An expanded etiological model for suicide behavior in adolescents: Evidence for its specificity relative to depression

This study tests both the stress/social support and the stress/problem-solving etiological models for suicidality while controlling for depression. To this end, a depressed, high-suicide-ideating sample (N=68) was compared to a depressed, low-suicide-ideating sample (N=64). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to test the unique contributions of stress, problem-solving orientation, problem-solving skills, and perceived level of social support in predicting level of suicidality. Hierarchical regression analyses were also used to test the interactive contributions of problem-solving × stress and social support × stress in predicting level of suicidality. Regression models were generated separately for men, women, and the entire sample using all factors. The results clearly support the importance of social support as an independent predictor of suicidality for men, women, and the entire sample. Ability to generate alternatives to identified problems predicted suicidality, but only for women and the entire sample. Problem-solving orientation was not uniquely predictive of suicidality and may affect suicidal behavior via its relationship to depression.     

Postdrinking Sexual Inferences: Evidence for Linear Rather Than Curvilinear Dosage Effects1

Observers infer more sexual availability and willingness from a drinking dater. We hypothesized that, as dosage rises, these sexual inferences follow a linear pattern. College participants rated a woman (Study 1) and man (Study 2) exhibiting a sober, moderate, or high level of intoxication while with a light-drinking companion. Alcohol was perceived as having linear effects on sexual availability; and, except for male participants in Study 2, alcohol was perceived as having linear effects on willingness. Thus, with rising intoxication and diminished capacity for arousal, drinkers are perceived as more available and willing. Findings are discussed relative to expectancy models of sexuality. Reasons for desynchrony between alcohol's actual supression of sexual arousal and its perceived enhancement of willingness are presented.     

Perception of female and male success in the united states and third world nations

This study tested the proposition that the success of an intelligent female in the third world is attributed more to ability and less to nonability factors than the success of her male counterpart. To this end, subjects from developing nations attributed the success of an American or third world male or female of average or high intelligence to ability, effort, luck, and task ease. Results indicated that subjects attributed the success of the intelligent third world female more to ability and less to luck than the success of the comparable male. In addition, gender differences were found which indicated that under some circumstances the success of the female more than that of the male is attributed to task ease.     

HIPS: Image processing under UNIX. Software and applications

HIPS (Human Information Processing Laboratory’s Image processing System) is a software system for image processing that runs under the UNIX operating system. HIPS is modular and flexible: it provides automatic documentation of its actions, and is relatively independent of special equipment. It has proved its usefulness in the study of the perception of American Sign Language (ASL). Here, we demonstrate some of its applications in the study of vision, and as a tool in general signal processing. Ten examples of HIPS-generated stimuli and—in some cases—analyses are provided, including the spatial filtering analysis of two types of visual illusions; the study of frequency channels with sine-wave gratings and band-limited noise; 3-dimensional perceptual reconstruction from 2-dimensional images in the kinetic depth effect; the perception of depth in random dot stereograms and cinematograms; and the perceptual segregation of objects induced by differential dot motion. Finally, examples of noise-masked, cartoon coded, and hierarchically encoded ASL images are provided.     

Effects of the menstrual cycle on vibrotactile sensitivity

Psychophysical thresholds for the detection of vibration delivered to the thenar eminence of the right hands of young males and females were measured every other day for 30–34 days. The frequency of the vibratory stimulus was either 15 or 250 Hz. The sinusoidal stimuli applied through a 3.0-cm² contactor were 700 msec in duration and had rise-fall times of 25 msec. Stimulus amplitude was measured with a calibrated accelerometer mounted on the moving element of the vibrator. Data were plotted as a function of successive days in the menstrual cycle. Thresholds for detecting the 15-Hz stimulus did not change significantly, whereas thresholds for detecting the 250-Hz stimulus varied significantly over the menstrual cycle. The 250-Hz threshold became progressively lower as subjects approached the onset of menstruation. After the onset of menstruation, the 250-Hz threshold gradually increased, reaching a maximum value approximately 12 or 13 days later. Soon after the 12th or 13th day of the cycle, the threshold again began to decline and continued to decline until the onset of the next menstrual cycle. The thresholds of women taking birth control pills did not change systematically over the testing period.     

The estimation of ultrametric and path length trees from rectangular proximity data

A least-squares algorithm for fitting ultrametric and path length or additive trees to two-way, two-mode proximity data is presented. The algorithm utilizes a penalty function to enforce the ultrametric inequality generalized for asymmetric, and generally rectangular (rather than square) proximity matrices in estimating an ultrametric tree. This stage is used in an alternating least-squares fashion with closed-form formulas for estimating path length constants for deriving path length trees. The algorithm is evaluated via two Monte Carlo studies. Examples of fitting ultrametric and path length trees are presented.G. De Soete is Aspirant of the Belgian Nationaal Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek at the University of Ghent, Belgium. W. S. DeSarbo and J. D. Carroll are Members of Technical Staff at AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, N.J. G. W. Furnas is Member of Technical Staff at Bell Communications Research, Murray Hill, N.J.     

Academic and nonacademic community psychologists: An analysis of divergence in settings,roles, and values

Differences between academic and nonacademic psychologists may be viewed as immutable, worthy of encouragement, or as a situation which the latter group must remedy by becoming “more scientific.” We contend that for community psychology, which perceives theory, application, and action as valid aspects of its broad paradigm, it would be most adaptive toexplicitly address the challenge of managing a balance between diversity and cohesion. There are signs that the present leadership of Division 27 recognizes aspects of this problem and is reconsidering the role and purpose of the Division as an organizing framework for the discipline (Trickett, Note 3). It is our view that engendering a commitment from various subgroups within the membership to addressing the disparities revealed by our respondents is required for resolving what we see as major obstacles to future development of the discipline. The conceptual and empirical approach presented in this study can be an important tool in forging constructive solutions to the challenges we have presented.