Evaluative race–class stereotypes by race and perceived class of subjects.

80 Black and 74 White college students assigned traits, from a list of 80, to the Black lower class, Black middle class, White lower class, and White middle class. Each S rated the 5 or fewer traits that he or she had chosen as being most typical of the respective race–class groups from –5 (unfavorable) to +5 (favorable) for the given groups. Ss also assigned themselves to 1 of 4 classes: lower class, working class, middle class, or upper class. On the basis of these judgments, the Ss within each racial group were classified as perceiving themselves to be above or below the median of their own race's distribution. White Ss assigned more favorable characteristics to the middle than to the lower class and did not rate Blacks lower than Whites. Black Ss made a similar, but smaller, social class distinction and, in addition, generally perceived Blacks more favorably than Whites. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reliability of the Raven Colored Progressive Matrices Test: Age and ethnic group comparisons.

Reports reliabilities for the Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) for 3 age groups (5?–6?, 6?–7?, and 7?–8? yrs) and 3 ethnic groups. The Ss were 783 Anglo, Black, and Hispanic children. Reliability estimates were calculated using all CPM items and only those with p values between .20 and .80. Results indicate that the CPM did not appear to be equally reliable for all age groups, with the lowest reliability found for the youngest. The test appeared to be equally reliable for the 3 ethnic groups. Eliminating items with extremely low or high p values did little to affect the reliability of the test. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivation, race, social class, and IQ.

Administered the Performance subscales of the WISC to 208 male and 208 female junior and senior high school students (aged 12-16 yrs) to test the prediction that if performance responded to the manipulation of the testee's motivation state, the size of interracial differences in mean IQ would be more flexible than was suggested by A. R. Jensen's (1969) review of the literature. The variables of test atmosphere (evaluative or gamelike), tester expectation (high or low), race of tester (Black or White), and race of S (Black or White) were manipulated. The pattern of mean IQ scores as well as self-ratings of mood indicated that test performance was optimal at moderate levels of motivational arousal. A replication of the experiment employing 208 male Ss increased cell sizes to the point that socioeconomic status could be treated as an independent variable. Results suggested that interracial differences in mean IQ might be erased depending upon the social psychological characteristics of the test setting and the socioeconomic background of the testee. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of the standard and computerized versions of the Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices Test

Computerized psychological assessment is potentially a viable alternative to the traditional method of examiner based assessment. 15 children, 4 females and 11 males, ranging in age from 7 to 14 yr., were administered a computerized version of the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices test. The necessary software for computerizing this test was developed and programmed for use with an Apple II Plus microcomputer. Scores obtained from the computerized and traditional versions of the Raven's test were compared on total mean score, correlation with the WISC-R, Raven's subscale intercorrelations, and Raven's total mean score composition. In general, results indicate that the two versions of the Raven's Matrices do not statistically significantly differ on the dimensions tested in the present study. The relatively small number of subjects and the lack of rigorous experimental control limit generalization of the results. Continued research into the use of computerized psychological assessment is warranted.     

What one intelligence test measures: A theoretical account of the processing in the Raven Progressive Matrices Test.

The cognitive processes in a widely used, nonverbal test of analytic intelligence, the Progressive Matrices Test, are analyzed in terms of which processes distinguish between higher scoring and lower scoring subjects and which processes are common to all subjects and all items on the test. The analysis is based on detailed performance characteristics, such as verbal protocols, eye-fixation patterns, and errors. The theory is expressed as a pair of computer simulation models that perform like the median or best college students in the sample. The processing characteristic common to all subjects is an incremental, reiterative strategy for encoding and inducing the regularities in each problem. The processes that distinguish among individuals are primarily the ability to induce abstract relations and the ability to dynamically manage a large set of problem-solving goals in working memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Another look at sex stereotypes and social judgments: An analysis of the social perceiver's use of subjective probabilities.

Reexamined the findings of A. Locksley et al (see record 1981-28048-001) that Ss fall prey to the baserate fallacy when they make stereotype-related trait judgments and that Ss ignore their stereotypes when trait judgments are made in the presence of trait-related behavioral information. A replication of Study 2 by Locksley et al, using 99 undergraduates, was conducted to examine 2 issues: (a) the use of a normative criterion in comparison with Ss' judgments and (b) the level of analysis (group vs individual) of Ss' judgments. Results show no support for the baserate fallacy. When a Bayesian normative criterion was constructed for each S based on the S's own stereotype judgments and was compared with assertiveness judgments made in the presence of individuating information, there was no evidence that Ss ignored or underused their stereotypes as the baserate fallacy predicts. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School success and social class: An adoption study.

