Personality Differences Among Navy Occupational Groups

Differences among six Navy occupational groups (Administrative, Technical, Mechanical, Electrical, Construction, and Cooks) were determined for 31 personality and value scales, including the Allport-Vernon-Lindzey Study of Values, the Survey of Interpersonal Values, and the FIRO-B Inventory. Age and Navy experience were controlled by dividing groups into “experienced” and “inexperienced” categories. Significant differences between groups were present for 29 of the 62 comparisons. Most of the variance in test scores among groups could be accounted for by dichotomizing the six occupational specialties into two broad categories, “white collar” (Administrative and Technical) and “blue collar” (other groups). The results suggested relationships between choice of occupational specialty and the value systems, needs, and motivations of individuals in the naval service.     

Elementary School Counseling with Unstructured Play Media

The need for utilizing unstructured play media in counseling with elementary school children is discussed. The suggestion is made that through play activities the child learns ways of operating in social situations, tests various roles, and expresses his frustrations and concerns. Limiting the child to verbal expression in counseling is seen as being as inappropriate as limiting an adult to the use of puppets. The elementary school counselor's use of play in counseling is designed to facilitate the expression and communication of the normal child rather than to provide data for analytical purposes. Responses to verbal and nonverbal clues, therefore, include reflection and summarization more often than interpretation. Advantages of unstructured over structured materials are discussed; illustrations show the need children feel for amorphous materials in communicating feelings.     

Determining Factors in Choice of Arcade Games and their Consequences upon Young Male Players

Two experiments, one conducted with male university students and the other with male high school and junior high school students, investigated (a) determinants of preferences for driving-type games widely available in public game arcades, and (b) the effects of extended play upon mood and motivation to continue playing. Four games were investigated: these were Death Race and Demolition Derby , which simulate violent, antisocial driving behavior; and Night Driver and Le Mans , which simulate skilled prosocial driving behavior. Preference for arcade games simulating aggressive behavior was found to be independent of personality and mood. However, preferences were closely related to the performers' c]apabilities. Players who exhibited higher levels of skill preferred the more skilldemanding games and those who showed less skill preferred aggression games, suggesting the operation of competency motivation in that the players preferred games appropriate to their level of skill. Subjects reported that the games were exciting, but extended play produced discomfort or an increase in negatively toned moods (fatigue, anxiety, and depression) and a decrease in positively toned moods (social affection, surgency, skepticism, concentration and vigor). However, these effects were not found to be a function of the anti- or prosocial content in the specific games studied and may well be effects accompanying activities that are subjectively fatiguing.