Observer bias in scoring boys' and girls' aggression

In order to examine the possibility that the attribution of more aggression to boys may be in part a function of observer bias, 40 adults were asked in Study 1 to record the degree of aggression in a series of line drawings that showed children interacting. It was found that a significant subset of both males and females recorded more aggression for boys than for girls when they scanned scenes that showed numerous children interacting. When they rated a series of drawings of two children interacting, males rated boys as significantly more aggressive than girls. Study 2 examined 48 adults' responses under one of three instruction conditions. The findings of Study 1 were replicated. Additionally, it was found that some forms of instruction eliminate sex-typed biases while others yield significant biases among both male and female untrained observers. These results are interpreted in light of the literature on schematic processing. Implications pertaining to the socialization of aggression and to research on sex differences in aggression are discussed.     

Sex difference trends in completed suicide

The recent suicide literature increasingly has contained statements suggesting that the differences in completed suicide between the sexes are lessening. A compilation of official suicide data for 1933-1980 verifies such a trend from the 1950s through 1971. However, increased differences (as measured by the ratio of male to female rates) were consistently observed from 1971 to 1980. These trends were found for data for the nation, for whites and nonwhites, for numbers of suicides, for crude rates, and for age-adjusted rates. Decreased sex differences were obtained for those 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, and for 65+ years of age, but increased sex differences were observed for those aged 15-24 and 25-34. Possible explanations for these findings are presented.     

Child of divorce: An overview

Children of divorce represent a diverse population at risk for subsequent psychological problems, whose interests are insufficiently understood or protected by the legal system or the mental health community. Although many children weather the stress of marital breakdown without psychopathological sequelae, a significant number show lasting difficulties. Information concerning the psychological adaptation of these children has increased rapidly during the past decade, but it remains unequel to the task of guiding family policy in this arena. Current knowledge identifies child gender and developmental stage as crucial factors that interact with the chronic stresses of postdivorce family life to produce short-and long-range impediments to the maturation of these vulnerable young people. There is a critical need to facilitate understanding and cooperation between the behavioral sciences and the legal profession on behalf of children in divorced families. The major research tasks relevant to enlightened public policy lie ahead.     

Joint custody: A blind leap of faith?

This article examines the social, historical, empirical, and legal issues surrounding the concept of joint custody which has now been accepted in over half of the states. Early results in joint custody states suggest that joint custody awards prove satisfactory to parents and children provided that the parents are able to cooperate in childrearing activities and that they live in close geographic proximity. General recommendations and guidelines for joint custody are presented.     

Age-related differences in the pleasantness of chemosensory stimuli

Modest decrements in both taste threshold sensitivity and, more recently, suprathreshold sensitivity have been associated with the aging process. The present study was designed to investigate the existence of changes in preference for various concentrations of single tastes and of the same single tastes in more complex chemosensory mixtures. In this study, 300 participants from three different age groups (18-26, 32-45, over 65) rated for pleasantness four concentrations of sodium chloride, sucrose, and citric acid presented in both aqueous and beverage bases. Results showed significant effects of age, stimulus background, stimulus, concentration, and of several interactions, and they suggest that elderly subjects find salt and sugar pleasanter at higher concentrations than younger subjects do.     

Accident reduction through stress management

The deleterious effects of occupational stress on worker health and well-being have been described in numerous reports for a wide range of work groups. Work overload (and underload), deadline pressures, role Stressors, underutilization of abilities, and physical discomfort have been identified as work factors associated with increased stress symptom reporting. The relationship between work stress and accident/injury occurrences is less clearly documented, although scattered reports in the literature suggest a contributory role for stress in the accident process. In this article, data linking stress to unsafe work behavior are reviewed and a model is proposed wherein accidents can arise from impaired worker capabilities (e.g., slower reaction time) brought about by stress symptom activity (e.g., anxiety). The potential usefulness of stress management training (SMT) for shortcircuiting the stress/accidents cycle by alleviating stress symptoms is discussed in light of recent empirical research.Portions of this article were presented at the Third Annual Scientist/Practitioner Conference in Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Virginia Beach, Virginia, October, 1982.     

Safety locus of control as a predictor of industrial accidents and injuries

This article describes the underlying theory, development, and initial validation of the Safety Locus of Control Scale. This paper-and-pencil inventory assesses levels of safety consciousness among employees. Initial research suggests that the inventory is a reliable predictor of employees' accidents, injuries, and driving safety. Potential uses for the inventory are discussed, and future research is suggested.This article is from a paper presented at the Annual Conference of Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior, Boston, Massachusetts, November 18–20, 1985.     

Integration: A coming of age

Integration is one of the most prevalent contemporary themes in the field of family therapy. This discussion proposes a process-based model of integration which transcends theoretical content. A brief review of integrative efforts in the field of marriage and family therapy is followed by an exploration of issues related to theoretical content. A model for understanding the personal process of integration is developed which articulates a five stage process of integration. Finally, after a brief character development to illustrate the different stages, some initial implications for a process-based model of integration are explored.David J. Moultrup, MSW, LICSW, is in private practice in Arlington, Massachusetts.     

Disruptive emotions and the measurement of irrationality

The purpose of the present study was to develop an alternative paradigm for measuring irrationality and conduct a preliminary reliability and validity analysis of a self-report scale so constructed. From considering some basic theoretical assumptions in Rational-Emotive Therapy (RET), anemotive paradigm for item-construction was formulated and utilized to develop a 12-item self-report scale for measuring irrationality (SVO-12). A different scale (SVC-12), based on acontent approach, was also developed. These two irrationality scales and a scale for measuring psychopathology were then administered to a group of 199 undergraduate students. Statistical analyses provided empirical support for the reliability and validity of both approaches. Of the two irrationality scales in question, however, the one based on the emotive paradigm (SVO-12) seem to be the most promising.     

Book reviews

With Faith and Fury. Delos McKown. New York: Promethius Books, 1985. pp 440. $16.95

The Sacred in a Secular Age. Phillip E. Hammond, Editor. University of California Press, 379 pages (p/b) $8.95 (£8.50)