bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cognitive and Tactical Dimensions of Conversational Goal Management
Authors: Waldron Vincent R. , Cegala Donald J. , Sharkey William F. , Teboul Bruno
Published: March 2007

Rationalist depictions of conversational behaviour assume that communicators engage in a good deal of goal-directed thinking and that such thinking guides message production. The current study used a cued-recall method (Cegala et al., 1988) to investigate the composition of conversational cognition and to investigate the relationship between cognitions and tactics. Results indicated that goal-oriented cognition was prominent but that non-strategic thoughts were more frequent. In addition, results indicated that individuals using tactics of low, moderate, and high levels of goal management sophistication had qualitatively different conversational cognitions. Finally, partner tactics appeared to influence the composition of conversational cognition.
Speech Adjustments to Aging During a Referential Communication Task
Authors: Kemper Susan , Vandepute Dixie , Rice Karla , Cheung Him , Gubarchuk Julia
Published: March 2007

This study used a referential communication task to investigate the effectiveness of elderspeak, a speech register targeted at older listeners. The tasks required the listener to reproduce a route drawn on a map or array of dots, following the speaker's instructions. Dyads of young-young, old-old, and young-old adults were compared with regard to measures of fluency, prosody, grammatical complexity, semantic content, and speaker and listener style. Although the older speakers showed little variation in response to listener age or task difficulty, the young speakers adopted a simplified speech style when addressing the older listeners. These simplifications may have been triggered by the verbal responses of the older listeners. Older listeners did benefit from these speech adjustments with regard to the accuracy of their maps and dot patterns. Despite the effectiveness of the young adults' speech adjustments, older adults reported more expressive and receptive problems when interacting with the young adults.
Message Variables That Mediate and Moderate the Effect of Equivocal Language on Source Credibility
Authors: Hamilton Mark A.
Published: March 2007

Equivocation is advisable as a persuasive strategy only under limited conditions. Information-processing theory was used to model the effect of precise language on receiver evaluations of message and source. Path analyses found that the effects of language intensity (specificity and opinionatedness) on ratings of source competence and trust-worthiness were mediated by language perceptions and message evaluation variables such as assessed argument quality. The effect of language intensity on trustworthiness was mediated by attributions of either source bias or intolerance of discrepant opinions. Meta-analyses found that message discrepancy and personalization of the issue made the effects of intense language on competence more negative, whereas better quality arguments made the effect of intensity on competence and trustworthiness more positive.
The Use of Stored Text in Computer-Aided Conversation:
Authors: Todman John , Rankin David , File Portia
Published: March 2007

Augmentative communication (AC) systems with synthesized speech output have been developed for nonspeaking people. Most AC devices that aim to support social conversation have been designed to help the user generate novel utterances as quickly as possible. However, they remain too slow to support effective, real-time conversation. Preconstructed phrases have been shown capable of supporting socially effective conversations with a succession of new partners when the phrases are stored within a structure that models pragmatic aspects of natural conversation. The extent to which prestored text can be effective in repeated conversations with the same person, where most phrases are not reusable, was investigated in a single-case experimental design. Results indicated that the AC user’s conversational rate with a repeat partner was faster, without any accompanying loss of social effectiveness. Furthermore, the user did not need to resort to on-line entry of text more frequently with the repeat partner than with new partners. Implications for the design of AC systems and for the understanding of the pragmatics of conversation are discussed.
Promoting Reflection on Headship Through the Mentoring Mirror
Authors: Pocklington Keith , Weindling Dick
Published: March 2007

This article reports some findings from a national evaluation of the Department for Education pilot headteacher mentoring scheme in the UK. It suggests that the new headteachers involved reported having benefited from mentoring in a number of ways. First, it offered a means whereby they could raise matters of concern and receive appropriate advice. Second, it gave them an opportunity to reflect on the role of the headteacher, and thus to improve their understanding of it. Third, it enabled them to develop a broader and more balanced perspective on headship. Fourth, it constituted a form of personal support. Fifth, it served as an emotional relief. The mentors involved acknowledged the gains listed above and also identified other benefits both for themselves and for those they were mentoring.
Impoverishing a Sense of Professionalism
Authors: Bottery Mike , Wright Nigel
Published: March 2007

Teachers' professional development is crucial to the quality of any society. Even so, there is growing evidence of deprofessionalization in teaching. This paper asks why this has happened and who is to blame. Using extensive data on INSET priorities collected from secondary schools in the UK, it concludes that while government policies have contributed to this phenomenon this is not the whole story. Instead, it suggests that there seems to be some reluctance in schools and among teachers to determine and provide INSET opportunities designed to develop and enhance the profession and the notion of professionalism.
Cosmopolitan Art and Cultural Citizenship
Authors: Chaney David
Published: March 2007

