Psychological Reports

Certain theories of psychopathology postulate the existence of distinct latent populations of individuals. By analogy with biology, we call such latent populations “taxa” and we call the statistical testing of such theories “taxometrics.” Taxometric procedures are robust; they do not make restrictive distributional assumptions. However, they have two disadvantages for nonstatistician users: (1) they are developed via algebra hard for many nonstatistician users intuitively to accept; and (2) computational software is not widely available. We address these problems by presenting a simple taxometric procedure, MAXSLOPE, based on regression plots for pairs of variables. This procedure is easily implemented using commonly available software and is intuitively rather easy to understand. We apply it to two artificial datasets. One data-set, used to explain the graphs, shows clear-cut evidence of taxa. The other example shows less clear grouping structure and is used to show that the proposed graphical procedure works even in nonideal cases. Comparisons are made with currently used procedures of cluster analysis and multivariate normal mixture analysis.

No support was found for the hypothesis that self-defeating behavior results in secondary gain, i.e., more supportive behaviors from others.

This study investigated empirical clusters of MMPI scale T scores for 186 men and 112 women involuntarily committed to a chemical dependency unit of a state psychiatric hospital. Ward's method of cluster analysis produced six clusters which were similar to those reported in other cluster-analytic studies of alcoholics but with a prominent increase in Scale 6 elevations. Average profiles for the six clusters were Spike 6, 6-2-8-4, within normal limits (Clusters 3 and 4), and 2-6-8-3-4-1-9. Results are discussed in terms of treatment planning for this population.

For teachers in two school systems, a longer initial in-service training time with four follow-up meetings throughout the school year was more effective in increasing knowledge and applications of whole language philosophy than a shorter initial training time with follow-up meetings twice a month for two semesters. A shorter initial training with more frequent follow-up meetings resulted in a more favorable attitude toward whole language.

The relationship between test-anxiety and school performance is thought to be mediated by stress of cognitive appraisal and interference. Worry appears to be the critical component of test-anxiety which affects task performance done in the USA. The present goal was to investigate relationships among cognitive interference, test-anxiety, and school performance of Italian children, 11 to 13 years old (150 boys, 150 girls). The results show that prior findings are applicable to the Italian youngsters, namely, that cognitive interference is positively related to test-anxiety and both are related to school performance.

This study was designed to provide data for comparisons of achievement-related motives and work-related attitudes for Japanese and Chinese students. First, the mean scores on achievement-related motives and work-related attitudes of Japanese students (124 men and 174 women) were compared with those of Chinese students (222 men and 130 women). Chinese students displayed stronger motives and attitudes toward successful achievement. Second, the factorial structures of achievement-related motives for each sample were compared. There were some similarities between samples except one factor based on the motive to avoid failure showed an opposite feature. Third, the relationship between achievement-related motives and work-related attitudes was examined for each sample. A canonical correlation analysis provided two variates, instrumental activity arises from achievement motivation in a work-related situation and hope of success in their competitive lives includes economic success.

After participating for more than 20 hr. in 58 small groups, 487 undergraduates rated own and each other's within-group behavior separately for acceptance versus rejection of others and of self. Individuals’ ratings by pooled group peers and self agreed substantially, although more strongly for self-accepting than for other-accepting conduct. Despite moderate positive correlations between self-acceptance and acceptance of others, how favorably one rated one's group peers correlated appreciably, consistently, and positively only with acceptance of others, not with acceptance of self.

This study investigated gender and socioeconomic status differences in mathematics achievement of 1021 Xhosa children (369 boys and 652 girls) whose ages ranged from 13 to 17 yr. (M age, 15.6 yr.). They were chosen at random from the Standard 7 population of Transkei, South Africa. Their marks on the Standard 7 External Examination in mathematics was the criterion measure. A two-way analysis of variance indicated that mathematical achievement of girls was significantly higher than that of boys of low socioeconomic status whereas at middle and high socioeconomic status mathematics achievement of boys was significantly higher than that of the girls.

We tested a multicomponent behavioural package to stop smoking that contained nicotine fading and smokeholding techniques. 73 smokers were randomly assigned to one of five treatment programmes: (1) nicotine fading and cigarette fading, (2) nicotine fading and concurrent smokeholding, (3) nicotine fading and subsequent smokeholding, (4) a nonintensive smokeholding programme, and (5) an intensive smokeholding programme (daily sessions). Common components of the programmes were self-monitoring, information on smoking, stimulus control, CO feedback, and strategies to avoid withdrawal symptoms. Each treatment was carried out during a total of 10 sessions over 4 weeks (Treatments 1–4) or 2 weeks (Treatment 5). End-of-treatment quit rates ranged from 85% to 91%. At 12-mo. follow-up, the most effective package proved to have been nicotine fading and cigarette fading, with an abstinence rate of 57% as against 25 to 37% for the other treatments.

