CONSTRUCT ACCESSIBILITY AND THE MISATTRIBUTION OF AROUSAL:

Abstract— Schachter and Singer (1962) showed that people search the immediate environment for emotionally relevant cues to label and interpret unexplained physiological arousal We investigated how unobtrusively activated cognitions and physiological arousal interact to produce emotional experience when the immediate environment is devoid of relevant cues Subjects were primed with positive, negative, or neutral concepts They then either exercised or sat still and, either immediately or after a delay, rated their emotional state Consistent with what Schachter and Singer found, subjects in the exercise, delayed-rating condition, who lacked an obvious explanation for their arousal, made the most extreme affective self-ratings, which were consistent with the valence of the primed concepts These subjects apparently interpreted their residual arousal in terms of the primed concepts Subjects in the exercise, immediate-rating condition, who had an explanation for their arousal (i e, the exercise), were not influenced by the primes Subjects in the no-exercise condition showed typical priming effects, with prime-consistent self-ratings that decayed over time Implications for emotion formation, misattnbution of arousal, and cognition are discussed     

Client Cognitive Responses as a Function of Quality of Counselor Verbal Responses

This study examined the relationship between high and low quality counselor responses in four response modes and client cognitions. Twenty-one university students participated in two sessions of brief counseling that included high and low quality counselor responses in paraphrasing, questioning, reflection of feeling, and self-disclosure. After each counseling session, participants used Kagan's (1975) interpersonal process recall method to report their cognitions in response to these counselor responses. Results indicated that the participants had more favorable cognitions toward the counselor associated with high quality counselor paraphrasing and reflection of feeling responses. Participants' cognitions directed toward themselves did not differ in response to any of the four high and low quality counselor responses. Implications of the results are discussed.     

Children's Decisions About Substance Use: An Application and Extension of the Theory of Reasoned Action1

This research examines the applicability of Fishbein and Ajzen's (1975) theory of reasoned action (TRA) to intentions to use cigarettes and alcohol among 5th- and 6th-grade students. It also addresses the question of unidimensionality of outcome beliefs and referent norms. Results suggest that the TRA model describes children's decision making well, although the ability of income and race to add to prediction, net of the effects of attitude and perceived norm, are contrary to the theory's prediction. In addition, we find support for multidimensional components of both attitude and norm for both behaviors.     

A Longitudinal Study Examining the Psychological Reactions of Job Relocation

A longitudinal study is reported of relocating employees ( n = 51) and their partners ( n = 31) who relocated between two cities in England. A nonmoving comparison group of employees from the same organization ( n = 58) was included. The subjects completed a questionnaire before (approximately 6 weeks) and after (approximately 10 weeks) the relocation. Results showed that relocating employees' pre-move general stress was similar to that of nonmoving employees. Moreover, male relocators' stress reduced significantly following the move, while female relocators stayed the same. Stress specific to relocation was very high for relocating employees and partners, and remained so following the move. Evidence was found to show a relationship between attributions of the causes of relocation problems and the experience of stress.     

Using a Conceptually-Based Predictor of Tenure to Select Employees

This paper describes the development and validation of a personnel selection instrument designed to predict employee tenure. The instrument was developed using models of employee turnover, psychodynamic theory, and beliefs regarding the optimal way to advance one's career. Four predictive designs were conducted to validate the instrument. Correlation coefficients ranged from .14 (p < .07) to .28 (p < .05) in predicting tenure.     

The effects of multi-component,assessment-based curricular modifications on the classroom behavior of children with emotional and behavioral disorders

In this study, academic task assignments were modified in an effort to improve the conduct and task performance of three students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Functional assessments, including interviews and direct observations, were conducted to identify variables that affected the performance of each student during problematic assignments. The assessments implicated several variables for each student. These variables were then used as guides to modify the problematic tasks. The modifications resulted in reduced levels of problem behaviors and increased rates of task engagement, work productivity and accuracy for each of the students. The effects were demonstrated within ongoing academic activities and replicated through the use of reversal designs. The findings are discussed in relation to the practical process of functional assessment and the relevance of curricular and instructional arrangements to the occurrence of disruptive behavior.     

Response Bias Correction in the Process Dissociation Procedure: A Reevaluation?

A Buchner and E. Erdfelder (this volume) provide a commentary on our analysis of response bias correction in the process dissociation procedure. Unfortunately, this commentary fails to address the substantive issues that were raised in M. J. Wainwright and E. M. Reingold (1996). In the present article, we attempt to clarify some of their misrepresentations and the inconsistency inherent in their position.     

A case-based approach to the development of practice-based competencies for accreditation of and training in graduate programs in genetic counseling

The American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) sponsored a consensus development conference with participation from directors of graduate programs in genetic counseling, board members, and expert consultants. Using a collective, narrative, and case-based approach, 27 competencies were identified as embedded in the practice of genetic counseling. These competencies were organized into four domains of skills: Communication; Critical Thinking; Interpersonal, Counseling, and Psychosocial Assessment; and Professional Ethics and Values. The adoption of a competency framework for accreditation has a variety of implications for curriculum design and implementation. We report here the process by which a set of practice-based genetic counseling competencies have been derived; and in an accompanying article, the competencies themselves are provided. We also discuss the application of the competencies to graduate program accreditation as well as some of the implications competency-based standards may have for education and the genetic counseling profession. These guidelines may also serve as a basis for the continuing education of practicing genetic counselors and a performance evaluation tool in the workplace.The Consortium includes Directors of established graduate programs in genetic counseling and members of the ABGC Board of Directors who participated in the Consensus Development Conference held in January 1994: Diane Baker (University of Michigan/ABGC); Bonnie Baty (ABGC); Joan Burns (University of Wisconsin); Debra Collins (ABGC); Virginia Corson (ABGC); Beth Fine (Northwestern University/ABGC); Elizabeth Gettig (University of Pittsburgh); Verle Headings (Howard University); Jacqueline Hecht (University of Texas); Carl Huether (University of Cincinnati); Bonnie LeRoy (University of Minnesota); Joan Marks (Sarah Lawrence College); Anne Matthews (University of Colorado); Roberta Palmour (McGill University); Lorna Phelps (Medical College of Virginia); Kimberly Quaid (Indiana University); Joan Scott (ABGC); Ann Smith (ABGC); Helen Travers (ABGC); Judith Tsipis (Brandeis University); Ann Walker (University of California-Irvine/ABGC); Jon Weil (University of California-Berkeley); S. Robert Young (University of South Carolina); Randi Zinberg (Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York).     

Gravitational acceleration as a cue for absolute size and distance?

When an object’s motion is influenced by gravity, as in the rise and fall of a thrown ball, the vertical component of acceleration is roughly constant at 9.8 m/sec². In principle, an observer could use this information to estimate the absolute size and distance of the object (Saxberg, 1987a; Watson, Banks, von Hofsten, & Royden, 1992). In five experiments, we examined people’s ability to utilize the size and distance information provided by gravitational acceleration. Observers viewed computer simulations of an object rising and falling on a trajectory aligned with the gravitational vector. The simulated objects were balls of different diameters presented across a wide range of simulated distances. Observers were asked to identify the ball that was presented and to estimate its distance. The results showed that observers were much more sensitive to average velocity than to the gravitational acceleration pattern. Likewise, verticality of the motion and visibility of the trajectory’s apex had negligible effects on the accuracy of size and distance judgments.