Irrational beliefs and reactions to failure.

Predicted that 30 undergraduates with a strong tendency to endorse irrational beliefs, as measured by the Irrational Beliefs Test, would be more emotionally upset following a failure experience than would 30 Ss with little tendency to endorse irrational beliefs. Emotional upset was measured by the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List (Anxiety) and Depression Adjective Check Lists and by performance decrements on digit-symbol coding and anagrams tasks. Results conform to the predicted relationship between irrational beliefs and emotional upset. High irrational Ss did not report more anxiety or depression than low irrational Ss, nor did the high irrational Ss show performance decrements following failure. Evidence concerning the validity of the Irrational Beliefs Test is reviewed. (French summary) (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Childhood competence and behavior problems.

Examined the relationship between objective measures of childhood competence and behavior problems in 474 2nd–6th graders. Daily classwork measured the academic competence, and peer ratings measured social competence. Median splits formed 4 groups, with competent Ss highest and incompetent Ss lowest on the relatively independent dimensions of academic and social competence. Competent Ss excelled on attitudinal measures of a competent lifestyle and on the Harter Competence (HC) Scales. Teacher ratings on the Behavior Problem Checklist (BPC) attributed fewest problems to competent Ss. Conversely, incompetent Ss achieved the lowest HC and the highest BPC scores. Ss high on social competence and low on academic competence were distinguished by BPC conduct problems and nervousness. Peer nominations of depression on the Peer Nomination Inventory characterized all Ss low on social competence. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Childhood competence and depression.

Examined whether children with both academic and social skill deficiencies have higher levels of peer-nominated and self-ratings of depression than their more competent peers and whether depression levels can distinguish academically skilled children from socially skilled ones. Objective measures of academic and social competence classified 169 3rd–6th grade children as competent (above the median on both measures), incompetent (below on both), academically skilled (above only on academic competence), or socially skilled (above only on social competence). Children completed the Perceived Competence Scale for Children, Children's Depression Inventory, and a peer nomination inventory of depression. Results demonstrate information about academic and social competence best predicted Ss' depression. Peer-nominated and self-rated depression were highest among incompetent Ss and lowest among competent Ss. Peer-nominated happiness was higher among the socially skilled than among the academically skilled. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive influences on the development of learned helplessness.

120 college students participated in an experiment concerning the influence of self-statements following failure on subsequent symptoms of learned helplessness (LH). 40 Ss were given solvable concept-formation problems (nonhelpless condition), and 80 Ss were given unsolvable problems (helpless condition). MANOVA revealed a significant difference between helpless and nonhelpless Ss on cognitive/motivational and affective measures of LH and on self-statements regarding performance. However, when multiple regression and correlational analyses were performed within the group of Ss who failed the problems, no stable relationship was found between self-statements (cognitions) about concept-formation performance and the LH measures. Implications for A. T. Beck's (1967) cognitive model of depression and the reformulated LH model of depression (L. Y. Abramson et al, 1978) are discussed. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpersonal and impersonal problem-solving skills in mildly and clinically depressed university students.

Administered the Beck Depression Inventory and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory to 20 nondepressed and 20 depressed university students and 8 nondepressed and 10 depressed university students being treated at a university counseling service. Ss were then tested on the Means–Ends Problem-Solving Procedure (a measure of interpersonal problem-solving ability) and the anagram task used in the investigations of learned helplessness (a measure of impersonal problem-solving ability). All Ss were administered the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry version of the Vocabulary subscale of the WAIS. A significant negative correlation was found between depression and interpersonal problem-solving ability, while only anxiety was correlated with anagram performance. Differences between groups were found only in interpersonal problem-solving performance. Nondepressed Ss performed significantly better than the other 3 groups, while depressed counselees obtained the lowest scores on the interpersonal measures. No relationship was found between performance on the anagram task and performance on the Means–Ends Problem-Solving Procedure. Results are consistent with predictions generated by interpersonal theories of depression, but they raise questions about the validity of the learned helplessness model as an analog of clinical depression. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Environmental press and psychological need as related to academic success of minority group students.

Investigated the relationship between environmental press and psychological needs for both the most academically successful and the least successful black, Mexican-American, and American-Indian undergraduates (N = 138). Ss completed the College Characteristics Index (CCI) and the Stern Activities Index as measures of press and psychological need. Scores on the Taylor Manifest Anxiety scale and the Rotter Internal-External Control Scale were used to study the extent to which anxiety and achievement motivation affected academic success. Scholastic Aptitude Test scores were used as measures of academic success. Congruent relationships were found between nonintellectual environmental presses and psychological needs on emotional expression and dependency need factors for both academically successful and least successful Ss. Significant negative correlations on the Ego Achievement and Play-Work scales of the CCI suggest a press in the campus atmosphere for intellectualism without a corresponding psychological need. Implications for counseling minority students are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Body image, physical attractiveness, and depression.