The article begins by noting that the widespread assumption that the social basis of more difficult or cosmopolitan art has been undermined in later modernity should lead to blander, less controversial art. An alternative interpretation is briefly described in which cosmopolitan art has become a spectacular tourist attraction. Significant questions that would follow such a development are: how national cultural institutions have been co-opted into a global spectacular culture and whether the work displayed in these settings can be radically critical of dominant social values; and the implications of the development of a public culture focused on spectacular attractions for notions of cultural citizenship. In the article these questions are explored through a brief history of changing attitudes and values in British public culture, leading to a suggestion that we are experiencing an era of cultural fragmentation. The article concludes with a consideration of the possibilities for cultural citizenship in these changing circumstances.
Gender, Diversity And Risk Assessment In Canadian Corrections
Authors: Shaw Margaret , Hannah-Moffat Kelly
Published: March 2007

Margaret Shaw and Kelly Hannah-Moffat consider the discriminatory implications of risk-based classification systems and of actuarial risk assessment tools in the Canadian correctional system.
Conciliation: A Dilemma for the Divorce Court Welfare Service
Authors: Davis Gwynn
Published: March 2007

In recent years the task of conciliation has gained favour among lawyers and probation officers. In a review of four approaches to conciliation the author both evaluates its successes and outlines the implications for practice and the organisation of the Probation Service.
Juvenile Courts: Have they Outgrown their Usefulness?
Authors: McCabe Sarah
Published: March 2007

Proposals for a radical reform of Juvenile Justice, in the light of experience in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Social Skills Training in Practice
Authors: Hudson Barbara
Published: March 2007

It is easy to see why probation workers have embraced social skills training with offenders. It isn't difficult to learn and seems to provide a means to help clients and address their offending behaviour. But does it work? The author concludes that we can present only a modest case for social skills training with certain offenders.
ICEVI Europe: Leading up to Cracow
Authors: Gresnigt Herman A. A.
Published: March 2007

This Paper briefly describes the goals and structure of the world organisation of the International Council for the Education of People with a Visual Impairment (ICEVI) and the activities in its European region. Subjects dealt with include: integration and inclusion; early intervention; multi-disabled visually impaired people (MDVI); vocational training and employment; teacher training.
Hungary: Changing Attitudes in the Education of Children and Youth with a Visual Impairment
Authors: Kovács Krisztina , Kovács Krisztina
Published: March 2007

The author gives an overview of the history and present situation of the education of children with a visual impairment in Hungary. A survey of the different services shows that they began long before they had a legal basis. Hungary has sound laws but the economic situation, even though it has substantially developed, is still not so strong as to provide enough financial support for programmes. The number of itinerant teachers is not sufficient, mainstreamed children are not equipped well enough and the price of access technology is extremely high. An Eastern European Network for Access Technology (Project EENAT) aims to address many aspects of access technology. The main challenge and development in this field is Windows accessibility in the Eastern and Central European region.
RNIB: Beyond 2000
Authors: Bruce Ian , Hadi Fazilet
Published: March 2007

The Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) is the United Kingdom's largest and most comprehensive organisation meeting the needs and promoting the interests of people who are blind or partially sighted. This Paper summarises RNIB's Strategic Directions for 2000-2006. The RNIB tries to base its strategy on the needs and wishes of people with serious sight problems. We have just completed our strategy for 1994-2000 and here we describe our strategic directions for 2000-2006, drawn up by Trustees following wide consultation with managers, staff, volunteers and other interested organisations.
First steps towards a model of tactile graphicacy
Authors: Aldrich Frances , Sheppard Linda , Hindle Yvonne
Published: March 2007

This paper describes our initial steps towards developing a model of how blind people comprehend tactile graphics. In the first half of the paper we set out the aims of the model, and then consider other key issues such as the nature and scope of the model, the information it must incorporate and the outcomes it should provide. In the second half of the paper we present our ideas for the model itself, outlining the four facets that make it up - perceptual processing, cognitive skills, knowledge and cognitive development Throughout the paper we raise questions for open debate and invite feedback on our ideas.
Cultivating new relationships to digital assistive technologies
Authors: Bhargava Rahul
Published: March 2007

