Examines the influence of prior information on children's emotional responses to a frightening program. Finds that forewarning of the threat increased anticipatory fear but did not affect emotional responses, and that prior knowledge of the happy outcome reduced anticipatory fear but had an inconsistent effect on fear during the threatening scene.…

Argues that, although most people dislike writing, instructors can make the task less onerous for young students. Suggests that the presence of both feeling and awareness of an audience can facilitate writing. Includes segments of interviews with professional writers and samples of seven-year-olds' writings. (SG)

Examines the validity of audience involvement in the context of local television news by testing the relationships among (1) strength of news viewing motivation and involvement intensity; (2) type of news viewing motivation and involvement orientation; and (3) cognitive and emotional involvement. Finds that audience involvement during message…

Investigated the age at which children first acquire understanding of others' feelings and of ways in which they can affect others' feelings. Also considered the relation of children's development in this domain to their understanding of the nonsocial world. Findings indicated that it was possible to predict the age at which children would pass…

The article presents examples of emotionally disturbed children's reactions to separation from a teacher with whom they have become involved. Suggestions are offered for facilitating healthy separation from the teacher. (JDD)

Asserts that, in some situations, one of the most useful strategies for helping cancer patients to cope can be denial. Presents definitions of coping in general and denial in particular. Discusses potential positive functions of denial for cancer patients and provides an overview of potential negative consequences. Concludes with brief summary and…

Probed attachment-related differences in emotional responses to ended romantic relationships. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that securely attached students recalled a more positive emotional experience after a relationship concluded, whereas persons with fearful and preoccupied styles reported a more negative experience overall.…

Tested a process model for the impact of children's exposure to marital conflict on their behavior adjustment with a sample of 28 couples and their 6-year-old children. Found that maternal conflict behavior and children's negative emotional reactions to fathers independently predicted children's behavioral adjustment. (MDM)

Examined social problem solving and emotion expression in children with low, moderate, and severe behavior problems. Eighty-nine four- and five-year-olds were confronted with dilemmas of interpersonal conflict and distress. Girls expressed more themes of social construction, cohesion, and accommodation but also more anger than boys, whereas boys…

Although Grusec and Goodnow make interesting suggestions concerning discipline variables that may affect internalization, their ideas are not integrated into a theory, and their definition of internalization is limited because parent-child similarity may result from children's attributing their values to parents. A theory linking discipline and…

In a study with 167 college students of the effect of adverse learning conditions on achievement, action-oriented college students performed better than state-oriented students on a lecture-based achievement test despite low-expressive instruction and prior perceived academic failure. State-oriented students also experienced more negative…

One theme in discussing physical activity and stress is the relationship between emotional arousal and motor performance. Different research models have produced converging evidence for the notion that motor performance relates to a state of optimal arousal. Themes emerging from the literature and recommendations for future consideration are…

Examined how undergraduates from India and the U.S. appraised events that caused them to feel sadness, fear, or anger. Both cultures identified powerlessness leading to sadness and fear, rather than anger. The belief that other persons caused negative events characterized incidents of anger, rather than sadness or fear. Indians expressed lower…

This study of 266 college students, using strict and liberal definitions of sexual abuse, suggests that adults who experienced childhood sexual abuse that involved touching are more suicidal and have less cognitive deterrents to suicide than adults who did not, regardless of gender or whether they were abused by adults or peers. (Author/JDD)

This paper discusses the use of bibliotherapy with gifted students and introduces "cinematherapy," the use of movies to help students explore important issues in their lives. Plot summaries, post-viewing discussion questions, and questions relating movies to gifted students' lives are presented for "Stand and Deliver" and "Wargames." A list of…