224 17–63 yr olds completed measures of self-perceived physical attractiveness and depression, and static full-body videotapes of Ss were assessed by objective raters, to investigate the relationship between Ss' body image, rated physical attractiveness, and depression. Measures included the Body-Self Relations Questionnaire, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), a body parts satisfaction scale, and a self-labeling depression scale. Ss were classified as depressed (n?=?35) or nondepressed (n?=?42) on the basis of conjunctive criteria of self-labeling and extreme groups on the CES-D. It was hypothesized that (1) depressed Ss would report being less satisfied with their body parts and physical appearance and would regard themselves as less physically attractive than would nondepressed Ss, (2) objective raters would perceive depressed Ss as less physically attractive than nondepressed Ss, and (3) depressed Ss would distort their degree of physical attractiveness and perceive themselves to be less attractive than objective raters regarded them. Results indicate that, as hypothesized, depressed Ss were less satisfied with their bodies and saw themselves as less physically attractive than nondepressed Ss. These groups did not differ with respect to observer-rated physical attractiveness. Support was obtained for A. T. Beck's (1973, 1976) cognitive hypothesis that depressed persons negatively distort their body images; however, results also indicate substantial positive distortion among nondepressed Ss. (40 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Early neuropsychological change in HIV infection.

The neuropsychological and psychosocial functioning of 15 Ss infected with HIV+ was examined. Performance by the HIV+ Ss was compared with that of 15 at-risk HIV– Ss. Relative to the HIV– Ss, the HIV+ Ss were impaired on measures of attention, verbal fluency, and visual memory. The pattern of deficit exhibited by the HIV+ Ss was suggestive of a subcortical dysfunction. Despite this, the HIV+ Ss did not exhibit greater levels of psychosocial impairment. There was no relationship between depression and neuropsychological test performance for the HIV+ Ss. The development of specific criteria for defining impairment when assessing the neuropsychological consequences of HIV infection is recommended. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Understanding frame-of-reference training: The impact of training on the recall of performance information.

Extends research on the cognitive mechanisms underlying frame-of-reference (FOR) rater training by examining the impact of FOR training on the recall of performance information. It was hypothesized that the shared performance schema fostered by FOR training would serve as the basis for information processing, resulting in better recall for behavioral performance information as well as more accurate ratings of individual ratees. 174 FOR-trained Ss produced more accurate performance ratings, as measured by L. Cronbach's (1955) differential accuracy and differential elevation components, than did 142 control-trained Ss. FOR-trained Ss also recalled more behaviors, representing more performance dimensions, and exhibited less evaluative clustering and a larger relationship between memory and judgment. No differences were found between control and FOR Ss on measures of recognition accuracy. Implications for the evaluative judgment process are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conscious self-appraisal of achievement motivation: The self-peer rank method revisited.

Describes 2 studies with 41 and 20 undergraduates, respectively, on the self-peer rank of need for achievement (n Ach) and correlation with academic success. It was found that (a) when Ss use their peers as reference points, they are able to give self-reports of their levels of n Ach which are predictive of academic success; (b) these judgments of motivation are independent of achievement-success information; (c) when Ss are given a common standard, the level of accuracy of the predictions is higher than reported previously; and (d) the correlations between judgments of motivation and measures of performance are relatively independent of correlations between measures of ability and measures of performance. It is concluded that n Ach is not, as traditionally considered, an unconscious characteristic and that the self-peer rank method may be a useful adjunct to assessment procedures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ambivalence over emotional expression and well-being: Nomothetic and idiographic tests of the stress-buffering hypothesis.

Examined nomothetic and idiographic relations between ambivalence over emotional expression (as expressed by the Ambivalence Over Emotional Expression Questionnaire; AEQ) and well-being in a 4-mo study with an interim 2-wk diary component. Ss were 66 undergraduates. Nomothetic and idiographic analyses both revealed that AEQ was related to psychological health but not to physical well-being. The nomothetic test of stress-buffering showed that AEQ was more predictive of depression among Ss who had experienced higher levels of positive life-event stress. In contrast, the idiographic test of stress-buffering revealed that Ss higher in AEQ exhibited less covariation between daily stress and negative affect over time. It is proposed that AEQ may reflect 2 types of emotional vulnerability: emotional reactivity and emotional perseveration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

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)     

Response styles and the duration of episodes of depressed mood.

Examined the relationship between ruminative and distracting styles of responding to depressed mood and the duration of mood. 79 Ss kept accounts of their moods and responses to their moods for 30 consecutive days. The majority of Ss (83%) showed consistent styles of responding to depressed mood. Regression analyses suggested that the more ruminative responses Ss engaged in, the longer their periods of depressed mood, even after taking into account the initial severity of the mood. In addition, women were more likely than men to have a ruminative response style and on some measures to have more severe and long-lasting periods of depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Desire for control and academic performance.

Examined the relationship of desire for control (DFC) and academic performance. 65 undergraduates completed the Desirability of Control Scale. The Ss were asked to estimate their grade point average (GPA) for the current quarter and entire academic year, to estimate the number of hours they studied per week, and how important grades were to them. Two years later, the academic records of 54 Ss who gave permission were examined. High DFC Ss had higher grades than low DFC Ss. 84.6% of the students in the sample who achieved a GPA of 3.0 or better during the 2-yr period were high DFC students. High DFC Ss indicated they placed greater importance on grades and studied more per week than did low DFC Ss. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affective and cognitive characteristics of depression in 10- and 11-year-old children.

