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The assumption that lonely people are socially stigmatized was tested in an experiment using a 2 (Loneliness State) x 2 (Sex of Target Person) x 2 (Sex of Perceiver) between-subjects design. Results shored that the lonely target person was rated much more negatively than the nonlonely target person on measures of psychological attributes and interpersonal attraction and evaluation. Specifically, the lonely target person was perceived as lower in psychological adjustment, achievement/competence, and sociability/congeniali4y. The lonely person was less liked, was less preferred as a friend, and was rated as weaker more passive, less attractive, and less sincere. The negative evaluations were also found to vary according to the sex of the target person and the perceiver; the male lonely target person was more stigmatized than the female lonely target person, and female perceivers were more critical than male perceivers toward the lonely target person. The findings were replicated in a second experiment, which controlled for the confounding of gender with loneliness in the description of the target person in the first experiment. The results are discussed in relation to lonely people's difficulties in self-disclosure and in establishing social ties and support.

This study tested the hypothesis that retarded and normal children of the same MA differ in their performance on a partially reinforced 3-choice learning task because they have differing expectancies of success. The performance of 60 normal lower-class (low expectancy) and 60 normal middleclass (high expectancy) Ss were compared with that of 60 noninstitutionalized retardates. J of the Ss in each group were assigned to a success, failure, or control condition which they experienced prior to performing on the criterion task, i of the Ss in each group were penalized for making errors on the criterion task while the other i were not. Normal lower-class Ss showed the most maximizing (correct responses) and the least left, middle, right patterning of their responses, while normal middle-class Ss showed the least maximizing and most patterning. Retarded Ss fell between these 2 groups on both measures.

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