The absorption-addiction model of celebrity worship: in search of a broader theoretical foundation

BACKGROUND

A large body of evidence suggests that some people have a strong, obsessive attachment to a favorite celebrity. The absorption-addiction model attempts to account for this extreme attachment, sometimes labeled "celebrity worship." According to the model, a small portion of celebrity admirers ("celebrity worshipers") become absorbed in the personal lives of celebrities to compensate for perceived personal or social deficiencies. The purpose of this study is to examine how the absorption-addiction model relates to broader psychological theories that include non-celebrity contexts. Specifically, we examine how the absorption-addiction model relates to three theories: empty-self theory, extremism theory, and the dualistic model of passion.

METHODS

Participants (N = 399; 77.94% women, Mage = 19.91 years, SD = 3.24) completed an online questionnaire measuring attraction to favorite celebrities. Constructs representing the three broader theories were compared to a measure of attraction to one's favorite celebrity.

RESULTS

Sense of emptiness, obsessive passion, and extremism were positively associated with celebrity attraction. The strongest association was found with extremism, though the effect was moderate.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that extremism theory is the best fit of the three broader theories explaining celebrity worship, although its contribution to understanding celebrity worship is modest.

Prevalence of celebrity worship: Development and application of the short version of the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS-7) on a large-scale representative sample

Background and aims

Celebrity worship, defined as an excessive admiration towards celebrities, has generated considerable research and public interest. A widely used assessment instrument to measure celebrity worship is the 23-item Celebrity Attitude Scale. However, concerns have been raised regarding the measurement, including the inconsistent factor structure and lack of a cut-off point to identify "celebrity worshipers". The present study aims to address these concerns by testing the psychometric appropriateness of a short, 7-item version of the CAS (i.e., CAS-7) and estimating the prevalence of individuals with high-level celebrity admiration using a representative sample of Hungarian adults (between 18 and 64 years of age) according to gender, age, geographic location, and size of residence.

Methods

The total sample comprised 2028 respondents, of which 769 valid responses were administered from participants who reported having a favorite celebrity (51.11% men, Mage = 36.38 years, SD = 13.36).

Results

Results indicated an excellent model fit for the two-factor and bifactor model of the CAS-7. Based on the suggested cut-off score of 26, the prevalence of high-level celebrity admiration is 4.53% in the Hungarian adult population (18-64 years of age) and 8.51% among young adults (18-34 years of age). Individuals with this high level of admiration towards a favorite celebrity reported more symptoms of problematic Internet use, depression, anxiety, and stress than individuals with general celebrity admiration levels.

Discussion and conclusions

The CAS-7 demonstrated sound psychometric properties, confirming its applicability in research and practice.

Predicting the stalking of celebrities from measures of persistent pursuit and threat directed toward celebrities, sensation seeking and celebrity worship

The stalking of celebrities is a serious issue for thousands of celebrities worldwide who are occasionally confronted by fans who merit the label "fanatic." We administered measures of obnoxious celebrity stalking, celebrity worship, persistent pursuit of celebrities, threat directed toward celebrities, boredom susceptibility, disinhibition, experience seeking, thrill and adventure seeking, relationship styles, and anger to 596 college students from the U.S.A. We developed a model consisting of all but the latter five measures that successfully predicted actual obnoxious stalking behaviors of celebrities. Our results partially replicate earlier research and presents some new findings. Individuals who have personal thoughts about their favorite celebrity frequently, feel compelled to learn more about them, pursue them consistently, threatened to harm them and were prone to boredom were more likely to engage in celebrity stalking. Controlling for these predictors, individuals who admire their favorite celebrity almost exclusively because of their ability to entertain were less likely to engage in celebrity stalking.

Is Loneliness Associated With Celebrity Attraction in LGBT+ Persons?

