The Development of Productive Thinking Skills in Fifth-Grade Children

A controlled experiment was conducted in forty-four fifth-grade classrooms to investigate the extent to which creativity and problem-solving skills of children could be nurtured through a series of self-instructional programmed lessons. Also studied was the relationship of such skills to (1) learner characteristics (IQ and sex) and (2) classroom “environment” as it may have facilitated creative thinking. Significant differences were found favoring the experimental group (which received the programmed lessons). Improvement in productive thinking skills was found for both boys and girls of both higher and lower IQ. Greater gains were found in classrooms providing relatively little support and encouragement for productive thinking. Also the performance of girls on the productive thinking measures exceeded that of boys and there was a strong positive relationship to IQ.     

ADOLESCENT GIRLS' COGNITIVE APPRAISALS OF COPING RESPONSES TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Peer sexual harassment is a stressor for many girls in middle and high school. Prior research indicates that approach strategies (seeking support or confronting) are generally more effective than avoidance strategies in alleviating stress. However, the deployment of effective coping behaviors depends partly on how individuals evaluate different options (i.e., cognitive appraisal). The present study tested sociocultural (ethnicity, parents’ education), interpersonal (perceived support from peers, mother, and father), developmental (age, perspective taking), and individual (self‐esteem, feminist self‐identification) factors as predictors of girls’ cognitive appraisals of coping responses to sexual harassment. The sample comprised 304 girls (M age = 15.5 years, range = 14 to 18 years) from diverse socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds who reported having previously experienced sexual harassment (e.g., unwanted sexual comments or actions). Cognitive appraisals of coping were based on the reported likelihood of confronting, seeking help, or using avoidance in response to sexual harassment. Regression analyses indicated that feminist identity, self‐esteem, perspective taking, perceived support, and parents’ education were variously related to appraisals of different responses.     

The Turk's characteristic difficulties in learning English pronunciation

INTERNATIONAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF COMMUNICATIONS. Erik Barnouw, editor in chief. 4 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989. Published jointly with the Annenberg School of Communications, University of Pennsylvania; pp. 1 (Acti‐Deco): xxv+462; 2 (Demo‐Mead): 506; 3 (Mean‐Rumo): 490; 4 (Sapi‐Zwor): 455. $300.     

Work With Children of Foreign‐Speaking Parentage

The purpose of this column is to keep religious educators abreast of relevant significant research in the general field of psychology. Its implications for methods and materials in religious education are clear. Religious educators may well take advantage of every finding in scientific research.

Each abstract or group is preceded by an evaluation and interpretive comment, which aims to guide the reader in understanding the research reported.

All of these abstracts are from PSYCHOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS, and used by permission of that periodical. The abstract numbers are from Volume 24, 1950