Showing papers in "Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 1992"

The aggression questionnaire.

Abstract: A new questionnaire on aggression was constructed Replicated factor analyses yielded 4 scales: Physical Aggression, Verbal Aggression, Anger, and Hostility Correlational analysis revealed that anger is the bridge between both physical and verbal aggression and hostility The scales showed internal consistency and stability over time Men scored slightly higher on Verbal Aggression and Hostility and much higher on Physical Aggression There was no sex difference for Anger The various scales correlated differently with various personality traits Scale scores correlated with peer nominations of the various kinds of aggression These findings suggest the need to assess not only overall aggression but also its individual components

Inclusion of Other in the Self Scale and the structure of interpersonal closeness

Abstract: In 2 studies, the Inclusion of Other in the Self (IOS) Scale, a single-item, pictorial measure of closeness, demonstrated alternate-form and test-retest reliability; convergent validity with the Relationship Closeness Inventory (Berscheid, Snyder, & Omoto, 1989), the Sternberg (1988) Intimacy Scale, and other measures; discriminant validity; minimal social desirability correlations; and predictive validity for whether romantic relationships were intact 3 months later

Support seeking and support giving within couples in an anxiety-provoking situation: The role of attachment styles.

Abstract: This study examined how adult attachment styles moderate spontaneous behavior between dating couples when 1 member of the dyad is confronted with an anxiety-provoking situation Eighty-three dating couples were unobtrusively videotaped for 5 min in a waiting room while the woman waited to participate in an "activity" known to provoke anxiety in most people Independent observers then evaluated each partner's behavior on several dimensions Results revealed that persons with more secure attachment styles behaved differently than persons with more avoidant styles in terms of physical contact, supportive comments, and efforts to seek and give emotional support Findings are discussed in the context of theory and research on attachment Recently, a growing number of researchers have begun to explore how different attachment styles influence what transpires within adult relationships (eg, Collins & Read, 1990; Feeney & Noller, 1990; Hazan & Shaver, 1987; Levy & Davis, 1988; Simpson, 1990) Virtually all of this research has been guided by Bowlby's (1969,1973,1980) attachment theory Bowlby sought to understand why infants forge strong emotional bonds to their primary caregivers and why they often exhibit pronounced anxiety and distress when they are separated from them Adopting an evolutionary- ethological perspective, he argued that the specific sequence of behavioral and emotional reactions associated with separation—protest, despair, and detachment—might reflect the operation of an innate attachment system designed to promote close physical contact between vulnerable infants and their primary caregivers By maintaining close proximity with their caregivers, infants would be more likely to survive, to reproduce, and ultimately to pass attachment and proximity-seeking propensities on to subsequent generations Although the tendency to seek proximity seems to be universal in infants, its development and elaboration over time is sensitive to specific environmental conditions, especially transactions between the infant and his or her primary caregiver Past empirical research has examined characteristic patterns of attachment behavior that develop between infants and their caregivers that signify different types of infant-caregiver relationships Using the Strange Situation paradigm, Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, and Wall (1978) identified three primary patterns

Motivated Skepticism: Use of Differential Decision Criteria for Preferred and Nonpreferred Conclusions

Abstract: Three experiments show that information consistent with a preferred conclusion is examined less critically than information inconsistent with a preferred conclusion, and consequently, less information is required to reach the former than the latter. In Study 1, Ss judged which of 2 students was most intelligent, believing they would work closely with the 1 they chose. Ss required less information to decide that a dislikable student was less intelligent than that he was more intelligent. In Studies 2 and 3, Ss given an unfavorable medical test result took longer to decide their test result was complete, were more likely to retest the validity of their result, cited more life irregularities that might have affected test accuracy, and rated test accuracy as lower than did Ss receiving more favorable diagnoses. Results suggest that a core component of self-serving bias is the differential quantity of cognitive processing given to preference-consistent and preference-inconsistent infor

Modeling cognitive adaptation: A longitudinal investigation of the impact of individual differences and coping on college adjustment and performance.

