Role models provide examples of how to live and act. This study sought to determine whether the gender or the status of a role model is the most important factor in influencing the choice of a role model in young children. The subjects were 138 eight to nine year old boys and girls. They listened to a short story describing a space shuttle mission and then were asked two questions, each giving them the choice of two jobs. One question manipulated the status and gender of the characters performing the jobs in the story. The other question manipulated only the gender of the characters. The results supported previous findings that boys and girls choose a role model based on gender. However girls were not significantly less likely than the boys to choose a role model based on gender, as was predicted. It was found that status and gender are not independent of each other, and both play a role in influencing a child's selection of a role model.

The effect of emotional disclosure through expressive writing about real traumatic events on available working memory capacity ahs already been established. This study examined whether disclosing emotions generated by writing about a novel imaginative traumatic event would produce similar gains in working memory. Sixty-two first-year university students were randomly assigned to write about a real trauma, an imaginary trauma, or a trival topic (time management). One and one half weeks following the writing condition, no significant effects were found. However, the imaginary trauma and real trauma writing groups did show more similarities with each other than with the control group. The results are discussed in terms of the previous findings of expressive writing on working memory.

Shyness can result in an accumulation of faulty cognitions (Bruce & Atezaz, 1999), behavioral deficits and/or excesses (Dam-Baggen & Kracimaat, 2000), and/or the physiological arousal (Schrof, Schultz, Koerner & Svetcov, 1999) that an individual experiences in, or in expectation of, social interactions. The present study compared treatments that focused on each of these three sets of symptoms of shyness separately. Relaxation training was used for treating the physiological aspects, social-skills training was used for reducing behavioral escesses and deficits and cognitive restructuring was used for the treatment of faulty cognitions. The effectiveness of these three methods was compared to performance of a control group. Participants each received one treatment. It was hypothesized that the treatments would vary in their effectiveness but overall participants would benefit from each treatment. Results indicated that the treatments were not successful in reducing overall shyness. However, on average, participants, including ones from the control group, did agree that the treatment was beneficial and that they would attempt to use such techniques in the future.

This study seeks to investigate the effects of active versus passive participation, and behavioral commitment, on the knowledge and attitudes of adolescents in an HIV-prevention intervention. Participants will include approximately 150 grade nine science students from four public secondary schools. One school will be randomly assigned as a control group; the remaining three will make up the experimental groups. It is hypothesized that participants in the active participation condition with the added factor of behavioral commitment will show the greatest increase in knowledge and enduring attitude change. To test this hypothesis, two passive participation conditions, video and lecture, and one active condition consisting of role-playing will be included in the experiment. The variable of behavioral commitment will be randomly assigned to half of the participants in each intervention group.

This experiment examined the effects of repeated exposure of a subject characteristic on eyewitness testimony; research on the availability heuristic suggests such repeated exposure should bias memory. Undergraduate psychology students witnessed an incident in which an unknown actor portraying a student temporarily disrupted a class in progress. Following the class, participants viewed a short slide show displaying "mug shots". One group viewed a slide show in which 70% of the mug shots depicted men with facial hair; a second group saw shots in which 10% had facial hair. Immediately following the slide show, participants completed a questionnaire covering the physical appearance of the actor, including the critical question of whether he had facial hair. Participants were re-tested a week later. Facial memories of the experimental group were not significantly altered by the exposure to an increase in common characteristics of the pictures.

In 1993 Rauscher, Shaw and Ky discovered that participants' spatial-temporal performance scores increased immediately following exposure to Mozart's music; however, this effect was only present for ten minutes. They propose that the underlying mechanism of this effect is cortical priming. Other researchers have suggested that the participants' preference for the condition is the reason for the effect. Several studies have been able to replicate the effect. Generally, those that have found the effect have used the same dependent variable, but have found the effect using other kinds of music. Conversely, many studies have also failed to find the Mozart effect. Generally, these studies have used different dependent variabiles, but the same musical piece. Although previous research has been controversial, an examination of the Mozart effect in musicians and non-musicians is still necessary.

Many research have shown the existence of an inverse correlational relationship between self-esteem and conformity (Kurosawa, 1993; Santee & Maslach, 1982). The causal relationship between self-esteem and conformity on the other hand, has yet to receive much research attention. To examine the influence of self-esteem on conformity self-esteem was manipulated with misleading feedback and the effect on conformity was measured using a modified an Asch paradigm. The misleading feedback was intended to either increase, decrease or have no effect on self-esteem of participants who had been randomly assigned to one of these three conditions. Post-test analysis revealed that the feedback condition did not produce significantly altered self-esteem levels. No new conclusions about the influence of self-esteem on conformity were possible.

Modern research on smoking limits itself mainly to pharmacological studies of the effects of nicotine on smokers' behavior and health. this study explores the psychological factors that may play an important role in smoking behavior. Anxiety was proposed as a psychological factor in smoking behavior. The anxiety levels in smokers have been assessed in relation to anticipation and not anticipation of smoking. Fifty three subjects from the Introductory Psychology course, assigned to two control and two experimental groups, were tested for the anxiety state. The spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was administered to all subjects. Results of the study supported the hypothesis that anticipation of smoking lowered anxiety and non anticipation of smoking led to higher anxiety in smokers. Anxiety management training has been proposed for smokers undergoing cessation from the smoking habit.

A great deal of research on impression formation has revealed that a multitude of factors influence impression formation, and that anxiety has a negative influence on these impressions. Yet despite a wide body of research it remains unclear how gender perceptions of anxiety, and the stereotypes associated with anxiety, impact the impressions formed of anxious individuals. In order to investigate this further, it has been hypothesized that males and females will: (a) view a non-anxious gender-neutral target as a member of the same gender, and (b) view an anxious gender-neutral target as a member of the opposite gender. In a study examining these effects, 80 participants (40 males and 40 females), were presented with a scenario of a gender-neutral anxious or non-anxious target and then asked to evaluate, and allocate a gender to the individual presented. The following study will further examine these hypotheses, with an in-depth assessment of the results and their implications.

Research into the competitiveness of children will allow coaches to create training programs which may elicit more participation from athletes. The competitiveness of males and females was investigated, measured and compared in the context of sport competitiveness. Males and females, aged 10-14 years, filled out the Sport Competitive Questionnaire (SCQ) and participated in a sport scenario (basketball). They were given the option to participate alone for a prize or with another individual to better their chances of winning for half the prize. Choosing to participate alone was recorded as competitive and choosing to participate with a partner was recorded as cooperative. Results indicated that males, from grades 5-8, were more cooperative and competitive than females of the same grade. The Sport Scenario showed that both males and females were more competitive than cooperative. Further research should look at a wider age range to determine if competitiveness levels increase with age.

