Femininity, bulimia, and distress in college women.

This study investigated differences in the scores on perceived Distress and Bulimia among college women with varying scores on the Behavioral Self-report of Femininity. Distress was assessed using The Psychological Distress Inventory and Bulimia was measured using the Bulimia Cognitive Distortions Scale. Women who reported low numbers of stereotypic feminine behaviors scored lower on the Bulimia Cognitive Distortions Scale than women reporting moderate to high numbers of stereotypic feminine behaviors. Distress scores were not significantly different between women scoring high and low on Bulimic Cognitive Distortions, and Bulimic Cognitive Distortion scores did not vary as a function of scores on Distress and Femininity. A multiple regression indicated that one factor of the Behavioral Self-report of Femininity, Social Connectedness, made a significant contribution to the prediction of Bulimia scores.

Blue versus periwinkle: color identification and gender.

This study examined the color identification and vocabulary skills of 101 female and 52 male college students. Femininity scores, color-related hobbies, and academic aptitude scores were also examined for their influence on color identification. The women identified significantly more elaborate colors than did the men. Color identification was significantly correlated with vocabulary but not with scores on femininity. Academic aptitude scores and having a color-related hobby also predicted color identification under some conditions.

Another femininity scale?

The construction and validation of the Behavioral Self-report of Femininity is described. An initial sample of 32 male and 63 female undergraduates indicated the frequency of engaging in 91 "feminine" behaviors. The 59 items which showed good internal consistency as well as differentiation between genders were retained. Test-retest reliability over a 2-wk. period was .90. Convergent and discriminant validities were examined by comparing our results with those obtained from the Hyperfemininity Scale and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire. Responses of women in traditional and nontraditional majors were significantly different, indicating good within-sex validity. Finally, a principal components analysis identified six primary factors, accounting for 60% of common variance.

Relation between ruminating and quantity of food consumed.

Data were summarized from 1,841 sessions involving 10 subjects who participated in a number of experiments over a 10-year research program concerning dietary influences on ruminating. Results showed the relation between the quantity of food consumed at meals and rates of postmeal ruminating. Some important features of this relation were discussed.

Effects of peanut butter on ruminating.

Barton and Barton (1985) reported that supplementary peanut butter reduced rates of ruminating of 4 children with mental retardation and hypothesized that the effect was due to its thick, sticky consistency. We further examined the effects of peanut butter with 5 subjects with mental retardation by independently manipulating the caloric density versus the consistency associated with peanut butter. Results showed an inverse relation between rates of ruminating and amount of peanut butter consumed. However, this effect appeared to be primarily due to an increase in calories. A weaker and less consistent effect was ascribed to the consistency of peanut butter.

Effects of caloric level on ruminating.

A series of recent studies has shown that a number of dietary variables affect ruminative behavior in institutionalized retarded persons. This experiment extends an earlier study that examined the influence of the caloric level of the diet on the frequency of ruminating. Subjects consumed regular portions of food that varied between phases from normal to high caloric levels. The data show a clear but modest inverse relation between the caloric value of the diet and the rates of postmeal ruminating.