Abstract: Drawing on cognitive adaptation theory, optimism, psychological control, and self-esteem were explored as longitudinal predictors of adjustment to college in a sample of 672 freshmen. Although a direct effect of optimism on adjustment was found, most of the predicted effects were mediated by coping methods. Controlling for initial positive and negative mood, the beneficial effects of optimism, control, and self-esteem on adjustment were mediated by the nonuse of avoidance coping, greater use of active coping, and greater seeking of social support. Alternative models of the causal relations among these variables did not fit the data as well as the a priori mediational model. The results of a 2-year follow-up indicated that self-esteem and control predicted greater motivation and higher grades, controlling for college entrance exam scores. Implications for cognitive adaptation theory and for interventions with populations under stress are discussed.

A theory of generativity and its assessment through self-report, behavioral acts, and narrative themes in autobiography.

Abstract: Generativity may be conceived in terms of 7 interrelated features : cultural demand, inner desire, generative concern, belief in the species, commitment, generative action, and personal narration. Two studies describe the development and use of 3 assessment strategies designed to tap into the generativity features of concern, action, and narration. A self-report scale of generative concern―the Loyola Generativity Scale (LGS)―exhibited good internal consistency and retest reliability and showed strong positive associations with reports of actual generative acts (e.g., teaching a skill) and themes of generativity in narrative accounts of important autobiographical episodes. In 1 sample of adults between the ages of 19 and 68, LGS scores of fathers were higher than those of men who had never had children

The generality of the automatic attitude activation effect.

Abstract: Fazio, Sanbonmatsu, Powell, and Kardes (1986) demonstrated that Ss were able to evaluate adjectives more quickly when these adjectives were immediately preceded (primed) by attitude objects of similar valence, compared with when these adjectives were primed by attitude objects of opposite valence. Moreover, this effect obtained primarily for attitude objects toward which Ss were presumed to hold highly accessible attitudes, as indexed by evaluation latency. The present research explored the generality of these findings across attitude objects and across procedural variations. The results of 3 experiments indicated that the automatic activation effect is a pervasive and relatively unconditional phenomenon. It appears that most evaluations stored in memory, for social and nonsocial objects alike, become active automatically on the mere presence or mention of the object in the environment.

Integration of the big five and circumplex approaches to trait structure.

Abstract: To integrate the 5-dimensional simple-structure and circumplex models of personality, the Abridged Big Five Dimensional Circumplex (AB5C) taxonomy of personality traits was developed, consisting of the 10 circumplexes that can be formed by pitting each of the Big Five factors against one another. The model maps facets of the Big Five dimensions as blends of 2 factors. An application to data consisting of 636 self-ratings and peer ratings on 540 personality trait adjectives yielded 34 well-defined facets out of a possible 45. The AB5C solution is compared with simple-structure and lower dimensional circumplex solutions, and its integrative and corrective potential are discussed, as well as its limitations.

Shamed into anger? The relation of shame and guilt to anger and self-reported aggression.

Abstract: The relation of shame and guilt to anger and aggression has been the focus of considerable theoretical discussion, but empirical findings have been inconsistent. Two recently developed measures of affective style were used to examine whether shame-proneness and guilt-proneness are differentially related to anger, hostility, and aggression. In 2 studies, 243 and 252 undergraduates completed the Self-Conscious Affect and Attribution Inventory, the Symptom Checklist 90, and the Spielberger Trait Anger Scale. Study 2 also included the Test of Self-Conscious Affect and the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory. Shame-proneness was consistently correlated with anger arousal, suspiciousness, resentment, irritability, a tendency to blame others for negative events, and indirect (but not direct) expressions of hostility. Proneness to "shame-free" guilt was inversely related to externalization of blame and some indices of anger, hostility, and resentment. Language: en

Why do people need self-esteem? Converging evidence that self-esteem serves an anxiety-buffering function.

Abstract: Three studies were conducted to assess the proposition that self-esteem serves an anxiety-buffering function. In Study 1, it was hypothesized that raising self-esteem would reduce anxiety in response to vivid images of death. In support of this hypothesis, Ss who received positive personality feedback reported less anxiety in response to a video about death than did neutral feedback Ss. In Studies 2 and 3, it was hypothesized that increasing self-esteem would reduce anxiety among individuals anticipating painful shock. Consistent with this hypothesis, both success and positive personality feedback reduced Ss' physiological arousal in response to subsequent threat of shock. Thus, converging evidence of an anxiety-buffering function of self-esteem was obtained.

Marital processes predictive of later dissolution: behavior, physiology, and health.