Sport psychology is concerned with the optimal level of arousal theory, which states that high levels of arousal are optimal for easy tasks, and that low levels of arousal are optimal for difficult tasks. Past research has focused on qualitative task differences between sports, or on quantitative task differences within a sport, and has lacked addressing arousal in team sports. In this study, I addressed these concerns by comparing an easy task and a hard task within a team sport: basketball. Arousal was induced in 29 varsity athletes by offering a cash bonus to the highest scoring individual. I hypothesized that according to the optimal level of arousal theory, success on the easy task would increase, and success on the difficult task would decrease. There were no significant differences when arousal was manipulated, possibly as a result of over arousal that may have led to a ceiling effect.

Attachment theory looks at a person's style of relating based on early experiences with primary caregivers (Bowlby, 1988). These early relationships are thought to act as a template for future adult romantic relationships (Bartholomew, 1990; Hazen & Shaver, 1987). There are four attachments styles: secure, preoccupied, fearful, and dismissive. Secure adults are comfortable with close relationships and with giving and receiving support. Preoccupied adults wish to merge completely with another person. Fearful adults avoid relationships due to a fear of rejection, and dismissing adults avoid relationships due to a discomfort with closeness. It was hypothesized that attachment style might help to determine a person's preference for social interactions; online vs face-to-face. Sixty-seven psychology students participated in a study of computer mediated communication (CMC) and attachment style. They completed the Relationships Style Questionnaire (RSQ; Griffin & Bartholomew, 1994), and a short questionnaire that assessed mode, frequency, and social uses of the Internet. Significant correlations between attachment style and the formation of online friendships and romantic relationships, and the giving of online support were found. Future research could look at the therapeutic implications of utilizing the Internet in order to help people break free from insecure styles of relating.

Previous research has shown that visual cues will aid in the perception of ambiguous speech. The Manner-Place Hypothesis states that articulatory information will greatly increase the likelihood that ambiguous speech will be comprehended accurately. Because of the ambiguity of foreign language sounds, the current study applies this theory to foreign language learning by exploring the relationship between vision and hearing. Thirty-five undergraduate students from Algoma University studied 15 Ojibway words under two conditions; audio-visual or audio-only. When the two conditions were compared on word memory and pronunciation, significance was not found.

Perceived Control and distraction are considered to be two critical variables moderating pain perception. Using an audioanalgesia paradigm, participants were assigned to one of five conditions and administered three trials of finger-pressure pain. Previous to the experiment, participants rated six selections of music from most to least preferred. Following trial one, participants (choice condition) were permitted to choose a music selection (by ranking the original six again)to serve as a distractor during the trial two pain stimulus; half of these subjects were assigned their most preferred music and half their least preferred music. Two other groups were assigned either a most-preferred or least-preferred selection by the experimenter (no choice condition) as determined in the pretest. Control participants received no music on trial two. Following treatment instructions but before administration of the trial, participants rated a) their expected pain ratings on the next trial, and b) the extent to which they felt in control of the stressful situation. The interactive and independent effects of treatment choice and preference will be evaluated in terms of the efficacy of audioanalgesia procedures. Moreover, the implications of these cognitive variables on clinical analgesia procedures will be discussed.

Previous studies demonstrate that teachers use low levels of positive feedback and high levels of negative feedback in response to social misbehaviours, even though positive feedback is empirically proven to work better (Beaman & Wheldall, 2000). The present study investigates possible reasons for this discrepancy. Teachers have made comments such as positive reinforcement is time-consuming, and it resembles bribery. As well teachers feel that a higher level of training is needed to effectively apply positive reinforcement. Teachers (n=67) completed a survey asking how they respond to academic and social gains and setbacks and the reasons why. As in previous studies, teachers did use more positive feedbacks for academic success than social success, A=0.01, P=0.000. Reasons for this discrepancy are compared and discussed.

An experiment was conducted to find whether customs officers have a better than chance ability to detect deceit. It also examined the possibility if certain behavioural cues can be associated with lying. Canada customs officers, at the International Bridge in Sault Ste Marie, referred vehicles to be searched for undeclared goods depending on either; 1) the person's behaviour in the vehicle or 2) the vehicles were randomly assigned to be searched. Both of the referral systems had outcomes no better than chance. Behavioural cues were found to play a role in trying to indicate deceit but they are not found to be the sole basis for actually detecting deceit.

Results of many studies of Sound Field Amplification (SFA) have shown a positive effect of SFA on both speech perception and classroom behavior in mainstream classrooms; however, to date, there have been few studies assessing SFA for second language learning (L2) classrooms. The present study assessed the impact of SFA on speech perception and classroom behavior in a grade four French immersion classroom. A single-subject small N repeated-measure design was used. Background noise was presented at 60 dBA, a level typically found in classrooms. The SFA system was preset to deliver a gain of 15 dB. Speech perception was measured with a dictation test of phonetically-balanced French words presented both in a list and embedded in sentences. Students were instructed to write down the words and sentences. Results are discussed in relation to the used of SFA as a cost effective educational tool to improve language perception and classroom behavior.

Many drugs are known to have an effect on memory. That a majority of the adult population of North America consumes caffeine on a daily basis begs the question whether caffeine improves memory. Sixty-four university students were randomly assigned to either the caffeine group or placebo group. In the caffeine group, a 200mg caffeine pill was administered while a 100mg lactose pill was administered to the placebo group. Participants were presented 40 words, one at a time for 3 seconds each. Participants then completed 2 memory tasks. One memory task required participants to recall the primed words and the other memory task required participants to complete word fragments of the primed words. The results showed no significant difference between the caffeine group and the placebo group on either of the memory tasks. Therefore, caffeine does not have a negative (or positive) effect on memory.

The present study investigated whether training special education student to appropriately ask for help, increased frequency in help seeking behaviour in the regular classroom setting. Four grade six students were taught to appropriately approach the teacher for instructional feedback and assistance. Training took place in the special education classroom. Prior to student training three measures were taken: Classroom observation recorded the frequency of help seeking behaviours in the classroom; a student questionnaire examined student perceptions of help seeking (avoidance of help seeking, threat from peers, and benefits of help seeking); a survey given to the classroom teacher measured teacher perception of student motivation. These measures were repeated after the student training of help seeking. Although no difference was found in the attitudes of either students or teachers there was a significant difference found when the frequency of help seeking behaviours of the trained students was compared to the frequency observed of the randomly selected control group.

This study was an attempt to determine whether a cognitive process analogous to the neurobiological process of consolidation exists; if it does, when a subject integrates and acts on a set of information, cognitive consolidation would manifest itself in the information's subsequent increased resistance to change. A decision task was used to promote the active organization and consolidation of information. Sixty introductory psychology students were asked to make a hypothetical hiring decision based on a partial or complete set of information. I then observed the effect when a new piece of information was added to, or removed from, each set of information after the initial decision was made. Subjects altered their decision in response to newly presented information, indicating the information was not resistant to change. The decision making process failed to demonstrate a "cognitive consolidation" of information occurred.

This experiment was designed to test whether colour affects a persons ability to recall textual information. Approximately 186 elementary school students, ages 8-9, were randomly assigned to one of six groups. Students read a short story on a coloured background (white, grey, red, blue, yellow, a multi-colour red, yellow and blue). They were given a number of written questions about the story. Students given solid colours were significantly better at recall then those with no colour. When comparing multi-colours to solid colours those with the multi-colours performed significantly worse in recall. Therefore colour does affect a persons ability to recall textual information.