Differences in learning strategies within a cross-sectional sample of 929 undergraduate students were assessed on the Inventory of Learning Processes. Higher scores were found for students with more years of college on three scales, Deep Processing, Elaborative Processing, and Methodical Study. Differences were found between the freshman and sophomore groups for Deep Processing scores and Methodical Study scores and between the freshman and senior groups for Elaborative Processing scores. No differences were found between groups on the Fact Retention scale. Correlations between inventory scales and grades were low (r = .02 to .24), replicating previous research.

McClelland's 1961 cross-cultural data on the ownership of economic property in 45 tribes were found unreliable and should not be used in archival studies of the institutional and societal correlates of private property.

The effects of sociodemographic and political variables on causal attribution for poverty were measured among college students using the LOGIT form of the general logistic regression. Consistent with past research, our study indicated that students reporting higher parental social class, conservative political orientations, and opinions in favor of the death penalty were significantly more likely to agree with an individual causal attribution for poverty than other students when the effects of all other variables were held constant. It is suggested that such variables be examined as developmental factors in differences in attributional styles.

This study examined the relationship between adjustment to college as measured by Baker and Siryk's 1986 Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire, drinking patterns, and various aspects of student life (e.g., fraternity or sorority membership). A total of 114 students participated. Pearson product-moment correlations indicated several significant relationships.

21 university students participated in a study to assess intergroup differences in psychophysiological activation, reactivity, and recovery. Findings support the hypothesis that 12 Type A scorers showed a greater activation and reactivity than the 9 Type B scorers. Type A scorers needed more time to recover normal psychophysiological levels than Type B scorers. We propose that the “fast activation-slow recovery” profile is characteristic of Type A scorers. The “fast activation-fast recovery” profile is characteristic of Type B-scoring college students.

Using structured interviews, 21 parents of preschool children at a suburban day-care center were introduced to the problem of child sexual abuse and to three different techniques currently used in preventing it. Parental support for teaching preschool children personal safety skills was unanimous and the school-based videotaped role-play program, which explicitly demonstrates personal safety skills, was the first choice of 57% of the parents.

A group of 60 volunteers in a Big Brothers-Big Sisters agency were divided into two smaller groups of those who had successfully completed the preestablished program (n = 25) and those who did not meet their commitment to that program (n = 35). Significant differences were found on five personality factors of the 16 PF Questionnaire, with successful volunteers showing higher scores on intelligence and on trust, lower on social inhibition, while higher on imagination and on self-assurance than unsuccessful volunteers. Demographic data also yielded significant differences for age and education, with successful volunteers tending to be older and more highly educated.

A study explored influence of pretrial publicity and gender identity on verdicts and severity of sentence in a mock rape trial. Mock jurors and judges were exposed to four pretrial publicity conditions before watching a simulated rape trial. After viewing the trial, jurors rendered a verdict (guilty or not guilty) and judges prescribed a sentence. The Bern Sex-role Inventory was used to analyze gender identity and its relation to verdict and sentencing. Verdicts were not influenced by pretrial publicity, but sentencing was more severe following exposure of mock judges to pretrial publicity about a mistaken acquittal and less severe following exposure of these judges to pretrial publicity about a mistaken conviction. Subjects classified by the Bern inventory as feminine or androgynous rendered a verdict of “guilty” more often than subjects classified as masculine or undifferentiated. Men who rendered verdicts of “guilty” had less confidence in their judgments than men who found the defendant “not guilty.” Conversely, women who found the defendant “not guilty” expressed less confidence than women who found the defendant “guilty.” The findings are compared and contrasted with similar studies and discussed in regards to gender identity, subjects’ characteristics, and mode of presentation.

Richmond, McCroskey, and Davis's Behavioral Alteration Technique was administered to 134 middle managers from a variety of organizations. Step-wise regression analysis indicated managers’ verbal immediacy was associated with more use of reward and expertise and less use of pressure and position with subordinates.

