The S-R Inventory of Anxiousness was developed as an experimental design to demonstrate the relative contributions of persons, situations, modes of response, and their interactions to individual differences in anxiety. College students in three studies were asked to rate a total of 154 items, involving 14 modes of response (physiological or overt…

Based upon the theory of moral stages devised by educational psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg, this report examines the influence of the social situation on principled moral reasoning and on cheating. Research assessed the level of moral reasoning for 152 college juniors and seniors using Rest's Defining Issues Test (1976) in which levels of low,…

In this paper differing theories on behavioral psychology are examined as they relate to individual reactions to anxiety producing situations. The focus is on athletes and how personality traits and stress situations influence their behavior and performance. The basic question asked is "How do persons and situations interact in promoting or…

The purpose of this study was to determine if the attitudes of white adults attending training at the National 4-H Foundation were more negative toward blacks than they were toward whites and to determine if the Situational Attitude Scale (SAS) was a valid and reliable tool for measuring the attitudes of white adults toward blacks. The SAS is a…

Three criteria for assessing parent-child relationships were proposed: self-disclosure despite risk of parental disapproval; openness to critical feedback from parents; and constructive confrontation when angry with parents. These concepts were operationalized as narratives of parent-adolescent dilemmas. Scales were constructed and cross validated…

Revised version of paper appearing in: F. Williams (editor), Language and Poverty: Perspectives on a Theme," Chicago, Markham, 1970. Interprets differences in child language associated with class as a systematic difference in choice of linguistic options as a function of the situation as perceived by the child. (JM)

Explored infants' responses to live and replay interactions with mothers and their own images. Found that to their mothers, infants decreased attention, length of first gazes, and smiling from initial live feedback to replay, and that responses to subsequent live feedback generally remained suppressed. Also found that infants did not show a…

Elementary performance tests and situational or simulation tests may be combined for comprehensive testing of open skills, i.e., a worker's competency in reacting to unpredictable situations. Elementary performance tests capture the professional skills whereas simulation tests retain realism and complexity and allow variation in responses.…

One frequently used research protocol involves presenting several conflict scenarios to participants during a single session. However, in real-life situations multiple conflicts rarely occur within short periods of time, and the nature of presentation may change adolescents' reports of conflict behaviors. Trend analyses of responses suggest that…

The effects of another person's gaze on physiological arousal were investigated by measuring skin conductance responses (SCR). Twelve able children with autism and 12 control children were shown face stimuli with straight gaze (eye contact) or averted gaze on a computer monitor. In children with autism, the responses to straight gaze were stronger…

Since 1955, deinstitutionalization has brought 1.5 million chronic mental patients back into the community. Studies have shown that perception and citizen support of this population vary greatly. To investigate responses to encounters with chronic mental patients in public settings, 160 college students responded to vignettes manipulated for four…

Anxiety is defined as the fear of the unknown. The construct of anxiety incorporates both psychological and physiological components. This study was designed to explore the association between psychometric results and physiological results. The association between perceived effects (i.e., psychological) and actual effects (i.e., physiological) of…

The purpose of this publication is to review each of the Vocational Evaluation and Work Adjustment Association sample testing standards as well as to provide insight and understanding into the underlying purposes of the guidelines. The first of three sections focuses on those standards designed to insure that a work sample actually measures what…

Focusing on feedback as a necessary condition for goals to affect performance, it was predicted that feedback and goals would be interactively related to performance. This prediction complements findings by Locke and his colleagues that knowledge alone is not sufficient condition for effective performance. Also, it was suggested that the…