Addendum to "Summation in the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes)."

Rumbaugh, Savage-Rumbaugh, and Hegel (1987) reported that two chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) could select, with better than 90% accuracy, the greater of two paired quantities of chocolate chips. In that study, no one quantity of chocolates (from 0 through 5) was used in both pairs on a given trial. We investigated the effect of having one quantity in common (CQ) in both pairs. Whether the other quantities (OQs) of chocolates were both less than or greater than the CQ, summation still occurred. Accuracy was primarily a function of the ratios of sums to be differentiated. This finding substantiated the earlier conclusion that summation was based on both quantities of each pair and not on some simpler process such as the avoidance of the tray with the smallest single amount or selection of the tray with the single largest amount. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Varieties of habituation in the chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera).

Examined multiple behaviors in 12 adult female chinchillas. Basal respiration and struggle activity during conditions of physical restraint, and head-shake responses (HSRs) elicited by a stream of air directed in the ear, all exhibited within-session decrement which recovered only partially within 24 hr. Complete recovery of the habituated HSR and basal respiration required more than 4 days. Potentiation of habituation occurred for struggle activity only. Neither transfer of habituation nor dishabituation, examined with the HSR only, was obtained. Differential sensitivity to concurrent stimulation was found between the various response systems. In addition, rates of habituation among response systems were uncorrelated. The combined results support a multiprocess interpretation of habituatory response decrement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of cold exposure and dehydration on renal function in black-tailed prairie dogs

Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) were deprived of food and water for several weeks during the fall and winter in a cold-room hibernaculum (Ta 5-8 degrees C), and for several days at room temperature during the summer. Body temperatures (Tb) were determined periodically in nine animals by radiotransmitters implanted in the abdomen. Animals deprived of food and water in the summer were killed when maximum urine concentration was achieved. Eight animals in the winter were active when killed after 7-35 days in the hibernaculum with Tb between 18 and 36 degrees C. Five animals that became torpid periodically in the winter were killed after 19-42 days in the hibernaculum when their Tb indicated torpor (Tb less than 13 degrees C). Active animals in the summer and winter possessed pronounced renal corticomedullary urea and sodium concentration gradients. Torpid animals lacked these gradients and had lower urine and plasma osmotic concentrations than active animals. Plasma urea values and terminal osmolal U/P ratios were lowest in torpid prairie dogs.     

Understanding of the concept of numerically "less" by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).

In 2 experiments, bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) judged the ordinal relationship between novel numerosities. The dolphins were first trained to choose the exemplar with the fewer number of items when presented with just a few specific comparisons (e.g., 2 vs. 6, 1 vs. 3, and 3 vs. 7). Generalization of this rule was then tested by presenting the dolphins with all possible pairwise comparisons between 1 and 8. The dolphins chose the exemplar with the fewer number of items at levels far above chance, showing that they could recognize and represent numerosities on an ordinal scale. Their pattern of errors was consistent with the idea of an underlying analog magnitude representation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Habituation and retention of habituation in the leech (Macrobdella decora).

Studied habituation of movement responses by 20 leeches in 2 experiments using light onset and water current as stimuli. Ss habituated to light onset and retained habituation for at least 2 successive 24-hr periods. Habituation to water current was influenced in the expected way by ITI. Ss habituated in fewer trials with a 30-sec ITI than with a 60-sec ITI. Response facilitation appeared early in habituation in both experiments and is discussed in terms of sensitization and response interference. Base rates of responding in the absence of specific eliciting stimuli were zero. Results are considered in terms of generality of processes associated with habituation and previous findings with species of annelids. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Clinical and toxic effects of MDMA ("Ecstasy").

Substance abuse remains an area of acute concern and active investigation in behavioral health care and the neurosciences. Over the past decade, an alarming trend has been identified in the increased use of club drugs, a class of synthetic compounds that possess various stimulant or hallucinogenic properties. Club drugs, which include ketamine, methamphetamine, and 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA; better known as "Ecstasy"), are illicitly produced in labs and are quite popular among teenagers and young adults on college campuses and in bars, dance clubs, or all-night dance parties (rave or trances). Research conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse indicates that use of club drugs, particularly in conjunction with alcohol, can result in significant complications, including death. This is a concern, particularly in light of data indicating that the use of club drugs is increasing. This trend may be due in part to the erroneous and potentially lethal misperception that these drugs are safe and harmless. This article discusses the pharmacological and clinical effects of MDMA, as well as the nuerotoxicity of MDMA and its residual effects on mood and cognition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selected abstracts of poster presentations at "Rehabilitation Psychology 2002" (March 2002).

