The career aspirations and occupational interests of culturally disadvantaged children

The occupational aspirations and interests of a sample of culturally disadvantaged children aged 15½ years and a matched control group were compared. Whilst the disadvantaged boys aspired to jobs of lower social-class status than their control-group peers, the two girls' groups showed very similar aspiration levels, and the disadvantaged group as a whole was oriented towards skilled jobs. The mean occupational interest profiles of the groups did not differ significantly. A higher proportion of the disadvantaged children were reported as being unemployed shortly after leaving school. It is concluded that there was a serious mismatch between the career aspirations of some of the disadvantaged group and their prospects. Ways in which this might be reduced through better school careers guidance and education programmes are briefly considered.     

Developmental and individual differences in performance on phonological synthesis tasks

This study was conducted in order to examine the role of individual differences in working memory and lexical access in accounting for age and reading skill related differences in performance on phonological synthesis tasks. The performance of 28 kindergarten, first-, and second-grade children with normal reading skills, as well as that of 28 reading-disabled second graders, was compared under four testing conditions. The testing conditions were formed by completely crossing rate of presentation of phoneme strings with type of stimulus to be blended (real or nonword). Both independent variables affected performance on the blending tasks, with better performance obtained at faster presentation rates and with real words. There was a developmental discontinuity in overall performance, with the kindergarten children obtaining substantially lower scores than the first or second graders. In the comparison of second-grade good and poor readers, there was a significant interaction between groups, presentation rates, and type of stimulus. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for a general model of performance on the sound blending task, as well as their value for interpreting individual differences on the task.     

An auditory Stroop effect for pitch, loudness, and time

Increased reaction time to pitch, loudness, or duration of an auditorily presented word whose meaning is in conflict with the response label (i.e., high/low, loud/soft, or fast/slow) demonstrates an auditory Stroop effect. Fifteen normal adults participated in an auditory Stroop test. Analysis of reaction time data supports the existence of an auditory Stroop effect for pitch and loudness, but not duration. The interaction between psychoacoustic and semantic attributes of speech stimuli is discussed.     

Perceived Consensus in Estimates of the Prevalence of Driving Errors and Violations

This paper reports a study of perceptions of the prevalence of certain driving errors and violations in a large ( N = 1,656) sample of drivers. In keeping with previous research on perceptions of social consensus, it was predicted that (a) drivers who reported that they themselves regularly commit these errors and violations would make larger estimates of the percentage of other road users who regularly engage in these behaviors, by comparison with drivers who reported that they do not regularly commit these errors and violations; (b) comparison of estimates of social consensus for own behavior with the actual numbers of respondents reporting that they did or did not engage in these behaviors would show that those who do commit the behaviors regularly would overestimate consensus for their position, while those who do not commit the behaviors regularly would underestimate consensus for their position; and (c) these tendencies to overestimate or underestimate actual consensus for own position would be correlated with the perceived offensiveness to others of the behavior concerned, such that departures from actual consensus would be greater for behaviors rated as more offensive. The results provide strong support for the first two predictions but none for the third; indeed, the degree of over- or underestimation tended to be inversely related to offensiveness. In addition, there were unanticipated but highly consistent sex and age differences in perceptions of the prevalence of the target behaviors, with female and younger respondents making higher estimates than male and older respondents, respectively. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

GENERALIZED EFFECTS OF A PEER-DELIVERED FIRST AID PROGRAM FOR STUDENTS WITH MODERATE INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

Peers with mild intellectual disabilities taught first aid skills to 4 students with moderate intellectual disabilities. A multiple probe design across participants was used to examine the effects of the peer teaching program during an acquisition and a partial sequential withdrawal phase. Generalization assessments were conducted in the participants' homes using novel, randomized simulated injuries. Results suggested that the peer teaching program resulted in acquisition of first aid skills, and the participants' skills generalized to the home, to novel simulated-injury locations, and to new trainers. Additionally, a more detailed analysis of the generalized responding suggested that when given a choice among first aid materials, participants treated burns using large adhesive bandages rather than the materials used in training. Participants also successfully treated injuries when novel instructional cues were used. The findings are discussed with respect to training issues, generalization and maintenance of the acquired skills, and the use of peer tutors with disabilities.     

Variation and selection: The evolutionary analogy and the convergence of cognitive and behavioral psychology

The empirical and theoretical work of both operant and cognitive researchers has increasingly appealed to evolutionary concepts. In particular, both traditional operant studies of extinction-induced behavior and cognitive investigations of creativity and problem solving converge on the fundamental evolutionary principles of variation and selection. These contemporary developments and their implications for the alleged preparadigmatic status of psychology are discussed.     

Race,Gender, and Sexual Orientation in the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Evaluating an Intervention for Leaders of Diverse Communities

This article discusses the implementation and evaluation of an HIV/AIDS educational intervention for college student leaders in African-American, Latino, feminist, and gay and lesbian campus organizations.     

Book reviews

Base Christian Communities and Social Change In Brazil. W.E Hewitt, Lincoln, London: Universty of Nebraska Press, 1991. 150 pp, £ 23.70.

Spiritual Quest. An Inter‐Religious Dimension. Hasan Askari, West Yorkshire: Seven Mirrors, 1991. 152 pp. £10.00. ISBN 1–873685

The Bed worth R.E. Project. Peter Woodward, ed. Warwick; University of Warwick, Department of Arts Education, 1991. 59 pp, (no price indicated).

A Dictionary of Judaism and Christianity. Dan Cohn‐Sherbok, London: SPCK, 1991. 181 pp. £15 ISBN 0–281–04538–0

Truth to Tell: The Gospel as Public Truth, Lesslie Newbigin, London: SPCK, 1991. 90pp, £5.99.     

A Three Generational Study of Tomboy Behavior

The perceptions and definitions of tomboybehavior were explored across three generations ofwomen. The sample included 521 women (primarilyundergraduates, their mothers, and their grandmothers)ranging in age from 17 to 94 who were categorized intoone of three cohorts (Generation Xers, Baby Boomers orSenior Citizens) for a final sample of 466. The samplewas 87% European American, 6% Native American, 3% Hispanic, and 2% Asian American. Sixty-sevenpercent of the sample reported being tomboys duringtheir childhood. The average age reported for startingtomboy behavior was 5.8, whereas the average age for ceasing tomboy behavior was 12.6. Agecohort analyses revealed relatively few differences butseveral interesting findings. The senior citizens tendedto differ from both sets of younger women. For instance, senior citizens were less likely toreport being tomboys than were Xers or Boomers.Directions for future research include monitoring thesocial acceptability of tomboy behavior, assessingpotential cultural differences in tomboyism, andanalyzing correlates of the average age that tomboyismceases.