Students' evaluations of their psychoactive drug use.

Obtained evaluations with the same questionnaire item in 1968, 1969, 1970, and 1972 at Carnegie-Mellon University. The evaluations of marihuana and LSD experiences reported in 1968 were very similar to those at California Institute of Technology in 1967. Evaluations varied by drug but were predominantly "beneficial and helpful" (marihuana, hallucinogens, tranquilizers and barbiturates) or had "no particular effect" (amphetamines, beer, liquor, tobacco, and narcotics). In the class of 1972, evaluations were positively related to number of usage experiences and remained steady over time for all drugs except hallucinogens; these were seen less positively in later surveys. More negative experiences resulted from hallucinogen use than from any other drug. Statements about drug effects are evaluated against personal and peer experience and expectations; thus counselors and educators need to know that most experiences are seen as beneficial or neutral. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Students' aptitudes and their reports of cognitive processes during direct instruction.

72 5th- and 6th-grade students were randomly assigned to 1 of 6 classes using a factorial assignment of ability level crossed with attitude. Each class was taught a 2-day unit on probability, using the direct instruction model. Ss were videotaped during the lesson and afterward were interviewed about their thought processes using a stimulated-recall procedure. Independent of ability, Ss' reports of their understanding of the lesson were significantly related to achievement. Also, Ss who reported using specific cognitive strategies, such as relating the information being taught to prior knowledge, did better on the achievement test than those who did not report such strategies. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

State dependence and trait stability of perfectionism: A short-term longitudinal study.

The authors examined state dependency on depression, trait stability, and state-trait characteristics of perfectionism in a short-term longitudinal study of university students. Relative stability of perfectionism was assessed with test-retest correlations across 3 time points, and results showed higher rank order and relative stability for perfectionism scores compared with depression scores. Regression and path analyses to disentangle directions of effects revealed that initial maladaptive perfectionism scores remained robust predictors of later perfectionism scores, even after the authors controlled for prior and concurrent depression and other dimensions of perfectionism. Perfectionism proved to be quite stable and was a significant predictor of later depression. Perfectionism was also not meaningfully altered by state changes in depression. The overall findings indicate that perfectionism appears to have substantial relative stability, and perfectionistic discrepancy in particular is a clear vulnerability factor for depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teachers’ stressors and strains: A longitudinal study of their relationships.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 17(1) of International Journal of Stress Management (see record 2010-02418-002). In the article, “Teachers’ Stressors and Strains: A Longitudinal Study of Their Relationships” by Arie Shirom, Amalya Oliver, and Esther Stein (International Journal of Stress Management, 2009, Vol. 16, No. 4, pp. 312-332), the two co-authors’ affiliations were incorrectly listed. The co-authors’ correct affiliations are as follows: Amalya Oliver, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Esther Stein, Beit Berl Educational College.] The authors tested the hypothesized unidirectional or bidirectional effects of 5 types of teachers’ work-related stressors on each of the 4 types of psychological strain: somatic complaints, burnout, and intrinsic and extrinsic job dissatisfaction. The authors used structural regression analyses to analyze the responses of a representative sample of 404 high school teachers who had completed both our T1 (beginning of school year) and T2 (end of school year) questionnaires. The authors found support for the expected unidirectional effects of the T1 work-related stressors on the respondents’ T2 somatic complaints (with baseline somatic complaints controlled for), and also for the expected unidirectional effects of T1 intrinsic and extrinsic job dissatisfaction on the T2 values of the five types of stressors (with baseline stressors controlled for). Only partial support was found for the expected bidirectional relationships between the stressors and teachers’ burnout. The authors suggest that the directionality across time of the relationships between stressors and strains may depend on the intrinsic properties of the strain under consideration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Students' evaluations of teaching fuel grade inflation.

Comments on articles in the November 1997 issue of American Psychologist concerning student evaluations of teaching (SETs). The current author notes that though SETs are widely used as an easy and objective means to evaluate teachers, their use has produced an unintended consequence—grade inflation, a primary contributor to declining academic standards and the "dumbing-down" of the curriculum. It is contended that the practice of inflating grades to increase SET ratings suggests a lack of integrity. It is argued that some type of adjustment for grading leniency or perceived grading fairness should be implemented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Students' evaluations of a university counseling center and their intentions to use its programs.

Two representative samples of 801 university students were telephoned in 1977 and asked to evaluate a university counseling service and to indicate how likely they would be to participate in a variety of developmental workshops. Results indicate that both groups of Ss used the service with more regularity and with greater satisfaction than did students in the 1960s. Ss were most inclined to participate in workshops that assisted them in career planning, negotiating the university system, and coping with financial and academic concerns. Ss most receptive to specific services tended to be younger and undergraduate, to have lower GPAs, to live in a residence hall, and to be Black. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prosocial development: A longitudinal study.

