Late Adolescents' Experiences With and Attitudes Toward Videogames1

A total of 229 late adolescents (a large majority 15 to 19 years of age) completed a questionnaire that assesses a broad range of videogame-relevant experiences, preferences, and attitudes. Videogame playing was found to be a more popular, and a more highly regarded, activity among males than females. Gender differences were also found in participants' ratings of their motivations for playing videogames, their evaluations of particular characteristics of videogames, and their selection of their “most favorite” videogame. The differences between frequent and infrequent videogame players appeared to be limited to differences in the extent to which videogame playing is pursued and evaluated as a positive leisure activity, rather than reflecting broad differences in interest or personality. Some relations were found between participants' self-reported personality characteristics (i.e., self-esteem, empathy, conscientiousness, and introversion) and their attitudes toward videogames.     

Effects of Exposure to Cigarette Advertisements on Adolescents' Attitudes Toward Smoking1

One hundred seventy-eight adolescents viewed a magazine that either contained or did not contain 4 cigarette advertisements. Adolescents who have tried smoking reported more positive attitudes toward smoking. Of the adolescents who have tried smoking, those in the cigarette-advertisement-present condition expressed more positive attitudes toward smoking than did those in the cigarette-advertisement-absent condition. Consistent with the prediction that adolescents who have tried (vs. never tried) smoking would attend more to cigarette advertisements, adolescents in the cigarette-advertisement-present condition who have tried (vs. never tried) smoking correctly recognized more cigarette advertisements. Taken together, these results suggest that adolescents who have tried smoking are attending to cigarette advertisements and are impacted by cigarette advertisements; specifically, cigarette advertisements bolster these adolescents' attitudes toward smoking.     

青少年对传统孝道的态度研究

本研究采用传统孝道态度问卷对885名初三、高一、高二、高三城乡青少年的传统孝道态度进行了初步探讨。结果表明：(1)青少年对传统孝道四个方面的态度存在极其显着的差异;(2)来自不同年级、城乡背景不同以及独生非独生男女青少年他们对传统孝道的态度存住显着差异;(3)父母对荣亲留后、抑己顺亲、敬爱祭念三个方面的赞同程度显着高于青少年,而青少年对随侍奉养的赞同程度显著高于其父母。     

Nuclear Waste: Facts,Fears, and Attitudes1

This study examined the effects of a television documentary about the safety of the Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant in the Northwest of England upon public attitudes. In a study of 805 respondents from four districts in the Southwest of England, we assessed attitudes and beliefs both before and after the documentary about Sellafield. Results indicated a significant attitude change in a more antinuclear direction. Respondents who had seen or heard about the events at Sellafield tended to be more antinuclear after the broadcast. Finally, respondents living close to the existing nuclear power stations in the Southwest of England tended to see the events at Sellafield as less serious than the remaining respondents. Furthermore, this difference in perceived seriousness between respondents living near a nuclear power station and the remaining respondents was much more pronounced in ratings of the environmental risks of the local nuclear power stations in Southwest England.     

Nuclear Attitudes Before and After Chernobyl: Change and Judgment1

This study examines the attitudes of residents of a small town in Dorset, England, toward nuclear and oil developments. The sample consisted of 135 respondents to a follow-up questionnaire sent in June 1986 to a group of 356 residents who had responded to a previous questionnaire immediately before the Chernobyl accident in April 1986. There were shifts in the direction of greater opposition to the existing local nuclear plant, and the building of more nuclear power stations elsewhere in the country; comparable shifts were not found in attitudes toward non-nuclear industrial developments. Post-Chernobyl attitudes were closely related to evaluations of statements offering alternative interpretations of the accident, in a manner predictable from research on social judgment.     