Blind and visually impaired people have intimate relationships with the digital assistive technologies that they rely on for carrying out their everyday tasks, but have no tools for designing and creating their own such devices. This paper documents the adaptation and extension of an existing computational construction kit, enabling visually impaired learners to write programs to control a Programmable Brick - a microcomputer that can then interact with the world via sensors, speech synthesis and numerous other actuators. Using an initial technology implementation, a series of activities were carried out with a small group of visually impaired teenagers. A case study is presented to highlight specific domains of knowledge that were discovered to be especially relevant for this community. Reflections from this initial study are presented in hopes of changing how visually impaired children are encouraged to relate to digital assistive technologies.
Survey of educational provision for blind and partially sighted children in England, Scotland and Wales in 2002
Authors: Keil Sue , Keil Sue
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this paper is to present a summary of the main findings from a postal questionnaire survey of local education authority (LEA) visual impairment (VI) services in England, Scotland and Wales that was carried out by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) in 2002. A population estimate of just under 24,000 blind and partially sighted children aged 0-16 in Britain was obtained, 50% of whom have additional disabilities. Comparison with data from a similar type of RNIB survey carried out in 1997 indicates that the pattern of educational placement has not changed over the past five years, with around six in ten visually impaired pupils between the ages of five and 16 being educated in the mainstream sector.
The Cheyne Symbol System
Authors: Jackson Michael
Published: March 2007

The early development of language is briefly outlined and some of the problems caused by visual handicap are identified. A system of tactile communication symbols is described which may be of help to severely handicapped children unable to speak because of physical or sensory impairments in addition to blindness.
A Research Project On Computer Assisted Learning for the Visually Handicapped
Authors: Blenkhorn Paul , Tobin Michael
Published: March 2007

On 1st September 1983, the Research Centre for the Education of the Visually Handicapped at Birmingham University started a three-year research project into Computer Assisted Learn ing (CAL) in the education of the blind and partially sighted. What follows is an outline of the major aims of the project and how they are to be tackled.
The National Library for the Blind: beginning a second century
Authors: Leach Allan
Published: March 2007

After tracing briefly the history o f the NLB from its beginnings in 1882, Allan Leach outlines the spectacular changes which the use of computers will bring to the future book production of the library - in braille, large print and moon.
Functional communication in blind multiply-impaired children: a case study
Authors: Dean Elizabeth C. , Aitken Stuart
Published: March 2007

This paper reports the implementation ofa programme designed to improve functional communication skills in a small group of multiply handicapped boys. The children were aged between 12 and 14 and had significant visual and educational impairments. The paper describes the issues which had to be dealt with in setting up and running such a programme. The encouraging results gained are discussed and conclusions are drawn which will inform future work.
Functional communication in the multiply-impaired pre-school child: a case stu dy
Authors: Aitken Stuart , Dean Elizabeth C.
Published: March 2007

This study is related to the paper 'Functional communication in blind multiply-impaired children' (Dean and Aitken, 1986). The difference is that this is a single case study and that the child concerned is much younger. Results show marked improvement over those of the previous study. The criteria of evaluation suggest that the factor responsible for improvement was the specific intervention. The results have implications for intervention, assessment and theories of the nature o f language acquisition.
A digital daily at your fingertips
Authors: Wright lan
Published: March 2007

The author describes a current experiment which gives visually impaired people access to the full text of the day's Guardian.
Part 1: Perceptual and cognitive processes: their implications for visually impaired persons
Authors: Foulke Emerson , Hatlen Philip H.
Published: March 2007

When we consider technology, we usually have in mind applications made possible by findings in physics and chemistry. However, applications of the findings of perception and cognition also constitute a significant body of knowledge, and educators are the learning engineers who tend this body of knowledge. In this article the capacities of perceptual systems are reviewed, and there is a discussion of the information that, in the absence of visual perception, must be acquired in other ways by blind and visually impaired persons. An effort is made to show how the develop ment of blind and visually impaired infants and children can be guided by using knowledge of the perceptual and cognitive processes available to them. The closing argument is that the blind and visually impaired persons whose development has been shaped by wise applications of the findings of perception and cognition are the ones who are prepared to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by technology - as it is ordinarily understood. The article is in two parts.
Blurred Vision: A Study of the Use of Low Vision Aids by Visually Impaired Secondary School Pupils
Authors: Mason Heather L.
Published: March 2007

During a 12-month research project to examine the usage of low vision aids by pupils with a visual impairment in UK mainstream secondary schools, the reasons for rejection of the Low Vision Aids (LVAs) were examined. Interestingly, in some instances, conflicting perceptions came from the pupils themselves and from their specialist teachers. It became clear that not all teachers had clearly defined criteria for judging if LVAs were being used effectively to support access to the curriculum and to bring about great independence on behalf of the user. Whilst peer pressure is a major reason for rejection a wider range of issues emerged relating to classroom practice. Only part of the findings are reported in this paper.
An Individual Difference Explanation of Why Married Couples Engage in the Demand/Withdraw Pattern of Conflict
Authors: Caughlin John P. , Vangelisti Anita L.
Published: March 2007

