An investigation was made of the behavioral effects of caffeine in a sample of 313 newborns and their mothers. A weighted measure of caffeine based on daily ingestion of coffee, tea, and cola was derived from a maternal interview. The majority of mothers consumed the equivalent of about 1.3 cups of coffee per day. Infant outcome measures included…

Research on loneliness and research on social support offer complementary perspectives on how social relationships affect health and well being. However, despite considerable overlap, loneliness and lack of social support reflect deficits of different kinds of social exchanges and these deficits have distinct consequences for well being. Social…

The Educational Attitudes Scale (EAS), which covers four important aspects of a teacher's school life (children, discipline, methods, and administration), was completed by 80 experienced secondary school teachers. The EAS includes 20 Likert-type items with five response categories (I agree very much, I agree on the whole, Uncertain, I disagree on…

The College and University Classroom Environment Instrument (CUCEI) was adapted and validated for the educational context in Spain through use at the University of Seville. The seven scales of the CUCEI are: (1) Personalization; (2) Involvement; (3) Student Cohesiveness; (4) Satisfaction; (5) Task Orientation; (6) Innovation; and (7)…

Research has shown that differences in perceived control can influence drinking behavior and alcoholic rehabilitation. This study examined the viability of an alcohol-specific locus of control scale. Undergraduate students (41 male and 40 female) completed a demographic questionnaire assessing age, sex, ethnicity, and drinking frequency; Rotter's…

This document reviews studies that investigated certain inadequacies of English as a Second Language (ESL) reading comprehension tests. The first study examined whether three ESL reading comprehension tests required information principally from the text or from background knowledge. Results indicated that background knowledge differentially…

This study applied one-parameter latent trait measurement theory to investigate the measurement characteristics of both forms of a multiple-choice measure of field-independence--the Finding Embedded Figures Test (FEFT). The FEFT has a multiple-choice format that may facilitate administration and scoring in comparison with use of supply-format…

Psychologists and laymen alike often use the terms "shame" and "guilt" interchangeably. Guilt is an affective state most often associated with a focus on some past behaviors which the subject finds inconsistent with a set of internalized standards which are often, but not necessarily moral in nature. Shame involves less of a…

The effects of the objective physical features of the treatment environment on the well-being of elderly have previously been studied. This type of research continues to contribute to standards of quality for nursing homes, congregate housing, and health-care facilities. However, the perceived qualities of the environment may also be a key element…

In order to test claims made regarding the Degrees of Reading Power Test (DRP), a study posed two research questions: (1) How well does the DRP correlate with the more venerable Stanford Achievement Test (SAT)? and (2) How well do these instruments predict students' academic classroom achievement? Three hundred sixty-nine students from two middle…

A study examined the effectiveness of both the informal and standardized readiness measures in predicting the literacy development of both normal first grade subjects and high-risk, language-delayed primary children. Subjects, 60 first grade and 27 language-delayed children were given three informal literacy measures, the "Writing Vocabulary…

A study investigated the rating scale used in the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) oral interview, focusing on the concept of vocabulary underlying assessment. The study examined the differences in strategies used by fluent native speakers and non-fluent non-native speakers to avoid disruption of communication in real conversation when…

An item content criterion, independent of the test psychometric characteristics, of classifying items as biased is described. It was used with a sample of female adults in a training program for administrative secretaries. The minority group in the study were Hispanic immigrants. The majority group was a mixture of Blacks, English speaking…

The study reports on the first of several investigations into the antecedents and consequences of students' study activities across junior high school through college years. The development and validation of a self-report instrument, the "California Study Activities Inventory" (CSAI) is described. The principal features of the instrument…

Uniqueness theory suggests that individuals are most comfortable with the thought that they are moderately different or unique from others. To test whether individuals with a high need for uniqueness are perceived as being different from those with a low need for uniqueness, 144 college students participated in a two-part study. In part one,…