An experimental analysis of role behavior.

"Six Ss, equated for age, conformance of expectation of the role of daughter in contemporary American culture, and congruence of self with the daughter role, each engaged in brief enactment of the role of daughter. The Ss varied systematically in role-taking aptitude as assessed by a simple face-valid As-If procedure." The following hypotheses are tested and supported by the data: "role-taking aptitude and validity of role-enactment are positively correlated; role-taking aptitude and self-constancy following role-enactment are negatively correlated; the shift in self-conception following role-enactment is in part, a function of the specific role enacted; and, finally, role-taking aptitude and a social adjustment variable are positively correlated." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An experimental analysis of the impact of contingent reinforcement on salespersons' performance behavior.

Observed the performance behavior (i.e., selling, stockwork, idle time, absence from the work station, and miscellaneous work-related duties) of 82 retail clerks with the same training, performance standards, and at least 6 mo experience. Both experimental and control groups were informed of the specific standards against which they would be measured, but only the experimental group was told of and received contingent reinforcement (paid time off, equivalent cash, and a chance for a paid vacation). Results show that the experimental group had a significant improvement in performance behavior, and the control group's behavior remained the same. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aggressive and social behavior after alprazolam withdrawal: experimental therapy with Ro 19-8022

A 4-year-old male, miniature Schnauzer dog showed two large masses in the mesentery at necropsy. Histological examination of both masses revealed plain smooth muscle tumour cells intermingled with thick-walled blood vessels. The bundles of tumour cells often extended from the periphery of the vessels. Mitotic figures were rare. From these findings, the tumour was diagnosed as a vascular leiomyoma (angiomyoma), previously unreported in animals. The term, vascular leiomyoma, was proposed to describe this tumour in order to avoid confusion with hamartomatous angiomyoma.     

Behavioral medicine: The contribution of the experimental analysis of behavior to medical care.

There has been a great increase in research and clinical activity using psychological methods and procedures for understanding and modifying patterns of behavior that affect physical health. The term "behavioral medicine" has come into use to describe some of these activities. The present article reviews the contribution of the experimental behavioral sciences in the understanding and treatment of medical disorders and disease and examines some of the implications of the new field for psychology. Current definitions, which emphasize either a biopsychosocial or a behavioral framework, are discussed. Major themes in clinical behavioral medicine are identified, including the modification of overt behavior or physiological responses that constitute problems in their own right, the modification of behavior of health care providers, the improvement of adherence to prescribed treatment, and the modification of behavior or responses that constitute risk factors for disease. (95 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therapeutic relationship in behavior therapy: An empirical analysis.

Investigated the determinants and predictive utility of the client's perception of the therapeutic relationship (CPTR) in the context of a behavior therapy clinical research project evaluating 3 approaches to assertion training. 39 22–60 yr old volunteers were studied. Measures included the Rathus Assertiveness Scale, the Social Avoidance and Distress Scale, the Fear of Negative Evaluation Questionnaire, the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, and the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist. Individual differences in therapists were a significant determinant of CPTR. CPTR was an effective predictor of dropping out when measured early in therapy, and of immediate posttherapy client gains when measured in a mid- to late therapy session, but not of long-term maintenance of client improvements. Patterns of therapist behavior that were predictive of CPTR at 3 time points in therapy are delineated. It is speculated that CPTR is largely a function of the degree to which the client's expectation of the therapist and the consequences of therapy are being fulfilled. It is concluded that CPTR has significant predictive value, and perhaps also causal impact, in behavior therapy. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Task structure and the experimental modification of verbal behavior.

Numerous studies have investigated techniques assumed to modify verbal behavior. The present article focuses on 3 of the most important procedures: instructions, verbal models, and verbal conditioning. These procedures are reviewed and interpreted as sources of information available to the S in the experimental task. The effects of task structure and S uncertainty are discussed in terms of these sources of information and their effects upon the S's awareness and intention related to task performance. Studies that have compared the use of the 3 modification techniques with verbal behavior are evaluated within the context of this theoretical approach. Similarities and differences between experimental studies of verbal behavior and the psychotherapeutic setting are discussed in terms of applying modification procedures to problems outside of the laboratory. (78 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of cognitive therapy and behavior therapy in the treatment of depression.

Evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of A. T. Beck's cognitive treatment and P. M. Lewinsohn's behavioral treatment of depression. A multiple criteria (self-report, objective, and subjective clinical ratings) approach was used in the selection of 8 college students each for the following groups: cognitive modification, behavior modification, an attention/assessment (nondirective), and waiting list. Eight 2-hr group sessions were held over 4 wks. The cognitive modification group was the most effective in alleviating depression as measured by self-report and the objective clinical rating. Cognitive modification resulted in significantly fewer depressive symptoms after treatment than all other groups. The behavior modification and nondirective procedures were more effective than no treatment based on the self-report data. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Energy demand behavior in a master-metered apartment complex: An experimental analysis.

In a master-metered apartment complex, electricity use is metered at a single point for all tenants so that tenants do not pay energy bills based on their individual use. An experiment was conducted in a 176-unit master-metered apartment complex to examine an alternative method for making tenants liable for their own energy use. A similar complex served as a control. Results support a hypothesis of significant reduction in electricity use by the experimental complex whose tenants were paid cash awards for meeting a specified energy conservation checklist. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Integrating psychoanalytic and behavior therapy.

Comments on S. B. Messer and M. Winokur's (see record 1980-30751-001) critique of behavior therapy, which suggests that behavior therapists are just as concerned with feelings as are analytic therapists. It is suggested that despite Messer and Winokur's effort to be evenhanded in their characterizations, what emerges is a picture of the behavior therapist as personally limited and as creating a therapy that embodies these personal limitations. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavior therapy and behavior modification.

Behavior therapy and behavior modification are contrasted according to the psychological paradigm in which each belongs. Behavior therapy is located within the traditional S-O-R (stimulus-organism-response) paradigm which stresses "action" or "interaction" explanations of behavior, because its objective is to effect a cure of an individual's abnormal behavior by modifying the state of the individual alone. Behavior modification is located within a newly developed S-R-SR (stimulus-response-reinforcement) paradigm which stresses "transaction" explanations of behavior, because its objective is not to cure an individual but to arrange response-reinforcement contingencies which alter the individual's transactions with his environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Destigmatization of behavior therapy.

Continues the debate between A. A. Lazarus (see record 1986-15103-001) and J. Wolpe (see record 1985-26136-001) concerning the efficacy of behavior therapy vs multimodal therapy and the contributions of behavior therapy to relapse rates in the treatment of neuroses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Criticisms of behavior therapy.

Criticisms of behavior therapy were reviewed under the following main divisions: foundations of behavior therapy, symptom substitution, role of cognitions, complexity of implementation, and limitations of behavior therapy. The main problem is that behavior therapy theory is considerably simpler than its practice. This has resulted in many misconceptions and has pointed out the need for systematic studies of the practice of successful behavior therapists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Moxifloxacin in the therapy of experimental pneumococcal meningitis

The activity of moxifloxacin (BAY 12-8039) against a Streptococcus pneumoniae type 3 strain (MIC and minimum bactericidal concentration [MBC] of moxifloxacin, 0.06 and 0.25 microgram/ml, respectively; MIC and MBC of ceftriaxone, 0.03 and 0.06 microgram/ml, respectively) was determined in vitro and in a rabbit model of meningitis. Despite comparable bactericidal activity, 10 micrograms of moxifloxacin per ml released lipoteichoic and teichoic acids less rapidly than 10 micrograms of ceftriaxone per ml in vitro. Against experimental meningitis, 10 mg of moxifloxacin per kg of body weight per ml reduced the bacterial titers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) almost as rapidly as ceftriaxone did (mean +/- standard deviation, -0.32 +/- 0.14 versus -0.39 +/- 0.11 delta log CFU/ml/h). The activity of moxifloxacin could be described by a sigmoid dose-response curve with a maximum effect of -0.33 delta log CFU/ml/h and with a dosage of 1.4 mg/kg/h producing a half-maximal effect. Maximum tumor necrosis factor activity in CSF was observed later with moxifloxacin than with ceftriaxone (5 versus 2 h after the initiation of treatment). At 10 mg/kg/h, the concentrations of moxifloxacin in CSF were 3.8 +/- 1.2 micrograms/ml. Adjunctive treatment with dexamethasone at 1 mg/kg prior to the initiation of antibiotic treatment only marginally reduced the concentrations of moxifloxacin in CSF (3.3 +/- 0.6 micrograms/ml). In conclusion, moxifloxacin may qualify for use in the treatment of S. pneumoniae meningitis.     

