Relationship Between Sensory Deficits and Externalizing Behaviors in an Urban, Latino Preschool Population

This study examined the relationship between sensory deficits and externalizing behavior problems in preschool children. Parents of 179 urban, Latino preschool children completed two parent-report measures, the Short Sensory Profile (SSP), as a checklist for sensory symptoms, and the Achenbach Checklist for Ages 1½–5 (CBCL/1½–5) to assess externalizing behavior problems. Measures were available in Spanish or English depending on the parent’s preference. Correlations were performed between the total sensory deficits scale of the SSP and the Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Externalizing Problems scales of the CBCL. Significant correlations were found between increasing levels of sensory deficits and increasing externalizing behavior problems. Correlations were also examined in subcategories of age, gender and socioeconomic status. Five-year-old children showed stronger correlations than 4-year-old children, while males showed stronger correlations than females, and the highest correlations were found in children of families reporting between $18,001 and $24,000 per year annual income. Findings suggest that Latino preschool children with externalizing behavior problems may suffer from delays in sensory development that impact their behavior. Clinical interventions should promote strategies that either reduce or increase environmental stimuli in accordance with the sensory abilities of the individual child.     

Examining “fat talk” experimentally in a female dyad: How are women influenced by another woman's body presentation style?

Fat talk, the verbal dissatisfaction that women express about their bodies, was studied in a female dyad whereby participants interacted with a female confederate who either self-derogated, self-accepted, or self-aggrandized. A 2 (participant body esteem: high vs. low) ×3 (confederate style of body image presentation) design was used. Results revealed that participants’ public disclosure of their body image varied according to confederate's style. Consistent with a reciprocity effect, participants disclosed the lowest public body image ratings in the self-derogate condition, with moderate ratings in the self-accept condition, and highest ratings in the self-aggrandize condition. Moreover, participants with low compared to high body esteem stated lower public body image. Participants’ judgments of the confederates’ likeability did not vary as a function of the confederate's body presentational style. Findings support the recursive nature of the social psychology of body image such that personal body image dissatisfaction is partially influenced by fat talk social norms.     

Gender, Sexual Experience, and the Sexual Double Standard: Evaluations of Female Contraceptive Behavior

The purpose of the present research was to compare men's and women's perceptions of female contraceptive behavior and investigate the relationship between sexual experience and these perceptions. One hundred forty-six predominantly Caucasion males (n = 76) and females (n = 70) were randomly assigned to one of three sexual scenarios in which a male provided the condom in a sexual encounter, a female provided the condom, or no condom was used. They were then asked to rate the female on several behavioral and personality measures and to complete a sexual experience scale. Results showed differences in the way men and women perceived the female target. A positive correlation was also found between sexual experience and more favorable perceptions of the sexually-prepared female.     

Process Dissociation Procedure: Double Dissociations Following Divided Attention and Speeded Responding

The validity of the process dissociation procedure was examined by manipulating attention and speed of responding in a recognition task. Both manipulations were expected to decrease the probability of controlled memory processes, c, while leaving the probability of automatic memory processes, a, unaffected. In order to estimate c and a, a multinomial processing tree modelwas fittedto the data.Contrary to expectation, a double dissociation (i.e.a decrease inc coupled with an increase in a) was obtained, suggesting that a does not accurately measure the probability of automatic processes. The results are discussed with reference to the independence assumption in the process dissociation procedure.     

Comprehension strategies in the development of a mental model.

It is generally assumed that the comprehension strategy used in the development of a mental model for narrative texts focuses on information that is relevant to the protagonist. Experiments 1a and 1b confirmed that readers remain sensitive to the location of the protagonist even when strategies based on text-base level representations predict this information should not be active. Experiments 2 and 3 tested the stronger claim that readers adopt the perspective of the protagonist. Ss did not notice information that was contradictory from the perspective of the protagonist unless explicitly instructed to adopt that perspective. It was concluded that, at the level of the mental model, readers focus on information relevant to the protagonist but that they do not adopt the perspective of the protagonist unless characteristics of the text induce such a strategy.     

CAI: Goals and perspectives: Computer users’ group panel discussion

This report of the users’ group meeting contains a condensed version of a panel discussion of general issues involving computer-assisted instruction (CAI) systems. The discussants were asked to comment on the goals of the CAI efforts and the past accomplishments and future of computer systems in education.     

Job satisfaction related to tested congruence and differentiation

Tested personality-environment congruence and differentiation, singly and in combination, as measured by the Vocational Preference Inventory (J. L. Holland, Palo Alto, California, Consulting Psychologists Press, 1977b), were predictive of reported job satisfaction for teachers employed in five subject matter areas. Time-related variables and sex were not significantly related to the job satisfaction measure used in the study.