This study assessed the association between parental style, family functioning and adolescent well being, contrasting intact families with those of changed configuration. Eight hundred and one grade 10 general level teenagers in 11 high schools of a single educational system were the subjects. Results indicated that the configuration of the family was not the key determinant of effectiveness of family functioning. Instead the style of parenting turned out to be the main determinant of both family functioning and well being of the adolescents. While both "parents" were judged to have contributed to these outcomes cross gender effects were found.

The roles of family, peers, and selected social factors in the origins of depression were assessed in a school-based study of adolescents. Social self-efficacy and social support from family and peers were found to be interrelated in their links with depression. Risk factors are delineated and suggestions for preventive intervention are offered.

Hospitalized schizophrenic patients, process and reactive as defined by the Elgin Prognostic Rating Scale, were compared with nonschizophrenic psychiatric patient controls and normal controls to assess the effects of redundancy of information on reaction lime performance. The influence of information redundancy was assessed by manipulating the degree of regularity in the presentation of preparatory interval (PI) durations. Runs of two and four identical Pis, defined as low and high redundant sets, respectively, were embedded in an irregular order of trials to test the influence associated with regular presentation. Departing from an observation in the literature that the irregular versus regular presentation condition interacts with PI duration, this study found the interaction for process patients only. This interaction takes the form of a "crossover" in which the regular PI trials yield worse performance than the irregular trials at long PI durations, although the opposite is true for short durations. The findings in the present study show that redundant Pis tended to show an improved performance immediately and then, for the process group only, a progressive loss on successive trials. An interpretation in light of Shakow's "set theory" and an inhibitory process explanation were discussed.

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