Gender and sex role differences in the perception of social support

This study examined the relationships among support types (i.e., emotional, instrumental, and nonintimate social participation), gender, sex role orientation, and stress level among college undergraduates (N=253). Dependent variables included need, perceived availability, and satisfaction with support. Sex differences were found only in emotional support, with men reporting less need, perceived availability, and marginally less satisfaction than women. The only gender by sex role interaction was on need for emotional support. Traditional sex-typed men reported less need than traditional women, whereas there was no difference between androgynous men and women. While sex differences do exist for emotional support, the effects of sex role orientation on perceptions of social support appears to be somewhat circumscribed.     

Norms for employed daughters' and sons' behavior toward frail older parents

This study examined whether norms that concerning assisting frail older parents were different for daughters than for sons when the adult children are members of dual-earner couples. Data were gathered by telephone interviews from a probability sample of 315 adults residing in western Alabama. Of the 18 statements presented, statistically significant differences between the expectations for daughters and sons occurred in only three cases (help with housework, meal preparation, and yard work), suggesting substantial support for norms of equalitarianism. Further, there were few differences between the expectations held by females and by males for daughters and sons. Generally, the results suggested strong support for behaviors that facilitate the independent living of both adult children and their frail older parents.The authors acknowledge with thanks the assistance of the University of Alabama's Capstone Poll, which collected the data for this study.     

San Diego suicide study: comparison of gay to straight males

Previous large studies of completed suicides have not considered sexual orientation in their data analyses. In this study, data from the known homosexual subpopulation (13 males, aged 21-42) in a series of 283 suicides were examined. They were compared with all other aged male suicides 21-42 (n = 106). Both groups showed considerable substance abuse plus a variety of other psychiatric diagnoses. Both also had a high frequency of relationship difficulties near the time of death. Gays who committed suicide did not have a history of more police trouble and were no more likely to be living alone than the comparison group. They did not have more prior suicide attempts or previous psychiatric treatment. We conclude that, among the factors examined here, there appears to be little difference between gay and heterosexual male suicides.     

Computing stress

This article is based on a review of recent literature on “computing stress”; that is, on the psychological stress effects of working with computer systems. Current research into the sources of computer-related stress has tended to concentrate on those employees who operate Visual Display Units (VDUs), either on a full-time professional basis as word-processor (WP) operators, data-entry clerks, secretaries, or those dealing with enquiries from the public; or employees who use the VDU irregularly as part of their other duties. A few studies have looked at specific occupation groups, such as printers (Kalimo & Leppänen, 1985), information technology professionals (programers and analysts), process workers, and college students (Sproull, Kiesler, & Zubrow, 1984). Generally, however, research has been carried out on office workers, more often women, carrying out administrative tasks. An attempt is made to identify those potential work-related stressors that have been isolated by these studies, and also included are criticisms of the general methodologies used in many of them.     

Alternatives to a table of criterion values in signal detection theory

Gardner, Dalsing, Reyes, and Brake (1984) supplied a table of criterion values (β) related to hit and false-alarm rates in signal detection theory. Other methods of calculatingβ are suggested as more accurate alternatives to using that table. A short computer program is provided to calculate β and the sensitivity indexd’.     

Amiga 1000 hardware timing and reaction-time key interfacing

A method of hardware reaction timing with millisecond accuracy, using one of the Amiga’s CIA 8520 chips, is described. The registers of this chip can be set to enable cascaded timing that functions independently of the CPU and, thereby, avoids the problems of software timing in a multitasking environment. In addition, the interfacing of a pair of reaction-time keys to one of the Amiga’s game controller connectors and a program for polling this port for keypresses are described.     

Duration of negative practice and the reduction of leg pounding of a traumatically brain-injured adult

This study evaluated the relative efficacy of long (1 minute) and short (15 seconds) durations of negative practice for reducing self-stimulatory leg pounding of a traumatically brain-injured adult. In individual social skill training classes, long negative practice and short negative practice were administered concurrently in an alternating treatments design. Generalization of treatment effects outside of training sessions was assessed during the client's lunch period. The results revealed that both durations of negative practice were equally effective in reducing leg pounding during training sessions. However, the effects of training did not generalize to settings in which the practice contingency was not enforced. Pounding was more frequent and negative practice somewhat less effective during periods of high social stimulation.     

An empirical investigation of self-esteem as a composite construct

Three measures of chronic self-esteem, plus four measures developed to assess situational components of self-esteem (task-specific self-esteem and social self-esteem), were administered to 238 undergraduates at a large, urban university and a community college in the southeastern United States. Evidence for a composite construct of self-esteem was found. Results also indicate task-specific self-esteem correlates as high as .42 (p < .01) with chronic self-esteem and as high as .76 (p < .01) with social self-esteem. Task-specific self-esteem was found to be a better predictor of grade point average than chronic or social self-esteem. Suggestions are made for further research on the situational components of self-esteem to extend current findings.