Subjects (high and low in interpersonal construct differentiation) completed measures of religious attitudes/behaviors and attitudinal confidence. Findings indicate that the role of differentiation as a direct mediator of non-interpersonal attitude-behavior consistency is comparatively small. The influence of attitudinal confidence on…

Presents literature relevant to initial group structure and advances a model of group development based upon personal construct theory. The proposed model illuminates the relationship between initial structure and the psychological processes underlying group development. Research questions are posited to advance empirical tests of the model. (RC)

Seven experiments investigated adults' knowledge of routine activities (e.g., eating in a restaurant) and how that knowledge is organized and used to understand and remember narrative texts. "Script" denotes these action stereotypes; the role of script knowledge in text memory is discussed, as is the relation of scripts to schema memory.…

Presents a case for group counseling, a curricular intervention that aids young people in learning how to make decisions, take charge of their emotions and reorder their thinking, and focus on themselves as human beings. They learn to shed their erroneous zones and to opt for a neurosis-free, self-actualized life. (Author/BEF)

Studied 51 dyslexic children, 51 age-matched normal readers, and 27 younger normal readers to explore whether there are different subtypes of developmental dyslexia, and whether developmental dyslexia represents delay or deviance. Found evidence to support two subtypes: surface and phonological dyslexia. (DR)

Using a connectionist framework, it is possible to develop models exploring effects of biologically relevant variables on behavior. The ability of such models to explain schizophrenic behavior in terms of biological disturbances is considered, and computer models are presented that simulate normal and schizophrenic behavior in an attentional task.…

A study of 62 children (ages 7 to 12) with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 62 controls found that behavioral variables established robust, statistically significant differences between groups. Children with ADHD also scored worse on 31 out of 61 neuropsychological variables, but obtained better scores on WISC-R Comprehension…

Whereas a wealth of research has examined cognitive abilities of groups of individuals with mild mental retardation (MMR), less research has investigated potential differences in cognitive performance among individuals with mental retardation (Baumeister, 1997). The present study was an exploratory analysis of variability in performance of…

Although the Tension Reduction Hypothesis (TRH) of alcoholism has been the most popular explanation for alcohol abuse to date, the research addressing this model has provided tenuous support at best. In light of this contradictory support, a coping model of alcohol consumption is proposed. This model is based on the low self-image of…

Various examples of communication in species ranging from bumble bees to dolphins are examined in this paper. Focus is directed to indications of the cognitive ability of each species. The signals of cognition include evidence of: adaptability to a new situation; long term memory; and the property of displacement. Most of the sources reviewed…

Developments that laid the groundwork for the modern psychology of attitude began with early Greek philosophy. Conceptions of the cosmologists during the Golden Age of Greek Civilization and the Sophist movement served as a link between mythology and science. Contributions of British Empiricism and German Experimentalism were instrumental to the…

Communication patterns of foreign immigrants in the process of acculturation are conceptualized on cognitive and behavioral levels. The cognitive level is observed in the complexity of an immigrant's perception of the host society; the behavioral level, in the immigrant's involvement in the host society through interpersonal and mass…

Recent research studies suggest a relationship between an individual's level of competence in the use of language and of nonlinguistic communication and that person's ability to function competently in society. This document reviews the theories and definitions related to the concept of communicative competence, discusses the cognitive and…

This paper examines the interrelationship between children's acquisition and use of symbols and the development of imaginative play. The paper focuses on the use of pretend play as an expression of the child's capacity for symbolic functioning and as an index of intellectual development. The first section of the paper reviews developmental changes…