Effects of Zen meditation on anxiety reduction and perceptual functioning.

Assigned 72 Ss (undergraduates and volunteer university employees) to 3 treatment groups: Zen meditation, antimeditation (control), or no-treatment (control). Cells were balanced for locus of control, sex, and volunteer-S pool status. Training took place over a 1-wk period in the laboratory to ensure compliance. Daily logs suggested that appropriate experiences were achieved. Measures of self-reported anxiety, the Trait Anxiety scale of the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Epstein-Fenz Manifest Anxiety Scale showed a decrease after meditation, but no more of a decrease than the 2 control groups. State anxiety after stress showed no effect of meditation. Measures of perceptual functioning from the Holtzman Inkblot Test and the Embedded Figures Test showed no differential improvement as a result of meditation. Locus of control and sex were not related to outcome but volunteer status was, suggesting a personality or motivational influence. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual differences in response to a Zen meditation exercise.

In order to explore the psychological functions involved in meditation, 28 male college student volunteers were instructed in a concentration exercise related to Zen Buddhist procedures. Their response to the exercise was rated as high, moderate, and low from verbal reports taken after daily 45-min. sessions over a 2-3 wk. period. Response was then compared with premeditation test results related to attention, tolerance for unrealistic experience, and capacity for regression in the service of the ego (derived from Rorschach expressions of "primary process" and from spontaneous visual imagery). Capacity for regression and tolerance for unrealistic experience significantly predicted response to meditation, while attention measures did not. Once issues related to comfort in the face of strange inner experience are resolved, attention functions necessary to the exercise probably became available. (15 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Physiological differences between transcendental meditation and rest.

Investigated points raised by D. S. Holmes (see record 1984-25288-001) and E. M. Morrell (see record 1986-26552-001) on the effect of meditation on reduction of somatic arousal, reviewing 31 studies. Results show that there is reduced somatic arousal during the transcendental meditation technique in comparison with rest, yet other physiological changes indicative of increased alertness are also present. This difference may be assessed by looking at the adaptive efficiency of physiological processes rather than reduction of somatic arousal during stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Zen meditation and behavior self-control: Similarities, differences, and clinical applications.

Studies the behaviors involved in 2 self-control strategies: Zen meditation and behavioral self-management. The first technique is derived from the Eastern "religious-philosophical" tradition of Zen Buddhism; the other is derived from Western laboratory and field settings and is based on social learning theory. Using naturalistic observation and experimental analysis, Zen breath meditation is conceptualized as a sequence of behaviors involving certain cues and consequences, and thereby under explicit contingency arrangements. Behavioral self-management techniques are similarly analyzed, and results of these analyses are compared and contrasted. After briefly reviewing the clinical outcome literature for both strategies, it is concluded that rehabilitative and preventive benefits may be gained from a combination of the 2 techniques. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential effects of demand characteristics on teacher and pupil behavior.

Asked 40 teachers of Grade 1–3 classes to manipulate the behavior of disruptive and withdrawn children in accordance with a socially desirable instructional set. Measures of disruptiveness and withdrawal were obtained using independent observers who recorded pupil and teacher behavior prior to, during, and following the manipulation. Results show that teachers were unable to decrease inappropriate behavior in disruptive children but were successful in raising the level of prosocial responding of withdrawn children. It is recommended that future interventions for withdrawn children include a provision for controlling the potential effects of demand characteristics. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of subject roles, demand characteristics, and suspicion on conformity.

Investigated whether 54 female undergraduates would adopt "apprehensive," "good," "negativistic," or "faithful" S roles when participating in a conformity experiment. A modified Crutchfield social communication apparatus was used, and the experiment was arranged so that only 1 of these 4 roles could be supported by results. Questionnaire data analysis shows a significant Awareness of Demand Characteristics * Suspicion interaction effect (p     

A further assessment of attention-placebo effects and demand characteristics in studies of systematic desensitization.

