Gender differences in sexual attitudes.

Developed a 102-item sexual attitudes questionnaire that was completed by 439 female and 374 male undergraduates as part of a larger attitude study. Factor analyses yielded 8 factors on which 74 of the 102 items loaded. ANOVA of the individual items showed that female and male Ss differed on 73 of the 102 items. Females were more responsible, conventional, and idealistic, whereas males were more permissive, instrumental, and control- and power-oriented. The means suggested that females were moderately conservative in sexual attitudes, while males were moderately permissive. Based on the factor analysis, the present authors formed 5 preliminary sexual attitudes scales. Correlations among the summed scale scores indicated that the scales were largely independent of each other. It is suggested that the multidimensional complexity of sexual attitudes and empirical explanations for the continuing gender differences in sexual attitudes should be studied. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Older Adult Disability Scale: Development and validation.

Examined the development and validity of the Older Adult Disability Scale (OADS), a self-report instrument designed to measure attitudes toward older adults (aged 60 yrs and older) with physical disabilities. Data from a community sample (n ?=?207) were used for alpha coefficients, subscale intercorrelations, demographic correlations, and factor analyses. Data from a reliability sample (n ?=?27) were used for a 2-week test-retest reliability check; and data from an identified "positive attitude" sample of health care professionals and students (n ?=?57) were used to test construct validity. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed resulting in a 36-item instrument with four subscales of Cranky Dependency, Discomfort with Aging, Positive Attributes of Aging, and Negative Expectations of Disability. Satisfactory internal consistency, high test-retest reliability, and moderately high subscale intercorrelations were found. Validity was supported by the highly significant differences in OADS scores between the "positive attitude" and community samples. In conclusion, the OADS provides a promising measure of attitudes toward older adults with disabilities. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward higher education and course evaluation.

Tested the hypothesis that course evaluations are related to (a) students' and instructors' own and perceived attitudes toward higher education and college teaching and (b) congruence between students' and instructors' own and perceived attitudes. Two experiments were conducted with 24 college instructors and 889 students. The evaluation measure contained 18 5-step items drawn from previous studies; factor analysis yielded 4 factors—Intellectual Challenge, Student–Instructor Rapport, Content/Structure, and Teaching Method—accounting for 64% of the variance in the final instrument. Regression analyses show that attitudes accounted for close to 50% of evaluative variance. The most efficient subset of predictors was instructors' attitudes as perceived by students such that the attribution to instructors of attitude items preferred by students was associated with positive course evaluation. These items tended to be progressive or social in orientation. Results support the hypotheses which were derived from directive state and balance theories. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Longitudinal study of attitude development in pre-, early, and later adolescent samples.

Examined changes in attitude over a 1-yr period in 382 pre-, early, and later adolescent Ss. Attitudes toward self (i.e., self-esteem—Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory), toward events and one's ability to control them (i.e., locus of control—Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale), and toward achievement (i.e., achievement motivation—Prestatie Motivatie Test) were examined. Results do not support the hypothesis that early adolescence is a time of dramatic change in important attitudes and perceptions. Instead, the amount of attitudinal change evidenced by Ss at each age level varied with the kind of attitude being assessed. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The third version of the Diabetes Attitude Scale

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to develop a third version of the Diabetes Attitude Scale (DAS-3) that is congruent with current scientific knowledge about diabetes, has improved subscale internal reliability scores, and is shorter than the earlier versions of this instrument. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The second DAS was revised and rewritten by a panel of diabetes experts, including patients, associated with the University of Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center. The revised version of the instrument was sent to physicians, nurses, dietitians, and patients with diabetes. Completed and usable questionnaires were obtained from 384 patients with diabetes, 321 physicians, 540 nurses, and 569 dietitians. The total number of surveys used for these analyses was 1,814. RESULTS: The study resulted in a revised DAS with 33 items and five discrete subscales. The subscales were attitudes toward the following: 1) need for special training to provide diabetes care, 2) seriousness of type 2 diabetes, 3) value of tight glucose control, 4) pyschosocial impact of diabetes, and 5) attitude toward patient autonomy. Overall, the subscale reliabilities of the DAS-3 were superior to the earlier versions of the scale. CONCLUSIONS: The DAS-3 is a valid and reliable general measure of diabetes-related attitudes and is most suitable for comparisons across different groups of health care professionals and/or patients. The DAS-3 is also suitable for the evaluation of patient and/or professional education programs if those programs focus on the specific topic areas measured by the five DAS-3 subscales.     

