We have measured excitation functions of the ..gamma..-rays resulting from the bombardment of /sup 15/N by polarized and unpolarized protons in the energy range E/sub p/ = 2.5 to 9.5 MeV with emphasis on identifying dipole decays to the first (0/sup +/) and second (3/sup -/) excited states in /sup 16/O. Resonances in ..gamma../sub 12/ are observed at E/sub x/ = 16.21, 16.45, 16.82, 17.12, 18.03, 18.98, 19.90 and 20.41 MeV. The 16.21 and 17.12 MeV resonances in ..gamma../sub 12/ are identified as M1-decays of the 1/sup +/ T = 1 states to the 6.05 MeV 0/sup +/ state in /sup 16/O. The measured ratio of reduced strengths B(m1,..gamma../sub 1/)/(B(M1,..gamma../sub 0/) is 0.48 +- 0.03 for decays from the 16.21 MeV state and 0.55 +- 0.04 for decays from the 17.12 MeV state. The 18.03 MeV resonance is due to a 3/sup -/ T = 1 state in /sup 16/O with a strength Gamma/sup p/Gamma/sub gamma 2//Gamma = (1.96 +- 0.27) eV and the 18.98 MeV resonance is due to the 4/sup -/ T = 1 stretched particle-hole state with a strength of (0.85 +- 0.10) eV. We determine absolute particle and ..gamma.. widths for these states. The M1 ..gamma../submore » 2/-width of the 18.98 MeV state, (7.1 +- 3.1) eV, is in agreement with a shell-model calculation. Resonances in ..gamma../sub 3/ are observed at 16.82 and 17.27 MeV and in ..gamma../sub 4/ at 17.88 MeV. The excitation energies and widths of these levels as well as the strengths of the ..gamma.. transitions suggest T = 1 character for all of the resonances for which capture ..gamma..-rays are observed. Correspondences of our resonances to levels in /sup 16/N are given. We compare ..gamma.. widths, including ground-state M1 decays, and allowed ..beta.. transition rate in A = 16 nuclei with shell model calculations and obtain rough agreement. Additional shell model calculations for M1 and GT (Gamow-Teller) decays in the A-14, 15, 17 and 18 nuclei are presented, which indicate that GT matrix elements are quenched by approx. 20% relative to shell model predictions and also relative to the spin part of the M1 matrix elements.« less