Examinations of student performance between single-grade and multi-grade classroom structures have yielded mixed results. Research has reported significant positive relationships between teacher motivation (TM), teacher job satisfaction (TJS) and student performance. Teacher creativity (TC) has not been examined in this context, but has been linked with motivation. This study examined three questions. Are there differences in student performance between classroom structures? Are there teacher differences between classroom structures? Can TJS, TM and TC predict student performance? Ten elementary school teachers completed anonymous testing packages. Student performance and teacher differences were found between class structures. Joint teacher characteristics can be used to predict student performance. Statistically significant results are consistent with the literature prompting future research in this area.

A relation between locus of control (LOC) and academic social comparison may exist once personal ability is jeopardized on a task central to a person’s identity. LOC would likely be correlated with factors integral to personal identity. The objective is to discover if such a relationship exists amongst undergraduate students. Participants were randomly distributed into 4 different groups based on academic feedback (class average and individual grade, both rated as either high or low). Participants completed half of Levenson’s (1974) and half of Rotter’s (1966) LOC scale and asked to compose a short, general essay. Participants later received their feedback and completed the second half of both loci of control scales. Feedback that the class received a high average but a low personal grade resulted in a trend from internal LOC to more external, while feedback for low average, high personal grade resulted in a trend from external to internal.

The hypothesis that individuals would yawn more if subjected to a model of yawning accompanied with a cognitive cue of yawning than to eigher stimulus alone was tested. Subjects from four groups individually observed a 10-min video in which the experimenter modelled either a yawn or a hiccup every thirty seconds while a second experimenter read a passage about the respiratory system describing either yawns or hiccups. Although yawning was scarce, more temptations to yawn occurred if either the visual or cognitive stimuli were presented than if neither of them were. No interactive or additive effect of the two manipulations occurred. In other words, seeing and hearing about yawns was equivalent to seeing yawns with hearing hiccups and seeing hiccups with hearing yawns. Diverse reasons of the purpose of yawning were evaluated.

Even though the IQ distribution of students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is similar to that of a normal distribution, students with ADHD experience higher rates of grade retention, academic underachievement and school failure. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether teaching style (using Gregorc's model) has an effect on the academic achievement related ADHD. First year university students were treated for degree of ADHD symptoms exhibited using the Jasper/Goldberg Adult ADD screening and then were assigned to on two treatment conditions: abstract sequential teaching style and concrete sequential teaching style. Teaching style had no effect on quiz score. The degree of ADHD symptoms possessed had no relationship with quiz score. On significant finding was obtained: subjects in the low ADHD symptom group who were taught with a concrete sequential teaching style earned higher scores on the quiz.

In this study, recreational (Rec), semi-competitive (SC), and highly competitive (HC) gymnasts did an athletic task under conditions requiring low and high levels of concentration. Concentration level on a cognitive task was measured immediately, and 24 hours after an athletic task, using a test based on the Brickenkamp 2d Concentration Test. When a gymnastic task required an increase in concentration, there was an increase in concentration on a cognitive task. This was apparent for all three groups, and these effects were still evident after a period of 24 hours.

Can bilinguals complete word association tasks requiring processing across both languages simultaneously? Researchers have found evidence for parallel processing with visual feature discrimination and letter recognition tasks. The present study attempts to find support for parallel processing by exploring lexical retrieval tasks that require a search across bilinguals' two languages. Twenty-two bilingual university and college students and faculty received 75 trials on which they were given an English word and asked to either; 1) find an English word with an opposite meaning, 2) find a French word with the same meaning and, 3) find a French word with an opposite meaning. A significant difference in RT was found between these three tasks. Results failed to provide support for parallel processing.

Evolutionary theories of mate selection suggest women prefer men who will make good life partners and supporters. Contrast effects in attractiveness occur when exposure to attractive images changes the rated attractiveness of a target. Contrast effects for physical attractiveness have been tested in rating females, but not rating males. The current experiment examines contrast effects for physical attractiveness and status and resources cues of men. I hypothesized that female participants would rate high status/wealth males as more desirable than high attractive males and that contrast effects would occur for both status/wealth and physical attractiveness. In other words, after viewing high attractive males and high status/wealth males, an average target would receive a lower rating. Although no contrast effects were found, participants rated physical attractiveness higher than status and wealth. Possible reasons for these findings and future considerations are discussed.

Symmetry and averageness is a marker of phenotypic and genetic quality that is preferred during mate selection. Attractiveness has been shown to influence how we perceive others. However, studies of attractiveness have generally examined the perception of Caucasian targets: few studies have examined inner-ethic perceptions of attractiveness and attributions of personality traits. No data are available for perceptions of Caucasians and Aboriginals of each other. Caucasian and Aboriginal persons viewed one of four photographs (Caucasian or Aboriginal, attractive or unattractive) and rated it for attractiveness, social desirability and culpability in a court room scenario. There are differences, particularly in the way we view less-attractive targets.

Twenty years of advance organizer research has yielded mixed opinions regarding their effectiveness as a pre-instructional strategy. These differences can be attributed to the diversity of the aims of these studies combined with a lack of standardized procedures governing their formation, administration and evaluation. This experiment tested the effects of memory span on advance organizer effectiveness, following guidelines of successful studies. 102 subjects were randomly exposed to one of four experimental groups containing 0,3,7 or 14 concepts. Scores on a delayed multiple choice content test did not differ significantly. Group means suggested that limiting advance organizers to 7 + or -2 essential concepts might improve their effectiveness.

Do individuals attribute more cognitive dissonance factors on self reports when more losses than wins have occurred in a risk taking situation? I examined a differential memory of wins and losses which could be justified by cognitive dissonance theory in a gambling scenario. Participants playing a computerized gambling game similar to Black-jack won 70%, 50% and 30% of the trials. After 50 hands were completed, participants were asked to complete a self report. This self report asked the participants to rate how successful they had been, from completely successful to completely unsuccessful. They were asked to agree or disagree to various statements or justifications that might alleviate dissonance. It was hypothesized that participants in the groups with the lower winning percentages would either (A) inflate their memory of wins or (B) agree more with statements that were asked specifically to reduce cognitive dissonance. Results indicated that people in the lower winning groups did have an inflated recall of wins. As well, individuals in the lowest winning group did agree more with statements that were issued to reduce cognitive dissonance.

Extraverts and introverts differ in some personality charactearistics that affect conformity. Extraverts and introverts may show differences in levels and types of conformity. In a 2x2 mixed factorial design, differences in conformity rates between extraverts and introverts were examined under high and low pressure conditions. In the high-pressure condition, three confederates gave an incorrect answer, in the low-pressure condition, only one of the three confederates gave the incorrect answer. Participants were from Algoma University (N=36) and rated asextraverted or introverted using the EPI. Participants were asked to view a target object and 3 comparison objects, and then to choose the comparison most similar to the target. Participants' answers were compared to confederate answers for conformity rates. Extraverts conformed more than introverts in both the high and low-pressure conditions. Extraverts conformed more in the high-pressure condition than the low-pressure condition, while introverts conformed equally to both. Participants attributed their conformity to informational social influence more than normative social influence.

