A five-year study of effects of fines, gender, race, and age on illegal parking in spaces reserved for people with disabilities.

Trained observers recorded observations of 3,360 drivers of vehicles that parked legally or illegally in 1 of 3 spaces reserved for people with disabilities or in 1 of 3 spaces chosen for comparison purposes. The parkers were observed for 5 yrs during the 2nd week of each November. During the 1st year, no fines existed for illegal parking in the reserved spaces; during the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th years, $2 fines were in effect; during the 5th year, $25 fines were in effect. The frequency of illegal parking decreased after fines were imposed. Males and young drivers were consistently more likely to park illegally in spaces reserved for people with disabilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Accuracy of attitude stereotypes: The case of inferences based on gender.

Three studies were undertaken to assess the accuracy of people's estimates of the attitudes of men and women. In Exp 1, attitudes of male and female college students were assessed on a broad range of social and political issues. In Exp 2, 30 male and 30 female college students estimated the attitudes of typical males and females on the same statements. These estimates were used to select a set of stereotypic male statements and a set of stereotypic female statements. In Exp 3, 44 male and 53 female college students estimated the attitudes of male and female students on the 2 sets of statements. Results of the 1st 2 studies indicated that both men and women expected larger gender differences in attitudes than actually exist. In the 3rd study, this result was confirmed and it was found that people were least accurate in their estimates of the attitudes of men. Partial support was obtained for the hypothesis that in-group stereotypes would be more accurate than out-group stereotypes. Men were more accurate than women in estimating the attitudes of men but men and women were equally accurate in estimating the attitudes of women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A conjoint analysis of factors influencing American and Taiwanese college students' preferences for people with disabilities.

Objective: To determine the effect of demographic variables on attitudes toward disability. Participants: Eighty-three female American and 89 female Taiwanese college students. Outcome Measure: A conjoint measurement of 16 stimulus cards (representing people with varying disability labels, severity of disability, age, gender, and education). Procedures: The participants were asked to sort the stimulus cards according to their personal preferences for working with people with disabilities. Results: Younger and higher educated women with milder disabilities were preferred by both Taiwanese and American students. Preference formation is affected by both disability-related variables and other demographic variables (e.g., educational levels). Conclusion: The use of conjoint analysis to examine multiple attributes of persons with disabilities may have higher external validity than single-attribute-design studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of occupational therapy education on students' perceived attitudes toward persons with disabilities

OBJECTIVES: The effect of occupational therapy education on students' perceived attitudes toward persons with disabilities was studied. METHOD: The perceived attitudes of 144 occupational therapy students toward persons with disabilities were measured before (retrospective pretest) and after (posttest) the students attended formal professional education at the University of Alberta. RESULTS: Posttest scores were significantly higher than the retrospective pretest scores, indicating that students' attitudes became more positive after they commenced formal professional education. The posttest scores of students at various levels of education, however, did not show any significant difference. CONCLUSION: On the basis of these observations, a positive but nonlinear relationship between occupational therapy education and attitudes toward persons with disabilities was postulated.     

Attitudes toward depression among rehabilitation participants with acute stroke: Evidence of an age cohort effect.

Purpose/Objective: Depression is commonplace after acute stroke and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. No data exist regarding attitudes about depression among older persons with acute stroke and their potential impact on self-report of depressive symptoms. The objective of this study was to determine if attitudes toward depression affect depression symptom reporting. Research Method/Design: Cross-sectional using data from an inpatient rehabilitation unit. Seventy-two people with acute stroke were surveyed regarding their attitudes toward depression as part of a larger battery assessing their cognitive and emotional functioning. Results: Both age and cognitive status were significant predictors of attitudes toward depression. Older participants expressed significantly more negative attitudes about depression and seeking professional help compared with younger participants. Those with higher cognitive scores held more positive attitudes. However, attitudes about depression were unrelated to participants' responses on self-report measures of depression. Conclusions/Implications: Participants with stroke who were older were more likely to report negative attitudes about depressive symptoms than were younger participants. However, these attitudes do not appear to represent a barrier to their ability to accurately report the presence and severity of depressive symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward people with disabilities: The perspective of attachment theory.

Objective: Attachment theory was employed as the theoretical framework for the purpose of examining attitudes toward people with disabilities. Method: A total of 404 Jewish Israeli students without disabilities completed the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons With Disabilities (MAS) and the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR). Results: Reading a scenario about an encounter with a person with a disability gave rise to more negative emotions than reading a similar scenario about an encounter with a person without a disability, regardless of participants' attachment orientations. However, attachment orientations moderated participants' positive cognitions and distancing behaviors. Conclusions: Findings suggest a dynamic process of self-regulation when reacting to a written scenario about people with disabilities. This process consists of an initial spontaneous negative emotional response accompanied by compensatory positive cognitions and behavioral tendencies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two studies with the Psychiatric Rehabiliation Attitude Survey.

