Self-help with diagnosis (a self-administered semi-projective device).

Studied the validity of a self-administered semi-projective packet of tests and questionnaires developed to provide quick, inexpensive information preparatory, or ancillary, to further diagnostic examinations. Brief writeups of inferences derived from the packet of tests were compared to diagnostic inferences based on from one to three psychiatric interviews, and with full examinations, which included psychiatric and social work interviews and extensive psychological testing. Generally, high comparability between the packet and both criteria were shown on questions of global diagnostic impression, character and defense, central conflicts, and basic ego functions; and significant information was often added by the packet to the data collected in diagnostic interviews. The patients filled out the packet forms conscientiously, and their written self-reports indicated that some patients could learn and otherwise benefit just from performing this task.     

Baby X

The present study investigated adult behavior while interacting with a three-month-old infant under conditions in which the child was introduced as a boy, as a girl, or with no gender information given. Gender labels did not elicit simple effects, but rather interacted significantly with the sex of the subject on both toy usage and physical contact measures. There was a stronger tendency for both male and female adults to utilize sex-stereotyped toys when the child was introduced as a girl. Most of the findings, however, reflected a differential response of men and women to the absence of gender information. In this condition, male subjects employed a neutral toy most frequently and handled the child least; in contrast, females used more stereotyped toys and handled the child more. All subjects attempted to guess the gender of the child (with “boy” guesses more frequent, although the child was actually female) and all justified their guess on the basis of stereotyped behavioral or physical cues like strength or softness.     

Individual commitment to risky and conservative choices as a determinant of shifts in group decisions1

The consistently positive relationship between initial riskiness and perceived influence obtained in past work led us to speculate that (1) the deliberative effort involved in making a choice increases with its riskiness, as a result (2) individuals who select a risky course of action will be more committed to their choice than conservative individuals, and (3) the former will be more influential in group decisions. The following support was obtained for these conjectures When individuals had to select a reaction time interval to beat, those who were risky, that is, who selected a short interval, were more confident in having chosen wisely, were less likely to feel they might change their choice given the opportunity, and took longer to make their choice than those who were conservative, that is, who selected a long interval The first two of these measures were assumed to reflect commitment to the choice, and the third was taken as a rough indication of the amount of effort involved in choosing A group decision was also made regarding the reaction time interval It tended to be riskier than that preferred by the average individual prior to the decision if the riskiest member was more committed and/or expended more effort in choosing than his partners, on the other hand, it tended to be more conservative than the average prior preference if the most conservative member was more committed and or expended more effort     

A new status index derived from sociometric analysis

For the purpose of evaluating status in a manner free from the deficiencies of popularity contest procedures, this paper presents a new method of computation which takes into accountwho chooses as well ashow many choose. It is necessary to introduce, in this connection, the concept of attenuation in influence transmitted through intermediaries.This work was done under the sponsorship of the Office of Naval Research.     

Habitual Susceptibility to Misinformation and Individual Differences in Eyewitness Memory

A novel multiple-event, multiple-item procedure was employed to identify individuals who were habitually susceptible to accepting post-event misinformation. Using this procedure, it was found that many people succumbed at least once to the effects of misinformation, given enough opportunities. Moreover, some individuals could be identified who showed a pattern of repeated susceptibility, accepting some misinformation for each of three separate events. Several individual difference measures discriminated between individuals who were habitually susceptible to false post-event information and those who were not; these include empathy, self-reported vividness of visual imagery and a memory accuracy measure. © by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In Her Own Words: Semi-structured Interviews of Women Veterans Who Experienced Military Sexual Assault

Twenty-one female veterans volunteered to talk about 29 events of military sexual assault (MSA) via semi-structured interviews covering pre-military abuse, during and immediately after the assault and reactions post-assault. The 14 who reported on-going abuse in childhood, also experienced multiple events of MSA. Common themes revealed that most events happened at night (52% specifically referenced night, while 69% most likely occurred at night), 24% in a car, and 24% while the victim was on duty. MSA was associated with a low use of weapons (17% with knives or guns) but a high use (52%) of physical violence (e.g., hitting, choking) and intimidation (59%). 69% knew their perpetrator prior to the assault and 12 of them (60%) were superiors. 34.5% of the perpetrators and 24% of the victims were drinking alcohol prior to the assault. 27.5% reported the MSA; however, 52% had to continue to interact with the perpetrator as part of her job. 67% reported being pregnant or seriously injured as a result of the MSA; however, only 28% received help. 71% disclosed that they had suicidal ideation 14% made suicide attempts while on active duty, and 38% made a suicide attempt some time in their lifetime post-MSA. 52% said the MSA lead to an early discharge from the military. 76% stated MSA interfered with their ability to have an intimate relationship. All participants graduated Warrior Renew sexual trauma treatment and reported positive responses. Although this is a small sample, findings may help generate hypotheses for larger scale studies.     

Effects of Participation in a First Women's Studies Course on Collective Self‐Esteem,Gender‐Related Attitudes,and Emotional Well‐Being1

We studied the psychological sequelae of participation in a first women's studies course. It was hypothesized that this course would impact women's social identities (collective self‐esteem, CSE) and attitudes about gender (sexist and feminist beliefs). Further, we hypothesized that more liberal attitudes about gender would enhance mood, whereas awareness of devaluation (public CSE) would reduce mood. Female students enrolled in Psychology of Women (n= 55) and Introductory Psychology (n= 41) provided data at the beginning and end of an academic semester. As predicted, Psychology of Women students endorsed significantly more liberal attitudes about gender and awareness of devaluation over the course of the semester. Further, acceptance of feminist attitudes buffered against anxiety, whereas awareness of devaluation increased anxiety. The net effect was a nonsignificant change in anxiety for Psychology of Women students over time.     

Career aspirations of youth: Untangling race/ethnicity, SES, and gender

This study examined the influence of gender, socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity on the career aspirations of over 22,000 8th and 10th grade youth. The top five occupations identified by youth as aspirations included artist, lawyer, musician, FBI agent, and actor/actress. Top occupations were also reported for each gender × socioeconomic status × race/ethnicity group. Aspirations were coded by social prestige level, minimum education requirements, and median salary. Results revealed significant main effects for socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity as well as significant interaction effects. Further, significant gender main effects and a significant gender × ethnicity interaction were found for occupational prestige and educational requirements.