College-bound girls and science careers: Perceptions of barriers and facilitating factors

Student perceptions of barriers, facilitating factors, and information needs related to the consideration of careers in science and technology were investigated with a nationwide sample of talented high school senior women (N = 1017). Data were collected through a mailed questionnaire as part of a broader National Science Foundation project. Results of the study suggest that relatively few girls choose careers in science and technology because: They have doubts about combining family life with a science career; they lack information about steps in preparing for a science career; they believe influential adults; and they see few examples of the important role women can play in science. The data describing the students' perceptions of facilitating factors and information needs suggest that encouragement from family, access to role models, extra help and encouragement from science teachers, and information about careers in science, including the steps involved in preparation, might be influential in helping change perceptions of barriers to careers in science and technology.     

The effects of a model's success or failure on subsequent aggressive behavior

It was of interest in the present study to examine the influence of both aggressive and nonaggressive models who are successful or nonsuccessful in reducing aggression from an aggressive opponent. Male and female subjects viewed a same-sexed model interact with an aggressive opponent in a reaction time task. Half the subjects observed an aggressive model while the remaining subjects observed a nonaggressive model. For half the subjects the model was successful in reducing the aggressiveness of the opponent. Results indicated that both the model's behavior and the consequences to the model (success/nonsuccess) were important determinants of subsequent aggression by the subject. Results are discussed in terms of current research and theory in aggression control.     

Creativity: A complementary relationship between information demand and success at problem solving

Creativity, intelligence, and problem-solving tasks that varied the explicitness of problem definition and the format for an acceptable solution were administered to 100 subjects. Creativity and intelligence tasks were described as different problem-solving tasks. Two hypotheses that distinguished between concepts of creative and intelligent problem solving were presented and supported. First, the syntactical hypothesis stated that the format of an acceptable solution would define the factor structure of the problem-solving tasks more parsimoniously than the explicitness of the problem definition. The factor structure was interpreted by the type of acceptable solution format. Second, the strategic hypothesis stated that information demanded to define a problem and success at problem solving would interact. Information demanded and success at problem solving did interact producing a complementary relationship with dimensions of creativity but not intelligence. Thus, syntactical and strategic distinctions between creativity and intelligence were obtained.     

School neuropsychology

There is an increasing interest among school psychologists in the field of neuropsychology as it relates to children in the educational environment. This article attempts to identify those forces which have led to this increased interest as well as to provide a conceptual framework for recognizing this area of specialty within the profession of school psychology. Potential roles related to levels of training and preparation are discussed.     

A self-efficacy approach to the career development of women

An approach to the conceptualization and facilitation of women's career development based on Bandura, 1977, Bandura, 1977, 84, 191–215) self-efficacy theory is presented. The model presented postulates that largely as a result of socialization experiences, women lack strong expectations of personal efficacy in relationship to many career-related behaviors and, thus, fail to fully realize their capabilities and talents in career pursuits. Sex differences in the access to and availability of four sources of information important to the development of strong expectations of personal efficacy are reviewed and discussed in relationship to women's career decisions and achievements. The utility of the proposed model for integrating existing knowledge of women's career development, for generating productive avenues of inquiry, and for guiding intervention efforts is discussed. The conceptual framework provided is seen as having implications for the career development of men as well as women, but the focus herein is on its potential for contributing to knowledge of the career development of women.     

On being imitated: Effects on reward and reward value of the imitator

The effects of being imitated on the model's reward of imitating and nonimitating confederates and on the confederates' reward value were assessed. Forty-eight first graders served as subjects. It was found that more children showed a bias in giving reward to the imitating confederate than to the nonimitating confederate. This effect was particularly strong for children classified as having an internal locus of control. Second, no difference in confederates' reward value was obtained as measured by operantly conditioned responding on a marble-drop task.     

An extension of construct validity for personality scales using twin-based criteria

A twin-based analysis of personality inventory scales yields information relevant to construct validity. If scales validly measure dimensions influenced developmentally either by environmental factors common to cotwins or by genetic similarities, these influences should be apparent in patterns of intraclass correlations and within-pair variance ratios for monozygotic and dizygotic pairs. Criteria for construct validity derived from adolescent twin statistics are illustrated with Wiggins' MMPI Content Scales. A type of discriminant validity indicates that some scales are not distinct in terms of the influences of familial similarity. Sex differences are examined.