The identification, measurement, and composition of playfulness (pf) and its complementary trait, nonplayfulness (nonpf), as well as the influence of sex, age, grade, and subject matter area on this behavior is the focus of this research. High school students representing above average, average, below average, and heterogeneous achievement levels…

The purpose of the study was to investigate the proposition that subjects under stress will, in their behavioral interaction with significant persons, recapitulate the behaviors learned by the subject within the family constellation. The counseling interview was the model used to investigate the relationship between family learned behavior and…

This brief summary of a much larger empirical study presented in the authors' book, "The Job Hunt: Job-Seeking Behavior of Unemployed Workers in a Local Economy," is presented to call wider attention to some of the more unique and critical aspects of the larger report. The original study, conducted in Erie, Pennsylvania in 1964, involved a sample…

The purpose of this study was to determine if sex differences were observable in 1-year-olds in response to their mother and in choice and style of play with toys. Thirty-two boys and thirty-two girls were put in separate rooms with several toys, several nontoys (door knobs, taped sockets, etc.) and their mothers. The infant's mother was to…

This study explores differences among black adults in their attitudes and behavior towards television and the social processes which determine these differences. A recursive structural equation model was employed to interpret patterns of direct and indirect effects among a set of variables representing demographic and socioeconomic…

Halloween costumes may be used to examine the influence violent models have on children. On Halloween evening observers recorded the frequency of violent and nonviolent costumes worn by children. When all of the data are inspected they suggest that children confronted with several aggressive models may be more likely to identify with the…

In a federal correctional institution, cognitive and behavioral variables related to the inmates' loss of freedom and their attempts at reestablishing freedom within the boundaries of the institution were collected. Variables were: (1) personal variables (age, sex, education, etc.); (2) perceptions about life and freedoms in the institution; (3)…

This task group report is one of a series prepared by eminent psychologists who have served as consultants in the U.S.O.E.-sponsored grant study to conduct a Critical Appraisal of the Personality-Emotions-Motivation Domain. In order to achieve the goal of identifying important problems and areas for new research and methodological issues related…

Research on child influence upon parent behavior motivated the development of a Parent Report of Child Behavior Toward the Parent Inventory. Internal consistency reliabilities of 31 five-item scales ranged from .69 to .95 with a median of .88. Varimax rotation of three principal component factors yielded dimensions of Control, Acceptance versus…

In order to learn more about contemporary authors of children's books and their sociological views, a study was conducted of a randomly selected sample of 220 Canadian and American authors living in either Canada or the United States. Biographical data was collected from the reference source "Something About the Authors" concerning sex, social…

Theoretical interpretations of cooperation and competition are discussed in relation to motivational and situational determinants. It is suggested that the degree of competition exhibited in an interaction is an inverse function of the quantity of resources available, and that the effect of situational characteristics on cooperative behavior is…

Empathy and stereotype accuracy of rehabilitation counselors attempting to preduct client responses on a problem inventory were studied. Results showed that all subject groups, pre-counselor through experienced counselor, with and without master's degrees, were able to make empathic and stereotype predictions at a level significantly better than…

Forth-two subjects were randomly assigned to two empathy training treatments. One treatment, approximating Carkhuff's training method, employed didactic teaching, discrimination training, modeling, experientially-oriented communications practice, and feedback. The second treatment, a cognitive self-instructional modeling approach, included each of…

This speech addressed itself to the variety of achievement motivations that can be critically different for men and women. The author, impressed by the different ways people cognitively define and experience a successful accomplishment, developed a taxonomy of psychological cues which people might use in defining their success. Six varieties of…

The objective of two studies was to devise an assessment procedure for the evaluation of therapy with distressed marriages. An extension of behavior exchange theory was proposed to include phenomenological ratings by the couple of the intent of messages sent and the impact of messages received. Convergent criteria were used to select 14…