Describes characteristics of experimental predictor battery of tests developed to supplement the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery for making selection and classification decisions for entry-level enlisted personnel. Explains procedures used to develop new test battery. Basic psychometric properties of each measure, as determine by large…

Used data from 4,039 job incumbents from 9 military jobs to determine degree of validity generalization across major components of performance and degree of validity generalization across jobs within each major performance factor. Major findings were that different predictor equations were needed for each of 5 criterion factors. (Author/NB)

Studied frequency, nature, context, and caregivers' reactions to aggressive behavior in 213 demented patients. Found aggression in 57.2 percent of patients and 10.6 percent of caregivers. Predictors of patient aggression were greater frequency of behavior and memory problems, premorbid aggression, and more troubled premorbid social relationship…

Examined environmental factors in college student development in college freshmen (N=148) who were administered the Student Development Task Inventory-2. Related performance on this instrument to several factors in the college environment: residential living arrangements, educational goals, type of financial aid, and social dating habits. Found…

Attempted to replicate study which proved predictive validity of premarital inventory PREPARE. Conducted longitudinal study with couples (N=179) who took PREPARE. Found PREPARE predicted with about 80 percent accuracy couples who got divorced from those that were happily married. Claims premarital counseling could potentially help high-risk…

Study of the relationship between family frequency, form frequency, and elementary school students' word knowledge indicated that family frequency tended to be a sizably better predictor of student word knowledge than was form frequency. (Author/CB)

Use of meta-analysis to determine the important manipulable influences on school learning is illustrated. The methodology of meta-analysis discussed in relation to primary research methods include: (1) problem formulation; (2) sample selection; (3) data analysis; (4) data interpretation; and (5) data reporting. (SLD)

Using data for 4,316 men and 4,782 women--from the 1975 Wisconsin Longitudinal Study of Social and Psychological Factors in Educational and Occupational Aspirations and Achievement--the relationship between intelligence quotient (IQ) and fertility was assessed. The effect of education on family size predicts the direction of evolution of genotypic…

Used clustered sample household survey of 329 males and females aged 14 to 17, and 470 of their parents to examine influence of parental factors on adolescent sexual behavior and contraceptive use. Found parents' reported behavioral norms accounted for 5% of variance in whether adolescents had had intercourse, and for 33% of variance in…

Administered Templer Death Anxiety Scale and Mood Scale to 52 college students. Subjects were shown neutral videotape, videotape of death scenes, and neutral videotape. Before and after each videotape, participants completed Mood Scale. Found initial level of death anxiety to be significant predictor of changes in, and overall levels of,…

Examination of stories invented by four- and five-year olds indicated that narrative skill was a better predictor of the inclusion of conflict and psychological causation in a story than was age. Plotted narratives included conflict and psychological causation more often than did less-structured narratives. (BC)

Reviews research on premarital factors associated with later marital quality and stability in first marriages. Three major categories of factors are described, including background and context, individual traits and behaviors, and couple interactional processes. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal research are summarized. Recommendations for…

Finds that, in an interactional context involving bargaining, power accounted for over three times the amount of variance in threat use than did gender, and was the best predictor of the use of powerful language in this context. (SR)

The attitudes of 204 parents of nonhandicapped children toward preschool mainstreaming were examined. Maternal attitudes were related to the positiveness of their experiences with handicapped individuals, family income, education, age, and age of the nonhandicapped child. Fathers' attitudes indicated a relationship between age of their child and…

Using national survey data on child abuse reporting, the impact of selected case and personal characteristics was examined. Previous abuse, severity, and recantation were powerful predictors of abuse-relevant judgments and reporting intentions. Child age, perpetrator intent, and socioeconomic status also were influences. (BRM)