Ethnic Differences in Health Behaviors Among College Students

Ethnic minority groups in the U.S. show significant health disparities, likely arising in part from psychosocial influences on health behaviors. This study explores how ethnicity and acculturation relate to health behaviors among 521 college students. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing eating habits (eating vegetables, fruits, and salads vs. French fries and hamburgers), preventative health behaviors (physical exams, dental visits, exercise), and health-harming behaviors (smoking, drinking), as well as a modified acculturation scale ( Marin et al., 1987 ). Results showed that ethnicity and acculturation likely have both positive and negative effects on health behaviors. Despite equality of education, conceptually meaningful group differences in health behaviors were revealed, pointing toward future research on modifying the psychosocial aspects of ethnic health disparities.     

Gender Differences in Sado-Masochistic Arousal Among College Students

This paper tests three competing explanationsfor male-female differences in sado-masochistic sexualarousal. The male arousal hypothesis posits that becauseof socialization that emphasizes sexual aggression and experimentation (and thus higher levels ofsexual arousal and activity in all areas), men will bemore aroused by both sadism and masochism than women.The female masochism hypothesis argues that because females are socialized to be passive, they willbe more aroused by masochistic (but not sadistic)activities than males. The convergence hypothesis notesthat male female socialization (and differences in most sexual attitudes and behavior) haveconverged in recent years, and hypothesizes that thesame convergence has taken place in arousal caused bysado-masochistic behavior and fantasy. Using a sample comprised of 320 undergraduate students (69%white, 27% African American, 4% other) from a largeurban university in the Southeast, we found no evidencefor the female masochism hypothesis and only weak evidence for the convergence hypothesis. Thestrongest evidence was for the male arousal hypotheses,with males scoring significantly higher than females onseven of the twelve measures of sado-masochistic arousal, and no differently from females on theremaining five.     

Metacognitive Ability and Test Performance Among College Students

We studied college students' metacognitive ability to see whether or to what extent it would be correlated with actual test grades. We hypothesized that higher metacognitive ability would correlate with higher exam marks and that lower metacognitive ability would correlate with lower exam marks. College students (N = 109) were asked to guess the grade they expected to receive at the completion of a regular classroom exam. We found a significant negative correlation between the actual grade received, a measure of cognitive ability, and the difference between the actual grade and the expected grade, a measure of metacognitive ability.     

Religion and Happiness: A Study Among University Students in Turkey

This study tests the hypothesis that higher levels of positive religious affect are associated with higher levels of personal happiness among a sample of 348 students studying at a state university in Turkey who completed the Ok Religious Attitude Scale (Islam), the Oxford Happiness Inventory, and the short-form Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised. The data reported a small but statistically significant association between religiosity and happiness after taking sex and individual differences in personality into account.     

Emotions,Risk Perceptions,and Precautionary Behavior Under the Threat of Terror Attacks: A Field Study Among Israeli College Students

The current study uses the unique data from a natural experiment conducted in a college located in southern Israel that was exposed to rocket attacks in 2008. The study examines the relationships between the negative emotions, the perceptions of risk to oneself, the precautionary actions, and the intentions of 290 students who were exposed to terror attacks while on campus. In addition, we compared the emotions, the risk perceptions, and the precautionary behavior between the two groups: those who lived within the range of the rockets and were also exposed to rocket attacks at home and those who lived outside the range of the rockets. The results show that the risk perceptions were affected mainly by the emotion of fear while the students were on campus. In particular, fearful people became more pessimistic about their general and personal risks from terror but not about routine risks. The results also reveal that those who lived outside the rocket area (and had less or no experience with terror attacks) were more likely to take precautionary actions during their stay in the campus and were more pessimistic about continuing their studies in college in the coming year than those living in the area, who had more experience with terror attacks. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Similarity, Cohesion, and Friendship Networks Among Boys and Girls: A One-Year Follow-Up Study Among Italian Children

This study aimed to investigate the follow-up effects of certain characteristics of children??s friendships, such as similarity and cohesion with friends as represented by the children through drawing, as well as the breadth of their friendship networks as perceived by children. Participants were 115 children who were 6 to 9?years old (M?=?7.09.14, SD?=?0.41; 51?% female), attending two primary schools in northwest Italy. We used children??s drawings and self-reported measures to investigate friendship at both dyadic and network levels. Multiple logistic regressions indicated that mean score of similarity was positively associated with friendship network while an increase in cohesion was negatively associated with friendship network at follow-up. These associations did not vary by sex and stability or change of drawn friend. The paper contributes to the knowledge on the subject of friendship among children, especially in light of its focus on the associations between the components of friendship and the friendship network. Findings demonstrated that boys and girls are much more similar than expected.     

When Gender Differences Surpass Cultural Differences in Personal Satisfaction with Body Shape in Israeli College Students

This study was designed to examine influences of gender and cultural background on participants satisfaction with body-shape. Participants were Jewish and Arab university students (104 men and 96 women), who completed the Figure Rating Scale (Fallon & Rozin, 1985). Discrepancy between current and ideal figures was used to measure body satisfaction. As in the U.S., women, in comparison with men, were significantly less satisfied with their bodies. They exaggerated the magnitude of thinness that they thought men desire. In contrast with U.S. findings, there were women as well as men, who indicated dissatisfaction with their bodies because they thought they were too thin. Contrary to our predictions, cultural background did not influence body satisfaction. However, gender and age produced significant differences in ratings.     

