Eighth Grade Boys Research Articles

The Effects of Contextual Dissonance on the Self-Concept of Youth from a High versus Low Socially Valued Group

Abstract The present study examined the self-concept of subjects from either a high or low socially valued group who were immersed in a contextually dissonant school setting. Subjects were 315 seventh- and eighth-grade black and white boys and girls. Of this group, 54 were bused to a school where their group was in the minority (dissonant context). The remaining subjects stayed in the school where their group was in the majority (consonant context). The results supported the contextual dissonance theory for the subjects from the lower socially valued group but not for those from the higher socially valued group. A significant interaction for the former group of subjects involving Dissonant Versus Consonant Context × Male Versus Female × Fall Versus Spring Semester showed that the number of negative attributes ascribed to the self was higher for the subjects bused into a dissonant context than for those remaining in a consonant context; this difference was, however, significant for the fall testing only. A...

Differential Perceptions of Health among Eighth-Grade Girls and Boys in Amman, Jordan

Controlling for age, education, socio-economic background, and residential location, sex differences were investigated between male and female pupils' perception of health. A twenty-item multiple response questionnaire was given to 190 girls and 181 boys studying in the eighth grade in well-to-do area city schools. Tests of significance for independent sample proportions were used to determine differences in the proportions of girls and boys endorsing each item. Nine out of twenty differences were statistically significant (p < .05 or p < .01). Twenty items were rank ordered separately for girls' and boys' samples and Spearman rank order correlation was calculated to test for the degree of similarity of ordered preferences of girls and boys. A relatively high value of rho .924 indicated close similarity between the preferential patterns of girls' and boys' perceptions of health. Possibility of reaching alternative conclusions from different analyses of the same data is indicated and implications for health education curriculum development are suggested.

The Formal Operational Reasoning Test

Summary Educational researchers and psychologists have devoted considerable attention to the measurement of formal operational reasoning abilities. But the lack of suitable paper-and-pencil instruments has limited the quality and extent of assessment possible in regular classrooms and other group settings. The Formal Operational Reasoning Test (FORT) was developed to obviate such problems. Data (N = 300 seventh and eighth grade boys and girls) pertaining to the reliability, content validity, and construct validity of the FORT are reported. It is concluded that the FORT is a reliable and valid measure of formal operational reasoning abilities which is appropriate for use with Ss at or beyond the junior high school level.

Relationships between Humor, Formal Operational Ability, and Creativity in Eighth Graders

Abstract The present study investigated the hypothesized relationship between the understanding of verbal humor and the attainment of formal operational thought and further explored the relationships between humor and creativity proposed by earlier investigators. Two humor tests (one developed by the authors), the Remote Associates Test, the Barron Welch Revised Art Scale, and the Lunzer Quiz (a measure of formal operations) were administered to 117 eighth-grade boys and girls. Confirmation was found for the first hypothesis and only partial confirmation for the second. A theoretical discussion is presented relating the findings to the concept of flexibility and the stage of formal thought.

IQ, Field Dependence-Independence, and the Development of Formal Operational Thought

Summary This study focused on the influence of field dependence-independence on the development of formal operational thought during early adolescence. The Group Embedded Figures Test and three paper-and-pencil logical reasoning tests involving second-order operations were administered to 450 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade boys and girls. The results showed that the relationships between field dependence-independence and formal operational reasoning abilities were due largely to their common overlap with IQ. The findings are discussed in terms of the acquisition and utilization of formal thought structures.

Relationships Between Evaluations of Self and Parents by Children from Intact and Divorced Families

In the present study 639 fifth through eighth grade boys and girls from a total of 14 school districts across the State of Kansas voluntarily filled out evaluative surveys for each of the following...

The Achievement Drive and Ego Strength of Highly Creative Adolescents

Summary To investigate the relationship between creative potential, achievement drive, and ego strength, measures of n-Ach, v-Ach, and Barron's E scale were administered to the top 4% of 1000 Australian children selected by means of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (N = 58 eighth grade boys and girls). When compared with a control group, the “highly creative” group did not show themselves to differ significantly on measures of ego strength or nonconforming achievement; in fact, there was an indication that they were more conforming than the control group in their need for achievement. The results were discussed in the light of some personality characteristics required to complete a long test, even when that test is a “creativity” test.

Propositional Reasoning in Adolescence

Summary Two propositional reasoning tests were administered to eighth-grade boys and girls. Each item on one of the tests was used to assess Ss' comprehension of a basic rule for one of four types of propositional logic, whereas each item on the other test was used to measure Ss' abilities to solve “who-done-it” problems involving two of the four types of propositional logic. The results showed significant differences in Ss' performances according to the type(s) of propositional logic involved in a given item. Surprisingly, however, the interdependence of Ss' performances on the two tests was minimal. The results were discussed in terms of research and theory regarding formal operational thinking.

