A genetic perspective on stuttering

If one considers stuttering to be one possible outcome of a developmental and learning process, it is possible to conclude, a priori, that both environmental variation and genetic variation are likely to be involved in determining those who ever stutter and those who never stutter. Proof exists of the importance of nongenetic (environmental) variation in the etiology of stuttering; no conclusive proof exists of the involvement of genetic variation. The available evidence on the familial concentration of stuttering is compatible with hypotheses that incorporate a major genetic component. According to these hypotheses, the familiality is due to genetic transmission, and the interaction of genetic predisposition with environmental factors is affected by the individual's sex. No conclusion is yet possible on the specific type of genetic transmission.     

Material Aid and Social Attraction1

Aid programs can be used as an antidote to social conflict. Under certain conditions, however, they may create hostility. In this experiment subjects representing six hypothetical countries (1) either received or did not receive material aid from a seventh nation and (2) had a high or low level of material need. Attraction for the aid-giver decreased markedly when aid was denied, but increased very little when it was granted. When subjects were high in material needs, the denial of aid produced maximal antagonism. However, when aid was received, high need did not enhance attraction to the donor. The implications of these findings for an exchange theory of attraction and for aid giving are discussed.     

CORRELATES OF COUNSELING EFFECTIVENESS IN EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEWERS

The purpose of this study was to identify correlates of effective counseling behavior in employment interviewers as measured by the Kelz Counselor Performance Rating Scale. Four demographic variables were studied: age, length of employment as an employment interviewer for a state employment agency, sex, and level of education. Seventeen employment interviewers employed by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Employment Security served as subjects. Significant negative correlations were found between effective counseling behavior as measured by the Kelz Scale and both age and length of employment as an interviewer for a state agency. No relationship was found between the criterion variable and the sex or level of education of the interviewers. Some possible implications of these findings are discussed and tentative hypotheses presented.     

Why Doesn't Everyone Work to Prevent Nuclear War? A Decision Theory Analysis

The general lack of action to prevent nuclear war, despite widespread belief that such a war is likely to occur and knowledge of its catastrophic consequences, can be traced to a sense that individual action does not matter. The absence of perceived differential outcomes for action can also prevent the discrimination of real threats. Therefore, education about the nuclear threat is not likely to be effective unless accompanied by efforts to establish a sense of personal efficacy.     

Social support from a friend,perceived support,and social problem solving

This research combined experimental and correlational methods to investigate the effects of social support on social problem-solving effectiveness and perceived stress. During a wait period, college students were given the opportunity to work on practice items from a mildly stressful social problem-solving task, either alone or in the company of a close friend. Participants and friends were allowed to talk about the practice items but were not required to do so, and supportive transactions were tape recorded and content analyzed. All students then completed social problem-solving and perceived stress items alone. Participants who waited with friends did not show superior problem-solving effectiveness unless companions provided particular supportive behaviors. Participants with high perceived support scores rated the experiment as less stressful than those with low scores, but perceived support was not related to companions' actual supportive behaviors. The results were discussed in terms of implications for understanding the mechanisms of social support.     

Predicting Citizen Support of Tax Increases for Education: A Comparison of Two Social Psychological Perspectives

A survey of citizen support of a proposal to increase property taxes for public education was conducted in a school district in Illinois. Two social psychological perspectives predicting support were tested. One perspective, derived from social exchange theory, predicted that citizens would base their support of or opposition to a tax increase primarily on perceived self-interested economic gain or loss. A second perspective predicted that non-self-interested concerns, such as attitudes toward the schools, would determine support of or opposition to a tax increase. Although both models received support, the strongest and mat consistent predictors of tax support among those most likely to be voters were the non-self-interested factors. Implications of these findings for public policy and for understanding political behavior are discussed.     

An observational study of emotionally disturbed and learning-disabled children in school settings

It has been alleged that populations of learning-disabled (LD) and emotionally disturbed (ED) children are essentially indistinguishable on important intervention-related symptoms. To examine this claim, a direct observation study of social interactions during class, lunch, and recess settings in two public schools was conducted. Teacher ratings of school behavior were also collected. The results indicated that the ED boys exhibited significantly more nonphysical aggression and noncompliance than the LD boys across settings, and that the LD boys had significantly higher rates of physical and non-physical aggression and immature behavior than the LD girls. The correlations between the observations and teachers' ratings were modest but consistent with previous studies. The results are discussed with regard to their assessment and treatment implications.This study was supported, in part, by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (MH30058). The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of the following individuals: Patricia Grayson, James Fogarty, Merrill Zusmer, James Burke, Elizabeth Mulvihill, and the teachers from the Sayville and Premm Learning Centers (L. Fass, J. Gould, K. Jones, C. Lacey, B. Licking, S. Ott, S. Palmer, J. Thorpe, C. Wangenstein, D. Wayne, and L. Wetter). We also wish to thank Michael H. Epstein and Jan Loney for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper.     

Interpreting the texts of nature and culture: A reply to Jahoda

In his Tajfel Memorial lecture Gustav Jahoda (1986) proposes that experimental findings infrequently reflect natural laws of human action, but are reflections of cultural conventions. In developing his arguments he finds it useful to criticize a number of my earlier ideas (Gergen, 1982). The present paper demonstrates that this critique is not only misguided, but that if the implications of my earlier work had been properly elaborated neither the argument for cultural convention nor general laws could be adequately sustained. Because of the non-objective character of behavioural interpretation, neither of these positions can be empirically warranted. Their justification is more properly considered in ethical, or ideological terms.