Conditioned suppression of humoral immunity in the rat.

180 Charles River rats were conditioned by pairing consumption of a novel sodium saccharin drinking solution with the effects of an ip injection of 75 mg/kg cyclophosphamide, an immunosuppressive drug. Five and 10 days after conditioning, an experimental group (Group CS) was reexposed to the saccharin drinking solution. Control Ss (Group CSo) were conditioned but were not reexposed to saccharin. On Days 10, 15, or 25 after conditioning, Ss were injected ip with sheep erythrocytes, and independent subgroups were sampled for hemagglutinating antibody titer 4, 6, or 8 days later. Antibody titers 4 days after immunization were lower than values observed 6 and 8 days after immunization, and CS Ss had an attenuated antibody response. There were no significant differences between Group CSo and a group of placebo-treated Ss, but CS Ss had lower antibody titers than placebo-treated animals 4, 6, and 8 days after antigenic stimulation. Results suggest that reexposure to a CS may have long-lasting effects, and provide further documentation of conditioned immunopharmacologic effects and the impact of behavioral factors in modifying immunologic reactivity. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of hysterectomy on sexual receptivity, food intake, running wheel activity, and hypothalamic estrogen and progestin receptors in rats.

Ovariectomized-hysterectomized (OH) CD rats given sequential treatments with 2 μg of estradiol benzoate (EB) and .5 mg of progesterone (P) showed significantly higher lordosis quotients than ovariectomized (OV) Ss in 2 tests, 1 and 2 wks after surgery. To test whether the effects of hysterectomy persist, 3 groups of OV and OH Ss received weekly injections of EB, EB?+?P, or sesame oil for 4 wks, were given 2 μg of EB followed 24 hrs later by .5 mg of P, and tested for receptivity. Only the OH Ss that had received hormones for 4 wks showed a significantly higher lordosis score than OV Ss. The effects of hysterectomy on food intake, weight gain, and running wheel activity were also tested. After 1 wk of 2 μg/day EB, OH Ss lost significantly more weight and consumed less food than OV Ss, but by 2 wks the effects of hysterectomy were no longer evident. Treatment with .5 μg/day EB resulted in a significant loss in weight and food intake in OH Ss throughout the experiment. OH Ss implanted with Silastic capsules containing EB were significantly more active in running wheels than OV Ss over the 1st 9 days, but by Day 23 the activity of both groups was similar. 24 hrs following a single injection of EB, hypothalamic-preoptic area cell nuclear estrogen receptors and cytoplasmic progestin receptors were significantly higher in OH than in OV Ss. Possible mechanisms by which hysterectomy might act to enhance hormone-dependent behaviors are discussed. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The discrepant repressor: Differentiation between low anxiety, high anxiety, and repression of anxiety by autonomic–facial–verbal patterns of behavior.

Examined the notion that personality questionnaires can be used to predict different styles of coping with anxiety, as expressed by individual differences in patterns of autonomic, verbal, and nonverbal reactions. In line with earlier modifications of the repression–sensitization concept, the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (MAS) and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (SDS) were used to select 4 groups of 12 Ss each from a pool of 206 male university students in Germany: low-anxious Ss, repressors, high-anxious Ss, and defensive high-anxious Ss. Measures of autonomic arousal, facial activity, and self-reported affect were obtained during a potentially anxiety-arousing free-association task and during a number of control conditions, including an amusing film. Significant differences in baseline-corrected heart rate and self-reported anxiety as well as rated facial anxiety all indicated that repressors exhibited a discrepancy between low self-reported anxiety and high heart rate and facial anxiety; low anxious Ss reported an intermediate level of anxiety, although they showed low heart rate and facial anxiety; high-anxious Ss had consistently high values on all 3 variables; and the defensive high-anxious Ss showed an intermediate level of anxious responding. These group differences were specific to the task of freely associating to phrases of mixed (sexual, aggressive, neutral) content and to self-reported anxiety, indicating that they reflect individual differences in coping with anxiety. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavior of high, moderate, and low test anxious students during an actual test situation.

