Overinclusion and concreteness among pathological groups.

To assess relative concreteness vs. overinclusiveness, the Revised Inclusion Test, based on Epstein's measure, was administered to 40 tuberculous, 40 brain-damaged, 30 process schizophrenic, and 15 reactive schizophrenic hospitalized veterans. The groups were equivalent in mean education, intelligence, and length of hospitalization, but the tuberculous and brain-damaged patients averaged 8 yr. older than the schizophrenics. The results indicated that the brain-damaged and process schizophrenics performed more in a concrete manner than did the reactive schizophrenics or tuberculous, but, contrary to hypothesis, the groups were not differentiated on relative overinclusiveness. It was suggested that in studies in which schizophrenics overincluded many options, the concepts to which the overincluded elements were added may have also involved an omitted option and, were such the case, those schizophrenics should have been described as concrete rather than as overinclusive. (36 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conceptual area analysis of the test performance of mentally retarded adults.

The Object Sorting Test from the Goldstein-Scheerer battery and the Similarities subtest of the WISC were administered to 50 mentally retarded adults and scored by means of McGaughran and Moran's conceptual area analysis. Age, IQ, and length of hospitalization were significantly related to a number of the conceptual area measures, whereas sex and diagnosis were generally unrelated to these measures. There was some evidence of consistency in performance on the 2 conceptual tests, but the 2 parts of the Object Sorting Test seemed not to be measuring the same thing. It was suggested that for retardates, at least, the basic dimensions of conceptual area analysis are not independent. The abnormal concreteness of the retarded appears to differ from that of both schizophrenics and brain damaged individuals. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A reinterpretation of some pathological disturbances in conceptual breadth.

"The present study was designed to investigate the possibility that both overinclusion and overexclusion errors on conceptual sorting tasks by schizophrenics are attributable, at least in part, to a tendency to use concepts of a specific preferred breadth regardless of their appropriateness. This suggestion was investigated by means of a task in which names of objects were sorted on the basis of conceptual categories of varying breadth. The hypothesis was that as the instructed conceptual category becomes broader, schizophrenics increase their errors of overexclusion but decrease their errors of overinclusion. The hypothesis was confirmed. In addition… brain damaged… [Ss] showed the opposite error preference." From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4JQ14C. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Direct Measurement of Differential Cognitive Deficit in Acute Schizophrenia": Erratum.

Reports an error in the original article by J. N. Deluca (Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1967[April], Vol 72[2], 143-146). The author's affiliation on page 143 should read as follows: "290 Madison Avenue, Morristown, New Jersey. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 2005-09867-003). This is a longitudinal study in which 11 standardized test of cognitive function were administered to 20,000 normal Ss and at a later point in time readministered to those Ss of the original group (N=15) who became schizophrenic and were hospitalized. The tests were also readministered to part of the original group (N=40) who, at the same point in time, were still normal. The results, which revealed significant differential deficit on 5 of the measures, suggest that lack of motivation to reach out and actively manipulate stimuli or experience new learning produced the differences observed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ego disjunction: A failure to replicate Trehub's results.

Previous research had demonstrated a linear relationship between ego disjunction (the result of incompatible, conflicting needs, as measured by the EPPS) and severity of psychopathology. These results were not cross-validated. The MMPI turned out to be more effective than the EPPS in discriminating psychotics from nonpsychotics. Explorations for these findings are offered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Silverman's subliminal psychodynamic activation: A failure to replicate.

L. H. Silverman's (see record 1977-05955-001) report that subliminally presented stimuli designed to increase or decrease oedipal conflict can affect competitive performance was tested in 3 experiments on a total of 91 male undergraduates. In none of the experiments was there a difference between performance following exposure to subliminal oedipal conditions and performance following neutral baseline conditions. Results should be considered in light of changes made over the course of these experiments that produced a bias in favor of replication. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anxiety and intellectual performance: A partial failure to replicate.

The study tried to replicate Sarason's (1957) findings of the interfering effect of test anxiety and the facilitating effect of general anxiety on academic work. The study also tested the generality of the Taylor-Spence (1952) hypothesis of the negative effect of anxiety on behavior. A study of the effects of different types of anxiety on academic performance, Taylor, Test, and General anxiety scores, course grades and grade-point averages were obtained on private college Ss (N = 55) and state college Ss (N = 70). Results failed to demonstrate a significant correlation between Test anxiety and academic work, but confirmed the facilitating influence of general anxiety on course grade. The differential effects of anxiety were discussed in terms of the interaction between anxiety and grade level, overlearning, nature of the tasks, and intellectual ability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subliminal psychodynamic activation in depression: A failure to replicate.

