Influence of the parents and verbal reinforcement on the performance of schizophrenic patients.

Conducted 2 studies concerned with the psychological deficits displayed by schizophrenic patients. The 1st study evaluated the role of the parents and the 2nd measured the effects of praise and censure. For each study, Ss were 2 groups of male schizophrenic patients, 1 rated as good and the other as poor by means of the Phillips Scale, and a group of nonschizophrenic psychiatric patients. Large differences were found between Ss whose parents displayed high and those whose parents displayed low degrees of conflict toward them just prior to the task performance. Verbal rewards and punishments did not appear to affect the Ss behavior and for neither study were the 3 types of S's differentially influenced by the manipulations. The main conclusions are that the phenomenon of psychological deficits is extremely complex and that schizophrenics are less readily influenced by affective experiences than prior researchers have suggested. (30 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adler's psychology (of use) today: Personal history of traumatic life events as a self-handicapping strategy.

Investigated the hypothesis that the reporting of a history of traumatic life events may serve as a strategy to control attributions about performance in an evaluative setting (i.e., self-handicapping). 140 female undergraduates completed the state form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental conditions (i.e., 2 evaluation threats by 2 traumatic history instructions). In groups of 7, Ss received specific (the project concerned development of local norms for measures of social intelligence) or innocuous information. After completion of an initial questionnaire, Ss either were told that traumatic history has no effect on task performance or received no instructions about filling out measures of the traumatic value of past life experiences and 2 manipulation checks. Results, as predicted, show that Ss emphasized the adversity of events and experiences in their background when an uncertain evaluation was expected and when a traumatic background would serve as a suitable excuse for potential failure. Results generally support the hypothesized self-protective reporting of traumatic life events. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Specialization within psychology.

Utilized the competencies reported by a random sample of 2,900 (20%) of psychologists who responded to both the National Register of Scientific and Technical Personnel and to an American Psychological Association (APA) questionnaire dealing with qualifications to consult on public policy and social problems in 1968. The Register questionnaire allowed Ss to specify a maximum of 5 specialities, while the APA questionnaire respondents could check as many public policy or social problem areas as were applicable. A correlation matrix of psychological specialities with social problems and public psychological specialities were developed which revealed definite patterns of relationships, as well as many isolated but reasonable correlations. The 31 factors observed had a possible use for program planning in that they show the actual clustering of specialities for working psychologists rather than a traditional or theoretical grouping. Discussion of the matrix centered around 2 approaches: (a) examination of a particular social problem and the factors related to it; and (b) the specialty factor, its relationship to problems and the transferability of psychological skills to problem areas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Food preferences as an index or orality.

A self-report questionnaire dealing with food preferences (Food Preference Inventory—FPI) was proposed as a measure of Ss' contemporaneous position in respect to oral-passive vs. oral-sadistic involvement. The measure was pretested and through an item analysis found to be internally consistent enough to be utilized. The questionnaire was expanded and retested on new Ss to guarantee its stability and to increase its discriminatory potential. Finally it was subjected to validation by contrasting the scores of a group of Ss thought to be high on oral passivity (alcoholics) vs. a normal control group and by correlating it with their orality trait scores. The FPI was found to be fairly reliable and yielded data in agreement with the 2 validation predictions. It was concluded that food preferences as measured by the inventory offer a valid means of assessing an individual's position in regard to orality. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experiences of intimacy and power: Relationships between social motives and autobiographical memory.

Collected open-ended recollections of autobiographical memories from 142 undergraduates in 2 studies. The memory protocols were coded for themes of interpersonal intimacy (love and friendship, reciprocal communication or sharing, helping others and being helped, and tender interpersonal touching) and personal power (perceived strength, powerful inspiration, having impact, vigorous activity, and increased fame or recognition). Ss' intimacy and power motive scores were obtained by prior administration of the TAT. Ss scoring higher in intimacy motivation recalled specific peak experiences, great learning experiences, and (to a lesser extent) satisfying experiences that contained a preponderance of intimacy themes; Ss scoring lower on the intimacy motive did not. A similar relationship between power motivation and power themes in peak experiences and satisfying experiences was obtained. In addition, a positive correlation was found between the power motive and expressed feelings of anger in reports of unpleasant experiences. (49 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affective and cognitive characteristics of depression in 10- and 11-year-old children.