The high rate of school failure in lower-class children has been hypothesized to arise either from genetic social class differences or from cultural/environmental disadvantages. This study sought to evaluate the strength of the incidence of social class on school failure. To separate genetic factors and prenatal environment from postnatal rearing conditions, 87 children relinquished at birth and adopted before the age of 3 yrs into different social classes were studied. School failure was assessed when subjects were in late adolescence. Results indicated that the higher the adoptive parental social class, the fewer were the repeated grades in the adoptees. The most salient finding is a significant correlation (r?=?–.37) between the social class of the adoptive fathers and repetition of grade in the adoptees. In each adoptive social class, the rate of school failures for the adopted children is similar to the school failure rate of the reference group of biological children from the same social class, except for a slight difference in upper-class families. No significant selective placement was observed. Concordances and discrepancies with previous studies are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Time orientation and social class: An experimental supplement.

This study attempted to demonstrate a relationship between action-time span of stories told by school children and a "rating" measure of frustration tolerance. Such a relationship was not shown to exist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An item analysis of Cattell's 16 PF.

Administered Form A of the 16 PF to 567 undergraduates, and obtained correlations between all items. The present analysis concerns the number of significant interitem correlations. Of the 16,836 interitem correlations, 3,267 were significant at the .01 level. Of these 3,267, only 348 were intrafactor correlations out of 984 possible significant intrafactor correlations. The most homogeneous item groupings were found in surgency, parmia, and ergic tension. In general, this widely used personality test does not satisfy critical scrutiny at the item level. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Confirmatory factor analysis of the M5-50: An implementation of the International Personality Item Pool item set.

Goldberg’s International Personality Item Pool (IPIP; Goldberg, 1999) provides researchers with public-domain, free-access personality measurement scales that are proxies of well-established published scales. One of the more commonly used IPIP sets employs 50 items to measure the 5 broad domains of the 5-factor model, with 10 items per factor. The M5-50 (McCord, 2002) is a specific ordering and presentation of this 50-item set. Using data from a sample of 760 faculty, staff, and students at a midsized university, the authors assessed the reliability and construct validity of the M5-50. Cronbach’s alphas on the 5 scales ranged from acceptable to excellent. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated reasonably good model fit. Researchers who wish to measure personality would be well advised to consider using the M5-50. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dose of hemodialysis and survival: differences by race and sex

CONTEXT: Although blacks receive lower doses of hemodialysis than whites, their survival when receiving dialysis treatment is better than that for whites. Previous studies of the relationship between the dose of dialysis and patient survival have not controlled for differences in patient characteristics. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of mortality with the dose of hemodialysis for clusters of patients categorized by race and sex. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of laboratory data and mortality outcomes from 1994, using a national database of hemodialysis patients. PATIENTS: A total of 18144 black and white patients receiving hemodialysis 3 times weekly who either lived the entire year receiving hemodialysis or died. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The fractional reduction of urea in a single dialysis session as the measured hemodialysis dose (urea reduction ratio [URR]) after controlling for race, sex, age, and diabetes mellitus. Mortality was determined by strata of URRs and albumin and creatinine levels. RESULTS: Across all age categories, blacks had lower URRs than whites, and men had lower URRs than women. In an age-adjusted model for evaluating interactions among URRs, race, sex, and diabetes, the association of URR with mortality risk was weak among blacks, particularly black men. After adjustment for age and diabetes, death probability curves were most steep for white women with URR values less than 60%. The death probability curves were least steep for black men. There was no meaningful difference between death probability and albumin or creatinine concentration among the race by sex clusters. CONCLUSION: Using URR, the usual measure of hemodialysis dose, the assumption that the association between dialysis dose and survival is uniform across demographic groups appears incorrect. Comparisons of the quality of dialysis patient care should not rely on URR alone to predict patient survival.     

An analysis of test bias and differential item functioning due to race on the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale

The Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (MDRS) is a commonly used cognitive measure designed to assess the course of decline in progressive dementias. However, little information is available about possible systematic racial bias on the items presented in this test. We investigated race as a potential source of test bias and differential item functioning in 40 pairs of African American and Caucasian dementia patients (N = 80), matched on age, education, and gender. Principal component analysis revealed similar patterns and magnitudes across component loadings for each racial group, indicating no clear evidence of test bias on account of race. Results of an item analysis of the MDRS revealed differential item functioning across groups on only 4 of 36 items, which may potentially be dropped to produce a modified MDRS that may be less sensitive to cultural factors. Given the absence of test bias because of race, the observed racial differences on the total MDRS score are most likely associated with group differences in dementia severity. We conclude that the MDRS shows no appreciable evidence of test bias and minimal differential item functioning (item bias) because of race, suggesting that the MDRS may be used in both African American and Caucasian dementia patients to assess dementia severity.     

Loneliness, social interaction, and sex roles.

