Expansion of previous research on adolescents' attitudes toward their giftedness involved development of an open-ended questionnaire which was administered to 144 gifted and talented students (ages 15 and 16) in Texas. Results showed that views of the gifted label and its effects are multifaceted, and gifted adolescents are realizing positive and…

A survey of 1,000 Americans with self-ascribed disabling conditions identified 6 factors differentiating individuals who did and did not consider themselves "disabled," including (1) belief that others considered them disabled, (2) self-rated severity of disability, (3) identification with others with disabilities, (4) gender, (5)…

To investigate the influence of instructional behaviors and adult expectations on children's task performance, 48 boys either 5 to 6 or 8 to 9 years of age individually viewed instructional videotapes and participated in a delay of gratification task. In the first phase of the study, videotapes were produced in which instructors were told to…

To investigate reactions to violence between intimate partners, 125 undergraduates (68 males, 57 females) completed a three-part questionnaire. The instrument assessed general attitudes about violence between intimates, respondents' personal history as victim or abuser, and their willingness to use the label "battering". In addition, 24…

Investigates the influence on Scottish preschool children's self-control of labels regarding patience given directly to the children themselves, and of the expectations regarding the children's patience provided to adult testers. Childrens self-control was assessed in a task in which each child's possession of accumulating candy rewards was made…

Reports an experiment in which 80 male and female six and eight year olds were presented with pictures consistent or inconsistent with sex stereotypes and pictures of neutral activities. Later, subjects performed a picture-recognition task. Among the variables investigated were subjects' labeling of pictures and sex-stereotype consistency. (CB)

Although community-based treatment strategies have gained in prominence, recipients of those services still suffer from negative labeling and public reactions. To investigate differential effects of labels and/or descriptions of handicaps on attitudes toward disabilities, two studies were conducted. In the first study, 140 college students (65%…

The onset and development of preschoolers' awareness of sex role stereotypes, gender labeling, gender identity, and sex-typed toy preference were explored in 26-, 31-, and 36-month-old children. Family characteristics that affect early sex role development also were investigated. (Author/RH)

The study had mentally retarded and nonretarded perceiver children (n=40; 9- to 14-years old) converse with a child described as a special or regular education student. Results suggested that stereotypes about children with and without learning problems may become self-fulfilling prophecies by altering how children treat each other and how they…

This study identifies the attitudes of college students toward a variety of persons, each of whom deviated from the normal in one specific way--either in terms of social status, physical condition, or political point of view. A questionnaire was devised, employing the Bogardus Social Distance Scale. Respondents included 184 undergraduates and 51…

White subjects were asked to evaluate toddler behavior after viewing a 14-minute film of a white child and a black child playing spontaneously. Each toddler was presented as both a male and a female to 208 well-educated adult subjects. In Treatment I, the children were called John and Mike; in Treatment II, Jane and Mary; in Treatment III, John…

Discusses problems of classifying racial and ethnic groups when collecting statistical data. Argues that surveys must acknowledge the great diversity of the American population and give respondents the freedom to choose the group or groups to which they belong. (FMW)

The use of a traditional syndrome-classification system for aphasics is examined critically from the different perspectives of medicine and psychometrics. Medicine views syndromes as dichotomous (present or not present) and necessarily indicative of an underlying pathognomic state or process, and psychometrics sees performances as varying along a…

Past research has established clear behavioral differences between Type A and Type B individuals. The manner in which these behavioral differences are represented in the self-definitions of Type As and Bs was examined in a group of 42 college students. The existence of Type A and B self-schemata was investigated using two tasks designed to measure…

An examination of approximately 400 New Haven, Connecticut sixth graders using a modified social distance scale and race questionnaire measured student attitudes towards different ethnic and racial groups. The group interview questionnaire was given to a racial and ethnic cross section of students in nine different schools. Students were asked to…