Effects of presence of mother versus preschool teacher on the behaviour of infants in a strange situation

Seventeen infants (10–24 months of age) were observed twice in a strange situation, once accompanied by mother and once in the company of a familiar preschool teacher. On basis of video-tape recordings a total of 13 behaviour items relevant to infant attachment were scored. The results failed to demonstrate definite differential effects of mother vs. preschool teacher on the infants' behaviors in this situation. In particular, the infants were just as ready to separate themselves from their companions and explore into an adjoining room when attended by the preschool teachers as when accompanied by their mothers. Implications for Ainsworth's and Bowlby's theory of infant attachment are briefly discussed.     

ANCHORS AWAY–THE STABILITY OF MEANING OF ANCHORS WHEN THEIR LOCATION IS CHANGED

This study addresses three questions. (1) Does the meaning of the neutral anchor shift when its position is moved away from the middle of the series? The location of (psychological) zero in rating scales is crucial if they are to be used as multipliers (e.g., as weights or in functional equations). (2) Does moving the neutral anchor from a central position increase sensitivity (variance) of ratings? Such displacement has been used frequently without investigation of its effects. (3) Are any of the above effects general across types of anchors? Displacement had significant effects (N= 210) on meaning of the neutral anchor and on sensitivity. Stability of meaning of anchors, however, was greater when anchors were words rather than faces. Therefore verbal anchors should be used, with the neutral anchor located centrally, to establish zero; but displaced to increase sensitivity at one end of the scale.     

Assessment of the effects of brief separation from parent on infants

The purpose of the study was to answer 2 questions: (1) are children 12 to 24 months old able to interpret their parents' accessibility on the basis of previous separation, and (2) how long do the effects of a brief, experimental separation last? 20 children were observed with their parents for 3 min, were then left alone for 3 min, and were observed for 3 min following reunion; as controls 19 children stayed with their parents for 9 min. The children were later observed after 1 or 2 weeks, this time they were free to separate themselves from their parents in order to explore an adjoining room. Observations were made by scoring predefined behavior measures from videotape. Results showed effects 1, but not 2 weeks after separation, and suggest that separation chiefly affects behaviors which involve confidence in parents' physical accessibility.     

LOG-LINEAR MODELING IN PERSONNEL RESEARCH

Log-linear modeling is a discrete multivariate statistical technique that is designed specifically for analyzing data when both the independent and dependent variables are categorical or nominal. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the utility of this technique in personnel research. The paper (a) discusses behavioral areas of application, (b) compares log-linear modeling with chi-square and regression analysis, (c) presents the basic principles and hypotheses of log-linear modeling, and (d) shows how the technique is used.     

Defense mechanisms in alcoholics attending outpatient treatment. Results from the MCT-test (Meta-Contrast Technique)

Defensive strategies were studied in 72 alcoholics participating in outpatient treatment by using, before the treatment started, the Meta-Contrast Technique, MCT, a percept-genetic method. Alcoholics had less often adaptive strategies than controls. A lack of adaptive defense strategies was related to a more impaired psychic status, more psychological benefits from drinking, and more psychiatric symptoms but not to severity of alcoholism or results of psychometric tests (intellectual level, field-dependence, spatial performance). It does not seem inconceivable that the MCT could be used as a diagnostic tool in treatment planning.     

Exploring the Religious-Spiritual Needs of the Dying

After presenting evidence for the heightened need among the dying to explore religious-spiritual issues, the article explains how counselors might best approach this need. The approach that is explicated centers on nonjudgmental openness toward all of the client's religious-spiritual explorations. The last, and largest, portion of the article presents psycho-social tools that can be used to assess, examine, and amplify a client's religious-spiritual strengths.