Theories about helping behavior have branched into two basic areas: egoistic and altruistic. Egoistic theories describe helping as being induced by sadness or distress; the Empathy-Altruism hypothesis contends that people help when they feel empathy for another in need. Fultz, Schaller, and Cialdini (1988) looked at the possibility that three…

This study sought to show that motivated biases can be shown for positive, as well as negative, behaviors. In the first study college students (N=151) estimated how often they and their fellow students engaged in various positive and negative health-related behaviors. Results indicated all negative behaviors yielded the predicted pattern: subjects…

The authoritarian/permissive dimension of hypnosis refers to the manner in which hypnotic suggestions are phrased. In the authoritarian mode suggestions imply the subject is under control of the hypnotist; permissive suggestions are phrased to emphasize the subject's own thinking. To compare the permissive suggestions of the Creative Imagination…

The present study examined the "person versus situation" controversy regarding the contribution to variance of behavior in real-life environments of 34 severely disabled psychiatric patients, using reliable and valid observational assessment of both patient behavior and dimensions of situations. (Editor/RK)

Analyzes self-disclosure in terms of positive and negative participant attraction, and degree of message intimacy. (MH)

Newspaper action line columns which stress problem solving get more inquiries than those which merely provide information. (RB)

A study was carried out to obtain systematic quantitative data about the types of verbal behavior used by instructors and students in teaching and learning a foreign language. (Author)

The utility of Heider's model for specifying relations between perceived properties of an act and the attributed intentionality of the act is explored empirically with children of varying ages. (Author/ED)

In this study, data were collected on 15 visitor groups for the duration of their stay, and on 1556 visitor groups at 18 exhibits at the Singapore Zoo. Mean time at the zoo was 155 minutes; the distribution of the time spent among four activities was analyzed by ethnicity and group size. The actual route followed was traced on zoo maps and group…

The composite results from eight surveys conducted between 1985 and 1987 by CENSIS (Social Investment Study Center, Italy) reveal some behavioral trends of Italian youth. Part 1 of this paper discusses the indications from the collected data. The instruments tested youth perceptions on seven topics that included values orientation, formal…

Over the past 50 years, theoretical and methodological problems have plagued the study of leadership. This paper, proposing an alternative theory, argues that leadership has three fundamental components: projection and social control, which are linked by action. Projection is the visualization of a project to be completed. Educational…

Over the last decade or so, researchers have started to describe some of the ways young children begin to acquire and apply certain gender-relevant concepts, constructs, and behaviors. Researchers are beginning to build developmental models detailing young children's acquisition of certain gender-typed behaviors and gender schema factors. The…

Cognitive cause maps permit a topological investigation of the complexity of organizational events and behaviors. Because cognitive cause maps are believed to be ordered according to a givens-means-ends schema, they contain information about an individual's motivation structure. In a work setting an individual engages in several different acts.…

The digest examines the range of traits that may be exhibited by intellectually gifted children. The characterisitcs are explained to be signals that a particular child might warrant closer observation and special educational attention. Characteristics are listed under three headings: general behavior (early reading, ability to detect and…

In this digest the problem of underachievement among gifted students is examined. Gifted underachievers manifest three behavior patterns in the school setting: non-communication and withdrawal, passive compliance, and aggressive/disruptive behavior. Gifted underachievers have been identified in greater numbers recently. Some of the causes of…