The misattribution of smoking cessation symptoms.

Asked 15 female nurses who reported smoking at least 10 cigarettes per day to refrain from smoking for 1 day as part of a "study of heart rate." Experimental Ss were given a placebo and told that this pill would cause increased irritability, nervousness, and appetite. Controls received no information about side effects. It was predicted that experimental Ss would attribute their discomfort to the action of the pill and report less cessation difficulty than controls, who would attribute their discomfort to cigarette deprivation. This effect would be expected to appear only after several hours of deprivation when symptoms would be intense. Self-reports revealed a significant Condition * Time interaction, confirming the prediction. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modifying shyness-related social behavior through symptom misattribution.

An experimental misattribution paradigm proved to be a significant intervention treatment of altering social participation among 14 dispositionally shy undergraduate women. When specific arousal symptoms previously associated with their social anxiety were misattributed to a nonpsychological source (high-frequency noise), Ss behaved as if they were not shy. Their verbal fluency and interactional assertiveness resembled that of 16 not-shy Ss given the same treatment. Moreover, their scores on these measures were significantly elevated from the low levels recorded by 15 shy controls who had been led to expect shyness-irrelevant "side effects" from their exposure to noise. A male partner (a confederate) accurately perceived whether or not Ss in the 2 control groups were shy, but he misjudged as "not shy" the shy Ss in the misattribution group. The greater enjoyment of the interaction by those in this latter group, despite high-frequency noise bombardment, was also reflected in their stronger preference for further affiliation than that shown by either comparison group. The continuously monitored heart rate data provide grounds for speculation as to the relationship of physiological arousal and behavior. However, a paradoxical placebo finding emerged when it appeared that not-shy Ss in this same misattribution condition experienced a higher level of arousal, and this anxiety-like arousal was associated with preferences for nonaffiliation. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Source amnesia, misattribution, and the power of unconscious perceptions and memories.

A review of the empirical literature on implicit (i.e., unconscious) perception and memory reveals that S. Freud's (1910/1955, 1914/1956) hypotheses in this area were remarkably prescient in some respects. The implications of experimental research for psychodynamic models of symptom formation, transference analysis, and the curative components of insight-oriented therapy are discussed. Changes in terminology that can help bridge the gap between cognitive science and psychodynamics are outlined, and the heuristic value of strengthening existing connections between these disciplines is emphasized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implicit misattribution as a mechanism underlying evaluative conditioning.

Evaluative conditioning (EC) refers to the formation or change of an attitude toward an object, following that object’s pairing with positively or negatively valenced stimuli. The authors provide evidence that EC can occur through an implicit misattribution mechanism in which an evaluative response evoked by a valenced stimulus is incorrectly and implicitly attributed to another stimulus, forming or changing an attitude toward this other stimulus. In 5 studies, the authors measured or manipulated variables related to the potential for the misattribution of an evaluation, or source confusability. Greater EC was observed when participants’ eye gaze shifted frequently between a valenced and a neutral stimulus (Studies 1 & 2), when the 2 stimuli appeared in close spatial proximity (Study 3), and when the neutral stimulus was made more perceptually salient than was the valenced stimulus, due to the larger size of the neutral stimulus (Study 4). In other words, conditions conducive to source confusability increased EC. Study 5 provided evidence for multiple mechanisms of EC by comparing the effects of mildly evocative valenced stimuli (those evoking responses that might more easily be misattributed to another object) with more strongly evocative stimuli. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fear and autonomic arousal.

32 female undergraduates were classified as having high fear (HF) or low fear (LF) of spiders. After reduction of orienting responses to pictures of neutral animals, experimental Ss were shown pictures of a spider, and control Ss were shown pictures of a snake. Using the response to the last neutral stimulus as a base line, HF experimental Ss when 1st shown a spider yielded greater GSRs than other groups. This increase in GSR responding for HF experimental Ss was, for 2 more trials, maintained relative to control Ss. HF experimental Ss also yielded GSRs of greater duration than all other groups when 1st shown the spider stimulus. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Meditation and somatic arousal.

Comments on the similarities and differences found by D. S. Holmes (see record 1984-25288-001) and by the present author in the area of meditation and somatic arousal. It is suggested that (1) basal comparisons are more limited in their ability to tease out differences, (2) Holmes's data on stressful stimulation and meditation are preliminary, and (3) dismissing findings because the (significant) results run counter to expectations runs the risk of overlooking clinical implications. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-verbalization and emotional arousal.