The Effects of Nonsexist Television Commercials and Perceptions of Reality on Children's Attitudes About Women

To test the hypothesis that television content can teach sex-typed attitudes, this study presented third and eighth graders with television commercials showing either traditional or nontraditional women. Crossing this manipulation, the children's perceptions of the reality of the commercials were altered with instructions that the characters in the commercials were all real people (reality set), that they were all acting (acting set), or that the commercials were just like ones seen at home (no instructions). Results showed that the children's perceptions of reality were successfully manipulated, and that younger children thought all content was more real. The two sets of commercials were found to have a significant differential impact on the children's attitudes about women only for groups that had been instructed about reality. For these groups, there was an interaction with sex of subject so that eighth grade boys had more traditional attitudes about women after viewing the nontraditional women, while all other groups showed the reverse pattern of means. Finally, rather than the predicted interaction, perceived reality had a main effect such that children who believed the characters to be acting were less traditional in their attitudes about women. This result is supported by a matching correlation between the two variables for the noninstructed groups.

The Facilitative Effects of Imagery Instructions and Stimulus Characteristics on Immediate and Long Term Free Recall and Clustering.

The effects of imagery on immediate and long term recall and organization (i.e., clustering) were studied with regard to high and low imagery concrete stimulus nouns from the same generic categories, imagery and no imagery instructions, number of recall trials, and two presentation rates. Three major aspects were involved: (a) establishment of imagery norms for 80 categorically related nouns, (b) behavioral analysis of these norms, and (c) a verbal free recall experiment conducted with 960 sixth and eighth grade boys and girls to compare the verbal and imaginal symbolic processes. Recall and organization were found to be facilitated by imagery nouns or instructions. Eighth graders not only recalled and organized better than sixth graders, but also used imagery more effectively. Four written trials were better than one, and a five second presentation rate was better than 2.5 seconds. These trends held in immediate and long term recall. Results were discussed in terms of the code availability hypothesis of Paivio's two-process theory. It was concluded that imagery is an important factor in free recall and organization and functions analogously to verbal processes.

Determinants of bargaining behavior in a bilateral monopoly situation II: Opponent's concession rate and similarity

This study investigates the process by which one member of an interpersonal system adjusts his expectations for the other's behavior on the basis of the other's concession rate and his perceived similarity. The process was explored in a bilateral monopoly situation where subjects, 52 eighth grade boys, assumed the role of buyer bargaining against sellers who were simulated according to a prearranged program. Strong effects were produced by both manipulations. As sellers became increasingly tough, buyers became increasingly soft. Increasing seller softness, on the other hand, resulted in no change in buyer softness. The former subjects expected larger seller concessions than they received; the latter predicted seller concessions accurately and conceded proportionately. Similar sellers elicited more buyer softness and more trials to agreement than dissimilar sellers. Internal data analyses revealed two types of bargainers in the high similarity condition: those who increased and those who decreased their level of softness in the final phase of bargaining. Additional evidence suggested that the latter subjects' behavior could be explained in terms of a disappointment in expectations caused by the nonreciprocating opponent and by their own previous high level of softness. The results are considered to have implications for a wider class of social situations involving both mutuality and opposition of interests.

The effects of behavior modification on the attitudes of delinquents

This study investigates whether exposure to the rehabilitation techniques of behavior modification changes the attitudes of delinquents so that they more closely approximate the norms of the community. The attitudes of delinquent boys in a community based home that uses behavior modification principles are contrasted over time with a control group of eighth grade boys from the same community. The results suggest that the delinquent boys tend to improve dramatically in self-esteem and from externality to internality, actually scoring more favorably in each case than the control group at post-test. They improve also in achievement orientation but they remain below the control group. Finally, the delinquent boys are slightly less Machiavellian than the control group and this did not change across time.

Prior Help, Ego Development, and Helping Behavior

Cox, NELL. Prior Help, Ego Development, and Helping Behavior. CmLD DEVELOPMENT, 1974, 45, 594-603. The purpose of the study was to investigate in young adolescents the effects of level of ego development and prior help on helping behavior. 79 eighth-grade middle-class boys served as subjects. Each subject completed Loevinger's Sentence Completion Test as a measure of ego development, participated in an experimental situation, and answered interview questions. Amount of prior help was positively related to helping behavior in the experimental situation. Ego development and race were not related to help in the experimental situation or to extracurricular helping behavior.