Attempted to replicate S. Nissenfeld's (1979) application of L. H. Silverman's (see record 1977-05955-001) technique of subliminal psychodynamic activation in which a significant effect on statelike psychopathology symptomatic of depression was found for the "symbiotic" stimulus. 30 depressed female inpatients (aged 17–62 yrs) were administered 3 subliminal stimuli: a control stimulus ({people talking}), the symbiotic stimulus ({mommy and i are one}), and a rapproachement stimulus ({mommy loves me as i am}). Dependent variables were anxious and depressed affect as measured by the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List, depressed and hypomanic themes rated from the TAT, the Digit Symbol subscale from the WAIS, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Silverman's measure of pathological nonverbal behavior. MANOVA found no significant effects for any of the independent variables. Neither the inadequate power of statistical tests nor deficient methodology accounted for this failure to replicate Nissenfeld's findings. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hypnotic age regression and eidetic imagery: A failure to replicate.

Notes that N. S. Walker et al (see record 1976-23467-001) reported the restoration of eidetic imagery in hypnotically age-regressed Ss. In an attempted replication of that study, 60 Ss who previously scored high on hypnotic susceptibility were "hypnotically regressed" to age 7. Before administration of the hypnotic procedures and again after age regression, Ss were tested for eidetic imagery using the random-dot stereograms employed by Walker et al. None of the Ss, including those who were age regressed according to standard criteria and who reported having been eidetikers as children, were successful at the stereogram tasks. Although these results fail to replicate those of Walker et al, they are consistent with the available evidence concerning the performance of children on stereogram tasks. Contrary to the impression conveyed by Walker et al, children tested to date, including those classified as eidetikers by R. N. Haber and R. B. Haber's (1964) criteria, have been unsuccessful at stereogram tasks. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Conceptual level" vs. "conceptual area" analysis of object-sorting behavior of schizophrenic and nonpsychiatric groups.

The Rapaport modification of the Goldstein-Gelb-Weigl Object-Sorting Test is used on a sample of 37 pairs of paranoid schizophrenics and nonpsychiatric patients to determine if schizophrenic thought reflects a marked loss of ability to conceptualize on an abstract level; or, is a disorder of communication. On the basis of the test results, the following conclusions are drawn: "1)… our schizophrenic group demonstrated a loss of social communication without evidence of impairment in abstractive ability. 2) Differences in conceptualization in the object-sorting task were clearly more closely associated with estimated test intelligence and education than with the presence or absence of schizophrenia… ." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The 4-3 MMPI profile type: A failure to replicate.

Using a sample of male prison inmates as Ss, the incidence of violent crimes for 65 persons with the 4-3 MMPI profile type and 64 with other 2-point code types was compared. Results fail to replicate the findings of some earlier investigators, who reported that violent behaviors are more common for persons with the 4-3 profile type. The failure to identify a significant relationship between the 4-3 profile type and violent behavior suggests that caution should be exercised in generalizing to populations that differ from those in which the relationship between violence and the 4-3 profile type is established. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The substrate for brain-stimulation reward in the lateral preoptic area: III. Connections to the lateral hypothalamic area.

Double-pulse tests were used to estimate the refractory periods and anatomical linkage of the reward-relevant fibers that course between the lateral preoptic and lateral hypothalamic areas. In the 1st study, pairs of conditioning and test pulses were delivered to each site, and the interval between pulses varied; recovery from refractoriness was similar at both sites, with the curves generally rising from 0.6 to 2.0 ms. In the 2nd study, the pairs of pulses were delivered to both sites. Six of 7 rats showed evidence of axonal collision, with estimates of conduction velocity that ranged from 0.48 to 8.95 m/s across rats. These results suggest that a wide spectrum of fiber types characterizes the reward-relevant axons that course uninterruptedly between these 2 regions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential response to failure in hospital and nonhospital groups.

