African-American Women and the Male-Female Relationship Dilemma: A Counseling Perspective

This article focuses on the historical origin of the African-American male-female relationship dilemma and contemporary forces that have an impact on opportunities for intimacy and marriage among African-American women. Specifically, loss, communication, and stereotypes are examined as counseling issues that are relevant to African-American women in relationships. Implications for counseling and research are also discussed.     

Session helpfulness and session evaluation in short‐term counselling

The relationship between perceived session helpfulness and session evaluation was examined in 11 dyads during eight sessions of short‐term counselling. Results based on the Session Evaluation Questionnaire (Stiles, 1980) showed that, for clients, while depth, arousal, and positivity correlated with perceived session helpfulness, only depth and positivity entered a stepwise regression, yielding a multiple correlation of 0.76. For counsellors, while depth and positivity correlated with session perceived helpfulness, only depth entered the stepwise regression analysis, with a correlation of 0.70. Session depth also consistently correlated with change in perceptions of helpfulness from one session to another. Clients had higher depth scores for sessions that both participants rated as helpful. They had lower depth scores for sessions rated as less helpful by both participants or for sessions where participants disagreed in their helpfulness ratings. The centrality of counselling depth in affecting experiences of counselling helpfulness is discussed.     

Abstractionist versus episodic theories of repetition priming and word identification

This paper reviews research relevant to the question of whether words are identified through the use of abstract lexical representations, specific episodic representations, or both. Several lines of evidence indicate that specific episodes participate in word identification. First, pure abstractionist theories can explain short-term but not long-term repetition priming. Second, long-term repetition priming is sensitive to changes in surface features or episodic context between presentations of a word. Finally, long-term priming for pseudowords is also difficult for pure abstractionist theories to explain. Alternative approaches to word identification are discussed, including both pure episodic theories and theories in which both episodes and abstract representations play a role.     

Are microsaccades responsible for the gap effect?

Extinguishing a fixation point shortly before, or concurrently with, the onset of a peripheral visual target reduces the latency of saccades to that target. Saslow (1967) hypothesized that thisgap effect might occur because fixation point offsets reduce the incidence of corrective microsaccades with an associated saccadic refractory period. In the present study, a robust gap effect was obtained. However, using a Purkinje image eyetracker with 1 arcmin of resolution, we found that fixation point offsets had no effect on the occurrence of microsaccades and that the occurrence of microsaccades had no impact on the magnitude of the gap effect. Microsaccades therefore do not appear to play any part in the production of the gap effect.     

Menstrual-related perceptual changes in women with premenstrual syndrome: Factors to consider in treatment

The state-dependent model of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) suggests that women's perceptions of daily stressors are affected by menstrual cycle phase. Our objective was to further examine the applicability of this model to perceptions of specific kinds of daily stressors and to explore its generalizability to perceptions involving significant others. Thirty-two undergraduate women, 10 PMS and 22 asymptomatic controls, completed the Daily Stress Inventory (DSI) and the Daily Rating Form (DRF) for 35 days. Questionnaires measuring perceived social support and self-esteem were completed premenstrually and postmenstrually. Results indicated that all women perceived a greater number of stressors as being severe premenstrually as compared to postmenstrually. Furthermore, all women perceived a lesser number of signifcant others as being present in their social support network premenstrually. However, only the PMS women were less satisfied with their social support and had more negative self-esteem premenstrually as compared to postmenstrually. Results are discussed within the context of designing treatment intermentions for women with PMS.     

Evaluation of a Coeducational Interactive Rape Prevention Program

This article illustrates one way in which counselors can contribute to victim services on campus besides providing direct remedial services. Specifically, the authors describe a project in which they designed, implemented, and evaluated a rape prevention program. The program was coeducational and interactive and was presented to members of sororities and fraternities. Those who participated in the program endorsed fewer rape-supportive attitudes than did the control group immediately following the program, although the two groups no longer differed at the one month follow-up. Recommendations are provided for counselors interested in developing and evaluating similar programs.     

Using sociometric measures to predict help seeking behaviors of youth in a positive peer culture program

Sociometric measures were used to predict help seeking behaviors of youth in a residential treatment center. Seventeen female adolescents with conduct disorders were asked to choose three peers in their group who were most popular, similar, and competent. These sociometric measures were correlated with the degree to which the participants would seek help from their peers across four problem scenarios representing actual situations encountered in residential settings. A multiple linear regression analysis suggested that sociometric measures of “competence” was the best predictor of intentions to seek help across the problem scenarios. Discussion focused on the implications of using sociometric measures within a residential treatment setting.     

Multimethodological approach to examining risk-taking

Research on risk-taking behavior has shown to yield inconsistent findings. Three studies were conducted using four different analysis techniques. The first study used a phenomenological approach and qualitative analysis to gain an understanding of risk-taking. A model of factors relating to risk-taking was developed and tested in a second study. The third study was conducted to develop scales of risk and used magnitude estimation and multidimensional scaling techniques. Results from the studies confirmed the multidimensionality of the construct of risk-taking. Also indicated was a gender difference in risk-taking behavior and perception. These studies expand our knowledge of risk-taking behavior in that 1) a method of categorizing risks was developed, 2) gender similarities and differences in risk-taking were explored, and 3) perceived magnitude and underlying dimensions of risk were developed.