Efficacy of a Brief,School‐Based Bystander Bullying Intervention on High School Students' Alcohol Use

The authors examined the efficacy of a brief bystander bullying intervention on reducing alcohol use among high school students (N = 61). As hypothesized, high‐risk drinkers in the intervention group reported reduced drinking compared with control students at a 30‐day follow‐up.     

Reducing Alcohol‐Related Consequences Among High School Seniors: Efficacy of a Brief,Web‐Based Intervention

The authors examined the efficacy of a brief, web‐based personalized feedback intervention on reducing alcohol‐related consequences among high school seniors (N = 105) using a group‐randomized controlled design. Results of repeated measures mixed‐models analyses indicated significant intervention effects over time for alcohol‐related consequences at 30‐day and 6‐month follow‐up assessments. Drinking risk status moderated intervention effects such that results were only significant for high‐risk drinkers (i.e., students reporting initiation of heavy episodic drinking at baseline).     

Parental Predictors of Adolescent Alcohol Use and Alcohol‐Related Consequences

This study examined parental predictors of alcohol use and alcohol‐related consequences among 9th‐grade students (N = 296). Parental disapproval of teen drinking and quality of parent–child general communication were significant predictors of drinking behaviors. Implications for counselors are discussed.     

Differential‐associative processing: A new strategy for learning highly‐similar concepts

For many students concepts like fluid and crystallized intelligence are difficult to learn because they have highly‐similar definitions that are easy to confuse. The challenge of learning these highly‐similar, yet often confused concepts is further complicated by the fact that students are tested on exams about differences between the concepts. In this theoretically‐motivated research we test a new strategy for learning highly‐similar pairs of concepts, called differential‐associative processing. The results revealed that performance on multiple‐choice questions was higher when students learned highly‐similar concepts using differential‐associative processing rather than a strategy of their own choice, text‐based elaboration, or identifying similarities and differences. The results also revealed that students spontaneously transferred differential‐associative processing to a neutral control condition. Taken as a whole, the present study supports differential‐associative processing as a useful strategy for learning similar concepts. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Self‐Categorization Explanation for the Third‐Person Effect

Three studies tested a self‐categorization theory explanation for the third‐person effect. In Study 1 (N= 49) undergraduate students judged the influence of the National Enquirer, Wall Street Journal, and TV show Friends on themselves, relative to low‐ and high‐status outgroup members, and other undergraduate students. The profile of first‐ and third‐person perceptions was largely consistent with predictions, and the size of the third‐person effect decreased as perceived similarity to target others increased—but only for media that were normative for comparison others. Study 2 (N= 49) provided evidence for this process with different media and showed that the profile of first‐ and third‐person perceptions matched closely with perceived norms of media consumption—but not the social desirability of those media. Study 3 (N= 64) showed that the third‐person effect for the same media and target other shifts with the frame of reference in which the judgment is made. Taken together, the findings are consistent with self‐categorization theory and difficult to reconcile with other explanations.     

Developing Cross‐Racial Self‐Efficacy: A Longitudinal Examination of the Role of Cross‐Racial Mastery Experiences

A social‐cognitive model for the development of cross‐racial self‐efficacy was developed and tested in a longitudinal study involving a racially and culturally diverse sample of undergraduate students (N = 879). Multiple group analyses indicated that the model fit equally well for men and women and for White students and ethnic minority students. En un estudio longitudinal que involucró a un grupo de estudiantes racial y culturalmente diverso (N = 879), se desarrolló y probó un modelo socio‐cognitivo para el desarrollo de la autoeficacia interracial. Múltiples análisis del grupo indicaron que el modelo se adapta igualmente bien a hombres y mujeres, así como a estudiantes Blancos y de minorías étnicas.     

Preference for Same‐ Versus Cross‐Sex Friendships1

How is preferring same‐ vs. cross‐sex friendships related to one's perceptions of these friendships? In Phase 1, college students (N = 122) listed qualities they valued in their same‐ and cross‐sex friends. In Phase 2, survey items constructed from the responses were administered to 231 students who indicated a preference for same‐ vs. cross‐sex friendship. Those who reported a preference for opposite‐sex friends rated these friendships as higher in closeness, trust, caring, having common interests, and providing narcissistic benefits, compared to those who reported a preference for same‐sex friends. Results demonstrate that gender differences often associated with close friendships are greatly attenuated and sometimes reversed when preference for same‐ vs. cross‐sex friendship is included as a moderating variable.     