A 3 by 2 by 3 Test Anxiety Level by Level of Past Academic Performance by Point of Assessment factorial design was employed to examine effects on 8 dependent variables: positive thoughts; negative thoughts; evaluation, potency, and activity semantic differentials; history test grade; bodily sensations; and Subjective Units of Disturbance Scale score. Results with 231 college students indicate that low test anxious Ss differed significantly from high test anxious Ss on all 8 dependent variables. Level of test anxiety had a significant effect on each dependent variable. In addition, Ss with high GPAs received significantly higher test grades and reported more bodily sensations indicative of arousal than Ss with low GPAs. Ss assessed toward the end of the test (last 10 min) reported significantly more negative thoughts and bodily sensations than Ss assessed after reading the history test questions for the first time (beginning) or at the middle of the test. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interviewee disclosure as a function of interpersonal trust, task modeling, and interviewer self-disclosure.

Results of a study with 60 undergraduates show that 1/2 of the Ss in each sex group scored 3-15 points above the mean for their sex on the Rotter Interpersonal Trust Scale, and 1/2 of them scored 3-15 points below; these were classified as high- and low-trust Ss, respectively. No disclosure differences were found between high- and low-trust Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thyroxine treatment reduces the anorectic effect of estradiol in rats.

Examined a possible interaction between thyroxine and estradiol in the control of feeding in female Sprague-Dawley rats. 14 ovariectomized Ss were given daily injections of 9.8 μg/100 g of body weight of 1-thyroxine (TX). Another 14 Ss received 0.15 ml of saline (SAL) subcutaneously each day, and food intake was measured for both groups daily. After 15 days of treatment, 8 Ss from each group were also given a single injection of 6 μg of estradiol benzoate (EB), and the remaining 6 Ss of each group received peanut oil vehicle. It was found that TX-treated Ss showed a significantly smaller drop in food intake after EB than did SAL-treated Ss. This TX-induced decrease in responsiveness to EB may be related to effects of TX on general metabolism. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of fear of success on intrinsic motivation, causal attribution, and choice behavior.

Examined the extent to which fear of success (FOS) moderates effects of choice and task outcomes on intrinsic motivation, causal attribution, and subsequent choice behavior. 139 undergraduates worked either on puzzles of their choice or puzzles that were assigned to them and were then informed that they had performed either better or worse than the majority of other Ss. Measures of intrinsic motivation (task engagement during a free-choice period) and of attribution for performance were obtained. Ss then indicated how much choice they wanted to have over similar tasks that they were going to perform. Finally, Ss completed the Fear of Success Scale and a resultant achievement motivation measure. Results show that following success, low FOS Ss (in comparison to high FOS Ss) showed higher intrinsic motivation, made more internal attributions, and wanted to have more choice if initially they had been given choice and less choice if initially they had been given no choice. There were no significant differences between low and high FOS Ss following failure. Results could not be accounted for by resultant achievement motivation that was unrelated to FOS. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Inhibition of lordosis in rats by the antiestrogen CI-628 in the absence of progesterone.

Assessed whether the ability of the antiestrogen CI-628 to inhibit estrogen-stimulated lordosis behavior (LB) in adult ovariectomized Sprague-Dawley rats depends on its interference with the synergistic effects of estrogen with progesterone. In Exp I the effect of CI-628 was contrasted in Ss brought into estrus by estradiol benzoate (EB; 0 or 3 μg/.1 ml) combined with progesterone (P; 42 or 500 μg/.1 ml) vs 4 daily injections of EB (without P). CI-628 effectively antagonized LB in both conditions. In the absence of CI-628, Ss receiving P had significantly higher LB scores than the 4-day EB controls. In Exp II Ss receiving CI-628 on only the 1st 2 of 4 days of EB injections had decreased LB scores unless P was also given on the day of testing. This suggested that the EB from the latter injections was not acting as a progestin "mimic." In Exp III LB stimulated by EB (without P) was inhibited by CI-628 in Ss that were both ovariectomized and adrenalectomized. This suggested that adrenal progestins were not involved in the ability of CI-628 to inhibit LB. Results suggest that the mechanism of action of CI-628 for the inhibition of LB does not depend on its ability to antagonize an estrogen-induced increase in neural progestin receptors. Implications for estrogen-mediated behaviors, for which CI-628 has little or no antagonistic effects, are discussed. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of reframing and self-control directives on loneliness, depression, and controllability.

