Elizabeth Pugzles Lorch

Reliability and validity of a brief measure of sensation seeking

Abstract We developed a self-report measure of sensation seeking, a dispositional risk factor for various problem behaviors. In two studies, we administered the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS) to more than 7000 adolescents. Study 1 participants completed a paper-and-pencil form of the BSSS in mass-testing sessions. Psychometric analyses of the resultant data revealed suitable item characteristics and internal consistency of responses to the items across age (13–17 years), sex, and ethnic categories. Study 2 participants, who completed the BSSS individually in an interview format, also provided data on their perceptions of and experiences with licit and illicit drugs as well as a series of additional risk and protective factors. Scores on the full BSSS correlated inversely with negative attitudes toward drug use and positively with drug use; sensation seeking as measured by the BSSS was a particularly strong predictor of the intention to try marijuana in the future. BSSS scores were reliably and predictably associated with other risk and protective factors.

Effects of Signaling Topic Structure on Text Recall.

Two experiments studied effects of signaling devices (headings, overviews, and summaries) on text memory. In Experiment 1, subjects read a text with or without signals, then recalled the topics of the text. Signaling produced better memory for the topics and their organization. In Experiment 2, subjects recalled the content of the text they read, and recalls were scored for the number of accurately recalled ideas. Signals produced recalls that were better organized by text topics. Signals also influenced the distribution of recall of ideas: Subjects remembered more topics but recalled less about each accessed topic if the text they read contained signals than if it did not

On-line processing of the topic structure of a text

Abstract Subjects in two experiments read two texts while their sentence reading times were recorded. Each text discussed 12 related topics. Across the two experiments, reading times on the sentences introducing the topics were affected by three manipulations: (1) Reading times were shorter if the new topic was directly related to the immediately preceding topic than if it was not directly related. (2) Reading times were shorter if an introductory paragraph was informative rather than uninformative about the topic structure of the text. (3) Reading times were longer if subjects outlined the introductory paragraph than if they did not outline. The results suggest that readers construct a representation of the topic structure of the text as they read.

The Development of Narrative Comprehension and Its Relation to Other Early Reading Skills

The first goal of this study was to examine young childrens developing narrative comprehension abilities using theory-based, authentic measures of comprehension processes. The second goal was to examine the relations among young childrens comprehension abilities and other early reading skills. Children ages 4 and 6 listened to or watched two authentic narratives. We measured their comprehension of these narratives as well as vocabulary and skills associated with word decoding. The results revealed that even the younger children were sensitive to the underlying structure of the narratives and that this sensitivity increased with age. Measures of narrative comprehension were not consistently correlated with skills associated with word decoding, such as phonological awareness. The results are discussed in terms of theoretical models of comprehension and of reading development. Practical implications of the findings are also explored.

Watching Children Watch Television

The national pastime of American children is watching television. They spend perhaps 20% of their waking hours in front of TV sets, cumulatively more time than they spend in school (Lyle & Hoffman, 1972a, b). Although there has been some research interest in the social and cognitive impact of television (cf. Liebert, Neale, & Davidson, 1973; Stein & Friedrich, 1975), there have been few studies on the nature and development of TV viewing itself. There has been little information on how children watch, why they watch, or what they watch.

Attention, Need for Sensation, and Health Communication Campaigns

Although attention to novelty is no longer as vital to survival as in our ancient past, the attention value of novelty has major implications for contemporary human communication. It also is affected by individual differences in reactivity to intense and novel stimulation. The studies reported in this article involve the roles of attention and sensation seeking in responses to drug abuse prevention campaigns in the mass media. Early studies have indicated that adolescent high-sensation seekers are two to seven times more likely to report using drugs—ranging from alcohol to cocaine—than lower sensation seekers, identifying them as prime target audiences for prevention campaigns. This article describes a series of studies, ranging from laboratory studies on differential effects of messages on high- and low-sensation seekers, and on effects of program context, to a field experiment in which high-sensation seekers were targeted.

Comprehension of Televised Stories in Boys With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Nonreferred Boys

Two studies compared comprehension of televised stories by 7- to 12-year-old boys with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and nonreferred comparison boys. Boys watched one show with toys present and one with toys absent. Visual attention was continuously recorded, and recall was tested after each show. Across studies, visual attention was high with toys absent but decreased sharply with toys present for boys with ADHD. Groups showed similar levels of cued recall of discrete units of information regardless of differences in attention. When recall tasks and television story structure required knowledge of relations among events, the reduced attention of boys with ADHD interfered with recall. Although visual attention of comparison boys also decreased to some extent with toys present, there was no such decrement in recall. Implications of the difficulties children with ADHD have in integrated story comprehension are discussed.

Response Style Differences in the Inattentive and Combined Subtypes of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

This study examined potential differences between the inattentive and combined ADHD subtypes using laboratory tasks assessing behavioral inhibitory processes. Seventy-five children completed two tasks of behavioral inhibition believed to isolate different processes: the cued reaction time task (CRT), a basic inhibition task, and the go/no-go task (GNG), a complex inhibition task that incorporates motivational contingencies. Three groups of participants were identified, including ADHD/Inattentive (n = 17), ADHD/Combined (n = 37), and comparison (n = 21). Results indicated that rather than showing behavioral inhibition deficits, the ADHD/I children appeared overly inhibited, as evidenced by slower reaction times across the two tasks and significantly higher errors of omission in the GNG task. Additionally, the ADHD/I children did not demonstrate cue dependency effects on the CRT task, suggesting that they were failing to incorporate relevant information before making a response. The sluggish and inhibited performance of the ADHD/I group challenges the idea that it is a subtype of ADHD.

Difficulties in Comprehending Causal Relations Among Children With ADHD: The Role of Cognitive Engagement

The present study examined whether time spent in long looks (i.e., >or=15 s), an index of cognitive engagement, would account for differences between children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and comparison children in understanding causal relations. Children viewed two televised stories, once in the presence of toys and once in their absence. Dependent variables were visual attention and questions tapping factual information and causal relations. Comparison children answered significantly more causal relations questions than did the children with ADHD, but only in the toys-present condition. Four lines of evidence revealed that the difficulties children with ADHD had in answering causal relations questions in the toys-present condition could be linked specifically to this groups decreased time spent in long looks.

Short‐term effects of an anti‐marijuana media campaign targeting high sensation seeking adolescents

Abstract Sensation seeking, a biologically‐based personality variable, is strongly related to both drug use and preferences for highly novel, arousing, and/or unconventional messages and TV programs. This connection is the basis of a targeting strategy in an anti‐marijuana public service announcement campaign in a medium‐sized market aimed at high sensation seeking adolescents. Data from the first half of the media campaign suggest that the anti‐marijuana PSAs are reaching the target audiences marijuana‐related beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors in the experimental city when compared to the control city. Implications for future campaigns are discussed.