The present study is a conceptual replication of the functional alternative hypothesis, which states that when it is difficult for some persons to form satisfactory interpersonal relationships they turn to parasocial relationships as a functional alternative. In this study, the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS), a one-item measure of interest in celebrities in general, the Five-item Adaptation of the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale (FALS), and the Receiving Emotional Support Subscale (RESS) were administered to 222 self-identified LGBT+ and 436 self-identified heterosexual persons from the Philippines aged 18 to 77 years old. We hypothesized that sexual orientation would moderate the relationship between loneliness and celebrity worship, such that the association between loneliness and celebrity worship would be stronger among LGBT+ individuals than among heterosexual individuals. This hypothesis was confirmed when the target person was one's favorite celebrity. Second, we hypothesized that lower levels of perceived social support among LGBT+ Filipinos would be associated with a stronger correlation between loneliness and celebrity worship as compared to LGBT+ Filipinos with a higher level of social support. Third, we hypothesized that younger LGBT+ persons would have a stronger association between loneliness and celebrity worship as compared to older LGBT+ persons. Results failed to confirm the social support and age hypotheses. The findings and limitations were discussed, and suggestions for further research were noted.

Celebrity worship and cognitive skills revisited: applying Cattell's two-factor theory of intelligence in a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Almost two decades of research produced mixed findings on the relationship between celebrity worship and cognitive skills. Several studies demonstrated that cognitive performance slightly decreases with higher levels of celebrity worship, while other studies found no association between these constructs. This study has two aims: (1) to extend previous research on the association between celebrity worship and cognitive skills by applying the two-factor theory of intelligence by Cattell on a relatively large sample of Hungarian adults, and (2) to investigate the explanatory power of celebrity worship and other relevant variables in cognitive performance.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study design was used. Applying an online survey, a total of 1763 Hungarian adults (66.42% male, M_age = 37.22 years, SD = 11.38) completed two intelligence subtests designed to measure ability in vocabulary (Vocabulary Test) and digit symbol (Short Digit Symbol Test). Participants also completed the Celebrity Attitude Scale and the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. Subjective material wealth, current family income and general sociodemographics were also reported by participants.

RESULTS

Linear regression models indicated that celebrity worship was associated with lower performance on the cognitive tests even after controlling for demographic variables, material wealth and self-esteem, although the explanatory power was limited.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that there is a direct association between celebrity worship and poorer performance on the cognitive tests that cannot be accounted for by demographic and socioeconomic factors.

Psychological Determinants and Consequences of COVID-19 Anxiety: A Web-Based Study in Iran

Pandemic illnesses such as COVID-19 can provoke negative emotions, including anxiety and depression, in addition to compulsive behaviors. Clarifying the psychosocial antecedents and consequences of COVID-19 anxiety can inform successful psychological support and treatment. This study investigated psychological predictors and consequences of COVID-19 anxiety during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Iran. University students (N = 398) completed a web-based survey measuring COVID-19 anxiety, general health anxiety, uncertainty intolerance, interpersonal trust, depression, and COVID-19-related panic shopping. The participants also responded to two additional questions: "Do you personally know of anyone who was suspected of having been infected with COVID-19?" and "Did you get sick in the past year?" Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, Pearson correlation, multiple regression analysis, multivariate regression analysis, and 2 × 2 factorial ANOVA were used to analyze data. Health anxiety, uncertainty intolerance, and interpersonal trust were significantly associated with COVID-19 anxiety. COVID-19 anxiety was a significant predictor of depression and panic shopping. Participants who knew someone with COVID-19 and those who reported being sick in the past year experienced more COVID-19 anxiety. COVID-19 anxiety appears to be more severe among people with a low tolerance for uncertainty and low interpersonal trust. Understanding these risk factors can inform individualized therapeutic approaches to address the maladaptive outcomes of depression and false safety behaviors, such as panic buying.

Individual Differences in the Association Between Celebrity Worship and Subjective Well-Being: The Moderating Role of Gender and Age

The association of celebrity worship with mental health concerns has been extensively studied in the past two decades. However, there is a lack of research on basic demographic characteristics that can potentially alter the link between celebrity admiration and different aspects of mental health. The present study investigates the possible moderating role of gender, age, and opposite/same-gender celebrity selection on the association of celebrity worship with general well-being, self-esteem and perceived daytime sleepiness. A total of 1763 Hungarian adults (66.42% men, M age = 37.2 years, SD = 11.4) completed an online survey focusing on attitudes and behaviors relating to celebrities and mental well-being. The moderation analysis showed that (i) the negative association between celebrity worship and self-esteem was slightly stronger for women than for men, and (ii) the association between celebrity worship and perceived daytime sleepiness was slightly stronger for younger individuals than for older ones. Although both gender and age were particularly weak moderators, these results draw the attention to some potential individual differences when interpreting links between celebrity worship and different aspects of mental health.

