This study investigated comparative perceptions of counselor behavior. There was greater agreement between clients and observers than between clients and counselors and counselors and observers on four dimensions. The data suggested the existence of a common factor of perceived counselor behavior. (Author)

Previous research indicates that social beliefs can act in a self-fulfilling manner, affecting responses to individuals and thereby constraining these individuals to behave in ways that spuriously confirm attitudes about them. The possible role of self-perception, i.e., whether targets of such self-fulfilling prophecies not only alter their…

This study was designed to assess listeners' ability to judge a taped speaker's age and to measure the extent to which personality ratings are affected by perceived age. In two experiments, undergraduate subjects demonstrated that speaker age can be reliably estimated over a wide age range for both female and male voices. (Author)

This final report attempts to summarize the major findings of three and one-half years of research in the area of understanding and accurately judging others. The author's research on person perception focuses on the use of sound motion pictures of interviews as the primary stimulus and vehicle for the research. Subjects used for these studies…

This is the first stage of a research project concerned with the various ways in which parents perceive and categorize children's behavior and the effect this perception may have on parental reaction to such behavior. The present study compared the various ways in which mothers and fathers perceptually categorize the behavior of girls and boys. A…

In two studies the Counselor Rating Form was shown to be sensitive to perceived differences among and within counselors of moderate and minimal levels of training/experience. A significant positive relationship was noted between perceived counselor expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness and willingness to refer oneself to the observed…

Male (N=67) and female (N=83) students filled out the Do-It-Yourself Death Certificate (DIYDC), Handal and Templer death concern scales, and a Death Personification Exercise (DPE). Males and females who saw death as being sexless showed less anxiety about death. (Author)

Normal drinking patterns in an older population were examined by posing a series of questions directed at identifying drinking norms and practices, the social context and changes in alcohol use over time, and the ways individuals perceive alcohol and drinking. Instruments (N=3) were constructed: a schedule for structured personal interviews with…

The physical and interpersonal contexts within which rapes occur were investigated. The physical context, defined in terms of observers' perceptions of the likelihood of rapes occurring in a particular setting, produce variations in the degree of responsibility assigned to the victim. Women raped in high probability of rape settings were held as…

Two five-week test-retest reliability studies of a measure of the unit of perception of ongoing behavior were conducted. In the first, 25 females and 23 males segmented a 7-minute action sequence under fine-unit or gross-unit instructional sets. Number of units marked at first viewing correlated .87 with number of units at retest. Correlations…

This study investigated the ability of maritally-adjusted couples (N=12), couples attaining a divorce (N=5), and couples in counseling (N=9) to predict rewarding effects of their behavior on their spouse. The maritally-adjusted group was always more accurate in their predictions, but significantly more accurate only for selected areas of…

Reactions of observers, classified as either high or low in self-disclosure flexibility, to high and low behavioral samples of self-disclosure to a stranger were examined. Results suggest self-disclosure flexibility reflects perceptual awareness of social-situational norms governing the appropriateness of self-disclosing behavior. (Author)

Investigated effects of interviewer use of positive or negative self-disclosure and interviewer-subject sex pairing on subjects' perceptions of the interviewer and of their own behavior. Results indicated interviewers disclosing negative information about themselves were perceived as significantly more empathic, warm, and credible than…

The nonverbal behavior patterns and perceptions of males and females were investigated. Undergraduate students (N=36 men and N=30 women) viewed a series of high-contrast slides portraying two actors standing side by side. Half of the subjects saw slides depicting the person on the left touching the shoulder of the person on the right, while…

Homosexual men (N=95) between 25 and 68 years of age were asked to classify themselves as young, middle-aged, or old. The popular suggestion of accelerated aging in homosexual men was not supported. (Author)