This analysis of obituaries and in memoriam advertisements in Nigerian newspapers provides the identification of dimensions of content used to manage death and grief. Ten dimensions of content were abstracted: pictorial representation is a widespread practice, immediacy of announcement following death is an appropriate etiquette in the management of death, funeral arrangements are included as open invitation to a community of mourners, advertisements indicate direct contact and communication with the deceased, contents suggest the belief in personal immortality of the soul, religion is a pervasive and dominating force in advertisements, there are similarities in choice of words used in death advertisements, there is recognition of the temporal nature of life, mourning seems to be an ongoing process, and often the deceased is perceived as resting in peace. Never do obituaries and in memoriam statements include the flaws of the deceased. Clearly, the dimensions of content in the obituaries and in memoriam advertisements of Nigerian newspapers are a specific cultural behavior of people who exhibit similarity in the management of death and grief.” These advertisements serve as an unbroken link between the deceased and the bereaved. This study also suggests that openness to death is the appropriate etiquette in the management of death and grief in Nigeria.

Residential college students (44 men, 51 women) participated in a questionnaire study to clarify the relationship between loneliness, self- or other-focus, and interpersonal needs. Contrary to predictions, loneliness was unrelated to self-focus, other-focus, or the ability to elicit disclosure from others. However, sex differences were found on interpersonal needs. Specifically, loneliness in men was predicted by a lack of expressed inclusion and a desire for control from others, while loneliness in women was predicted by a lack of expressed affection. These findings suggest that lonely men and women may benefit from different intervention strategies. Outcome studies are needed to ensure that such interventions actually reduce loneliness.

Intersubtest scatter values for the Full, Verbal, and Performance Scales of the WAIS—R were estimated for a sample of 163 psychiatric inpatients and compared with those reported for the WAIS—R standardization group using the normal deviate (z) test. Intersubtest scatter was assessed using the range and the Profile Variability Index. Results were surprising and conflicted with what was expected based on the clinical literature. First, in comparison to the standardization group, the psychiatric inpatients showed significantly more intersubtest scatter on the Verbal Scale only, while Performance Scale values were comparable. Second, the psychiatric inpatient sample, as a group, showed identical amounts of scatter on the Verbal and Performance Scales. Results suggest that the interpretation of intersubtest scatter as a sign of psychopathology should be avoided.

In a correlational study of leadership concepts and skills and self-actualization, 95 school-age students in Grades 6 to 12 completed both the Leadership Skills Inventory and Reflections of Self by Youth. All correlations (.78—.93) were significant (p<.05).

Depression in university students is associated with numerous problematic outcomes. Unidimensional perfectionism and academic procrastination have each independently been related with depression and with one another in university students. Multidimensional perfectionism, consisting of self and social dimensions, and academic procrastination have not been simultaneously examined for their interrelationships with one another and with depression. Measures of multidimensional perfectionism, academic procrastination, and depression were administered to 150 undergraduate and graduate students. Analyses showed that only one dimension of perfectionism was correlated with procrastination, although both perfectionism and procrastination were important in accounting for depression in these students. Findings are discussed as they relate to the treatment of university students for the symptoms of depression.

This paper reports on the replication and refinement of a technique for assessing the discrepancy between public social behaviors and private interaction proclivities. Generally, we replicated previous findings that this discrepancy predicts concurrent signs of maladjustment. The technique will prove valuable to those interested in the psychology of incongruence.

A neuropsychiatric and -psychological update of the crime “profile” and “signature” is a necessary addition to the traditional sociopsychological model likely to miss limbic system dysfunctioning. Thus, occurrence of a brief (c. 20 minutes) limbic seizure has been proposed based on behaviors of 12 white male homicidal loners, who showed a dozen symptoms and signs: Limbic Psychotic Trigger Reaction. Readily overlooked can be (a) a transient psychosis (hallucinations and/or delusions), (b) autonomic hyperactivation (e.g., loss of bladder control, nausea, ejaculation), (c) motiveless, out-of-character, unplanned, and well-remembered homicidal acts, (d) committed with a flat affect (not emotionally or impulsively provoked), (e) typically involving a stranger who happened to provide an objectively harmless and only subjectively important stimulus. (f) Such an individualized stimulus triggered the memory revival of mild to moderate but repeatedly experienced hurts. Such a specific sequence of events implicates the specific mechanism of limbic seizure, “kindling,” which does not necessarily involve motor convulsions. Repetition of such limbic episodes with “criminal acts” is conceivable under specific circumstances including cases in which the triggering stimulus is associated with pleasurable delusions (e.g., of grandiose power or wealth) or constitutes a specific aspect of a basic drive motive. For example, eating or sexual activities might be planned but degenerate into a limbic episode with a specific core symptomatology.

