Skyjacking, airline security, and passenger reactions: Toward a complex model for prediction.

To determine passenger reactions to skyjacking and related airline and governmental security measures, attitude questionnaires were administered to a random sample of 102 passengers at a large midwestern airport. Results indicate (a) 3 response dimensions failed to differentially relate passenger attitudes to 7 proposed security procedures; (b) a general construct, "overall concern for security," did not adequately account for passenger reactions to specific security measures; and (c) 8 orthogonal factors represented different attitude constructs for specific passenger subgroups. It is concluded that there is no typical airline passenger exhibiting an overall concern for security against skyjacking. Rather, a complex model of passenger attitudes and their behavioral correlates must be constructed in order to account adequately for passenger reactions to security programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Classroom climates and students' intergroup behavior.

Conducted observations in 99 desegregated elementary school classes (kindergarten through 6th grade) to determine the relationship between classroom conditions and pupils' interracial behaviors. Results of factor and regression analyses indicate that 2 types of observed interracial behavior were associated with different classroom environments. Diffuse positive intergroup contacts were more likely to occur in classes in which teachers emphasized interpersonal concerns. Although businesslike environments impeded overall cross-racial association, they had no effect on more purposeful intergroup contacts, which were facilitated by teacher patience and by diversity in instructional arrangements. These findings suggest that tensions between the social and academic objectives of multiracial education might be resolved by emphasizing purposeful interactions among children of different racial backgrounds. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Student/instructor attitude similarity, student ratings, and course performance.

Investigated the validity of student ratings of instructional effectiveness by exploring the relations among student ratings, course performance, and the perceived attitude similarity of students and their instructors. 349 college students enrolled in 22 classes first rated instructor effectiveness on a 28-item rating form and then rated their own attitudes plus instructor attitudes on an attitude scale adapted from D. Byrne (1971). Another 296 college students enrolled in 19 classes rated instructor effectiveness and then their own attitudes plus instructor attitudes on an attitude scale adapted from F. E. Hofman and L. Kremer (see record 1980-33352-001). For both S groups, official end-of-term grades were also collected. Consistent with prior research, modest correlations were found between student ratings and perceived attitude similarity. There was also a modest relation between similarity and course grades. These relations were greatly reduced (56.2 and 44.5%, respectively) when the large influence of instructors on ratings and achievement was removed. Findings fail to support the claim that perceived attitude similarity is a substantial source of bias in student ratings. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between satisfaction, attitudes, and performance: An organizational level analysis.

Previous research has consistently shown little relationship between job satisfaction, job attitudes, and performance for individuals, but little work has investigated these relationships at the organizational level of analysis. This study investigated the relationship between employee satisfaction, other job-related attitudes (commitment, adjustment, and psychological stress), and organizational performance. Organizational performance data were collected for 298 schools; employee satisfaction and attitude data were collected from 13,808 teachers within these schools. Correlation and regression analyses supported the expected relationships between employee satisfaction/attitudes and organizational performance. Implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attachment, parenting, and peer interactions of toddler children

The relation of parenting variables and attachment classification to peer relations was studied for 156 families with toddler children. Children were observed at 18 months of age in the home with their parents and from 18 to 24 months of age in peer playgroups. Playgroup teachers rated the children's ability to get along with their peers. Also when children were 18 months, they were assessed with their mothers in the Strange Situation, and an attachment classification was made. There were significant differences in peer reactions to children of different attachment classifications. Insecure-resistant children received fewer positive reactions to their positive behaviors, and both resistant and avoidant children received more negative reactions to their positive behaviors. Hierarchical regressions were computed to examine the contribution of observed parent-child interactions and the attachment classification to peer interactions.     

Toward a process model of the attitude–behavior relation: Accessing one's attitude upon mere observation of the attitude object.

A central question with regard to the process by which attitudes "guide" behavior concerns the likelihood that individuals will spontaneously access their attitudes from memory on mere observation of the attitude object. This question was examined via a "priming" paradigm. In Exp I with 60 undergraduates, it was demonstrated that priming Ss with positive or negative adjectives affected their interpretation of ambiguous information presented in a 2nd, ostensibly unrelated, study. In Exp II, 112 Ss were primed with either a positively or negatively valued attitude object. This, too, affected subsequent interpretations of ambiguous information, implying that Ss had accessed their evaluations on observation of the attitude object. However, such effects were observed only when Ss' attitudes involved a relatively strong object–evaluation association. Attitude formation through direct behavioral experience with the attitude objects resulted in accessing the attitude on mere observation of the object. Attitude formation through indirect, nonbehavioral experience did not, unless the object–evaluation association was strengthened by having Ss repeatedly express their attitudes. On the basis of the findings, a model of the process by which attitudes guide behavior is proposed. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children As Subjects in Psychological Research.