Forty six undergraduates from Algoma University College were tested with the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. The subjects viewed a video recording of deceptive or truthful videos containing questions pertaining to occupation, health, personal accomplishments, hobbies and lifestyle. During a pause after each video a questionnaire was given. The participants were requested to rate the truthfulness of the interviewee, and asked to rate the nine cues to their decision. In this study deception cues such as speech error, video interview content, self manipulation, hand gestures, eye contact, tone of voice, speech disturbances, posural shifts and smile duration were related to either introverted or extraverted personality characteristics. The results indicate that there were no differences between extraverts and introverts in either estimates of trutfulness or cue importance.

Participants (62 Native, 58 Non-Native) were approached in various settings and asked to complete a 3 page questionnaire including a semantic differential test, a social distance test and a personal background information. Natives rated Natives significantly more positive on the evaluative dimensions of the semantic differential than did Non-Natives. No other comparisons yielded significant differences.

In the present study, 47 participants read a scenario describing mild levels (i.e. gender harassment and seductive behaviour as described by Till (1980) of sexually harassing behaviours, in which the defendant's and/or complainant's age was varied (i.e. 25 years, 50 years or no age). Using a 7-point Likert type scale, participants were required to rate the defendant's behaviour on perceptions of harassment, appropriateness and fault. In addition, participants were required to assess the liability of the defendant and to award a monetary reward to the complainant for damages. The results indicated that there was no effect of the age of the defendant and/or complainant on juror perceptions of harassment, appropriateness, fault or in the amounts of momentary damages awarded to the complainant.

Women report low self-esteem, poor body image, negative attitudes towards eating and negative moods following exposure to attractive models; however, self-esteem has not been evaluated independently of the latter variables. Using a 2x3 factorial design, this study compared the interactive effects of self-esteem and exposure to attractive models on 60 female university students and faculty. Self-esteem levels were manipulated by providing positive, negative or no feedback on a series of computer-implemented tasks. The groups were then divided into two exposure conditions, where groups evaluated photos, female fashion models or homes, on attractiveness. Finally, participants completed measurement scales on self-esteem, body image, body parts satisfaction, depression and mood. Results showed a significant main effect of exposure condition on self-esteem change scores. After viewing attractive models, groups showed no change in self-esteem scores; in contrast, after viewing attractive homes, groups did show an increase in self-esteem scores. The findings suggest that exposure to attractive models may suppress the intensifying effects of exposure to other attractive images, suggesting that self-esteem may be independent of negative attitude, body image and mood.

The purpose of this study was to determine if the stress-alleviating effects of human to human tactile stimulation. Forty undergraduate university students were randomly assigned to one of four computer mouse conditions: covered-aversive (velcro) covered-neutral (denim), covered-pleasant (velvet) and uncovered. Participants were asked to complete a difficult computer task that was intended to invoke anxiety. Upon completion of the task participants completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. State scores for the velcro group were expected to be lowest of the groups (indicating high anxiety) while State scores for the velvet group were expected to be the highest of any other group. One way ANOVA showed there was no significant difference between Trait scores, and only a small difference between state scores.

Previous research has shown that frequent gamblers experience greater heart rate increases when winning than infrequent gamblers do. Male and female undergraduate students played a computer game of chance, with or without an incentive. Heart rate was measured to determine whether having an incentive affected arousal. The South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) was administered to identify frequent gamblers. It was hypothesized that there would be an interaction between the effect of the incentive whether the person was a frequent or infrequent gambler. Results were in the predicted direction but no significant differences between conditions were detected. This failure to replicate previous findings will be discussed.

Self-enhancement is the tendency to view one's self in overly positive terms. People engage in self-enhancement as a way to maintain their level of self-esteem. Trait self-esteem refers to an individuals overall general level of self-worth, while state self-esteem refers to short-lived fluctuations in emotional states. Generally people with high trait self-esteem self-enhance more than people with low trait self-esteem, especially after receiving negative feedback. The level of state self-esteem was manipulated by feedback. Participants were assigned to one of three groups in which they received negative, average, or positive feedback. The level of state self-esteem and the level of self-enhancement were measured before and after the feedback manipulations. State self-esteem did not have an effect on the level of self-enchancement. A significant positive correlation was found between the level of trait self-esteem and the level of state self-esteem.

Students from Algoma University College who were interested in being involved in an aerobic exercise program were randomly assigned to either a control group or a motivational group. A journal was provided to all 30 participants to record aerobic attendance and exercise goals. Attendance was taken at the beginning of every aerobic class. The control group was not given any further encouragement over the next four weeks. The motivational group members were required to attend a weekly group meeting for four weeks. During the weekly meetings, personal goals were set and the progress and strategies of exercise were discussed. Each week, a sports drink was given to the members who attended at least three aerobic classes that week. A free aquabics pass was given to the member who went to the most classes that week. A chi-squared analysis indicated that there was no significant difference in attendance between the control and motivational group.

The differences in academic performance among highly test-anxious students with two weeks of either relaxation therapy or study-skills training were investigated. The results (statistically non-significant) indicated that on a less difficult measure of performance both treatment groups scored higher than their population, on a difficult measure both groups scored slightly lower than their population, on a mean of the two measures scored better than their population and that the relaxation therapy group outperformed the study-skills group on all three measures. The findings, though statistically non-significant, are congruent with Dendato & Diener's (1986) research conclusion that an element of relaxation is essential to bring about change in levels of anxiety and subsequently academic performance in test anxious students.

The question addressed was whether negative attitude towards gays and lesbians would be positively changed and the change maintained over time by an in-depth education program. Thirty-five students participated in 2 three hour sessions aimed at preparing them to respond effectively to gay/lesbian youths. The program increased exposure to gay/lesbian culture; challenged stereotypical beliefs; and addressed the value conflict between the helping self-image and holding negative attitudes. The first post test showed a significantly more positive score in the experimental group on affective and cognitive measures, but no significant difference in behavior. Group means were not significantly different four weeks later but the data indicated the development of a trend toward a positve increase in the experimental group's behavior. Attitude was changed but was not maintained by the in-depth program.

The present research measured the effect that printed text, or visual image, or both together had on learning information presented auditorally. The participants were 64 Algoma University College first-year students who were randomly assigned to four groups corresponding to the four conditions. Each group was given a six-minute videotaped lecture and tested immediately. It was predicted that learners who were presented with an auditory lecture that had additions of text, or visual image, or both together would score higher on a learning posttest than those that were presented with the auditory lecture alone. There was no significant differences found between the groups.