Abstract: Seventy-three married couples were studied in 1983 and 1987. To identify marital processes associated with dissolution, a balance theory of marriage was used to generate 1 variable for dividing couples into regulated and nonregulated groups. For studying the precursors of divorce, a "cascade" model of marital dissolution, which forms a Guttman-like scale, received preliminary support. Compared with regulated couples, nonregulated couples had (a) marital problems rated as more severe (Time 1); (b) lower marital satisfaction (Time 1 and Time 2); (c) poorer health (Time 2); (d) smaller finger pulse amplitudes (wives); (e) more negative ratings for interactions; (f) more negative emotional expression; (g) less positive emotional expression; (h) more stubbornness and withdrawal from interaction; (i) greater defensiveness; and (j) greater risk for marital dissolution (lower marital satisfaction and higher incidence of consideration of dissolution and of actual separation).

Categorization of individuals on the basis of multiple social features.

Abstract: Five experiments used a name-matching paradigm developed by Taylor et al (1978) to investigate how people use the immediately apparent features of others as a basis of social categorization. Ss were more likely to categorize targets according to their sex than their race but also tended to categorize using a single subordinate category that represented sex and race simultaneously.

On the social nature of nonsocial perception: The mere ownership effect.

Abstract: The assumption of the present research was that ownership of an object causes the owner to treat the object as a social entity because ownership creates a psychological association between the object and the owner. Three experiments investigated whether Ss would evaluate an object more favorably merely because they owned it, a bias analogous to other self-serving biases people display.

Empathy: A physiological substrate.

Abstract: The relation between empathy (defined as the ability to perceive accurately how another person is feeling) and physiology was studied in 31 Ss. Ss viewed 15-min martial interactions and used a rating dial to indicate continuously how they thought a designated spouse was feeling. Rating accuracy was determined by comparing Ss' ratings with identical self-ratings obtained previously from the target spouse. Physiological linkage between S and target was determined using bivariate time-series analyses applied to 5 autonomic and somatic measures obtained from the S during the rating task and from the target spouse during the original conversation. Accuracy of rating negative emotion was greatest when S and target evidenced high levels of physiological linkage across time. Accuracy of detecting positive emotion was related to a state of low cardiovascular around in the S, but not to physiological linkage between S and target.

Explaining the evidence: Tests of the Story Model for juror decision making.

Abstract: This research investigates the Story Model, Pennington and Hastie's (1986, 1988) explanationbased theory of decision making for juror decisions. In Experiment 1, varying the ease with which stories could be constructed affected verdict judgments and the impact of credibility evidence. Memory for evidence in all conditions was equivalent, implying that the story structure was a mediator of decisions and of the impact of credibility evidence. In Experiments 2 and 3, Ss evaluated the evidence in 3 ways. When Ss made a global judgment at the end of the case, their judgment processes followed the prescriptions of the Story Model, not of Bayesian or linear updating models. When Ss made item-by-item judgments after each evidence block, linear anchor and adjust models described their judgments. In conditions in which story construction strategies were more likely to be used, story completeness had greater effects on decisions.

Why people self-verify.

Abstract: Why do people choose interaction partners who see them as they see themselves? Self-verification theorists propose that a desire to bolster perceptions of predictability and control underlies such activities. In contrast, advocates of positivity strivings argue that people choose such interaction partners in the hope of making themselves feel good. Two studies tested these competing explanations by examining the spontaneous verbalizations of participants as they chose interaction partners. The results suggested that positivity as well as self-verification strivings caused participants with positive self-views to choose partners who appraised them favorably. The epistemic considerations underlying self-verification processes, however, best explained why people with negative self-views chose partners who appraised them unfavorably.

Affects separable and inseparable : on the hierarchical arrangement of the negative affects

Abstract: Watson and Tellegen (1985) proposed a hierarchical model of self-rated affect in which 2 broad, general dimensions - Negative Affect and Positive Affect - are each composed of several correlated yet ultimately distinguishable emotions. As a partial test of this model, we conducted 4 studies examining relations among measures of fear, sadness, hostility, and guilt through a series of multitrait-multimethod matrixes.