A lethal imitation game? Exploring links among psychoactive substance use, self-harming behaviors and celebrity worship

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Higher celebrity worship predict self-injury and suicide attempts.

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Higher celebrity worship predict drunkenness and illicit substance use among males.

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The contribution of celebrity worship to psychoactive substance use is limited.

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Celebrity worshipers are more likely to encounter severe excesses.

Recently, psychoactive substance use and suicidal behaviors have become general themes in popular culture, raising concerns that celebrity admirers may have become more affected in such health-risk behaviors. This study aimed to provide a more nuanced understanding of the role of celebrity worship in psychoactive substance use and self-harming behaviors. An online questionnaire was used recruiting 1,763 Hungarian adult participants (66.42% male, M_age = 37.2 years, SD = 11.4). Linear and binary logistic regressions were performed to investigate the contribution of celebrity worship to psychoactive substance use and self-harming behaviors for males and females. It was found that higher celebrity worship levels consistently predicted intentional self-injury and suicide attempts for both genders. Generally high levels of celebrity worship also predicted drunkenness and the use of illicit drugs and sedatives or tranquilizers for nonmedical purpose among males, while these behaviors were predicted only by excessive levels of celebrity worship among females. However, the explanatory power of celebrity worship for psychoactive substance use and self-harming behaviors was small for both genders (below 5%), indicating that these health-risk behaviors are largely independent of celebrity admiration. The present findings also suggest that individuals with excessive celebrity worship are more likely to encounter severe, potentially life-threatening excesses than more benign forms of maladaptive behaviors relating to substance use.

Values of College Students in Iran and the United States Who Admire Celebrities

This study had two goals. The first goal was to compare scores on the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) and values of college students in Iran and the United States on how they differ in their admiration for their favorite celebrities. The second goal was to examine additional psychometric data on the Twenty Item Values Inventory (TWIVI). We administered the TWIVI, the CAS, and demographic items to 200 students at a university in Iran, and 199 students at one university and two colleges in the United States. The results revealed that Iranian students scored about the same as American students on the CAS, and both samples scored higher per item on Celebrity Attitude Scale Entertainment-Social, the entertainment or social subscale as compared with the two more problematic subscales of the CAS. Stepwise multiple regressions showed that Hedonism and Power predicted total CAS scores for Americans and Tradition and Stimulation predicted total CAS scores for Iranians. We found that the TWIVI performed reasonably well given its brevity. That is, predictions stemming from Schwartz's values theory were generally confirmed in both samples by data obtained from the TWIVI.

Are Celebrities Really Admired for Their Morality?

This study examines whether the admiration of celebrities is the same or different from admiration of other persons. The Multidimensional Admiration Scale, Rubin's Liking Scale, and the Celebrity Attitude Scale were administered to 190 participants from four American universities. Participants were randomly assigned to fill out either the "most admired person" version or the "favorite celebrity" version (n = 96) of the three scales. We hypothesized that the Multidimensional Admiration Scale is a valid measure of admiration for individuals who are familiar with the morality of the target person, but is invalid for measuring admiration for celebrities. Arguably, this is partly because celebrities are admired mostly for their ability to entertain, and not their morality, which is often unknown or little is known to their fans. The results generally confirmed our hypotheses. The Multidimensional Admiration Scale was not intended as a measure of admiration for celebrities and is not recommended to be used for that purpose.

The association of celebrity worship with problematic Internet use, maladaptive daydreaming, and desire for fame

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Celebrity worship, defined as an obsessive fascination with a famous person, has been associated with several mental health problems, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety, dissociation, and body image concerns. The aim of this study was to extend the scope of investigation of previous research on psychological correlates by exploring the association of celebrity worship with compulsive behaviors, such as problematic Internet use, maladaptive daydreaming, desire for fame, and self-efficacy.

METHODS

A voluntary sample of 437 Hungarian adolescents and adults (78.3% male; M_age = 24.7 years, SD = 7.4) completed an online questionnaire focusing on attitudes toward celebrities and other relevant variables.

RESULTS

As a result of hierarchical regression analyses, high levels of celebrity worship were associated with problematic Internet use, maladaptive daydreaming, and desire for fame. Furthermore, females were at higher risk to become obsessed with celebrities than males.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

These findings provide with a more comprehensive picture of psychological difficulties associated with celebrity worship and may contribute to a better understanding of this phenomenon.

