John P. Dolly

The Effect of Providing Research Purpose Information When Treatment Is Delayed.

Summary This study looked at time as the critical factor when providing research purpose information to S s in classroom settings. The sample, 239 male and female students in 16 classes at a Southern university, was randomly assigned to one of six treatment groups. Each group was provided research purpose information ranging from no information to complete positive and complete negative information. The Minnesota Teacher Attitude Inventory was used as the dependent variable and was administered one week after the S s were provided the research purpose information. ANOVA indicated significant differences among the groups at the .01 level. S s acted in accordance with the information given and the Es expectations.

AN ATTEMPT TO ASSESS EFFECTS OF IMPLEMENTING A. P. A. ETHICAL GUIDELINES ON DATA COLLECTED IN A CLASSROOM SETTING

An attempt was made to determine what effect implementation of the APA Ethical Principles would have on cognitive and affective data collected in a classroom setting. A total of 126 graduate and 90 undergraduate male and female subjects were assigned randomly to six treatment groups. The groups were provided different levels of information on a continuum ranging from no disclosure to full disclosure on the purpose and expectations of the research. A logical task and Scotts Academic Self-concept Scale were given. The data among all treatment groups yielded nonsignificant differences, which is inconsistent with published literature on artifacts in research. The results indicated that implementation of ethical principles in one classroom setting may not affect the internal validity of research with similar paper-and-pencil tasks.

The Influence of Sex and Race on the Test Scores of Research Subjects Exposed to Research Purpose Information

Summary The study looked at the different reactions of subgroups within a sample of undergraduates to different research purpose information. In the sample there were 80 males and 206 females, 43 blacks and 243 whites. Ss were assigned to one of three treatment groups which received (a) positive information which indicated high scores on the dependent variables were desirable; (b) neutral information which provided no expectation; or (c) negative information which indicated low scores were desirable. The results indicated that there were significant differences on the positive and negative treatments between males and females and also between blacks and whites. The data suggest that information about the expected outcomes of a research study will affect different subgroups in a population, causing significant changes in the data.

The Effects of a Program of Behavior Modification and Reality Therapy on the Behavior of Emotionally Disturbed Institutionalized Adolescents.

Abstract This study used behavior modification and reality therapy to bring about behavioral changes in a group of twenty severely retarded, emotionally disturbed adolescents. The staff involved in the project were trained in both procedures, and observed periodically in order to determine the extent of their use. The subjects’ behavior was examined using two adaptive behavior scales. Significant positive changes in behavior were found on both scales over the course of the study. These behavioral changes have contributed to favourable changes in the daily routines and activities of the subjects.

Overt Expectancies in a Classroom Setting: Implications for the Validity of Responses Obtained from an Attitudinal Scale.

Subjects were given either positive, negative, or neutral information concerning an attitudinal questionnaire that they were asked to complete. The positive information group obtained the lowest scores, followed by the negative information group, with the neutral information group obtaining the highest mean score. An analysis of variance revealed that the differences among the mean scores of the three groups were significant. This outcome was contrary to what most of the literature predicts. The subjects acted in opposition to what they had been told. It was concluded that the validity of affective measures could be affected by instructions given to examinees who may develop different interpersonal expectancies of the outcome.

COMMON FACTORS IN SEX AND RACE DISCRIMINATION

The attitudes of white males, white females, black males, and black females toward changing roles for women and blacks were determined using a Likert scale. Principal components factor analysis with varimax rotations was used to identify items that loaded at least .40 on the factors. Significant differences at the .001 level (df — 3/82) were found for the total instrument, Factor I, Factor II, and the subscales on role change for blacks and females. The strongest bias was expressed by blacks on the total scale and Factor I (Changes in the Status Quo) and by white females on role change for blacks and Factor II (Strategies for Equalization).

Research Purpose Information and Affective Instrument Scores.

Research studies have indicated that when subjects are given cues or information about the purpose of a research study the scores on a psychological measure tend to increase in a positive direction. In this study 100 undergraduate students were assigned to one of three treatment groups. The first group received information stating that high scores on the Minnesota Teacher Attitude Inventory (MTAI) revealed a potentially successful teacher. The second group obtained neutral information. The third group was told that high scores on the MTAI resulted in potentially poor teachers. The results indicated that both positive and negative information increased the scores of subjects on the MTAI and suggested that the validity of the MTAI might be compromised.

The Effect of Negative Feedback on Modeling Behavior.

AbstractThe study was designed to determine if social learning theory and cognitive dissonance theory would adequately predict the modeling behavior of subjects on a novel task. The study was limited to a task on which subjects were provided negative feedback concerning their ability to identify the personality characteristics of others. A total of 60 undergraduate students were given the opportunity to imitate models competent on the task or models poor on the task but more similar to the subjects’ performance. Most subjects imitated the poor models ip < .01), indicating support for dissonance and social learning theories.