Testimony from a senate subcommittee inquiry into the effects on society of crime and violence in the media and what role, if any, it may play in subsequent criminal activity is contained in these proceedings. The testimony presented focuses on recent reports on television and related issues--in particular, a 1982 study published by the National…

Two analytic models, each with different implications for data analysis, have been used in behavioral science research for assessing attitudinal congruency. The term relative congruence applies to the family of agreement indices which, although functions of the absolute index, are formulated relative to chance expectations. The term absolute…

A self-administered survey was given to 152 college students to test their knowledge and understanding of some basic health facts and terminology commonly found in printed materials affixed to or accompanying common over-the-counter (OTC) drug preparations. The results indicated that 96% of the sample had used OTC medications as college students.…

Based on research indicating that restrictive judicial language directed at jurors encourages reactance, or decisions contrary to the judge's instructions, two experiments were conducted to determine whether courtroom jurors merely admonished to ignore inadmissible evidence would be more inclined to comply with judicial instructions than would…

Consistency theory holds that persons are motivated to behave in ways that maintain a "steady state" cognitively and otherwise; need-fulfillment theory argues that people will act in ways that reinforce their sense of worth and enhance their self-esteem. While consistency theory predicts that low self-esteem persons will exhibit more eye…

In order to develop a prevention-oriented, communication-skill training program for couples, this study used a social-learning paradigm to increase positive messages, to decrease negative messages, and to enhance problem-solving abilities. The small group provided the context for training. Communication effectiveness and marital satisfaction were…

Exciting developments in family theory construction over the past few years demand a constant survey and evaluation of measurable progress. This paper documents some developmental trends that have taken place in the use of family theory and in the theory construction itself, as well as the relation of theory to advances in methodology. In summary,…

This report is the second of the annual reports prepared by this Committee. The Committee addressed itself in this report primarily to what it viewed as the most pressing issue - making recommendations for the number of individuals who should be supported by the research training programs of the National Institutes of Health and the Alcohol, Drug…

Oral responses of 180 male and female undergraduates to scenarios containing positive-loving, neutral-informational, and/or negative-rejecting (male) child communications were obtained and scored along 25 specific categories, as well as a global rating of acceptance/rejection of child. A factor analysis generated six factors, which, along with the…

An age-related decline in performance is typically observed in research on tasks that rely on cognitive processing. However, such declines must not be accepted as indisputable evidence that the learning efficiency of older adults is necessarily impaired. Cognitive factors such as a production deficiency in long-term memory and/or a retrieval…

This review of research on the preschool years asserts that a general behavior analysis of those years is essential not only because of its importance as a developmental stage but also because there is a need to fill the knowledge gap between the principles of animal behavior and the principles of practical applications to childhood problems.…

Describes research on the training of children to acquire prosocial behavior, especially through television viewing. Published by the Journal of the American Speech and Hearing Association, The Interstate Printers and Publishers, Inc., Danville, Ill., (Subscription: $28.00; $31.00 Foreign; single copy $2.50; $2.75 Foreign). (MH)

The current research on the "characteristics of effective schools" suffers from a lack of any sound theoretical foundation. In order to establish such a foundation, researchers used the methodology of clinical analysis to determine the goals, purposes, and beliefs underlying the overt behavior patterns found in the effective school…

Two hundred forty-eight male and female subjects from United States, Mediterranean, Near East, and Far East cultures completed a touch avoidance measure in a study examining cultural differences in touching behavior. Factor analysis of the instrument yielded four factors: opposite sex, other-directed same sex, kissing, and self-directed same sex.…

In an impression explanation of counterdefensive attributions, the tendency of subjects is to accept primary responsibility for negative outcomes and to deny credit for positive outcomes. Counterdefensive attributions represent attempts at maximizing the esteem in which observers hold the actor. To test this hypothesis, a 2 x 5 simulation was…