Randall M. Jones

Factors associated with perceived career options in American Indian, White, and Hispanic rural high school students.

Betz and Hacketts (1981) career self-efficacy model was extended using an ethnically mixed (White, Hispanic, American Indian) rural high school population (467 girls and 426 boys). A modified form of Betz and Hacketts interest and self-efficacy instrument was used as well as measures of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, stressful life events, and self-esteem

Family Home Care Providers’ and Parents’ Beliefs and Practices Concerning Mathematics with Young Children †

Three studies are reported which describe aspects of the early childhood environment surrounding the development of mathematics concepts. Study 1 examined the beliefs and attitudes of family home day care providers concerning mathematics. Although providers rated math skills lower in importance than other skills, they thought that math skills were acquired in the same way as other skills. In Study 2 both parent and family day care providers reported similar frequencies for engaging children in math activities. In Study 3 we addressed the question of whether the beliefs and reported activities of parents and providers predict childrens performance on the Test of Early Mathematics Ability‐2. The frequency of math activities reported by parents or family day care providers was not significantly correlated with childrens mathematics achievement scores in either age group. It appears that some mathematical activities do occur in childrens homes and in family day care, but the frequency and scope of these experiences is limited. †This paper is based on research first reported at the biennial meetings of the Society for Research in Child Development, 1997; and the Southwestern Society for Research in Human Development, 1998. The research was supported by the Marie Wilson Howells Endowment to the Department of Psychology and by the Utah State University Agriculture Experiment Station.

Identity Styles of Male Inmates

A sample of state prison inmates (N = 177) completed a measure of identity style and provided information regarding personal, educational, and criminal history. Discriminant analysis was used to construct profiles that differentiated inmates who favored information-oriented, normative-oriented, and diffuse-oriented identiry styles. Inmates with a diffuse orientation were characterized by early involvement in criminal behavior, greater total number of arrests, lack of education, and greater likelihood of parole violation. Inmates with an information orientation were also relatively young when they first engaged in criminal activity, but they reported half as many total arrests, greater levels of educational attainment, and fewer incidents of parole violation. Normative-oriented inmates were distinguished from the others by their relatively late involvement with drugs and the criminal system.

Texting and accessing the web while driving: traffic citations and crashes among young adult drivers

Objective: We examined relations between young adult texting and accessing the web while driving with driving outcomes (viz. crashes and traffic citations). Our premise is that engaging in texting and accessing the web while driving is not only distracting but that these activities represent a pattern of behavior that leads to an increase in unwanted outcomes, such as crashes and citations. Methods: College students (N = 274) on 3 campuses (one in California and 2 in Utah) completed an electronic questionnaire regarding their driving experience and cell phone use. Results: Our data indicate that 3 out of 4 (74.3%) young adults engage in texting while driving, over half on a weekly basis (51.8%), and some engage in accessing the web while driving (16.8%). Data analysis revealed a relationship between these cell phone behaviors and traffic citations and crashes. Conclusion: The findings support Jessor and Jessors (1977) “problem behavior syndrome” by showing that traffic citations are related to texting and accessing the web while driving and that crashes are related to accessing the web while driving. Limitations and recommendations are discussed.

Congruency of Identity Style in Married Couples

According to Erik Erikson, identity is an important precursor to the satisfaction that one gains from intimate relationships during adulthood. Identity styles refer to the processes by which individuals construct and reconstruct their personal identity or sense of self. Berzonsky identified the following three identity styles (orientations): information orientation, characterized by exploration, evaluation, and use of self-relevant information; normative orientation, characterized by conformity to the expectations of significant others; and diffuse orientation, characterized by procrastination and avoidance. This study assessed the degree to which similarity in identity styles contributes to marital satisfaction among recently married couples (N = 84 couples). Analyses indicate that (a) men report greater marital satisfaction than women, (b) couples with similar identity styles report greater marital satisfaction than couples with dissimilar identity styles, and (c) womens reports of marital satisfaction are more influenced (than men) by similarity of identity style.

The Need for Theory in Assessing Peer Courts

Over the past decade, peer courts have become an increasingly popular way to divert first-time and status offenders from the juvenile court, with more than 875 programs nationwide in 2002. With their rise in popularity, some studies have examined peer courts’ effectiveness for reducing attendee recidivism, although none have employed social theory for these purposes. The goal of this article is to demonstrate why social theory is necessary for evaluating peer courts. The authors use three classical criminological theories—labeling, deterrence, and differential association—to provide a better understanding of peer court functions and efficacy.

