Mallory Wober

Smoking, seat-belts, and beliefs about health.

Abstract Questionnaires concerned with cigarette smoking and seat-belt use were completed by 378 respondents who were taking part in a survey of audience reactions to 1 weeks television programmes. Controlling for sex, age, and social class, self-reported seat-belt use was lower among smokers than non-smokers (P

L'INFLUENCE DE L'ATTENTE DE L'EXPÉRIMENTATEUR APPLIQUÉE A UNE ÉTUDE SUR LTDENTITÉ NATIONALE EN OUGANDA

An opportunity was taken of using Rosenthals Experimenter-Expectancy effect not only to demonstrate its existence in a new setting, but also to elucidate aspects of group identity among the Baganda of Uganda. Baganda secondary pupils were read four Hsts of identical numbers, merely reshuffled within each list, and asked to write them down and find an average for each. They were told the lists represented exam scores for students drawn respectively from Ankole, Buganda, Northerners and Uganda. The average calculated by Baganda pupils was lower when attributed to Northerners than when associated with the other groups. They did not attribute higher average marks to their own group than for the National group. It is recommended that the positive regard the Baganda may have for the concept Ugandans, be emphasised together with adding the idea that Northerners are also Ugandans.

THE MEANINGS OF CONVERGENCE AND DIVERGENCE, WITH DATA FROM GIRLS’ SECONDARY SCHOOLS

ABSTRACT Previous work on the possibility of separating the constructs of convergence and divergence is discussed. It is held that if the two are indeed separate dimensionally, then any analysis which implies a continuum of “convergence‐divergence”, even if it deals with two separate “tops and tails” sub‐groups, must be mistaken. Using a fluency test for divergence, and a new convergence test, this research finds among secondary schoolgirls that the two abilities are significantly correlated. However, these abilities are each related in different ways to a broad set of other personal attributes, which include ratings on Fitting in to the School Society, Making the Best of Academic Opportunities, a self‐rating of satisfaction in school, and preferences to excel in different fields of endeavour. Cultural factors which pertain to the milieu of each school also relate to norms of abilities in each school and to performance and satisfaction as well as to preference ratings. Conclusions drawn from research base...