Demand/withdraw is a pattern in which one spouse nags or complains while the other spouse avoids or withdraws. Given the fact that demand/withdraw has been repeatedly linked to marital discord, it is important to understand why couples engage in such a seemingly dissatisfying conflict pattern. Although several scholars have suggested that power differences between men and women lead to demand/withdraw, the research reported here focused on an alternative explanation: That individual differences are important contributors to demand/withdraw communication. In particular, two models connecting individual differences to demand/withdraw were examined. The first model, a self-influence model, suggested that individuals' attributes primarily affect their own communication behaviors. The second model, a relational influence model, posited that individuals' characteristics affect the extent that the couple (i.e., both partners) engages in demand/withdraw. Results supported both the self-influence and relational influence models. These findings imply that individual differences do contribute to demand/withdraw and suggest that there is a need for future research to investigate the exact nature of the association between individual differences and the demand/withdraw pattern of marital conflict.
Gendered Conflict, Identity Disruption, and Marital Instability: Expanding Gottman's Model
Authors: Pasley Kay , Kerpelman Jennifer , Guilbert Douglas E.
Published: March 2007

We propose a mid-range conceptual model integrating three somewhat disparate areas of research to provide an understanding of key factors that lead to marital instability. These areas are the influence of gender on marital instability, the negativity and distancing behaviors in marriage, and identity theory. We develop and discuss a model that posits that incongruencies between spouses in gender beliefs, expectations, and behaviors affect marital instability through negative marital interactions, causing identity disruption and resulting in distancing, marital instability, and, in some cases, divorce.
Implicit Decision-Making in Family Caregiving
Authors: Pecchioni Loretta L.
Published: March 2007

Thirty-six independent, community-dwelling mothers (aged 54-87 years) and their adult daughters (aged 26-58 years) were interviewed regarding how they would go about making caregiving decisions in the future. The mothers indicated that they would involve their daughters in the decision-making process. However, the vast majority (78.99%) indicated that they had not had, nor did they feel a need to have, explicit discussions regarding caregiving preferences. Two mechanisms were identified that help explain this feeling that further explicit discussions are not needed. One mechanism involved the daughter `knowing' the mother's preferences because the daughter knew the mother so well or had observed the mother providing care to an earlier generation. This building up of knowledge over the course of many years reflects an implicit decision-making style. The second mechanism involved denial. These mothers and daughters simply did not want to talk, or even think, about the mother declining, physically or mentally. As a consequence of this denial, the daughter, again, may have to rely on implicit assumptions about her mother's wishes should the mother need care.
Demands and Withdrawal in Newlyweds: Elaborating on the Social Structure Hypothesis
Authors: Vogel David L. , Karney Benjamin R.
Published: March 2007

Why is it that, when interacting about a marital problem, wives are more likely to make demands, whereas husbands are more likely to withdraw? The social structure hypothesis suggests that wives are more likely to demand because marital relationships tend to favor husbands, who are accordingly more committed to maintaining the status quo. To elaborate on this explanation, the current study used observational data to examine correlates of demand and withdraw behaviors in 82 newlywed couples. Analyses revealed that: (a) sex differences in demand/withdraw emerged only during discussions of problems selected by wives, (b) these differences were driven by differences in rates of demanding, not withdrawal, (c) demand and withdraw behaviors were not significantly associated in newlyweds, and (d) both behaviors were associated in predicted ways with how important the topic was to each spouse.
An Item Factor Analysis of the Original Relationship Inventory
Authors: Cramer Duncan
Published: March 2007

The original version of the Relationship Inventory (RI) was given to 169 subjects who completed it in terms of their current closest personal friend. The correlations between the sixty-nine items were factor-analysed using a principal-factor solution to determine whether or not the items represented the four postulated factors of empathy, congruence and level of and unconditionality of regard. Nineteen factors were extracted and rotated by the Varimax method. The first four factors reflected the four postulated factors, thus supporting the construct validity of the original RI.
Similarity and Attraction: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Neimeyer Robert A. , Mitchell Kelly A.
Published: March 2007