Social Comparison in Everyday Life

Abstract: Ninety-four college students recorded details of their social comparisons over 2 weeks using a new instrument, the Rochester Social Comparison Record. Major results were (a) comparison direction varied with relationship with the target; (b) precomparison negative mood led more often to upward comparison than to downward comparison, supporting a selective affect-cognition priming model in which dysphoria primes negative thoughts about the self (Bower, 1991; Forgas, Bower, & Moylan, 1990) rather than a motivational self-enhancement model (Wills, 1981,1991); (c) upward comparison decreased subjective well-being, whereas downward comparison increased it; and (d) high self-esteem individuals engaged in more self-enhancing comparison. Festinger's theory of social comparison processes (Festinger, 1954) continues to be an active arena for theory and research. A new edited book (Suls & Wills, 1991), a symposium at the 1990 meeting of the Society for Experimental Social Psychology (SESP), and frequent journal articles attest to this vigor. Yet underlying the vitality is a feeling of uneasiness, obvious in the comments occasioned by the SESP symposium, in which a group of extraordinari ly knowledgeable participants showed little agreement about such apparently basic questions as "Do people compare at all (or very much)? When do people compare? How do people balance upward and downward comparisons? How much does similarity count in comparison? Do people compare with actual targets, or are all comparisons constructed in people's heads? The problem is that there are many measures of social comparison, and they do not agree well with one another, leading to theoretical proliferation lacking a coherent empirical base. These measures may not agree with one another because of difficulties with the measures themselves (Wood, 1991), because they measure different motives for social comparison (cf. Wood & Taylor, 1991), or because they have been used in different contexts. The one thing on which there is general agreement is that social comparison is a wonderfully flexible process that can best be studied under naturalistic

Individual differences in anterior brain asymmetry and fundamental dimensions of emotion.

Abstract: This research assessed whether individual differences in anterior brain asymmetry are linked to differences in basic dimensions of emotion. In each of 2 experimental sessions, separated by 3 weeks, resting electroencephalogram (EEG) activity was recorded from female adults during 8 60-s baselines. Mean alpha power asymmetry across both sessions was extracted in mid-frontal and anterior temporal sites. Across both regions, groups demonstrating stable and extreme relative left anterior activation reported increased generalized positive affect (PA) and decreased generalized negative affect (NA) compared with groups demonstrating stable and extreme relative right anterior activation. Additional correlational analyses revealed robust relations between anterior asymmetry and PA and NA, particularly among subjects who demonstrated stable patterns of EEG activation over time. Anterior asymmetry was unrelated to individual differences in generalized reactivity.

Gender and self-esteem.

Abstract: Where does self-esteem (SE) come from? Three experiments explored the idea that men's and women's SE arise, in part, from different sources. It was hypothesized that SE is related to successfully measuring up to culturally mandated, gender-appropriate norms--separation and independence for men and connection and interdependence for women. Results from Study 1 suggested that men's SE can be linked to a individuation process in which one's personal distinguishing achievements are emphasized. Results from Study 2 suggested that women's SE can be linked to a process in which connections and attachments to important others are emphasized. Study 3 demonstrated that failing to perform well on gender-appropriate tasks engendered a defensive, compensatory reaction, but only in subjects with high SE. These findings are discussed with regard to their implications for the structure and dynamics of the self.

Discovery of Hidden Profiles by Decision-Making Groups: Solving a Problem Versus Making a Judgment

Abstract: An information-sampling model proposed by Stasser and Titus (1985,1987) and observations of discussion content (Stasser, Taylor, & Hanna, 1989) suggest that face-to-face discussions often fail to disseminate unshared information. However, groups may be less prone to overlooking unshared information if they believe that their task has a demonstrably correct answer (Laughlin, 1980). University students read a murder mystery and then met in groups to discuss the case. Groups believed they had either sufficient (solve set) or insufficient (judge set) evidence to determine the guilty suspect. When critical clues were unshared before discussion, 67% of solve, but only 35% of judge, groups identified the guilty suspect. Discussion content analyses showed that solve groups focused more on the critical clues. Stasser, Taylor, and Hanna (1989) found that decision-making groups were much more likely to discuss information that members shared before discussion than to discuss information that was held by members individually. This finding was anticipated by an information-sampling model of discussion that was proposed by Stasser and Titus (1985,1987). The central idea in the model is that the probability of discussing an item of information increases as the number of members who can recall and mention the item increases. This is a fairly simple idea, but it has some disconcerting implications. For example, it suggests that group discussion may be an ineffective way of disseminating information; information that is known to only one or a few members will often be omitted from discussion. Moreover, Stasser, Taylor, and Hanna (1989) found that groups were not only more likely to mention information if it was distributed to all before discussion, but they were also more likely to bring it up repeatedly throughout discussion. These findings suggest that group decisions will often reflect the common knowledge shared by members before discussion and not the diverse knowledge emanating from their unique perspectives and experiences. Of particular interest in this article is the possibility that the failure of groups to consider fully unshared information may be due in part to how members construe their decision-making task. Members may view the task as a "matter of judgment" and let their discussion be. guided by the goal of reaching a consensus. Conversely, members may view the task as a problem to be solved and presume that there is a critical set of information that would allow them not only to identify the correct answer