Forty-nine children participated in this study to determine how exercise affects classroom work. Baseline math proficiency scores and pulse rates were obtained. One week later, all participants took part in 1 level of physical activity (low, medium or high) after being randomly assigned to counterbalanced groups. Following the physical activity, pulse rates were recorded; they then completed a math test which included easy, moderate and difficult tasks. In 2 consecutive weeks, 2 more trials were completed with each group completing all levels of physical activity and each student completing 3 parallel math tests in a randomized order. Mathematical proficiency post-tests were administered to ensure a return to baseline. Results showed no effect of arousal on performance and no interaction between arousal and task complexity, but they indicated a linear task complexity-performance relationship.

The effects of control-oriented training on life satisfaction are investigated. Sixty-seven female Algoma University College students were assigned to one of four treatment groups designed to increase their feelings of control over their lives. Analysis of variance was used to assess changes in Life Satisfaction Index-B Scores (Neugarten, Havighurst and Tobin, 1961). Significant increases in life satisfaction were found in one of the treatment groups. Results show that this new control oriented training may be used to increase womens' satisfaction with their lives.

Do timing and similarity of interference affect memory? A total of 70 participants, mainly introductory psychology students, were presented with a list of 25 words one at a time on a computer screen. Four groups heard interference words that were either related or unrelated to the target visual word; auditory interference was presented either simultaneously with the visual word or 1.5 seconds later. A fifth (control) group received no auditory interference. Memory for the visually-presented words was tested by both recall and recognition. No statistically significant differences were found.

Involvement in high spatial sport activities positively correlates with higher scores on spatial ability tests, possibly accounting for observed male advantages across the life span. The present study attempted to show a causal factor of experience for the early emergence of gender differences. Four grade three classes were assigned to 2 experimental conditions: high spatial (HS) sport activiites and low spatial (LS) activities. Pre-treatment assessment of past experience predicted scores of spatial ability tests for males, but not for females. Female scores were correlated with coached activities. Data showed an effect on spatial ability test scores, resulting from treatment. Non-significant trends for male superiority on spatial tests were observed, suggesting a need for closer examination of causal factors over time.

Film has been established as a reliable method of laboratory mood induction. This study compared video newscasts to film clips to assess the magnitude of change in affect. University students were exposed to negative, positive or neutral video news reports or film clips. Their affect was measured using the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS)(Watson & Tellegen, 1988) Affect was measured pre and post exposure to gauge affect change. In the negative conditions of both movie and news, affect was significantly altered. However, both the negative movie condition and negative news condition had similar levels of change in affect. Negative news produced a similar change in affect as the negative movie control variable.

When an individual is required to put forth a high level of effort the goal to which he or she is working becomes more attractive. This is known as effort justification. Thirty-six introductory psychology students worked on a clerical task which required either a low, medium or high level of effort. Next, all subjects were given some information to study. Finally, the subjects were tested on the information they were asked to study. It was hypothesized that individuals in the high effort condition would perform better on the test. The high effort group did score higher than the low effort group. The results of this study will be discussed with reference to past research of the academic achievement of working students.

In stressful situations people with high self-efficacy tend to use effective coping strategies (i.e., problem-focused coping). Persons who cope effectively with stress report fewer health problems. In high stress emergency situations, in which the general public has difficulty coping, emergency service personnel (EMS) are able to work effectively and this is likely due to the use of positive coping strategies (i.e., problem-focused) and high levels of self-efficacy. In this study, university students participated as a representation of the general public and their reactions to stressful situations were compared to the reactions of EMS personnel. In emergency and non-emergency situations EMS personnel and students reported similar positive coping reactions. Even though university students do not frequently experience high stress emergency situations they do cope with stress on a daily basis. This indicates that the ability to cope effectively with stress in general, enables a person to cope effectively in unfamiliar high stress emergency situations. All participants reported few stress related health problems and high levels of self-efficacy along with frequent use of problem-focused coping. This demonstrates the combination of self-efficacy and problem-focused coping is beneficial for coping with stress in a healthy way.

The purpose of this investigation will focus on table shape and seating arrangements under two time conditions; low pressure and high pressure. The question I will ask is does the configuration of a room influence (a) efficiency of a group when problem solving and (b) satisfaction of a group when problem solving. 36 participants from Algoma University College were divided into six small groups and had to work on the same group problem solving task. The purpose was to see if room configuration and time had an impact on group decision making. There were no significant differences between the groups.

The study of relationships between human aggression and gaming, particularly in a realistic environment, stands to advance as the technology itself does. First Person Shooter game environments provide realistic opportunities for many interactions between players. Violent and aggressive video games and media have often become the focus of blame for many aggressive acts in actual society. Early meta analyses of gaming and aggression concluded that gaming does increase aggression, although at levels lower than that of television and other media. More recent meta analyses claim that there is no correlation between gaming and aggression. Focusing on player interactions, rather than the game itself, is an relatively new and interesting area of study. It is possible that the opponent may be responsible for increasing aggression in players, rather than the game alone.

The present study investigated the effect of extraversion and induced arousal on eyewitness accuracy. Undergraduate students scoring in the top or bottom 40% of an extraversion scale viewed a one minute crime scenario contained within a 13 minute video and were later asked to recall the details of the crime scenario. Participants were aroused above baseline, measured with a hand held digital pulse monitor, one minute prior to the crime scenario, with a burst of 60db (low) white noise, 75db (moderate) white noise or 90db (high) white noise. Participants were later asked to complete a forced choice cued recall questionnaire to determine whether or not extraversion and arousal had affected the accuracy of recall of the crime scenario. It is hypothesized that (a) for introverts, recall will be better when arousal is low and will be impaired when arousal is high, compared to controls, whereas, (b) for extraverts, recall will be better when arousal is moderate and will be impaired when arousal is low, compared to controls. Results were satistically insignificant.

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate how warning instructions informing participants about the false memory phenomena could reduce the recall of false memories of an event. A total of 60 undergraduate students saw a 40 second video clip depicting an auto-motorcycle accident. Participants received either neutral instructions or warning instructions prior to watching the video clip. Later, participants were exposed to either correct or misleading post-event information and warning instructions correctly recalled more events than those who did not receive a warning. Results suggest that warning instructions given prior to the encoding of an event to participants who received misleading post-event information can help reduce the occurrence of false memories. Further, warnings given to participants who received correct post-event information resulted in an increase in false recall.

To determine which model (Familiarity, Escape Routes, or Food Danger) best predicts where a rat will move food items varying in weight, eight male Long-Evans hooded rats (Rattus norvegicus) were allowed to forage on a four-arm radial maze. In Condition 1, food items varying in weight were placed on the arms of the maze; in Condition 2, food items varying in weight were placed in the center of the maze. In Condition 1, the rats increasingly carried food to the center of the maze as the food size increased. Results were confirmed by statistical analyses F(5,35)=20.40. In Condition 2, the rats increasingly carried food to the arms of the maze as the food size increased. Results were confirmed by statistical analyses F(5,35)=4.00. This study provides support for the food danger model as well as new information concerning the factors that influence optimal foraging in rats. The implications and limitations of foraging on the maze are discussed.

