Carolyn E. Adams-Price

Eyewitness memory and aging : predictors of accuracy in recall and person recognition

This study examined adult age differences in identification accuracy, confidence, and verbal recall of crime films. A total of 120 Ss in 3 adult age groups watched 2 crime films that contained characters varying in role and visibility. Results suggested a modest negative relationship between age and identification accuracy but no age differences in recall of main points or details. Education and self-reported health positively predicted verbal recall, but higher education was associated with lower identification accuracy. No age differences were found in confidence or in the relationship between confidence and accuracy.

Phenomenology and the Meaning of Aging for Young and Old Adults.

Qualitative methods were used to examine the similarities and differences in the meaning of aging for young and old adults. Nineteen young adults and seventeen older adults were asked to describe in detail a specific event or time in their lives that suggested to them that they were aging. Their responses were reduced to significant statements by two independent coders, until a thematic structure became apparent. Younger adults associated aging with major events in their lives, and even though these events tended to be positive, aging had a negative meaning for them. Young adults tended to associate aging with increased responsibility and lost freedom. By contrast, older adults associated aging with everyday events or no specific events at all, and they perceived aging positively. Both young and old adults mentioned themes of times, the body, and others.

Homosexuality, Heterosexuality, and Cross-Dressing: Perceptions of Gender Discordant Behavior

This study examined attitudes of heterosexual and homosexual males toward heterosexual and homosexual cross-dressers. It was hypothesized that heterosexual males would be equally intolerant of homosexual cross-dressers, heterosexual cross-dressers, and homosexuals who did not cross-dress, but that homosexuals would be more tolerant of noncross-dressing homosexuals than of the other two groups. It was also hypothesized that homosexual subjects, but not the heterosexual subjects, would rate the homosexual noncross-dressers as more masculine than the cross-dressers. Forty-five heterosexual and 45 homosexual male college students read stories about a character who was described as a heterosexual cross-dresser, a homosexual cross-dresser, or a plain homosexual. 83 subjects were Caucasian, 2 were Asian, and 5 were African American; about 60% of the subjects were middle class; 30% were from lower class families and 10% were upper class. Heterosexuals were much less tolerant of all three vignette characters than homosexuals, but neither group rated the characters much differently when they were labeled differently. Homosexuals, but not heterosexuals, rated the plain homosexual as more masculine than the cross-dressing characters. Results also showed that gay males with highly nontraditional attitudes toward women had higher self-esteem.

Crafts and generative expression: a qualitative study of the meaning of creativity in women who make jewelry in midlife.

The purpose of this study was to examine beliefs about creative activity and its psychological and spiritual benefits among middle-aged women who make jewelry, using qualitative measures. Twenty-nine female participants aged 31 to 64 answered questions about the effects of jewelry making on their lives. Qualitative responses provided phenomenological evidence to indicate the role that creative activities play in achieving generativity needs, such as validation from others, and social connection (with God or to others). Creative activities were also said to reduce stress and increase self-esteem. These benefits are discussed from a developmental perspective.

Comparing the Future Concerns of Early Wave Baby Boomers With the Concerns of Young-Old Adults

Using data from a statewide needs assessment survey, this study examines and compares the self-reported future concerns of two age groups in Mississippi: Early wave Baby Boomers (age 55 to 64; n = 383) and the young-old (age 65 to 75; n = 349). Items under analysis focus on issues related to future concerns surrounding financial resources, health, and employment. Results from multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA) indicate that Early wave Baby Boomers have higher levels of future concern than the young-old group in all three areas. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that the financial and employment concerns of the Baby Boomers were higher than the concerns of the older group even after subjective well-being and income were taken into account. However, age differences in health concerns disappeared after controlling for current health and well-being. These findings suggest that the financial concerns of the Baby Boomers extend to the whole cohort and not just to the most financially stressed.

Examining Social Connections as a Link Between Religious Participation and Well-being Among Older Adults

Social connections provided through religious participation are associated with subjective well-being in older populations. This study investigated how much of this association can be explained by other social connections, and whether these associations vary by age. A cross-sectional random-sample telephone survey was completed by 1,025 individuals over 55 years of age. The contribution of religious participation was examined using hierarchical multiple regression and ANCOVA analyses for the entire sample and for four age-specific groups: (1) 55–64, (2) 65–74, (3) 75–84, and (4) 85+. Religious participation was found to be a significant predictor of subjective well-being for the oldest and youngest groups.

Verbal Overshadowing and Face Recognition in Young and Old Adults

Verbal overshadowing has been found to disrupt recognition accuracy when hard-to-describe stimuli are used. The current study replicates previous research on verbal overshadowing with younger people and extends this research into an older population to examine the possible link between verbal expertise and verbal overshadowing. It was hypothesized that older adults with higher verbal expertise would not suffer the effects of verbal overshadowing to the same degree as younger adults. The data supported past findings that verbal overshadowing decreases recognition accuracy in younger adults, and also suggested that older adults were less affected by verbal overshadowing effects than younger adults.

Ecological dissonance in decision-making participation systems as a predictor of job satisfaction, involvement, alienation, and formalization

The discrepancy between measures of preferred and actual participation in decision making was used as a measure of ecological dissonance for an organization and then used to assess its relationship to job satisfaction, job involvement, job alienation, and job formalization. Questionnaires were administered to 143 faculty and staff members of Mississippi State University. Correlational analyses indicated mild relationships between the measures of ecological dissonance and job satisfaction, job involvement, job alienation, and job formalization, thus providing support for ecological dissonance theory (see Miller, Topping, & Wells-Parker, 1989). It was concluded that ecological dissonance in participation in decision making was a predictor of workers’ job satisfaction, job involvement, job alienation, and job formalization.

Victim Blaming in Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults: Variations on the Severity Effect

It has been long known that people blame victims for the bad things that happen to them, and that people blame victims more when the victims experience severe difficulties than when they experience minor difficulties, even if the victims were not particularly irresponsible. Little previous research has examined victim blaming in middle-age and older adults. One hundred and forty-five adults in 3 age groups (18–34, 35–59, and 60–84) read 4 scenarios (2 accidents, 1 crime, and 1 fire) imbedded in other scenarios. The scenarios were varied so that the victim is either very irresponsible or not very irresponsible, and the outcome is mild or severe. The oldest group of participants blamed the victims more than the other groups. However, in contrast to the typical severity effect, the oldest group blamed the very irresponsible victim more when the outcome was mild than they did when the outcome was severe.

Audience perceptions of strong female characters on television

Scholars have criticized television networks for the weak roles assigned to actresses. Womens roles are evolving. This study examined audience reactions to strong female characters on five prime time television shows. The study measured whether the sex or race of the viewers influenced their perceptions of the masculinity or femininity of the characters. The participants saw the characters as slightly more feminine than masculine. Women were more accepting than men of the powerful female characters. African Americans related better to the strong characters than did Caucasian Americans. These results should encourage producers to expand the breadth of roles for women characters.