Distinguishing optimism from pessimism : relations to fundamental dimensions of mood and personality

Abstract: Contrary to unidimensional conceptions of optimism and pessimism, factor analysis of 2 widely used instruments revealed that optimism and pessimism are empirically differentiable, but related, constructs. Moreover, consistent with expectations, optimism and pessimism were differentially linked with fundamental dimensions of mood and personality. Pessimism was principally associated with neuroticism and negative affect. Optimism was primarily associated with extraversion and positive affect. Findings are discussed with reference to current conceptual and measurement models of optimism and pessimism and their relations to broad dimensions of mood and personality

Paranoia and Self-Consciousness

Abstract: A new instrument designed to assess paranoid thought in college students, together with reliability and validity data, was presented in Study 1. A single general factor accounted for a substantial portion of the variance in the full scale. Public self-consciousness was consistently and significantly correlated with the present measure of paranoia. In Study 2, both pretested paranoia and public self-consciousness were related to feelings of being watched (a classical manifestation of paranoia), although public self-consciousness had an effect only when there was a 2-way mirror present. In Study 3, self-attention, experimentally induced using a story construction task, again resulted in a heightened sense of being observed. Discussion focuses on paranoid cognition as characteristic of everyday thought and the implications of self-attention for social perception processes.

Stimulus recognition and the mere exposure effect.

Abstract: A meta-analysis of research on Zajonc's (1968) mere exposure effect indicated that stimuli perceived without awareness produce substantially larger exposure effects than do stimuli that are consciously perceived (Bornstein, 1989a). However, this finding has not been tested directly in the laboratory. Two experiments were conducted comparing the magnitude of the exposure effect produced by 5-ms (i.e., subliminal) stimuli and stimuli presented for longer durations (i.e., 500 ms). In both experiments, 5-ms stimuli produced significantly larger mere exposure effects than did 500-ms stimuli. These results were obtained for polygon (Experiment 1), Welsh figure (Experiment 2), and photograph stimuli (Experiments 1 and 2). Implications of these findings for theoretical models of the mere exposure effect are discussed.

Terror management and tolerance: does mortality salience always intensify negative reactions to others who threaten one's worldview?

Abstract: Terror management research has shown that reminding Ss of their mortality leads to intolerance. The present research assessed whether mortality salience would lead to increased intolerance when the value of tolerance is highly accessible. In Study 1, given that liberals value tolerance more than conservatives, it was hypothesized that with mortality salience, dislike of dissimilar others would increase among conservatives but decrease among liberals. Liberal and conservative Ss were induced to think about their own mortality or a neutral topic and then were asked to evaluate 2 target persons, 1 liberal, the other conservative. Ss' evaluations of the targets supported these hypotheses. In Study 2, the value of tolerance was primed for half the Ss and, under mortality-salient or control conditions, Ss evaluated a target person who criticized the United States. Mortality salience did not lead to negative reactions to the critic when the value of tolerance was highly accessible.

The hyperaccessibility of suppressed thoughts.

Abstract: The accessibility of suppressed thoughts was compared with the accessibility of thoughts on which Ss were consciously trying to concentrate. In Experiment 1, Ss made associations to word prompts as they tried to suppress thinking about a target word (e.g., house) or tried to concentrate on that word. Under the cognitive load imposed by time pressure, they gave the target word in response to target-related prompts (e.g., home) more often during suppression than during concentration

Trait inferences: Sources of validity at zero acquaintance.

