Beyond medical risk: investigating the psychological factors underlying women's perceptions of susceptibility to breast cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis.

The relationships of epidemiological (objective) risk indices, perceived disease characteristics, and cognitive heuristics to women's perceived susceptibility to breast cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis in a community sample of 312 women ages 40-86 were examined. Epidemiological indices accounted for a small to moderate proportion of the variance in perceived susceptibility. Psychological factors (perceived similarity to women who contract the target disease and perceived disease prevalence) predicted perceived susceptibility above and beyond medical risk factors. Opposite to actual risk, age correlated negatively with perceived susceptibility to all 3 diseases. Exploratory analyses suggested that perceived similarity, perceived prevalence, and absent/exempt beliefs might mediate this relationship. Confirmatory factor analyses verified that measures of absolute and direct comparative risk assess the same underlying construct of perceived susceptibility.     

Interpretation of the personality inventory for children-revised (PIC-R): Influence of cognitive impairment

The Personality Inventory for Children-Revised (PIC-R) is a parent-report measure of social-emotional adjustment for children 3 to 16 years of age. The present study examined the clinical value of the PIC-R by exploring the impact of age and developmental status on PIC-R profiles, particularly on the Psychosis (PSY) scale, within a sample of preschool and school-age children referred for assessment of suspected cognitive impairment and learning problems. Compared to school-age children, significantly more preschoolers obtained elevated scores on the Psychosis scale; those preschoolers with cognitive impairments were even more likely to obtain significantly elevated Psychosis scale scores, despite the absence of diagnosed childhood psychosis. No significant relationship was found between Psychosis scale elevations and cognitive impairment in the school-age group. The PIC-R was moderately accurate in identifying cognitively impaired preschoolers but only minimally accurate in identifying cognitively impaired school-age children.     

Competitive vs. noncompetitive styles: Which is most valued in courtship?

Although competitiveness has been stereotypically associated with masculinity and noncompetitiveness with femininity, recent research (M. R. Laner, Competition in Courtship, Family Relations, 1986, Vol. 32, pp. 275–279) has shown very high rates of certain kinds of competitive behaviors experienced by courtship partners of both sexes. This study was designed to test (1) whether competitive or noncompetitive interaction is the preferred mode, and (2) whether competitive tactics are clearly distinguishable from noncompetitive tactics. Findings indicate that noncompetitive styles are preferred by majorities of both women and men. For the most part, respondents of both sexes are able to distinguish between competitive and noncompetitive behaviors. Discussion focuses on the differential outcomes of competition and cooperation, and on why persons behave differently from the mode they claim to prefer.I am grateful to Laurie Lane Goldberg and to the late John W. Hudson for assistance with data collection and tabulation.     

Some new gestalt psychologies

Summary The present decade has seen a resurgence of interest in perceptual phenomena investigated by Gestalt psychologists. Some of these new psychologies call themselves Neo-Gestalt psychology. Thus it seems appropriate to examine their relation to Gestalt psychology.In addition to the problems they investigate, these new psychologies usually have in common an information-processing approach to perception. Thus information processing is compared with Gestalt psychology; the major issues to be considered are mechanism and atomism. In addition, a brief discussion of phenomenology is seen to be relevant to these new psychologies, quite apart from their relation to information processing. After a short discussion of these major issues, a still briefer examination of a few Neo-Gestalt psychologies and of the parallel distributed processing (PDP) approach is undertaken.This paper is a condensed and reorganized version of a chapter to be included in a forthcoming Festschrift for Solomon Asch, edited by Irvin Rock     

A job club at a state hospital

A job club conducted at a state hospital placed 78% of job seekers in competitive employment. Referrals included inpatient, halfway house, and outpatient clients. The results indicate that while client demographics and treatment histories are associated with different success rates, a majority of all client groups found work.     

INCREASING NURSES' USE OF FEEDBACK TO PROMOTE INFECTION-CONTROL PRACTICES IN A HEAD-INJURY TREATMENT CENTER

This study established regular implementation of a simple feedback procedure by supervisory nurses with their assistants at a head-injury treatment center. Five nurses were trained to distribute brief written comments to their assistants about infection-control practices, including using gloves to avoid contact with body fluids. Following low rates of written feedback, nurses met with the trainer weekly to set goals for using the system, to review feedback rates, and to examine contingent letters of appreciation. Written feedback increased from 0.09 to 0.58 per day. When outcome data on glove use were subsequently added to the feedback provided to nurses, nurses' feedback on glove use increased and overall glove use by assistants increased by 36.7% for 66.7% of assistants who responded to feedback. Assistants rated feedback as highly accurate and indicated some interest in receiving future feedback. However, nurses and assistants expressed a preference for oral over written feedback.     

Personality maturity and Teresa's interior castle

The ego development stage model theory of Jane Loevinger is compared to the understanding of St. Teresa of Avila regarding development in spiritual life. The paper first presents Loevinger's theory, then goes through the mansions Teresa described in the interior castle of the soul, comparing each mansion with Loevinger's understanding. The paper concludes that a very similar line of development is traced in both understandings.This paper is a revision of a paper first presented to Division 36, Psychologists Interested in Religious Issues, at the annual meeting of The American Psychological Association.     

The Role of Power and Gender in Anger Responses to Sexual Jealousy

Despite a growing interest in intimate conflict, little research has examined the variables that influence anger within an interpersonal context. Using the conflict topic of sexual jealousy, male and female undergraduate students were randomly assigned to high- or low-power conditions prior to listening to an audiotaped conflict between intimates. Analysis of participants' affective responses to the conflict indicated that in spite of no initial differences in anger before hearing the conflict, there was a significant difference between power conditions in postconflict ratings: low-power participants reported more anger than did high-power participants. Similarly, women reported more anger than did men after hearing the conflict despite no preconflict differences. The results are discussed in terms of the influence of power and gender expectations on the anger dynamics of intimate conflict. Of special interest is the extent to which perceptions of power or powerlessness, ostensibly unrelated to the conflict, can shape affective reactions to conflict.