Comment on children as subjects in psychological research. I should merely like to point out that psychologists must regularly concern themselves with the possible implications of many of our common experimental procedures. We must be aware not only of the obvious effects of frustration, of our responsibility for "picking up the pieces"--even for searching for the pieces--but we must try to envisage what it does to a child's view of adults, his attitudes toward teachers, etc. to be subjected to some of the rewards or some of the "praise and reproof" of our learning experiments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal employment and infant-mother attachment security at 12 months postpartum.

This study assessed the association between aspects of mother's employment and security of infant-mother attachment, in combination with proximal (maternal sensitivity) and distal (demographic, maternal, child, child-care) factors. Participants were 145 Australian mothers and their firstborn children. Attachment security was assessed with the Strange Situation at 12 months. Results showed that mothers' prenatal attitudes to work and timing of the return to work made significant, independent contributions to attachment outcomes over and above the effects of proximal and distal predictors. Mothers who expressed more commitment to work and less anxiety about using nonfamily child care, and who returned to work earlier, were more likely to have secure infants. These findings are considered in relation to contemporary expectations about mothers' participation in paid work and other predictors of secure attachment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitude prototypes as determinants of attitude–behavior consistency.

Hypothesized that individuals determine their attitudes toward a social group by assessing their reactions to an imagined group representative who embodies the defining or central group characteristics—the prototypical group member. When they encounter a specific group member whose characteristics match well those of the "attitude prototype," individuals display attitude–behavior consistency; when the match is poor, they display attitude–behavior inconsistency. This proposition was tested in 2 experiments with 56 undergraduates: Ss completed questionnaires assessing their attitudes toward various groups, and later their behavior toward prototypical and unprototypical individuals of those groups was evaluated. In each experiment, the attitude–behavior relationship was greater in relation to prototypical than to unprototypical group members. Knowledge of an unprototypical group member had little or no effect on attitude prototypes. Rather, the unprototypical group member was dismissed as atypical, leaving the prototype intact to influence future social behavior. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

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)     

Parental discipline as affected by the sex of the parent, the sex of the child, and the child's apparent responsiveness to discipline.

40 parents (mean age 31 yrs) were made to believe they were teaching their children (mean age 55.7 mo) a task by selecting rewarding and punishing consequences for the children's successes and errors. The children actually had been separated from their parents, and their "responding" was electromechanically controlled. Initially, responses were 50% successful on the trials, independent of their parents' disciplinary strategies. Next, successes were manipulated to be contingent on parents' selection of high, and later low, levels of punishment following errors. Finally, no successful responses were given regardless of parents' administration of discipline. The children's simulated responding was found to exert functional control over the intensities of punishments that their parents administered. Furthermore, parents' and children's gender and the children's apparent responsiveness to the parents' disciplinary strategies combined to determine the manner in which punishers and rewards were given by the parents. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of gender characteristics of instructional materials: An integration of the research literature.

Discusses the influence of gender characteristics of instructional materials on children. Recent reviews indicate that most instructional materials are still sexist. Definitions of sexist and sex equitable that incorporate both language form and gender content are included in the present article. Generalizations synthesized from research regarding the effects of gender characteristics of instructional materials on students are presented. It is suggested that the following generalizations apply to students from preschool through college age: (1) The use of gender-specified language forms explicitly including both sexes yields gender-balanced associations, while use of male generic language frequently results in male associations. (2) Exposure to sex-equitable materials results in more flexible sex role attitudes for both males and females, with degree of attitude change being directly related to the amount of exposure. (3) Students often prefer materials with same-sex main characters but do not reject sex-equitable materials. (4) The patterns for comprehension are not as clear, but sex-equitable materials do not decrease comprehension. (63 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The process of cognitive tuning in communication.

