Background: Clinical heterogeneity of autism likely hinders efforts to find genes associated with this complex psychiatric disorder. Some studies have produced promising results by restricting the sample according to the expression of specific familial factors or components of autism. Previous factor analyses of the restricted, repetitive…

The Personal Competence Profile was administered to 30 male adults with Down syndrome and 30 without Down syndrome matched on age, IQ, and years of instituionalization. Down syndrome subjects rated higher on attention, calmness, and niceness but lower on sensation, language, and boldness. (Author/CL)

Examined self-control concerns of 104 men and women who evaluated areas of their life in terms of perceived use of various dimensions of self-control. Results indicated that, depending on the specific area of clinical concern, there were significant differences in the kinds of self-control strategies subjects tended to employ. (LLL)

Examined interrelationships among sex, race, drug-use patterns, and personality variables in chronic users of illicit drugs. Blacks were characterized by lower levels of sensation seeking, less psychopathology, use of fewer drug categories, and later drug use than Whites. Use and personality patterns among women differed little from men.…

Based on Fromm's proposed personality theory of the productive and nonproductive use of four character types, studied the productive facet of the four life-style orientations. Analyses of the data from surveys of life and interpersonal relations orientations supported the four orientations suggested by Fromm's theory. (RC)

Mentally retarded adults (N=180) were asked 30 yes/no questions, to determine if their acquiescence is explained by indiscriminant yea-saying in response to the yes/no question format or due to subjects submitting to the influence of the interviewer. After selected questions, the interviewer either nodded his head "yes" or shook his head…

Self-destructiveness can be viewed in two ways: as performing an act which one knows cognitively is not conducive to one's welfare but nonetheless leads to some pleasurable affect (e.g., overeating, smoking); or not performing an act one knows one should perform but which has some negative affective consequences (e.g., dental checkups, saving…

The characteristics of a group of 17 mentally retarded institutionalized individuals (ages 6 to 51) with self-injurious behavior (SIB) were compared with those of 14 patients without SIB. Among findings were that 65 percent of the SIB group were females, that the SIB group had an elevated pulse rate, and that they slept less. (PHR)

The paper points out research showing that entrepreneurs can be described as mildly sociopathic. It argues that further empirical research in this area is needed and outlines a proposal to survey 300 entrepreneurs and a control sample to further understand the nature of entrepreneurial behavior. (JDD)

The paper presents a conceptual model depicting proposed antecedents of entrepreneurial behavior, and applies the model to a case example of a company called Q.M.S. The model encompasses: personality characteristics, values, and behavioral orientations of the individual; organizational environment/structure; entrepreneurial role models; and the…

Interviews were held with 88 mentally retarded institutionalized adults (ages 18 to 30) in order to identify types of verbal and nonverbal behavior that are associated with making positive or negative impressions on others and that therefore might be priority targets for communication training efforts. (Author)

Little is known about the Type B behavior pattern which is allegedly antithetical to the coronary-prone Type A pattern. The purpose of this study was to develop a descriptive profile of individuals in middle adulthood who exhibit the Type B pattern. Cognitive/attitudinal characteristics, stress reactivity, and health status were examined in 98…

Growing interest in self-presentation has spawned several examinations of individual differences in the tendency to manage one's impressions, notably Snyder's attempt to identify skilled impression managers through self-monitoring and an associated monitoring device, the Self-Monitoring Scale (SMS). To further examine the SMS, factor analyses were…

Subjects associated degrees of stress with experiences of social isolation and powerlessness. High internals reported higher stress than moderate or low internals. High internal clients reported lower self-esteem, higher stress, and less control over recent events than nonclients. (Author/BEF)

Clinicians and family theorists have speculated that men and women differ in their orientations to close relationships, although these stereotypic patterns have not been investigated empirically. To determine whether people's interactional experiences are characterized by distinctive, sex-linked orientations to expressiveness and caring, 252 men…