57 female undergraduates who scored at least 1 standard deviation above the mean (47 or above) on the UCLA Loneliness Scale and who scored as moderately depressed (8–26) on the Beck Depression Inventory also completed the Causal Dimension Scale and were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: reframing, self-control directives, and a waiting-list control. Treatment groups met for 2 weekly ?-hr interviews. Interviewer responses in the reframing group focused on ways to experience loneliness more positively, whereas self-control responses involved encouraging Ss to overcome loneliness. All 3 groups were again administered the 3 measures posttreatment and 2-wk follow-up. Results indicate that Ss in the reframing group experienced a more significant reduction in depression than Ss in the self-control or control groups. All Ss became less lonely over time, but no treatment was more effective than another in reducing loneliness. No differences were found for controllability. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping skills training: Attitude toward mental illness, depression, and quality of life 1 year later.

Presents a follow-up assessment of 18 outpatient clients who had participated in the author's (see record 1980-26239-001) coping skills curriculum of progressive relaxation, anxiety management, assertiveness, and self-reinforcement. Focusing on 3 outcomes that were not targets of training but were hypothesized as potential generalized effects of the intervention, the study revealed that coping-skills Ss held attitudes about the etiology of psychological problems (Opinions about Mental Illness Scale) consistent with those modeled during the program and reported less depression (Beck Depression Inventory) than 17 Ss in a supportive group counseling program. No differences in quality of life emerged between the 2 groups. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Concomitant eyeblink and heart rate classical conditioning in young, middle-aged, and elderly human subjects.

Pavlovian heart rate (HR) and eyeblink (EB) conditioning were assessed in 4 groups of Ss who differed in age: young?=?19–33 yrs, young middle-aged?=?35–48 yrs, old middle-aged?=?50–63 yrs, and old?=?66–78 yrs. A 100-msec corneal airpuff was the unconditioned stimulus/stimuli (UCS) and a 600-msec tone was the CS. A nonassociative control group received explicitly unpaired tone and airpuff presentations. All Ss were studied for 2 100-trial sessions separated by approximately 7 days. An impairment in acquisition of both the EB and HR responses occurred in the old and middle-age Ss, but all age groups showed significantly greater conditioning than did the control group. Slight increases in performance resulted from a 2nd session of training. These findings suggest and age-related impairment in a general associative process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Chronic stress, leukocyte subpopulations, and humoral response to latent viruses.

Compared total numbers of leukocytes and lymphocyte subpopulations (determined by flow cytometry) and antibody titers to latent and nonlatent viruses among 12 chronically stressed individuals (mean age 36.6 yrs) living near the damaged Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant with those of 8 age-matched, demographically comparable controls. Urinary catecholamine and cortisol levels were also examined. Residents of the TMI area exhibited greater numbers of neutrophils, which were positively correlated with epinephrine levels. The TMI group also exhibited fewer B lymphocytes, T-suppressor/cytotoxic lymphocytes, and natural killer cells. Antibody titers to herpes simplex were significantly different between the groups as well. TMI Ss showed more evidence of stress responding than controls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Beyond the uniformity myth: A comparison of academically successful and unsuccessful test-anxious college students.

72 college students were administered a battery of tests including the Test Anxiety Scale, Worry-Emotionality Scale, Fear of Negative Evaluation, and Academic Self-Evaluation Questionnaire. Two levels of test anxiety were crossed with 2 levels of academic performance in a factorial design. High-anxious Ss differed from low-anxious Ss on traditional cognitive and somatic indicators of test anxiety, but not on any measure of study or test-taking skills. Ss with high grades, regardless of their anxiety level, scored higher on measures of academic skills than Ss in both "low" performing groups. A measure assessing ability to control negative internal dialog revealed significant differences only between performance groups, implicating cognitive control as a factor influencing academic performance. Expectations that Ss had about the amount of material they needed to know to be prepared for examinations were related to test anxiety, especially among successful but anxious Ss. Implications are noted for designing interventions specifically tailored to the needs of 2 types of test-anxious students: those who perform well in school and those who are less successful. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patterns of drug abuse: Relationships with ethnicity, sensation seeking, and anxiety.