Abstract: Consensus between self-ratings and stranger ratings of personality traits was investigated. A sample of 100 adults was videotaped while entering and walking through a room, sitting down, looking into the camera, and reading a standard text. The targets then provided self-descriptions on 5 personality factors. A sample of 24 strangers who had never seen the targets before was given 1 of 4 types of information on the targets: (a) sound-film, (b) silent film, (c) still, or (d) audiotape. Strangers rated various physical attributes and 20 traits of each target. Level of information influenced the validity but not the reliability of the stranger ratings, which were most valid for extraversion and conscientiousness. Extraversion covaried most strongly with physical attributes, and implicit theories on the covariation of traits with physical attributes were more accurate for extraversion and conscientiousness than for agreeableness, emotional stability, and culture. If judges indicate their impressions of other people, their judgments usually correlate with the self-reports of the ratees. Moreover, the correlations between self-ratings and ratings by judges tend to be higher the more the judges know about the targets (Cloyd, 1977; Funder & Colvin, 1988; Norman & Goldberg, 1966; Paunonen, 1989). The highest correlations are usually found between self-reports and ratings by spouses. McCrae and Costa (1989) report correlations between self-ratings and spouse ratings from .53 to .60, whereas they report somewhat lower correlations, ranging from .32 to .54, between self-reports and ratings by a single peer. These findings indicate that (a) personality ratings reflect actual attributes of the target persons rather than illusions that exist only in the eye of the beholder, and (b) self-ratings and ratings by others agree more the more that both reflect shared information concerning the targets' personality. Consensus at Zero Acquaintance This raises the question of how much information is required in order that ratings by others possess some validity. We use the term valid to indicate that ratings by strangers or acquaintances correlate substantially with the targets' self-reports. At first glance, this is a curious usage of the idea of validity because self-reports are usually more suspect than observer ratings and are therefore frequently validated against observer ratings. But we have a special case here: Because the observers are strangers, the self-ratings are the more dependable measure of the actual personality of the ratees.

Optimism, coping, psychological distress, and high-risk sexual behavior among men at risk for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Abstract: In a cohort of gay men responding to the threat of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), dispositional optimism was associated with less distress, less avoidant coping, positive attitudes as a coping strategy, and fewer AIDS-related concerns. Men who knew they were seropositive for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were significantly more optimistic about not developing AIDS than men who knew they were seronegative for HIV This AIDS-specific optimism was related to higher perceived control over AIDS and to active coping among seropositive men only and to health behaviors in both serostatus groups. There was no relation of optimism to risk-related sexual behavior. It is concluded that optimism is psychologically adaptive without necessarily compromising health behavior. It is also concluded that it is useful to distinguish between eventbased optimistic expectations and dispositional optimism. Substantial research suggests that people are overly optimistic about the likelihood that they will experience a wide variety of positive life events and successfully avoid a wide variety of adverse events (e.g, Markus & Nurius, 1986; Perloff, 1983; Weinstein, 1980, 1982, 1984). Most people perceive their chances of having a happy life, a stable marriage, talented children, and a satisfying job as higher than those of the average person and their chances of being fired, getting divorced, becoming depressed, or having a major disease as lower than those of the average person. Theoretical accounts of this unrealistic optimism have diverged in terms of whether it is regarded as fundamentally adaptive or maladaptive. Taylor and Brown (1988) suggested that unrealistic optimism about the future is generally adaptive in that it promotes the criteria normally associated with the mentally healthy personality, including feelings of self-worth, the ability to care for and about others, persistence and creativity in the pursuit of goals, and the ability to cope effectively with stress (see also Taylor, 1989). Such optimism may become particularly adaptive when

Mood-congruent judgment is a general effect.

Abstract: Mood congruency refers to a match in affective content between a person's mood and his or her thoughts. The mood-congruent judgment effect states in part that attributes will be judged more characteristic, and events more likely, under conditions of mood congruence. Thus, the happy person will believe good weather is more likely than bad weather (relative to such a judgment in a state of mood incongruence). Three studies showed that the effect generalizes to non-self-relevant judgments with natural mood

Accessibility and stability of predictors in the theory of planned behavior.

Abstract: To test the propositions that an attitude's ability to predict behavior is influenced by its temporal stability and by its accessibility in memory, 75 students were given direct or indirect experience with 6 video games and fun or skill instructions. They completed a computer-administered questionnaire before and after a free-play period. On the basis of Ajzen's (1988) theory of planned behavior, time played with each game was correlated with attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and intentions with respect to playing each game