Multiple studies have found gender differences in spatial ability with males outperforming females. Most findings have been in the preadolescent to adult range, with few significant findings in children. A recent meta-analysis has suggested that gender differences in spatial ability probably exist in children but haven't been detected, due to children having a less advanced cognitive level than adults. A pencil and paper test of mental rotations was given to 6,8 & 10 year old children to give a cross sectional sample of any developing gender differences in spatial ability. There were no significant gender differences in spatial ability, but there were significant differences between the age groups, demonstrating that spatial ability does increase with age.

Do mathematical abilities appear to develop gradually in response to society's expectations, or do they develop relatively suddenly at puberty? Girls and boys from fourth grade, eighth grade and twelfth completed a questionnaire regarding attitudes toward mathematics. Three measures of attitude were used; confidence in mathematics, usefulness of mathematics, and mathematics as a "girls domain". A statistically significant gender difference was found between girls' and boys' attitudes toward mathematics overall. The difference was almost entirely due to the measure of mathematics as a "girls domain". A statistically significant grade difference in confidence of ability to succeed at mathematics was found; confidence increased from grade four to grade eight, then decreased again in grade twelve. A downward trend for girls was found in two of the three dimensions of attitude measured, consistent with previous research. Over grade levels, girls show an increased negativity toward mathematics as a "girl domain". The data suggest that there are multiple dimensions of attitude. More research is needed on the sub-dimensions of attitude, rather than attitude as a global whole.

To what extent does each gender recall details of an event? This study examines the accuracy of each gender on the basis of 6 categories: verbal vs. looking, clothes vs. appearance, and actions vs. things/surroundings. Approximately an hour following a brief interruption and announcement by a target person, a 30-item questionnaire was distributed asking detailed questions about the target person and the announcement that was made. The only statistically significant finding was that females recalled significantly more visual information when viewing another female as opposed to viewing a male. There was no other significant differences.

Fifty-six subjects were used to study gender differences in reward allocation under three conditions. The conditions used were competitive, cooperative and neutral. There were sixteen subjects in the competitive condition, twenty-two subjects in the cooperative condition and eighteen subjects in the neutral condition. Each subject was assigned either a same gender partner or an opposite gender partner upon entering the testing situation. Each subject was either instructed: to work with his/her partner (cooperative) on a word search task, to work independently, not sharing his/her answers with his/her partner (competitive) or simply to complete the word search task (neutral). The subjects had 2 minutes to complete the task. The results were collected and each subject was then asked to complete a questionnaire. After completing the questionnaire, each subject was told that they had performed better than their partner and was asked to divide 7 points between themselves and their partner. A factorial ANOVA was used to analyze the results. No significant differences were found between males and females between subjects' perceptions or the between the three conditions.

Age, attractiveness and gender are important variables in determining conviction rates, sentence length and social desirability. The purpose of the present study was to examine the interactive effects of attractiveness, age and gender on degree of guilt and length of sentence, as well as the relationship of degree of guilt and length of sentence on social desirability. Results indicated no significant interaction between age, attractiveness and gender but show trends similar to those demonstrated in past research. Younger defendants received higher social desirability ratings than older defendants, and older females received the lowest social desirability rating in comparison to other groups. There was no significant relationship between social desirability and either degree of guilt or sentence length suggesting that further research needs to be done with a larger sample.

Hope, a key construct in positive psychology, is comprised of agency, and pathways thinking. Agency thinking is the ability to initiate, and sustain motivation, while pathways thinking is the ability to generate the multiple strategies needed to attain goals. Higher levels of hope facilitate positive life changes. Nurturing hope in women who face many challenges when trying to escape poverty may coincide with the acquisition of other valuable skills. aidha, a not-for-profit organization in Singapore, provides entrepreneurial skills training to female migrant domestic workers from the Philippines, and Indonesia, and appears to foster hope. It was hypothesized that aidha’s “Managing Your Money” course increases hope by activating agency, and pathways thinking, and that adding ajoumaling exercise to focus on their future goals would further increase hope. Scores on the Hope Scale significantly increased for both the agency, and pathways thinking subscales. However, the journaling exercise did not enhance this effect. Implications, and future applications are discussed.

Altruism, the act of giving, is common in non-human animals in the form of reciprocal altruism (tit-for-tat). Among humans, altruism can be both reciprocal and pure (the donor receives no physical benefit). Research indicates that altruistic acts, such as making a donation, activate the brain’s pleasure centres. The bystander effect, the phenomena where people are either inhibited or encouraged to perform an action when in the presence of others, depending on the number of people around, also appears to have an effect on the frequency of altruistic acts. This thesis examines whether people are more likely to perform an altruistic act in the presence of others (bystanders) and if this in turn results in greater levels of happiness compared to levels of happiness following an altruistic act performed in the absence of others. The results are framed in the context of the evolutionary perspective of psychology.

Viewing attractive women can negatively influence mens' judgements of the attractiveness of average looking women. This is called The Charlie's Angels Effect (Kenrick and Gutierres, 1980). This study examined whether a similar effect would be found for female subjects. Eighty-three female university students viewed yearbook photographs of either attractive females (HF), unattractive females (LF), attractive males (HM), unattractive males (LM), or no pictures. After viewing the photographs, participants rated photographs of average-looking men and women. They also rated their own physical attractiveness and completed the Stanley Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. The ratings of average looking men were influenced by exposure to attractive or unattractive men. Women exposed to highly attractive men rated average looking men as less attractive and conversely women exposed to less attractive men rated average looking men as more attractive. The results demonstrates that the Charlie's Angels effect is evident in women when judging the attractiveness of men. No effect was found self-evaluations, on judging the attractiveness of other women or on the subjects' self-esteem scores.

Research on personality type and susceptibility to suggestion has indicated a potential link between a person’s personality type and susceptibility. Unknown, however, are other factors potentially involved in susceptibility and how all of these variables interact to affect susceptibility to suggestion. The current study examines the differences between personality types and suggestibility to suggestion among students, and how they vary with gender, education level, religious beliefs, mood and belief of horoscopes to determine whether or not these factors influence how susceptible a person is. Personality types are either neurotic/stable or extraverted/introverted, and the extent to how gullible each personality type is examined by giving participants a real or fake horoscope and to judge its accuracy. Results indicate that certain personality types are not more susceptible to suggestion and that introverts and extraverts do not vary in their belief of horoscopes. Further research is needed in order to determine what makes a person more susceptible to suggestion.

An evolutionary perspective of mate selection suggests that men and women should select mates differently. Mate selection is based on choosing partners that will help an individual have reproductive success. This means that women should tend to place importance on traits that signify status and resourcefulness, traits which indicate the man is a good provider; whereas men should place more value on youthful features and health which may signify fertility. In this study young and elderly women aged 18-54 and 59-86 rated four photo's that ranged in age and attractiveness: (a) an attractive young man, (b) an unattractive young man, (c) an elderly attractive man and (d) and elderly unattractive man. Subjects rated the photo on 38 personality traits and 6 traits described as resourceful by Buss (1989) on a 7 point Likert scale. Results were analyzed for an effect of an attractiveness bias and resourcefulness. The results indicate that the attractive male photographs were deemed as more socially desirable than the unattractive male photographs as higher in resourcefulness than the elderly male photographs. Also the attractive male photographs were rated as higher in resourcefulness than the unattractive male photographs.

