Frank H. Farley

Arousal, Personality, and Assortative Mating in Marriage.

It is known that there is significant assortative mating for intelligence. However, where personality is concerned, the picture is less clear, and where physiologically referenced individual differences are concerned, there is a negligible body of available research. A compound major individual difference variable having a putative physiological basis--arousal and the stimulation-seeking motive, which has not heretofore been investigated in studies of assortative mating--was the focus of the present study. In addition, three major personality dimensions--extraversion-introversion, neuroticism and psychoticism--were included for study. One hundred and two married couples in the housing complex of a large American midwestern university were tested on the arousal/stimulation-seeking and personality measures. Significant assortative mating (p less than .01) was found only for arousal/stimulation-seeking. The results for the other personality dimensions failed to confirm significant but slight assortative mating for neuroticism and psychoticism previously reported for British couples, but were in accord with the previously reported lack of any assortative mating for extraversion-introversion. The results were discussed in terms of further understanding the basis of assortative mating, with particular attention given to the likely role of biological cycles. Further research was outlined.

The Future of Educational Research

An examination and projection of developments in educational research in the 1980s and beyond is provided by a panel of past-Presidents of the American Educational Research Association. The panel was asked to focus on the probable nature of educational research in the 1980s and beyond, to outline their own perspectives on where educational research is going, or ought to be going, during this time. Historical comments were not, of course, ruled out, nor comments on current strengths and weaknesses, and trends.1 This article will be presented in two parts.

The relationship between aesthetic preference and visual complexity in absract art

Ten graduate art students (GAS) and 10 graduate educational psychology students (GES), matched for age and sex, rated 62 reproductions of famous paintings in terms of three categories of visual complexity to form a scale of 15 cards extracted from the ratings. Two further groups of 15 matched Ss sorted the 15 cards of the visual-complexity scale into a forced distribution of three categories of preference. Results showed a significant relationship between rated visual complexity and aesthetic preference. Both groups preferred high complexity. No significant sex differences were found for either group. No relationship was found between aesthetic preference and the E scale of the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) or the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS).

Test of an Arousal Theory of Delinquency Stimulation-Seeking in Delinquent and Nondelinquent Black Adolescents

It was predicted from a theoretical analysis of delinquency that adjudicated delinquents would be significantly greater in stimulation-seeking than nondelinquents matched on age, sex, race, and SES. Stimulation-seeking in 32 delinquent black adolescents and 32 nondelinquent black adolescents matched on age, sex, and SES was compared using the Sensation-Seeking Scale. In support of the theory, the delinquents were significantly higher in stimulation-seeking than the nondelinquents. Discussion centered on comparison with data for white adolescents and on the direction future tests of the theoretical analysis should take.

Personality and sexual satisfaction in marriage.

Abstract The role of personality in marital sexual satisfaction was investigated in 102 married couples, studying three major measurable personality dimensions–extraversion-introversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. The results indicated that for females greatest sexual satisfaction in marriage occurred when the males personality was essentially identical to the females for extraversion-introversion and neuroticism; for these same couples, however, the males sexual satisfaction was not related to such personality similarity or dissimilarity. Interestingly, for males, greatest sexual satisfaction in marriage was found when spouses were essentially identical in the personality dimension of psychoticism. Thus, all three personality dimensions were shown to be related to sexual satisfaction in marriage. Personality “fit” between marital partners would appear to be important for sexual satisfaction, with females perhaps being more sensitive to personality than males. If the three personality dimensions are...

An exploratory study of individual differences in perceptual centering and decentering.

Summary Perceptual centering and decentering, or internal versus external locus of perception, was studied as a function of individual differences in cognitive style, locus of control, and approval motivation (defensiveness?), with adolescent male Ss. Locus of perception was operationalized as the Ss responses to discrete tactile stimulation using a new technique to infer an internal versus external orientation. Locus of perception as measured was found to be a significant function of all three individual difference variables [multiple correlation R = .70 (p < .05)]. Implications for theoretical analyses of processes of centering and decentering were suggested.

Sex, politics, and personality: A multidimensional study of college students

Two-hundred undergraduate students (100 males, 100 females matched on age and school year) in university dormitories were administered measures of sexual attitude and behavior, individual differences in stimulation seeking, personality, and political orientation (liberal-conservative). Factor analysis using the Harris interpretation strategy was applied to the data. Clear sexuality factors, with generally little contribution of the personality and political-orientation variables, were obtained.

Arousal and Cognition: Memory for Color Versus Black and White Multimedia Presentation

Summary It was hypothesized that the incidence of reminiscence over one week would be greater for color as opposed to black and white multimedia presentation. This hypothesis was tested in 52 undergraduate nursing students (50 female, two male, age 19–25 years), who were randomly assigned to a slide-tape presentation in either color or black and white followed by an immediate versus seven day retention (comprehension) measure. Results supported the prediction (p < .05), with greater incidence of reminiscence being obtained in the color over black/white presentation condition. The results may be contrasted with previous work showing little or no effect of color on such complex learning. It is argued that the present approach to color and media effects emphasizing arousal and information processing may be fruitful and might well be extended to individual difference analyses, including a proposal for the individualization of instruction through arousal X treatment interactions.

Experimental aesthetics: Children’s complexity preference in original art and photoreproductions

The relationship between aesthetic preference and complexity was studied in children, comparing full-size original abstract artworks with reduced-size photoreproductions. No preference for complexity was found; rather, a tendency toward preference for intermediate levels of complexity, or rejection of high complexity, seemed to be indicated, primarily for the full-size original artworks. There was little relationship between results with the original artworks and their reduced-size photoreproductions, suggesting, until further research can be accomplished, a cautionary note in the widespread use of photoreproductions in experimental aesthetics.

Response Set in the Measurement of Stimulation-Seeking

The effect of social desirability response set on a measure of individual differences in stimulation—seeking—the Sensation-Seeking Scale—was studied in a 2 × 3 × 5 design consisting of factors of sex, instructions (fake good, fake bad, and control) and five subscales, with 15 undergraduate Ss per cell, making a total of 90 Ss. No significant effect of instructions was found, nor were any interactions of any variables significant. However, a significant (p < .01) main effect associated with sex was obtained, with males scoring significantly higher than females. In addition, a significant (p < .01) main effect of subscales was found, indicating significant variation among subscale means. It was concluded that response set, as aroused, was not a significant factor in this measure.