Reports a study of 208 migrant children, three to four years of age and mostly Black, assessing school achievement and seven affective characteristics, i.e., delay of gratification, relationship with achievement model, dependency, motor inhibition, self-control, self-concept, and risk-taking. Suggests that findings of sex differences for…

Students exhibiting failure syndrome approach assignments with low expectations of success and tend to give up at early signs of difficulty. This Digest delineates the nature of failure syndrome, suggests strategies for coping with failure syndrome students, and discusses how teachers can help. Some students, especially in the early grades, show…

Describes the insecure, control-hungry personality often found in principals and the dependent personality often found in their faculties. Explains how these two personalities affect a school and its students, who can learn freedom and independence only from a free and independent teacher. (SB)

Contrasts the consistency, the self-concept, and the new look formulations of cognitive dissonance. The study demonstrates that dissonance occurs when a behavior and its consequences contradict an individual's self-concept. Findings both support and diverge from various aspects of the three formulations of dissonance phenomena. (LSR)

Investigated validity of juvenile offender treatment typology utilized within peer treatment programs of youth services agency with 60 male delinquents. Results suggest behavior typology described in peer treatment literature has basis in psychological theory and can provide information for treatment and community reintegration and program…

Comments on research problems raised in this special issue. Suggests that recent research highlights the nature of the multiple processes underlying variability in child and adolescent adjustment. Views variability as a function of covarying influences from multiple domains, operating on specific developmental outcomes across a background of time…

This paper uses two cases studies to analyse what has happened to young people and their life-stage transitions in those parts of the former communist bloc where all the main industries stopped when communism ended and remained shut-down over 10 years later. Our evidence is from two such places--Telavi in eastern Georgia and Vanadzor in…

The importance of genetic factors in autism has prompted the development of mutant mouse models to advance our understanding of biological mechanisms underlying autistic behaviors. Mouse models of human neuropsychiatric diseases are designed to optimize (1) face validity, i.e., resemblance to the human symptoms; (2) construct validity, i.e.,…

Mattering is the belief that one makes a difference in the lives of others. We explore the effect of mattering on adolescent suicide ideation. The data source is the 2000 Youth At Risk Survey, composed of interviews with 2,004 youths, age 11-18 and screening interviews with their parents. Our analysis reveals that those who matter more are…

Purpose: We developed manual-guided, replicable interventions based on common needs and cultural preferences of White and African American family caregivers (CGs) of individuals with dementia, and we evaluated these interventions after a 6-month follow-up. Design and Methods: We randomly assigned White (n = 70) and African American (n = 48) CGs of…

This article describes the association of external and psychosocial factors on the stages of change for fruit and vegetable consumption, among 2,781 inhabitants, aged 18 to 65 years, in deprived neighborhoods (response rate 60%). To identify correlates of forward stage transition, an ordinal logistic regression model, the Threshold of Change Model…

This article discusses treatment obstacles that were frequently encountered by CBT therapists in the Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study (TADS) trial. The most common or challenging treatment obstacles and their respective solutions were distilled from the minutes of national conference calls attended by TADS CBT supervisors and…

Survey interviews with 230 predominantly African American and Puerto Rican low-income women who were living with HIV/AIDS in New York City revealed high levels of spirituality and spiritually based coping with HIV. Both spirituality indicators positively correlated with the frequency of receipt of HIV-related social support; they were negatively…

The test developed by Stroop some 70 years ago is used, among other purposes, as an indicator of attention disorder and general mood fluctuations. The present research attempted to determine whether a correlation existed between the Stroop Test, student ability as defined by a standardised IQ test, and general classroom behaviour. This study…

Despite the potential benefits of Web-based Instruction (WBI), not everyone welcomes online learning opportunities. This study examined the psychological processes underlying opposition to WBI by collecting survey data from 257 learners enrolled in a large southeastern university. Results supported the hypothesis that those with weak Internet…