The effect of three affective student characteristics, in comparison with selected student ability characteristics, on course grade in elementary language courses is examined. Results imply that affective characteristics have at least as much influence on learning as do ability factors. (Author/RM)

The experiences of war widows in Israel offer guidelines for aiding widows everywhere to adjust to their new roles. The stages of grief are described, and a model is presented to help the widow cope with both the emotional and concrete tasks of bereavement and to consider her future as a woman. (Author)

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…

Creativity is a natural skill, but one that can be lost in the pursuit of linear knowledge in the academic classroom. There are historical reasons why the development of natural creativity has been suppressed (the Enlightenment, for example, with its emphasis on scientific method and empirical proof). Right brain/left brain research and…

Recently, research has examined interpersonal factors that influence the maintenance of depression. Data suggest that depressives tend to alienate others in their social environment. This study examined rejection effects following repeated exposure to a stranger whose depressive symptomatology increased, decreased, or remained unchanged. Female…

This transcript of a conference presentation describes a motivational model of alcohol use that shows the interrelationship between the various factors that affect drinking. First, a flow diagram is presented and described that shows how complex biological, psychological, and environmental variables contribute to a person's motivation for…

Eating disorders within males are relatively uncommon, with estimates suggesting incidence rates of only five percent of the sample. This single-subject, reversal design case study examines the etiological variables of a 22-year-old male bulimic patient. Consultation for treatment was made by the patient's parents. Family assessment made in the…

A review of the literature on job analysis and job evaluation reveals several aspects of jobs which are important to organizations. To better explain the psychological dimensions of the work environment, three models of perceived job characteristics were compared using confirmatory factor analysis: Walsh, Taber, and Beehr's (1980) components of…

Four major formulations of the relationship between sex role orientation and successful adaptation have found support in the literature: a traditional sex role, androgyny, masculinity, and androgyny for females. The adaptive implications of sex role orientation were examined on constructs reflecting intrapersonal functioning, i.e., ego identity…

Based on research selected from a search of the ERIC database, this literature review covers material that concerns academic achievement of retained students, social and psychological effects of retention, and recommendations for educators making retention decisions. After a definition of terms, 31 articles are extensively annotated. Most research…

The Developmental Inventory of Sources of Stress (DISS) is an instructional tool designed to assist counselors, advisors, and faculty in reducing stress among college students (specifically, high risk college freshmen, although it can be utilized effectively with any college student population). The instrument focuses on sources of stress over…

This study examined whether sex, empathy, or social skill is the better predictor of self-reported support behavior and perceptions. Research has shown that certain personality traits have a differential effect on the amount of support a person receives. Previous research has also show that females report receiving more support and needing more…

This factsheet considers the psychological task of adolescence, explains the adolescent's separation from his/her parents, and gives child and parent checklists for evaluating family functioning. Patterns of family development are discussed, including midlife parental development and the influence of previous generations. The role of non-family…

Alcohol researchers have sought to characterize the relationship between cue responsivity and alcohol consumption by alcoholics. This study used the beverage tasting paradigm to test for differences in cue responsivity in adolescent sons of alcoholics. It was hypothesized that, compared to sons of nonalcoholics, sons of alcoholics would be more…

Ambivalence about expressing emotion has been suggested as mediating the relationship between inhibition and psychological and psychosomatic distress. A study was conducted to examine the relationship of ambivalence over emotional expression to psychological and physical well-being through the "personal striving" framework. Measures of…