An MMPI scale for the detection of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder has been altered in MMPI-2. The entire scale, not readily retrievable, is presented for the MMPI group form.

Millon Adolescent Personality Inventory differential diagnosis of disruptive behavior disorder vs no behavior disorder was investigated. Results were twice cross-validated. Millon adolescent Scales 4, 5, 6, G, SS, and TT were closely related to diagnosis of behavior disorder. Two psychometric rules averaged 70% hits and 35% false positives over three samples, Rule 1 of >2 elevations (baserate score >63) among Scales 6-G-SS-TT and Rule 2 of Scale 4 elevated with Scale 5 or with one of 6-G-SS-TT. An ancillary rule was highly specific to behavior disorder (90%). Two broad dimensions or factors appeared to be represented in the key scales; Scales 4 and 5 exemplified a histrionic-narcissistic factor, while the 6-G-SS-TT combination typified behavioral conflict and instability.

The purposes of this study were to examine the effects of three career-development courses on the professional identities of participating students as measured by My Vocational Situation and to investigate the effect of gender on students’ responses to the scale. A total of 64 students enrolled in a special premedical program took the scale as a pretest and again as a posttest after the completion of three career-development courses. Analysis yielded significant differences between pre- and posttest scores for the three subscales of Vocational Identity, Occupational Information, and Barriers. No significant gender differences were observed at pre- or posttest. Implications for further research designed to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention strategies in career development are discussed.

This study investigated a possible mediation between attitudinal similarity and closeness of relationship by similarities in the meta-attitudinal prioritization of attitudinal issues. Members of 22 romantic couples rated their positions on 22 issues and then rank-ordered their priority. Rank-order correlations were higher for couples than noncouple pairs and, when analyses were restricted to couples’ high-priority attitudes, attitude dissimilarity correlated with closeness of relationship. Results suggest that emotional closeness may require some attitudinal friction in otherwise interdependent couples.

Measurement of computer users’ stress was based on the Computer Hassles Scale. 65 questionnaires were returned from 113 mailed to users of accounting information systems who worked for manufacturing companies. Correlations were calculated for the total sample and subsamples divided by gender. The analysis indicated that persons with college degrees experienced greater computer users’ stress than those who were without. Those persons who reported more computer hassles experienced more somatic complaints which indicated that the computer hassles were stressful. There were no significant mean differences between women and men on computer hassles or somatic complaints. The correlations of computer hassles with somatic complaints differed by gender. Women's computer hassles were significantly correlated .61 with somatic complaints, but men's computer hassles were not significantly correlated (r= .18) with somatic complaints. The gender differences suggest that there is a complex relationship between stressors (computer hassles) and stress reactions (somatic complaints).

The effects of two types of teaching procedures in two Grade 9 language arts classes on 38 students’ achievement and motivation were evaluated. A pre- and posttest control group design was employed. The students in the treatment group were taught five months of the regular curriculum using learning centers while the control group were given a teacher-directed program without learning centers. Pre- and posttest scores were taken from an examination requiring reading and writing and a teacher-developed questionnaire. Analysis indicated the students taught with the learning centers scored significantly better on the achievement and attitude posttest than the control group.

Eysenck's incubation theory of fear or anxiety was examined in a human Pavlovian conditioning experiment with skin-conductance responses as the dependent variable. The conditioned stimuli (CSs) were fear-relevant slides (snakes and spiders) and the unconditioned stimuli (UCSs) were aversive tones. Different groups of subjects were presented two tone intensities during the acquisition phase and three durations of nonreinforced CS (extinction phase) in a delay differential conditioning paradigm. Resistance to extinction of conditioned skin-conductance responses (conditioned fear responses) exhibited was largest for high intensity of tone and short presentations of the nonreinforced CS (CS + presented alone). The result tends to support Eysenck's incubation theory of anxiety.

The Catell and Metzner (1993) finding of higher self-actualization among people with body type/temperament mismatch is important and could be viewed as support for a link of creativity with deviance. Also, there is an error in one of their statements, which is corrected here.