The interpersonal beginnings of fandom: The relation between attachment style, trust, and the admiration of celebrities

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between people’s attraction to celebrities and their interpersonal trust and attachment style. Previous research suggests that individuals with different attachment styles are differentially attracted to celebrities. We predicted that securely attached participants who mistrust, rather than trust, others tend to have higher levels of benign celebrity attraction. We found only partial support for our hypothesis. Surprisingly, there were no significant differences between different attachment styles on either of the two measures of celebrity admiration. These findings contribute to the literature on trust and celebrity worship by providing new information about how different attachment styles may (or may not) affect the relationships that people have with their favorite celebrity.

A Cross-National Comparison of Students' Misconceptions about Psychology

Two groups of college students were administered the McCutcheon Test of Misconceptions, Version 6, a 65-item, multiple-choice test designed to measure common misconceptions about psychology. One group of 111 students were from a British university and the second of 68 American college students; all had earned GPAs of 2.9 or higher. Both groups were given the test near the beginning of the first term. The over-all difference between British and American students was significant. British students performed significantly better on nine items and American students performed significantly better on one item. Plausible reasons for these differences were discussed

Life Role Salience Scales: Additional Evidence for Construct Validation

Two studies were carried out to validate the Life Role Salience Scales, designed to provide measures of valuing and commitment to occupational, marital, parental, and home-care roles. In Study 1, 215 employed adults filled out the scales and a measure of job happiness. Scores on the latter did not correlate with those on the Occupational subscale of the Life Role Salience Scales. As predicted, single subjects scored lower on the Parental and Marital subscales and higher on the Occupational subscale than married ones. In Study 2, 81 married couples filled out the Life Role Salience Scales and the Purpose-in-Life Scale. As predicted, the scores were significantly related. Couples' scores were no more similar to each other than those of a matched group of nominally married couples.

Self-Reported Reasons for Students' Absenteeism at a Predominantly Black Urban University

A scale containing 51 reasons for absenteeism was given to 169 students at a predominantly black inner-city university. Means for the importance of each reason were rank-ordered and compared with the rank-order of a group of suburban community college students who had responded to the same scale in a previous study. A similar comparison was carried out by ranking the sizes of the correlations between each reason for absenteeism and the number of reported absences. Analysis confirms the external validity of the scale. Specific reasons yielding both high and low intersample discrepancies were cited and discussed along with directions for research.

A Re-Examination of the Link between Stress and Performance

Previous studies have shown that increased stress, as measured by life-change scales, is associated with poor performance. The present study examined the effects of stress on the performance of 86 adult male runners in a half marathon. Subjects responded to a questionnaire from which several independent variables were derived. These variables were entered in a stepwise multiple regression to predict race times. The combination of age, weekly mileage, and number of races previously entered yielded a significant multiple R. However, stress was not significantly related to race times, and subsequent statistical analyses were carried out to explain this lack of significance. It was suggested that the effects of stress on athletic performance may be reduced by physical and psychological variables associated with exercise or that race performance is too well determined by physical variables to be affected by life changes.

Further Data on the Self-Motivation Inventory

On the Self-motivation Inventory 12 noncollege-student adults predicted to be high scorers had a significantly higher mean than 12 predicted low scorers, but for 65 subjects age correlated 17 with scores.

A New Test of Misconceptions about Psychology

Some of the problems surrounding the use of true-false tests of psychological misconceptions are discussed. The development of a new 62-item, multiple-choice test of misconceptions designed to reduce these problems is outlined. The test was given to 79 students in introductory psychology. Reliability, validity, and normative data are provided. A comparison of the interest level of each item's topic allows psychology professors a reasonable criterion for deciding which misconceptions to discuss in class.

Intimate relationships and attitudes toward celebrities

Previous research indicates that persons who self-report a high level of preoccupation with celebrities tend to have lower levels of well-being. We administered the “Romantic Partner Conflict Scale”, the “Love Attitudes Scale”, the soulmate subscale from the “Relationship Theories Questionnaire”, and the anxiety subscale from the “Experiences in Close Relationships Scale” to 330 students from four universities to see how well scores on these measures would predict scores on each of the three subscales from the “Celebrity Attitude Scale” (CAS). We predicted that persons whose scores on these measures of intimate relationships indicated a troubled, anxious, or poor quality relationship would have higher scores on the CAS, especially on its two problematic subscales. In three multiple regressions, specific measures of behavior during conflict with a romantic partner and certain love styles significantly predicted scores on all three of the CAS subscales. We discuss the implications of being a celebrity worshiper on one’s relationship with an intimate partner.