Investigated certain assumptions derived from A. Ellis' theory relating implicit verbalization to emotional arousal. Emotional responses (GSR and respiration changes) of 18 undergraduates instructed to silently read sequences of affectively loaded sentences were compared with those of 9 Ss who read neutral sentences. The relationship between relevance to S of the content of the sentences and level of emotional response was investigated, as was the effect of sentence type (observation, inference, or evaluative conclusion) on level of emotional response. Results were that Ss showed a significantly greater response to affectively loaded than to neutral sentences on 2 out of 3 responses measures. Neither relevance nor sentence type were found to have any significant effect. Results were interpreted as offering only partial support for the theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual arousal to rape and consenting depictions: The importance of the woman's arousal.

143 male and female undergraduates were randomly assigned to read 1 of 8 versions of an erotic passage. The independent variables in the stories were nonconsent vs consent, woman's arousal vs disgust, and woman's pain vs no pain. Sex of S was the 4th independent variable. Data indicate that both in terms of experimentally manipulated variables and individual within-cell perceptual differences, the outcome dimension (arousal vs disgust) was the only variable that significantly affected Ss' sexual arousal. Portrayals that depicted the woman as experiencing sexual arousal, irrespective of whether they portrayed rape or consenting interactions, were reported by Ss to be more sexually stimulating than those depicting disgust. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Discovery misattribution: When solving is confused with remembering.

This study explored the discovery misattribution hypothesis, which posits that the experience of solving an insight problem can be confused with recognition. In Experiment 1, solutions to successfully solved anagrams were more likely to be judged as old on a recognition test than were solutions to unsolved anagrams regardless of whether they had been studied. Experiment 2 demonstrated that anagram solving can increase the proportion of "old" judgments relative to words presented outright. Experiment 3 revealed that under certain conditions, solving anagrams influences the proportion of "old" judgments to unrelated items immediately following the solved item. In Experiment 4, the effect of solving was reduced by the introduction of a delay between solving the anagrams and the recognition judgments. Finally, Experiments 5 and 6 demonstrated that anagram solving leads to an illusion of recollection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Caudate nucleus and arousal in the rat.

Investigated the effects of bilateral lesions of the anterodorsal caudate nuclei on reactivity in 5 experiments with male albino Sprague-Dawley and Wistar rats. In the open-field apparatus, Ss with caudate lesions were more active, showed increased thigmotaxism, defecated more, and groomed less. Exp II showed that in a nonstressful situation Ss with caudate lesions defecated no more than those with cortical lesion or unoperated Ss. Under stressful conditions Ss with caudate lesions defecated significantly more than the control Ss. Exps III, IV, and V indicated that Ss with lesions of the caudate nucleus were hyperresponsive to conditions of illumination and food deprivation. It is suggested that the heightened reactivity of the caudate-damaged Ss reflects the role of the caudate nucleus in the modulation of CNS arousal mechanisms. (52 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpretation and arousal in the counseling process.

We tested whether level of arousal affects the delivery of interpretations. Sixty undergraduate participants were assigned to high or low arousal or to control conditions. Participants in arousal conditions received a 30-min counseling interview for procrastination, which included two interpretations. Arousal was manipulated by interventions made before the interpretations, either confrontations (high arousal) or reflections (low arousal). Galvanic skin response measures confirmed the arousal manipulation (p?p?p?     

Impact of self-presentations on private self-beliefs: Effects of prior self-beliefs and misattribution.

Self-presentations are more likely to be internalized when they can be justified as representative of self. As predicted, when the behavior fell in their latitude of acceptance rather than rejection, Ss with strong prior self-beliefs (defined by self-perceived behavioral variability on the trait dimension) took greater responsibility for their self-perceptions, viewed them as more justifiable, and changed their later self-appraisals more. In contrast, Ss with weak prior self-beliefs were more influenced by extreme self-presentations (in the latitude of rejection) and viewed their behavior as equally justifiable irrespective of the latitude in which it fell. It was also found that negative arousal plays a role in guiding people's reactions to out-of-character behavior. These findings have implications for conceptualizations of the self-concept (e.g., as stable vs. unstable) and the relation between the private and public sides of self. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Resolving the relationships between placebos, misattribution, and insomnia: An individual-differences perspective.

Hypothesized that insomniacs who are more attentive to internal bodily processes would be more apt to yield a reverse placebo effect (i.e., go to sleep faster when given an "arousal" placebo and vice versa), whereas those attentive to external stimuli would be more likely to be directly influenced by the suggested effects of the placebo. 30 insomniac college students completed trait measures of private body consciousness, private self-consciousness, and self-esteem. Ss were given placebos to take before bedtime and were told that the capsules had arousing or relaxing side effects. As predicted, Ss with high private body consciousness exhibited a stronger reverse placebo effect than did Ss low on this dimension. Subsequent analyses revealed that this effect was entirely attributable to the low- rather than to the high-self-esteem Ss. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anxiety and the experimental arousal of affiliation need.

