Analyzed predictors of end-of-treatment (4 months) smoking cessation and subsequent relapse at 12 and 24 months among 3,923 participants enrolled in a 12-week cognitive-behavioral group smoking-cessation program. Men were more likely than women to quit smoking initially, but relapse rates were similar for both genders. Clinical implications are…

Investigated predictors of psychological distress among infertility clinic patients. Analyses indicated that infertile men and women reported greater psychological distress than the general population. Self-blame and avoidance coping significantly predicted psychological distress among men and women. Increased age and childlessness added to…

The social psychological determinants of adolescent sexual activity were examined using survey data from 288 teenagers and drawing on a power-dependency theory in a social exchange framework. The model was a good predictor of factors associated with the sexual activity of males but not females. Racial differences were also examined. (SLD)

Describes a sustainable planet index (SPI) to gauge the survivability of the earth ecologically and economically. Compares the SPI to the consumer price index and general business cycle theory from which it draws constructs. Suggests that the SPI exhibits properties of a sine wave and is useable in mathematical formulations, explanation, and…

This review of literature on infant habituation and recognition memory performance as predictors of later IQ concludes that the level of prediction is (1) substantial; (2) higher for at-risk than nonrisk children; and (3) not higher than the level of predictions based on parental education and socioeconomic status. (MDM)

According to the management perspective, educational practice is a technical process with predictable and guaranteed outcomes. This viewpoint is reflected in the New South Wales (Australia) Scott Report on educational reform. However, this approach must be challenged, and uncertainty and unpredictability in education must be acknowledged and…

Metanalysis of 27 studies dealing with psychology students and the Graduate Record Examinations' (GRE) validity in predicting graduate school success was conducted. Overall, results do not indicate that the verbal and advanced psychology portions are valid predictors of grades, although the quantitative section predicts grades in quantitative…

This article reviews the literature on the inadequacy and adequacy of parenting by persons with mental retardation and offers new foci for research. It examines issues in predicting parenting inadequacy based on parental knowledge and skill, health care and safety, decision making, interaction, and child outcomes in terms of cognitive delay and…

The Index of Personality Characteristics (IPC) and the Social Reasoning subtest of the British Ability Scales were administered to 36 students with behavior disorders (BD) and 37 nonexceptional students in grades 3-7. Results indicated that the IPC composite score in combination with the Social Reasoning subtest accurately predicted BD…

At prekindergarten screening, 84 children were evaluated with the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised (PPVT-R) and the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration. Two years later, teachers' ratings of the students (now in first grade) on reading performance indicated that students with poor sight-word vocabularies performed lower on the…

This study of 40 patients with chronic illnesses found that good mental health may aid the patient to benefit from rehabilitation but does not guarantee good future functioning. Poor mental health does not necessarily impede good future functioning, though poor mental health, associated with other aspects of poor functioning, reliably predicts…

This article examines how an optimal interpersonal exchange between caregiver and infant occurs, including factors that promote developmental skills, heighten rapport with the caregiver, and elicit optimism about the future. The process of "previewing," in which caregivers make predictions concerning their infants' imminent developmental…

This study examined 72 children at risk of abuse and the relevant adults, to identify variables predictive of child abuse risk. The measures used (New York Child Protective Services Review Document, Magura-Moses Child Well-Being Scales, and Beck and Jones List of Problems and Conditions) each had predictive value for case decision making.…

Deviations in children's mental test performance were studied for children of 169 disadvantaged mothers at 24, 48, and 96 months to determine whether aspects of the child rearing environment predicted the deviations from expected values. Relationships between aspects of the environment, child intelligence, and child characteristics are discussed.…

Possible interpretive arguments for licensure and certification test scores are examined, and evidence to support each type of argument is analyzed. Particular attention is given to a competency-based argument that involves a sequence of inferences from test scores to statements about competence and then to conclusions about expected performance.…