Examined cherished possessions and adaptation to nursing home of 100 nursing home residents. Findings showed those with possessions were better adapted; possessions served functions of historical continuity, comfort, and belongingness; and more women than men had cherished possessions. (Author/PVV)

Examined whether peer-rejected preadolescents differ from nonrejected groups (average, popular, neglected) in their explanations for peer-social events and their perceived control of outcomes. Found that rejected children were inclined to forego credit for acceptance, to ascribe rejection to persistent factors, and to perceive lower control of…

Researchers have identified characteristics that place students at risk for school dropout, as well as characteristics specific to Asian American students that influence school maladjustment. Although the Korean American population is growing, little research has been conducted specific to Korean American students who may be at risk for dropping…

In 2002, Neil Humphrey and Patricia Mullins published their research into personal constructs and attribution for academic success and failure in dyslexia in BJSE's "Research Section". Their work suggested that pupils with dyslexia, in a range of settings, experience real challenges to their self-esteem and that dyslexia leads to "negative…

The impact of differences in maternal self-efficacy and infant difficulty on mothers' sensitivity to small changes in the fundamental frequency of an audiotaped infant's cry was explored in 2 experiments. The experiments share in common experimental manipulations of infant difficulty, a laboratory derived measure of maternal efficacy (low,…

This article reviews the frequency of suicide, compares and contrasts suicide prediction to suicide assessment and provides a succinct overview of suicide high risk factors that mental health practitioners should be aware. Finally, the article describes common symptoms experienced by mental health practitioners who survive their clients' suicides,…

Suicidal youth tend to doubt the effectiveness of professional mental health treatment. This study examined whether exposure to films about suicidal and mentally disturbed persons supports this lack of belief. Exposure to three popular films featuring suicides or the mentally ill was compared to films that featured a heroic suicide unrelated to…

Experiences with uncontrollable events may lead to the expectation that future events will elude control, resulting in disruptions in motivation, emotion, and learning. This text explores this phenomenon, termed learned helplessness, tracking it from its discovery to its entrenchment in the psychological canon. The volume summarizes and integrates…

Much of the research on classroom use of educational media has been hampered by difficulties in isolating a single element of the medium--television programming, for instance--that influences behavior in a reliable way. Still, each medium facilitates a particular type of learning environment, and the collective characteristics of those…

Experienced elementary teachers (N=98) described their general strategies for coping with failure syndrome students and told how they would handle incidents depicted in two vignettes portraying failure syndrome problems at school. Compared to their responses concerning some of the other problem student types addressed in the Classroom Strategy…

This paper reports the effects of Hurricane Hugo on mental health workers and indigenous community members. The response and perceptions of mental health staff from the South Carolina Department of Mental Health (Go Teams) from areas unaffected by the hurricane were compared and contrasted with those of a subsequent Hugo Outreach Support Team…

Many gerontologists have noted the tendency of nursing homes to nurture dependency and learned helplessness in residents. To test the effectiveness of a control-relevant intervention strategy, nursing home residents (N=40) were given the opportunity to care for wild birds by tending individually placed bird feeders. Residents were assigned to one…

A reformulated theory of learned helplessness posits that helplessness may be the outcome of a learning disabled (LD) student's belief of personal or universal helplessness. Motivational, cognitive, and emotional deficits may result. Research on locus of control and persistence as well as on the contrast between mastery (achievement)-oriented…

The literature on attitudes of health workers toward the elderly suggests three variables as contributing to the elderly patient's perception of helplessness in the health care setting. First, the health worker may age-stereotype the elderly person as dependent, low in competence, and unlikely to respond to treatment. Secondly, the disparity in…

Examines ways in which social cues, in conjunction with a child's history, influence the child's interpretation of and reaction to failure feedback in evaluative settings. It is suggested that the way in which a child reacts to another's behavior is largely dependent upon subtle but powerful social cues within situation. (JH)