COGNITIVE SENSITIVITY TO AVERSIVE MATERNAL STIMULATION IN LATE-ADOLESCENT MALES

THE DEGREE OF INTERFERENCE PRODUCED BY SIMULATED MATERNAL CENSURE AND CONTROL WITH THE COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE OF LATE ADOLESCENTS WHO PERCEIVED THEIR MOTHERS AS CONTROLLING AND HOSTILE (HC-LN) WAS USED TO IDENTIFY SS WHO HAD ADAPTED TO THESE AVERSIVE MATERNAL CUES AND THOSE WHO HAD NOT. CONTROLS HAD LOW-CONTROL, HIGH NURTURANCE (LC-HN) MOTHERS. SS WERE 40 MALE STUDENTS. COMPARISON OF DISRUPTED AND NONDISRUPTED HC-LN MALES ON THE MMPI FOUND DISRUPTED SS HIGHER ON THE MA SCALE AND NONDISRUPTED SS HIGHER ON THE D SCALE. NO MMPI DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND FOR CONTROLS. IT WAS PROPOSED THAT INNER-DIRECTEDNESS (HIGH D) WAS ASSOCIATED WITH ADAPTATION TO AVERSIVE MATERNAL CUES, OUTER-DIRECTEDNESS (HIGH MA), WITH NONADAPTATION. OVERALL GROUP COMPARISONS SHOWED HC-LN SS HIGHER ON THE D, PT, SC, AND SI SCALES THAN LC-HN SS. (22 REF.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1968 American Psychological Association.