Selected 28 female college students with high scores on the Fear Inventory by J. Wolpe and A. Lazarus. It was predicted that Ss receiving systematic desensitization would show greater reductions on both fear-related behavior measures (approach test and reported fearfulness) and simulated fear (i.e., control) measures than Ss receiving relaxation or no treatment. The simulated fear measure entailed crossing out selected numbers on pages of random numbers, scored for both performance (number of crossed-out numbers) and subjective evaluation (self-report of "felt frustration or aversion"). Results of group comparisons of pre- and posttreatment difference scores confirm the prediction. Suggestions for the improvement of the control and assessment of nonspecific treatment effects in therapy outcome studies are made. (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential effects on pain intensity and unpleasantness of two meditation practices.

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience that can be regulated by many different cognitive mechanisms. We compared the regulatory qualities of two different meditation practices during noxious thermal stimuli: Focused Attention, directed at a fixation cross away from the stimulation, which could regulate negative affect through a sensory gating mechanism; and Open Monitoring, which could regulate negative affect through a mechanism of nonjudgmental, nonreactive awareness of sensory experience. Here, we report behavioral data from a comparison between novice and long-term meditation practitioners (long-term meditators, LTMs) using these techniques. LTMs, compared to novices, had a significant reduction of self-reported unpleasantness, but not intensity, of painful stimuli while practicing Open Monitoring. No significant effects were found for FA. This finding illuminates the possible regulatory mechanism of meditation-based clinical interventions like Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Implications are discussed in the broader context of training-induced changes in trait emotion regulation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Caffeine self-administration and subjective effects in adolescents.

Eighteen adolescents (ages 11–15) underwent 6 independent, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. In each trial, participants sampled a noncaffeinated and a caffeinated soda (33 mg per 8 oz) in a 2 day crossover, followed by concurrent access to the same 2 sodas the following 2 days. Four of the 18 (22%) participants met a repeatability criterion, and 1 also met a statistical criterion for reliable caffeine self-administration. Across-subjects ratings of depression, drowsiness, and fatigue were increased on noncaffeinated compared with caffeinated soda sampling days. These results are similar to, but less robust than, previous research in adults showing that 31–36% of coffee drinkers reliably self-administer caffeine and experience adverse effects from caffeine abstinence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Physiological effects of hypnosis.

There are many studies indicating that sensory, circulatory, gastrointestinal, and cutaneous functions can be altered by means of hypnosis. There also are many studies indicating that similar physiological effects can be produced by symbolic stimulation without hypnosis. The assumption that hypnotic behavior is a function of the trance state is open to question. From Psyc Abstracts 36:01:3II90B. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sleepiness and the reinforcing and subjective effects of methylphenidate.

On 4 days, 6 volunteers received 10mg methylphenidate or placebo at 0900 after 4 or 8 hr time in bed (TIB) and then on 4 days after 4 or 8 hr TIB chose their preferred capsule. On sampling days, 4 hr TIB increased multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) scores and Fatigue scale scores on the Profile of Mood States (POMS). In both TIBs, the drug increased the MSLT and POMS Vigor and Tension scale scores. It reduced POMS Fatigue scores and improved divided attention performance to a greater extent after 4 versus 8 hr. Drug was chosen on 88% of days after 4 hr, but only 29% of days after 8 hr. Preference for the drug depends on sleepiness and is mediated by performance-enhancing and fatigue-altering effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Buprenorphine dose self-selection: Effects of an alternative reinforcer, behavioral economic analysis of demand, and examination of subjective drug effects.

Buprenorphine (BUP)-maintained patients were first exposed to various BUP doses and then chose between BUP doses and money. In the choice phase, they had 10 units exchangeable for units of BUP (constant at 3 mg/unit) or money (varied from $0.30 to $20/unit). They chose BUP exclusively (30 mg) when the money alternative was low. As available money increased, they selected lower daily BUP doses (down to 3 mg). An economic analysis indicated demand for BUP was inelastic; changes in drug intake were proportionally lower than changes in price. Subjective reports of agonist and withdrawal effects increased >200% when high and low BUP doses, respectively, were given during the exposure phase. In the choice phase, subjective drug effects were constant regardless of the BUP dose selected. Thus, BUP dose selection varies with the magnitude of alternative reinforcers, and subjective drug effects depend on whether doses are self- or experimenter-selected. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parkinsonian patients report blunted subjective effects of methylphenidate.