Although it is generally acknowledged that psychological similarity influences the development of same-sex friendship, empirical studies often fail to delineate the differential impact of attitude, personality, value, construct and structural similarity as predictors of attraction. The present naturalistic study examines the discriminability of these similarity subtypes, and notes the impact of each upon friendship formation over 8 weeks of assigned dyadic interaction. Factor analyses of the similarity subtypes reflected the emergent nature of relationship development, with greater subtype differentiation occurring over time. Regression analyses suggested that similarity subtypes may be hierarchically related, with some being more accessible than others for purposes of social comparison. More specifically, attitude similarity was a significant predictor of initial attraction across pairs, whereas only personality and cognitive-structural similarity predicted later attraction. With regard to overall relationship success, analyses of variance indicated that attitudinally similar dyads moved in the direction of greater attraction across time, whereas attitudinally dissimilar dyads tended to deteriorate in their level of mutual attraction. Results are broadly consistent with a filtering model of relationship development, which suggests a movement from relatively more superficial to relatively deeper levels of social comparison over the course of acquaintance.
A Biased Overview of the Study of Love
Authors: Shaver Phillip R. , Hazan Cindy
Published: March 2007

The field of relationship research is currently witnessing an explosion of interest in romantic love. Several theories have been proposed to explain various features of love. This article summarizes some of these and argues that they can be integrated within an attachment-theoretical framework. In the course of the argument, love is conceptualized in terms of emotion theory and as a complex of behavioral systems, involving attachment, caregiving and sex. Although a great deal of research remains to be done, the attachment-theoretical approach to love already offers several advantages over rival approaches.
Factors Underlying Friendship: An Analysis of Responses on the Acquaintance Description form in Relation to Wright's Friendship Model
Authors: Lea Martin
Published: March 2007

Wright provides a theoretical perspective of friendship based upon self-referent motives in which it is proposed that friendship is valued to the extent that it fulfils or facilitates the expression of self-referent rewards. The Acquaintance Description Form (ADF) has become an important measurement technique for studying personal relationships. Its construction rests partly on this theoretical perspective and partly on earlier empirical observations of friendship. The present study sought evidence to support Wright's theoretical model from an analysis of the factors underlying the responses of 105 subjects on the ADF. Maximum likelihood factor analysis was used to explore two-, three-, and four factor models. Using a combination of psychometric and statistical criteria, a four-factor model was selected as the most appropriate. The factor pattern was subjected to a large number of rotations of varying obliqueness, and a simple structure criterion was used to determine the terminal solution. The analysis revealed a moderately oblique four factor structure underlying friends' scores on eight ADF scales. Two factors described by the friendship model, friendship strength and tension/strain were identified, as well as two distinct categories of interpersonal reward: utilitarian rewards and self-referent rewards. The results of the study support the relevance of the central concepts of Wright's model for these friendships and the adequacy of the ADF as an operational measure.
Attachment Style and Verbal Descriptions of Romantic Partners
Authors: Feeney Judith A. , Noller Patricia
Published: March 2007

The present study investigated attachment style differences in subjects' reports of their romantic partners. The sample consisted of seventy-four undergraduates (thirty-seven males and thirty-seven females) who had been in a dating relationship for at least 1 month. Subjects supplied a verbal description of their current dating partner and later completed the single-item measure of attachment style developed by Hazan & Shaver (1987). The verbal reports were tape-recorded and transcribed. The transcripts were coded for spontaneous references to attachment related issues, and content scales were also developed to tap idealization, a number of aspects of relationship quality and attitudes towards the partner's social network (family and friends). The content of subjects' references to attachment-related issues was strongly related to their self-reported attachment style and was consistent with the essential characteristics of the three styles. The content scales revealed attachment style effects for scales measuring idealization, relationship quality and attitudes to partner's social network. Secure subjects showed intermediate levels of idealization and relatively favourable attitudes to the partner's family and made more references to positive relationship characteristics. The pattern of scores of avoidant subjects indicated a generally low level of emotional intensity, while the anxious/ ambivalent group obtained high scores on idealization. The results support questionnaire studies of attachment, in showing the importance of attachment-related issues to the experience of romantic love.
Romantic Jealousy as an Emotion Concept: A Prototype Analysis
Authors: Sharpsteen Don J.
Published: March 2007