Examined, using a longitudinal methodology, (1) the development of prosocial moral judgment and (2) the relation between prosocial moral judgment and both prohibition-oriented moral judgment and maternal childrearing practices. Three samples were tested: 33 82–99 mo olds were interviewed 3 times; 16 49–67 mo olds were interviewed twice; and 30 2nd graders were interviewed once. From preschool to elementary school years, needs-oriented (empathic) reasoning increased in frequency of use, whereas hedonistic reasoning decreased. Significant changes continued from the preschool years to 2nd grade, although change could be noted even before entry into school (over a 1-yr period from ages 4–5 to 5–6 yrs). The relation between level of prosocial reasoning and prohibition-oriented reasoning was low to moderate, depending on the measures that were intercorrelated. Level of reasoning was related to nonauthoritarian, nonpunitive maternal practices, but the role of empathic, supportive maternal practices appeared to change with age. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Students' evaluations of university teaching: Chinese version of the Students' Evaluations of Educational Quality Instrument.

This study evaluates the applicability of a Chinese translation of the Students' Evaluations of Educational Quality (SEEQ) and explores the generality of selected findings based on North American research to the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Students (N?=?844) selected a "good" and a "poor" teacher, and rated each using the SEEQ. Good teachers were rated more favorably than poor teachers on all SEEQ scales, all SEEQ items were judged to be most important by at least some students, and SEEQ items (except, perhaps, feedback on examinations) were seen as appropriate by most students. Relations with background variables (student gender, teacher gender, teacher age, course grade, class size, workload and difficulty) were similar to those reported in North American studies. The results support the use of the SEEQ in this Chinese setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Applicability paradigm: Students' evaluations of teaching effectiveness in different countries.

The author (1981) reviews 4 studies concerning his paradigm for studying the applicability of 2 North American instruments designed to measure students' evaluations of university-teaching effectiveness in different countries. Across the 4 studies (1) all items were judged to be appropriate by a large majority of the students; (2) all items were selected by some students as being most important; (3) there was a surprising consistency in the items judged to be less appropriate and most important; (4) all but the Workload/Difficulty items clearly differentiated between good and poor instructors; (5) factor analyses generally replicated the factors that each instrument was designed to measure; and (6) multitrait–multimethod analyses demonstrated strong support for both the convergent and divergent validity of responses to the 2 instruments. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment center validity: A longitudinal study.

Data on 254 managers attending an assessment center were examined for changes in validities over time. 24 predictors were correlated with a criterion of salary growth measured 1, 3, and 5 yrs after Ss were assessed. Before conducting the analyses, Ss were grouped into 3 generations based on the year they were assessed. Peer and assessor ratings, along with linear combinations, were significantly correlated with the criterion. The multiple correlations generalized well across time and generations. A general increasing trend in the validity coefficients was noted over time. Comparison of overall assessor rating with multiple correlation did not indicate any marked superiority for actuarial prediction. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pain and depression in injured workers and their return to work: A longitudinal study.

This study investigated the long-term relationships between depression, pain, and return to work in injured workers with chronic pain. Clients (N = 185) completing the Pain Disability Prevention Program were evaluated for pain and depression at three points in time: on admission to the treatment program, at mid-treatment, and at the end of treatment. The return to work (RTW) was assessed at four weeks after the intervention ended. Correlation and logistic regression analyses showed that depression and pain were significantly associated over time, and that depression and affective pain were the most significant variables for predicting RTW regardless of the time of assessment. An initial cluster analysis divided the sample into four groups reflecting fluctuations of depression and pain over time. Chi-square results indicated that individuals with severe or moderate depression and high levels of affective pain were less likely to RTW (from 18% to 21%) compared to individuals with mild depression or normal emotional "ups and downs" and lower affective pain scores (from 61% to 85%). These results highlighted the importance of considering the clinical symptoms profiles over time when determining the probability of RTW. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Teachers’ stressors and strains: A longitudinal study of their relationships": Correction.

Reports an error in "Teachers’ stressors and strains: A longitudinal study of their relationships" by Arie Shirom, Amalya Oliver and Esther Stein (International Journal of Stress Management, 2009[Nov], Vol 16[4], 312-332). In the article, the two co-authors’ affiliations were incorrectly listed. The co-authors’ correct affiliations are as follows: Amalya Oliver, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Esther Stein, Beit Berl Educational College. They appear correctly in this record. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2009-21667-004.) The authors tested the hypothesized unidirectional or bidirectional effects of 5 types of teachers’ work-related stressors on each of the 4 types of psychological strain: somatic complaints, burnout, and intrinsic and extrinsic job dissatisfaction. The authors used structural regression analyses to analyze the responses of a representative sample of 404 high school teachers who had completed both our T1 (beginning of school year) and T2 (end of school year) questionnaires. The authors found support for the expected unidirectional effects of the T1 work-related stressors on the respondents’ T2 somatic complaints (with baseline somatic complaints controlled for), and also for the expected unidirectional effects of T1 intrinsic and extrinsic job dissatisfaction on the T2 values of the five types of stressors (with baseline stressors controlled for). Only partial support was found for the expected bidirectional relationships between the stressors and teachers’ burnout. The authors suggest that the directionality across time of the relationships between stressors and strains may depend on the intrinsic properties of the strain under consideration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting receipt of social support: A longitudinal study of parents' reactions to their child's illness.

