A 1997 study by Spencer, Dupree, and Hartmann on African American adolescents serves as a practical application of the PVEST framework. The research revealed that for both boys and girls, being unpopular with peers was a predictor of negative attitudes toward learning. A unique finding for boys was that increased stress was associated with a more positive learning attitude, particularly when they believed their teachers held positive expectations for them. This study demonstrates how PVEST can explain the reciprocal influence between the perceptions of others (like teachers and peers) and an adolescent's own attitudes.