The current study investigated the influence of rewards on very young children's helping behavior. After 20-month-old infants received a material reward during a treatment phase, they subsequently were less likely to engage in further helping during a test phase as compared with infants who had previously received social praise or no reward at…

The results showed predictable male and female differences and differences between the sexual behavior of the Norwegian sample and American samples tested by other investigators. The study lent some support to an appetitional theory of sexual motivation. (Author)

Implicit motives generally sustain behavior over time because of the pleasure derived from the activities; self-attributed motives predict immediate responses because of social incentives in a structured situation. Implications of these distinctions are discussed. (SLD)

The need associations of male prisoners are compared with nonincarcerated males. Need association differences were found in all variables studied. (DEP)

Examined whether a measure of self-reported, task-specific, efficacy expectations would correspond more with persistence or locus of control. Results indicated that beliefs in locus of control were strongly related to persistence and that efficacy expectations were not as significant. (RC)

Patterns of student performance were examined in a personalized instruction (PSI) course. Introductory psychology students (N=65) were randomly divided into a completely self-paced group and a group that had an early, instructor-imposed deadline. It was hypothesized that the early deadline group would respond at a more even pace throughout the…

Tested whether individuals with Type A coronary-prone behavior focus attention more on important tasks, than do Type B's. Results indicated Type A's performed better on math problems and recalled more fatigue-related mood items when task was important, whereas Type B's performance did not differ between the task categories. (Author/RC)

Some children exhibit a pattern of debilitating behavior characterized as helplessness. Within an achievement context, such children can be observed to initiate few constructive activities, to work with little intensity on those activities already attempted, and to persist at a task only moderately--especially following failure. A stratified…

Compares volunteers' and paid employees' attitudes toward their jobs and supervisors. Finds that volunteers are higher in intrinsic motivation and are more satisfied with their supervisors' decision-making. Suggests that supervisors of volunteers should use participative decision-making tactics and employ compliance-gaining behavior strategies…

A five-year, four-wave, longitudinal study of 2,788 youth from seven public and parochial, urban and suburban school systems in the southern tier of New York provided data, through survey questionnaires, for a comparative analysis of students entering two-year and four-year colleges, and students who terminated their formal education with a high…