Martin E. Ford

Uplifts, Hassles, and Adaptational Outcomes in Early Adolescents

The relationship of daily uplifts and hassles to adaptational outcomes has gained increasing attention in recent years. However, investigators have focused considerably more on hassles than uplifts. In an attempt to rectify this trend, the present study examines the relationship of uplifts and hassles to anxiety, depression, distress, self-restraint, perceived sup-port from friends, perceived social competence, and general self-worth in a sample of 23 sixth graders (141 girls). Results indicate that both hassles and uplifts are substantially related to these outcomes in the expected direction, with the exception of a modest positive association between uplift and anxiety for girls. Moreover, in most cases uplifts add significantly to the relationship between hassles and outcomes, thus high-lighting the importance of uplifts. Other findings idicate that uplifts/hassles patterns vary as a function of gender and the particular outcome being considered. Similarities to and differences from adult findings are discussed in regard to gender-role and general development.

Patterns of motivation and social behavior associated with microcomputer use of young children

Patterns of motivation and social behavior among children working in pairs at microcomputers were investigated over a 4-month period by observing 95 kindergarten students. Students displayed a high level of interest that did not diminish over the course of the study as a novelty effect would have predicted, although on-task behavior and indications of intense interest did decline slightly over time. Students were generally equitable and cooperative in their interactions. Almost no gender differences were evident in either motivational or social behavior patterns. Teachers were equitable in their interaction with boys and girls, and they were more likely to interact with low-achieving students than with high achievers

Processes Associated with Integrative Social Competence Emotional and Contextual Influences on Adolescent Social Responsibility

A total of 218 high school students were asked to report their predicted behavioral choices and anticipated emotional responses to nine situations involving a conflict between a socially responsible and a socially irresponsible course of action. Results showed that the males in the sample made fewer responsible choices than did the female participants, although the mean number of situations in which such choices were made dropped markedly for both sexes when the respondentks were assured that nothing bad would happen if they behaved irresponsibly. As hypothesized, socially responsible choices were closely associated with the anticipated emotions of guilt, pride, empathy, and fear, and not with anticipating strong self-interest emotions or worry about peer approval. These results suggest that integrative social competence, as exemplified by the culturally valued outcome of social responsibility, may be largely a function of motivational and contextual processes that are rather far removed from the literatures traditional emphasis on social understanding and social inferencing capabilities.

Children's strategies for controlling affective responses to aversive social experience

It was hypothesized that one mechanism of self-control that children develop is the strategic capacity to select the experiences they encounter. This hypothesis led to the prediction that children would deal with certain aversive social experiences by seeking out or taking advantage of opportunities for nurturant experiences. Young children were exposed to an aversive social experience in which they received less nurturance than a peer, a positive experience in which they received more nurturance, or a neutral experience in which nurturance was equal. Subsequently, an opportunity was provided for children to control the length of time they watched a highly nurturant television program. As predicted, boys experiencing an aversive social encounter increased the length of time they exposed themselves to the nurturant television show, and their level of reduced positive affect was related to how long they watched the nurturant content, further supporting the interpretation that they did so in response to their own affective state. Girls did not adopt the strategy of self-exposure to nurturant television but did appear to engage in self-distraction during the aversive social experience. Despite the apparent use of control strategies, there was no indication that these strategies were effective for the amelioration of reduced positive affect resulting from the aversive social experience. Discussion focuses on the sex differences observed in the adoption of strategic behavior and factors contributing to the ineffectiveness of the control strategies. A general model is proposed for personal and environmental factors requisite for the selection, employment, and effectiveness of strategies to control experiences and their affective consequences.

Perceptions of Personal Agency and Infant Attachment: Toward a Life-Span Perspective on Competence Development:

Because perceptions of personal agency are important contributors to behavioral regulation, they play a significant role in promoting and maintaining competent functioning. Yet, thus far, these processes have been studied almost exlusively in older children and adults. Our discussion sketches the outlines of a life-span approach to the study of competence development by considering the emergence of personal agency beliefs in the infancy and toddler years and their importance to early developmental achievements. After presenting a general framework for conceptualizing personal agency beliefs and an overview of the research with older groups relevant to this framework, studies of the origins of perceived effectance and their motivational consequences in infancy are reviewed. Next we propose that individual differences in the security of attachment and their sequelae can be viewed as reflecting, in part, variations in perceptions of personal agency among infants and toddlers, a view which also suggests important new directions in attachment theory and research. Finally, we outline research issues concerning the generality and stability of personal agency beliefs, their behavioral correlates at different ages, and their overall role in a general life-span theory of competence development.

Factors Influencing Early Childhood Administrators' Decisions Regarding the Adoption of Computer Technology.

This research examined several key factors involved in decisions regarding adoption of microcomputers for administrative and instructional uses in early childhood education. Eighty directors representing both nonprofit and private proprietary early childhood programs participated in the study. Four sets of decision-making influences were considered: relevant past experiences (i.e., experiences with and knowledge about computers, experience with other educational innovations, and background in math and science), future expectancies (i.e., self-efficacy expectations and expectancies regarding the consequences of computer use), openness to change (i.e., self-perception of innovativeness and professional orientation), and social support. Multivariate prediction analyses revealed that knowledge and experience, self-efficacy for computer use, and professional orientation were the most salient factors associated with microcomputer use in the early childhood setting.

Human Factors Affecting the Performance of Inspection Personnel in Nuclear Power Plants

The maintenance and safe operation of nuclear power plants is a major concern of the utility industry. Of particular interest is the development of competence in flaw detection among inspectors who perform IGSCC (intergranular stress corrosion cracking) inspection. Despite efforts focused on the implementation of stricter qualification codes, the remediation of skill deficits (e.g., training efforts), and equipment upgrading, two problems remain: There is a relatively low pass rate on the qualification exams among workers who attend the EPRI NDE Center’s IGSCC detection course; and Of those who are qualified, there is an apparent disparity between their good performance in training and poor field results.