Stress management training contributes to weight loss, maintenance of weight loss and improved social and occupational functioning in obese women. Data from the Beck Depression Inventory and the Assertiveness Questionnaire indicate that obese persons have poor self-concepts which result in depression which is inversely related to assertiveness.…

Systematic observation and a questionnaire format were used to investigate the relationship between posture sharing and self-report indications of rapport in a group situation--college seminar classrooms. The greater the amount of mirroring and congruent postures evidenced by students vis-a-vis the teacher, the higher the ratings of involvement.…

In this paper we address a perceived gap in the workplace learning literature, for there is very little writing which successfully integrates the issues of individual learners into predominantly social theories of learning. The paper draws upon data from four linked research projects to address this problem. Following an analysis of the…

Subjects (40 male, 40 female) viewed a videotaped "interview" with a competent female stimulus person (SP) who appeared to be sex-role congruent or incongruent and was either physically attractive or unattractive. Interpersonal attraction (Likability) was assessed by objective questionnaires. Subjects' sex and attitudes toward women were included…

A videotaped interaction between a stimulus person (SP) and an interviewer was viewed by 80 male and 80 female college students. The SP's physical appearance and behavior were varied in a 2 X 2 X 2 factorial design with student gender as the third independent variable. The effects of these three variables upon general attractiveness ratings and…

Two experiments were conducted which studied seating distance of subjects in a small group discussion situation. In Experiment I groups of three subjects sat on cushions in a bare carpeted room along with a moderator and discussed a socially relevant issue. The distances generated by subjects' placement of their cushions served as the main…

This article discusses a teaching and research initiative in which 12 third-year undergraduate students and a lecturer worked as volunteers at a local drop-in centre for homeless men and women, and subsequently conducted 49 life history interviews there. Students were asked to keep a diary, recording field observations and reflections on stories…

This volume presents the reports of a series of interrelated studies which were part of a study that developed curriculum materials for teaching occupational survival skills. The first of six sections, Need for Teaching Occupational Survival Skills and Attitudes, discusses the importance of survival skills and describes twelve general topics which…

The personal space of strangers who are not attempting to influence each other has been extensively studied using single dependent measures. Multivariate personal space can be defined by three dimensions: relational, locational and interactional, and operationalized by the measures previously used singly. The present experiment tested the relation…

The paper reports on a program of field and laboratory research designed to investigate some positive and negative psychological effects of seeking and obtaining help. The author reviews the reactance model and attribution theory, both of which focus on the recipient's perceptions of the basis on which help is rendered and the implications of this…

The socialization process (defined as the transition from "naive newcomer" to "established incumbent") of women into both traditional and non-traditional academic disciplines was investigated. Graduate students (N=98 males and 46 females) completed questionnaires assessing work congruence, problem areas, personal feelings, physical health, life…

This paper explores how organizational features of high schools influence the informal interaction of students attending them. Size of school, composition of the student body, and differentiation into curriculum and grade levels are factors which affect the patterns of informal interaction among students. The informal social arrangement of…

This study addresses three issues: (1) the influence of proxemic variables (distance, furniture presence) on dyadic interaction; (2) the consistency between measures of self-disclosure; and (3) the applicability of reciprocity and distance-equilibrium views of dyadic interaction. Dyads of male college students were randomly assigned to one of four…

Discusses some of the benefits of having students work cooperatively toward a shared goal. Suggests that teachers become involved in research in this area and become associated with the National Science Teachers Association's Every Teacher a Researcher (ETR) program. Lists various types of research projects teachers could undertake. (TW)

Projects involving students more directly in research, evaluation, and teaching in Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota are described in this newsletter issue. Results of the projects seem to underscore the role that student-faculty relationships play in the growth and development of college students. It is suggested that with more student…