Does augmented feedback from pedometers increase adults' walking behavior?

This study investigated whether feedback from pedometers motivated adults to increase their walking behavior. Participants (n =26) were enrolled in one of two 8-wk. "Walking for Fitness" classes. The study used a crossover design, such that Group 1 wore pedometers for the first 3 weeks (Feedback Condition) and sealed "disguised" pedometers for the last 3 weeks (No-feedback Condition). The order of feedback was reversed for Group 2. Analysis indicated that (a) neither group increased their walking behavior significantly over time and, (b) interactions between groups were not significant at Week 3 or 6, indicating that groups did not respond differently to feedback from the pedometers. If a motivational effect from pedometers exists, it may be small, dissipate before 3 wk., only work in combination with goal setting, or only motivate certain types of individuals.     

Can infants attribute to an agent a disposition to perform a particular action?

The present research investigated whether 13.5-month-old infants would attribute to an actor a disposition to perform a recurring action, and would then use this information to predict which of two new objects-one that could be used to perform the action and one that could not-the actor would grasp next. During familiarization, the infants watched an actor slide various objects forward and backward on an apparatus floor. During test, the infants saw two new identical objects placed side by side: one stood inside a short frame that left little room for sliding; the other stood inside a longer frame that left ample room for sliding. The infants who saw the actor grasp the object inside the short frame looked reliably longer than those who saw the actor grasp the object inside the long frame. This and control results from a lifting condition provide evidence that by 13.5 months, infants can attribute to an actor a disposition to perform a particular action.     

Counselling adults who were abused as children: Clients' perceptions of efficacy, client-counsellor communication, and dissatisfaction

Despite the amount of clinical material relating to adults who were abused as children, there is a dearth of research which has examined the effectiveness of counselling such clients. In order to examine the perceived efficacy of counselling with this client group, a total of 53 in-depth interviews were undertaken with a sample that included adults abused as children who had received counselling, counsellors working with this client group, and counselors-who-were-abused-as-children. The findings indicate that there are many similarities in what abused clients and the general client population judged to be helpful and unhelpful factors in counselling. However, certain aspects of the counsellor-client relationship appear to have specific impacts and meaning for an abused client group, especially when they have little prior knowledge or experience of counselling. Data are presented relating to clients' evaluations of counselling. These illustrate clinically relevant issues in relation to communication and experiences of dissatisfaction. One conclusion from the study is that in terms of their responses to counselling, it is simplistic for adults who were abused as children to be categorisied as a unitary group. Nevertheless, there are certain aspects of counselling with such clients which do merit particular attention if practitioners are to minimise the possibility of counselling being ineffective, unhelpful or, at worst, re-traumarising.     

Modern to postmodern: Social construction,dissonance, and education

Modernist educational practice operates within an overarching norm of consonance, notions of sameness and agreement that permeate schools and classroom life. This paper posits a needed move to postmodern educational theory and practice through dissonance. Following an intellectual contextualization, two sets of philosophical claims are presented. The first promotes social construction of reality and the second poses dissonance rather than consonance. The paper concludes with a “look” at education from this postmodern perspective.     

Validity of the Sex-Role Egalitarianism Scale: Two replication studies

To enhance the construct validity of the Sex-Role Egalitarianism Scale (SRES), two replications of earlier validity studies were undertaken. Samples were from several college campuses and primarily Caucasian. In Study 1, multiple regression analyses confirmed a hypothesized curvilinear relationship between scores on the SRES and scores on the MacDonald Sex Role Survey, a measure of gender role ideology regarding women. In Study 2, the expectation that SRES would share a relatively small amount of total variance with both the Femininity/Expressiveness and Masculinity/Instrumentality trait subscales of the Personal Attributes Questionnaire was supported. Both sets of results are consistent with earlier validity research using different measures.Lynda King would like to express her appreciation to the Central Michigan University Research Professorship Award program for its support of the studies reported here. The authors would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful guidance and suggestions. A previous version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, August 1992.     

Traditionality of choice and sex-role identification as moderators of the congruence of occupational choice in college women

This study examined the relationship of traditionality of occupational preferences and sex-role orientation to personality-occupational environment congruence in college women. Three-letter Holland personality codes were obtained for each of 184 college women based on same-sex normative scores from the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory and on scores from the ACT Unisex Interest Inventory (UNIACT). Subjects' occupational preferences were classified as traditional, moderately traditional, or nontraditional based on the percentages of women in the occupation. Scores on the Bern Sex Role Inventory were used to classify subjects into one of four sex-role categories. Results indicated a strong association between congruence and traditionality of choice; women whose choices were in nontraditional career fields were significantly more likely to be making choices congruent with their personality type than were women choosing traditional career fields. Further, while sex-role orientation was not significantly related to either congruence or traditionality, masculine-typed women were most likely to make nontraditional and congruent career choices, while the majority of feminine-typed, androgynous, and undifferentiated women stated preferences for traditional career fields. Implications for the applicability of Holland's congruence postulate to women's vocational behavior are discussed.     

幼儿掌握数概念的个案研究——Ⅰ.对一个三周岁至四周岁儿童进行追踪研究的报告

本文是用纵向法,对一个儿童(三周岁至四周岁)掌握数概念的过程,进行追踪研究提出的报告。 研究结果表明:三周岁至四周岁儿童有可能、有必要掌握最初的数概念。数概念广度的发展,是有一定程序的;数概念水平的深化,是通过对计数、取物、比较、运算和读写诸环节的训练而实现的,是从计数活动开始的。掌握数概念,不是自发的、生理成熟的表现,是后天训练、学习的结果。认读数字表,在突破难点时,起相当大的作用。掌握数概念就是掌握有关数的知识,是认识过程,其中动作和记忆具有特别突出的地位。