Intense-personal celebrity worship and body image: Evidence of a link among female adolescents

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between celebrity worship and body image within the theoretical perspective of intense para-social relationships with celebrities.

DESIGN

Correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationships between celebrity worship and body image.

METHOD

Three samples, 229 (102 males and 127 females) adolescents, 183 (88 males and 95 females) full-time university undergraduate students, and 289 (126 males and 163 females) adults were administered an amended version of the Celebrity Attitude Scale, the Attention to Body Shape Scale, and the Body Shape Questionnaire-Revised.

RESULTS

Significant relationships were found between attitudes toward celebrities and body image only among female adolescents. Multiple regression analyses suggested that Intense-personal celebrity worship accounted for unique variance in scores in body image.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest that in female adolescents, there is an interaction between Intense-personal celebrity worship and body image between the ages of 14 and 16 years, and some tentative evidence has been found to suggest that this relationship disappears at the onset of adulthood, 17 to 20 years. Results are consistent with those authors who stress the importance of the formation of para-social relationships with media figures, and suggest that para-social relationships with celebrities perceived as having a good body shape may lead to a poor body image in female adolescents.

Personality attributes of ultramarathoners

The Self-Motivation Inventory (SMI) and four subscales from the Philosophies of Human Nature were given to 50 male ultramarathoners who were matched for age and sex with runners who had never raced any distance longer than 10 miles, and with a group of nonrunners. No significant personality differences were obtained among the three groups. Experienced ultramarathoners were Significantly. more skeptical about the goodness of human nature than inexperienced ones.

Personality and coping: a context for examining celebrity worship and mental health

The adaptational-continuum model of personality and coping suggests a useful context for research areas that emphasize both personality and coping. The present paper used Ferguson's (2001) model integrating personality and coping factors to further conceptualize findings around celebrity worship. Three hundred and seventy-two respondents completed measures of celebrity worship, personality, coping style, general health, stress, positive and negative affect and life satisfaction. Celebrity worship for intense-personal reasons is associated with poorer mental heath and this relationship can be understood within the dimensions of neuroticism and a coping style that suggests disengagement. Such findings suggest the utility of examining the relationship between celebrity worship and mental health within both personality and coping variables, which have practical implications for understanding and addressing mental health problems that may occur as the result of engaging in celebrity worship for intense-personal reasons.

A cognitive profile of individuals who tend to worship celebrities

Celebrity worship is a form of parasocial interaction in which individuals become obsessed with 1 or more celebrities, similar to an erotomanic type of delusional disorder. Drawing on the cognitive factors implicated in erotomania, the authors hypothesized that celebrity worshippers might be expected to exhibit verbal, visuospatial, and cognitive deficits related to flexibility and associative learning. This general hypothesis was tested in a sample of 102 participants who completed the Celebrity Attitude Scale (L. E. McCutcheon, R. Lange, & J. Houran, 2002), the Entertainment-Social, Intense-Personal, and Borderline Pathological subscales, and 6 cognitive measures that included creativity (verbal), crystallized intelligence, critical thinking, spatial ability, and need for cognition. The results were consistent with predictions and suggest that cognitive deficits only help facilitate an individual's susceptibility to engage in celebrity worship. The results are discussed in terms of the multivariate absorption-addiction model of celebrity worship.

A clinical interpretation of attitudes and behaviors associated with celebrity worship

The phenomenon of celebrity worship is currently conceptualized as an abnormal type of parasocial relationship, driven by absorption and addictive elements and which potentially has significant clinical sequelae. The authors hypothesize that the three increasingly extreme sets of attitudes and behaviors associated with celebrity worship also partly reflect the three domains of personality discussed in Eysenckian theory. Specifically, celebrity worship for entertainment-social reasons may reflect extraversion personality traits; intense-personal attitudes and behaviors toward celebrities may reflect neuroticism traits; and celebrity worship of a borderline-pathological nature may reflect psychoticism traits. To test this idea, the authors administered the Celebrity Attitude Scale and the Abbreviated Form of the Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire to large convenience samples of students (N = 317) and community (N = 290) respondents. Results indicate that celebrity worship is not an uncommon phenomenon. Further, correlational analyses supported predictions and suggest that Eysenckian domains of personality may promote or hinder a person's progression along the continuum of behaviors associated with celebrity worship.

