Understanding the Relationships Among Attitudes, Group Norms, and Behavior Using Behavioral Commitment: A Structural Equation Analysis of Marijuana Use

This research examines the relative importance of attitudes and group norms in determining frequency of marijuana use. In this examination, we employ a neglected concept in attitude/behavior research—behavioral commitment. We suggest that the role of attitudes and group norms will vary, in part, depending upon one's level of commitment to the behavior. Specifically, we assert that norms will increase in importance over attitudes as behavioral commitment increases. To test this hypothesis, we utilize covariance structure analysis with a nationally representative sample of high school seniors defined in terms of their commitment to marijuana use. Multiple group comparisons also are performed to assess the comparability of measurement properties and structural estimates. Results are supportive of the hypothesis. The findings are discussed in terms of previous attitude/behavior research and drug abuse prevention programs.     

BEYOND NONSEXIST RESEARCH

It is the thesis of this article that efforts to identify a distinctive set of "feminist methods" for psychological research are not only futile but unwise. We begin by discussing the defining features of feminist research in psychology. We then evaluate several proposals for distinctively feminist methods in psychology. Suggestions that feminists should avoid experimentation and quantitative research as inherently less feminist than other approaches are considered and rejected, as are criteria based on the sex of the research participants or the researcher. We further argue that the proposed distinction between "agentic" and "communal" approaches to research is misleading. We conclude that any research method can be misused in sexist ways, and that no method comes with a feminist guarantee. Feminist researchers should be skeptical of the limitations of all research methods.     

Relationship factors as predictors of causal attributions about sexual experiences

This study investigated the relation between general relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction by seeking to identify which aspects of one's relationship would predict attributions made about sexual experiences. Subjects were 233 male and female graduate and undergraduate students who were asked to rate the extent to which self, partner, situational, and relationship factors were causes for sexually satisfying and unsatisfying experiences. General relationship satisfaction, phase of relationship involvement, depth of sexual involvement, importance of sexual satisfaction to overall relationship contentment, sexual history, and gender were variables entered into multiple regression analysis to identify the best fit model predicting causal attributions to each dimension. Findings revealed that relationship satisfaction and gender appeared to contribute to a reliable best fit model which predicted attributions to the sexual relationship for satisfying sexual outcomes. Sexual history was a strong predictor variable, occurring in the best fit models for all but two attribution dimensions; other relationship variables were not strong contributors to predictive models. Finally, the inclusion of an interpersonal attributional dimension, the relationship, appeared to be highly relevant when persons identified explanations for their sexual experience outcomes. Implications of the findings and suggestions for further research are discussed.     

Hue naming: A test of the validity of Werner and Wooten’s average observer

Fifteen subjects scaled monochromatic lights ranging from 460 to 640 nm by assigning percentages to the names blue, green, yellow, and red, representing the proportion of these hues perceived in the lights. The resulting hue-naming functions were compared to those predicted from the opponent-chromatic response functions of Werner and Wooten’s (1979b) proposed average observer. The agreement between the two sets of functions was reasonably good, which strengthens the validity of their average observer.     

The midstream order deficit

The relative order of an auditory sequence can be more difficult to apprehend when it is presented repeatedly without pause (i.e., cycling) than when it is presented only once (Warren, Obusek, Farmer, & Warren, 1969). We find that this phenomenon, referred to as themidstream order deficit (MOD), can also occur with visual stimuli. The stimuli need not form separate perceptual “streams,” and the effect can occur with presentation rates as slow as five items per second, even though the identification of individual letters is very accurate at this rate. However, if the first item of the sequence is visually very distinct from the preceding items, relative order reports can be as accurate in the cycling condition as in the single-presentation condition. Our results suggest that the MOD is not due to masking, attentional blink, repetition blindness, Reeves and Sperling’s (1986) order illusion, memory limitations, or decision criteria. The MOD may reflect an attentional cost to the initiation of order encoding, which is distinct from the allocation of attention is required in order to detect and identify individual items. To initiate order encoding successfully, one’s attention must be set for, or captured by, an initial salient event.