The personal style inventory: Preliminary validation studies of new measures of sociotropy and autonomy

We conducted five studies with depressed patients, demographically matched controls, and college students to develop and psychometrically evaluate new measures of concerns about interpersonal relationships (sociotropy) and autonomous achievement (autonomy), constructs that have been proposed to confer vulnerability to depression. The final version of the Personal Style Inventory (PSI) Sociotropy and Autonomy scales showed a good factor structure, internal consistency reliability, and test-retest stability, a low correlation with each other, and weak or no gender differences. Convergent and discriminant validity were examined with respect to depressive symptom levels, the Dependency and Self-Criticism scales of the Revised Depressive Experiences Questionnaire, and a social desirability scale and were generally acceptable. Further evaluations of the construct validity of the PSI are indicated.     

Feminism and reproductive technologies

...Rowland is a social scientist and a radical feminist, and she has undertaken the task of making readers think twice about reproductive technologies. If a reader isn't thinking twice, it will not do to blame it on Rowland and the shortcomings of her book. She has a good deal to say that is extremely important and that needs to be considered by anyone who is interested in the moral issues, in general, and the issues for women and children, in particular, that are raised by the new and emerging reproductive technologies. Her book should be widely read. And it should generate the worries it is written to generate.     

The problem-solving strategies of kindergarten and first-grade children during discrimination learning

Kindergarten and first-grade children (6 and 7 years of age, respectively) were given specially designed discrimination tasks with introtact probes preceding each trial. One group (CON) was given the criterion task without prior training. A second group (LTL) received three pretraining tasks of the same type as the criterion task. A third group (HYP) received the same pretraining tasks, but with explicit instructions designed to teach a simple hypothesis-testing strategy. Several indices, designed to reflect the use of win-stay and lose-shift rules, as well as memory for disconfirmed hypotheses, were computed from the protocols of the criterion task. The indices for Group CON suggested that most of these children were using a guessing strategy that involved quite frequent changes in hypotheses. Moreover, many of these children restricted their hypotheses to the irrelevant cues. The indices for Group LTL revealed a spontaneous use of the hypothesis-testing strategy by nearly half of the children. The results for Group HYP indicated that over four-fifths of these children became highly efficient in the use of the problem-solving strategy.     

Self-esteem,race, and job satisfaction

The present study investigated relationships between self-esteem (SE) and job satisfaction among black and white employees. The sample consisted of 523 (45% black) employees of a large, urban school system. There was a positive relationship between SE and job satisfaction for members of both racial groups. In addition, the correlation between need satisfaction and job satisfaction was stronger for high SE persons than for low SE persons. The relationships between two social reference variables (the perceived satisfaction of other employees and improved standard of living) and job satisfaction were, as predicted, stronger for low SE whites than for high SE whites. Among blacks, however, the social reference variables were strongly related to job satisfaction regardless of level of SE.     

Co-Training: A Collaborative Model

In personal growth groups, collaborative co-training means not only the presence of two or more leaders, but also an interaction between or among the leaders that provides the groups with a model of cooperation and mutual learning. A synergy results that energizes the group. Necessary skills for collaborative co-trainers are flexibility, consensual decision making, the ability to learn from one another, and the ability to develop an intimate communication system. This article describes a collaborative model, the skills needed, the advantages of co-training, and the dimensions of co-trainer selection.     

The sex discrimination act and the apu occupational interests guide: A reply to closs

Closs has suggested that the present interest differences between the sexes are a sufficient basis for guidance on career choice. It is doubtful, however, whether the practice of such sexual pre-selection is within either the letter or the spirit of the Sex Discrimination Act. It is accordingly argued that the APU guide is discriminatory and backward-looking. Though statistically excellent, it should not be used in its present form, but should be altered in accordance with contemporary morals and recent legislation.     

Laboratory and field interview methods for the study of shiftworkers

Gordon, Tepas, Stock, and Walsh (1979) describe the manner in which shiftworkers were selected as research subjects through the cooperation of labor union organizations. In this paper, we describe the methods used to select and orient the workers to serve in a laboratory study involving measurement of the psychophysiological correlates of sleep. Procedures used for field interviews with the same subjects are also described. Some of the advantages and disadvantages of using a multimethod (laboratory and field interview) approach to the study of shiftwork effects are detailed.     

Comprehension and production of the /−ez/ plural allomorph

Children's knowledge of morphological elements has traditionally been tested using Berko-type production tasks. Failure to respond correctly in this task may reflect production constraints independent of underlying linguistic knowledge. Accordingly, a detailed comparison of the comprehension of one morphological unit the /–ez/ plural allomorph, was investigated. Two groups of subjects were tested: (1) those who produced this allomorph correctly and (2) those who failed to produce it. For the subjects as a group, the results indicated that children who could produce the /–ez/ allomorph in nonsense word contexts performed significantly better than children who were unable to produce this allomorph. An analysis of individual performance indicated that almost all of the subjects who produced the /–ez/ allomorph correctly reliably comprehended it. A little more than half of the subjects who failed to produce it evidenced reliable comprehension. The conclusion was drawn that comprehension learning precedes production learning and that production-type tasks may consistently underestimate linguistic knowledge.This paper was supported by the Graduate College, University of Missouri, Kansas City.