When Courtesy Fails: Gender Roles and Polite Behaviors1

In order to explore some of the links between gender roles and traditional courteous behaviors, 284 university students responded to a questionnaire in which they evaluated scenarios of cross-sex courteous acts, described their recent experiences with courtesy, and identified courteous behaviors that they commonly performed for and expected from others. As predicted, there was a tendency for courtesies from a woman to a man to be viewed less favorably than courtesies from a man to a woman. Most subjects had directed their most recent act of courtesy toward a female and had received their most recent act from a person of the opposite sex. Some common courtesies tended to be directed toward females more than males, and males were expected to perform certain courtesies such as opening doors and paying for things for women. In general, the results confirmed the theory that courteous behaviors may serve to perpetuate gender role stereotypes and to regulate interactions between the sexes. However, most courteous behaviors were performed and appreciated by people of both genders.     

Morningness versus eveningness arousal patterns in young adults.

The preference for morning versus evening time for activities requiring alertness was investigated. Responses from 9 individuals categorized as "owls" and 7 classed as "larks" based on their scores on the Morningness Versus Eveningness Questionnaire were compared to a group of 11 classified as "neither" on measures of sleep attitude and personality factors of arousal. No statistically significant differences were found; however, an item analysis yielded a statistically significant difference among the groups' responses on questions involving personal choices of sleep/wake schedules. This distinguishing aspect between the groups denotes the utility of subjective measures of preference. Our findings complement those from other subjective and experimental studies of "owls" and "larks" and add the important dimension of inquiring about personal preferences of subjects.     

Television viewing, aggression, and ethnicity.

For 416 college students, questioned about their experiences with aggression and television viewing, only very weak correlations between preference for violent shows and aggression were observed. Black males watched significantly more television than other respondents. These findings suggest that the frequently reported correlation between viewing televised violence and aggression may not appear when sex, ethnicity, and education are controlled in a sample of young adults.     

AIDS: ethics, justice and social policy

ABSTRACT Principles of justice and equality demand that HIV seropositive individuals and those with AIDS should not be discriminated against in any area of social provision. If social policy on AIDS is constructed in terms of reciprocal obligations, that is if obligations to the HIV seropositive individual and obligations of the HIV seropositive individual are given equal weight, the civil rights of HIV seropositive individuals may be secured and this may create a climate in which HIV seropositive individuals will more readily notify partners, and others at risk of infection, of their HIV status. It is conceivable that such a climate could facilitate greater control of the spread of HIV/AIDS.     

Maternal and child utilization of memory strategies

This study sought to examine the mechanisms employed by mothers as they engage in teaching their children to remember the names of characters, how to wrap a gift, and the location of zoo animals. The specific relationships included an examination of mothers’ pre-teaching instructions, mothers’ use of memory strategies, child strategy use and the child’s correct performance. Participants were 25 mothers and their four-year-old preschoolers. Results suggest that maternal preteaching instructions vary in complexity depending on the nature of the information being taught. In addition, mothers employ a variety of task-dependent memory strategies. In contrast to mothers, the children use proportionately fewer strategies than their mothers. However, their use of strategies is effective in helping them recall names, order, and location. Implications for adult guidance in assisting preschoolers with developing regulatory memory skills are discussed.     

The will and the ways: development and validation of an individual-differences measure of hope

Defining hope as a cognitive set that is composed of a reciprocally derived sense of successful (a) agency (goal-directed determination) and (b) pathways (planning of ways to meet goals), an individual-differences measure is developed. Studies demonstrate acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and the factor structure identifies the agency and pathways components of the Hope Scale. Convergent and discriminant validity are documented, along with evidence suggesting that Hope Scale scores augmented the prediction of goal-related activities and coping strategies beyond other self-report measures. Construct validational support is provided in regard to predicted goal-setting behaviors; moreover, the hypothesized goal appraisal processes that accompany the various levels of hope are corroborated.     

A team format for the Global Assessment Scale: reliability and validity on an inpatient unit

The Global Assessment Scale (GAS) is a 100-point rating instrument which purports to measure psychological adjustment on a continuum from self-actualization to severe regression. Its reliability and validity were examined on the admitting ward of a state hospital where GAS ratings are assigned to patients by computing a mean of the individual ratings assigned by a team of clinicians. Results showed such team GAS ratings to have good reliability. As for validity, team GAS predicted the outcomes of court hearings at two stages of the civil commitment process and showed construct validity in its relevant correlations with the Psychotic Inpatient Profile. A predicted association between team GAS and a ward atmosphere measure was not obtained. Taken as a whole, the results support the use of team GAS ratings in inpatient settings.     

Otto Fenichel and the left opposition in psychoanalysis

David Rapaport's collection of Otto Fenichel's Rundbriefe (1934-1945) is described as a recently rediscovered, 2,500-page primary source for studying the intellectual and organizational history of European-American psychoanalysis. Beginning as the confidential newsletter of the Reich-Fenichel "Left opposition" within the International Psychoanalytic Association, its function became primarily intellectual as Fenichel's group ceased to function as a caucus. It ended when its editor decided to devote himself to the struggle against neo-Freudianism within psychoanalysis, and to practice as a licensed physician.     

Correlates of children's television viewing: Expectancies,age, and sex

The relationship of interpersonal trust and locus of control expectancies to amounts of television viewing and viewing preferences were examined among children in grades five through eight. Age and sex differences in viewing times, preferences, and viewing habits, as well as children's scores on the Children's Interpersonal Trust Scale and the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Scale were assessed. Several findings suggested that heavy viewing is associated with less trusting perceptions of others and less belief in controlling one's academic successes and failures, although the pattern found does not suggest so specific an effect of viewing television violence as Gerbner's cultivation hypothesis might suggest. Age and sex differences found were largely consistent with those reported in the previous literature.