A consensus is emerging that romantic jealousy is best defined in terms of a situation and is not itself an emotion. However, people use the term `jealousy' as an emotion concept, which suggests that the term may reliably describe more than a situation. Emotion concepts embody prototypes (ideas about the characteristic features of emotion events and the organization of those features) as well as theories about why these events have the features and organization they do (Clore & Ortony, 1991). 1 explored the prototype aspect of the concept `romantic jealousy'. A list of prototypic features was compiled and subjects were asked to rate the centrality of each feature to the concept `romantic jealousy'. These ratings were made reliably. Further, subjects' recognition of jealousy's features in a memory task (Study 1) and judgments of jealousy intensity (Study 2) were influenced by feature centrality. Thus two criteria for demonstrating prototype structure (that subjects find it meaningful to judge features in terms of their centrality to the concept and that centrality affects cognition) were met. The prototype structure could be explored further and used in conjunction with psychological theory as a framework for studying romantic jealousy.
Stages of Friendship Growth in Preadolescence as Related to Attachment History
Authors: Shulman Shmuel , Elicker James , Sroufe L. Alan
Published: March 2007

A process model of friendship formation in preadolescence is proposed in this article, and the continuity of early parent-child relationships (quality of attachment) with later friendship processes and peer competence is explored. Thirty-two preadolescents, subjects in a longitudinal study of attachment and subsequent social development, were observed in 4-week summer day camps. Those who had been securely attached with their caregivers as infants revealed a higher level of peer competence than did those with anxious attachment histories. However, preadolescents of both types of attachment reported and were observed to form friendships. In-depth case studies of four friendship pairs of preadolescents with different attachment histories suggested that there are corresponding differences in the quality and growth processes of those pairs of friendships. A three-stage model of preadolescent friendship growth is proposed, based on relationship dimensions and reflective of earlier relational patterns.
Constituting Friendship in Talk and Metatalk
Authors: Yingling Julie
Published: March 2007

This work sets forth a relational perspective on developing friendships. It examines the interface between children's talk in conversations with their friends and what they say about that talk in interviews following the conversation. Five configurations emerged in the interface between friends' conversational control and their expectations for control. Two patterns were fairly static and described older, long-term or less-than-best friends. In these configurations, partners either agreed that one partner controlled the conversation when actually they shared control, or else both of them failed to perceive that one partner controlled the talk. The other three configurations revealed change and/or disagreement between best friends. In these cases, partners consistently disagreed in their perceptions of control, but one partner accurately perceived the controller. These latter patterns may describe the kinds of relational talk that constitute developing models of friendship.
Implicit and Self-Attributed Intimacy Motivation
Authors: Craig Judy-Anne , Koestner Richard , Zuroff Davii C.
Published: March 2007

This study examined relations among implicit intimacy motivation (n Int), self-attributed intimacy motivation (san Int) and social interaction variables; n Int was measured by thematic analysis of imaginative story content, whereas san Int was measured with a self-report questionnaire adapted from the Jackson Personality Research Form. Forty university students kept a daily record of their social interactions for a 1-week period. The results indicated that n Int and san Int were not significantly correlated, were associated with different quantitative dimensions of social interaction and were both independent predictors of the valence of social interaction. Although neither n Int nor san Int were significantly related to self-disclosure, the two types of intimacy motivation seemed to be particularly responsive to different environmental cues in social interaction for self-disclosure. These results are consistent with research on the implicit and self-attributed measures of other social motives.
Love, Aggression and Satisfaction in Dating Relationships
Authors: Bookwala Jamila , Frieze Irene Hanson , Grote Nancy Kropp
Published: March 2007

This study examined (1) whether certain lovestyles facilitate aggression in dating relationships and (2) the effects of aggression on relationship satisfaction (i.e. its main, mediating and moderating effects). The sample consisted of 149 female undergraduate students involved in an ongoing heterosexual dating relationship. Multiple regression analyses indicated that Mania was the strongest predictor of courtship aggression. In terms of the impact of aggression on relationship satisfaction, aggression had a main effect on satisfaction as well as moderated the relationship between certain lovestyles and satisfaction. However, aggression did not mediate the association between lovestyles and satisfaction. The implications of, and some possible explanations for, these findings are discussed.
Feminist Scholarship and the Study of Relationships
Authors: Wood Julia T.
Published: March 2007

This article explores intersections between research on personal and social relationships, on the one hand, and feminist study, on the other. Focused on the means and effects of social constructions of gender, feminist enquiry clarifies how gender affects interaction processes and participants' and researchers' interpretations of them. This article outlines key facets of feminist scholarship and shows how they complement, extend and revise research on relationships.
Similarity as the Basis for Children's Friendships: The Roles of Sociometric Status, Aggressive and Withdrawn Behavior, Academic Achievement and Demographic Characteristics
Authors: Kupersmidt Janis B. , DeRosier Melissa E. , Patterson Charlotte P.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of the present study was to examine similarity in demographic, behavioral, academic and social attributes as descriptors and predictors of children's friendships. The characteristics of all possible pairs of unique classroom dyads (N = 4725) were used to predict reciprocated school, home and best friendship choices among 554 third (M = 9.38 years old) and fourth ( M = 10.47 years old) graders. Peer reports of aggressive and withdrawn behavior and sociometric status, teacher reports of poverty, and archival reports of sex, race and academic achievement were obtained. The main finding was that as similarity increased, the likelihood of being friends also increased. Specifically, patterns of gender, race, poverty, aggression, withdrawn behavior, achievement and sociometric status between dyad members were descriptive and predictive of children's friendships.
Three Suggestions for Increased Emphasis in the Study of Personal Relationships
Authors: Aron Arthur , Aron Elaine N.
Published: March 2007

