Predictability of perceptual defense behavior.

As part of a larger study, 140 Ss were given a sentence-completion task with stems which were specially selected to elicit sex and hostility content. The sentence completions were judged by four clinical psychologists for indication of conflict and for the particular type of defense, repressive or sensitizing, used by the subject. When Ss were selected as using repressive or sensitizing mechanisms in particular conflict areas, it was found, as predicted, that sensitizers were significantly faster in perceiving conflict words than were repressers. 20 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anxiety and behavior scientists' behavior.

Percentages of entries under "anxiety," "drive," and "emotion" in Psychological Abstracts and the Child Development Abstracts were determined for years 1945 through 1958. From 1952 onward, the post-Taylor Manifest Anxiety scale era, "only in the case of anxiety does output increase and remain consistently higher than that prior to the appearance of the MAS" for Psychological Abstracts entries. For Child Development Abstracts, marked rise in output follows the introduction of the Children's Manifest Anxiety scale in 1956. "The results of the present study clearly confirm our suspicions concerning the docility of the behavior scientist and suggest that no new principles of behavior are necessary in accounting for his behavior as compared with that of other species." From Psyc Abstracts 36:02:2HK66L. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The operant conditioning of human motor behavior.

"This paper reports procedures for the direct application of the variables defining the paradigm for operant conditioning to human behavior, and shows that human beings act very much indeed like experimental animals when they are subjected to the same experimental treatments. It suggests that direct application of conditioning principles to some categories of human behavior may be justified. The procedures are simple, and they may be followed by anyone, with a minimum of equipment." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use of a physical symptom as a defense against psychosis.

It was hypothesized that, since anxiety is one of the main stress factors in producing psychotic symptoms, a psychotic's symptoms might decrease if his anxiety could be decreased. Using a single schizophrenic patient the authors attempted to relieve him of his psychotic symptoms by replacing them with a physical one. The symptom chosen was backache because the patient's history suggested that it would be more acceptable to him. A "conditioning" method, extending over a period of 3 months, was followed by all staff members having contact with the patient. Following this procedure, although no basic personality change occurred, the patient was able to make a satisfactory adjustment outside the hospital using his "back pain" as a defense. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptual defense revisited.

"In the present study the following hypothesis was submitted to experimental test: Subjects predisposed to use the mechanism of repression in conjunction with a given conflict will, when confronted subliminally with a conflict-relevant stimulus, show defensive behavior directly traceable to the perceptual process itself… ." The results of this study show that "with selective verbal report, familiarity, set, and antecedent conditions all controlled, an avoidance response directly traceable to the perceptual process was obtained." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An experimental and theoretical analysis of perceptual defense.

"An experiment was presented that attempted to test the behavior theory model. In one group of Ss the response strengths for 10 word responses were increased by manipulating the frequency and recency of prior occurrence of these words. A second group of Ss received comparable recency and frequency experience with these 10 words, but here the experimental arrangement was such as to permit the assumption that these words would also become conditioned stimuli for anxiety. It was predicted that the variables of frequency and recency of prior exposure would lower the perceptual recognition thresholds for the experienced words, but this reduction in thresholds would be less in the second group due to the anxiety conditioned to these words. The results of the experiment confirmed these predictions." 29 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of motivational interviewing interventions for adolescent substance use behavior change: A meta-analytic review.

Objective: This study was designed to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of motivational interviewing (MI) interventions for adolescent substance use behavior change. Method: Literature searches of electronic databases were undertaken in addition to manual reference searches of identified review articles. Databases searched include PsycINFO, PUBMED/MEDLINE, and Educational Resources Information Center. Twenty-one independent studies, representing 5,471 participants, were located and analyzed. Results: An omnibus weighted mean effect size for all identified MI interventions revealed a small, but significant, posttreatment effect size (mean d = .173, 95% CI [.094, .252], n = 21). Small, but significant, effect sizes were observed at follow-up suggesting that MI interventions for adolescent substance use retain their effect over time. MI interventions were effective across a variety of substance use behaviors, varying session lengths, and different settings, and for interventions that used clinicians with different levels of education. Conclusions: The effectiveness of MI interventions for adolescent substance use behavior change is supported by this meta-analytic review. In consideration of these results, as well as the larger literature, MI should be considered as a treatment for adolescent substance use. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Constructive thinking, executive functioning, antisocial behavior, and drug use involvement in adolescent females with a substance use disorder.

