Using structural equation modeling (SEM), researchers examined whether there was a general dominating factor that governed students' implicit theories of intelligence, morality, personality, creativity, and social intelligence. The possible age-related changes of students' implicit theories were also studied. In all, 1,650 elementary and junior…

Developed a motivational distortion scale for the High School Personality Questionnaire. Data from high school students (N=607) showed males and females differed in how they distorted their responses, resulting in the need for two motivational distortion scales. They also differed in characteristics considered to create a favorable impression.…

A study attempting to disambiguate earlier research on personality orientations and second language learning assessed the influence of ethnicity (English v. French), milieu (unicultural v. multicultural), and target second language (French, English, or Spanish) on the emergence of eighth graders' orientations toward the second language learning…

Examined association between Life Satisfaction Ratings at age 70 and cognitive, personality, interpersonal, and family characteristics at age 30. Predictive characteristics of life satisfaction at 70 were, for women, a buoyant, responsive attitude toward life; for men, emotional and physical health. (Author/RC)

The aims of the present study were methodological and substantive; validity and reliability of the Optimism-Pessimism Test Instrument (OPTI) were tested. Moderate, but significant, correlations were found between OPTI and attitude toward school, self-concept, delay of gratification, and locus of control. (GK)

In his class on the sociology of education, a professor attempted to reduce the inequities caused by differences in gender and in socioeconomic background. A community-oriented situation was created in which individuals were made to feel comfortable in an unstructured learning environment. (JN)

This paper provides an overview of the different patterns of behavior problems that teachers are likely to encounter in the classroom. Different systems for categorizing learning and behavioral problems are considered. Suggestions for informal observation of classroom behavior are included. (Author/BE)

Factor analysis of 25 rating scales from Bayley's infant behavior record were performed for a sample of about 300-400 infant twins tested one or more times between 3 and 24 months of age. The analyses provided five major and two minor factors that were considerably consistent at all ages. (Author/DB)

Videotapes of simulated student case presentations were used to determine whether personal characteristics of medical students influence the evaluation of their clinical ability. The results indicate that personal characteristics of students can significantly influence their evaluations and that faculty members do not appear to share common…

A 27-item measure assessed college peer environments in terms of friends' interests as perceived by individual students. Four dimensions of interests were identified in cluster analyses: collegiate activities, intellectual pursuits, apathy or alienation, and traditional adult orientation. These dimensions were related to social, psychological, and…

A follow-up study of 1,149 freshmen at a major Filipino university showed that intellective measures were only moderately successful predictors of college grade point average. However, the nonintellective variables considered were (with the possible exception of level of scholastic expectation) of little value as predictors of college performance.…

Changes in attitude were examined over a one-year period in pre-, early, and later adolescent samples. Self-esteem, locus of control, and achievement motivation were examined. The amount of attitudinal change evidenced by subjects at each age level varied with the kind of attitude being assessed. (Author/RD)

Eight ambiguous items in the 16-item Inconditionality of Regard Scale of the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory were rewritten to see if the relationship of that scale to others in the inventory would change. The hypothesis that the relationships would change was upheld. (The eight original and eight modified items are included). (JKS)

Concludes that Blacks who are socially aware of life on the streets in the inner city are most likely to be nonusers of mental health services. (Author)