Small groups of college Ss were placed in a 1-way vision observation room; the instructions structured the situation so that personal anxiety was presumed to be high. Other groups were purposefully not exposed to anxiety-producing instructions. Level of anxiety was measured by self-rating scales; need for affiliation was assessed through TAT cards. It was assumed that degree of anxiety would be positively related to degree of need affiliation. Ss high in need affiliation did rate themselves higher in anxiety when placed in the anxiety-producing situation; in the non-anxiety-producing situation, affiliation need was unrelated to anxiety. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Irrational beliefs and the arousal of emotional distress.

Evaluated the extent to which endorsement of irrational beliefs as measured by the Irrational Beliefs Test (IBT) was associated with subjective, physiological, and cognitive indices (e.g., Trait scale of the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory and Fear of Negative Evaluation Questionnaire scores) of emotional distress in response to a stressful event delivered in a controlled experiment. 62 undergraduates served as Ss. Beliefs relevant to the stressor were more associated with negative cognitions than was either a belief less relevant to the stressor or general irrational thinking. However, a measure of the fear of negative evaluation was more frequently associated with measures of distress than were irrational beliefs. The equivalent and perhaps greater predictive utility of a more parsimonious, less inferential individual difference variable was interpreted as challenging the construct validity of the IBT and perhaps questioning the necessity of postulating the existence of irrational beliefs in accounts of the arousal of emotional distress. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Simple minitheories of love.

Developed 2 causal models of love as alternatives to the A. Tesser and D. L. Paulhus (see record 1978-21448-001) theory. These models were tested for adequacy of fit using maximum-likelihood methods. While the Tesser-Paulhus models can be rejected empirically, the alternate models provide acceptable statistical representations of 4 variables measuring love at 2 times separated by 2 wks. One formulation is based on the idea of unidimensionality of interpersonal attraction. The 2nd formulation represents a refinement of the Tesser-Paulhus view of love. The formulation based on the idea that interpersonal attraction is primarily a unidimensional construct provides the more parsimonious and interpretable theory. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affect intensity and cardiac arousal.

Investigated in 3 experiments the relationships between affect intensity and basal, evoked, and perceived cardiac arousal. Affect intensity was assessed using R. J. Larsen and E. Diener's (1987) Affect Intensity Measure (AIM). Cardiac arousal was evoked with exercise in the 1st study and with mental arithmetic in the 2nd and 3rd. Perceived cardiac arousal was measured under optimal conditions using a standard heartbeat discrimination procedure. Women as a group scored higher on the AIM. Affect intensity was unrelated to basal or evoked cardiac arousal and was negatively related to perceived cardiac arousal in all 3 studies. Data suggest that affect intensity, although unrelated to actual physiological arousal, is negatively related to the accuracy with which individuals perceive their own arousal. Results are discussed within the context of an expanded arousal-regulation model (J. Blascovich, 1990). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The nature of love.

Compared 3 alternative structural models of the nature of love, assessed the validity of each of these models for a variety of close relationships, and predicted success of close relationships on the basis of instruments used to assess love and other personal characteristics. The present study investigated whether love is better characterized as C. Spearman's (1927) unifactorial entity that is unitary and nondecomposable into underlying constituents; (2) G. H. Thomson's (1939) entity comprising a large number of affective, cognitive, and motivational bonds that, in the experience of love, are jointly sampled; or (3) L. L. Thurstone's (1938) entity comprising a small number of correlated primary factors of roughly equal importance and salience in the experience of love. 35 male and 50 female 18–70 yr olds completed psychometric instruments measuring their demographic backgrounds, personality characteristics, love history, and feelings of love in close relationships with mothers, fathers, siblings, same-sex best friends, and spouses or lovers. Factor analysis of the love scales suggested that love is best characterized in terms of the Thomsonian "bonds" model and that the structure of love is quite similar across the various close relationships in which one engages. It is concluded that success of close relationships can be predicted from a set of measures that includes a love scale and measures of personal attributes. (52 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correlates of romantic love.

Hypothesized the existence of relationships between internal-external control and romantic love, on the basis of a social influence interpretation and the view that romantic love is culturally stereotyped as an external force. Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale and a romantic-love questionnaire were administered to 243 undergraduates. Consistent with the hypothesis, proportionally fewer internals than externals reported having been romantically attached. Also as expected, internals reported experiencing romantic attraction as less mysterious and volatile and were more strongly opposed to an idealistic view of romantic love. In comparison to males, females were more likely to have experienced romantic attraction and were less idealistic and cynical about love but more pragmatically oriented toward it. These sex differences are accommodated within a functionalistic interpretation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)