Effect of four aspects of rational statements on expected satisfaction with a close relationship

This study tested whether each of the four main aspects of rational thinking decreased expected relationship dissatisfaction when imagining having a serious disagreement with either a romantic partner or closest friend. The four features, common to cognitive theories of therapy, were the tendency not to exaggerate negative effects, not to demand that one's wishes should always be met, not to globally rate individuals or relationships and not to over-generalise that these experiences always have happened or will happen. Only when combined together did the four aspects significantly decrease expected relationship dissatisfaction in comparison to a control condition in which a serious disagreement was simply reiterated. This combined condition also significantly decreased the irrational tendency to agree that disagreements are destructive.     

Challenge and Conformity on “Contested Terrain”: Images of Women in Four Women’s Sport/Fitness Magazines

Women’s sport magazines were launched during the mid-to-late 1990s as a response to the growing women’s sport movement in the United States. These magazines, including Real Sports, Sports Illustrated for Women, and Women’s Sports & Fitness, were marketed as more active and sport-focused than established titles such as Shape, a popular magazine launched during the early 1980s for fitness-oriented women. Shape has been criticized by scholars for reinforcing male hegemony in US culture through its emphasis on sexual difference. In the present research, we analyzed photo images presented in Sports Illustrated for Women, Women’s Sports & Fitness, and Real Sports to assess the reinforcement or rejection of sexual difference in these magazines as gauged against the presentation of sexual difference in Shape. The results show that the newer magazines do, to varying degrees, contest male hegemony more than Shape does. The impact of these magazines is discussed, and we speculate on the reasons that, although Shape continues to thrive, these magazines have ceased publication.     

Identification and its relation to identity development

Two meanings of identification-as a developmental process and as a mechanism of defense-were investigated as they relate to identity status. Identification with parents was assessed by comparing participants' "ideal self" Adjective Q-sort (Block, 1978) with the same Q-sort done for either mother or father. Defense identification was assessed from TAT stories using Cramer's (1991a) Defense Mechanism Manual. Marcia's (1966, 1980) categories of identity status were determined from Mallory's (1989) prototypes based on the California Adult Q-sort (Block, 1961/1978). The results indicated that the four identity statuses are differentially predicted by parent identification, by defense identification, and by an interaction between the two types of identification. Further, the nature of these relations differs by gender. Caution should be used in applying these findings to other populations.     

The contributions of ineffective discipline and parental hostile attributions of child misbehavior to the development of conduct problems at home and school

Data were collected in a longitudinal study of 134 boys and 132 girls and their families during kindergarten and first grade. Four hours of parent-child interaction were coded to ascertain parent discipline practices. A structured interview assessed maternal attributions about child behavior. Maternal ratings of child conduct problems at kindergarten entry reliably predicted the mother's subsequent hostile attributions concerning child misbehavior and use of ineffective discipline tactics. Ineffective maternal discipline and the interaction of ineffective discipline and hostile attribution predicted growth in child conduct problems at home during kindergarten and first grade. Changes in teacher-reported and observed child conduct problems at school during kindergarten and first grade were predicted by growth in conduct problems at home and by the interaction of ineffective discipline and hostile attribution.     

Speech motor programming in hypokinetic and ataxic dysarthria

It is widely accepted that the cerebellar and basal ganglia control circuits contribute to the programming of movement. Converging evidence from neuroimaging, limb control, and neuropsychological studies suggests that (1) people with cerebellar disease have reduced ability to program movement sequences in advance of movement onset and (2) people with Parkinson's disease are unable to maintain a programmed response or to rapidly switch between responses. Despite a substantial supporting literature, no studies have addressed these potential areas of speech programming disruption for speakers with ataxic and hypokinetic dysarthria. Control participants and adults with dysarthria completed speech reaction time protocols designed to capture these aspects of utterance preparation. Results provided initial support for processing deficits in speakers with ataxic and hypokinetic dysarthria that are separable from motor execution impairments.     

Electronic monitoring and counseling to improve medication adherence

Electronic caps, pill caps that record the date and time of pill bottle opening provide an objective measure of adherence to prescribed medication. A promising intervention to improve adherence, cue-dose training, involves reviewing patients' pill cap-generated reports concerning their medication-taking and offering individualized recommendations for remembering to take medications at specific times of day. In this preliminary study, 79 patients prescribed the antihyperglycemic medication metformin had adherence assessed during a 4-week baseline period. Adherence, defined as proportion of prescribed doses taken within a predetermined 4-h window, was measured using electronic MEMS caps. Those who had less than 80% baseline adherence (n = 33) were randomly assigned to either receive 4 months of cue-dose training (n = 16) or to a control group (n = 17). Cue-dose training was associated with significantly better adherence to metformin (mean improvement of 15%). The effects of cue-dose training on adherence to other antihyperglycemic medication did not reach statistical significance. Glycosylated hemoglobin (a measure of blood sugar control) did not differ between groups. Data from nine patients who reviewed pill cap-generated data with their primary care providers suggested that both patients and providers found the discussion moderately helpful and not at all uncomfortable.     

Covariation between bizarre and nonbizarre speech as a function of the content of verbal attention

A functional analysis suggested that the bizarre speech of an individual with developmental disabilities was maintained by attention. The content of verbal attention was manipulated in two subsequent analyses and revealed that (a) bizarre speech was more frequent when attention was related to the participant's bizarre speech and (b) the participant's statements tended to reflect the content of the therapist's attention, whether bizarre or nonbizarre.     

Acceptance and need for approval as moderators of self-esteem and satisfaction with a romantic relationship or closest friendship

According to predictions of self-esteem theorists, the association between self-esteem and satisfaction with a relationship will be negative under perceptions of high acceptance and positive under perceptions of low acceptance; consistency theorists make the opposite prediction. The author primarily sought to test those predictions. By completing 4 measures, 88 female and 62 male students described their main current romantic relationship (defined as being in love and physically intimate), and 54 female and 32 male students described their relationship with their closest friend. Results supported only the self-esteem predictions for the romantic relationship. Contrary to this perspective, need for approval did not mediate this effect. In addition, self-esteem was significantly and positively correlated with satisfaction with the romantic relationship under high but not low need for approval.     

Sex Differences in Loneliness: The Role of Masculinity and Femininity

The present study assessed the magnitude of sexdifferences in loneliness after accounting for theinfluence of two covariates: masculinity and femininity.The 256 participants (principally White, somewhat affluent, and middle-class university students)completed both the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Bem SexRole Inventory. Whereas sex differences were originallynonsignificant (males tended to be lonelier than females), this difference was significantafter accounting for masculinity (not femininity)embedded in participants' loneliness scores. Similarresults emerged when the covariates were partialled out of both loneliness (criterion) and sex(predictor). These findings support the hypothesis thatmales appear reluctant to admit feelings of loneliness.Male reluctance to personally admit social deficits such as loneliness is suggested for futureresearch.