The basic assumption tested was that in continued free verbal association tasks, favorable attitudes toward the stimulus word result in responses with positive evaluative content. The study suggests the validity of inferring attitudes from word associations for groups. (DB)

Hypothesis confirmed "that the persuasive effectiveness of a message containing opinionated statements depends partly upon the intensity of a receiver's initial attitude toward the topic of the message. (Author/RD)

On multiple measures of chronic, manifest anxiety, the intellectually gifted sample (N=465) consistently displayed lower levels of anxiety than their nongifted peers (N=329), indicating better overall adjustment. (Author)

Significant differences exist between agribusiness workers and agricultural production workers in Missouri in the affective work skills they demonstrate. Significant differences also appear between agricultural supervisors and workers. (SK)

Expressivity and sex-role identification were examined in a study of men in either same-sex or other-sex close relationships. Expressivity was associated with sex roles to a greater extent in same-sex relationships. The masculine sex role was positively related to expressivity, with strength aspects of masculinity associated with greater…

Criticizes Zajonc's thesis that in the course of forming impressions, preferences, and attitudes, feelings can sometimes precede associated cognitions. Zajonc's claim that sometimes affect is precognitive is said to be inadequate on both logical and empirical grounds. (Author/CM)

Studied whether intense negative affect states linked to suicidal behavior exist. Gathered Personal Feeling Scales data from high, moderate, and low serious suicide-threatening women and from a disturbed but nonsuicidal group. Results indicated that a particular configuration of intensely negative affects exist for highly serious suicidal women.…

Investigated the moderating effect of high and low anxiety on counselor perception of stages of dying. After completing the A-state scale, subjects observed a terminally ill speaker. Results indicated that high-anxious subjects, when compared with low-anxious, perceived the speakers as more denying, more angry, less accepting, and less hopeful.…

Males were randomly assigned to one of three alcohol conditions: high dose, placebo, and nodose. Analysis indicated differential effect of alcohol and placebo with no change of depressive affect in the two high-dose alcohol groups, but an increase in placebo subjects. (Author)

Results showed that short-term low-warmth inductions produced more charitability in second and fifth graders than short-term high-warmth inductions and that instructions encouraging charitability produced more generosity than selfish or permissive instructions. In addition, girls were found to be more generous overall than boys. (JMB)

The first purpose of this editorial is to indicate a parallel trend in two disparate areas of research: information processing and cognitive-behavior modification (CBM). The second purpose is to highlight the role that affect plays in intellectual functioning, noting implications following the assessment of intelligence. (Author/RD)

This study showed that for college students, both on-camera authority/model figures and dramatizations can be effective for promoting affective learning via televised instruction. It also confirmed the importance of considering interactions between presentation method, learning characteristics, and subject matter. (Author/JEG)

The role of parents in promoting affective development and interpersonal competence in gifted and talented children is probed. (CL)