Gender Differences in Gender-Role Perceptions Among Japanese College Students

This study investigated gender differences ingender role perceptions among contemporary Japanesecollege students. Originally, a total of 309 students(111 men and 198 women) rated the desirability of 60 items of the Japanese version of Bem SexRole Inventory for both men and women. One hundredfifty-nine students' desirability ratings for men and150 students' desirability ratings for women wererandomly selected. A significant gender difference wasfound only on the desirability ratings of feminine itemsfor men with the males having a higher mean score thanthe females (p < .001). There was no gender difference in the desirability ratings offeminine items for women and masculine items for men andfor women. Several possible explanations for the presentresults were discussed. A comparison of the present findings to the results of the previous study(Kashiwagi, 1974) was also discussed.     

Family Characteristics and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Follow-Up of Israeli Combat Stress Reaction Casualties

This study assessed the role of family status and family relationships in the course of combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The sample consisted of 382 Israeli soldiers who suffered a combat stress reaction episode during the 1982 Lebanon War. Results showed that one year after the war married soldiers had higher rates of PTSD than did unmarried soldiers. Furthermore, higher rates of PTSD were associated with low expressiveness, low cohesiveness, and high conflict in the casualties' families. Theoretical, methodological, and clinical implications are discussed.     

Exploring Internet Motives and Life Satisfaction Among Hungarian and Israeli Medical Students, Living in Hungary

Objective Using the Internet can influence psychological well-being, for instance life satisfaction has been negatively related to Internet uses. The first aim of this study was to compare the motives for Internet use and life satisfaction. The second aim was to explore nation- and gender-based differences in Internet uses. Method The questionnaires related to Internet motives and life satisfaction, and were filled out by 300 medical students, including 150 Israeli students (75 females, 75 males) and 150 Hungarian students (75 females, 75 males). Results In the Israeli and Hungarian sample, the entertainment motive was rated the highest while the escape motive was rated the lowest. There were significant differences between the Israeli male and female students in arousal and information-seeking, while for the Hungarian male and female students there were significant differences for pass time. Life satisfaction was higher in the Israeli sample. In both samples it was shown that the higher the life satisfaction was, the less likely the students were to use the Internet for companionship purposes. Again in both samples, a higher life satisfaction predicted less frequent use of the Internet for the social interaction motives.     

Commonalities and Differences Among Frames: A Unification Model

We provide a review and a theoretically unifying model of framing effects. Beginning with a review of findings that prospect theory, fuzzy‐trace theory, and traditional dual process models do and do not explain, we develop a model of framing based partly on Bless and Schwarz's (2010) inclusion/exclusion model of assimilation and contrast. Our model is the first of its kind to be applied to all three valence framing manipulations and presents common mechanisms explaining findings in the framing literature that were previously difficult to conceptualize within a single theory (e.g., matching effects and cognitive effort). The model also accounts for why all three framing manipulations are influenced by differences between holistic/contextual versus analytic processing as well as the presence, absence, and direction of effects produced by different versions of framing manipulations. It also predicts contrast effects (Implications and Future Directions section) and applies to manipulations involving a frame and judgmental target. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Profiles of Social Anxiety and Impulsivity Among College Students: A Close Examination of Profile Differences in Externalizing Behavior

Prior work indicates the presence of a subtype of Social Anxiety (SA) characterized by disinhibition or high externalizing behaviors such as substance use and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms. A sample of 375 undergraduates completed an online study including measures of SA, substance use, ADHD symptoms and impulsivity. Latent class analyses revealed three classes of individuals who evidenced: (a) low SA and low impulsivity, (b) high SA and low impulsivity, and (c) high SA and high impulsivity. Individuals high in both SA and impulsivity evidenced greater likelihoods of exhibiting externalizing behavior, relative to the two other classes. Post-hoc analyses revealed the largest and most significant differences between classes were seen with regard to ADHD. This finding extends previous work by replicating distinct profiles of SA and impulsivity, and highlighting that how these profiles relate to externalizing behaviors may depend on the externalizing domain.     

Sex Differences Among Personality Correlates of Mathematical Ability in High School Seniors

To help explain female inferiority in mathematical performance, sex differences in personality correlates of mathematical ability were examined. Three instruments, Rotter's I-E Scale, Miller Adult Locus of Evaluation Scale, and Byrd's Attitude Concerning Life and Self were administered to measure four personality factors: locus of control, locus of evaluation, identity confusion associated with resolution of the adolescent identity crisis, and self-esteem. Each personality score was correlated separately by sex with Scholastic Aptitude Test mathematical and verbal scores. The sample included 68 females and 63 males, randomly selected from college-bound seniors in a predominantly white, middle-class, suburban high school, chosen to limit the effects of social, economic, racial and educational differences. Two variables were partialed out for control purposes: number of mathematics courses completed and IQ Otis-Lennon Mental Ability Test. For females only, internal locus of control and self-esteem were significant correlates of mathematical ability, and were seen as facilitators of female mathematical functioning in the face of environmental impediments to female mathematical performance.     

