Assessed whether subjects' ratings of taped interactants, whose gender was ambiguous, would be determined mainly by what gender the subjects thought the interactants were or by the interactants' behavior. Results showed that the causes of sex differences in assessments differed depending on what type of assessment was being made. (Author/JAC)

Preference for personal space was related in this study to psychological maladjustment, aggressiveness, and body experience. Results indicated that individuals who tend to be maladjusted and individuals who tend to be aggressive preferred more personal space in face-to-face encounters in which the S was approached by a stranger. (Author)

Psychotherapy typically is conceptualized as a social reinforcement process. Others suggest interview behavior is predicted better by a competitive model of social interaction. Results of this study indicated that message frequency requests were equal in the competitive and reinforcing conditions, both of which induced more requests than a mixed…

Extends previous work about certain cognitive/semantic environments and hypertension by demonstrating that three additional cognitive/semantic environments show a trend in the direction of elevated blood pressure in undergraduates. A position supporting coordinated preventive program development for potential hypertensives, emphasizing the use of…

Evaluated effects of subject-perceived need and interviewer role on a subject's opinions and behaviors. Results indicate that roles were perceived as intended and resulted in intended opinion changes. Perceived interviewer expertness did influence subjects to engage in certain self-help activities, but the scope of those behaviors was limited.…

Compared freshmen (N=2180) who were interested in different types of counseling, or indicated no interest, on a variety of attitudinal and demographic items. Results indicated that students who showed different counseling interests as incoming freshmen could also be differentiated on other variables (political and social attitudes, college…

Compared the assertive behavior of two groups differing in information-processing style. In experiment one, high conceptual-complexity (CC) subjects demonstrated greater content knowledge, direct delivery skill, and fewer negative self-statements. In experiment two, high versus low CC females were more assertive in difficult situations. (Author/RC)

Compares behavioral and demographic characteristics of drunk drivers with repeated arrests and drivers not having repeated arrests, after attending an alcohol education program. Previous public drunkeness and previous drunk driving arrests were strong predictors of repeat arrests and were judged useful in screening offenders for rehabilitation…

A factor analytic study of the demographic and behavioral characteristics of adult and juvenile male and female incarcerates suggests a number of consistent relationships contributory to incarceration and childhood experiences that predict difficulty in that period of life and in later adjustment. (Author)

Tested the action of the dissonance model on immigrants who were obliged to prepare for a new occupation. Four coping strategies were found combining high vs. low level of self-image and vocational involvement with positive vs. negative attitudes toward work and authority figures at work. (Author)

Examined the reliability of spouses as observers of the behaviors that occur in their own marital relationships. Distressed and nondistressed couples collected data in the home. Across the entire checklist, nondistressed couples exhibited significantly greater consensus than did distressed couples, based on both percentage agreement and kappa.…

Describes the use of extended role play in a social simulation as a major teaching strategy for a family communication course. The strategy provides the students with a safe but challenging set of family systems for analyzing communication interaction. (JMF)

Results indicated that adolescent males who maintain a relatively high level of acting out during residential treatment, in spite of firm and consistent treatment approaches, perceive their parents differently than do adolescents who exhibit increased self-control in the treatment setting. (SBH)

Distressed couples were more critical of each other and less responsive to each other's influence efforts. Distressed and nondistressed couples were similar in their frequencies of inquiries and solution proposals. Criticism and responsiveness were important predictors of both satisfaction with outcomes and attainment of resolutions. (Author)

Paralinguistic and nonverbal behaviors were the best predictors of ratings of subjects' overall performance. Complex verbal categories were the most significant predictors of skill across different situations. Results also showed clear sex differences in degree and pattern of cue usage between male and female judges. (Author)