To test the effect of mental set on thinking and communication, Ss were asked to describe an individual from a "letter" written to a potential employer by a "job applicant." Impressions of the personality of the "letter writer" were elicited under several conditions: (a) S was asked to communicate his findings to another (but unknown) group; (b) S was the recipient of such information; and (c) S was asked to communicate findings to, on the one hand, or be the recipient of findings from, on the other, a "group" with attitudes known to be contrary to those expressed by S. Being a "transmitter" or "receiver," as well as incongruence of "other group" attitudes, affected the impression formed and communcated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Award for Distinguished Contributions of Applications of Psychology to Education and Training: Richard Lehrer.

Richard Lehrer, recipient of the Award for Distinguished Contributions of Applications of Psychology to Education and Training, is cited for research demonstrating what mathematics and science education might look like if designed to build coherently and cumulatively toward important ideas. Lehrer’s research focuses on children’s mathematical and scientific reasoning. Working closely with teachers and students, he has advanced and tested approaches to teaching mathematical and scientific concepts built upon everyday experiences. His work has shown how an understanding of psychology and cognition can be effectively applied to improve learning in math and science. In addition to the citation, a biography and selected bibliography of Lehrer's works are provided. Also included is Lehrer's paper, entitled "Designing to develop disciplinary dispositions: Modeling natural systems," a version of which Lehrer delivered at the American Psychological Association's annual convention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Etude de la stabilité de l'attitude scolaire entre la troisième et la cinquième année du niveau élémentaire, chez des sujets masculins.

A longitudinal study of attitude toward school was conducted among 30 elementary school boys. A projective test of attitudes toward school (ATS) and a teacher's questionnaire were employed for the test–retest. According to the ATS measure, there was a significant difference in the attitude toward school between Grades 3 and 5 although there was no significant difference according to the teachers' questionnaire. Analysis showed a large variability in the teachers' aptitude to evaluate their pupils' attitudes toward school, with some teachers confounding attitude with academic performance. Therefore, it is necessary to recognize the greater value of the ATS measure and to accept the finding of a significant difference in attitude toward school between the 2 grade levels studied. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vested interest, symbolic politics, and attitude-behavior consistency.

Considerable research suggests the relevance of vested interest for attitude–behavior consistency. Conversely, symbolic politics theory holds that self-interest is irrelevant for attitude valence and related attitude phenomena. Rather, attitudes acquired early in life generalize to other issues and motivate actions, even actions contrary to self-interest. The present research replicates and extends the findings of an earlier symbolic politics study (D. O. Sears et al, 1979) on the mandated busing of school children (N?>?1,300). Analysis of the archival data revealed that vested interest is a significant moderator of (racial) attitude–criterion consistency and of attitude–behavior consistency as well. The results are taken as supportive of both the vested interest and the symbolic politics orientations and form the basis of a position that suggests both schools of thought can coexist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Linking teachers' memory-relevant language and the development of children's memory skills.

This longitudinal study was designed to (a) examine changes in children's deliberate memory across the 1st grade; (b) characterize the memory-relevant aspects of their classrooms; and (c) explore linkages between the children's performance and the language their teachers use in instruction. To explore contextual factors that may facilitate the development of skills for remembering, 107 first graders were assessed 3 times with a broad set of tasks, while extensive observations were made in the 14 classrooms from which these children were sampled. When the participating teachers were classified as high or low in terms of their "mnemonic orientation," in part on the basis of their use of metacognitive information and requests for deliberate remembering during instruction in language arts and mathematics, differences were observed in the use of mnemonic techniques by the children in their classes. By the end of the year, the children drawn from these 2 groups of classrooms differed in their spontaneous use of simple behavioral strategies for remembering and in their response to training in more complex verbally based mnemonic techniques. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's reluctance to seek help with schoolwork.

Elementary-school children were asked why they do, or do not, ask for help from parents, teachers, and classmates when they have problems in math and reading. Responses were correlated with achievement scores. Findings indicate: (a) Classmates are seen as less helpful than adults in answering questions, (b) there is more concern about possible negative reactions (i.e., perceptions of being "dumb") from classmates than from adults, (c) children perceive a greater need for help in math than in reading, (d) girls are more concerned than boys about negative reactions to help-seeking in math, (e) the more children believe that asking questions is likely to help in learning, the more they like to ask questions, and (f) the lower the child's achievement, the greater their reluctance to ask questions. Discussion focuses on ways in which children's attitudes differ according to academic subject and identity of the helper. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)