Early Adolescents' Achievement Goals,Social Status,and Attitudes Towards Cooperation with Peers

This qualitative study used a semi-structured interview with 50 fifth grade Israeli students to investigate the relations among achievement goals and social identity processes that concern orientation towards social structure and status in the classroom, and preference and willingness to cooperate with peers from different social groups. Mastery-oriented students were found to evaluate cooperation with respect to its contribution to learning, friendship, and class cohesion, and to be willing to cooperate with peers regardless of their social group membership. Performance-approach and performance-avoidance oriented students were found to evaluate cooperation with regard to its implications for social status, and to prefer to cooperate with peers of the in-group and with high status peers. Performance-avoidance oriented students with low social status were found to also adopt a defensive avoidant orientation in the social domain.     

Preventing Nuclear War: Beliefs and Attitudes as Predictors of Disarmist and Deterrentist Behavior1

A survey of peace activists, defense industry workers and psychology students (n= 283) was conducted to evaluate the usefulness of Protection Motivation Theory (Maddux & Rogers, 1983; Rogers, 1975) for predicting the extent and direction (Disarmist vs. Deterrentist) of respondents' efforts to prevent nuclear war. Regression analyses showed that the Protection Motivation model did account for a significant proportion of the variance in disarmist behavior, and that extending the model to include a measure of belief in the inevitability of war improved the model's predictive power. The model did not predict deterrentist advocacy, an outcome that suggests that activism in support of nuclear deterrence may be a response to a perceived threat from an “enemy” rather than a response to the threats represented by nuclear weapons and preparations for war.     

Measurement of Nuclear War Attitudes: Methods and Concerns

Psychologists have researched attitudes toward the threat of nuclear war in increasing numbers. With this trend there has been an increase in the number of instruments designed to assess attitudes toward nuclear war issues. This article reviews some representative attitude scales that are noteworthy. Special attention is paid to the psychometric characteristics of reliability and validity and to the philosophical or theoretical underpinnings of the scales. Recommendations are made regarding the direction of future research in dealing with the general psychometric, theoretical, and interpretive concerns that are addressed.     

The Association of Gender,Ethnicity, and Length of Residence in the Bay Area to Adolescents' Knowledge and Attitudes about Acquired immune Deficiency Syndrome1

A large-scale survey was conducted in San Francisco to assess adolescents' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about AIDS. Data obtained from 1,326 adolescents demonstrate marked variability in knowledge across informational items, particularly about the precautionary measures to be taken during sexual intercourse which may reduce the risk of infection. The findings identified ethnic differences in knowledge about AIDS, with Asians having a lower overall knowledge score than Hispanics, Blacks, and Caucasians. Adolescents who score below the median for total number of correct responses were more than twice as likely to perceive themselves as very susceptible to AIDS. A comparison of surveys from other parts of the country suggests that proximity to an AIDS epicenter has great saliency for adolescents with respect to their knowledge and attitudes about AIDS. The proportion of adolescents reporting correct responses, for questions in common, between the surveys indicates that students in San Francisco score appreciably higher. A framework is also described for providing school-based risk-reduction health education for adolescents.     

Self-Presentation,Reasoned Action,and Adolescents' Decisions to Smoke Cigarettes1

The effectiveness of a one-shot intervention on the social, medical or medical/social consequences of smoking in deterring adolescent smoking was evaluated. Four hundred twenty adolescents completed surveys which measured attitudes, subjective norms, stereotypes, self-presentational beliefs regarding smoking, intentions to smoke, and smoking status at three points in time. The predictive ability of a Theory of Reasoned Behavior and of Impression Management Theory in determining adolescent smoking decisions was also assessed.     

Adolescents' Perceptions of Lightning and Tornado Risks1

Four hundred and fifty-five adolescents estimated the subjective probability risk for lightning and tornado deaths. Based on observations by Slovic, Fischhoff, and Lichtenstein (1982), we predicted that teenagers would underestimate the risks for lightning fatalities relative to tornado deaths. This prediction was confirmed for the sample as a whole. However, personal experience with both lightning and tornado events contributed to more realistic risk perceptions. Attention to news reports, thrill seeking, and gender did not contribute to perception. The findings are discussed in the context of the availability heuristic.     