Mesolimbic-mesocortical dopamine brain circuits important for psychostimulant reward in animals are developed to greater extents in humans. Brains of patients with Parkinson's disease show depletion of ventral tegmental area mesolimbic-mesocortical neurons. The authors assessed psychostimulant responses in parkinsonian patients to test whether intact dopaminergic systems are required for subjective psychostimulant effects. Responses to placebo and 15, 20, 25, and 30 mg of methylphenidate were studied in 12 parkinsonian patients and 12 neurologically intact matched controls. Physiological and subjective mood responses were recorded using the Profile of Mood States, Addiction Research Center Inventory, and Visual Analog Scale. Drug-induced changes in "good" feelings and overall drug responses were attenuated in the parkinsonian patients. These results, in conjunction with animal data, provide support for dopamine hypotheses of psychostimulant reward in humans and suggest possible bases for some of the mood disturbances found in many parkinsonian patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapeutic effects of transcendental meditation with controls for expectation of relief and daily sitting.

Conducted 2 experiments to isolate the trait-anxiety-reducing effects of transcendental meditation (TM) from expectation of relief and the concomitant ritual of sitting twice daily. Exp I was a double-blind study in which 49 anxious college student volunteers were assigned to TM and 51 to a control treatment, "periodic somatic inactivity" (PSI). PSI was carefully designed to match the form, complexity, and expectation-fostering aspects of TM but incorporated a daily exercise that involved sitting twice daily rather than sitting and meditating. In Exp II 2 parallel treatments were compared, both called "cortically mediated stabilization" (CMS). 27 volunteers were taught CMS-sub-2, a treatment that incorporated a TM-like meditation exercise, and 27, CMS-sub-2, an exercise designed to be the near antithesis of meditation. Assessment measures included the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory A-Trait scale, the Epstein-Fenz Manifest Anxiety Scale, the 16 PF, and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Results show 6 mo of TM and PSI to be equally effective and 11 wks of CMS-sub-2 and CMS-sub-2 to be equally effective. Differences between groups did not approach significance. Results support the conclusion that the crucial therapeutic component of TM is not the TM exercise. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dissociation, duality, and demand characteristics in hypnosis.

Examined hypnotic dissociation (as indexed by the "hidden-observer" method), duality in age regression, and the potential impact of situational cues on these phenomena. 12 high- and 9 low-susceptible undergraduates (as determined by the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale) were tested in an application of the real–simulating paradigm of hypnosis; 10 high- to medium-susceptible Ss were also employed. Inquiry into Ss' experiences was conducted through the experiential analysis technique, which involves Ss viewing and commenting on a videotape playback of their hypnotic session. Results demonstrate that neither the hidden-observer effect nor duality could be explained solely in terms of the demand characteristics of the test situation. The hidden-observer effect was observed in high-susceptible Ss only; all Ss who displayed the hidden-observer effect also displayed duality in age regression. High-susceptible Ss were distinctive in their reports of multiple levels of awareness during hypnosis. Findings are discussed in terms of the cognitive skills that Ss bring to hypnosis and the degree to which the hypnotic setting encourages the use of dissociative cognitive processes. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral and subjective effects of D-amphetamine and modafinil in healthy adults.