Rational-emotive behavior therapy and the formation of stimulus equivalence classes

Stimulus equivalence is a behavioral approach to analyzing the "meaning" of stimulus sets and has an implication for clinical psychology. The formation of three-member (A --> B --> C) stimulus equivalence classes was used to investigate the effects of three different sets of sample and comparison stimuli on emergent behavior. The three stimulus sets were composed of Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)-related words, non-REBT emotionally charged words, and a third category of neutral words composed of flower labels. Sixty-two women and men participated in a modified matching-to-sample experiment. Using a mixed cross-over design, and controlling for serial order effects, participants received conditional training and emergent relationship training in the three stimulus set conditions. Results revealed a significant interaction between the formation of stimulus equivalence classes and stimulus meaning, indicating consistently biased responding in favor of reaching criterion responding more slowly for REBT-related and non-REBT emotionally charged words. Results were examined in the context of an analysis of the importance of stimulus meaning on behavior and the relation of stimulus meaning to behavioral and cognitive theories, with special appraisal given to the influence of fear-related discriminative stimuli on behavior.     

Rational emotive behavior therapy versus cognitive therapy versus pharmacotherapy in the treatment of major depressive disorder: Mechanisms of change analysis.

Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies (CBT) are among the first-line interventions for major depressive disorder (MDD), and a significant number of studies indicate their efficacy in the treatment of this disorder. However, differential effects of various forms of CBT have seldom been analyzed in the same experimental design. On the basis of data collected in a randomized clinical trial comparing the efficacy of rational-emotive behavior therapy (REBT), cognitive therapy (CT), and pharmacotherapy (SSRI) in the treatment of MDD, the present article investigates the theory of change advanced by REBT and CT. Measures included to test the two theories of change assess three classes of cognitions: (a) automatic thoughts, (b) dysfunctional attitudes, and (c) irrational beliefs. The results indicate that REBT and CT (and also pharmacotherapy) indiscriminately affect the three classes of cognitions. On the long term (follow-up), a change in implicit demandingness seems more strongly associated with reduced depression and relapse prevention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Shock-motivated avoidance and the analysis of behavior.

Distinguishes avoidance tasks by their spatial characteristics and by whether response initiation or suppression is required. Justification is given for a resulting classification system based on active and passive avoidance. This system is then used to discuss (a) the interrelationship of motivation and performance, (b) cue utilization and species differences in cue utilization, (c) behavioral changes following brain lesions, (d) comparison of behavioral roles of homologous brain structures, and (e) theoretical and conceptual models of CNS functioning. The system is considered useful in resolving apparent discrepancies, summarizing relatively large bodies of data, and distinguishing among alternative explanations of results. (58 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

弹力纤维瘤的临床诊断与治疗

目的:探讨弹力纤维瘤的诊断方法和外科治疗.方法:回顾性分析1999年1月至2009年1月间我院收治的11例弹力纤维瘤患者的临床资料.结果:本病女性高发,发病中位年龄63岁,症状主要为背部肿物、背部隐痛、活动障碍.病变均位于肩胛下角处.患者多从事体力劳动.手术完整切除肿物是治疗最佳方法.结论:弹力纤维瘤手术切除肿物效果好,术后无复发.     

Cognitive-behavioral therapy and relationship therapy in the treatment of children referred for antisocial behavior.

112 children (aged 7-13 yrs) were randomly assigned to one of three treatments: problem-solving skills training (PSST), problem-solving skills training with in vivo practice (PSST-P), which included therapeutically planned activities to extend training to settings outside of treatment, or client-centered relationship therapy (RT). PSST and PSST-P children showed significantly greater reductions in antisocial behavior and overall behavior problems, and greater increases in prosocial behavior than RT children. These effects were evident on measures obtained immediately after treatment and at a 1-year follow-up, and on measures of child performance at home and at school. PSST-P children showed greater changes than PSST children on measures of functioning at school at posttreatment, but these differences were no longer evident at follow-up. Children in both PSST conditions showed significant reductions in deviant behavior and improvements in prosocial behavior from pretreatment to follow-up, whereas RT children tended to remain at their pretreatment level of functioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)