Integration strategies and attitudes toward the built environment: A study of Haitian and Indian immigrant women in Montreal.

Investigated the extent to which immigrants are motivated toward spatial segregation in cities, and explored the relationship between attitudes toward the built environment and perceptions to the self and the social system. Ss were 144 women from Haiti and India (aged 16–70 yrs) living in Montreal. Both groups of Ss rejected the idea that ethnic minority groups should live in separate neighborhoods. A factor analysis of attitudes toward the built environment identified 4 factors: Ethnic Community, Geographical Practicality, Perceived Segregation, and City Belonging. Relationships between these factors and attitudes toward the self and society suggested differential patterns of integration, involving assimilationism and heritage culture maintenance. Perceptions of discrimination were found to be the key correlate of attitudes toward the built environment. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reconceptualizing Team Identification: New Dimensions and Their Relationship to Intergroup Bias.

In 2 studies framed within social identity theory, the authors examined the relationships among cognitive, affective, and evaluative dimensions of team identification. They also sought to determine relationships between team identification and intergroup bias. Factor analyses in both investigations revealed similar findings. Items corresponding to cognitive identification and affective identification loaded on 1 factor. Items intended to measure evaluative identification loaded on 2 factors that depicted self-evaluations and evaluations perceived by others. Consistent with expectations, the cognitive-affective dimension of team identification was the strongest predictor of intergroup bias in both investigations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Screening for depression in primary care patients: Dimensionality of the Short Form of the Beck Depression Inventory.

In an attempt to discover factors that might explain the high misclassification rate of the short form of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) as a screening tool for depression in primary health care patients (primarily due to false positives), confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the dimensionality of the instrument with data from a sample of 598 family practice outpatients. A dual-factor specification provided a superior fit, with 2 moderately correlated factors (r?=?.722), identified and labeled Nonsomatic Symptoms and Somatic Symptoms. The items work inhibition and fatigue loaded together on the Somatic Symptoms factor, whereas the anorexia item loaded on both factors, and it is hypothesized that these symptoms are elevated in otherwise nondepressed, medically ill patients. Caution is urged in interpreting positive screens of the shorter BDI where somatic symptoms are elevated in the absence of nonsomatic symptoms. Alternative screening and diagnostic testing algorithms are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between the conception of the role of histones in the mutagenic process and the combined effect of trichloracetic acid and dimethylsulfate on Arabidopsis

Thirteen male and 11 female ex-addict staff members of a therapeutic community were surveyed to assess their attitudes on nine factors related to drug abuse and the drug abuser. Each factor was assessed according to the critieria established by Marcus. Both male and female groups held positive beliefs that psychological problems were contributing factors in the development of addiction. Among the remaining eight factors there was considerable variation in agreement regarding these male and female ex-addicts' attitudes toward drug abuse and the drug abuser.     

Coparenting around siblings' differential treatment in Mexican-origin families.

In this study we examined patterns of mothers' and fathers' differential affection and discipline toward 2 adolescent offspring in 243 Mexican-origin families. Grounding our work in a family systems perspective, we used interparental patterns of differential treatment as an index of the coparental alliance and tested their associations with parents' reports of familism values, traditional gender role attitudes, and cultural orientations. We also sought to replicate prior research on European American samples linking interparental patterns of differential treatment to marital qualities (coparenting satisfaction, love, and conflict) and adolescent depressive symptoms and risky behaviors. Three interparental patterns emerged: families in which both mothers and fathers treated their 2 offspring equally, incongruent families in which 1 parent treated both offspring equally while the other parent favored 1 offspring, and congruent families in which both parents favored the same offspring. Most parents reported equal treatment, but others fell into the incongruent affection (30%), incongruent discipline (45%), and congruent discipline (16%) groups. Mixed model analyses of variances revealed that in families in which mothers and fathers both treated their offspring equally, parents reported higher familism values, more traditional gender role attitudes, and relatively stronger orientations to Mexican than Anglo culture. Consistent with previous research, interparental incongruence was associated with less positive marital qualities and more adolescent adjustment problems. Discussion focuses on the role of culture in shaping coparenting and the processes through which these coparenting dynamics are linked to marital and youth adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Overcoming the masculine mystique: Preferences for alternative forms of assistance among men who avoid counseling.

