Gender Stereotyping and Adolescent Sexual Behavior: A Test of Temporal Order1

Prior to the present study, the proposal by sexual socialization theorists that there is a relationship between gender stereotyping and adolescent sexual behavior had never been empirically tested. The purposes of this paper were (a) to test the relationship between gender stereotyping and adolescent sexual behavior and (b) to determine the direction and temporality of the relationship. Panel data from a probability sample of 1,607 black and white adolescents were used. The findings indicate a relationship between female stereotyping and sexual behavior for female but not for male adolescents. Interaction analyses indicate that the strength, direction, and temporality of the relationship varies by age, race, mother's education, and the number of hours the mother is employed. In general, females with traditional female stereotypes were more likely to begin having sexual intercourse earlier than those with nontraditional stereotypes. These findings are discussed in the context of societal encouragement of traditional female stereotyping.     

An experimental analysis of the cost of food in a closed economy.

Rats lived in individual chambers in which the only food available was delivered for lever pressing. During Stage I, a fixed number of presses was required for each food pellet. As this fixed ratio of presses per food pellet was increased daily, a rat's daily intake of food was reduced. During Stage II, the cost of a food pellet was increased by replacing each fixed ratio with its interval equivalent. Each interval was a rat's mean time between the first press of a ratio and the delivery of a pellet during Stage I. During Stage II, only two presses were every required for a food pellet: The first press initiated a delay and the second activated the pellet dispenser after that delay elapsed. Food intakes for the series of fixed ratios and a rat's series of delay equivalents were very similar when plotted as a function of delay, but not when plotted as a function of presses per pellet. Consequently, the fixed ratio reduced food intake because larger ratios increased delay to food from the first press of a ratio. Observations and an analysis of interresponse times further revealed that as the fixed ratio increased, and local as well as overall rate of food intake decreased, lever pressing became more stereotyped. Because this increased stereotypy resulted in greatly increased rates of lever pressing, delay to food was minimized, and perhaps more importantly, so too was the reduction of a rat's baseline daily intake.     

TEACHING MENSTRUAL CARE TO MENTALLY RETARDED WOMEN: ACQUISITION,GENERALIZATION, AND MAINTENANCE

We evaluated a training package designed to teach menstrual care skills to five mild to severely mentally retarded women. Three specific skill areas (changing stained underwear; sanitary napkin; and both stained underwear and sanitary napkin) were task analyzed and taught in a sequential manner. Results of a multiple-baseline design across women indicated that the training package was successful in teaching these skills; the women continued to perform the skills during naturally occurring menses up to 5 months following termination of the study.     

Using Symbolic-Experiential Family Therapy to Treat Adjustment Disorder: A Case Study

Despite studies claiming Adjustment Disorders (AD) affect up to 10% of the general population, research is severely lacking for effective treatment recommendations and screening tools. This article presents the treatment of a 30-year old Caucasian male diagnosed with AD - mixed anxiety and depression subtype. After 12 standard 60-minute sessions, treatment using a Symbolic-Experiential Family Therapy (SEFT) approach resulted in the alleviation of depression and anxiety symptoms. This case study provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of SEFT using a mixed methods case study. Implications for further study, and the usefulness of SEFT for the treatment of AD, is presented.     

Subjective Expected Utility,Locus of Control,and Behavior1

Although a fundamental assumption of behavior decision theory is that individuals must generally believe they can control their fate if their behavior is to be influenced by subjective expected utility (SEU), the hypothesis that the positive relationship between SEU and behavior is stronger for those with internal locus of control had not been directly tested. That hypothesis was assessed in two separate longitudinal studies of adolescents. The behavior studied in one sample was the initiation of cigarette smoking, and in the other it was the onset of drinking alcohol. The hypothesis received weak support in both studies.     

The Relationship Between the Consequences Adolescents Expect from Smoking and Their Behavior: A Factor Analysis with Panel Data1

The expected consequences of behavior are basic to many modern theories of behavior and to programs designed to influence behavior. In this research, 52 consequences expected from smoking cigarettes were measured in a panel study of 1,406 adolescents. Six factors were identified through factor analysis of these consequences. Multivariate analyses generally indicated that the negative physical/social factor predicted the initiation of smoking and the pleasure factor predicted smoking initiation and increased smoking among those who were smokers at the beginning of study. The other factors-positive peer relationships, negative peer relationships, habit, and health-were either unrelated to subsequent smoking behavior or inconsistently related across the multiple measures of behavior. The research is considered in the context of theory, methods, and programs related to adolescent cigarette smoking.     

External Variables,Subjective Expected Utility,and Adolescent Behavior with Alcohol and Cigarettes1

A classic social psychological model is that external variables influence behavior through their impact on subjective expected utility, the extent to which more good or harm is expected from behavior. The purpose of this research was to determine whether subjective expected utility is a major intervening variable that links external variables and the onset of alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking. The data are from two longitudinal studies of adolescents. The findings suggest that subjective expected utility does not account for the relationship between external variables and behavior.