43 male and 53 female undergraduates maintained the Rochester Interaction Record for 2 wks, providing information about social interactions of 10 min or more. Ss then completed the revised UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire. For both sexes, loneliness was negatively related to the amount of time spent with females and to the meaningfulness of interaction with males and females. However, meaningfulness with males was more important than meaningfulness with females. Femininity was negatively related to loneliness for both sexes and partially mediated the above relationships. There were sex differences, however, in the extent to which variables overlapped in predicting loneliness. For example, a large group of nonlonely males was characterized both by having meaningful relationships with males and by spending time with females, whereas a 2nd group of nonlonely males was characterized simply by having meaningful relationships with males. The largest group of nonlonely females was characterized simply by having meaningful relationships with males, but another sizable group was characterized simply by spending time with females. Females doing both accounted for little of the variance. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teacher–student interactions: Effects of student race, sex, and grade level.

Studied quantitative and qualitative differences in students' initiating behaviors, teachers' verbal feedback, and students' available response opportunities in 63 classrooms in relation to student race (Black or White), sex, and grade level (kindergarten through 5th grade). There were 430 White males, 311 White females, 296 Black males, and 291 Black females. Interactions were collected using an observation system, and data were standardized for each classroom to account for the representation of each of the 4 sex/race categories. Results indicate that male students initiated more positive and negative interactions with teachers than did female students. Quantitatively, White female students at both the lower-elementary (LE) and the upper-elementary (UE) levels received less teacher feedback than did students in the other sex/race categories. Black female students received less teacher feedback in the UE grades than in the LE grades, as was the case for White female students. Qualitative differences in feedback indicated that male students received more negative and nonacademic feedback than did female students and that UE female students received less academic feedback than did UE male students. Findings show that UE Black female students were provided fewer opportunities to respond in the classroom than were LE Black female students. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mood and personality correlates of IQ by race and sex of subject.

Administered the WISC, Mood Adjective Check List, Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, the Janis-Field Personality Questionnaire, and Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale to 416 Black and 416 White junior high and high school students. Results show that mood and personality were significantly related to IQ and that this effect was differentially patterned, depending on Ss' race and sex. Stepwise multiple regression analyses indicated that for all females, externality was the strongest predictor of IQ; for all males, aggression was the strongest or 2nd strongest predictor. Blacks tended to show stronger relationships and higher mean scores on variables that correlated negatively with IQ, and weaker relationships and lower mean scores on variables that correlated positively. A factor analysis indicated that the mood scales could be combined into 3 dimensions: Emotional Upset, Defensive Overconfidence, and Task Interest. The Emotional Upset factor is conceptualized as an index of the degree of internal arousal experienced during examination. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An analysis of item gains and losses in retroactive interference.

The repeated-testing paradigm is used to study both retroactive interference and hypermnesia (the improvement in memory across repeated tests). Considerable theoretical progress has been made by separately analyzing the 2 components of hypermnesia: the recovery of previously unrecalled items on later tests (item gains) and the forgetting of previously recalled items on later tests (item losses). Item gains increase with increases in item-specific processing, whereas item losses decrease with increases in relational processing. The authors suggest that separate analysis of item gains and losses in retroactive interference research may also prove fruitful. Three experiments showed that an interpolated list affects item gains but not losses, whereas processing similarity between the target and interpolated lists affects losses but not gains. These results are interpreted within the relational-item-specific processing framework. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training effects on Raven's Progressive Matrices in young, middle-aged, and elderly adults.

Previous training studies of fluid intellectual abilities have involved training on either figural relations or induction tasks. In the present study, young, middle-aged, and elderly adults were given training on another measure of fluid ability—Raven's Progressive Matrices. The training involved a strategy-modeling technique that lasted no more than a few minutes. The results indicated that (a) performance on the Raven decreased with increasing age, (b) training significantly improved performance, and (c) the effect of training did not differ as a function of the age or sex of the subjects. Thus, the results indicate that performance on the Raven can be significantly improved in a single brief training session. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Qualitative analysis of the performance of introverts and extraverts on Standard Progressive Matrices

The present study was designed to bring out the differences between extraverts and introverts on Standard Progressive Matrices. A group of 100 subjects of equal number of sexes were given a qualitative analysis of their performance on SPM. The study brought out the initial superiority of extraverts over introverts. But with passage of time and increase in difficulty level the introverts did significantly better as shown both by the t-ratios and the F-ratios. Personality interacted with sex to yield differences in performance of wrong scores only. These findings were discussed in terms of arousal, cortical excitation and reactive inhibition.     

Development of tactile patterns in relation to age, sex, and race.

Two observers recorded the frequency of touch between male and female and Black and White kindergartners and 1st-6th graders in school cafeteria lines. In same-sex pairs, boys and girls in White and in integrated schools showed a reduction in frequency of touch from kindergarten to 6th grade, but in the Black school, no reduction was observed. Only 1 cross-racial hand-to-hand touch was observed. Data show that social norms related to sexual and racial interaction are the most important factors in the development of touch and interaction distance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)