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The present investigation examined male reactions to female assertion as a function of attitudes toward women and situational context. Male college students observed videotapes of a female model behaving passively and assertively in each of two situations. Subjects completed an adjective rating scale of the model's behavior after each videotaped scenario. The Attitudes Toward Women Scale was completed by each subject, as well, and served to classify subjects as either liberal or traditional. Results indicated that the female model was given lower ratings of likeability in the assertive conditions than passive conditions, but was given higher ratings on ability/achievement measures in the assertive conditions than passive conditions. Significant effects for situation occurred, particularly in the typing situation scenarios where assertive female behavior is traditionally viewed as appropriate. Traditional makes rated the female model as more likeable and competent than liberal makes in the passive style of behavior, while liberal males rated the female model as more likeable and competent than traditional males in the assertive style of behavior.

Two groups of females participated in a practice interview designed to measure the effectiveness of assertive communication taught during a two week program for Displaced Homemakers. The Experimental Group, selected according to CETA criteria, were interviewed after receiving training. The Control Group were women similar in all relevant respects with the exception of having worked for pay outside the home within the past three years. The structured interview was designed to incorporate the same areas for evaluation as would potential employers in a real selection process. Instructions to provide motivation, or demand characteristics, for both groups were contained in a letter given to all participants. A Posttest Only Control Group research design was utilized. Content of interview was not measured. Rather, the 17 basic questions asked by the researcher were used as the instrument to measure verbal rate of communicating job-relevant and/or transferable volunteer experience. Six (6) tapes were randomly selected and scored for inter-rater reliability. Nonverbal communication behaviors which were rated by both the Interviewer and an Independent Observer were: Eye Contact, Posture and Appearance. Findings indicate that both verbal and nonverbal behavior were significantly (p< .001 and p.< .05) greater for the Experimental Group, i.e., Displaced Homemakers, who received training.

Sexual victimization is a significant problem on college and university campuses, and it is important to evaluate risk factors for sexual victimization in order to attempt to reduce women's risk of victimization. This study investigated social interaction anxiety as a risk factor for sexual victimization. It was hypothesized that social interaction anxiety may increase risk of sexual victimization by decreasing sexual assertiveness and increasing alcohol-related problems. College women (n = 690) completed an online survey that assessed social interaction anxiety, sexual assertiveness, alcohol-related problems, and a variety of types of sexual victimization, in addition to other measures. When total effects were examined, social interaction anxiety only significantly predicted victimization by coercion. However, when indirect effects of sexual assertiveness were examined, social interaction anxiety had a significant effect on all types of sexual victimization (i.e., unwanted sexual contact, attempted coercion, coercion, attempted rape, and rape). Alcohol-related problems did not significantly account for the relationship between social interaction anxiety and sexual victimization. It is recommended that interventions designed to reduce women's risk of victimization include interventions designed to address both social interaction anxiety and sexual refusal assertiveness. / Master of Science

There were several purposes of the present study. First, quasi-experimental tasks assessing attributional style were used to investigate the mediating role of social cognitive processes in aggressive behavior for both boys and girls. Secondly, the use of current self-report measures of children's assertive and attributional style allowed for investigation of construct validity of these measures. Third, the relationship of current instruments used in the identification of social dysfunction in children to other measures was investigated. Finally, the use of sociometric ratings by subjects’ peers and teacher's behavioral nominations of subjects for aggressive or assertive status provided information about subjects’ social environment. Fourth and fifth graders identified as aggressive or assertive on the basis of teacher nominations were compared in terms of self-report, other-report, and quasi-experimental data. Results showed sex and status differences on self-report and quasi-experimental measures of attributional style. Selective attention to hostile cues, quick responding, and theoretical ''socially inappropriate" explanatory style are discussed in terms of social cognitive processes involved in aggressive behavior for boys and girls. Further, although current children's assertiveness measures provided good content validity for the behaviors they purport to measure, the conceptual relationship between aggression and social dysfunction was found to be less direct than the literature has indicated. Similarly, self-report attributional style was less directly related to measures of assertiveness and social functioning than was expected. Results are discussed in terms of both content validity of dependent measures and broader theoretical issues. / M.S.

The purpose of this study was to examine how parental separation is related to eating disturbances and assertiveness in females who struggle with bulimic symptoms. Two-hundred ninety-two undergraduate females from the University of North Texas comprised the subject group. Using pen and paper measures of assertiveness, bulimia, and parental separation, support was found for the prediction that there would be a relationship between assertiveness and parental separation. Likewise, partial support was found for the prediction that there would be a relationship between bulimia and parental separation. Parental separation was found to affect levels of bulimia and assertiveness. Finally, it was found that subjects endorsed greater emotional independence from fathers than from mothers.

Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 34-39).

University of Macau / Faculty of Education