An exploratory study of time spent with interactive technology and body mass among young adults

Explored connection between young adult BMI and time spent on interactive technology.We used technology time as independent variable and BMI as dependent variable.Young adult access to interactive technology was not related to BMI.Time with video chat, social networking, and email higher among obese young adults. Young adulthood (18-25years old) is a risky time period for the development of obesity and is an understudied population in terms of identifying weight-related determinates. Previous research has identified correlations between Body Mass Index (BMI) and sedentary behaviors, including television, among children and adolescents. Young adults have an affinity for interactive technologies (i.e., email, cell phones, social networking and video chat), but at present no studies have investigated the association between BMI and interactive technologies. A major contribution from this study was the conceptualization of time spent with interactive technology as the dependent variable and Body Mass Index and the independent variable. Young adults (N=802) reported their height, weight, and weekly time spent with interactive technology. Obese participants reported significantly more time spent with email, social networking, video chat, and total technology time than their non-obese peers. It is proposed that obese young adults use interactive technologies more frequently than non-obese young adults because interactive technologies facilitate unobtrusive interactions and a mechanism to control social interactions.

Early adolescent Body Mass Index and the constructed environment

Previous research has shown that macro-level environmental features such as access to walking trails and recreational facilities are correlated with adolescent weight. Additionally, a handful of studies have documented relationships between micro-level environmental features, such as the presence (or absence) of a television in the bedroom, and adolescent weight. In this exploratory study we focus exclusively on features of the micro-level environment by examining objects that are found within adolescent personal bedrooms in relation to the adolescent occupants Body Mass Index score (BMI). Participants were 234 early adolescents (eighth graders and ninth graders) who lived with both biological parents and who had their own private bedroom. Discriminant analyses were used to identify the bedrooms belonging to adolescents with below and above average BMI using objects contained within the micro-level environment as discriminating variables. Bedrooms belonging to adolescents with above average BMI were more likely to contain objects associated with sedentary behavior (e.g., magazines, electronic games, dolls), whereas the bedrooms belonging to the average and below average BMI adolescents were more likely to contain objects that reflect past physical activity (e.g., trophies, souvenirs, pictures of places that they had visited). If causal connections between micro-environmental variables and adolescent BMI can be established in future longitudinal research, environmental manipulations may affect adolescent BMI.

Psychosocial Development and First Substance Use in Third and Fourth Grade Students: A Short-Term Longitudinal Study

Third and fourth grade students ( 𝑛 = 5 0 9 ) completed measures of psychosocial development, substance use, and intentions to use in January, and again in May, 1998. A revised Erikson Psychosocial Inventory Scale (EPSI) was employed to assess psychosocial development while estimates of substance use and intentions were obtained from anonymous self-reports. The sample was split on the basis of change in substance use and intentions from January to May. Using this grouping scheme as an independent variable, scores on the EPSI subscales (trust, autonomy, initiative, industry, and identity) were compared over time. Interestingly, no differences in psychosocial development were evident for the initial substance use comparisons, but differences were evident five months later. Respondents who initiated substance use and/or increased intentions during the five-month interval exhibited small gains (averaging less than 2.0%) on measures of trust, autonomy, and initiative and modest declines in industry and identity (−1.2%). Respondents who neither initiated substance use nor increased intentions during the five-month interval experienced significant gains (averaging 6.0%) on all five of the EPSI subscales. These findings suggest that early substance use may impede psychosocial development, thus justifying prevention efforts in the earlier grades as well as efforts to delay onset.

Antecedents of the Male Adolescent Identity Crisis: Age, Grade, and Physical Development

Erikson (1950) contends that the physical changes associated with puberty serve as a catalyst for adolescents to question childhood identifications and to consolidate these with current self-conceptions, personal ideologies, interpersonal values, and future aspirations. Erikson describes the adolescent identity crisis as the developmental period when identity development becomes salient. For males, pubertal changes have implications for sexual identity development and self-perceptions of masculinity, which are aspects of the identity exploration and integration process that occurs during adolescence. This study is an examination of the impact of age, grade, and physical development on male identity development. A purposive sample of 173 Anglo-American male participants in Grades 6 through 12 completed the Petersen Development Scale and The Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status (EOM-EIS) in their homes. Statistical analyses revealed that physical development shared more variability (20% explained) with the identity measure than either age (8.3%) or grade (4.2%). Advanced physical development correlates with lower Foreclosure scores and higher Moratorium and Achievement scores. These findings are consistent with Erikson’s life span theory of psychosocial development.