Investigated the utility of situational assessments of trait anxiety in predicting state anxiety reactions. Results indicated that the STAI-A-Trait and the S-R GTA Evaluation measures correlated significantly higher with each other than either did with the S-R GTA Physical Danger measure. Both stresses produced significant increases in state…

Describes how foreign language instructors can test oral communication skills by simulating real-life situations and how this testing format was adapted so it could be used in a multisection French course. (one reference) (GLR)

To explore the specific types of power that emerge in the communication messages chief executive officers (CEOs) use when interacting with others--particularly superiors, peers, and subordinates--15 CEOs were asked to respond to three hypothetical situations. During 60-minute tape-recorded interviews, they were asked what they would say to…

Gilligan's theory, which identifies two distinct orientations of moral decision-making, care and justice, was extended in this study. Moral dilemmas were used to ascertain percentages of care-based responses versus justice-based responses in 40 men and 39 women. Based on previous research, it was predicted that by increasing the level of…

Fair, valid, and reliable measurement of dependent variables is a concern in personnel evaluation studies. Performance tests, that is, job or work sample tests, situational tests, and job learning or trainability tests, are being used with increasing frequency as measurement techniques capable of meeting these needs. The three categories of…

Contradictory predictions concerning control over negative events exist in Walster's self-protective attribution theory which maintains that on-lookers in negative situations are apt to seek control by convincing themselves that such a situation couldn't happen to them, while Shaver's defensive attribution theory suggests that in a comparable…

At the George Peabody College for Teachers, Nashville, Tennessee, 50 male students responded to a questionnaire concerning their reactions to individuals having mental or physical disabilities, to persons of another race, and to gifted persons. The 20 questions (scale items) focused on association with 12 types of "disabled" persons (disability…

Starting with the premise that the construct-oriented approach is the only viable approach to personality assessment, this paper considers five propositions. First, a prerequisite to generalizable and valid psychometric measurement of personality rests on the choice of broad-based constructs with systematic univocal definitions. Next, measures…

In an attempt to test the role of situational factors on alcohol consumption, this laboratory study was designed to determine if angered subjects would drink more in a tasting task than nonangered subjects. It was hypothesized (1) that subjects who were angered would drink more in the tasting task than control subjects; and (2) that subjects who…

The definitions and usages of the concept of competence are reviewed, and, using two different studies as illustrations, two kinds of contextual factors that are crucial to any attempt to describe, analyze, or assess children's competence in school are discussed. The two kinds of contextual factors are situational factors and task-specific…

Adolescents were administered classical and practical moral dilemmas. They were asked to judge the actions of others (judgments), and to reach a personal decision and justify what they would do (deliberation). Stage of moral reasoning for deliberation on practical dilemmas was lower than moral judgment on classical dilemmas. (Author/RD)

Examines mother-infant gazing during periods of play, bottle feeding, and spoon feeding activities. Subjects were ten 3-month-old twin infants and their mothers. (BD)

Presents a situation by response model that enables trainers to organize and simplify the planning, training, and application of making appropriate response choices. The discussion covers the possible uses of the model and the necessary steps involved in the creation of the model. (CLB)

Describes the function of an assessment center, which consists of a standardized evaluation of behavior based on multiple inputs. Judgments are made in part by means of specially developed assessment simulations based on a thorough job analysis. Such judgments are used for management decision-making and career development. (JAC)