"You" and "I" need to talk about "us": Linguistic patterns in marital interactions

Links between pronoun use, relationship satisfaction, and observed behavior were examined during 2 problem-solving interactions in which 134 distressed and 48 nondistressed couples participated. Results supported hypotheses that distressed and nondistressed couples would use pronouns at significantly different rates, and that rates would also differ for partners depending on whose topic was being discussed. Actor–partner interdependence models (APIMs; D. A. Kenny, 1996 ) revealed actor and partner effects of pronoun use on satisfaction and observed positivity and negativity. Interestingly, I-focus pronouns were found to be linked with satisfaction in distressed partners and dis satisfaction in nondistressed partners. The pattern of findings was otherwise largely consistent across topics and levels of distress. These findings have implications for both future research and clinical interventions.     

The Art of Recruitment: The Foundation of Family and Linkage Studies of Psychiatric Illness

Family and linkage studies of psychiatric illness involve special benefits and challenges in the field of scientific investigation. The success of a family or linkage study is dependent on the recruitment process. The most informative and reliable method of data collection in this field of investigation is through direct interviews with as many family members as possible. Although there are circumstances when direct interviewing is not possible, there are other circumstances, such as refusal of relatives to participate, that deserve closer scrutiny. The complexities involved in the recruitment process while conducting medical investigations have been explored in the literature. However, special issues relevant to the recruitment process merit further exploration for working with families in the context of family and linkage studies of psychiatric illness. Careful understanding of this critical topic may minimize the incidence of family nonparticipation in such research endeavors. This article addresses these issues as they relate to recruiting individuals and their families in this field of investigation. These issues include the role of attitudes, values and beliefs, family interaction and the identification of influential members, informal communication networking, informed consent while promoting the research, and ethical concerns.     

Pretherapy Information,Counselor Influence,and Value Similarity: Impact on Female Clients' Reactions

This study examined the effects of pretherapy information, participants' views on premarital sex, and counselor influence attempts on female participants reactions to a female counselor. These results are discussed in relation to previous research.     

EVALUATING THE CONCEPT OF ABSENTEE-PRONENESS WITH TWO MEASURES OF ABSENCE

This study addresses the concept of "absentee-proneness," the notion that a small percentage of employees are responsible for a great percentage of absenteeism. Two uncorrelated measures of absence (paid and unpaid) were recorded for each individual in a sample of 195 employees working in the accounting department of a large public utility. Data were recorded for seven consecutive quarters (e.g., 21 months). The results showed that a core of employees was responsible for the vast majority of absenteeism in any one quarter, but that core changed from quarter to quarter. The distribution of absence data over the full 21 month period did not differ from chance expectancy.     

Blacks' and Whites' Perceptions of Verbal Aggression

Eighty Black and 80 White undergraduate and graduate women were presented with a set of materials depicting two women as verbally aggressive. In a between-subjects design, each participant was presented with a set of materials depicting one of the following: two women who were (a) of the same race as the participant, (b) of a different race from the participant, or (c) a mixed racial pair. Each participant was asked to rate the randomly chosen identified aggressor on several variables related to aggression. Results of a 2×2×2 MANOVA (race of participant, race of identified aggressor, race of target) indicated a main effect for race of participant such that the White participants viewed all episodes as more aggressive than the Black participants. There were no other significant main effects or interactions.     

The emergence of Cognitive Hearing Science

Cognitive Hearing Science or Auditory Cognitive Science is an emerging field of interdisciplinary research concerning the interactions between hearing and cognition. It follows a trend over the last half century for interdisciplinary fields to develop, beginning with Neuroscience, then Cognitive Science, then Cognitive Neuroscience, and then Cognitive Vision Science. A common theme is that an interdisciplinary approach is necessary to understand complex human behaviors, to develop technologies incorporating knowledge of these behaviors, and to find solutions for individuals with impairments that undermine typical behaviors. Accordingly, researchers in traditional academic disciplines, such as Psychology, Physiology, Linguistics, Philosophy, Anthropology, and Sociology benefit from collaborations with each other, and with researchers in Computer Science and Engineering working on the design of technologies, and with health professionals working with individuals who have impairments. The factors that triggered the emergence of Cognitive Hearing Science include the maturation of the component disciplines of Hearing Science and Cognitive Science, new opportunities to use complex digital signal-processing to design technologies suited to performance in challenging everyday environments, and increasing social imperatives to help people whose communication problems span hearing and cognition. Cognitive Hearing Science is illustrated in research on three general topics: (1) language processing in challenging listening conditions; (2) use of auditory communication technologies or the visual modality to boost performance; (3) changes in performance with development, aging, and rehabilitative training. Future directions for modeling and the translation of research into practice are suggested.     

CHILDREN S CHOICES: A COMPARISON OF BOOK PREFERENCES BETWEEN HISPANIC AND NON-HISPANIC FIRST-GRADERS

This report describes a study of book preferences among 190 first graders. Students were exposed to nine different, high-quality, picture books of various genres (including multicultural texts) and asked to select one to own. A mixed subgroup of students had the texts read to them during read aloud sessions, but the majority made selections based on surface-level text structures. Results indicate that Hispanic and non-Hispanic students were more alike than different in their preferences. An overwhelming majority selected informational, rather than narrative books. This finding counters notions that young readers prefer stories and desire books that mirror them in culturally pertinent ways.