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This article continues the presentation of new data regarding the frequencies of English letters organized by word length and letter position. Digraphs (defined here as all two-letter combinations) were the objects of study. The frequencies of digraphs were derived from a sample of 320,780 English words (including 6505 different words), which were credibly demonstrated by Whissell to be a parsimonious representation of modern English word usage. A total of 997,380 digraphs were counted and sorted by locations according to word length and digraph positions within words. As assessed by the Whissell source, the data about digraphs presented accurately represent the frequencies with which digraphs occur in modern English. How these data can provide a resource for reading research and practice is explored.

This article presents data regarding the relative frequencies of single letters in English, organized by word length and letter position. Derived from a parsimonious sample of English word use patterns presented by Whissell in 1998, the data accurately represent letter frequencies found in modern English, These data provide a resource for various applications, including reading research and practice.

Based on the 'utilitarian core hypothesis' that the most common words of a language develop early and resist change, the current exploratory study examined three test cases to suggest what happens to the common core of a language when its speakers are conquered. Whissell (1998) raised this issue by implication through demonstrating that the common core of English is largely Anglo-Saxon and thus survived the Norman Conquest. The notion that unique merits of English accounted for its success has a long history dating at least to Verstegan (1605/1976). We suggested that there are also instances of conquest in history illustrating the persistence of other languages despite the political subjugation of their speakers. Test cases included, in addition to the Norman Conquest of England, the Arab-Berber Conquest of most of the Iberian Peninsula, and Russian domination of modern Uzbekistan. The combined results suggest that persistence of a utilitarian core despite conquest is not an isolated instance. As a phenomenon it offers a more parsimonious account than do appeals to the special merits of English, Spanish, or Modern Uzbek. We have integrated these findings within a psychological framework pertaining to language use and change.

An estimate of English letter frequencies is reported. The major part of the textual sample was 320,780 words, comprising 6,505 different words from 1998 work of Whissell as parsimoniously describing modern English patterns of word use. To this sample has been added another of 1,000 words to represent English words generally rarer than the 6,505. Comparison with estimated English letter frequencies from a sample over 160 years old suggested strong stability in letter frequencies over time. The old sample did, however, tend to overestimate the occurrence of rare letters (j, q, x, and z). An application of the findings to the teaching of letter recognition is explored.

This study investigated the relationship between time sensitivity and purpose in life. Time sensitivity was operationally defined by scores on the Judging-Perceiving dimension of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and by whether subjects reported habitual watch-wearing. Scores indicating the Judging orientation and watch-wearing defined individuals who were most responsive to the dimension of tune. Purpose in life was operationally defined by scores on the Crumbaugh and Maholick Purpose in Life Test. A multiple linear regression analysis showed no difference in scores on the Purpose in Life Test between Judgers and Perceivers, apparently supporting the Myers-Briggs perspective that having a specific temperament does not convey any special advantage in added value or meaning to one's life. Watch-wearing best predicted scores on the Purpose in Life Test. The results were discussed in terms of competing theoretical perspectives.

Most of the conclusions drawn by Carroll and Carroll (1995) regarding alcohol abuse and risky sex among college students are misleading and unfounded given the ambiguity inherent in their methodology.

Zipf's law relates the frequencies of words found in speech samples to the numbers of different words at each frequency. The present study extended this law to very small samples (400 words) of both written and oral speech. A secondary purpose was to investigate whether oral and written samples from the same speakers deviate from Zipf's law in systematic ways, allowing correct identifications of speakers across the two modalities. Zipf's law was strongly confirmed, but systematic deviations from the generalization proved difficult to demonstrate.

Yoder and Haude presented a finding in support of a positive association between sense of humor and longevity which, however, is open to alternative explanation but appropriate for more focussed research from a holistic health perspective.

A survey of beliefs about, knowledge of, and attitudes about AIDS was administered to 345 college students. While knowledge was generally high, reported behavior was not always consistent with that knowledge.