We briefly consider three areas in which we think our field could usefully place more emphasis. First, we argue that when relationship researchers ignore deep, passionate relational experiences, it is at substantial cost to their understanding of relationship life. Second, we suggest that progress in our field requires theory that integrates movitational, cognitive and emotional elements. Finally, we noted that in the various disciplines in which relationships are studied, individual phenomena are seen as the source of relational phenomena. However, we considered the possibility that sometimes the situation is reversed (e.g. in psychology, relational cognition may be the basis of `pure' cognition).
Social Support and Marital Satisfaction among Couples Coping with Chronic Constructive Airway Disease
Authors: Unger Donald G. , Jacobs Sharon B. , Cannon Christine
Published: March 2007

Couples in which one spouse has chronic obstructive airway disease (COAD) face great distress and change over the life course. Couples experience multiple losses and feelings of anxiety, depression and hopelessness, usually beginning in mid-life and continuing into older age. This study explored two sources of social support - family support and friend support - as resources for coping with illness. The relation of family and friend received and provided support with marital satisfaction and the effects of sex and length of marriage were studied. Results indicated that the association between support and marital satisfaction was moderated by the couple's length of marriage, the sex of patients and spouses, and the degree of congruency between husbands' and wives' evaluations of their marital satisfaction. Support acted as a stress buffer in regard to marital satisfaction only for male spouses and male patients. Implications for theory, research and preventive interventions are discussed.
Simultaneous Assessment of Perceived Global and Relationship-Specific Support
Authors: Brock Douglas M. , Sarason Irwin G. , Sarason Barbara R. , Pierce Gregory R.
Published: March 2007

Perceived global social support and support from specific relationships are not synonymous, yet existing measures typically assess only one or the other. However, it might be possible to simultaneously assess both using the same instrument. In two studies, the reliability and validity of scores derived for specific relationship categories from the Social Support Questionnaire were examined. Separate scores were developed for mother, father and a composite score for friends. Each score exhibited good internal consistency and correlational analyses revealed both convergent and discriminant validity for each of the scores. Support from friends tended to correlate more strongly with both received support and adjustment than did parental support. Support from friends and mother, but not father, predicted perceptions of support availability. Parental support was more predictive than support from friends of the self-perceived past and present quality of familial relationships. Regression analyses indicated that support from individual relationships predicted relationship quality and adjustment, even after accounting for global support.
Marital Quality of Black and White Adults Over the Life Course
Authors: Adelmann Pamela K. , Chadwick Kirsten , Baerger Dana Royce
Published: March 2007

This paper tests family development and life-course perspectives in explaining marital quality over the course of marriage for black and white adults. The sample of 1430 adults (1097 white, 333 black) in their first marriage was from a 1986 national survey. As expected, positive marital quality (satisfaction and interdependence) had significant curvilinear patterns across length of marriage but only satisfaction showed the characteristic U-shape with a dip in the middle years which is consistent with a family life-cycle explanation. Furthermore, family structure variables did not eliminate this pattern, although family financial factors reduced it to marginal significance. Negative marital quality (discord and spouse negative behavior) had significant negative linear patterns over the marital life course, which were unaffected by family life-cycle variables. All four patterns were similar for blacks and whites, except that blacks had a stronger negative linear association between negative marital quality and marriage length. Marital quality was significantly lower among blacks on all measures; kin relation and status inequality variables did not eliminate this difference. The results suggest that marital quality is better explained by a life-course perspective than by the family development model.
Conflict and Cooperation among Adult Siblings During the Transition to the Role of Filial Caregiver
Authors: Merrill Deborah M.
Published: March 2007

