We propose that Disability Studies in Education (DSE) offers a framework that (a) grounds policy and practice in the experiences and perspectives of people with disabilities, (c) challenges practices/ policy that isolate, de-humanize individuals, and (c) leads to new questions to pose. In this session, we describe the pedagogy that we used to…

To examine the effect of various activities and interactions on the attitudes of members of co-cultures toward each other was the purpose of this study. The research was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, semantic differential scales were developed for the measurement of attitudes toward co-cultures. Each of five sets of scales was used…

To determine the extent to which males and females bring similar or dissimilar attitudes of trust to encounters with members of the same or the opposite sex, a study was conducted that examined attitudes of interpersonal trust according to the subject's perception of the expertness (validity of judgment), reliability, and dynamism of the attitude…

Degree of belief in rape myths as determined by participant gender, attitudes about the role of women in contemporary society, and factual knowledge of rape was investigated in a sample of 118 male and 126 female college students. The results support the general assumption that a rape ideology exists which involves components of belief in rape…

It was predicted that high self-esteem subjects would have higher attraction scores than low self-esteem subjects to similar strangers or to strangers who gave positive personal evaluations. It was also predicted that high self-esteem subjects would have lower attraction scores than low self-esteem subjects to dissimilar strangers or to subjects…

The struggle for a positive self-image in the gay community has been keynoted by confrontations between gays and the censuring public, and by their own introspection. Since the risks demanded by self disclosure are greater for gays than for heterosexuals, a nonsupportive environment may force a strategy of nondisclosure on gays. This often…

This study reviewed, over 2 years, all newspaper articles related to persons with disabilities in two major city newspapers with circulations of more than 500,000 (the Houston Post and the Los Angeles Times). The newspapers were reviewed to uncover trends and themes in the articles which reflected subtleties of views toward persons with…

An important area for communication researchers has been the relationship between persuasive messages and their impact on attitudes, beliefs, and behavior. A model is presented to clarify the relationship between persuasive messages and attitudes. In an effort to establish the validity of the model, six hypotheses are set forth concerning the…

Reviewed is research dealing with the attitudes of the public, peers and professionals toward the mentally retarded. The contradictory nature of many studies is cited, and the influence of such factors as misconceptions and contact with retardates on public attitudes is described. Studies of peer attitudes toward the retarded are considered in…

A four-day workshop dealing with problems related to human sexuality and relationship counseling followed the assumption that impact and desensitization at the personal level increases the participants' ability to apply the material covered to their particular counseling setting. Initially, desensitization was facilitated through the use of…

A study was conducted to investigate stereotypes in college students and the relationship between traditional sex-role values and self-concepts. Students in Women's Studies and non-Woman's Studies classes were utilized as subjects to allow for a sample of potentially less traditional women. Questionnaires consisting of seven incomplete sentences…

This study focuses on the roles of partner-and self-perception in the stability and quality of male-male, female-female, female-male, and male-female interpersonal relationships. The results reveal that, with the exception of male same-sex relationships individuals perceive greater satisfaction from "maximizing" or self-enhancement choices in…

Results emanating from smoking cessation programs suggest the necessity for a greater commitment to research for primary smoking prevention. Because of the early onset of smoking, more research must focus on adolescents and preadolescents who have not yet begun to smoke regularly. Three areas of concentrated study are proposed: (1) the initiation…

The so-called "cultivation hypothesis" proposes that television content comprises an organic whole of interrelated themes and symbols not necessarily congruent with the real world. However, findings of a primary study have indicated that television news has enough baseline credibility to have a significant impact on fear of crime among citizens.…

The study assessed young adults' attitudes toward childlessness and identified certain factors which predict positive or negative attitudes toward childlessness. The author anticipated finding changes in attitudes because of recent social developments such as awareness of world overpopulation, availability of birth control methods, pressure for…