The present study examines the relationship of various cognitive and life event variables to depressive symptoms in children. The variables studied are locus of control, interpersonal and impersonal problem-solving ability, and objective and subjective life stress. Subjects were 47 students in the fourth grade, 58 students in the fifth grade, and…

The Bialer Scale and the Nowicki-Strickland Scale were administered twice, 4 weeks apart, to 526 students in the third through sixth grade from four public schools in a rural, predominately white, midwestern community. The association of verbal ability and the reliabilities of the locus of control scales were assessed in view of evidence that the…

The fulfillment of the need for intimacy is believed to be central to adult life satisfaction, particularly in young adulthood. To explore the development of intimacy in women and to assess the relationships among intimacy status, locus of control, and self-disclosure, 97 college women with an average age of 30 were placed into 1 of 5 intimacy…

Based on a modification of Berglas and Jones' (1978) design, conditions of contingent and noncontingent success and failure were manipulated to determine when and why individuals choose to adopt self-handicapping strategies. Male undergraduates (N=76) were informed that they were participating in a study investigating the effects of music on…

The analysis of in-depth interviews with 40 divorced women provides some insight into these women's experiences of the bargaining and negotiating process, both in the divorce and with child support and alimony payments after the divorce. One study has shown that the average woman's standard of living declines by 72 percent 1 year after divorce,…

To investigate correlates of fear of crime and physical mobility among physically vulnerable older adults, 42 community dwelling older adults twice completed a battery of tests, with 1 year intervening. The tests included Functional Health Status, Perceived Health Status, Sense of Mastery, Leave of Residence, and Fear of Crime. Crime statistics…

Researchers in attribution theory have used two styles in wording attributional questions. The informational style asks subjects the extent to which they possess ability, effort and luck relative to a task, and task difficulty. The causal style asks subjects the extent to which various factors influenced or caused the outcome. A study was…

Response rates and latencies of white, lower-, and middle-class preschool children were measured in an experimentally-induced frustration situation. Socioeconomic class differences in frustration situation. Socioeconomic class differences in frustration reactions were found; two possible hypotheses are offered in explanation. (SDH)

Indicated that internal control was related positively to effective study habits and attitudes and to college academic success, while the opposite was true for powerful others and chance control. (RB)

Evaluated was the effectiveness of a self control program as opposed to a traditional social reinforcement program on the behavior of two groups of 18 hyperactive boys (7-12 years old). Ss in the self control group were exposed to a tutor who modeled self controlling speech and self reinforcement on a task requiring focused concentration. Ss in…

The issue of whether or not television should continue to air commercial announcements for over-the-counter (O-T-C) drugs has been debated in the United States. On 8 December 1976, the Federal Communications Commission denied a petition to ban such television commercials between 6 A.M. and 9 P.M. in part because it could find little scientific…

The relationship between a child's assumption of responsibility for intellectual-academic successes and failures and various performance scores was examined in the present investigation. An expanded version of the Crandall, Katkovsky, and Crandall (1967) Intellectual Achievement Responsibility (IAR) Questionnaire was administered to a total of 138…

Describes two studies examining the relationship between locus of control and structure of group therapy. Results suggest that external clients may achieve the most significant therapeutic benefits from a structured therapist intervention within a spaced time format, while internal clients may require a therapist model of minimum control and…

The association of Rotter's Internal-External personality dimension and improvement in reading rate and comprehension was investigated in four reading instruction treatments and a fifth control condition. The motivated instruction was found more effective for increasing reading rate, without significantly affecting reading comprehension, than the…

Discusses the use of psychic energy for clarifying what occurs in human interaction and for therapeutic purposes. Describes steps counselors should take to understand and use their own psychic energy effectively. (Author/EJT)