The Positive Psychology of Interested Adolescents

Using the experience sampling method (ESM) and a diverse national sample of young people, this study identifies two groups of adolescents: those who experience chronic interest in everyday life experiences and another who experience widespread boredom. These groups are compared against several measures of psychological well-being: global self-esteem, locus of control, and emotions regarding one's future prospects. It is hypothesized that a generalized chronic experience of interest, an innate physiological function, can be used as a signal for a larger measure of psychological health, while chronic boredom is a sign of psychic dysfunction. A strong association between the experience of interest and well-being was found.     

A comparison of the self-image of talented teenagers with a normal adolescent population

The self-image of a group of 177 adolescents talented in one of five areas — mathematics, science, music, athletics, and art — was compared to that of a normal group of teenagers, using the Offer Self-Image Questionnaire for Adolescents (OSIQ). In addition, correlations between the talented OSIQ scores and instructor ratings of engagement and aptitude in the talent area was obtained. The findings indicate that talented adolescents educated in a normal high school setting evidence patterns of self-image and esteem very similar to their more average peers. The talented teenagers, however, also report considerable uncertainty involving issues of sexual and social competence. Discussion focuses on the implications of these findings for later patterns of talent development.This study is part of a longitudinal study of talented adolescents supported in full by a grant from the Spencer Foundation.Research interests include adolescent self-concept and the psychology of challenging experience.Research interests include the psychology of adolescence and the study of optimal experience, creativity, and intrinsic motivation.     

Encouraging Residential Moves to Opportunity Neighborhoods: An Experiment Testing Incentives Offered to Housing Voucher Recipients

Substantial benefits can accrue from living in low-poverty neighborhoods, yet approximately 80% of the 2.2 million Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) recipients rent homes in moderate- or high-poverty census tracts. The Chicago Regional Housing Choice Initiative tested several ways to promote opportunity moves. It included the first experiment that tests whether two types of light-touch incentives induce opportunity moves for HCV recipients who had requested a moving voucher. Based on the 2,005 HCV recipients in the study, we found that neither the offer of a $500 grant nor the offer of a $500 grant coupled with free mobility counseling induced opportunity moves. The receipt of mobility counseling also did not boost opportunity moves. Regardless of the type of offer, 11%–12% of participants moved to opportunity neighborhoods. Despite requesting a moving voucher, half of the study participants remained in place, indicating significant barriers to moving. We offer potential reasons for the results and conclude with two recommended pilots to increase opportunity moves.     

The ecology of adolescent activity and experience

Twenty-five adolescents reported their daily activities and the quality of their experiences for a total of 753 times during a normal week, in response to random beeps transmitted by an electronic paging device. In this sample adolescents were found to spend most of their time either in conversation with peers or in watching television. Negative affects were prevalent in most activities involving socialization into adult roles. Television viewing appears to be an affectless state associated with deviant behavior and antisocial personality traits. The research suggests the importance of a systemic approach which studies persons' activities and experiences in an ecological context. The experiential sampling method described in this paper provides a tool for collecting such systemic data.The research reported herein was partially funded through PHS Grant 5-R01MH-22883-03.Received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Latest books includeBeyond Boredom and Anxiety (1975), dealing with the experience of enjoyment, andThe Creative Vision (1976), about problem finding in art.Current interests are problems of juvenile delinquency and aging.Received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Research interests include the sociology of science and the role of women.     

Feelings of Connectedness and Internalization of Values in Asian American Adolescents

This study is an attempt to examine a possible mechanism for the high academic achievements of Asian Americans by comparing the quality of experience of Asian American and Caucasian American adolescents. The Experience Sampling Method (ESM) was used to record subjective experiences. Subjects were 34 Asian American and 392 Caucasian American adolescents in the sixth, eighth, tenth, and twelfth grades. The ESM analyses revealed interesting differences between the two groups in their psychological functioning. The levels of Asian Americans' perceived importance of activities to future goals and happiness, enjoyment, self-esteem, and activeness covaried more positively and strongly, as compared to those of Caucasian American adolescents. The physical presence of others also affected the quality of experience of Asian American adolescents more strongly and more positively than that of Caucasian American adolescents. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of Asian adolescents' readiness for internalization of cultural values, which may promote academic excellence.     

Mood variability and the psychosocial adjustment of adolescents

This research uses a new time sampling method to compare adolescent and adult mood variability. Over 9000 self-reports from 182 people are used to evaluate the widespread theoretical assumption that adolescents experience greater mood variability as part of a syndrome of psychosocial disequilibrium. The findings confirm that adolescents experience wider and quicker mood swings, but do not show that this variability is related to stress, lack of personal control, psychological maladjustment, or social maladjustment within individual teenagers. Rather than representing turmoil, wide mood swings appear to be a natural part of an adolescent peer-oriented life style. However, there are indications that adolescent mood variability interferes with capacity for deep involvement, especially in school.This research was partially funded by the Spencer Foundation.Received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Current interests are adolescents' involvements in projects, solitude, and the experience of enjoyment.Received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Current interests are the study of enjoyment on everyday experience and the creation of meaning.Received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Current interest are the contributions of states and traits to everyday experience.     

Undivided interest and the growth of talent: A longitudinal study of adolescents

Based on theoretical considerations drawn from John Dewey and others, and using the Experience Sampling Method to longitudinally investigate a group of talented high school students,undivided interest was operationalized as times when the students felt above average spontaneous interest (i.e., excitement, openness, and involvement) while also reporting above average goal-directed interest (i.e., that their task was important to their goals). Results showed that after adjusting for the effects of family background, scholastic aptitude, and other individual differences, undivided interest while doing talent-related activities was positively correlated with independent assessments of talent area performance three years later: the level of mastery students achieved as indicated by their school records, the ratings students received from their talent area teachers, and the students' assessments of their own level of engagement. Highly engaged students reported over twice as much undivided interest in comparison to a group of disengaged students, who reported more divided interest (i.e., more of what Dewey referred to as fooling—high spontaneous involvement with no goal direction; and more drudgery—low spontaneous involvement and high goal direction). These findings held regardless of whether the teenagers were talented in math, science, music, or art. The implications of the study are discussed in terms of contemporary theories of attention and cognitive development, as well as unproductive educational philosophies that pit these important dimensions of experience against each other.Received Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Chicago. Main research interests are adolescent development within the family and the role of interest in learning and development.Received Ph.D. in human development from the University of Chicago. Main research interests are optimal experience and creativity.     

The Quality of Experience of Asian American Adolescents in Activities Related to Future Goals

This study explored the reason for the high academic achievements of Asian Americans by comparing the quality of experience of Asian and Caucasian American adolescents. The Experience Sampling Method was used to record subjective experiences. Subjects were 34 Asian American and 392 Caucasian American adolescents in the 6th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grades. When engaged in work-like activities and activities important for their future goals, Asian American students reported more positive experiences relative to Caucasian American adolescents. The examination of parental practices concerning children's academic activities indicated that Asian American parents structured their children's lives to facilitate academic success, and at the same time, they provided their children with freedom (or support their children's autonomy) in actual academic activities. The internalization of cultural values was suggested as a possible factor for promoting the educational success of Asian Americans.