AN INTERVENTION TO REDUCE FEAR OF FALLING AND ENHANCE ACTIVITY: WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO BENEFIT?

The reasons for sources of inactivity among older adults can be both physical and psychological. Fear of falling is a common psychological source of restricted activity. The efficacy of a group intervention to reduce fear of falling and associated activity restriction was established in a randomized controlled trial by the authors and their colleagues. The objective of this analysis was to investigate who was most likely to benefit from this intervention. Data from baseline and 12-month follow-up were used to identify predictors in change of two targeted attitudes - fear of falling and ability to manage falls - that were considered to precede change in activity level. The predictors of the two outcomes were similar. Subjects who reported less physical and social dysfunction, more concerns about falling, and greater self-efficacy in doing something about their concerns were most likely to benefit from the intervention. Men were more likely than women to achieve greater ability to manage falls. These findings can be used to target the intervention to persons in greatest need or to modify the intervention to better meet the needs of others.     

Readability and Basic Course Hybrid Textbooks in Human Communication: A Disparity of Reading Difficulty

Parents play a pivotal role in the gender development and sex-typing of children. It is important to discover whether gender role communication differences exist based on the sex of the child or parent. The present study aimed to discover differences in gender role messages communicated between mother-daughter, mother-son, father-daughter, and father-son dyads. Participants (n = 630) completed a modified version of Bem's Sex Role Inventory. Two key results were discovered: mothers communicate significantly more feminine messages to children, regardless of child sex; and the modified BSRI identifies respondents as weak vs. strong gender identity rather than masculine, feminine, androgynous, or undifferentiated.     

The State of Media Literacy: A Rejoinder

Based on the uses and gratifications framework, this study examined associations between motivations for using Facebook among college students, their concern for impression management, Facebook intensity, and psychological outcomes including sense of belonging and satisfaction with campus life. Using data from an online survey (N = 246), the study found that four motivations—entertainment, relationship maintenance, self-expression, and communication—together with impression management, were significantly associated with Facebook intensity. However, the impacts of Facebook intensity on psychological consequences were relatively limited. Theoretical implications of the study were discussed.     

College Adjustment Difficulties and the Overt and Covert Forms of Narcissism

Overt narcissism correlated negatively with emotional distress and interpersonal difficulties among female, but not male, students. After controlling for self‐esteem, overt narcissism correlated positively with depression among female students and with emotional distress and interpersonal difficulties among male students. Covert narcissism correlated positively with emotional distress and interpersonal and academic difficulties among both male and female students. Associations between covert narcissism and emotional distress and interpersonal difficulties remained after controlling for self‐esteem.     

At the Convergence of Input and Process Models of Group Discussion: A Comparison of Participation Rates across Time,Persons, and Groups

We investigate the stability and change of participation patterns in small groups by examining two longitudinal data sets at the individual and group levels of analysis. Rejecting the dichotomy between input and process models, we advance a view at the convergence of these two perspectives. We argue that stability in participation reflects input factors and that change emerges from process mechanisms. Study 1 analyzed discussion data from zero-history laboratory groups that worked on three similar tasks in succession, each with stable membership across the tasks. Results showed significant variation within participants and between groups, indicating that group members varied their participation as needed and that group-level factors influenced participation. Study 2 analyzed longitudinal data collected from the Australian Citizens' Parliament, where tasks and group membership varied over time. Study 2 replicated Study 1's findings, but analyses showed more complex patterns of both stability and change across groups and tasks. Taken together, results from the two studies support our position that both input and process mechanisms cause variation in participation. Our Conclusion examines how structural features and participation impact democratic group deliberation.     

WHEN PUBLIC SERVICE RENDERS PERSONAL CHANGE: PORTRAITS OF SIX AVOCATIONAL TEACHERS

This paper presents portraits of six parents who became actively involved as avocational teachers in their synagogue's religious school. Based on two in‐depth interviews, the portraits trace avocational teachers' public commitment to the school and personal renewal as Jews. The portraits provide us with a closer look at the powerful impact that teaching and learning had on participants' views of themselves and their relationship to Jewish texts.