PEDIATRIC PERCEPTIONS: JUMPING THE GENERATION GAP WITH SIXTH, SEVENTH, AND EIGHTH GRADE BOYS

The generation gap is supposed to create a great chasm over which it is often quite impossible to communicate. Much of what seems wrong with the younger generation is credited to the unwillingness of the young to listen. For this dilemma I think I have found a cure. It is just this: Skip a generation; let the grandfather figures do the communicating and carrying of messages. It works! What a revelation it has been to find that with ease I can communicate effectively with sixth, seventh, and eighth grade boys. Our discussions last as long as 90 minutes. Their interest doesn't waiver; they look me straight in the eye; their questions are intelligent and pertinent. I doubt that this would happen as easily if I were 30 years younger than I am. Apparently these boys view me as a friendly grandfather figure with whom it is safe and useful to discuss personal and scientific matters, even though I am a member of the establishment. Here is how it goes: In our schools we show a film entitled "Human Growth." This film covers the essentials of human growth and development from the fertilized ovum to birth and on through adolescence. After the showing of the film, which takes 15 to 20 minutes, the meeting is opened for questions. The teacher introduces me. I amplify the teacher's introduction with a few remarks about as follows: "Would any of you boys like to guess how old I am?" Some student politely underestimates my age.

THE INFLUENCE OF REASONING ON BEHAVIORAL CHOICES AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT

TURIEL, ELLIOT, and ROTHMAN, GOLDA R. The Influence of Reasoning on Behavioral Choices at Different Stages of Moral Development. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1972, 43, 741-756. This study examined the effects of exposure to moral reasoning on behavior. 43 seventhand eighth-grade boys were pretested using Kohlberg's moral-judgment interview to determine their moraldevelopment stages. The experimental condition required Ss to choose between 2 actions. Before choosing, Ss were exposed to reasoning: 1 behavioral choice was supported by reasoning at the stage above their own and the other by reasoning at the stage below. Ss made a choice and reasoned about it. A posttest was administered. Compared with control Ss, the reasoning presented did not effect a shift in behavioral choice for stage 2 and stage 3 Ss; reasoning at the stage above led to a shift for stage 4 Ss. The posttest showed no significant stage changes.

Sports Interests and Abilities as Contributors to Self-Concept in Junior High School Boys

Abstract The present study was designed to test jour hypothesized relationships between self-concept, sports abilities, and personal and parent interest in sports for seventh, eighth, and ninth grade boys. Results showed a significant positive relationship between reported interest in sports and self-concept scores at each grade level. A significant relationship was found between self-concept score and two measures of parent (father and mother) interest in sports for the ninth and seventh grade subjects only. Perhaps the most surprising result was the decrement in the hypothesized relationship between measures of physical ability and self-concept from the seventh to ninth grade. There was support for the proposed relationship between personal interest in sports and measures of physical abilities at all grade levels, although the strongest relationship appeared to be at the seventh grade. Main conclusions were that sports abilities and interests were positively related to measured self-concept and that sim...

Self-concept, sports interests, sports participation, and body type of seventh- and eighth-grade boys.

Self-concept, sports interests, sports participation, and body type of seventh- and eighth-grade boys.

CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS AS VIEWED BY TEACHERS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND CHILDREN

ZIv, AVNER. Children's Behavior Problems as Viewed by Teachers, Psychologists, and Children. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1970, 41, 871-879. 30 behavior problems, based on Wickman's checklist, were ranked according to their severity by 165 eighth-grade boys and girls, 82 teachers, and 45 psychologists. A significant positive correlation was found between teachers' and psychologists' rankings. This result is different from that found in similar studies conducted in the United States. However, a qualitative analysis indicated that teachers still consider overt behavior problems more serious, while psychologists consider withdrawal problems to be more severe. Children ranked the problems more like the teachers than like the psychologists. This is probably due to the teachers' socializing influence and the continuous interaction between teachers and students.

Negative evidence regarding energization effects of simple, unchanging stimulation

Seventh- and eighth-grade boys viewed picture exposures that alternated with a lever-pulling response. Group SUN (simple, unchanging, nonmeaningful) viewed 12 60-sec presentations of a constant simple geometric form. Group CCM (complex, changing, meaningful) viewed 6 10-sec exposures of nonrepeated meaningful pictures on each of 12 trials. Group SUN responded with nonsignificantly smaller amplitudes, withnon significantly longer latencies, and with significantly longer durations. It was concluded that no clear evidence was obtained for energization effects of simple unchanging stimulation. The duration finding was interpreted as indicating that Group SUN Ss were responding so as to provide themselves with additional (kinesthetic) stimulation.

Relationship between Scores on the Wear Attitude Inventory and Selected Physical Fitness Scores

Abstract Form A of the Wear Attitude Inventory, the 50-yard dash and the 600-yard run-walk, were administered to one randomly selected physical education class of eighth grade boys in each of six junior high schools to obtain a total of 240 scores. The group means compared favorably with previously reported values for each of the three variables. On the basis of correlation coefficients among the three variables, the conclusion was advanced that no significant relationship existed between attitudes toward physical education as measured by an attitude inventory and the ability to perform the selected physical fitness items.