Robert G. Turner

Self-Consciousness and Speed of Processing Self-Relevant Information

The present study investigated relationships between the Self-Consciousness Scale and the amount of time required to report the self-relevance of groups of socially desirable and socially undesirable trait terms. As predicted, Social Anxiety was significantly related to time required to process both socially desirable and socially undesirable terms. Private Self-Consciousness was significantly related to response time to the socially undesirable traits but not the socially desirable terms. No significant results were found for Public Self-Consciousness. The significant relationships involving Social Anxiety were discussed in terms of concern for the social implications of self-ascription.

Effects of differential request procedures and self-consciousness on trait attributions

Using 20 bipolar traits with a “depends on the situation” response alternative, Nisbett, Caputo, Legant, and Maracek (1973) reported that subjects attributed more traits to others than to themselves. However, Bem and Allen (1974) have pointed out that in situations outside the laboratory we do not use a fixed list of traits in describing ourselves or others but select only those traits that are pertinent to the person. The first purpose of the present study was to determine if subjects would attribute more traits to themselves than to another person if for each they were allowed to generate their own list of applicable descriptors. The second purpose was to investigate the moderating effect of habitual self-reflection on the number of self-descriptors employed by subjects to characterize themselves. As predicted, subjects listed significantly (p < .001) more traits for themselves than for a friend when allowed to generate their own lists. Results replicating Nisbett et al. were found on the list of 20 traits. In addition, high private self-consciousness subjects used significantly (p < .02) more traits to describe themselves than did the low private self-consciousness group.

Self-Consciousness and Memory of Trait Terms

Rogers (1977) and Rogers et al. (1977) have shown that employment of a self-reference strategy improved memory of trait adjectives. The present study investigated the utility of employing a measure of individual differences in habitual self-focused attention (the Self-Consciousness Scale) to identify persons who use self-reference strategies in memory tasks employing trait terms. Consistent with predictions, high private self-consciousness subjects remembered more trait terms employed in a reaction time task than did the low private self-consciousness group.

A Comparison of the Predictive Validity of Typical and Maximal Personality Measures.

Abstract Most personality tests are based on concepts assessing typical performance, and tests of this sort have not been generally successful in predicting criterion behaviors with useful levels of efficiency. Ability tests, which call for maximal performance, have been much more successful as predictors of criterion outcomes. Following a model derived from ability tests, predictors requiring separate typical and maximal self-reports of emotional expressivity were compared to measures of typical and maximal emotional expression in the laboratory. For angry expression, self-reports of maximal expressivity tended to outpredict self-reports of typical expressivity for both typical and maximal laboratory measures of angry expression. Although similar trends were observed for elation, the advantage of maximal self-report measures over typical self-report measures was negligible. Results were discussed in terms of both experimental and clinical implications.

Self-consciousness, evaluation of physical characteristics, and physical attractiveness

Abstract Results from an investigation of the relationship between habitual awareness of oneself as a social object (Public self-consciousness) and speed of processing information about the overt self are reported. Since high public self-consciousness subjects report themselves to be concerned about their physical appearance, they were expected to have more readily retrievable evaluative judgments concerning their physical characteristics. Consistent with this prediction, high compared to low public consciousness subjects required significantly less time to report their evaluations of eleven of their physical features. In a second study, high public self-consciousness was shown to be positively related to judged physical attractiveness in two geographically diverse samples. The quicker evaluations of the high public self-consciousness group were discussed in terms of information processing model recently described by Markus (1977) .

Sex differneces in wasis item performance

Although the WAIS IQ scores of males and females differ only negligibly, significant sex differences do exist on many WAIS subtests. The purpose of the present investigation was to identify any WAIS items within these subtests that showed reliable sex differences. Within a cross-validation methodology that employed 521 adults (264 males; 257 females), 21 items were found to show reliable sex differences. A reanalysis by age groups provided similar results. The nature of the items was discussed, and an index of stereotyped sex-role experiences was proposed.

Personality correlates of WAIS performance

The relationships between two of Cattells second-stratum factors, Cortertia and Temperamental Independence, and WAIS scores were investigated for 122 men and 127 women. For men, both Cortertia and Temperamental Independence were related significantly to WAIS scores. For women, Temperamental Independence, but not Cortertia, correlated significantly with WAIS scores. The variability in the degree of relationship between the individual subtests and the personality factors was noted, and the cross-lagged panel correlation methodology was suggested as a possible approach to investigate the causal connections between personality factors and abilities.

Comparison of self-report and performance measures of attention.

The attentional scales of the Test of Attentional and Interpersonal Style were correlated with performance measures of attention, the Digit Span and Block Design subtests of the WAIS. Of the 24 correlations computed only one was statistically significant. The need for the construct validity of these scales to be established against some behavioral measure of attentional focus was emphasized.

Personality scale and item correlates of WAIS abilities

Abstract A cross-validation methodology was employed to identify 16PF scales and items that significantly correlated with performance on the verbal, spatial, and memory/numerical abilities measured by the WAIS in a nonpsychiatric sample of 489 adults. For both men and women larger personality-ability correlations resulted in all analyses for verbal ability than for spatial or memory/numerical ability. The 16PF scale analysis offered results generally consistent with Cattells research. The item analyses produced rather similar results for both sexes for verbal and spatial abilities. For verbal ability three major correlates resulted: communicative competence, equanimity/low anxiety, and a desire for times alone. Though few in number the item correlates of spatial ability suggested a dispassionate, nontemperamental style of interaction with ones environment as the major correlate. Memory/ numerical ability was somewhat independent of 16PF item responses for women, but was associated with fastidiousness in men. Possible cause-effect relationships were suggested and implications for future research discussed.

Vocational Interest and Personality Correlates of Differential Abilities

Based upon the proposal of Yonge and Regan (1975) that the six Holland vocational groups show different patterns of abilities, the vocational interest correlates of differential combinations of abilities were investigated. From the Scholastic Aptitude Test scores of a sample of 412 college freshmen, three ability groups were created: (1) verbal greater than mathematical, (2) verbal equal to mathematical, and (3) mathematical greater than verbal. Based on responses to the Vocational Preference Inventory and 16 PF, significant differences in group means were found on scales related to artistic interests. For both sexes the highest scores on these scales were made by the high verbal-low mathematical group.