An Investigation Into the Cognitive Functioning of Bulimic Women

The present study examined differences in selected areas of cognitive functioning of 18 bulimic and 23 nonbulimic women. The participants were compared on variables related to cognitive and behavioral coping and self-efficacy. Our results indicated differences between bulimic and nonbulimic women on all measures. Bulimic women demonstrated higher levels of dietary restraint; lower self-appraised problem-solving ability; lower sense of personal efficacy with regard to successful performance in a variety of life tasks; and a tendency to attribute positive events to external, global, and unstable factors. The results are discussed in the context of previous research and also present implications for practicing counselors.     

Perceptions of Losses in the Later Years

In times of need older adults frequently seek help from service providers of religious organizations. A survey of 983 older adults and 447 service providers from religious organizations revealed that the perceptions of the service providers differ significantly from the perceptions of the older adults regarding the seriousness of losses experienced in the later years. Results of the study suggest new opportunities for older adults to become proactive and for service providers to examine preservice and in-service education.     

The Value of Marketing Theory for Parochial Schools: Some Parting Thoughts

In this response to Thogmartin's Spring 1994 JRCE article on “The Prevalence of Phonics Instruction in Fundamentalist Christian Schools,” the author offers his suggestions about why fundamentalist Christians are so enamored with intensive phonics reading pedagogy. In the first part of his response, he argues that the rationale for intensive phonics teaching lies in a radical behaviorist anthropology and epistemology of which Christian educators ought to be extremely wary. In the second section, the author provides a review of some empirical evidence for the limited utility of phonics in the teaching of reading and suggests, finally, that Christian teachers should show as much concern about what and why Christian children and adolescents should read as about how to teach them to do so.     

BEHAVIORAL SUPPORT FOR SYSTEMATIC DESENSITIZATION FOR COMMUNICATION APPREHENSION

This study reports two experiments designed to further our understanding of the effects of systematic desensitization (SD) training on college students. Experiment 1 demonstrates that students who participate in SD report significantly higher self-esteem after doing so. Experiment 2 provides behavioral support for SD. Using Mulac and Sherman's BASA scale, it was discovered that students who successfully completed the SD program exhibited more verbal fluency and less rigidity in their speeches than did those students who were originally as anxious but did not join the program. Also included was the measurement of a student's predisposition towards verbal behavior. Mortensen, Arntson, and Lustig's scale was used to measure this predisposition. The results showed, however, that students in SD did not differ significantly from those who chose not to join SD.