Both informal observation and considerable data confirm that men are less likely to seek psychotherapy than are women. This study examines the possibility that this reluctance to seek help (1) is related to traditional gender role socialization and (2) can be lessened by offering counseling interventions that are more congruent with that socialization. 435 male Ss were recruited from 23 intact classes of 1 university and 2 community college campuses. Predictors of positive attitudes toward traditional counseling included comparatively high social scores on a personality measure. Predictors of negative attitudes toward personal counseling included high scores on various masculinity measures. The study also indicated that men with more highly masculine attitudes preferred alternative helping formats over traditional ones. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Hawthorne effect in reverse: Trainee orientation for the hard-core unemployed woman.

Utilized role-playing, group-problem-solving sessions to make the work adaptation of 72 formerly unemployed black females more satisfying. It was postulated that Ss would show greater positive change in attitudes toward self accompanied by positive changes in attitudes toward work as a function of their reference group involvement and their perceived improvement at reflexive identification in the role-playing episodes. Contrary to prediction, the Hawthorne effect boomeranged. Ss did evince greater positive changes in attitude toward self, but rather than the accompanying positive shift in attitudes toward work posited, these Ss were apparently presented with the support necessary to raise both their levels of aspiration and expectation and subsequently leave the work environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Measuring attitudes regarding bisexuality in lesbian, gay male, and heterosexual populations.

Five studies on the development and validation of the Attitudes Regarding Bisexuality Scale (ARBS) were conducted. Factor analysis of an initial pool of 80 items yielded 2 factors assessing the degree to which bisexuality is viewed as a tolerable, moral sexual orientation (Tolerance) and a legitimate, stable sexual orientation (Stability). Three forms of the ARBS were created: a form to assess attitudes about female and male bisexuality (i.e., ARBS-FM) and forms to assess attitudes about female bisexuality (i.e, ARBS-F) and male bisexuality (ARBS-M). These forms evidenced moderate-to-high internal consistency reliability in both lesbian and gay samples and heterosexual samples. In heterosexual women and men, subscale were most strongly related to attitudes toward lesbians and gay men; frequency of religious attendance; political ideology; and prior contact with lesbian, gay, and bisexual people. In lesbians and gay men, subscales correlated with prior experiences with bisexual people, desired contact with bisexual people, contact with homosexual people, and sexual orientation identity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dimensions of favorable self-presentation.

Conducted 2 studies to examine the importance of the tactic used in presenting a favorable self-image (denying negative characteristics vs attributing positive characteristics) and to examine the perceived audience of the self-presentation (internal vs external) on responses to self-report personality items. In Study 1, 60 items were administered under low or high conditions of identifiability to 244 undergraduates. None of the items were found to be sensitive to the identifiability manipulation, which suggested that none of these items could be identified as being particularly sensitive to external audience concerns. In Study 2 with 156 undergraduates, confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the process of attributing positive characteristics to the self is somewhat independent from the process of denying negative characteristics. Self-esteem was positively correlated with the tendency to unrealistically attribute positive traits to the self, and self-conscious persons were less likely to unrealistically deny negative characteristics. Findings suggest that the process of attributing positive characteristics to the self is different from the process of denying negative traits. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developing a measure of sluggish cognitive tempo for children: Content validity, factor structure, and reliability.

Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) is a construct that some researchers believe may be extremely useful in understanding the inattentive subtype of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and may even help define a completely new disorder. However, the construct of SCT is as yet inadequately operationally or theoretically defined. The authors took the first steps toward developing an empirically supported measure of SCT in children. In Study 1, potential items to measure SCT were identified from a literature review, content validity of the items was evaluated by a group of experts, and a preliminary set of SCT items were selected. In Study 2, ratings completed by parents and teachers of 335 children (ages 4–13) were used to further develop and evaluate the SCT items by computing factor analyses, item-level analyses, reliability analyses, and preliminary validity analyses. The final SCT scale (14 items) produced a total scale score and 3 subscale scores: Slow, Sleepy, and Daydreamer. These scales were constructed with good content validity and were found to have strong reliability. Future directions include replication, extension into a clinical population, and further examination of validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Career Decision Scale, My Vocational Situation, Vocational Rating Scale, and Decisional Rating Scale: Do they measure the same constructs?

