Study: Mothers more content than adult daughters
Middle-aged mothers feel they experience less success in their work lives but were much happier when they were the age of their adult daughters, according to a recent study done at the Institute for Social Research.
Almost two-thirds of the 611 mothers agreed with the results of the study, which focused on a group of women with daughters who graduated in 1957 from Wisconsin high schools. Researchers conducted mail and phone interviews when the women were 18, 36 and 53 years of age. At the age of 59, the women had in-depth personal interviews.
The women”s daughters ranged in age from 22 to 40. They showed an increase in years of education and higher achievement in status occupations, compared to the mothers.
Researchers also found that the mothers” feelings on their daughters reflected objective characteristics, rather than the quality of their relationships or the mother”s own level of self-esteem.
Poll: Teens have low self-image
Fifty-eight percent of participants in a recent survey feel they are overweight, according to a study done at SmartGirl.org, a University website for teens. The survey polled 737 female readers and eight male readers on eating disorders. A third of them felt they were the right weight, but only 14 percent were happy with their body shape and size.
Most of the readers were between the ages of 11 and 19, and 63 percent said they diet and 24 percent reported having purchased diet pills. When asked why, 43 percent of respondents said for themselves, 16 percent because of portrayals in media images, 5 percent because of the influence of friends and 4 percent because of influence from family influence.
Respondents blamed peer and family pressures, pressure from the media, poor self-image and psychological problems for the development of eating disorders.
MSU, “U” to work together on Great Lakes study grant
A collaborative program called the Michigan Sea Grant will examine the effects of aquatic nuisance species on the Great Lakes food web and neighboring lakes. The program joins the University with Michigan State University as part of the Great Lakes Sea Network, to prioritize funding and to coordinate research.
The main focus of the research is to understand the disruptions caused by non-native species, such as zebra mussels on the food chains of the Great Lakes now and in the future.
Standardized tests less accurate than practical ones
Practical tests measure a person”s capabilities just as well as standardized intelligence tests such as the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), according to University Business School researchers.
The research posed a variety of short-answer and situational judgment problems to two incoming classes of MBA students at the school in 1999 and 2000. The answers to the problems were graded on quality, rather than right or wrong.
Researchers found that students who scored higher on the more practical-type of exam had higher grade point averages, higher projects scores. They also found that these students held more leadership positions and participated in more academic clubs.
GMAT scores were unrelated to scores on the practical exams and projects. Women scored higher than men on both practical formats, though men and blacks scored significantly higher on the GMAT. Like the men in the study, blacks scored lower on the practical portion, according to a press release.
Compiled by Daily Staff Reporter Lisa Hoffman.