Based on data from 40 open-ended interviews with working- and middle-class adult children and children-in-law currently caring for an elderly parent, this study focused on the transition to the role of filial caregiver. Class differences in the formation of parent-caring networks among siblings and in the conflict that ensued when siblings did not provide assistance were examined. Although only one-third of the sample received assistance from siblings, it occurred more often in working-class families and was usually the result of family values which emphasized helping one another and an obligation to provide care for one's parents. When siblings did not provide assistance, sisters were more likely to ask for help while brothers demanded it. Often, lack of sibling assistance was a reflection of prior family histories. Implications for later-life families are discussed.
Women's Surnames: Decisions, Interpretations and Associations with Relational Qualities
Authors: Kline Susan L. , Stafford Laura , Miklosovic Jill C.
Published: March 2007

There has been little systematic empirical research to date concerning women's choices to change or keep their surnames upon marriage. This study of 110 women employs a dialectical perspective to explore women's decisions concerning their surnames. Specifically, we identify the issues involved in making this decision, examine associations between the surname chosen and relational qualities (satisfaction, love, commitment, intimacy) and interpret the meanings of the surname in association with meanings of marriage for these women. A combination of open-ended questions and scale measures was used. The results show that while name changers, name keepers and name combiners consider different issues when making their decisions, there are no significant differences in the three groups' relational characteristics. However, the meanings of marriage for these three groups clearly differ. The authors suggest avenues for further research.
Relating Aggressive and Victimization Behaviors to Children's Sociometric Status and Friendships
Authors: Ray Glen E. , Cohen Robert , Secrist Mary E. , Duncan Melissa K.
Published: March 2007

The present study examined peer nominations of pupils in Grades 3-6 (9-12-year-olds) for aggressive and victimization behaviors in relation to peer group sociometric status (popular, average, rejected) and number of mutual friends (reciprocal nominations). Rejected children, relative to other children, were perceived as higher both in aggression and in being victimized (both physically and verbally) and had the smallest number of mutual friends. In addition, the mutual friends of rejected status boys were perceived as higher in being victimized than were the friends of other children. Neither level of aggression nor level of victimization predicted number of mutual friendships. However, significant positive correlations for both aggressive and victimization behaviors were revealed between popular and average status children and their mutual friends, and these congruences were not found between rejected status children and their mutual friends. This research highlights the complexity and importance of evaluating the form and function of social behaviors within multiple levels of children's peer social relationships.
Two Dimensions of Adult Attachment: Further Validation
Authors: Sanford Keith
Published: March 2007

The present study used confirmatory factor analysis to identify two dimensions of adult attachment, analogous to infant attachment theory, using items derived from Hazan & Shaver's (1987) widely used self-report measure. Subjects were 571 private university or community college students. Results indicated that a two-dimensional model best fits the data, that a three-dimensional model fits slightly less well and was simply less parsimonious, and that a one-dimensional model fits less than adequately. The same two-dimensional model fits both married and non-married adults. Loneliness, dating frequency, and dating/marital status showed a different pattern of correlations with the two attachment dimensions. Heterosexual confidence and parental divorce, although correlated with attachment dimensions, did not produce significantly different patterns of correlation with the two dimensions.
Find Your Partner and Do-Si-Do: The Formation of Personal Relationships between Social Beings
Authors: Sanders Robert E.
Published: March 2007

Personal relationships have generally been studied from the perspective that the persons involved are psychological beings who are drawn together as they come to know, value, and share their respective inner qualities and experiences. However, it is also possible to examine relationships from the perspective that the persons involved are social beings who are drawn together as they each come to find the other's ways of participating in communal life to be attractive and compatible. From the latter perspective, an established, committed relationship between two social beings would consist of an effective partnership in a variety of arenas of communal life because their respective ways of participating are mutually facilitative. Comparison of the two perspectives on empirical grounds indicates that they are surprisingly congruent, and that integrating them is more productive than trying to promote one over the other. This comparison also indicates that communication plays multiple roles in the process of engaging in a personal relationship, and is suggestive about how much we still need to find out about the lived experience of persons in relationships, and how research might proceed in that regard.
Child Effects as a Source of Change in Maternal Attitudes Toward Corporal Punishment
Authors: Holden George W. , Thompson Elizabeth E. , Zambarano Robert J. , Marshall Lisa A.
Published: March 2007

It is commonly believed that parental attitudes toward child rearing are largely determined by the process of intergenerational transmission. Such a view neglects potential influences from the targets of child rearing-the children. In this study we examined bidirectional influences on mothers' attitudes toward corporal punishment by interviewing 108 mothers of 3-year-old children. Two-thirds of the mothers reported significant shifts in their attitudes since becoming mothers. The major source of that change was their children's reaction to being spanked. These data reveal how child behavior can impact parental attitudes and behavior and call for a more dynamic and multidetermined model of the determinants of child-rearing behavior.