Irene Hanson Frieze

Pollution Reduction Preferences of U.S. Environmental Managers: Applying Ajzen'S Theory of Planned Behavior

We modified Ajzens theory of planned behavior to analyze the behavioral preferences of environmental managers. We used structural equation analysis to link the source reduction preferences of 295 ...

Predictors of Dating Violence: A Multivariate Analysis

A multivariate approach was used to determine the pattern of predictors associated with engaging in dating violence. Predictors were selected whose relationship to dating violence has been established by earlier research: attitudes toward violence, sex-role attitudes, romantic jealousy, general levels of interpersonal aggression, verbal aggression, and verbal and physical aggression received from one’s partner. Participants included 305 introductory psychology student volunteers (227 females and 78 males) who completed a set of scales related to dating relationships. Expecting different patterns of predictors to emerge for men and women, we performed separate multiple regression analyses for each. Of the set of predictors employed, receipt of physical violence from one’s partner emerged as the largest predictor of expressed violence for both men and women. In addition, higher scores on attitudes toward violence and verbal aggression, and less traditional sex-role attitudes emerged as significant predictors of expressed violence formen. For women, less accepting attitudes toward violence, more traditional sex-role attitudes, feelings of romantic jealousy, higher general levels of interpersonal aggression, and verbal aggression were predictive of expressed violence. The implications of our findings for future research are discussed.

Young singles' contemporary dating scripts

Single womens and mens scripts for a hypothetical and actual first date were investigated for a sample of 135 predominately white undergraduates. Strong scripts were found for both. Hypothetical scripts contained 19 actions for women and men; actual dates consisted of 20 actions for women and 15 for men. Hypothetical scripts constituted a core action sequence that were embellished upon in actual dates. Gender-typed actions were evidenced as strongly for actual dates as hypothetical ones. A proactive male role and a reactive female role were reflected in script content as well as quantitative measures. Actual dates also were characterized by numerous interruptions of the hypothesized sequence.

The Measurement of Gender-Role Attitudes A Review and Commentary

This article reviews measures of gender-role attitudes with an emphasis on The Attitudes Toward Women Scale (AWS; Spence & Helmreich, 1972); the Sex Role Egalitarianism Scale (SRES; Beere, King, Beere, & King, 1984); the Modern Sexism Scale (MS; Swim, Aikin, Hall, & Hunter, 1995); the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI; Click & Fiske, 1996), and the Childrens Occupational Activity Trait-Attitude Measure (COAT-AM; Bigler, Liben, Lobliner, & Yekel, 1995). The discussion of gender-role attitude measures focuses on the following themes: psychometric criteria; theoretical and conceptual distinctions among measures; domains of attitudes and behaviors included; relationship to other measures; and the meaningfulness and relevance of items. Gender-role attitude scales are viewed as measuring gender-role ideology in a particular sociohistorical context; context-specificity is viewed as contributing to the proliferation of scales, and as limiting the usefulness of scales across cultural and temporal boundaries.

Measuring Causal Attributions for Success and Failure

Although a great deal of research based on Weiner et al.’s (1971) model of causal attributions for success and failure events has been published during the 1970s, relatively little attention has been given to the question of how causal attributions should best be measured (Deaux & Farris, 1977; Smith, 1977). Although a few articles (e.g., Elig & Frieze, 1975; Frieze, 1976; Weiner, 1974; McHugh, 1975) have referred to the variety of measures used for assessing attributions, there has been no formal study of the implications of using one attribution measure over another, and researchers have tended to be unsystematic in their selection and use of the common techniques. This article explores the interrelationship of several measures of causal attributions to assess their validity and to make recommendations concerning the selection of instruments to be used in future studies of causal attributions for success and failure events.

Investigating the Causes and Consequences of Marital Rape

Marital rape is a concept that many find difficult to comprehend. Until the Oregon trial of John Rideout, who was accused of rape by his wife Greta, there was little discussion of marital rape by the general public or by researchers and counselors skilled in dealing with other types of rape cases. However, the extensive media coverage given the Rideout case has raised a number of questions about this subject. For example, what actions should be defined as rape when the acts involve husband and wife? When women are forced to have sexual relations with their husbands, do they accept this as part of their marital duties or does the use of force have long-term negative consequences for the marriage? And finally, in what types of marriages does forced sex or marital rape occur? This paper attempts to answer some of these questions based upon interview data gathered from nearly 300 women.

Assessing the theoretical models for sex differences in causal attributions for success and failure

Three basic models of attributional sex differences are reviewed: General Externality, Self-Derogation, and Low Expectancy. Although all of the models predict that women are unlikely to attribute their successes to ability, the models were quite different in other predictions. A meta-analysis of 21 studies examining sex differences in success-failure attributions was done to determine which of these three models had the most empirical support. Wording of attribution questions was also assessed. Results indicated only two consistent sex differences: Men make stronger ability attributions than women regardless of the outcome when informational attributional wording is used; and men attribute their successes and failures less to luck. Empirically, none of the models was well supported.

Describing the crime victim: Psychological reactions to victimization.

There is now a growing research literature on the types of reactions that are experienced by crime victims of all types. We review research on systematic differences in such reactions over time. Such reactions often seem more severe than might be expected on the basis of the material loss or physical injury caused by the victimization. Theories developed to explain the stress resulting from being a crime victim are outlined. They include a loss of a sense of self, a loss of safety or invulnerability, and feelings of inequity or injustice. Also reviewed are the cognitive and behavioral coping responses of victims. Redefining the victimization experience as less severe than it originally seemed or as occurring for some other purpose is one common coping mechanism. Another is to blame oneself as a means of reestablishing control over the situation. Behavioral coping through withdrawal or through assertive action and help seeking is also discussed. Some of the special issues associated with family violence and with children who are victimized, as well as another special type of victim, the friend or relative of someone else who has been killed or seriously injured, are discussed. Needs for future research are outlined.

Causal attributions and information seeking to explain success and failure

Abstract Previous studies of attributions for success and failure have relied upon a theoretically derived set of causal attributions, either luck versus skill (derived from Rotter, 1966 ) or ability, effort, luck, and task difficulty ( Weiner et al., 1971 ; Weiner, 1972 ). The same tendency of relying upon a set of logically derived cues has been evident in investigations of information-processing in making attributional judgments for success and failure (e.g., Fontaine, 1972 ; Frieze & Weiner, 1971 ). Two studies were conducted which employed an open-ended format to determine the relevance of the causal categories and information which have been utilized in previous studies. Results of these studies supported the validity of previously employed causal categories and information cues as well as establishing other important but previously ignored causes and sources of information.

Toward a Concept of a Migrant Personality

In this article we argue that individuals who want to emigrate possess a syndrome of personality characteristics that differentiates them from those who want to stay in their country of origin. Based on our own research, as well as other research findings, we show that those who want to resettle in another country tend to be more work-oriented and to have higher achievement and power motivation, but lower affiliation motivation and family centrality, than those who do not want to leave their country of origin. This migrant personality syndrome is seen as only one of the variety of factors that determine migratory behavior. We further discuss some of the possible implications of our findings for the receiving and the sending countries and possible psychological interventions that can ease the acculturation of immigrants.