Rating scale vs. pair comparison in moral judgment: A replication of the study by von Wright & Niemelä (1966) with a different method

The eight moral story-cartoons used by von Wright & Niemelä (1966) were given to 20 four to six-year old nursery school children who rated them on a six-point scale. The resulting order of mean ratings was identical with the order of scale values constructed from the pair-comparisons of the 10-year-old group in the original study and closer to the order of 13-year-olds than to that of the seven-year-olds.     

Psychophysiological arousal related to Type A components in adolescent boys

The association between psychophysiological responses (heart rate, skin conductance and blood volume) and Type A behavior was studied in adolescent boys (n = 48) in computer-controlled experiments. Although psychophysiological arousal was related to the type of stress-evoking element, task-specificity did not result in significant psychophysiological differences between Type As and Nontype As. The indication is that physiological arousal may be a constitutional characteristic of Type A behavior. The multidimensionality of type A behavior must be considered in any investigation examining the psychophysiological Type A-Nontype A differences. Different Type A dimensions, together with previously found psychological differences, were related to specific psychophysiological reactions.     

An aggression machine: IV. Concurrent and predictive validity over ten years

The subjects (60 boys) were drawn from the sample of a longitudinal study of social development to represent extremely aggressive, anxious, constructive, and submissive patterns of behaviour at the age of 8. A year later they were tested with an aggression machine (PAM). This allows variation of the intensity of both aggressive attack and defence in different stimulus conditions. The intensity of defensive aggression towards different attackers as well as the response style variables, latency, duration, and number of responses were correlated with observed and self-reported data at the ages of 8, 9, 14 and 19. The results showed that the intensity of aggression toward a same-sex peer had the highest validity. Opposite sex and authority figures as attackers called up other associations and motives, such as conflicts with the mother and anxiety. From the response style variables the highest validity was obtained for reaction time. This correlated with constructive behaviour.     

An aggression machine I. The intensity of aggressive defence aroused by aggressive offence

PitkÄnen, L. An aggression machine. I. The intensity of aggressive defence aroused by aggressive offence. Scand. J. Psychol., 1973, 14, 56–64.-Sixty 9-year-old boys were tested with an aggression machine (PAM) designed by the writer. PAM allows the variation of both S (light) and R (pressing a button) intensities. The stimuli and responses were given the designations of offensive and defensive aggression, respectively. The following main hypotheses were supported: (1) The intensity of impulsive aggressive defence to an aggressive offence was adapted to the intensity of attack. (2) The intensity of aggressive defence was determined by the authority of the attacker, the defence being strongest when the attacker was a person of the same age and status, and least vigorous when the attacker was a figure of authority or a weaker person. (3) The correlations of the intensity of aggressive defence against different attackers depended on the similarity of their social position; the correlations were higher the closer the position.     

An aggression machine III. The stability of aggressive and nonaggressive patterns of behaviour

PitkÄnen, L. The stability of aggressive and non-agressive patterns of behaviour. Scand. Psychol., 1973, 14, 75–77.-Six extreme groups (overtly aggressive, aggressive-anxious, anxious, controlled extraverts, balanced controlled, and controlled introverts) had been composed on the basis of peer ratings. The differences between the groups were describable in terms of a two-dimensional model including the main dimensions "number of overt responses" and "control of behaviour". Independent teacher ratings after an interval of one year showed that the individual patterns of behaviour adopted for coping with thwarting situations were maintained in spite of the change of class environment.     

The effect of simulation exercises on the control of aggressive behaviour in children

Abstract.— The subjects consisted of two. matched, extremely aggressive (experimental = ExG and control = CoG) groups of twelve 8–year-old boys. and of one criterion group (CrG) of extrovert, well-controlled boys. Video-tape recording of behaviour was used both in pretest (T₁) and post-test (T₂). Between T₁ and T₂ the ExG was submitted to simulation exercises of 8 lessons given in a period of four weeks. The exercises consisted in social problem solutions on the purely cognitive (imaginary and symbolic) level and in role-playing (behavioral level). The hypothesis was that the combination of cognitive training and observational learning with the aim of making children realise alternatives to aggression in coping with thwarting situations and their after-effects. would influence individuals with strong aggressive habits to abandon theiraggressive reactions in favour of more constructive behaviour. As to aggression, the results supported the hypothesis. For constructive behaviour, (1) the ExG maintained the samelevel of control of social behaviour in T₁ and T₂, while a significant drop occurred in the GoC, and (2) the strategies of problem solution improved significantly in the ExG. In T₂, the behaviour of the ExG resembled more closely that of the CoG than the behaviour of the CrG, as hypothesized.