101 Israeli women whose children required medical attention were interviewed at the time of initial hospital contact and again 1 yr later. On the 2nd occasion, their spouses were also interviewed for their assessment of their wives' personal and social characteristics. Greater personal resources, more intimate relations, and lower discomfort in seeking support were related to greater receipt of social support 1 yr later. Chronic stress conditions were found, however, to diminish the effect of individuals' social characteristics on receipt of support. Spouses' assessments showed moderate agreement with that of their wives, lending support to the findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Students' stress, coping strategies, and school completion: A longitudinal perspective.

This study investigated the relationship between two intrapersonal variables-- stressful life change events and reported coping strategies-- and high school completion status among early adolescents. The sample was comprised of 92 students (44 females and 48 males) who had completed questionnaires regarding the number and types of life change events they had experienced and the coping strategies they reported using during ninth grade. A 3-year follow-up study of these students was completed to determine whether they finished high school or reported dropping out. Discriminant analysis was used to build a prediction model and indicated that the coping factors of Social Activities and Seeking Professional Support significantly predicted high school dropout status, whereas Family Involvement was negatively related to this outcome. These findings are discussed in light of current research, and suggestions for future research are provided. Interventions that focus on the contextual variables related to family and peers are indicated, as is the need for school psychologists and other school mental health professionals to offer coping skills training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prevalence and stability of physical aggression between spouses: A longitudinal analysis.

Community couples (N?=?272) were assessed in a longitudinal study of early marriage. More women than men reported physically aggressing against their partners at premarriage (44% vs. 31%) and 18 months (36% vs. 27%). At 30 months, men and women did not report significantly different rates of aggression (32% vs. 25%). However, using either the self-report or the partner's report, the prevalence of aggression for both men and women were pushing, shoving, and slapping. Conditional probability analyses indicated that the likelihood of physically aggressing at 30 months given that one had engaged in such aggression before marriage and at 18 months after marriage was .72 for women and .59 for men. Furthermore, 25–30% of the recipients of physical aggression at all three assessment periods were seriously maritally discordant at 30 months. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender characteristics and adjustment: A longitudinal study.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 64(1) of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (see record 2010-03552-001). The authors would like to acknowledge that the age 41 longitudinal data used in their study were collected by David McClelland, Carol Franz, Joel Weinberger, Richard Koestner, and Joseph Healy. This data collection was supported by a grant from the Seaver Institute. The data are currently being archived at the Henry Murray Research Center of Radcliffe College, Cambridge, Massachusetts.] Used a prospective longitudinal design to investigate the long-term developmental implications of gender-related interests and traits. Archival data were available for Ss in the R. R. Sears et al (1957) study. Men, who at age 12 yrs endorsed interests and undesirable traits more typically associated with women, had poorer social–personal adjustment at ages 31 and 41 yrs. No effects were found for women. Feminine expressive traits at age 31 yrs did not impact on 41-yr-old adjustment for either men or women, whereas masculine instrumental traits were positively related for both. These findings support a multidimensional view of gender and indicate that harsher consequences follow when adolescent boys endorse nontraditional gender-related interests and undesirable traits than when girls do so. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bulimia and interpersonal relationships: A longitudinal study.

We assessed changes in bulimia in female college students and changes in the relation between bulimia and interpersonal relationships with women and men. A measure of bulimia (BULIT) of M. C. Smith and M. H. Thelen (see record 1985-02946-001) was taken at Time 1, after a 7-month interval (Time 2), and again after a 12-month interval (Time 3). Measures of interpersonal relationships with women and men were taken at Time 2 and Time 3. Three groups were constituted on the basis of BULIT scores at Time 1: bulimic, subclinical bulimic (Ss who tested just under the cutoff for bulimia), and normal. Ss who tested bulimic or normal at Time 1 tended to continue to do so. In contrast, the subclinical bulimic group endorsed less bulimic symptomatology over time. There were strong negative correlations between the BULIT and ratings of interpersonal relationships with men. The subclinical bulimics showed the greatest improvement over time in ratings of their relationships with men. Counselors may need to consider severity of bulimia and relationship issues during treatment planning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of adolescent dieting behaviors: A longitudinal study.

Research suggests that dieting is a risk factor for bulimia nervosa, yet little is known about the predictors of dieting. Accordingly, this study examined the correlates and prospective predictors of dieting in a community sample of 320 adolescent females (aged 16–19 yrs). Results indicate that body mass, pressure to be thin, thin-ideal internalization, body dissatisfaction, and binge eating were positively correlated with dieting. Moreover, body mass, pressure to be thin, body dissatisfaction, and binge eating prospectively predicted increased dieting over a 9-mo period. Multivariate analyses revealed that this set of predictors accounted for significant variance in concurrent and subsequent dieting, although only some of the unique effects were significant in the full models. Not only do these findings identify several risk factors for dieting, but they also suggest that dieting may be a response to bulimic pathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)