Underachievement and Attributions Among Students Attending Schools Stratified by Student Ability

Underachievement among students tends to be a social product. In this case, schools stratified to admit students of lower academic ability might be more likely to produce underachievers. A reason for this is the encouragement of external attribution and the discouragement of internal attribution among students in these schools. These hypotheses get support from a study of 2720 junior high school students in Hong Kong. This study shows that the hypothesized relationships generally held for six alternative methods of identifying underachievers.     

Stress,Sex Differences,and Coping Strategies Among College Students

The sources of stress (academics, financial, family, social, and daily hassles) and coping strategies (self-help, approach, accommodation, avoidance, and self-punishment) of 166 college students were examined. The relationship between sex, specific sources of stress, and coping strategies was also investigated. Students completed a stress assessment inventory and a stress coping inventory based on a 5-factor revised COPE model (Zuckerman and Gagne Journal of Research in Personality, 37:169–204, 2003). Results found that college women reported a higher overall level of stress and greater use of emotion-focused coping strategies than college men. College men and women also reported different coping strategies for different stressors; however the use of emotion-focused coping strategies dominated over problem-solving strategies for both men and women. These results have implications for designing stress reduction workshops that build on the existing adaptive emotion-focused strategies of college students.     

A Study of Acculturation Differences Among International People and Suggestions for Sensitivity to Within-Group Differences

The acculturation of international people in a midwestern university was studied. Acculturation variables of perceived prejudice, observance of cultural practices and social ties, and language usage were measured. Africans, Asians, and South Americans were significantly less acculturated than were Europeans. Significant differences were also found for permanent versus nonpermanent United States residence status, length of residence in the United States, and religion. Themes derived from open-ended responses showed that participants related their identity to the values, religion, physical appearance, and language of their national origins. Emerging themes also suggested a reciprocity of acceptance and animosity in the dominant-minority intergroup relations.     

Gender-Role Differences in Spatial Ability: A Meta-Analytic Review

Although gender-related differences in highly gender typed cognitive abilities are of considerable interest to educators and cognitive researchers alike, relatively little progress has been made in understanding the psychological processes that lead to them. Nash (1979) proposed a gender-role mediation hypothesis for such differences, with particular emphasis on spatial ability. However, changes in gender equality and gender stereotypes in the decades since merit a re-examination of whether a gender-role association still holds (Feingold 1988). A meta-analysis of 12 studies that examined gender-role identity and mental rotation performance was conducted. These included studies from the United Kingdom, Canada, Poland, Croatia, and the United States of America. The mean effect size for masculinity was r = .30 for men and r = .23 for women; no association was found between femininity and mental rotation. This effect size was slightly larger than that found previously by Signorella and Jamison (1986), and exceeds many other factors known to influence spatial ability. The implications of gender-role mediation of gender differences are discussed and future research directions are identified.     

Sex Differences in Scholastic Ability of Jewish and Arab College Students in Israel

Abstract

Psychological variables that differentiate fast- and slow-progressing small-scale industrial entrepreneurs were studied. Twenty-two different psychosocial variables were reliably measured in 448 industrial entrepreneurs of Punjab, India. Three analyses were undertaken: intergroup comparison for the mean scores for industrial growth obtained after dichotomizing the sample at the median; comparison of the extreme 25% with highest and lowest industrial growth; correlation of the measured variables with growth in industrial productivity. Results showed that high scores on emotional stability, self-assurance, upward striving, potential for change and development, competitiveness, punctuality, hard work, tolerance for work pressure, and education were associated with a fast rate of industrial growth. Tendermindedness, guilt-proneness, anxiety, hoarding tendency, high risk-taking, and traditionality were associated with static or declining industrial growth.     

Reciprocated and Unreciprocated Dyadic Peer Preferences and Academic Achievement of Israeli and Immigrant Students: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

The authors used a longitudinal design to investigate 2 major issues: first, whether popularity with classmates results in better academic achievement or academic achievement improves popularity with classmates; and second, how time affects in-group and out-group contacts in the elementary school. The authors studied these issues by means of an interactive measure of reciprocated and unreciprocated contacts with peers. This measure indicated the extent to which aspirations for close relations were fulfilled or not fulfilled by each member of a dyad. Participants were 305 fifth- and sixth-grade Israeli students and 100 immigrant classmates. Results indicated (a) higher academic achievement predicted higher numbers of bids for reciprocal contacts in class but not higher numbers of bids for contacts that were not reciprocated; (b) a higher level of unreciprocated bids for contact seemed to have a detrimental effect on academic performance; (c) teachers tended to rate as more adjusted to school the immigrant students who were willing to engage in more intensive reciprocated contacts with Israeli peers; and (d) reciprocated contacts tended to increase whereas unreciprocated contacts were inclined to decrease as a function of time. These changes over time were more prominent for the dominant hosts than for their migrant classmates.