Punitiveness, authoritarianism, and parental discipline of grade school children.

"The purpose of this study was to investigate the interrelationships among ethnocentrism-authoritarianism in children, the child's willingness to be punitive, and the punitiveness of the parent as the child sees it. Three hypotheses postulating positive correlations among the three variables were set up… . It is concluded that the three hypotheses of the study are supported by the data, and that this evidence is in accord with, and reflects favorably upon, the theory of the origin of ethnocentrism-authoritarianism proposed by Frenkel-Brunswik and her associates." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The deaf child's conception of physical causality.

In an attempt to assess their causal thinking relative to hearing children of normal emotional status and emotionally disturbed hearing children, the responses of 12 deaf children, aged 8-10 yr., to question dealing with physical causality were compared with those of groups of emotionally disturbed and undisturbed hearing children of similar age and intelligence. Questions asked were of 2 experience levels, depending upon the accessibility of the causal agent to direct experience. Each child was asked 8 questions at each level. It was found that: (a) Significant differences among groups appeared with items whose causal agents were not accessible to direct experience, (b) The "prelogical" responses of the deaf tend to be of a phenomenistic nature. Those of the emotionally disturbed and normals are more inclined toward the animistic and dynamic categories. (c) By the age of 12 yr. no measurable group differences appeared. (17 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of three variables on children's concepts of physical causality.

"This study investigated the effects of 3 variables on children's concepts of physical casuality. It was found that: (1) The nature of the causal thinking of withdrawn children is at a significantly less mature level than the causal thinking of normal children. (2) Questions about phenomena whose causal agents are not accessible to direct experience yielded significantly more nonnaturalistic responses than did questions about phenomena whose causal agents are more ascessible. (3) Questions worded so as to suggest the possible operation of 'animistic,' 'supernatural,' or 'dynamic' forces yielded more such nonnaturalistic types of responses than questions less suggestively worded." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A longitudinal study of conversations with parents about sex and dating during college.

Emerging adulthood is a time of sexual and romantic relationship development as well as change in the parent–child relationship. This study provides a longitudinal analysis of 30 young adults’ (17 women, 13 men) sexual experiences, attitudes about sexuality and dating, and reported conversations with parents about sexuality and dating from the 1st and 4th years of college. Self-report questionnaires revealed increases in general closeness with parents, increases in sexual and dating experiences, and more sexually permissive as well as more gender stereotyped attitudes. Qualitative analyses of individual interviews indicated a movement from unilateral and restrictive sex-based topics to more reciprocal and relationship-focused conversations over time. Gender analyses revealed that young women reported more restrictive sex messages and young men more positive sex messages. Participants also described increased openness and comfort in talking about sexual topics with both mothers and fathers from the 1st to 4th year of college. Overall, the results suggest that prior findings of increased mutuality with parents during the college years extend to the traditionally taboo topic of sexuality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender differences and developmental change in externalizing disorders from late adolescence to early adulthood: A longitudinal twin study.

Using data from over 1,000 male and female twins participating in the Minnesota Twin Family Study, the authors examined developmental change, gender differences, and genetic and environmental contributions to the symptom levels of four externalizing disorders (adult antisocial behavior, alcohol dependence, nicotine dependence, and drug dependence) from ages 17 to 24. Both men and women increased in symptoms for each externalizing disorder, with men increasing at a greater rate than women, such that a modest gender gap at age 17 widened to a large one at age 24. Additionally, a mean-level gender difference on a latent Externalizing factor could account for the mean-level gender differences for the individual disorders. Biometric analyses revealed increasing genetic variation and heritability for men but a trend toward decreasing genetic variation and increasing environmental effects for women. Results illustrate the importance of gender and developmental context for symptom expression and the utility of structural models to integrate general trends and disorder-specific characteristics. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smoking and rebelliousness: A longitudinal study from childhood to maturity.

The hypothesis that rebelliousness contributes to the etiology of cigarette smoking was tested with data from 2 longitudinal studies. Comparisons were made between smokers and nonsmokers (as determined at age 30) in the presmoking years from kindergarten through high school on several measures of rebelliousness. In every comparison for both sexes the smokers showed greater rebelliousness; the difference was statistically significant in most instances. This difference persisted into adulthood; smokers of both sexes scored significantly lower on the Socialization scale of the CPI. In discussing factors associated with the initiation and continuance of smoking, the evidence indicating rebelliousness as related also to alcoholism and drug usage suggests that it would be heuristic to regard smoking as 1 of the addictions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A factorial study of dogmatism and related concepts.

Using scales of 10 personality variables, 3 hypotheses were tested: (1) dogmatism is factorially discriminable from authoritarianism, ethnocentrism, and rigidity; (2) dogmatism, paranoia, and self-rejection are factorially similar; and (3) dogmatism, paranoia, and self-rejection would emerge, together with anxiety, on a single factor. Ss were 207 New York college students. The data permit the conclusion that these 3 hypotheses are confirmed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)