Bert O. Richmond

What I think and feel: a revised measure of children's manifest anxiety

The 1956 adaptation for children of Taylors Manifest Anxiety Scale, the Childrens Manifest Anxiety Scale, was revised to meet current psychometric standards. A 73-item revision draft was administered to 329 school children from grades 1 to 12. Based on item-analysis criteria for rbis≥.4 and .30≤p≤.70, 28 anxiety items were retained along with 9 of the original 11 Lie scale items. A cross-validation sample of 167 children from grades 2, 5, 9, 10, and 11 produced a KR20 reliability estimate of .85. Anxiety scores did not differ across grade or race. Females scored significantly higher than males. For the Lie scale, significant differences appeared by grade and race. No sex differences were obtained on the Lie scale. The resulting scale appears useful for children in grades 1 to 12 and may aid in future studies of anxiety as well as assisting the clinician in the understanding of individual children.

What I think and feel—German experience with the revised form of the children's manifest anxiety scale

Abstract A German version of the Revised Childrens Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS-G) was administered to 303 students from German elementary school Grades 2–6. Ratings of anxiety-related classrom behaviors were obtained from their teachers on a Behavior Rating Form (BRF). Both instruments proved psychometrically sound (α = 0.84 and α = 0.87, respectively). The five-factor structure found for the U.S. version of the RCMAS could be replicated. A linear decrease of Anxiety scores was found with no sex differences. The correlation between Anxiety scores and BRF sum scores was weak ( r = 0.21), but items measuring anxious support-seeking in achievement-related classrom situations showed stronger correlations ( r = 0.40).

Loneliness, social support, and anxiety among two South Pacific cultures.

This study was designed to investigate the relations among two sources of social support, various aspects of loneliness, and anxiety from two different cultural groups. One group was comprised of Polynesian, Melanesian, and Micronesian people (n = 54) and the other of East Indian and Caucasian people (n = 27). As hypothesized, significant correlations (direct and inverse) between scores on a measure of social support and loneliness were found and a positive one between anxiety and loneliness.

Non‐Verbal Communication, Self‐esteem and Interpersonal Relations of LD and Non‐LD Students

Abstract Accurate perception and comprehension of verbal and non‐verbal communication is important in ones interpersonal environment; such understanding may affect not only the childs academic achievement but how he/she relates to and is perceived by others. In the present study learning disabled (LD) and non‐learning disabled (NLD) middle school students were evaluated on their ability to perceive and accurately comprehend non‐verbal communication; they also responded to an interpersonal relations scale and a self‐esteem inventory. LD children differed from regular class students both in reported self‐esteem and in the ability to perceive and comprehend “wordless” communication, but similarities were noted between the two groups in reported need for interpersonal relations.

Perception of Self and of Peers by Economically Deprived Black and Advantaged White Fifth Graders

Neither the concept of self nor the feelings about peers appeared to be different between 98 economically deprived black and 111 advantaged white fifth graders. Although the sample is small and the reading ability of some of the children is poor, both groups perceived the connotative meaning of “activity” as the primary characteristic of importance.

Adaptive Behavior, Social Adjustment, and Academic Achievement of Regular and Special Education Children

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to compare the adaptive behavior, social adjustment and academic achievement of educable mentally retarded, learning disabled, behavior disordered, and regular class children. A sample of 120 children, aged 7 through 9 years, was selected from class rolls on the basis of group membership, race and sex. Significant differences were found in adaptive behavior, social adjustment, and academic achievement among the four groups; none of the instruments, however, was able to differentiate among all four categories of children. Adaptive behavior and academic achievement differentiated EMR and regular class children from the other two groups, while social adjustment appeared to be the most effective variable in differentiating BD children from the other three categories. Findings of this study support the notion that measures of these abilities provide information of use to teachers, psychologists, and placement committees in their attempts to provide the most appropr...

Anxiety among Canadian, Japanese, and American Children

The What I Think and Feel, a revised childrens manifest anxiety scale, was administered to 660 children in grades 1 through 6 in the U.S., Japan, and Canada. Both cultural and grade differences were found on the Lie and Anxiety scales. Males did not differ significantly from females on either anxiety or social desirability. Canadian and American children were generally higher on the Lie score (social desirability) and children from the U.S. reported a higher level of anxiety than did children from the other two nations.

Adaptive behavior of retarded, slow-learner, and average intelligence children

Abstract Scores on the WISC-R and the AAMD Adaptive Behavior Scale, Part I, Public School Version, were obtained for 94 elementary school children referred for psychological services in a southeastern rural area. Some of the adaptive behavior scores differentiated among children classified as EMR, slow-learners, or average intelligence. Some of the domain subscores of the ABS seem of questionable validity and reliability.

Anxiety among Children in Israel

A sample of 676 children from Israel participated in the present study. They resided in either a city (n = 105) or kibbutz (n = 571) in northern or central Israel. Participants completed an Hebrew version of the Revised Childrens Manifest Anxiety Scale. The current study hypothesized that anxiety is multidimensional in nature. It was also hypothesized that anxiety, given the unique environment of Israel, would be associated with different sources of potential threat. The anxiety items comprising the revised scale were analyzed via a principal factor analysis with varimax rotation. A two-factor solution was retained as the most statistically sound solution; one factor was labeled Anticipatory Anxiety and the other Social Anxiety. The results support the hypotheses.

Creativity and Locus of Control among Mexican College Students

Most earlier studies of college students in the U.S. suggest that internal locus of control is positively related to creativity. The current study on college students in Mexico supports one recent study in the Southeastern U.S. indicating that external college students are more creative. Creative college students in Mexico may be more similar to creative students in the rural Southeast; however, the similarity of findings in these two recent studies may also suggest a changing trend among college students. Perhaps creative students of the late 1970s have a more external orientation than college students of a decade ago.