Disagreement about the occurrence of male-to-female intimate partner violence: a qualitative study.

This work explored the reasons underlying inter-partner disagreement about the occurrence of intimate partner violence (IPV). Research indicates that partners often do not agree about episodes of conflict in their relationship. We conducted interviews with 48 women and men with and without histories of IPV to investigate this lack of agreement. Participant responses were analyzed and themes were identified about why men and women disagree about episodes of conflict. The main results indicate that participants think women and men remember differently; women remember more than men, both choose what they want to remember, and both remember that they were right in the conflict. This work contributes to understanding the disagreement that occurs between partners. Many of these findings have never been suggested by other IPV researchers. The broad-reaching implications of this study include improvement in the accuracy of measuring IPV.

A prototype analysis of psychological situations through the lens of alcohol expectancies and gender.

The psychological situation, with significant origins in cognitive and personality psychology, consists of the meaningful environment encountered by an individual at a given time. In the present study, participants generated the characteristics (environmental, emotional, social, and cognitive) that they found as characteristic of "dating," "blind dating," and "drinking with friends" situations. Participants also completed a brief form of the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (Brown, Goldman, Inn, & Anderson, 1980). Results indicate that women were more likely to characterize "drinking with friends" with negative descriptors; women were also likely to have more overlap than men in their schemas for "dating" and "drinking with friends." Participants with stronger alcohol expectancies also displayed more overlap in their schemas for "dating" and "drinking with friends" than did those with weaker expectancies. Results are discussed in terms of differing drinking experiences for men and women, and on the relationship between situational cues and expectancies.

Fear of negative evaluation and gender interact to predict alcoholic beverage preference.

This study was designed to look at the influence of gender, alcohol expectancies, and fear of negative evaluation on beverage selection. Participants tasted pineapple juice, tonic water, beer, and diet cola and were then asked which they would prefer when presented with each of all possible alternative pairings. Results indicated no effect on beer selection due to alcohol expectancies, but fear of negative evaluation and gender interacted to predict beer selection. Post hoc analyses indicated that women with high levels of fear of negative evaluation selected beer significantly less often than any of the other groups. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of considering the interaction of "initial conditions" individuals bring to a situation, which serves as a filter for environmental information.

The influence of personality, cognition, and behavior on perceptions and metaperceptions following alcoholic beverage selection in a dating situation.

This study was designed to investigate perceptions and metaperceptions of individuals in a mixed sex dating situation in which they were offered alcohol. Male and female participants who were unfamiliar with one another were brought together in individual sessions and asked to imagine that they were on a blind date. At the outset of the 15-minute interaction, they each had an opportunity to select an alcoholic or nonalcoholic drink; after receiving their drink, they interacted privately. At the conclusion of the interaction, participants completed questionnaires that solicited their view of their partner and their perception of their partner's view of them. Results indicate that alcohol expectancies predicted alcoholic beverage selection. When women selected alcohol, they found their partner more likeable; those men whose partner was drinking believed that their partner found them more likeable. Additionally, when both partners were drinking they perceived each other as more extroverted, although they did not think their partner perceived them as extroverted. These results are discussed in terms of implications for further research on the role of alcohol as a cue in a mixed-sex social/dating environment.

Effects of negative outcome on food consumption in college women with and without troubled eating patterns.

This study looked at the effects that failure experiences have on food consumption and their effect on college women. Part I of the study (N = 169) was used to screen subjects for Part II (N = 55) based on scores on the Bulimia Test-Revised. In part II, eating-disordered and control participants completed one of two types of tasks-a negative outcome and a neutral outcome control task. Following the task, a bogus cookie rating task provided the opportunity for participants to eat chocolate chip cookies. Mood was assessed throughout Part II. Results indicate that mood was more negative following the negative outcome task. Eating-disordered participants ate more than did controls in this same condition; these participants also reported improved mood after eating.

The influence of gender, expectancy, and partner beverage selection on (meta)perceptions in a "blind" dating situation.

There is little question that alcohol plays a role in social situations. Most of the research in this area has used a paradigm designed to understand the effects of consuming alcohol on anxiety and social behavior. Most of the previous studies have looked only at situational factors-with limited focus on personality variables, using confederates to control the social reaction that participants received, with drinking generally occurring in a solitary situation. In the present study we were interested in understanding the interpersonal nature of reactions to alcohol consumption. The focus of this study was on the stimulus value of alcohol rather than anticipated or pharmacological effects of alcohol consumption. In large groups, individuals completed cognitive-personality measures assessing typical alcohol consumption, alcohol expectancies, and social anxiety. In the second part of the study, participants were paired with a member of the opposite sex with whom they had no previous contact: perceptions of their partner and metaperceptions were assessed after 4 and 15 minutes (before and after choosing a beverage--beer, soft drinks, etc.). Results indicate that positive alcohol expectancies interact with partner alcohol selection in predicting changes in metaperceptions of friendliness and relaxation. With friendliness, this result was most pronounced in men. These results are discussed in terms of the role alcohol expectancies may play in filtering alcohol relevant environmental information, and the influence of positive alcohol expectancies in mixed-sex drinking situations.