Used an index of childhood depression to regress indices of emotion experiences, attribution style, and intellectual performance of 82 male and 64 female 5th graders from a rural public school. All Ss completed a children's depression inventory, a differential emotion scale, and an attributional style questionnaire. Teachers rated Ss on their frequency of expression of 3 categories of emotion. 45 Ss whose scores were high, low, or intermediate on the depression inventory also completed the PPVT and the Block Design subscale of the WISC. Results indicate that the depressed Ss were like depressed adults in that they reported experiencing a pattern of emotions including sadness, anger, self-directed hostility, and shame, and they tended to explain negative events in terms of internal, stable, and global causes. The similarity between depressed children and depressed adults on these measures was greater for girls than for boys. Depression was not related to performance on a verbal task, but depressed girls performed worse than nondepressed girls on the Block Design task. The measures of emotion experiences accounted for 78.1 and 46.1% of the variance in girls' and boys' depression scores, respectively, after the variance accounted for by attribution style was partialed out. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual intimacies in psychology revisited.

Investigated the responses of 287 female doctorates in psychology to a questionnaire designed to evaluate sexual harassment experiences and attitudes of female psychologists. Typical age of the Ss at the time that the terminal degree was earned was 26–30 yrs. Ss were members of the American Psychological Association and represented a number of specialty areas in psychology, with the clinical specialty being represented somewhat more than others. Ss reported more experiences involving sexual seduction than sexual contact, with both seduction and contact experiences occurring at much higher frequencies during the student years than during employment. Younger Ss were more likely to have experienced sexual seduction and contact as students but not as employees. Most of the Ss felt that these relationships were likely to be detrimental to one or both parties involved. Findings support organizational and sociocultural explanations of sexual harassment rather than a natural–biological explanation. Recommendations for prevention are discussed. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Life satisfaction in old age: Linking social psychology and history.

A life course perspective on aging assumes that adaptation is governed by factors beyond the immediate situation. Longitudinal data on 79 women from the 1900 generation of the Berkeley Guidance Study (J. Macfarlane, 1938) were used to examine how social and psychological factors interact over time in the course of successful aging, as expressed by life satisfaction. The consequences of adaptive resources in early adulthood varied in relation to social class. Intellectual skills in 1930 indirectly predicted life satisfaction in old age for Ss from the working class, whereas emotional health is more influential in the life satisfaction of Ss with higher class origins. Social activity in old age made a difference only in the lives of Ss from the working class. Finally, adaptation to old age was related to Ss' experiences with past stressful events. Middle-class Ss in 1930 showed gains attributable to Depression hardship, whereas the life satisfaction of Ss from the working class was diminished by such hardships. Several mechanisms are discussed that may link widely separated problem situations and life events across the life course. Results support the proposition that the influence of social change on life trajectories is contingent on what individuals bring to change situations. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological impacts of sexual contact between therapists or other health care practitioners and their clients.

14 females who had had sexual contact with their therapists/psychiatrists (Group 1), 7 females who had had sexual contact with their health care practitioners (principally physicians [Group 2]), and 10 females who had received counseling services but had not engaged in sexual contact with therapists (Group 3) were compared by administering a questionnaire on self-esteem, depression, attitudes, beliefs about sexual contact, emotional effects of treatment, sexual attitudes, and psychosomatic and psychological symptoms. In addition, data were obtained from Ss, who were primarily aged 26–45 yrs, on (1) history of sexual victimization, (2) marital status of therapist/physician, (3) who initiated sexual contact, and (4) frequency of sexual contact. Results show that Ss in Group 1 had greater mistrust of and anger toward males and therapists and a greater number of psychological and psychosomatic symptoms following the cessation of therapy than did Ss in Group 3. Ss in Groups 1 and 2 did not differ in psychological impacts. Severity of impacts were significantly related to the magnitude of psychological and psychosomatic symptoms prior to treatment, prior sexual victimization, and the marital status of the therapist or health practitioner. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Experimental analysis of the role of expectancy in nicotine withdrawal.

Manipulated the withdrawal symptoms experienced by 62 cigarette smokers during a 48-hr smoking abstinence period. Ss were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 expectancy manipulation groups (psychological complaints, somatic complaints, no complaints, and no-expectancy control), and withdrawal symptoms were measured during 48 hrs of ad libitum smoking and 48 hrs of abstinence. The expectancy manipulation consisted of placebo nicotine gum and specific instructions as to the type of withdrawal symptoms to expect during smoking abstinence. Ss instructed to expect no complaints during abstinence reported fewer somatic complaints and less mood disturbance than the no-expectancy controls. Ss instructed to expect somatic, but not psychological, complaints reported more numerous and severe somatic withdrawal symptoms than did Ss instructed not to expect such symptoms. Results suggest expectancy may play a role in nicotine withdrawal experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of frustration and anxiety on overt aggression.