Evaluated the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Attitude Survey (PRAS) by the 1st author and A. Sklare-Lancaster (1981) in 2 experiments. In Exp I, reliability and validity data of the PRAS were assessed, using 37 vocational rehabilitation practitioners. Results indicate that test–retest reliability was high and that convergent and divergent validity were adequate compared with the Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons Scale and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Exp II assessed the effect of a 4-wk field placement on the attitudes of 48 undergraduate rehabilitation psychology majors. There was a significant positive change in Ss' attitudes toward psychiatric rehabilitation, and their scores after field placement were significantly more positive than norms obtained from general-caseload rehabilitation practitioners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching elementary school students to identify story themes.

An instructional program focused on story theme was administered to 2nd and 3rd graders (high-, average-, and low-achieving students, including some with disabilities) in a high-poverty school. Compared with more traditional instruction, the program improved theme comprehension and the identification of instructed themes when they appeared in new stories. However, the program did not help students apply a theme to real-life situations or identify and apply noninstructed themes. Findings indicated that at-risk children (at all achievement levels, including those with disabilities) were able to achieve some degree of abstract, higher order comprehension when given instruction that combined structured lessons, a strategy, and discussion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teachers' and students' beliefs about punishment.

360 1st, 3rd and 5th graders and their 16 teachers from 3 school systems were interviewed in the fall and spring of the same school year to assess the developing relationship between teachers' and students' beliefs about punishment. Older children were less punitive than younger children. Teachers remained relatively punitive compared with 5th graders. Teachers with more punitive beliefs had students whose beliefs were more punitive when compared with students whose teachers had less punitive beliefs. Children and teachers thought that teachers should give more punitive responses than peers for the same misbehavior. The school systems that allowed corporal punishment had students with more punitive beliefs than the school system without corporal punishment. Results indicate that the school environment is perceived to be authoritarian and punitive by students and teachers. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Religion and spirituality in rehabilitation psychology.

ABSTRACT. This article surveys the current attitudes of rehabilitation specialists regarding spirituality and religiousness. The existing data on the associations of spirituality and religiousness with measures of physical and mental health and well-being in people with disabilities are described. The role of religion–spirituality in the lives of caregivers for people with disabilities is addressed, as are professionals' attitudes toward considering patients' religious and spiritual involvement in the course of rehabilitation. Finally, the potential ways to use patients' spirituality and religiousness in assessment and intervention are discussed, and directions for future research are proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Construction and validation of the Disability Rights Attitude Scale: Assessing attitudes toward the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The authors constructed and validated an instrument that assesses attitudes toward the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), a law that protects the civil rights of individuals with disabilities. The Disability Rights Attitude Scale (DRAS) demonstrated acceptable reliability and validity with 2 samples of university students (N?=?421). Reliability analysis resulted in Cronbach's alphas of .91 (Sample 1) and .90 (Sample 2). Principal-components factor analysis indicated that the DRAS essentially consists of 1 factor that accounted for 27% (Sample 1) and 31% (Sample 2) of the total variance. Construct validity analysis resulted in predicted, significant positive correlations with other relevant measures. A stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that sex, ethnicity, and prior contact with people with disabilities were significant predictors of attitudes toward the law. The DRAS provides a psychometrically sound means of assessing attitudes toward disability rights that may encourage or impede implementation of the ADA. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-concept and peer acceptance in students with learning disabilities: A four- to five-year prospective study.

Examined the peer relations and self-concepts of students prior to and following their identification by the school district as learning disabled (LD) in a 4- to 5-yr prospective study. Self-concept ratings (kindergarten–4th grade) and peer acceptance ratings (kindergarten–3rd grade), as well as academic achievement scores, were compared across 3 groups: LD students who were placed in resource special education programs during 2nd grade, low-achieving (LA) students, and average-achieving/high-achieving (AA/HA) students. For peer acceptance, AA/HA students' scores were higher than LA students' scores only. No between-groups differences were obtained during any school year on the self-concept measure. Findings suggest that LD students' self-perceptions are not negatively affected by academic and social difficulties in the early grades or by the identification and labeling process. Though generalization is limited by the small sample size, few studies have examined students with learning disabilities longitudinally or prior to and following their identification. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disability and the law: Attitudes of police, lawyers, and mental health professionals.

A literature review on the attitudes of police officers, lawyers, and mental health professionals toward the disabled indicates that police officers' attitudes are related to the extent of their formal education and the amount of information they have about relating to persons with various types of disabilities. Lawyers who have disabled clients tend to be more knowledgeable and to have more positive attitudes than lawyers without such clients, but it is not easy to turn lawyers into advocates for disabled clients. Mental health professionals, who may be called on to provide advice to police officers or lawyers or to testify in court cases, have some negative aspects that may impair their helpfulness, but their attitudes are more positive than those of less educated persons. Data also indicate that the attitudes of psychologists are less negative than those of psychiatrists. It is concluded that rehabilitation psychologists need to undertake studies of the attitudes of these groups and to set up programs designed to change the attitudes of members of these professions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adjustment, Pollyannaism, and attraction to close relationships.