The aim of this study was to determine how constructive thinking (CT), executive functioning (EF), and antisocial behavior (ASB) are related to drug use involvement in 282 adolescent females, 14–18 yrs of age, with a substance use disorder (SUD) and in controls. CT was measured using the Constructive Thinking Inventory, EF was measured using a battery of neuropsychological tests, and ASB was measured using the Youth Self-Report Inventory and a psychiatric interview. Females with an SUD demonstrated lower CT and EF scores and higher ASB scores compared with the controls. Low CT and low EF were significantly related to increased drug use involvement even when controlling for age, socioeconomic status, and vocabulary level. ASB partially mediated the relation between CT and drug use involvement, and it fully mediated the relation between EF and drug use involvement. Moreover, ASB moderated the relation between EF and drug use involvement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A study of human behavior: The clinical psychologist.

The psychologist "has derived some benefit by the mixture of being a doctor but not being identified with the mentally ill person." By reviewing personal and cultural forces the attempt was made to establish the variety of emphases current in clinical psychology. "Nearly every adjustment pattern observed among clinicians has occurred as a result of training and experience in some university, school or clinic. As yet, no completely satisfying or dominant component of needs has been discovered for the training and role of the clinical psychologist… . But it is a backward step to discard special curricular requirements for clinical psychologists." A prime requirement for a profession is "a disciplined and recognizable training program." The public that supports us will demand "a real and inexorable service contribution that we have implicitly promised… . We evolved on the impetus of service need." A number of current conflicts of the clinical psychologist are indicated. "The only way professional psychologists can hold to a responsible place is by partial separation from the academic, basic science psychologists." Leaders in clinical psychology should "be more than 80% in real clinical work with ill patients." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aligning human capital practices and employee behavior with shareholder value.

Survey research demonstrates that superior human capital practices are not only correlated with financial returns, they are, in fact, a leading indicator of increased shareholder value. Superior human resource (HR) management was found to lead financial performance to a much greater extent than financial outcomes leading good HR. Certain HR practices were identified as value drivers and throw a cautionary flag in front of some conventional practices actually associated with a decrease in financial performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward a theory of "hypnotic" behavior: Experimental analyses of suggested amnesia.

Suggestions of amnesia were given to 144 Ss in a 2 X 2 X 4 factorial experiment. The independent variables were: (1) spoken vs. recorded presentation of suggestions, (2) presence vs. absence of hypnotic induction, and (3) 3 types of suggestions for amnesia—authoritative ("You will not rememberp"), permissive ("Try to forget"), suggestions to simulate, and no suggestions. Variable 1 did not produce important differences in amnesic performance. Variable 2 significantly affected 1 of the 5 tests for amnesia, with the presence of hypnotic induction resulting in less amnesia. Variable 3 exerted the most powerful effect. Irrespective of the presence or absence of hypnotic induction, Ss differed on the tests for amnesia depending on which suggestion they were given. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Making law modern: Toward a contextual model of justice.

Contemporary psychological and legal models of behavior are still fundamentally at odds, and the impending paradigm clash may have profound, long-term consequences for our 21st-century legal doctrines and institutions. The 19th-century "formative era" of American law coincided with the dominance of psychological individualism in the nation's collective view of human nature and resulted in the institutionalization of a now antiquated model of human behavior. As we enter the new millennium, a "New Legal Realism" based on a view of human nature more consistent with contemporary psychological thinking is urged, along with a series of interlocking legal changes intended to both incorporate a more contextual view of human nature into law and improve the quality of justice our system currently dispenses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) use human gestures but not nonhuman tokens to find hidden food.