Spatial ability is a part of memory that is responsible for recording information about one’s environment and its spatial orientation. For example, a person’s spatial memory is required in order to navigate around a familiar city, just as a rat’s spatial memory is needed to learn the location of food at the end of a maze. This current study focuses on whether sex differences appear on such spatially loaded tasks. Research has shown that males do in fact perform better on spatial loaded tasks than females. Participants were to remember the location of a red dot on a rotating rectangle on two tasks. The first task included featural information, (a white stripe on one side) and the other task had no featural information. On the first task, no differences were found. On the second task males performed differently. Results of the study indicate that males relied purely on geometric properties of the rectangle while females relied more on featural information when locating a target in the environment.

This study compared responses to a deafness suggestion amongst subjects administered one of three conditions: hypnosis + suggestion (i.e., reals), simulating instructions (simulators-instructed to fake excellent hypnotic responding) or suggestion-alone (i.e.,cognitives) without hypnosis. Each group contained 12 high and 12 low hypnotizable participants. Reals and simulators were administered a hypnotic induction, followed by a unilateral (i.e., left-ear) deafness suggestion; cognitives were given the unilateral deafness suggestion, without a hypnotic induction. All subjects were administered the stenger Test of Audition test during the deafness-trial and again on a final post deafness trial. The stenger Test is designed to assess the degree and veracity of deafness reports. Reported deafness levels were indistinguishable amongst high-reals, low-cognitives and high-cognitives; all three of these groups reported lower levels of deafness compared to the simulating group. The latter group demonstrated a pattern of response consistent with faking deafness, a response for which the Stenger Test is designed to measure. The findings suggest lend support to the hypothesis that deafness does not uniquely characterize highly suggestible hypnotic subjects; in addition, the differences between reals and simulators reflect contextual demands on real subjects to report their deafness experience accurately.

The hypothesis that depressives are better implicit learners than non-depressives was tested. Forty subjects were assigned to depressed and non-depressed groups using the Beck Depression Inventory. Strings of letters formed by a complex rule system were used to test for the presence of rule learning. Half of each group was given explicit learning instructions on the rule induction task; consequently, the other half was given instructions to memorize stimulus items only, thus inducing implicit learning. Results show an overall main effect of instructions but no significant distinction could be made between depressed and non-depressed groups. The theoretical basis of implicit learning strategies as a possible causal element of depression within the context of Learned Helplessness/Hopelessness theories was discussed.

The present study examines locus of control (LOC) as a determinant of risk taking behaviour. Sixty participants scoring in the top (Internal) and bottom (External) quartiles on the Rotter I-E Control Scale were employed in the second phase of the experiment. These two groups of 30 were further subdivided into a contingent and non-contingent procedural manipulation. Participants were then asked to play a pre-programmed computer memory game and invited to risk points afterwards. It was hypothesized that there will be an interaction between the effects of personal trait LOC and situational contingency on how much participants will risk. Specifically, it is expected that internally-controlled participants will risk more in contingent situations and, externally-controlled will risk more non-contingent situations. Results confirmed a significant interaction. All sub-comparisons were in the direction predicted, but only one (the difference between Internals and Externals in the non-contingent situation) achieved statistical significance.

Often the stimulation of one sense will have an effect on another: this phenomenon is known as synesthesia (Mayer, 1961). Previous research has suggested that synesthetic factors are involved in the association of color and music (Karwoski & Odbert, 1938). Most of this research has been of a correlational or subjective nature. In the current study 63 subjects participated in a three color discrimination task, in which 180 match to sample trials were presented, while subjects were exposed to three selections of classical music. Each of these three selections had been associated to one of three colors used in this study, in an earlier investigation (Cutietta & Haggerty, 1987). It was predicted that more errors would occur when the music was mismatched to the color sample. The findings in this study did not concur with the predicted results but they demonstrate the complexity of trying to deal with the subject of synesthesia.

Is accuracy of eyewitness testimony decreased when witnesses are questioned in front of others, rather than privately? Does the presence of others impact the effect of misleading questions? First year university students (N=40) viewed a videotaped murder scene and then answered leading or non-leading questions privately or in front of 3 confederates who had viewed the same video and were potentially able to contradict the answers. As predicted, accuracy was significantly lower in the public answering group (F=(1,36)=13.790,p<.001). However, no significant differences were observed for question type (F=(1,36)=3.59,ns), and there was no interaction between question type and setting (F(1,36)=.144,ns).

126 subjects filled out questionnaires designed to identify individuals who intended to exercise regularly but did not were assigned to either a control group or one of two treatment groups. The first treatment group (TR1) viewed a videotape consisting of up-to-date exercise information. They received information emphasizing the idea exercise does not have to be tiresome. The second group (TR2) received identical treatment and received time-management information to assist in incorporating regular exercise into weekly schedules. Telephone follow-up after one month showed significant differences between exercise habits of control group and TR2 only. Results are interpred as indicating that with appropriate intervention, barriers preventing regular exercise can be removed by persons who have intentions to exercise.

Social loafing is the finding that individuals put out less effort in a group than when working alone. This effect can be ameliorated by increasing the individual's motivation. Feedback has been used successfully as a motivator in performance-oriented settings but not in the social loafing paradigm. To test the hypothesis that feedback would moderate the social loafing effect, a 2 (non pooled vs. pooled) x 4 (quality, quantity, both, no feedback) factorial design was used. Accuracy and latency scores within four person groups were compared across feedback conditions in a letter reversal task using undergraduate university students. Feedback types had a differential effect on groups and individuals whereas the social loafing replication showed no significant differences. Latency was a more sensitive measure than accuracy and this was explained in terms of the ease of the task. Applications to the area of sport psychology are discussed.

Previous research has established that sensory sensitivities may produce specific sensory preferences. These sensory modalities influence an individual's learning style and impact their academic achievement. Sensory sensitivity may also affect an individual's threshold of tolerance. The purpose of this study was to examine sensory profiles in a normal population and their relationship to academic achievement and academic discipline choices. This study used the Adult Sensory Profile that had not been previously used in educational research. The adult Sensory Profile is a measure of a person's threshold of tolerance against their behavioural response to sensory stimuli. Although no significant differences were found in this study, the results indicated that there might be a sensory behaviour associated with university students.

Rotter's I/E scale was administered to 50 students at Algoma University. Scores were rank ordered and counterbalanced for group assignment. The Active group had several choice prior to the experiment (room, list, seating arrangement). The other group, the passive group, were simply informed of their conditions. Subject were tested on a modified Jensen Alternation Board. The subjects attempted to guess which switch would be correct in a pattern. A light was illuminated to indicate a correct guess. Then subjects completed a questionnaire measuring their perceived success, their confidence in guessing, whether correct guesses were due to luck or skill, and whether a pattern was perceived in the guessing task. In the Active group, high internal scores on the Rotter scale correlated with increased confidence ratings (r=.396). Correlations were stronger in the Active group overall (t=3.25, a=0.025). The active group also showed a slightly higher tendency to perceive a pattern (X2=1.33, a=0.025). There were no other statistically significant results.