Used an index of childhood depression to regress indices of emotion experiences, attribution style, and intellectual performance of 82 male and 64 female 5th graders from a rural public school. All Ss completed a children's depression inventory, a differential emotion scale, and an attributional style questionnaire. Teachers rated Ss on their frequency of expression of 3 categories of emotion. 45 Ss whose scores were high, low, or intermediate on the depression inventory also completed the PPVT and the Block Design subscale of the WISC. Results indicate that the depressed Ss were like depressed adults in that they reported experiencing a pattern of emotions including sadness, anger, self-directed hostility, and shame, and they tended to explain negative events in terms of internal, stable, and global causes. The similarity between depressed children and depressed adults on these measures was greater for girls than for boys. Depression was not related to performance on a verbal task, but depressed girls performed worse than nondepressed girls on the Block Design task. The measures of emotion experiences accounted for 78.1 and 46.1% of the variance in girls' and boys' depression scores, respectively, after the variance accounted for by attribution style was partialed out. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping humour, stress, and cognitive appraisals.

Investigated relationships between sense of humor and cognitive appraisals (CAs) and reappraisals of a potentially stressful event. CAs by 44 female university students for an academic examination were obtained at several points in time. Ss with high scores on the Coping Humor scale by R. A. Martin and H. M. Lefcourt (see record 1984-15058-001) appraised the exam as more of a positive challenge. In their reappraisals, high humor Ss' ratings of importance and positive challenge were positively related to performance on the exam, whereas for low humor Ss this relationship was negative. High humor Ss adjusted their expectations on the next exam on the basis of performance on the previous exam, whereas low humor Ss did not. Sense of humor was negatively related to both perceived stress and dysfunctional standards for self-evaluation. Results support the proposal that a sense of humor may facilitate coping and adjustment. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perfectionism, attachment, and adjustment.

This research examined differences between types of perfectionists and whether perfectionism related to attachment, academic integration, and depression. University students completed the same attachment and perfectionism measures in two studies. In the 2nd study, measures of academic integration and depression were also used. Replicated cluster analyses revealed 3 groups of perfectionists: adaptive, maladaptive, and nonperfectionists. Attachment predicted type of perfectionist, with adaptive perfectionists reporting more secure attachments than did maladaptive perfectionists. Adaptive perfectionists also had better academic integration than maladaptive perfectionists. Maladaptive perfectionists, on average, reported depression in the clinically significant range. Results revealed academic and emotional benefits of adaptive perfectionism, contrasted with the adverse emotional effects and no academic advantages of maladaptive perfectionism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depression, interpersonal standard setting, and judgments of self-efficacy.

Investigated the relationship between standard setting and judgments of self-efficacy in the domain of interpersonal functioning for depressed and nondepressed Ss. Consistent with a self-control model of depression, a large discrepancy between personal standards and judgments of personal efficacy for performance was postulated to be related to depression. Undergraduate students who scored above 13 on 2 administrations of the Beck Depression Inventory composed the depressed group. 39 depressed and 39 nondepressed students rated their minimal standards for adequate interpersonal performance, its importance to them, and their judgments of self-efficacy for the same tasks, using the Interpersonal Concerns Questionnaire. Depressed Ss showed a larger discrepancy between strength of interpersonal standards and strength of self-efficacy than did normal Ss. Depressed Ss expressed a lower strength of self-efficacy than did nondepressed Ss, but they did not differ on their interpersonal standards. Importance and the strength for standards are consistent with recent extensions of P. M. Lewinsohn's (1974) model of depression, which suggests that disruptions in self-evaluation are related to lowered judgments of self-efficacy for depressed Ss. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of early abuse on adult affective reactions to exposure to dyadic conflict.

Studied the relationship between abuse in the family of origin and adult emotional responses to family conflicts in 60 males (mean age 19.7 yrs) and 60 females (mean age 19.6 yrs). Ss were administered the Conflict Tactics Scale and the Adjective Checklist (AC) to assess the tactics used by them to solve their problems and their emotional state, respectively. Ss listened to conflict tapes and completed another AC along with a set of perceptual questions. Exposure to conflict tactics in the family of origin was associated with heightened emotional responses to anticipated conflict, the effects being continued into adulthood. Antecedents to conflict were also related to family of origin experience with withdrawal, verbal and physical abuse. There was no significant difference between identification with the mother and the child, and the Ss identified more strongly with the father than the child. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of persuasive interaction to change of opinion in dyadic groups when the original opinions of participants are expressed privately and publicly.

This constitutes a replication of a former study by Cervin (see 33: 5903) attempting to determine the relationship between emotionality and persuasibility. The only aspect of the design altered was that herein Ss committed themselves publicly to opinions. Ss of both high or low emotionality were placed in pairs. They initially declared their opinion on a number of topics, discussed the question, then redeclared their opinion. The more highly emotional Ss tended to change their opinions more frequently than the lows when their opinions were made public. From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4GD31C. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)