Religious Occupations and Stress Questionnaire (ROS): Instrument Development

The authors describe the development of the Religious Occupations and Stress Questionnaire (ROS), which attempts to fill the need for an appropriate measure of the stress experienced by individuals in religious occupations. The ROS has 4 stress‐related subscales (General Stress. Occupational Stress, Identity/Image Stress, and Gender Issues Stress) and a Coping subscale. Results of reliability and validity studies of the ROS with male and female Protestants, Catholics, and Jews who were in religious occupations indicated high internal consistency, test‐retest reliability, and construct validity.     

Genetic Influence Helps Explain Variation in Human Fertility: Evidence From Recent Behavioral and Molecular Genetic Studies

To search for genetic influence on human fertility differentials appears inconsistent with past empirical research and prior interpretations of Fisher's fundamental theorem of natural selection. We discuss Fisher's theorem and give reasons why genetic influences may indeed account for individual differences in human fertility. We review recent empirical studies showing genetic influence on variance in fertility outcomes and precursors to fertility. Further, some of the genetic variance underlying fertility outcomes overlaps with that underlying fertility precursors. Findings from different cultures, different times, different levels of data, and both behavioral and molecular genetic designs lead to the same conclusion: Fertility differentials are genetically influenced, and at least part of the influence derives from behavioral precursors that are under volitional control, which are themselves genetically mediated.     

SEX DIFFERENCES IN CONFORMITY: STATUS AND GENDER ROLE INTERPRETATIONS

The experiment examines status and gender role explanations of the tendency for women to conform more than men in group pressure settings. Subjects believed they were assigned to groups containing two males and two females in addition to themselves and received these other group members' opinions, which were represented as deviating from the opinions that subjects had given earlier. Subjects then gave their opinions with the other group members either having or not having surveillance over these opinions. In addition, subjects were required to form impressions of each other's likability or expertise. The findings indicate that subjects' sex and age affected the extent of their conformity. Among older (19 years and older) subjects, females conformed more with surveillance than without it, whereas surveillance did not affect males' conformity. Among younger (under 19 years) subjects, surveillance had no effects. Analysis of sex differences revealed that older females were significantly more conforming than older males when under surveillance as well as when subjects formed impressions of one another's likability. Among younger subjects, there were no sex differences. These findings are discussed in terms of the theories that (a) both sex and age function as status characteristics and (b) gender roles determine conformity.     

Pregnancy in the workplace: Does pregnancy affect performance appraisal ratings?

Archival data were collected to examine bias effects in performance evaluation related to employee pregnancy. Prior survey research has suggested that many supervisors and co-workers hold negative views of pregnant employees. Performance appraisal ratings were collected before, during, and after pregnancy for employees taking maternity leave over a four year time frame. In addition, data was also collected from randomly selected control subjects, which were matched on job title and observation period. Contrary to expectations, performance appraisal ratings were found to increase during pregnancy when compared to before ratings and control group ratings. Potential explanations as well as suggestions for further research are discussed.     

Reviews of current books

Pastoral Psychology -     

The effects of a career course on undecided college students

The effects of a career course taught by 11 instructors (two sections each) for college students, who were undecided about a major field or career, were evaluated in a pre-post design using the Vocational Identity, Occupational Information, and Barrier scales of the My Vocational Situation (J. A. Holland, D. C. Daiger, & P. G. Power, Palo Alto, Calif.: Consulting Psychologists Press, 1980). Large main effects were observed for the Identity and Occupational Information scales, but not for the Barriers scale. No interactions by instructor or student characteristics were found by using a simple ANOVA procedure or by using a split plot factorial design. The implications for new research and career instructors were discussed.     

Multiple criteria follow-up of behavior modification with families

This report presents termination and follow-up evaluations of a parent training program based on behavior modification principles. Treatment termination outcome data were obtained for 22 families, and follow-up data were collected on 14 of these families 3 and 8 months after treatment. Results indicated a fairly high level of success at termination on the basis of parent-collected observational data, parent attitude change toward the children, and parent attitude concerning the process and outcome of treatment. Modest levels of success were evidenced on the basis of behavioral data recorded by trained observers in the home. Families who participated in follow-up demonstrated greater cooperation and involvement with the treatment program than those who did not participate. In all other respects, however, these two groups were similar. Follow-up data on parent attitude measures demonstrated maintenance of the treatment effects. Parent observational data were incomplete, but also showed maintenance in follow-up. For the subsample of 14 cases, home observation records indicated a nonsignificant decline in deviant behavior at termination followed by a nonsignificant increase in deviant behavior during follow-up. The meaning and implications of these discrepant findings were discussed and compared with results from other laboratories.