Conceptualization and measurement of celebrity worship

Celebrity worship has been conceptualized as having pathological and nonpathological forms. To avoid problems associated with item-level factor analysis, 'top-down purification' was used to test the validity of this conceptualization. The respondents (N = 249) completed items modelled after existing celebrity worship questionnaires. A subset of 17 unidimensional and Rasch scalable items was discovered (the local reliability ranged from.71 to.96), which showed no biases related to age and gender. This subset was dubbed the Celebrity Worship Scale (CWS). The items also showed no celebrity bias, indicating that CWS applies equally to acting, music, sports, and 'other' celebrities. The Rasch nature of the items defines celebrity worship as consisting of three qualitatively different stages. Low worship involves individualistic behaviours such as watching and reading about a celebrity. At slightly higher levels, celebrity worship takes on a social character. Lastly, the highest levels are characterized by a mixture of empathy with the celebrity's successes and failures, over-identification with the celebrity, compulsive behaviours, as well as obsession with details of the celebrity's life. Based on these findings, the authors propose a model of celebrity worship based on psychological absorption (leading to delusions of actual relationships with celebrities) and addiction (fostering the need for progressively stronger involvement to feel connected with the celebrity).

Correlations between scores on attitudes toward celebrities and authoritarianism

For a sample of 307 British participants a secondary analysis showed no significant correlations between scores on subscales or total attitude toward celebrities with those on authoritarianism for either sex.

Another failure to generalize the Mozart effect

Several studies have not replicated Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky's 1993 finding that 10 minutes of exposure to Mozart piano music temporarily enhanced performance on three spatial reasoning tasks. Later Rauscher and Shaw argued that enhanced performance is unlikely unless three conditions are met. The present study was designed to meet those three conditions. 36 adults were exposed to one of six listening orders and one of six test orders. Listening and test orders had no systematic effect on spatial reasoning performance. A one-factor, repeated-measures analysis of variance yielded no significant difference on spatial reasoning performance after listening to classical music, jazz, or silence. A reanalysis, using only those items most likely to tap spatial reasoning, fell short of significance, and mean scores were in the direction opposite to that hypothesized. These results were inconsistent with studies that have supported a Mozart effect.

Self-defeating personality and attachment revisited

The present study showed for 98 adult men and 104 adult women that those who described their adult romantic attachments as secure were significantly less likely to have characteristics of the self-defeating personality than those who described their adult attachments as avoidant (p < 0.001) or anxious-ambivalent. The present results were consistent with those of two earlier studies with college-age subjects.

Self-defeating personality and social intimacy

The Self-defeating Personality Scale and a modified version of the Miller Social Intimacy Scale were given to 98 men (M(age) = 40.3) and 104 (M(age) = 40.0) women to validate criterion seven (rejects people who consistently treat him/her well) of the former. Both the correlation between the full scale scores and those for the Miller scale and the correlation between Miller scores and scores on criterion seven of the Self-defeating Scale were nonsignificant. Cronbach alpha was .51.

Psychological momentum in performance of a circle-marking task

An experiment was conducted in which 104 subjects were given a simple circle-marking task in competition with a same-sex opponent (52 pairs). False feedback established perception of momentum without the confounding effects of differences in skill. Perceived momentum did not predict scores.

Does the establishment of momentum lead to athletic improvement?

Objective momentum scoring systems for basketball, football, and wrestling were designed and applied to data from these sports to assess whether establishing momentum was followed by consistent improvement in performance either immediately after momentum was established or throughout the remainder of the contest. In a relatively consistent way across all three sports little evidence was found that establishing momentum according to the present scoring systems is followed by better performance, especially when teams were equated for ability. Momentum as defined here does not appear to be a very useful explanatory concept.

Male nurses' sex-role orientation and values

Scores on the Bem Sex-role Inventory and the Study of Values were compared for 66 female nurses and 56 male nurses in central Florida. The men were frequently categorized as sex-typed and rarely as cross-typed. On the Study of Values the over-all pattern of values for male nurses was very similar to that of the average male nonnurse and significantly different from that of female nurses on the theoretical and aesthetic scales. Nursing experience, age, and highest degree earned in nursing were not correlated with Bem scores or Study of Values scores. No support was found for the idea that nursing feminizes male nurses. Implications of these results for the recruitment of male nursing students were discussed.

