Shame is a global emotion that shares an ability-linked component (humiliation) and an effort-linked component (guilt). Effort was found to increase humiliation via inability ascriptions because a combination of high effort and failure implies low ability. Conversely, high effort was found to decrease the guilt component of shame. (Author/DWH)

Examines extent to which second- and fifth-graders use social comparison information to evaluate themselves. Results indicate that fifth-, but not second-graders, made appropriate evaluations of their abilities on the basis of variations in relative performance and compensated for time differences. (Author/BE)

Naturalistic observations were made of "remedial interchanges" that occurred among kindergarten through fourth-grade children in open classrooms. Three approaches to development of moral judgments were considered: attributional, cognitive developmental, and symbolic interactionist. Data showed limited to no support for these theories and…

The importance of several causes of examination outcomes prior to and after taking a course exam were rated by undergraduate freshmen and advanced psychology students serving as proctors. Freshmen rated proctor characteristics as more important than their own as determinants of exam outcomes. Positivity, rather than egotism, biases were operative.…

The authors contend failure to confirm Weiner's theory is a result of shortcomings inherent in his model. They argue that cognitive theory has been properly represented and tested, and that the study of achievement behavior is enhanced by the addition of motivational, noncognitive assumptions to their theories. (Author/DWH)

Surveyed 190 adolescents to investigate adolescent perceptions of parental persuasive communication. Argues that adolescents base their attributions of parental power on their parents' attempts to control their behavior. Results indicated that adolescents' age and gender and communicative context affect how they perceive parental persuasive…

Data lend support of the contention that the introduction into a situation of a salient feature phenomenally consistent with the behavior enacted will tend to attract to it causal attributions and consequently affect attitudes toward the behavior even though the feature has not actually caused it. (Authors/CB)

A family relations model for the study of adolescent egocentrism was tested in an exploratory study of the relationship between parental socialization styles and adolescents' imaginary audience behavior. Rejection-control was associated with increased imaginary audience behavior, while physical affect was negatively related to self-consciousness.…

Surveyed female students (N=226) to determine the extent of sexual harassment and to test several popular explanations. Results showed nearly one-third of the students reported sexual harassment by a male teacher. These reports could not be interpreted as reflecting feminist beliefs or oversensitivity. (JAC)

Examined factors influencing the selection of a major area of study by undergraduate female students (N=437). Subjects were asked to indicate how important were 16 factors identified as potentially influential. Results were reported in terms of three distinct groupings of items: academic, social, and economic/pragmatic influences. (JAC)

Studied the role of kin in elderly amenity migration based upon interviews with recent migrants (N=92) to Sun City, Arizona. Migrants who maintained long-term ties to the community before moving usually relied upon relatives for migration information, but relatives were not an essential reason for choosing the community. (Author/JAC)

Examined attributes for success and failure in achievement and affiliation domains among college students from several countries to determine whether gender differences are associated with cultural variations. Found (1) statistically significant differences between males and females in attributing achievement to tasks and (2) insignificant…

This study builds on previously established attribution-affect linkages in an effort to better understand teachers' evaluative reactions to student success and failure. As predicted, the affective reactions of teachers indicate that they are more willing to accept personal responsibility for certain kinds of student outcomes than others. (Author)

Causal explanations offered by the client, consultee, and consultant in a typical unsuccessful consultation are explored in the context of attribution theory and research. Biased attributions are discussed in terms of a cognitive-perceptual framework rather than the traditional motivation-based "defensiveness" framework. (Author/PN)

Discussing research on the effects of developmental differences, task characteristics, teacher feedback, and classroom management and organization on children's perceptions of their abilities, this article speculates on whether and how these perceptions influence children's behavior. (Implications of this research for classroom practice are also…