Examined the common finding that personal adjustment tends to be associated with favorable attitudes toward self and others from 3 perspectives: (a) personal adjustment is associated with liking for close, personal relationships; (b) personal adjustment is associated with a general Pollyannaism concerning all aspects of the person's world; (c) apparent adjustment and attraction to socially approved objects are manifestations of a test-taking style of favorable self-presentation. Questionnaire data obtained from a total of 574 college students in 3 cultures (US, Japan, and New Zealand) tended to support the 1st interpretation best and the 3rd least. There was evidence for a general Pollyannaism among well-adjusted Ss, but their preferences were especially pronounced for close, personal relationships. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of a program to increase personal happiness.

Conducted 3 studies in which a self-study program, designed to increase felt personal happiness and life satisfaction, was developed. The program was based on the literature of happiness, and it was hypothesized that normal community college students (total N?=?338) could become happier if they could modify their behaviors and attitudes to approximate more closely the characteristics of happier people. In the 1st study, 2 of 3 pilot programs produced statistically significant happiness boosts compared to a placebo control. A single program was then designed that combined the best aspects of the pilot programs. In the 2nd study, an experimental group receiving this combined program showed significant boosts in happiness compared to a placebo control. In the 3rd study, the combined program was presented to Ss on a take-it-or-leave-it basis—those applying it showing significant boosts in happiness compared to those who did not. The studies suggest that the resulting self-study program may be helpful to individuals wishing to increase the emotional satisfaction they derive from living. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Going bush--helping medical students learn from aboriginal people

OBJECTIVE: To help medical students learn about Aboriginal culture and health by introducing them to Aboriginal people living in rural and remote areas. SETTING: A seven-day field trip to Aboriginal communities and local health services in the eastern Goldfields Region of Western Australia. METHODS: Students interviewed local Aboriginal people, and representatives of community organisations and health service providers, and supplemented this information with their own field observations. The field research was used in completing three community health projects: one on infant health, another on environmental health, and a third on general beliefs of Aboriginal people about health and disease, prevention and treatment, and traditional and Western medicine. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Knowledge about and attitudes towards Aboriginal people were assessed by anonymous questionnaires before and after the field trip. RESULTS: The field trip tripled (on average) the number of Aboriginal people with whom the students had ever had a conversation. Potentially important increases were seen in the proportion of students who could correctly name actions of doctors that Aboriginal people might find offensive. Seven of the nine students "strongly agreed" that their attitudes to Aboriginal people were more positive as a result of the trip, and the other two "agreed". All would recommend such a trip to their colleagues. CONCLUSIONS: By visiting Aboriginal communities, medical students can gain important insights into Aboriginal health problems and ways in which health services can be made more acceptable to Aboriginal people.     

Does individualism help explain differences in employers' stigmatizing attitudes toward disability across Chinese and American cities?

Purpose: Stigmatizing attitudes toward people with disabilities can jeopardize such individuals' well-being and recovery through denial of employment and community isolation. By shaping social norms that define group membership, the construct of individualism may partially explain differences in stigmatizing attitudes across cultures. Further, widespread globalization has brought intensely individualistic social practices to certain segments of non-Western cultures. This paper examines whether the construct of individualism can help to explain cross-cultural differences in stigmatizing attitudes observed between American and Chinese employers. Design: Employers (N = 879) from Beijing, Hong Kong, and Chicago provided information on their attitudes toward hiring people with disabilities, and path analyses were conducted to examine potential mediating relationships. Results: Path analyses indicated that vertical individualism, along with perceived responsibility for acquiring a condition, partially mediated the relationship between culture and employers' negative attitudes about job candidates with disabilities. Conclusion: These results suggested that greater espousal of competitive and individualist values may drive stigmatizing attitudes across cultures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes of white and Negro high school students in a west Texas town toward school integration.

"1. Authoritarian attitudes… were not indicative of negative attitudes toward integration. 2. Negro students… show highly authoritarian attitudes as well as strong positive attitudes toward all areas of school integration. 3. White students in the segregated school systems studied show high authoritarianism though less than Negro students. 4. White students show a number of positive attitude responses toward many aspects of school integration, thus easing the expressed fear of widespread interracial conflicts in integrated schools in this area, though problems may arise in situations necessitating close personal-social contact." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping style and personal responsibility as factors in the perception of individuals with physical disabilities by Chinese international students.

This study examined coping style and personal responsibility as factors influencing the perceptions of Chinese international students regarding people with physical disabilities. Sixty Chinese international students were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions (optimistic-not responsible, optimistic-responsible, pessimistic-not responsible, and pessimistic-responsible), and then asked to view a videotape of an interview with a Chinese international student in a wheelchair who assumed one of the four roles listed above. After viewing the tape, the students were asked to complete the Semantic Differential Scale and the Subject Rating Scale. The ANCOVA results indicated that the optimistic-not responsible condition resulted in the most positive evaluations, with the optimistic-pessimistic variable being more potent than the responsible-not responsible variable. Implications for clinical practice and rehabilitation program development in Chinese communities are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)