Damsels in distress: dependency themes in fiction for children and adolescents

In a study of dependency themes in 113 recently published fictional books for children and adolescents, females and males were compared in situations where one character helped or influenced another. Regardless of the context in which help was given, and regardless of whether it was of an active or passive nature, females were more likely to receive than to give help, and males were more likely to give than to receive help. Males were even more likely to provide emotional support or encouragement, a stereotypically female virtue. The cultural stereotype of the dependent female, however, was reflected in the girl and women characters.     

Adolescent sexual behavior.

Pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents is considered a major problem in our society. The purpose of this study is to review the past five years of professional literature on adolescent sexuality to determine the factors which influence this social phenomenon as well as effective interventions. The importance of the family and religion on sexual attitudes and behaviors, how sexual activity is related to other age-related behaviors and delinquency, the relationship between early coital behaviors and the risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, and attitudes toward contraception and abstinence are discussed. Also addressed are the possible psychological effects of sexual activity on the development of the adolescent.     

Clarification of the dual task dilemma: Lateralized effects for perfunctory and purposeful tasks in left- and right-handed males

The hypothesis that behavioral asymmetries with the dual task paradigm represent manual dominance was investigated with right- and left-handed males performing verbal and spatial tasks ordered by complexity. Lateralization was assessed for nonideational (perfunctory) and ideational (purposeful) components of tasks with multivariate and ANCOVA procedures. The outcomes of prerequisite tests showed the assumptions for conducting ANCOVA procedures were not satisfied with different handedness groups in the same design. However, results of the multivariate analyses suggest lateralized effects are more likely to represent the cognitive task when interference is high and may represent manual dominance when interference is low.     

Having a voice and getting a hearing: An educational perspective on free speech in a plural society

This paper examines Ronald Dworkin's claim that the right to free speech does not include a right to circumstances that encourage citizens to speak nor a right to competent and sympathetic understanding on the part of listeners. Drawing on familiar arguments for the existence of other human rights, the paper challenges Dworkin's claim. Even if, however, the challenge fails and it is not possible to show that there is such a right, that is not the end of the story. It is argued that democratic societies should try to foster conditions in which citizens are encouraged to speak and are listened to sympathetically in the interests of the well-being and flourishing of the polity. The important role education has to play in this is explored.     

Predicting sales performance

This study investigated the relative effectiveness of several types of predictors of sales performance in a human resource consulting firm. These predictors included scores on an assessment center, a structured interview, a test of technical knowledge, and a simulated sales presentation. The criterion measure used was supervisory ratings of overall sales performance, or The extent to which this person accomplishes sales quotas. In addition, the skill to skill validity of the counselor selling dimension, which included relating, discovering, supporting, advocating, and collaborating, was assessed. Results indicated that both the structured interview and the assessment center were effective in predicting sales performance, (R=.63, F=7.90, p=.002). Also, this study indicates that performance in each of the skill areas of an assessment center or of an interview is a valid predictor of on the job performance in each of the same skill areas.     

HOME ACCESS MODIFICATIONS: EFFECTS ON COMMUNITY VISITS BY PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES

We examined the effects of access modifications to home entrances of people with physical disabilities on their reported community outings. An interrupted time-series design was used, in which the introduction of ramps was staggered across the homes of 6 people with moderate to severe mobility impairments. Four participants reported increases in weekly outings following installation of ramps at their entrances, and 2 reported a small decrease. These findings suggest that reducing the response requirements of access to and from the residence of people with mobility impairments may increase community visits, but may be insufficient given other environmental barriers in the community.     

A follow-up study of cognitive bias in generalized anxiety disorder

Patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) without concurrent depression (n = 11) and normal controls (n = 17) were tested twice, about 2 months apart, on a modified Stroop colour-naming task, which presented anxiety-related, depression-related and neutral words in masked and unmasked exposure conditions. GAD patients received cognitive behaviour therapy in the test-retest interval, and were also retested at follow-up, about 20 months after initial testing. GAD patients showed interference in colour-naming negative words across both masked and unmasked conditions before treatment, but not post-treatment, compared with controls. Reduced interference effects of masked threat words over time correlated with reduced ratings of anxious thoughts at post-treatment, and at follow-up, in GAD patients. Thus, the preconscious bias for threat information in GAD appears to vary over time in association with changes in anxious thoughts and worries.     

Lesions of the caudate nucleus selectively impair "reference memory" acquisition in the radial maze

Groups of Long-Evans rats with bilateral lesions of the caudate nucleus, sham lesions, or no lesions were given one trial per day in an eight-arm radial maze. The same four maze arms were baited on each trial. The remaining four arms never contained food. Optimal performance required animals to enter each of the baited arms only once on each trial and to avoid entering the arms in the unbaited set. Rats with caudate lesions learned to enter each of the baited arms only once on each trial. However, these rats were severely impaired in learning to avoid entering the arms in the unbaited set. Implications for dual-memory theories are discussed.     

Attitudinal Consequences of the Preemployment Polygraph Examination1

An important factor concerning the use of the polygraph in employment settings has been overlooked: How does the polygraph experience affect a new employee's work-related attitudes? In two experiments, subjects were exposed to different hiring scenarios-one included a polygraph examination, the other did not—and then responded to a questionnaire of work-related attitudes. Results indicated that preemployment polygraph examinations may induce negative work-related attitudes. These findings suggest that the polygraph experience acts as a symbolic communication from the employer to the prospective employee, imparting information that may induce feelings of distrust and dislike. Moreover, the polygraph experience may be interpreted by prospective employees as evidence of high levels of employee theft, thus establishing a new (higher) norm of peer theft behavior.