Measures of social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support), personality (General Temperament Survey), and workload were related to psychological burnout (Maslach Burnout Inventory) among 149 college students (M = 20.8 yrs.). High levels of burnout were predicted by negative temperament and subjective workload, but actual workload (academic and vocational) had little to do with burnout. Low levels of burnout were predicted by positive temperament, participation in extracurricular activities, and social support, especially from friends.

Students in a research methods course watched episodes of Star Trek (Coon & Roddenberry, 1967)and Star Trek: The Next Generation (Roddenberry, 1990) as an exercise to empirically test the validity of personality impressions, demonstrating the use of operational definitions, interobserver reliability, and behavioral observation. The students first viewed episodes to identify contrasting personality characteristics between 2 Star Trek captains, then operationally defined these in terms of relevant, observable behaviors. To test the hypothesized personality contrasts, students observed the characters in different episodes, recording observations according to the operational definitions.

In this article, I provide a model for teaching meta-analysis fn the undergraduate experimental psychology course. I recommend certain prerequisites for both the instructor and students, outline a lecture, and make suggestions for a student exercise. Evaluative data show that the presentation, along with the in-class exercise that gives students practice in using meta-analytic procedures, is effective in increasing students' knowledge of meta-analysis.

To examine whether there is a tendency for individuals to be multiply addicted, overlapping addictions to common substances (alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, cigarettes) and activities (exercise, gambling, Internet use, television, video games) were studied in 129 college men and women. Contrary to previous research, moderate to large correlations were found, both within and between substances and activities. Self-esteem was positively related to exercise but unrelated to the remaining addictions. Several gender differences in addictive tendencies were also revealed: Men scored higher than women on addiction to alcohol, cigarettes, gambling, television, and Internet use, but women scored higher on caffeine and chocolate. The results have implications for theories of addiction and suggest new directions for the study of addiction among normally functioning young adults.

To explore the hypothesis that girls and women smile more frequently than boys and men, 16,514 photographs of students (kindergarten to college) from school yearbooks were studied, as were photos of faculty and staff members. The predicted gender difference in smiling was small and nonsignificant until Grade 4, when a statistically significant difference was first obtained. The gender difference reached its peak in grade 9 (effect size =.275) and remained relatively constant through adulthood. Systematic study of yearbook photos from one high school during the period 1968–1993 revealed no change in the gender difference over time. Discussion focused on the emergence of the smiling difference during preadolescence and the theoretical implications of such a finding.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been proposed to represent adaptive responding to highly urgent situations as in primitive hunting. In the present study, 31 adults with self-reported ADHD were compared with 33 normal adults on a newly developed, 10-item measure of urgent task involvement. The internal consistency of the scale was suitable, and the group with ADHD scored significantly higher than the control group, as predicted. Validation and further development of this scale is required for it to become a tool for the study of performance of highly urgent tasks.

This study examined the effect of style of speech ("tentative" vs assertive) used by a female speaker upon the evaluations made by college students. Both men and women evaluated the assertive speaker more favorably than the tentative speaker. The hypothesis that men would devaluate the assertive woman was not supported.

University students completed a questionnaire that included a measure of bulimia and a measure of tolerance for stress. Women reported significantly more symptoms of bulimia and a lower tolerance for stress than did men. Women in their first year on campus reported significantly more symptoms of bulimia than those not in their first year. For both women and men, a greater number of bulimic symptoms was associated with lower levels of stress tolerance. The present results suggest that women in their first year on campus should be targeted in intervention and prevention activities for eating disorders and that the relationship between disordered eating and stress is the same for both women and men.

Questionnaires were completed by sixth-grade students and their parents in order to assess differences between children of alcoholics (COAs) and their peers, as well as the relations between family environment and children's experimentation with alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. Social competence and problematic behavior were also explored. The best predictors of early experimentation with alcohol, drugs, and tobacco were the experience of negative life events, family conflict, and lack of family cohesion, but not COA status per se. Differences were found between COAs and non-COAs in respect to family structure, parent education levels, and family environment. COAs were found to be significantly more likely than their peers to experiment with tobacco, but not alcohol or drugs. They also had a tendency to engage more frequently in delinquent behavior. Recommendations for future research and implications for preventive activities are discussed.

The Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST) was administered to a sample of young adolescents as sixth graders and again one year later. Psychometric properties of the full CAST and a shortened version (CAST-6) were examined, and three different rules for classifying COAs were analyzed. The CAST was found to demonstrate adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. When examined as an entire group, the vast majority of respondents maintained the same classification (COA or NCOA) from the first to the second administration. For boys, however, CAST scores and the proportion who were self-identified as COAs declined significantly. Classification rates based on the full CAST and on the shortened version were similar. The use of two confirmatory items, “Ever think your father (mother) was an alcoholic?” however, substantially reduced the percentage of self-identified COAs. Finally, girls were dramatically more likely than boys to endorse items suggesting parental alcoholism, and they were also more likely to self-identify as COAs.

In order to investigate the interrelationship among children of alcoholics (COA) status, problem drinking, gender, and several psychosocial variables, a sample of college students completed a questionnaire that measured consequences of drinking, parental drinking habits, family environment, and personality. No relationship was found between COA status and either the likelihood or severity of problem drinking. Furthermore, COAs and non-COAs differed on only 4 of 15 psychosocial variables, suggesting a smaller impact of parental alcohol abuse than is commonly assumed. The variable most consistently related to problem drinking was social nonconformity, a measure of antisocial behavior. Findings suggest the importance of investigating the development and maintenance of antisocial behaviors as etiological factors in problem drinking among college students, rather than COA status per se.

Nonclinical, adolescent children of alcoholics (COAs) and their peers from nonalcoholic homes (CONAs) responded to questionnaires of environmental variables, depression, and anxiety. Multivariate (discriminant) analyses revealed several meaningful differences between the two groups. Although the two groups differed on the measures of anxiety and depression, environmental stressors contributed most to the discriminant function that differentiated between the two groups. Also, gender differences were discovered, suggesting that males and females perceive problem drinking differently and that home environments may be different for the two genders. Implications for research and intervention are discussed.

Two studies investigated gender stereotyping in American magazine photos. Study 1 compares cover photos of men and women on face-ism, an index of the degree to which a photo focuses on the face versus the body. Photos of women are found to focus more on their bodies and photos of men on their faces, a finding consistent with previous research. This finding is strongly mediated by other variables, however, particularly the social role of the cover person. Study 2 compares the facial expressions, specifically the mouth positions, of men and women in advertisements from several popular magazines. Women are significantly more likely than men to be photographed with their mouths open, presumably portraying less serious expressions. Discussion focuses on how such photographic portrayals can subtly reinforce sex role stereotypes.

A panel discussion in which students describe their own bereavement experiences is discussed. The purpose of this activity is to sensitize class members to bereavement issues and to discuss interpersonal responses that can provide emotional support for grieving individuals. Audience members have responded positively to the activity, reporting that it provides valuable information and increases confidence in their ability to respond to the bereaved. Panelists respond favorably to the opportunity to share their experiences and to function in a teaching capacity. Finally, by encouraging appropriate self-disclosure in a cooperative learning environment, the activity also seems to enhance class morale.

Answer justification (AJ) is a technique that allows students to convert multiple-choice items perceived to be “tricky” into short-answer essay questions. Convincing justifications earn students credit for missed items. The procedure is easy to administer and is very popular among students. Over 90% of both users and nonusers like having AJ available to them and recommend its use in other classes. Our technique is compared and contrasted with a similar one described by Nield and Wintre (1986). Both procedures appear to yield important benefits for students and instructors.

Two brief longitudinal studies were conducted to develop a model to predict weight gain among young adults. Predictor variables were derived from set point, externality, and activity theories of obesity. The weights of college students (109 men and 127 women in Study 1; 24 women in Study 2) were monitored over a 3- to 4-mo. period. Measures of eating restraint, externality, and self-reported activity were generally unrelated to weight gain, although eating restraint was positively related to weight gain for men (33% of the male sample) who dropped out of the study before the final weigh-in. Discussion focused on the extremely high test-retest correlations of weight and on the relatively high dropout rare among men, two factors which mitigated against the present development of a predictive model of weight gain.