The authors examined the ability of domestic dogs to use human body cues (gestures) and equivalent-sized nonhuman cues to find hidden food in an object choice paradigm. In Experiment 1 the authors addressed the importance of the human element of the cue, and the effects of size, topography, and familiarity on dogs' success in using cues. Experiment 2 further explored the role of the human as cue-giver, and the impact of a change in the experimenter's attentional state during cue presentation. This included a systematic test of the role inanimate tokens play as cues apart from human placement. Our results indicate that dogs are more sensitive to human cues than equivalent nonhuman cues, and that the size of the cue is a critical element in determining dogs' success in following it. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Scientific creativity as constrained stochastic behavior: The integration of product, person, and process perspectives.

Psychologists have primarily investigated scientific creativity from 2 contrasting in vitro perspectives: correlational studies of the creative person and experimental studies of the creative process. Here the same phenomenon is scrutinized using a 3rd, in vivo perspective, namely, the actual creative products that emerge from individual scientific careers and communities of creative scientists. This behavioral analysis supports the inference that scientific creativity constitutes a form of constrained stochastic behavior. That is, it can be accurately modeled as a quasi-random combinatorial process. Key findings from both correlational and experimental research traditions corroborate this conclusion. The author closes the article by arguing that all 3 perspectives--regarding the product, person, and process--must be integrated into a unified view of scientific creativity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Toward the use of self-control in behavior modification.

Analyzes the concept of self-control in terms of a 2-stage process: general cognitive set and specific self-controlling responses. The incorporation of the cognitive set into a fuller understanding of behavior modification is emphasized. The set labeled commitment to change is viewed as an important motivational and mediating component in self-directed or therapist-guided therapy programs. A number of characteristics of this set are posited, and the problems of measuring such a commitment are discussed. Several programs describing techniques oriented to commitment are briefly reviewed. The cognitive set analysis seems especially important for discovering factors contributing to the frequent relapse following treatment for addictions. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Engineered Society.

The article by Charles W. Bray ("Toward a technology of human behavior for defense use." American Psychologist, 1962, 17, 527-541, see record 1963-04066-001) brings up two comments that the present author comments on. The first is that ethical and moral considerations are not merely "to be taken into account" in this sort of research, but that they are crucial. On the other hand, we cannot disregard the argument that by attempting to "persuade" the public to accept the ideology and opinions of one group (here, the military) we are violating one of the first rules of the game of democracy: Present your arguments rationally and assume that they will be judged rationally. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality as manifest in word use: Correlations with self-report, acquaintance report, and behavior.

The use of words is one of the most direct means of expressing thoughts and feelings. However, past studies have had limited success in correlating word use with personality. The purpose of the present study was to identify categories of word use relevant to personality using a broad range of personality data. Using data from 181 participants, the present study correlated word use within a 1-hr life history interview with self-judgments of personality, judgments of personality provided by close acquaintances (who were not exposed to the language sample), and behavioral ratings based on direct observation from a context entirely separate from that from which the language sample was derived. Several categories of word use yielded a large number of correlates with self- and acquaintance personality ratings and behavior. It is suggested that word use is related to personality to a larger degree than previously observed and deserves increased attention as a source of data in personality assessment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychology of isolated and confined environments: Understanding human behavior in Antarctica.

Psychosocial adaptation to isolated and confined environments exhibits 4 distinct characteristics. First, it is seasonal: Variations in mood are associated with the altered diurnal cycle and psychological segmentation of the mission. Second, it is situational: Concurrent measures of personality, interpersonal needs, and coping styles are better predictors of mood and performance than are predeployment measures. Third, it is social: Members of expeditions with low social coherence report significantly more depression, anxiety, and anger than individuals belonging to expeditions with high social coherence. Fourth, it is salutogenic: Depressed mood is inversely associated with the severity of the physical environment of the station, and the winter-over experience is associated with reduced subsequent rates of hospital admissions, suggesting positive benefits for individuals seeking challenging experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Human behavior in industry.

Reviews the book Human behavior in industry by W. W. Finlay, A. Q. Sartain and W. M. Tate (see record 1955-03154-000). This book was written to assist executives, supervisors, and foremen in human relations problems. It covers a conglomeration of subjects including motivation, attitudes, public relations, wages, communication, labor relations, American ideology, and industrial organization. The greatest asset of the book is the authors' skill in phrasing concepts in such a way as to be acceptable to industrial readers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)