioeconomic status or on J. L. Holland's constructs of consistency, differentiation, or congruence with career choice. Significant group differences were found on congruence with college major, total number of Vocational Preference Inventory responses, and scales measuring satisfaction with college major and career choice. Significant differences were also found on 2 recent scales measuring vocational indecision; the Vocational Decision Making Difficulty Scale and the Career Decision Scale. Significant sex differences indicate that females were more congruent and satisfied with their college majors. Implications of the results for future research and vocational counseling are examined. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Five-year follow-up study of departmental terminations as predicted by 16 preemployment psychological indicators.

This 5-year study followed 219 public safety officers who were hired in a 1-year period by a large urban public safety agency. Sixteen preemployment psychological predictors (including MMPI and IPI test scores alone, psychologists' interpretations of test scores, and interpretations of test scores and interviews) were used to predict which officers were subsequently terminated (n?=?28). It was found that equations from tests identified the greatest number of terminated officers (68 to 75%) but also resulted in false predictions of termination for 28 to 36% of the hired officers. A combination predictor based on IPI scale scores and critical item endorsements identified 54% of the terminated officers and "sacrificed" 10.5% of the nonterminated group. The psychologists' ratings of tests and interviews were less effective than the predictors derived from test data alone. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Authoritarian attitudes and personality maladjustment.

The MMPI was administered to 712 college freshmen and 114 seniors. The seniors also took the California F scale. A year later 312 of the freshmen retook the MMPI. The MMPI Pr scores piled up at the low end of the distribution. The Pr reliability was .81. Mean Pr decreased with advance in college. Mean Pr scores differed significantly for different college majors. Pr correlated significantly with the F scale; positively with Hs, D, Pd, Pt, Sc, and Ma; and negatively with K and Hy. Certain psychopathological factors are considered to be present in the authoritarian syndrome. 21 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality factors related to creativity in young scientists.

Male science majors designated as Higher Creative (HC) or Lower Creatives (LC) on the basis of scores on a creativity test battery were given personality tests. The HC group scored higher than the LC group on: composite personality originality; cognitive flexibility, time since first interest in science; dominance, sociability, social presence, and self-acceptance. The HC group scored lower on: socialization, self-control, desire to make a good impression, and affection. The HC group showed greater integration of nonconscious material as pertaining to concepts of self, father, and mother than did the LC group; the 2 groups differed in degree of conscious identification with mother (HC less than LC). (36 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Microcephaly in a normal school population

Heights, weights, and head circumferences were obtained on 1,006 students, ages 5 to 18 years, attending regular classes in four schools in a suburban Seattle school district. From the 1,006 students initially examined, 19 (1.9%) had a head circumference two or more standard deviations below the mean for age and sex. Intelligence quotients and academic achievement scores were obtained on these children and compared with normal controls. No significant difference was found between mean IQs of the study subjects and the controls (99.5 vs. 105), but mean academic achievement scores were significantly lower in the study subjects (49 vs. 70; P less than .001). In addition, although mean IQs were not significantly different between those subjects whose head circumference was proportional and those whose head circumference was relatively small, mean academic achievement scores were significantly higher (60 vs 39; P less than .02) in those subjects whose head size was proportional.     

Stability of interests and the predictive and concurrent validity of the 1981 Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory for college majors.

116 of the 162 Occupational scales of the 1981 revision of the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII) were constructed with new criterion samples. This study (a) assessed the concurrent and predictive validity of the revised SCII and explored its usefulness for predicting college majors (Exp I) and (b) examined the differential effect of stable and unstable interests during college on the validity of the SCII (Exp II). Data were analyzed for 354 females and 261 males who completed the SCII as college freshmen; 81% were still enrolled in school at the time of this study. Results indicate that the revised SCII can be used to predict college majors, having concurrent and predictive validity comparable to previous forms of the SCII. It was slightly more predictive for females than for males. Findings also show that the majority of Ss had stable interests during their college careers. The revised SCII was significantly more predictive of college majors for Ss who were satisfied with their majors or who had stable interests than it was for those who were dissatisfied or had unstable interests. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age of nominator and scores assigned nominees of various ages.

"By correlation analysis of the nomination scores assigned to 402 supervisory employees of various ages by higher level nominators of various ages, the possibility of age-on-age bias in an operating situation has been investigated. Although other investigators have found biases of attitudes of one age group towards another, operationally, bias as here defined was not found. Thus correlations between age of those nominated and nomination scores did not differ significantly or systematically among four nominator age groups. For these data, no 'battle of the ages' has appeared to add to the usual rating difficulties." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

N achievement and father dominance in Turkey.

This study presents cross-cultural data to support the hypothesis that father dominance is associated with low need Achievement (n Ach) in men. Evidence for the hypothesis was obtained (a) by testing groups of American and Turkish junior executives and (b) by comparing n Ach scores of Turks who differ in the degree to which they were dominated by their fathers. The American junior executives, as compared with the Turks, were found to have significantly higher n Ach scores. In 3 independent samples, Turks who were less dominated by their fathers, as measured by Ss' age when their fathers died or when they first lived apart from their fathers, had significantly higher n Ach scores than did men who were more dominated by their fathers. Such a relationship was not found, however, when dominance was measured by Ss' report of who had had the greatest influence in their lives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)