Beliefs about steroids: user vs. non-user comparisons.

The differences in beliefs about the effects of anabolic steroid (AS) use between AS users and non-users provides potentially important clues to understanding AS use. Two groups of bodybuilders were used in this comparison: AS users (n = 20) and non-users (n = 27). Subjects completed a 40-item scale measuring their beliefs about the effects of steroids, both physical and psychological (Beliefs About Steroids Scale: BASS). MANOVA comparisons between AS users and non-users on the BASS items indicate that AS-using bodybuilders believe that AS enhance their physical strength, athletic ability, confidence, assertiveness, feelings of sexuality, and feelings of optimism.

Social physique anxiety, body esteem, and social anxiety in bodybuilders and self-reported anabolic steroid users.

Social physique anxiety, upper body esteem, social anxiety, and body dissatisfaction were examined among self-reported anabolic steroid (AS)-using bodybuilders, non-using bodybuilders, athletically active exercisers, and non-exercising individuals. Results indicate that: (a) the AS-using bodybuilder group had significantly lower levels of social physique anxiety than non-user groups, (b) AS-using bodybuilders have significantly higher upper body strength ratings than do non-users (non-using bodybuilders, athletically active exercisers, and non-exercisers), and (c) no differences among groups on a measure of social anxiety. Implications for further research and intervention are discussed in terms of the differences between anabolic steroids and other substances of abuse.

The influence of the victim's consumption of alcohol on perceptions of stranger and acquaintance rape.

PIP: This study examines the influence of the victim's consumption of alcohol on perceptions in stranger and acquaintance rape. Participants were composed of 218 male and 227 female undergraduates. They participated in group discussions and were given information materials containing demographic background questions, a hypothetical scenario involving rape or attempted rape, and questions relating to their impressions of the story and the characters. Likert-type scales were used to rate the degree to which the participants thought the woman was responsible for the incident, and to rate the cautiousness/carelessness of the female character. Results revealed that the victim was rated significantly more responsible for the attack when the perpetrator was a stranger, when the victim drank alcohol, and when the outcome was a completed rape. Although both males and females rated the victim as more careless when she had been drinking, only female participants rated the drinking victim as more responsible than the nondrinking victim. The study therefore concluded that alcohol consumption by a victim of sexual assault might lead to more negative perceptions about the victim; wherein they are viewed as more careless and culpable for the assault.^ieng

Understanding cognition, choice, and behavior.

Bandura (1995) suggests that a "crusade against the causal efficacy of human thought" exists. The present paper disputes that claim, suggesting that the quest which does exist involves an understanding of self-efficacy. Examined are Bandura's shifting definitions of self-efficacy, his misunderstandings of others' work, and implications of some of his attempts to defend the construct. In the remainder of the paper Rotter's Social Learning Theory is discussed as a model of human choice behavior which recognizes the contributions of both cognitive and behavioral traditions within psychology, and has proven to be of great heuristic value.

Cognitive and situational factors predict alcoholic beverage selection.

It has been clearly established that individuals' alcohol consumption tends to covary with the rate and absolute quantity of a drinking partner. Sixty men and 73 women participated in a two-part study designed to examine the role of modeling and alcohol-related expectancies in predicting whether individuals would model the type of beverage selected by a confederate. A stepwise logistic regression designed to predict whether an individual would select an alcoholic or nonalcoholic drink indicated that confederate beverage choice and personal alcohol expectancy (social/physical pleasure) predicted beverage selection. Nonsignificant predictors included gender of the participant, whether participant and confederate were of the same gender, fear of negative evaluation, and typical drinking. The results indicate the importance of evaluating both individual and situational variables in predicting behavior.

Predicting reduction in tension following alcohol consumption in a stressful situation with the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire.

The present study was designed to extend the research designed to evaluate the validity of the subscales of the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire. Other previous behavioral studies had investigated the Global Positive subscale as a predictor of alcohol effects (Sher, 1985) and the tension reduction scale as a predictor of choosing an alcoholic beverage (Corcoran & Parker, 1991). While Brown, Goldman, Inn, and Anderson (1980) do not distinguish between different classes of expectancies, current theory (see Kirsch, 1985) highlights the distinction between response expectations (expectation of nonvolitional effects, exemplified in Sher's study) and outcome expectancies (expectations for particular reinforcers given a specific behavior, as in Corcoran and Parker's study). The present study was an investigation of the AEQ Tension Reduction Scale as a predictor of tension reduction in a stressful situation. The results do not lend support to the scale as a predictor of effects from drinking alcohol or expecting to drink alcohol. Results are discussed in terms of potential for future research, and theoretical and practical implications for the AEQ.

Personal expectancies and group influences affect alcoholic beverage selection: the interaction of personal and situational variables.