Administered the Sensation-Seeking Scale (SSS) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) to 30 White, 30 Black, and 30 Hispanic male narcotic drug abusers in residential treatment. Individual drug abuse histories were assessed in semistructured interviews. Results are as follows: (a) White Ss scored significantly higher on the 5 SSS subtests than did either Black or Hispanic Ss. No significant differences were obtained between ethnic groups on the STAI. (b) Even though the prevalence of the use of alcohol, cannabis, street methadone, and cocaine was similar in the 3 ethnic groups, significantly more White Ss had used amphetamines, barbiturates, tranquilizers, methaqualone, inhalants, and psychedelics. (c) SSS scores and anxiety correlated significantly with the number of different drugs used by Whites, although the measures were virtually unrelated to drug use among non-Whites. The frequency of use of stimulant, depressant, or hallucinogenic drugs was unrelated to the user's level of sensation seeking or anxiety. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emotional disclosure through writing or speaking modulates latent Epstein-Barr virus antibody titers.

57 healthy Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) seropositive undergraduates completed a personality inventory, provided blood samples, and were randomly assigned to write or talk about stressful events, or to write about trivial events, during 3 weekly 20-min sessions, after which they provided a final blood sample. Ss assigned to the verbal/stressful condition had significantly lower EBV antibody titers (suggesting better cellular immune control over the latent virus) after the intervention than those in the written/stressful group, who had significantly lower values than those in the written/trivial control group. Ss assigned to the written/stressful condition expressed more negative emotional words than the verbal/stressful and control groups and more positive emotional words than the verbal/stressful group at each time point. The verbal/stressful group expressed more negative emotional words compared with the control group at baseline. Content analysis indicated that the verbal/stressful group achieved the greatest improvements in cognitive change, self-esteem, and adaptive coping strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence that a factor besides progesterone, prolactin, or plasma-estradiol-binding protein inhibits estrogen-induced sexual receptivity in pregnant rats.

Reexamined in 4 experiments the assumption that progesterone is responsible for the inhibition of estrogen-induced receptive behavior in Wistar hooded rats. Daily administration of estradiol benzoate (EB) stimulated significantly less lordotic behavior during the 2nd half of pregnancy than in ovariectomized Ss that received sc progesterone implants, pituitary grafts that raised plasma prolactin, or both treatments combined. Following an initial facilitation of receptivity, Ss with progesterone implants showed only moderate reductions in lordosis quotients over 3 test days. The capacity of Ss' plasma to bind estradiol was found to increase significantly during the 2nd half of pregnancy. However, daily administration of a synthetic estrogen, R 2858, which is not bound by plasma protein, was no more effective than EB in stimulating receptive behavior. Administration of EB also stimulated significantly lower levels of sexual behavior in pregnant Ss than in Ss in which pseudopregnancy had been prolonged by previous hysterectomy or induction of uterine decidualization. These findings suggest that some endocrine factor other than progesterone, prolactin, or estradiol-binding protein is primarily responsible for the potent suppression of behavioral responsiveness to estrogen that occurs in pregnant rats. It is suggested that 5-alpha-reduced androgens may cause these behavioral effects. (53 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of knowledge of ability test results on academic performance and test anxiety.

Administered the School and College Ability Test to 222 freshmen during the 2nd wk. of the spring semester. Ss were then assigned to groups receiving detailed, limited, or no knowledge of their test performance. Ss completed the Test Anxiety Scale during the final examination period and GPAs were collected at the end of the semester. It was hypothesized that Ss with detailed knowledge would obtain higher GPAs and have a lower level of test anxiety. No significant differences in GPAs were found among the groups. Test anxiety was higher for the detailed knowledge group (p     

Achievement motivation, occupations, and labor turnover in New Zealand.

Used a nonprojective measure of achievement motivation to investigate the relationship among need for achievement (nAch), labor turnover, and occupations in New Zealand. Questionnaire results from 315 entrepreneurs, engineers, accountants, and middle managers revealed low turnover among high nAch self-employed Ss. High-turnover Ss displayed significantly higher achievement motivation levels than low-turnover Ss. Among engineers, accountants, and middle managers, those with high nAch had high labor mobility rates. Results are supportive of D. C. McClelland's theory and demonstrate the feasibility of extension of the model through use of nonprojective research methods. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)