Factor analyses were performed on the scale scores and items of the Career Decision Scale, My Vocational Situation, Vocational Rating Scale, and Decisional Rating Scale. Analysis of the scales revealed three factors that we named Crystallization, Decision-Making Obstacles, and Indecision. Five factors emerged from the analysis of the items, clarity, certainty, indecision, decision-making obstacles, and informational deficit. Only the first three factors were stable. The two factor structures were related. Crystallization comprised clarity and certainty items, and Decision-Making Obstacles comprised a more limited range of decision-making obstacles and informational-deficit items, plus additional items from the My Vocational Situation Vocational Identity scale. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethnic attitudes as a function of ethnic presence.

Attitudes, assessed through comfort ratings, toward 12 ethnic and racial groups in Canada were measured in a national survey in 1991, using responses from 3,325 participants (aged 18+ yrs). The attitudes toward these groups were related to their ethnic presence in the survey respondents' Census Subdivision (equivalent to a municipality), as revealed in the 1986 Census. Separate analyses were carried out in Quebec and the rest of Canada. Small but significant direct relationships were found between most ethnic attitudes and log10 transformed ethnic presence. The relationships were statistically significant for Italians, Ukrainians, Germans, Jews, and Portuguese in Quebec, as well as in the rest of Canada. In Quebec, the relationship was also significant for British. In the rest of Canada, but not in Quebec, further significant relationships were obtained for Arabs and French. Linear relationships were not significant in Quebec, as well as the rest of Canada for Chinese, Native Indians, and West Indian Blacks. The direct relationships between ethnic attitudes and ethnic presence observed for most groups indicate that attitudes toward a particular group are more positive to the extent that the group is well represented in the geographic region of the respondent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cigarette smokers do more than just smoke cigarettes.

Hypothesized that 199 17–60 yr old light and moderate-to-heavy (MH) cigarette smokers, compared with 675 nonsmokers, would exhibit significantly less healthy attitudes and behaviors on several dimensions of the risk to coronary heart disease (CHD). A factor analysis of survey items measuring knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in 5 CHD risk areas produced 4 factors: Attitudes, Health Consciousness, Knowledge, and Unhealthy Behaviors. Smokers vs nonsmokers exhibited less positive attitudes toward CHD risk behaviors, whereas MH smokers, as compared with the light smokers and the nonsmokers, exhibited lower levels of health consciousness and enacted unhealthy behaviors at a greater frequency. Results support the hypothesis that smokers exhibit a less healthy lifestyle as shown by cognitive, behavioral, and motivational dimensions related to cardiovascular health. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Managers' attitudes toward how their pay is and should be determined.

Investigated, by questionnaire, the perceptions of 563 managers toward how their pay is determined and their attitudes toward how it should be determined. The results show that in general the managers' perceptions of how their pay was determined reflected the way in which it was determined. However, the way their pay was determined did not appear to influence strongly their attitudes toward how it should be determined, although there was general agreement that merit should be the most important determinant. However, attitudes toward what factors should be important in determining pay were shown to be related to the managers' perception of their relative standing on the various factors. There was a positive correlation between how well the managers felt they compared with other managers on each factor and how important they felt the factor should be. The data also showed that there was a tendency for lack of congruence between a manager's attitudes toward how his pay should be determined and how it is determined to be associated with high dissatisfaction with pay. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward aging and towards the needs of older people

In order to explore the underlying dimensionality of beliefs about aging, two sets of opinion statements (one dealing with general attitudes toward aging and the other with programmatic issues) were factor analyzed for two age groups: persons under 60 (N = 290) and persons 60 and older (N = 181). For the first set of social-psychological belief statements, a common factor structure was found for the two age groups. For the second set of programmatic statements, there was some communality between age groups, but most of the items loading on the factors tended to be age-specific. The belief structure of the older group was generally more complex and variegated than was the case with the younger group. Except where the items were personal relevance, positive and negative items tended to load on separate, unipolar factors.