Eighty-five college student drinkers participated in a study designed to investigate competing expectancies in predicting drinking in each of three situations. Participants were assigned to either a solitary, social-information (others aware of drink selected), or social-no-information (others present but unaware of beverage selection) condition, and asked to watch a TV show which they would later be asked to rate. As part of the procedure, they were told that the beverage of their choice (selected from a list provided by the experimenter) would be made available to them. Results indicate that when no information is available to others concerning beverage selection, the expectancy that alcohol enhances social and physical pleasure is the sole predictor of beverage selection. When others are likely to know what one has selected, fear of negative evaluation is the sole predictor of selection. Results are discussed in terms of the importance of evaluating multiple reinforcers and expectancies in attempting to predict drinking behavior.

Photographically portrayed identities, alcohol expectancies, and excessive drinking.

A new measure of alcohol-related identity was derived from college students' photographic self-depictions using Ziller's (1990) autophotographic essay task. This measure and the well-developed Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ; Brown, Goldman, Inn, & Anderson, 1980) were used to predict frequency and typical quantity of drinking. Replicating past research, the AEQ showed a number of significant relationships with drinking behavior. The alcohol identity measure also correlated with these measures, even when variance attributable to the AEQ was controlled, and related particularly well to the typical quantity measure. It is suggested that the autophotographic essay method has heuristic value for alcohol research and other personality phenomena.

In search of an alternative placebo: estimating alcohol content of nonalcoholic, light, and regular beer.

Alcohol research has demonstrated that expectancies about what one has consumed may supercede pharmacological effects of the drink. The present study sought to expand the scope of the placebo designs by examining an alternative manipulation, using widely available nonalcoholic beverages. The nonalcoholic beers used in this study have recently become marketed and made available to consumers by two major breweries. Subjects were provided with a total of four beer samples: two nonalcoholic samples ("O'Doul's" and "Sharp's"), one light sample ("Busch Light"), and one regular sample ("Busch"). Results indicated that subjects estimated the alcohol content in "O'Doul's" as significantly lower than that of the light and regular beers; the estimate of alcohol content in Sharp's was not significantly lower than either the light or regular beers. In addition, the mean alcohol estimates for both nonalcoholic beers approximated the actual alcohol content of a light beer (roughly 3%). These results indicate that nonalcoholic beers may provide a viable alternative to the placebo manipulations currently in vogue.

Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire tension reduction scale as a predictor of alcohol consumption in a stressful situation.

This study was designed as an experimental investigation of the validity of the tension reduction subscale of the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ) (Brown, Goldman, Inn, & Anderson, 1980). Subjects completed the AEQ in group testing. At a later time, they were placed in a moderate-stress or nonstress control situation, and given the opportunity to consume alcohol or a nonalcoholic beverage. The tension reduction scale did not predict whether they drank or not, nor did it predict the amount of alcohol consumed. Results suggest caution in interpreting the tension reduction scale scores, and that further study of the validity of the tension reduction and other AEQ scales is necessary.

Buccal cellulitis.

Buccal cellulitis (BC) is an innocuous appearing infection of the cheek that is found in children and has a high incidence of concomitant bacteremia. Typically, the child is younger than 12 months and has a 2 to 8 hour prodrome of coryza and fever before developing the cellulitis on the cheek. A purplish hue on the cellulitic region is highly suggestive of Hemophilus influenzae bacteremia. The differential diagnosis is reviewed. A complete blood count, blood culture, and cellulitis aspirate culture, should be obtained on all patients with BC. Meningitis may be present despite the lack of meningeal signs. A lumbar puncture should be performed on all children at risk for bacteremic BC. The vast majority of these children are bacteremic and require parenteral antibiotics. A typical case of BC is presented and its management is reviewed.

Cheating following success and failure in heavy and moderate social drinkers.

Two groups of American undergraduates (moderate and heavy social drinkers) completed a matrix task and received either positive or negative feedback on their performance. Following this they were given a maze task, which was designed so that cheating could be detected. Heavy drinkers cheated more than moderate drinkers under success conditions (positive feedback). Heavy drinkers who received positive feedback also cheated more than heavy drinkers who received negative feedback. The results are interpreted in terms of self-handicapping theory.

The relationship between assertiveness, alcohol-related expectations for social assertion and drinking patterns among college students.

Alcohol-related expectancies have been shown to correlate with and predict a wide range of drinking behaviors. Rotter's social learning theory asserts that behavioral prediction can be improved through the use of reinforcement value in addition to expectancies. The present investigation evaluated this assertion in comparing the ability of alcohol-related expectancies to predict alcohol consumption for low and high assertive college students. It was hypothesized that the expectation that alcohol would facilitate social assertion would be predictive of self-reported heavy drinking by low, but not highly assertive students. Results showed that the typical quantity, maximum quantity, and frequency of drinking by low assertive females were predicted only by the expectation of Social Assertion. For low assertive males, Social Assertion was predictive of frequency of drinking. Moreover, of the students, male and female, high in assertiveness, drinking patterns were not predicted by the expectation of enhanced Social Assertion.

Unraveling subjects' perceptions of paraprofessionals and professionals: a pilot study.

This study examined 75 undergraduate women's perceptions of paraprofessional and professional therapists in an analogy study. The data indicated subjects were more willing to seek treatment from paraprofessional than professional therapists; no differences were found in predicted success of treatment. Subjects' perceptions of paraprofessional and professional expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness were also examined; the findings were nonsignificant.