Modafinil is indicated for the management of excessive daytime sleepiness; however, recent studies have examined a broad range of potential uses. Given that clinical uses of modafinil may be expanding, this study compared modafinil and d-amphetamine effects on subjective and performance measures. Across 11 sessions, 11 healthy adults were tested after oral doses of placebo (5 sessions), modafinil (1.75 mg/kg, 3.50 mg/kg, or 7.00 mg/kg), and d-amphetamine (0.035 mg/kg, 0.070 mg/kg, 0.140 mg/kg) under double-blind, randomized conditions. Assessments of cognitive performance and subjective effects were completed before drug administration, 30 min after drug administration, and at hourly intervals after drug administration for 5 hr. Modafinil increased ratings on the Amphetamine and Morphine Benzedrine Group scales of the Addiction Research Center Inventory (ARCI) and increased ratings on the Vigor and Total Positive scales of the Profile of Mood States. d-Amphetamine increased visual analog ratings of feeling stimulated and liking the drug and increased ratings on the Morphine Benzedrine Group scale of the ARCI. Both medications significantly reduced visual analog scale ratings of feeling sleepy, and modafinil decreased ratings on the ARCI Pentobarbital-Chlorpromazine-Alcohol Group scale. Both medications sustained performance that deteriorated across time on the Sternberg Number Recognition Test. Modafinil also enhanced performance rate on the Digit-Symbol Substitution Task above baseline levels and increased response rate on the Repeated Acquisition of Response Sequences Task. These results suggest that modafinil engenders alerting effects and increases performance in healthy non-sleep-deprived individuals comparable with that of d-amphetamine. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Physiological effects of relaxation training and hypnotic suggestion.

Evaluated the comparative effects of hypnotic suggestion and brief relaxation training with regard to reduction of subjective tension and distress(anxiety differential) and physiological arousal (heart rate, respiratory rate, tonic muscle tension, skin conductance). 3 groups (N = 20 each) of undergraduate females participated individually for 2 sessions, 1 wk. apart, receiving: (1) abbreviated progressive relaxation training as used in systematic desensitization therapy; (2) a hypnotic induction emphasizing direct suggestions of relaxation, heaviness, warmth, drowsiness, and sleep; or (3) a self-relaxation control procedure, included to evaluate the effects of merely resting quietly for an equal period of time with instructions to relax. Both relaxation training and hypnotic suggestion produced significantly greater effects than controls, and relaxation training resulted in significantly greater effects than hypnotic suggestion. The superiority of relaxation training was most pronounced in response systems not under direct voluntary control. (37 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subject effects in laboratory research: An examination of subject roles, demand characteristics, and valid inference.

Presents 4 conceptualizations of the role that Ss adopt in laboratory experiments, and assesses empirical support for each. There is no unconfounded evidence that Ss adopt a good S role and seek to confirm hypotheses or that they adopt a negativistic role and seek to sabotage experiments. There is some evidence that in specific contexts Ss may adopt a faithful S role, and there is considerable evidence that Ss are apprehensive about how their performance will be evaluated. Furthermore, providing S with a hypothesis about a study consistently produces bias. These relationships are then examined with respect to their implications for improving research in general and for drawing valid inferences from experimental data. (69 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Locus of control and attention during meditation.

20 undergraduates were assigned to an internal or external group on the basis of scores on Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale. A meditation task required Ss to focus their attention on an actual stimulus or an imagined stimulus while recording intruding thoughts by pressing a button on a counter. Results show that an internal locus of control was related to fewer intrusions than an external locus and that the actual stimulus resulted in fewer intrusions than did the imagined stimulus. Results suggest that performance in meditation, and possibly in other self-control procedures, may be influenced by individual differences in deployment of attention. (3 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sequential analysis of the effects of naltrexone on the environmental meditation of self-injurious behavior.

Accumulated evidence shows that biology and the environment can mediate self-injurious behavior (SIB) in persons with mental retardation. Whether pharmacological treatment alters the environmental mediation of self-injury is unclear. Opioid antagonist effects on sequential dependencies for self-injury were studied in the context of experimental single-subject double-blind placebo-controlled designs. Direct observational data were collected for 4 adult subjects in real time on daily rate of SIB and staff interactions. Clinically significant reductions (i.e., ≥ 33%) in SIB rate were observed for 3 of the 4 subjects. For all subjects, the magnitude of the sequential dependency between staff behavior and self-injury was significantly greater during treatment with naltrexone than during treatment with a placebo. Results are discussed in relation to behavioral mechanisms of action regulating medication effects for self-injury. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)