We have tested the hypothesis in this study that different methods of administering a questionnaire produce differential approximations to truthful admission of undesirable personality traits and behaviours. Four different methods of administration produced different levels of trust and understanding, using the current prediction among healthy subjects of death by cancer or coronary heart disease 13 years later as the criterion. There were significant differences in the accuracy of the predictions, depending crucially on the method of administration of the questionnaires. Best predictions were achieved for subjects when both trust and understanding had been increased by interviewers’ suitable participation; worst results were achieved for subjects when no special effort was made to increase either. Intermediate results were found for procedures which increased either trust or understanding. It is argued that the success or failure of studies investigating the influence of personality and stress on diseases like cancer and coronary heart disease may depend crucially on the adopted method of interrogation.

We have tested the hypothesis in this study that different methods of administering a questionnaire produce differential approximations to truthful admission of undesirable personality traits and behaviours. Four different methods of administration produced different levels of trust and understanding, using the current prediction among healthy subjects of death by cancer or coronary heart disease 13 years later as the criterion. There were significant differences in the accuracy of the predictions, depending crucially on the method of administration of the questionnaires. Best predictions were achieved for subjects when both trust and understanding had been increased by interviewers’ suitable participation; worst results were achieved for subjects when no special effort was made to increase either. Intermediate results were found for procedures which increased either trust or understanding. It is argued that the success or failure of studies investigating the influence of personality and stress on diseases like cancer and coronary heart disease may depend crucially on the adopted method of interrogation.

The personal vs social motivations for using alcohol were assessed for 109 undergraduates attending a midwestern technical university. Analysis indicated that alcohol was consumed more for social than for personal reasons and that men used alcohol more than women for the social reasons of meeting new people and meeting members of the opposite sex and for the personal reason of feeling better about themselves. Use was also associated with being a member of a fraternity or sorority and the total number of campus organizations in which students were involved. These results suggest that alcohol education programs should take into account the motivations on a particular campus for alcohol use.

A study was conducted to investigate whether beliefs about the cause of a person's obesity would influence attributions made about that person's task performance. 168 high school girls were shown a videotape of an obese or normal-weight confederate playing a game and performing either above or below average. Half of the subjects seeing the obese girl were led to believe that her obesity was due to a glandular disorder beyond her control. Subjects rated the obese target as more self-indulgent and less self-disciplined than the normal-weight target, except when her obesity was said to have resulted from a glandular disorder. However, subjects did not differentially attribute the confederate's task performance as a function of her weight or her perceived responsibility for it. Corroborating the results of earlier studies, no evidence was found that these high school girls subscribe to the stereotype of the “jolly” fat person.

The need for dominance has something in common with the need for achievement in that both have clear relevance to the study of behavior in organizations. Yet in the literature a belief has persisted that the similarities end here, i.e., that dominance and achievement are essentially orthogonal. While this conclusion may be valid among nonself-report measures of these variables, it cannot be extrapolated to self-report measures because these two general measurement techniques tap into fundamentally different patterns of motives and are not mere substitutes for each other. Based on the results of surveys administered to three samples of adults (total N = 703) and using scales derived from both the Manifest Needs Questionnaire and the Personality Research Form, present analyses point to a strong relationship between self-reported dominance and achievement.

This article stresses the potential utility of Gardner Murphy's biosocial concept of situationism to both historians and psychologists. This concept may be viewed as a bridge between Freudian (biological) and neo-psychoanalytical emphasis on culture.

This study examined the relationship among psychological variables and organizational functioning in a sample of managers, 65 women and 65 men. Analysis of responses to a mail questionnaire showed women, compared to men, were higher on Type A behaviour, speed and impatience, and job involvement scale scores. Women were less likely to have families than men, and men appeared to benefit more from marriage. Men also reported higher salaries with greater family support. These results support the need for research to take into account the social context within which organizational and work behaviour takes place.

The MMPI-2 schizophrenia spectrum profiles of 25 college students with extreme scores on the Perceptual Aberration and Magical Ideation Scales were compared to those of 27 students who requested psychological treatment at a university psychology clinic. Moldin, Gottesman, and Erlenmeyer-Kimling's 1987 classification strategy for schizophrenia spectrum disorders identified 66% of the students who did not seek psychological treatment and had high scores on the Perceptual Aberration and Magical Ideation Scales as having an 8–6, 8–9, or a 9–8 MMPI-2 profile. Of the students who requested psychological treatment, 25% produced MMPI-2 schizophrenia spectrum profiles. Of these, 63% produced a 2-7-8 code profile. Additional analyses showed that only some of the students who requested psychological treatment and produced a 2-7-8 MMPI-2 profile exhibited schizotypal features and that this group stayed in therapy longer than students without schizophrenia spectrum profiles. These results suggest that only a subset of the students with high scores on the Perceptual Aberration and Magical Ideation Scales produce schizophrenia spectrum MMPI-2 profiles and that these profiles are substantially different from those produced by students with high scores on the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale and from schizotypal college students who seek psychological treatment.