A study of the frustration-aggression hypotheses. Ss were required to count backwards from 100 by 3. A high and low level of frustration situation was constructed, with the "high" being characterized by a threat of electric shock if E was dissatisfied with Ss performance, and E interrupting S by making sarcastic and insulting comments. Following this, E made predictions on what might be S's response on a questionnaire assessing attitudes towards driving, and S was allowed to administer shock to E when S felt E was in error. Measures of frequency and duration of shock and pressure exerted in depressing a shock plunger were obtained as well as GSR and answers to an anxiety questionnaire. The findings generally confirmed the frustration-aggression thesis. From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4HK46H. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Academic value of research participation by undergraduates.

A survey of undergraduate students who participated in psychological research experiments suggested that when research posed risks for Ss, they were significantly more positive about their experiences than Ss who participated in risk-free studies, presumably because debriefings were taken more seriously in the former case. The need is emphasized for investigators to design their debriefings more carefully than they presently do. (2 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of continuous and intermittent self-monitoring on academic behavior.

Conducted a project with 27 undergraduate Ss dealing with review preparation for the general aptitude portions of the Graduate Record Examination. A linear teaching machine programed with quantitative and verbal problems was employed. The Ss were randomly assigned to 4 conditions: (a) continuous self-monitoring, (b) intermittent self-monitoring, (c) performance feedback, and (d) control. Self-monitoring Ss were instructed to record their progress by pressing a counter on either a continuous or intermittent schedule following correct answers. Performance-feedback Ss received information on the accuracy of their responding but were not given the opportunity to self-monitor. Control Ss received neither self-monitoring instructions nor performance feedback. Results show that self-monitoring Ss remained for significantly longer review sessions and that this effect was more pronounced under the continuous rather than the intermittent schedule. Self-monitoring Ss also displayed significantly better accuracy on quantitative problems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parameters in the prediction of police officer performance.

Examined the relationship between police officer's performance on psychological assessment instruments and on-the-job performance. 65 prospective police officers (mean age slightly over 27 yrs) who were eventually selected for work in either an inner-city police department, a major university police department, or a community college police department were evaluated initially using a battery of psychological tests (the MMPI, the Eysenck Personality Inventory, the FIRO-B, the Shipley-Institute of Living Scale for Measuring Intellectual Impairment, the SCL-90, and the Bender-Gestalt). Ss were seen for reevaluation every 2 yrs. Performance criteria were derived from a 22-item supervisor's rating scale, measures of technical ability, and 7 performance criteria. Information from personnel records was also obtained. Analysis showed that community-college-based Ss earned higher ratings for both interpersonal and technical ability, and differences as a function of personality patterns emerged that cut across departments. The 5 female Ss had lower supervisory ratings of interpersonal ability. Positive attributes were influenced by Ss' departmental assignment, with inner-city Ss seeking more schooling and receiving more commendations than Ss in the other groups. Ss' in-service behavior was associated with patterns and elevation of their MMPI profiles and interpersonal needs. Overall results show a high amount of association between psychological variables and criterion behaviors. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivated involvement in hypnosis: The illustration of clinical rapport through hypnotic dreams.

Examined the dream reports of 27 hypnotic, 23 task-motivated, and 16 control imagination Ss to analyze the nature of the relation between the S and hypnotist. Dreams were judged by independent raters in response to a request for dreaming about hypnosis. Categories of analysis pertained to rapport-involvement, self, and the hypnotist. Data show that hypnotic Ss' dreams were distinguished from nonhypnotic Ss' dreams by being characteristically more positive. Hypnotic Ss also perceived the hypnotist in an authoritative manner more than waking Ss, the rapport present indicating protection-care or guidance. This pattern of data was especially evident for Ss whose objective performance, as indexed by their expectancy behavior, independently classified them as the most highly motivated in the sample. Data index the transference-like involvement of some hypnotic Ss. With respect to dreaming, however, that involvement is more appropriately viewed in terms of Ss' motivated cognitive commitment to the task of dreaming rather than as the regressive display of infantile wish fulfillment implied by orthodox psychoanalysis. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of need for achievement on the job performance-job attitude relationship.