A multiple‐stimulus‐without‐replacement assessment for sexual partners: Purchase task validation

The current study developed and tested a multiple‐stimulus‐without‐replacement (MSWO) assessment for potential sexual partners for use in research on human immunodeficiency virus. College students (N = 41) first completed an MSWO assessment and then completed a hypothetical purchase task for encounters with partners identified by the MSWO as high, median, and low preference. Overall, hypothetical purchase task responding was consistent with that from the MSWO, in that the highest valuation was observed for the high‐preference partner and the lowest for the low‐preference partner. Potentially interesting individual differences in purchase task responding, however, were obtained; some subjects showed differentiated responding among the 3 preference levels (n = 15), whereas others similarly valued high‐ and median‐preference partners (n = 5), and others similarly valued low‐ and median‐preference partners (n = 18).     

Computerised CBT self‐help for depression in Higher Education: Reflections on a pilot

Aims: This study comprised the second phase of a small‐scale exploration of the viability of a computerised CBT intervention for depression within the context of a Higher Education counselling service. Method: The program ‘Beating the Blues’? (BtB) was offered to students experiencing depression, with measurement of uptake, attrition, satisfaction and effectiveness of the program. Results: Outcomes were calculated alone and in combination with those found in Phase One (previously presented in this journal), to enable a whole study report. In Phase Two, 15 students commenced BtB. The low completion rate in the intended academic year of the study led to extension over a further term. Seven participants completed the programme in Phase Two, a rate of 46.7%; 27 students used the programme over the entire study, with 63% completion. In both phases depression scores fell significantly following completion of the programme; anxiety scores fell significantly for Phase Two completers. User feedback was mixed. Clinical implications and conclusions: Many students have a comparatively short wait for a psychological service which may reduce interest in a computerised self‐help intervention and may help explain the low uptake. It is suggested that whilst CCBT is acceptable and effective for some depressed students, the number of sufficiently interested students, together with reported satisfaction from the intervention, was too small to warrant current inclusion of BtB within our service, particularly given its cost implications. Suggestions for further CCBT‐related investigations within this setting are made.     

When being a girl matters less: Accessibility of gender‐related self‐knowledge in single‐sex and coeducational classes and its impact on students' physics‐related self‐concept of ability

Background . Establishing or preserving single‐sex schooling has been widely discussed as a way of bringing more girls into the natural sciences. Aims . We test the assumption that the beneficial effects of single‐sex education on girls' self‐concept of ability in masculine subjects such as physics are due to the lower accessibility of gender‐related self‐knowledge in single‐sex classes. Sample . N = 401 eighth‐graders (mean age 14.0 years) from coeducational comprehensive schools. Methods . Random assignment of students to single‐sex vs. coeducational physics classes throughout the eighth grade. At the end of the year, students' physics‐related self‐concept of ability was measured using a questionnaire. In a subsample of N = 134 students, the accessibility of gender‐related self‐knowledge during physics classes was assessed by measuring latencies and endorsement of sex‐typed trait adjectives. Results . Girls from single‐sex physics classes reported a better physics‐related self‐concept of ability than girls from coeducational classes, while boys' self‐concept of ability did not vary according to class composition. For both boys and girls, gender‐related self‐knowledge was less accessible in single‐sex classes than in mixed‐sex classes. To the extent that girls' feminine self‐knowledge was relatively less accessible than their masculine self‐knowledge, their physics‐related self‐concept of ability improved at the end of the school year. Conclusions . By revealing the importance of the differential accessibility of gender‐related self‐knowledge in single‐ and mixed‐sex settings, our study clarifies why single‐sex schooling helps adolescents to gain a better self‐concept of ability in school subjects that are considered inappropriate for their own sex.     

Exploring the processes involved in long‐term recovery from chronic alcohol addiction within an abstinence‐based model: Implications for practice

Background: There is little consensus at policy or treatment level as to what defines ‘recovery’ in the alcohol addiction field. Aim: From interviewing a cohort of eight severely alcohol‐dependent people who fulfilled all categories of DSM‐IV and ICD 10 diagnostic criteria and had achieved long‐term recovery (LTR) of between 8 and 48 years, and who are long‐term AA members, a definition of recovery that is inclusive, and achievable, was sought from their lived experiences. Methodology: Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used. Findings: This research uncovers the processes involved in long‐term recovery, and identifies them as: sober; maintaining sobriety; and recovery. It suggests a move away from the acute model of cure by brief, time‐limited therapy, towards a model of sustained, on‐going and life‐long recovery management, combined with pro‐social aid resources. Individuals need to observe, and hear, the success narratives of others, and the therapeutic conditions of empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence need to be strongly experienced by the individual.     