Further validation of the Self-Defeating Personality Scale

In a sample of 51 women and 35 men those who scored higher on the Self-defeating Personality Scale reported having "dropped out" of useful activities more often and scored as less assertive on the Assertiveness Self-report Inventory. Women were more likely than men to report having experienced at least one self-defeating relationship. Attempts to replicate gender differences reported earlier were partially successful. The results provide additional validation for the Self-defeating Personality Scale.

Not guilty by reason of insanity: getting it right or perpetuating the myths?

In Exp. 1 50 subjects were randomly assigned to one of two videotape conditions. The experimental group watched a TV news program designed to expose some myths about the not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity plea (NGRI) while controls watched a neutral program. A seven-item test designed to measure knowledge about each myth was administered before and twice after exposure to the videotapes. Analysis showed no significant difference for any exposure. Exps. 2 and 3 showed that reading a brief factual report about NGRI significantly reduced the belief in these myths as compared to beliefs of groups who watched a TV news program.

Relationships among critical thinking skills, academic achievement, and misconceptions about psychology

Two groups of 60 students each were selected from introductory college psychology classes. One consisted of high academic achievers, the other of average achievers. They were given the McCutcheon Test of Misconceptions, a 65-item, multiple-choice test designed to measure common misconceptions about psychology. Subsequently, they were also given the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. Both groups made many errors on the McCutcheon test, but high academic achievers made significantly fewer errors on both the McCutcheon test and the Watson-Glaser than average achievers. A stepwise multiple regression consisting of Watson-Glaser subscales 1 (the ability to draw valid inferences) and 4 (ability to weigh and interpret evidence) and GPA successfully predicted McCutcheon test scores (R = .43). This suggests that even beginning students with high grades and good critical thinking skills are likely to harbor many misconceptions about psychology.

Does High Public Self-Disclosure in High-Status Persons Reduce Speakers' Persuasiveness?

Two prior studies showed that, when a high-status person revealed intimate personal information, ability to persuade others was reduced. Three experiments, involving 283 total subjects and the original videotaped message, did not replicate earlier results.

Additional Data on the Population Opinion Poll

The purpose of this study was to provide further information about the Population Opinion Poll (POP), a 30-item attitude scale designed to measure attitudes toward population control. A factor analysis of the items was presented as well as a comparison of a 1975 sample with a 1986 sample. Factor analysis yielded four factors that “explained” 42.8% of the variance. A significant difference between the two samples, taken 11 years apart in psychology classes at the same community college, suggests that attitudes toward population control have become less favorable.

Dumber by the Dozen? Not Necessarily!

Little support for the confluence model as an explanation of effects of birth order was found in a study of 152 male and 139 female college students, given Factor B of the 16 PF as a measure of ability. The model may have limited application.

Sport-related attitudes and the-Philosophies of Human Nature Scale

The revised Philosophies of Human Nature scale was presented to 94 females and 94 males to develop normative data. There were no significant sex differences in the norms. A questionnaire about sports was presented at the same time to determine relationships between the two scales. Females who claimed frequent sports participation were less likely to have an internal locus of control and were less likely to believe that human beings are complex than females who claimed infrequent participation. A comparison of those who like and dislike sports gave no significant difference for either sex on the sub-scales of Philosophies of Human Nature. The findings are consistent with previous research which generally shows little or no effect of interest or participation in sports on personality traits.

Birth Order of Volunteers under Varying Conditions of Recruitment Incentive

In two studies of volunteering, recruitment pressure was varied in an attempt to see if firstborns were more susceptible. In the first, two classes of junior college students were pressured by offering a reward to be given only if a large percentage of the class volunteered. Of 55 Ss 19 who responded by raising their hands were firstborns. In two control classes where no incentive was offered, 33 Ss, including 9 firstborns, raised their hands. In the second study, pressure, in the form of an appeal for volunteers, was manipulated with extra credit in a 2 × 2 design. Firstborns were not more likely to volunteer in either study. Extra credit resulted in a higher percentage of volunteers but did not affect firstborns differently from later borns. Arguments were presented against the generality of birth-order effects in volunteering studies.