Studied the effect of employee need for achievement (n Ach) on the job performance-job attitude relationship among 1st-level supervisors. Ss were 133 females with a mean age of 42 yrs employed in a large public utility. Before need strength variations were considered, overall performance was found to be somewhat related to job satisfaction but not to job involvement. However, when Ss were split into high and low n Ach groups, performance was significantly related to both satisfaction and involvement for high n Ach Ss but not for low n Ach Ss. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonvolition, expectancies, and hypnotic rapport.

Prior to hypnosis, 49 Ss were informed either that hypnotizable Ss can resist motoric suggestions or that such control does not characterize good hypnotic Ss. During hypnosis, susceptible and simulating Ss (as determined by a 10-point version of the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility–Form A) received countersuggestions involving inhibiting suggestion-related movements. Susceptible Ss' responses were sensitive to prehypnotic normative information. There was a corresponding tendency for reports of involuntariness to be sensitive to the expectancy manipulation. Ss were able to feel deeply hypnotized and to rate themselves as good Ss yet concomitantly experience themselves as in control over their actions when normative information supported this attribution. Reports of suggestion-related sensations were associated with movements in response to countersuggestion. Simulators were unable to fake susceptibles' reports of sensations and involuntariness. However, for all Ss, movements paralleled expectancies about appropriate response, supporting the hypothesis that involuntary experiences are sensitive to the broad expectational context and are mediated by active cognitive processes. Rapport with the hypnotist was also a factor in resolving hypnotic conflict. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of information, choice and task complexity upon goal acceptance, performance, and personal goals.

Tested the hypothesis that information about a goal and/or task, choice in setting a strategy to achieve a goal, and task complexity interact to influence goal acceptance, personal goals, and performance. A laboratory experiment with 96 college students working on a class-scheduling task was used to test the hypothesis. The task consisted of producing mock class schedules consisting of 5 nonredundant classes. The Ss were assigned to either high-information, choice manipulation, or task-complexity conditions. Ss were administered a questionnaire assessing goal acceptance, personal goals, and performance prior to and on completion of the task. Results of 3-way ANOVA conducted on measures of goal acceptance, personal goals, and performance supported the hypotheses that choice in goal-setting and the provision of information interact as do information and task complexity. A 2nd study conducted to generalize these findings also supported the hypotheses. In the 2nd study, 40 animal caregivers (average age 28 yrs) were participants in a replication of the laboratory experiment with task complexity as a repeated-measures factor. Findings are discussed as a means of expanding the position of participation within the goal-setting model. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term effects of sexual victimization in childhood: An attributional approach.

Explored the relation between childhood sexual victimization experience and adult functioning in 103 women (aged 18–56 yrs) who were victimized as children or adolescents and 88 women (aged 18–57 yrs) who were not victimized, who served as controls. Members of both groups completed a questionnaire about their present social, psychological, and sexual functioning; measures included the Beck Depression Inventory, SCL-90, Texas Social Behavior Inventory, Attributional Style Questionnaire, Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale, and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Victimized Ss differed significantly from nonvictims on measures of (a) childhood family and social experiences; (b) adult attributional style; and (c) levels of depression, psychological distress, self-esteem, and sexual problems. Results suggest that the sexually victimized Ss' adult functioning was related most strongly to their attributional style for bad events. Perception of the victimization experience and quality of social support were important factors related to adult functioning. Possible implications for treating women who are experiencing problems related to childhood sexual victimization experiences are discussed. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The contagion of self-focus within a dyad.

Tested the hypothesis, suggested by C. H. Cooley (1902) and others, that the self-focused state of one person in a dyad triggers self-focus in the other dyad member. A corollary hypothesis concerned perspective-taking performance as a function of self-focused attention within the dyad. 62 female undergraduates interacted with a confederate whose ostensible tendency toward self-focus was manipulated by means of a bogus questionnaire shown to each S. As shown by the Private Self-Consciousness scale, Ss interacting with a presumed high-self-focus partner tended to become self-focused themselves. The perspective-taking measure, which required Ss to take the other's perspective into account in solving a maze, revealed that perceiving the other as highly self-focused facilitated perspective-taking performance among Ss who were low in measured self-focused attention. Results support the hypothesis and are congruent with the symbolic interactionist position. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)