90 functionally psychotic Ss and 90 nonhospitalized Ss were given varying amounts of failure and nonfailure experiences on a puzzle task. These experiences were temporally associated with a neutral paper-and-pencil task. Tests were made for any differential effect upon preference for the neutral task after this association. A 3-dimensional analysis of variance design yielded sigfinicant results (beyond the .01 level) only in the groups of psychotics subjected to failure. These Ss lowered their preference for the formerly neutral task. The results may indicate a loss in the psychotic's ability to respond differentially and appropriately to individual experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Span of apprehension deficits in children vulnerable to psychopathology: A failure to replicate.

Tested the findings of R. J. Asarnow et al (see record 1978-05788-001) and D. J. MacCrimmon et al (see record 1981-21451-001) that children vulnerable to psychopathology show performance deficits on the span of apprehension task by examining data from a study by the 2nd and 3rd present authors (1975) that provided a larger sample of high-risk children. Results show that the 34 children (mean age 15.4 yrs) of schizophrenics did not differ from the 54 children (mean age 15.3 yrs) of unipolars, the 52 children (mean age 15.6 yrs) of bipolars, or the 75 children (mean age 15.3 yrs) of normal controls in their span performance. Possible sources of the discrepant results are discussed, and it is suggested that the present findings do not call into question the possibility that some high-risk children show attentional deficits. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Repression and hypnotic amnesia: A failure to replicate and an alternative formulation.

In an attempt to replicate and extend a study by S. R. Clemes (see record 1965-02178-001), 2 groups of 10 undergraduate hypnotic Ss learned a list of 18 words and were given an amnesia suggestion telling them they would be able to remember only 10 of these words. Half of the list words were critical (i.e., considered to be related to repressed conflictual material) and half were neutral (unrelated to conflictual material) as determined by Ss' responses to a word association test. Experimental Ss received their own critical and neutral words and yoked control Ss received the critical and neutral words of experimental Ss. Neither the experimental nor the yoked control group exhibited selective amnesia in favor of critical words, thus constituting a failure to replicate Clemes's result. However, variables affecting the degree to which words were initially learned (e.g., imagery value, serial position) predicted their resistance to amnesia. These findings are inconsistent with a repression hypothesis but congruent with an inattention hypothesis of suggested amnesia. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Distortions in the gradient of stimulus generalization related to cortical brain damage and schizophrenia.

Measurement of the gradient of stimulus generalization (GSG) of 60 schizophrenics (S group), 60 medical control patients (C group), and 60 patients with cortical brain damage (O group), by means of an apparatus consisting of a panel of 11 lamps placed in an arc around the subject, showed: "(1) The GSG for both the C and S groups is considerably more elevated than that of the control group (O group). (2) The differences between the S and C groups, while in the main in the predicted direction, are not conclusive. (3) Damage to the cortex of the dominant hemisphere results in considerably more diminution of the elevation of the GSG than damage to the cortex of the non-dominant hemisphere. (4) The number of EST's received by patients in the S group was found to vary inversely with the degree of SG responsivity; but in view of the limitations of the data, no conclusions were drawn." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prevention groups: The shape of things to come.

This introductory article by the editors summarizes the intent, content, and procedures of the special issue and makes a supportive case for the future of effective prevention groups that draws from the pioneer research contained within it. Researchers are summoned to prioritize prevention groups as an important and viable focal area, journals are encouraged to welcome research of this topic (without altering acceptance criteria), concurrence about definitions of key processes and concepts (i.e., how to define prevention groups) is urged, and others are encouraged to draw lessons from the research of the authors contained in the special issue. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"I didn't do it:" Responsibility biases in open and closed groups.

Group members often take more responsibility for the group's outcomes than others give to them. Extending evidence that egocentrism can be muted when group members are individuated (the "unpacking effect"), the authors predicted that members of open groups would be less egocentric than members of closed groups. In open groups, the possibility of membership fluctuation reduces collectiveness, breaking the group into individuals, which in turn lessens egocentrism. The authors tested these predictions in a study of groups of students working on a task relevant to their academic success. Members claimed more personal responsibility when they worked in closed groups relative to open groups (egocentrism), and lack of cohesion mediated the open- versus closed-group link to responsibility allocations. Moreover, members of open groups did not take more responsibility after a success than a failure, whereas those in closed, successful groups claimed more credit than members of failure groups (self-serving bias). The discussion suggests that open groups, although often thought to create conflict as members compete, may contribute to a reduction in both egocentrism and self-serving responsibility allocations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)