Learning by Preparing‐to‐Teach and Teaching: A Meta‐Analysis

The present research meta‐analytically examined the effects of preparing‐to‐teach and subsequent teaching (relative to mere studying without teaching expectancy) on the acquisition of domain knowledge. The synthesis of 28 studies indicated that the estimated effect sizes (Hedges' gs) were 0.35 for preparing‐to‐teach and 0.56 for teaching with preparing‐to‐teach. Both preparing‐to‐teach and teaching with preparing‐to‐teach were effective in promoting deep learning (as well as surface learning) and even after a delay. The learning benefits of teaching with preparing‐to‐teach were larger when students expected and engaged in an interactive teaching activity than when they expected and engaged in a non‐interactive teaching activity. The mere expectation of interactive teaching also produced larger learning effects than the expectation of non‐interactive teaching. These results suggest that preparing‐to‐teach and teaching, interactive teaching after preparing to do so in particular, are useful for enhancing learning.     

An experimental examination of alcohol consumption,alcohol expectancy,and self‐blame on willingness to report a hypothetical rape

This study experimentally examined the role of victim alcohol intoxication, and self‐blame in perceiving and reporting rape to the police using a hypothetical interactive rape scenario. Participants (N = 79) were randomly assigned to consume alcohol (mean BAC = 0.07%) or tonic water before they engaged in the scenario. Alcohol expectancy was manipulated, and participant beliefs about the beverage they thought they had consumed and their feelings of intoxication were measured. Alcohol consumption and expectancy did not affect the likelihood that the nonconsensual intercourse depicted in the scenario was perceived and would be reported as rape. Participants with higher levels of self‐blame were less likely to say they would report the hypothetical rape. Self‐blame levels were higher for participants who believed they had consumed alcohol, and were associated with increased feelings of intoxication. The implications are discussed.     

The stability and causal effects of task‐specific and generalized self‐efficacy in college1

This research investigated the stability and causal effects of task‐specific self‐efficacy and generalized self‐efficacy in college students. In Study 1, task‐specific self‐efficacy and generalized self‐efficacy scales were administered to university students (N = 237) on two occasions, with an interval of 2 months. In Study 2, task‐specific (care‐work) self‐efficacy and generalized self‐efficacy scales were administered to college students who were studying to be care workers (N = 49) on three occasions (before the first care‐work practicum, after the practicum, and 3 months later). The results of both studies indicated that generalized self‐efficacy was more stable than task‐specific self‐efficacy. In Study 1, both generalized self‐efficacy and task‐specific self‐efficacy affected each other in daily life. Study 2 examined the effects of an ego‐engaged experience (the first care‐work practicum) for task‐specific (care‐work) self‐efficacy and generalized self‐efficacy. The results indicated that changes in care‐work self‐efficacy did not affect generalized self‐efficacy.     

Values,achievement goals,and individual‐oriented and social‐oriented achievement motivations among Chinese and Indonesian secondary school students

This study examined how values related to achievement goals and individual‐oriented and social‐oriented achievement motivations among secondary school students in China (N = 355) and Indonesia (N = 356). Statistical comparisons showed the Chinese students endorsed more strongly than the Indonesian students on self‐direction and hedonism values, individual‐oriented achievement motivation, and mastery‐approach goals. Conversely, the Indonesian students endorsed more strongly than their Chinese counterparts on security, conformity, tradition, universalism and achievement values, social‐oriented achievement motivation, and performance‐approach and mastery‐avoidance goals. Values explained a significant amount of the variance in almost all of the dimensions of motivation. Etic and emic relationships between values and achievement motivations were found.     