This study was designed to evaluate a modification of the Interpersonal Relationship Scale and to establish subscales representing dimensions of intimacy (N = 356). The initial self-report scale was tested for internal consistency reliability. Next, subscales were identified using principal components factoring with varimax rotation. Internal consistency reliability and concurrent validity of the modified over-all scale and subscales were examined. The modified scale and subscales provided reliable and valid measures of the quality of interpersonal relationships in young adults.

37 men and 77 women completed the British version of Spence and Helmreich's 1972 Attitudes Towards Women Scale and also generated what they believed were cultural stereotypes of women. The number of stereotypes produced by individuals was positively correlated with scale scores (.43 and .15) for men and women. The most frequently generated stereotypes were also those produced earlier in the respondents’ protocols, indicating that the most generally available stereotypes in the culture are most accessible to respondents.

Psychosocial data collected from 12 albinos in rural and isolated parts of the Dominican Republic suggest a stigma is associated with the absence of skin color. The general population living in the area has a skin pigmentation of dark brown. The purpose of the investigation was to assess whether there were psychosocial problems for albinos with white skin and hair. Prior studies imply albinism is a negative social characteristic associated with prejudice and apartheid in a predominately mulatto community. This researcher recommends that psychologists and health-care providers be familiar with similar sensitive issues among special populations.

This study focused on the psychometric properties of the Network Orientation Scale as used with South African students. This scale presumably measures an individual's willingness to use personal social resources. 450 black South African students completed the Network Orientation Scale, a biographical questionnaire, and a number of social support questionnaires. The instrument showed good internal consistency and scores correlated significantly (- .09 to - .53) with all the social support scales. In addition, correlations of the Network Orientation Scale scores with a number of demographic variables are reported.

To investigate the attitudes of 316 Standard 8 pupils (M age 16.8 yr.) towards biology in Transkei, a questionnaire was administered. Analysis indicates the attitudes of students towards biology were positive.

In preparation for a community-based study of depression in adolescence, several pilot studies were conducted with samples of adolescents. The purpose of these studies was to evaluate the reliability and association with depression of several instruments when used with older (14- to 18-year-old) adolescents. These instruments included measures of cognitions, body image, self-esteem, self-awareness, social interactions with peers and family, social support, micro- and macrostressful life events, anxiety and tension, positive affect, antisocial or oppositional behavior, suicidal ideation, and vocabulary. The internal consistency reliability and stability of most of the instruments were satisfactory. In addition, most instruments were associated with a measure of depression, Radloff's Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale. Several of the scales were successfully abbreviated using techniques based on factor analysis and item analysis.

An instrument for measuring stress (the Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes: FILE) was administered to 151 parents of abused children. A factor analytic treatment of the results indicated that ten different aspects of stress (factors) best explained the data. Several of these factors seemed to be unique to the abusing environment while the rest were similar to those found in less atypical samples. The results suggest that (a) “local factor analyses” should be employed with atypical samples and (b) both measures of types of stress as well as general stress may be useful. The ten stress factors identified were (1) Trouble with Teenagers, (2) Violence and Separation, (3) Legal Violations, (4) Work, (5) Family Loss, (6) Financial Strains, (7) Illness and Family Care Strains, (8) Public Assistance, (9) Major Changes in Family Situation, and (10) Young Child Management Focus. The “unique” factors that only appeared in our child-abusing sample were (1) Trouble with Teenagers, (2) Violence and Separation, and (8) Public Assistance.

45 incarcerated male felons in a medium-security state correctional institution participated in a Rational Behavior Training treatment outcome study. 58% of the subjects were white, 18% were African-American, 17% were Hispanic, and 7% were classified as other. Subjects were selected from an institutional group-therapy waiting list and randomly assigned to one of four group facilitators. The Novaco Provocation Inventory, Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, and Rational Behavior Training Concepts Test were administered before and after the 10-wk. treatment period. No differences in gain scores (pretest minust posttest) were observed although the slightly greater improvement on the concepts test by subjects of ethnic minority encourages further study.