Violent groups

This article reviews relevant empirical studies and theoretical formulations in an effort to gain insight into the many violenceprone groups that have come to public attention in recent years. Research findings show group members tend to score high on variables like anger at family members and overcontrolled hostility, often are in developmental transition at the time they join the groups, and gain relief from significant emotional distress through group membership. Leader characteristics, group norm forming and group control processes particular to these kinds of groups are also described in an effort to develop further understanding.Parts of this paper were presented in New York City at a September 1979 symposium on forensic psychology and psychiatry sponsored by the New York Academy of Science.     

Species-specific defense reactions and avoidance learning

Bolles (1970) proposed a theory of avoidance learning, the species-specific defense reaction (SSDR) hypothesis, which emphasized innate constraints on the response repertoire of rats in aversive situations and minimized the role of reinforcement in avoidance learning. The present paper describes Bolles’ (1970, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1978) development of SSDR theory and reviews the empirical tests of its assumptions and predictions. It is concluded that the SSDRs described by Bolles, along with some others, are highly probable in aversive situations but that the response repertoire is not limited to them. Further, there is strong evidence for reinforcement effects in the establishment and maintenance of at least some avoidance responses.     

Processing of unattended visual information

A visual analog of auditory selective attention paradigms is described. Using that analog, we examined the amount of processing required to monitor unattended information. With the materials used, there was no evidence that any processing capacity was required to monitor the unattended information. Memory for the unattended information and the recognition of one’s name were examined to provide additional evidence concerning the fate of the unattended information.     

The concept of development in vocational theory and intervention

One of the major problems in the vocational literature is the absence of theoretical formulations which deal with development in more than a superficial manner. Specific problems are that (1) key constructs are adapted from developmental theory without proper attention to the conceptual, empirical, and methodological problems involved; (2) little recognition has been accorded to significant changes in developmental theory during the past 15 years, changes which stress the multidimensional, plastic, contextual, and life-span features of development; (3) there is a paucity of adequately designed, contextually sensitive, longitudinal research; and (4) well-established empirical findings of developmental research have been misrepresented or ignored by vocational researchers. It is proposed that a theory of life-span vocational role development must meet the conceptual and methodological requirements of a developmental approach, that it must contain a contextual perspective, and that it must be relational in the sense that it provides for the examination of the “goodness of fit” between individual and contextual developments. The consequences of this viewpoint for vocational intervention are described as a more pronounced focus on events, processes, and life periods which are identified as antecedents of major vocational decisions. Finally, it is observed that vocational intervention should be viewed as a succession of procedures designed to assist the individual, throughout his/her life, to adapt vocational functioning to changing personal situations as well as to changing economic and contextual circumstances.     

On aspiring to present a developmental theory of occupational aspirations: A reader's guide to Gottfredson

L. S. Gottfredson's preceding comment (Journal of Vocational Behavior 1983, 23, 203–212)is characterized by undocumented and arbitrary assertions. Moreover, we still maintain and cite further evidence that the features of the stages she describes represent an implausible account of development. We conclude that there is nothing in either L. S. Gottfredson's original (Journal of Counseling Psychology 1981, 28, 545–579) article or her preceding paper that leads us to alter our belief that the views we present in our own article (Journal of Vocational Behavior 1983, 23, 179–212) will be useful for the future development of vocational theory and intervention.     

Interaction of asthmatics and their spouses: A preliminary study of individual differences

Some asthmatics show evidence of airways reactivity triggered by strong emotions. Six case studies of married patients with severe asthma are reported. The videotaped interactions of the asthmatic and his/her spouse were coded for affect and behavior. Repeated measures of pulmonary function and affective state were recorded before and after two interaction tasks. Over the course of the experimental period, two patients' pulmonary function improved and four patients' deteriorated. In general, decreased pulmonary function was associated with more self-rated hostility and depression. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for the intra- and interpersonal factors that are important in asthma management.     

Group therapy with the multiply oppressed: Treating Latino,HIV-infected injecting drug users

The Latino community in New York City and across the country is disproportionally represented in the AIDS epidemic. This article explores the impact of multiply oppressed group membership on the psychotherapeutic group treatment of Latino, HIV-infected injecting drug users. The interaction of traditional Latino values with injecting drug user and seropositive identities is described. Clinical examples drawn from a bilingual group held in a methadone maintenance clinic in the South Bronx highlight how oppressed group memberships affect Yalom's curative factors.This article was written with the support of a Ryan White CARE Act Title I grant to Montefiore Medical Center through the City of New York, contract OHF-4165.     

Syllogisms with fractional quantifiers

Aristotle's syllogistic is extended to include denumerably many quantifiers such as more than 2/3 and exactly 2/3. Syntactic and semantic decision procedures determine the validity, or invalidity, of syllogisms with any finite number of premises. One of the syntactic procedures uses a natural deduction account of deducibility, which is sound and complete. The semantics for the system is non-classical since sentences may be assigned a value other than true or false. Results about symmetric systems are given. And reasons are given for claiming that syllogistic validity is relevant validity.     

Cognitive Resources and Leadership Performance

Le rôle et la fonction des ressources cognitives que sont les aptitudes intellectuelles, l'expérience et les connaissances spécialisées ont longtemps été une énigme tacitement ignorée dans la théorie du leadership. En pratique, tout protocole de sélection ou de promotion d'un manager ou d'un leader évalue soigneusement les aptitudes intellectuelles du candidat, ses connaissances et son expérience professionnelle. Pourtant, rien de tout cela n'est en forte corrélation, voire tout simplement en corrélation, avec les performances de leader. Cet article, qui s'appuie sur la théorie des ressources cognitives (CRT), fait la synthèse aussi bien des recherches récentes que de nouveaux travaux qui éclairent le rôle des ressources cognitives dans le phénomène de leadership, et en tire des indications permettant d'améliorer les performances des leaders.
The role and function of such cognitive resources as intellectual abilities, experience, and expertise, have presented a long-standing but tacitly ignored enigma in leadership theory. Practically all managerial and leadership selection and promotion processes carefully weigh the leader's intellectual abilities, expertise, and job-related experience. However, none of these correlates highly, if at all, with leadership performance. This paper, based on Cognitive Resource Theory (CRT), summarises recent research, as well as new findings, that clarifies the role of cognitive resources in the leadership process, and spells out implications for more effective leadership performance.     

Aspirations and opportunity structures: 13-year-olds in areas with restricted opportunities

Some of the ways in which the occupational and educational aspirations and expectations of 13-year-olds are influenced by local opportunity structures are examined. The educational and occupational aspirations of 13-year-olds in contrasting local labour markets are explored, along with the ways in which their plans may be affected by living in an area with restricted opportunities. It is argued that differences in aspirations and expectations are largely explained by the socio-economic location of families rather than by the structure of the local labour market. However, 13-year-olds have an awareness of the limited nature of local job opportunities, and many realise that migration may be necessary if they are to fulfil their aspirations.