This study study investigates the effect of practice order and initial hand performance on laterality. Thirty-two right handed subjects, ages 19-42, performed 3 trials on a manual dexterity task (General Aptitude Test Battery- Turn) with each hand. Half of the subjects performed with their preferred hand first, using the nonpreferred hand on the subsequent 3 trials. The order of administration was reversed for the other subjects. Each subject also completed the Quick Neurological Screening Test. The degree of manual specialization (functional asymmetry between the hands) on the pegboard task was not correlated with performance on the Quick Neurological Screening Test (QNST). Level of manual dexterity (total number of pegs turned) was correlated with the QNST. Both hands showed improvement over practice, but the preferred hand superiority existed. Order of administration influenced laterality, with the left/right order of administration showing more manual specialization than the reversed order of administration. The results provide support for left hemisphere control of movement sequencing. The effect of practice order and hand performance on laterality is discussed.

Marriage Enrichment focuses on enhancing relationships through the teaching of interpersonal skills. Such new skills should help promote positive attitudinal changes and increase satisfaction within the relationship. This experiment used a less direct intervention than those researched previously to study the effect of short-term video enrichment on a couple's view of their marriage. Couples were assigned to one of three conditions. Two marital skills training video intervention programs aimed at increasing couple communication and satisfaction and a third video which did not attempt to teach skills were used in this experiment. Thirty married couples were assigned to groups on the basis on pre-test scores. The Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) and Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) were used to assess marital satisfaction at pre-test, posttest and follow-up. A repeated-measures analysis revealed significant increases in marital satisfaction scores from pre-test to follow up for the "Learning to Live Together" video intervention. The "Your Marriage" and the "Statistics on Marriage" groups showed no significant increases.

The current study examines awareness of food intake when cues such as visibility and distraction are manipulated. Popcorn was provided in either a clear bowl (high visibility) o a bag (low visibility) while participants were either watching a movie (high distraction) or not (low distraction). Although not statistically significant (due to high variability), there was a pattern towards more popcorn being eaten in the low visibility/high distraction group and less popcorn being eaten in the high visibility/low distraction group. The study also showed that people underestimated how much they ate when they watched a movie and ate a bag of popcorn. Nine out often people in the low visibility/high distraction group were not aware of, and could not accurately report, how much popcorn they ate. We can conclude that although food intake may not always be influenced by visibility and distraction, awareness is influenced by these environmental cues.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the relative value of previous hockey performance as measured by draft rank, and emotional intelligence for predicting current success of professional hockey players. Two indices of hockey success were used, namely number of NHL games played and number of NHL points. Each served as the criterion variable in a multiple regression analysis. The predictor variables included draft rank and total score on the EQ-I, along with its 5 composite scores and 15 sub-factor scores. The findings indicate that individual draft rank and subfactor measures of emotional intelligence did not predict either index of player success. Ancillary analyses indicated that one measure of EQ-I did indeed predict one measure of hockey performance; specifically, impulse control was negatively related to NHL penalty minutes (r=.32). The findings indicated that although it is the single factor most commonly used to predict hockey success and upon which compensation is based, draft rank, by itself, does not predict hockey success. Non-hockey skills, such as emotional intelligence also did not uniquely contribute to the prediction; however, when considered together, draft rank and five subfactors of the EQ-I, did significantly predict hockey success, as measured by the number of NHL games played, indicating that success is likely based on a consideration of hockey skills and emotional skills.

The present study investigated the moderating effects of the need for cognition (NFC) on the attractiveness bias. Based on previous research suggesting that people low in NFC are more strongly influenced by peripheral cues (e.g., attractiveness), it was expected that such individuals in the present study would exhibit stronger attractiveness biases than individuals high in NFC. Male and female participants, high and low in NFC, rated four photographs that varied in attractiveness and sex: (a) an attractive male, (b) an attractive female, (C) an unattractive male, (d) an unattractive female. Each participant rated a single photo on 17 personality traits using a 7-point scale. The results indicated that both high and low NFC participants evidenced an attractiveness bias, however, that of the low NFC participants was found to be significantly stronger. This pattern of findings suggests that previous assumptions about the pervasiveness of the bias need to be modified to include the moderating effects of the individual differences variable, need for cognition.

Previous research has identified a positive correlation between fine motor skills of the hands and verbal abilities including comprehension and articulation. The present study examined the effect of practicing tasks to improve motor coordination on speech articulation. Sixteen children in junior and senior kindergarten were pre-tested on measures of manual dexterity and articulation. On the basis of their scores, children were assigned to 1 of 4 groups: gross motor activities, fine motor activities, verbal activities or regular classroom activities. The children practiced their activities for 20 minutes each day for one week, after which they were tested again on manual dexterity and articulation. The results were analyzed for improvements within the groups and for differences in improvements between the groups. Results are discussed in relation to previous findings.

Optimism and laughter serve as buffers to the negative aspects of stress; the current study examined potential differences in these effects between aboriginal and non-aboriginal populations. Participants included 36 university and college students; 14 were aboriginal and 22 were non-aboriginal. Participants were given a Life Orientation Test - Revised (LOT-R) by Scheier & Carver (1985) to assess optimism, a 5 minute stress induction and a Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) to assess current mood after the stress induction and after the video condition. Both positive and negative affect dropped significantly in the non-humourous condition. In the humourous condition negative affect dropped significantly but positive affect did not. Aboriginals were found to be slightly more optimistic than non-aboriginals. A discussion follows in regards to further areas of research.

This study examines the effects that parent responsiveness may have on a child’s relationship satisfaction as an adult. Participants were divided into two independent groups; those currently married (N=6) and those in a relationship and not cohabitating (N=12). Participants completed a preliminary survey, the Parental Caregiving Style Questionnaire, and the Marital Satisfaction Inventory (MSI-R). Results indicated that a responsive parenting style during childhood results in greater relationship satisfaction as an adult. This relationship was strong in regards to maternal responsiveness, (R2=t 0.717), but not in regards to paternal responsiveness (R2= -0.137). These findings suggest that the quality of interactions between maternal caregivers and their children is directly related to the satisfaction the child will have in relationships as an adult.

Bullying is increasing in schoolyards around the world at an alarming rate and with fatal consequences. The current study examines whether Child and Youth Workers (CYW) and Social Service Workers (SSW) differ in their ability to identify bullying acts, and which form of bullying, covert or overt, is identified more frequently. I hypothesized that CYW would better identify bullying acts than SSW because their schooling is more directed towards working with children. Past research has shown that overt forms of bullying are easier to identify than covert forms. I therefore hypothesized that overt bullying acts would more likely be identified than covert acts. While there were no differences among the groups in their identification accuracy, overt bullying acts were more frequently identified than covert acts. The results suggest that training to identify covert acts of bullying should occur during training, as these types of acts can be equally as damaging to the victim.