Fallout From The Day After. The Impact of a TV Film on Attitudes Related to Nuclear War1

A household survey utilizing a quasi-experimental design was undertaken to assess the impact of the TV movie. The Day After, on a number of psychologically and politically important variables such as the salience of the issue of nuclear war and individuals' beliefs about the efficacy of their own political actions in helping to prevent such a war. Respondents were initially surveyed 2 weeks prior to the movie's airing and were resurveyed afterwards. Contrary to the impression conveyed by reports of a number of public opinion polls, which focussed on attitudes toward government policies, we found that The Day After and the surrounding controversy had a substantial impact on many dimensions including the salience of nuclear war, feelings of personal efficacy, affect related to the idea of a nuclear war, intentions to engage in anti-nuclear behavior, estimates of the probability that a nuclear war would occur, and beliefs about the likelihood and desirability of survival. Two general conclusions emerged. First, many of the effects occurred for the entire sample rather than only for those who watched the film, suggesting that the widely publicized controversy that surrounded the movie contributed to its impact. Second, reactions appeared to be depressive in nature. Compared to the pre-airing responses, the post-airing survey found more passive affective reactions to the idea of nuclear war, decreased estimates of the chances of survival, a decreased desire to survive, and a decreased sense of personal efficiacy. Nonetheless, respondents, especially those who watched The Day After, were more likely to intend to engage in antinuclear war activities after the film than before.     

On the Relationship between Subordinates' Compliance to Power Sources and Organisational Attitudes

Social power involves the potential to influence others and is important in explaining organisational outcomes. Based on the assumptions posited in Raven's (1992, 1993) power interaction model, we examined a set of potential antecedents and correlates of power sources. Participating in the study were 232 nurses and 32 supervisors from two municipal hospitals. Nurses and supervisors were asked to complete a battery of questionnaires including demographic items, the Interpersonal Power Inventory, job satisfaction, and organisational commitment. Convergent and discriminate validity of the power inventory yielded satisfactory results. Principal component analyses of the power inventory revealed a two‐factor solution (harsh/soft sources) which was then used for comparison with predictors and outcome data. Among the major findings were the fact that compliance to power sources appears to be contingent on objective and subjective indices of professional distance between supervisors and subordinates, supervisor seniority in the department, and the type of promotion (from without or within department). Job satisfaction was found to be positively related to compliance with soft sources and negatively with harsh sources whereas commitment was positively associated with both.     

Adolescents' reactions to counseling interviews

Fifty subjects aged 12 to 16 were interviewed according to one of five counseling techniques: Modeling 1, Modeling 2, reflecting, probing, and a control condition; and were seen either individually or in a group. Interviews were 30 minutes for five sessions during which a theme was discussed. It was questioned whether low-intimate or medium-intimate themes would be more facilitative of self-expression. It was hypothesized and confirmed that subjects are stimulated to disclose though the modeling intervention and group conditions. However, the question was asked as to the adolescents' feelings and opinions during these interviews. At the end of the last session all subjects were given a questionnaire probing their reactions. The individual control subjects indicated a nonsignificant technique effect, and likewise disclosure was not facilitated during the interviews. Sixty-eight percent of the subjects seen individually preferred these conditions whereas 92 percent of the group participants were satisfied. The most interesting topic was of low-intimacy value. Statistical analyses of the subjects' quantity of self-expression by techniques, individual and group conditions, and themes corresponded to their reported reactions to these variables. Results were explained in terms of the importance of the interview conditions in meeting the adolescents' developmental needs.     

