Network analysis, a research methodology that uses interpersonal relationships as the unit of analysis in identifying communication structures, was used in a study of college classroom communication to determine what communication network factors were associated with student grades. Questionnaires asking for student perceptions of their…

An attempt was made to determine what factors are important in a person's decision to engage in regular, vigorous activity. An Exercise Behavior Model was developed for the purpose of explaining exercise behavior. The model assumes that a person has four major predispositions or inclinations, which influence a readiness to exercise: (1) locus of…

Relationships among adult and young children's behavior in extended play encounters were examined. One group of normal six-year-old children completed 20 play encounters, while a second group of clinic-referred children completed 15 play encounters. Each child encountered either a trained/supervised or an untrained/unsupervised college…

An experiment was conducted in which perceptions of an individual responding to an initial disclosure were examined. Observer subjects (N=315) read a brief description of a first encounter between two women. During the meeting one of the women made either an intimate or a non-intimate disclosure (low vs. high initial intimacy). The other woman…

The relationship of family variables to locus of control, under the hypothesis that a larger and more cohesive family provides greater reinforcement for the elderly person's actions was investigated. Elderly persons (N=200) aged 60-90 were interviewed at home and given Rotter's I-E scale. In a regression analysis, after removing effects of age and…

Premarital sexual attitudes of a convenience sample of 95 young unmarried college women were examined to ascertain the association between liberality of premarital sexual attitudes, religiosity, conservatism, self-reported premarital sexual behavior, and self-esteem. SPSS Pearson Correlation analysis showed different patterns for the group as a…

Studies based on models of interpersonal coorientation have discovered regularities in communication behavior that coorientation theory cannot explain. On the other hand, rules-based theories of communication contain explanatory concepts seemingly applicable to these phenomena, but have not been articulated sufficiently to be applied to the…

An initial model of the evaluation process in the leadership context is presented in order to consider information processing explanations of behavior in general and attributional analyses in particular. The model is designed to aid those individuals acting in supervisory capacities who must evaluate the performance of subordinates in an…

Results of a national survey of drug use among young males (19-30) are reported. For most drugs, half or more of the users used the drug less than 10 times. The data suggest a possible decline in the use of cigarettes. Several implications of the drug epidemic of the late 1960's are noted. Differences of drug use between blacks and whites seem to…

Performance expectancy and satisfaction were investigated in terms of the rate of change in performance outcomes. In a two-by-two factorial design, the direction (improving or deteriorating) and rate (accelerating or decelerating) of change in performance were manipulated using false feedback in a computerized math game. In accord with performance…

The opportunities offered by a natural history museum to enhance and expand classroom instruction in health are discussed. A basic constellation of typical natural history museum exhibit concepts and an array of health-related opportunities that are easily developed around these displays is outlined. The natural history concept provides an…

Leisure is a function of the individual's interaction with the environment, both social and physical. The sense of freedom from obligation (or the "leisure experience"), and the context in which this experience might take place, differ significantly from person to person. These factors depend on each person's individual background and…

Research on personality and aging has been limited by several factors, including nomethetic assumptions about traits; overreliance on morale scales as measures of adaptation; and the confounding of cohort, time of measurement and age effects. An idiographic approach, which focuses on traits that individuals subjectively feel as important, may help…

A survey of 549 college students investigated the size and motivation of the campus audience for soap operas. About half the student population (40% of the women and 10% of the men) claimed to watch the daytime serials. Most of the women viewing the soap operas watched two or three serials per week, with 83.3% following at least two regularly, and…

This summative report highlights findings of a survey into the everyday information needs of New England residents related to occupational and non-occupational situations in which they made decisions, sought answers, or clarified or solved problems. Data from the survey provide insights into the behavior of information seekers, information sources…