A study was conducted to examine the effects of students' interests on their writing. A group of 571 high school seniors, fluent and nonfluent in writing, completed a questionnaire dealing with aspects of writing interest, such as subject, form, or voice. Tape recorded interviews addressing the same aspects were conducted with 11 fluent seniors…

Although all cultural groups (civilages) are unique in some respect, Indian people are unique in more ways than other Americans and in ways that set them apart from all other Americans, taking all minorities and the dominant society as a whole. Beginning with U.S. colonial history, the article discusses the so-called dominant society, its behavior…

A series of studies carried out in Aberdeen, Scotland and Lancaster England is used to illustrate changing interests in the area of personality and learning. The early studies looked for general relationships, adopting a psychometric approach. Recent work has been focused more on the process of learning, particularly in higher education, and on…

In recent research, sequences of hypotheses observed during problem-solving have been categorized according to six hypothesis sampling systems that vary in efficiency. Three systems were characterized as strategies (focus, dimension check, hypothesis check) because they always lead eventually to solution. The remainder were called stereotypes…

The use of ability variables for grouping students is pervasive in elementary schools. Teachers form these groups judgmentally, taking into account formal (e.g., test) and informal (e.g., personal observation) sources of information. Their judgments of students' abilities are reasonably accurate. Such grouping can be explained as functional on…

This teaching guide, developed by the Los Angeles (California) Unified School District, presents concepts about relationships and a description of instructional objectives and activities which deal with family relationships, qualities of character and personality, and the teaching-learning act. A particular concept and objective are defined for…

Individual differences in the motivation and skill to manage impressions can be measured by the Self-Monitoring Scale. "Blind" dating encounters were established to investigate whether complementarity rather than similarity in partner's self-monitoring would lead to greater attraction and satisfaction with the relationship. College students (N=64…

This study examined the conditions for the selection of certain communication strategies in terms of the inferencing ability of the learner, the formal proficiency level attained, and the features of the communicative situation (task requirements). Two groups of 17-year-olds--one studying advanced French and the other French as part of a "core"…

A review of literature relevant to equal educational opportunity is presented in order to support an argument for the use of normative models in educational research. The literature review shows that confusion over the 1966 Coleman Report was due to a mismatch between the implied reform objective of the report and its statistical approach. The…

Research has revealed linkages among sex, sex-role self-concept, self-esteem, and attributional style, suggesting that sex-role self-concept may mediate the relationship between biological sex and attributional style. Female undergraduates (N=140) completed several questionnaires, including the Bem Sex Role Inventory to determine sex-role…

A Self-Concept Scale for Adolescents based on Havighurst's Developmental Tasks for Youth was constructed to reflect the adolescents' perceptions of their ability to achieve these tasks in relation to personal abilities, the abilities of others, and the criteria for successful task completion. A validity and reliability study showed the scale to be…

The influence of marital status on the well-being of older persons has been of interest to social gerontologists. To investigate the well-being of married, widowed, and divorced older persons, 397 older men and women completed eight measures of well-being, including daily living activities, overall financial status, and psychological health.…

The relationship of eye movements while watching television to reading ability, cognitive style, and mode of presentation was studied using as subjects 85 third-grade children who had been classified as good or poor readers by scores on the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test; their cognitive style was measured by the Children's Embedded Figures which…

An information processing approach was applied to the development and validation of a test battery intended for personnel selection, classification, and guidance; and design of training programs. The approach specifies that tests should measure specific cognitive processes and basic abilities, rather than prior experience. Tests should be short,…

This paper presents observational and research evidence to refute two widely held beliefs about psychological development: the belief in predetermined development and the belief in the simultaneous development of all behavioral systems. Studies suggesting the plasticity of development through environmental deprivation and intervention are…