Protection Motivation Theory and Adolescents' Perceptions of Exercise1

Coping strategies endorsed by adolescents in dealing with a potential threat to their health were assessed in a study which investigated components of protection motivation theory. Year 9 and 10 high school students were presented with information about cardiovascular disease risk and the role of exercise in maintaining cardiorespiratory fitness. Three components specified by the theory were manipulated: response efficacy (effectiveness of exercise in preventing cardiovascular disease), response costs (costs associated with taking up a regular program of exercise) and self-efficacy (belief in ability to carry out a program of exercise) in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design with two levels (high vs. low) of each variable. It was hypothesized that such information would affect participants' perceptions of response efficacy, response costs, self-efficacy, and their selection of coping strategies. Six dependent variables were investigated: two adaptive coping strategies (behavioral intention to exercise, rational problem solving) and four maladaptive strategies (avoidance, wishful thinking, hopelessness, arid fatalism). Manipulation checks found significant differences between the high and low conditions of each independent variable. Adaptive strategies were strongly endorsed, whereas endorsement of the maladaptive strategies ranged from minimal to complete disagreement. Participants in the high self-efficacy condition indicated stronger intentions to exercise. Students in the low response efficacy condition demonstrated more endorsement of hopelessness and fatalism than did students in the high response efficacy condition. When exercising status was included as a fourth independent variable, it was found that active adolescents endorsed the adaptive coping strategies more strongly than did inactive adolescents. The cognitive coping strategies adopted by adolescents when dealing with perceived threats to their health may be influenced by information on the efficacy of relevant behavior, by perceptions of their ability to perform such behavior, and by their actual involvement with the behavior of concern.     

Explaining the Social and Psychological Impacts of a Nuclear Power Plant Accident1

This research investigates the antecedents of psychosocial impacts of the TMI nuclear power plant accident. A model of factors that are hypothesized to affect impact levels is developed and configured to approximate a hypothetical causal sequence. Using data from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission telephone survey, the technique of path analysis is used to test relationships in the model. The results show that the antecedents explain 12% of the variance in individual stress, 45% of the variance in family disruption, and 16% of the variance in perceived community change. The analysis shows that the TMI specific attitudes and sensitivity to radiation risks are strong antecedents of impacts. Although general attitudes toward nuclear power have minor indirect effects, it appears that situational experiences with the accident are the major contributors toward explaining impact levels.     

Local Opposition to the Construction of a Nuclear Power Station: Differential Salience of Impacts1

This study examined attitudes among 290 residents of three villages in South-West England toward proposals to build a nuclear power station nearby. Respondents were split into four groups according to whether they were neutral or in favor of a new power station either locally or elsewhere in the UK (Group PN), against one locally but neutral or pro elsewhere (LO), or moderately (MO) or extremely (XO) against a new power station both locally and elsewhere. The perceived impact of a nuclear power station on local life was assessed by 30 items. The PN group expected most benefit or least damage on all 30 items. On a majority of items the mean ratings of the LO group resembled those of the XO's more than did those of the MO's. A stepwise discriminant analysis yielded two interpretable functions. The first reflected a trend over the groups in the order PN-LO-MO-XO and was marked particularly by concern with impact on personal peace of mind. The second fuction discriminated the LO's from the other groups, suggesting that they were relatively less concerned with specifically nuclear risks, but more concerned with environmental conservation.     

Adolescents' secondary attachments to celebrity figures

This study examined the influence of age, gender, and pubertal development on the personality attributions that adolescents make to age-appropriate celebrities. Sixty male and female 5th, 8th, and 11th graders completed a series of questionnaires describing the perceived maturity, attractiveness, and personality of six male and six female age-appropriate celebrities. Multivariate analyses of variance revealed that (a) adolescent found opposite-sex celebrities more attractive than same-sex celebrities; (b) the perceived attractiveness of opposite-sex celebrities increased with grade, particularly among adolescent females; (c) androgynous celebrities were seen as more attractive than either sex-typed or cross-sex celebrities; and (d) adolescents' preference for androgynous celebrities increased with grade. Contrary to prediction, adolescent pubertal development was unrelated to celebrity attractiveness ratings. For 5th-grade girls, however, pubertal development positively correlated with the perceived maturity of all female celebrity figures, regardless of the celebrity's sex type (i.e., sex typed vs. androgynous vs. cross sex). These findings provide convergent support for the hypothesized role of secondary attachments in adolescent identity development.