Effects of Group Training in Problem‐Solving Style on Future Problem‐Solving Performance

Seventy‐five participants from one suburban high school formed 21 teams with 3–4 members each for the Future Problem Solving Program International (FPSPI). Students were selected to participate in either the regular FPSPI or an enhanced FPSPI, where multiple group training activities grounded in problem‐solving style were incorporated into a 9‐week treatment period. An ANCOVA procedure was used to examine the difference in team responses to a creative problem‐solving scenario for members of each group, after accounting for initial differences in creative problem‐solving performance, years of experience in FPSPI, and creative thinking related to fluency, flexibility, and originality. The ANCOVA resulted in a significant difference in problem‐solving performance in favor of students in the treatment group (F(1, 57) = 8.21, p = .006, partial eta squared = .126, medium), while there were no significant differences in years of experience or creativity scores. This result led researchers to conclude that students in both groups had equivalent creative ability and that participation in the group activities emphasizing problem‐solving style significantly contributed to creative performance.     

Self‐Enhancement on a Self‐Categorization Leash: Evidence for a Dual‐Process Model of First‐ and Third‐Person Perceptions

Research suggests that first‐ and third‐person perceptions are driven by the motive to self‐enhance and cognitive processes involving the perception of social norms. This article proposes and tests a dual‐process model that predicts an interaction between cognition and motivation. Consistent with the model, Experiment 1 (N = 112) showed that self‐enhancement drove influence judgments when messages were normatively neutral—people reported first‐person perceptions for in‐group‐favoring messages and third‐person perceptions for out‐group‐favoring messages. Experiment 2 (N = 208) showed an additive effect when social norms were also in‐group‐enhancing, but showed a decreased effect when social norms and group‐enhancement were discordant. The findings are hard to reconcile with pure motivational or cognitive explanations, but are consistent with the proposed dual‐process model.     

Concurrent and prospective effects of multi‐dimensional aggression and anger on adolescent alcohol use

This study examined the relationship between alcohol, anger, and aggression in high school students. Anger and three types of aggressive expression (verbal, physical toward people, and physical toward objects) were evaluated cross‐sectionally and prospectively, via structural equation modeling for relationships to alcohol use in Mexican American and white non‐Latino 9–10th (Time 1) and 11–12th grade (Time 2) students. At both times cross‐sectionally, anger and aggressive anger expression tended to correlate positively with alcohol use in each ethnicity/gender group. However, prospectively, aggressive forms of anger expression tended not to be related to alcohol use two years later. Only verbally aggressive anger expression was related to alcohol use two years later and then, only for Mexican American and white non‐Latino females. There was, therefore, little basis for causal links between aggressive anger expression and alcohol use in a general population of high school students. Aggress. Behav. 30:356–372, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Chinese college students' general and relationship‐specific representations of adult attachment: Variable‐centred and person‐centred analysis

Formerly, researchers often treated adult attachment as a trait‐like construct with consistency across relationship contexts. However, recent studies have shown that people possess multiple relationship‐specific attachment representations, and inter‐correlations among them are only in a small‐to‐medium range. The aim of this study is to test whether these variable‐centred results could be replicated in China and further supplement them with a person‐centred analysis focusing on identifying prototypical patterns of multiple working models across relationships. We administrated measurements of general and four relationship‐specific (mother/father/best friend/romantic partner) working models and indicators of psychological adjustment upon 302 Chinese college students. Results from variable‐centred analysis demonstrated the cross‐relationship variability in working models. Furthermore, global indicators of psychological adjustment were better predicted by general models, while relationship‐specific indicators were better predicted by corresponding relationship‐specific models. These results largely replicate previous Western studies, supporting the existence of multiple attachment representations in China. In person‐centred analysis, a latent profile analysis identified four typical classes of working model profiles: all‐average, all‐secure, romantic‐insecure and peer‐secure. These classes differed not only in the cross‐relationship variability of their working models, but also in their levels of psychological adjustment. These interesting patterns may have theoretical implications and are worthy of further examination.     

Boys’ and girls’ involvement in science learning and their self‐efficacy in Taiwan

This cross‐sectional study investigated the significant differences in students’ self‐efficacy and their involvement in learning science. Nine hundred and twenty‐two elementary school fifth graders, 499 junior high school eighth graders, and 1455 senior or vocational high school eleventh graders completed the students’ questionnaire. Analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and independent t‐tests compared the significant similarities and differences across school levels and genders. The initial findings were as follows: A sharp decline in boys’ and girls’ self‐efficacy scores from elementary to secondary school levels; boys have significantly higher self‐efficacy scores than girls at vocational and senior high school levels; students with more involvement in science learning presented significantly higher self‐efficacy scores than those with less involvement. The significant discrepancies in terms of gender and age in students’ self‐efficacy and involvement in learning science need to be addressed. Implications and limitations are provided.