Presents a number of selected abstracts of poster presentations from "Rehabilitation Psychology 2002." The abstracts cover a variety of research topics related to rehabilitation psychology, including depression and social integration following amputation, telerehabilitation for persons with acquired brain injury, and hormone replacement therapy in poststroke patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Attenuation of Gastric Lesions by Psychological Aspects of Aggression in Rats": Erratum.

Reports an error in the original article by Jay M. Weiss, Larissa A. Pohorecky, Sherry Salman, and Michael Gruenthal (Journal of Comparative & Physiological Psychology, 1976[Mar], Vol 90[3], 252-259). The figures on pages 255 and 257 should be reversed as Figure 4 now bears the caption of Figure 3 and vice versa. The figures with their correct captions are provided. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1976-20292-001.) In a study with 80 male albino rats, Ss that fought with each other in response to electric shock showed reduced gastric lesions in comparison with Ss that received the same shocks alone so that fighting behavior did not occur. Also, gastric lesions were similarly reduced in Ss that fought even though they could not physically contact one another because of a barrier between them. In this case, the "protective" effect of fighting derived from the release or display of fighting behavior and did not require physical combat. A 2nd experiment with 48 rats showed that Ss that received shock together but did not engage in fighting behavior showed no reduction of gastric lesions, so that the protective effect of fighting was not an artifact of Ss receiving shock together. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to "Accredited Doctoral Programs" List (2003).

The list of "Accredited Doctoral Programs in Professional Psychology: 2003" (American Psychologist, 2003, Vol. 58, No. 12, pp. 1067-1080) contained an error. On page 1074, the University of Southern California is incorrectly identified (Footnote 7) as no longer admitting students to its doctoral program in clinical psychology. This is not the case. However, the University of Southern California is no longer admitting students to its doctoral program in counseling psychology (listed on page 1078), and the program is being phased out. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 2008-06168-001.) This is the official listing of accredited doctoral programs. It reflects all committee decisions through June 29, 2003. This list also is provided by electronic means (http://www.apa.org/ed/accreditation/doctoral.html), but that listing is for informational purposes only and should not be used for official credential review. The APA Committee on Accreditation has accredited the doctoral training programs in the traditional substantive areas of clinical, counseling, school, or combined professional-scientific psychology representing two or more of those areas listed alphabetically below by their host institutions.. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Avoidance learning and "personality" in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata).

The authors examined the relationships between 2 "personality" dimensions (Approach and Fear Avoidance) and 2-way active avoidance learning performance in the guppy (Poecilia reticulata). Contrary to expectations (based on prior rodent studies), higher fearfulness facilitated both earlier appearance and acquisition of the shuttlebox avoidance responses, especially in the less exploratory and active fish. However, the overall maximum level of performance was not much affected by the 2 personality dimensions studied. Thus, the results emphasized the species-specific and interactional effect of fearfulness on the 2-way avoidance learning performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Society for Unification Psychology" formed (12-85).

The Society for Unification Psychology ("SUNI"—pronounced as "sunny") was formed by a group of psychologists concerned about the growing issues of diversity and fragmentation in psychology. The Society held its first organizational meeting at the 1985 APA convention. It is intended that SUNI will become a special interest group of APA's Division 24, Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology. The Society's purpose is to stimulate discussion of issues of unity and disunity in psychology by: (1) planning symposia and other presentations at APA and related conventions; (2) conducting Society interest group meetings at these conventions; and (3) publishing a Newsletter. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term retention of habituation in the sea anemone (Anthopleura elegantissima).

Long-term retention of habituation was assessed over a 4-day period in the contraction response of intertidal sea anemones. Substantially less responding was evident as much as 72 hrs after initial training either with or without interpolated training on Day 2. Retained response decrements were indicated both by an absence of spontaneous recovery and by the potentiation of habituation. Although slight differences in habituation rates were evident between the 2 components of contradiction (closure and reexpansion), no differences appeared in the amount of long-term retention observed in each. Results are discussed with respect to the possible nature of retention processes occurring in the coelenterate nerve net. It is concluded that the generalized association of persistence with increased complexity is invalid. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cecil H. "Pat" Patterson (1912-2006).

Cecil Holden "Pat" Patterson, 93, passed away on May 26, 2006, at his home in Asheville, North Carolina. A fellow of APA's Divisions of Counseling Psychology (17), Rehabilitation Psychology (22), and Psychotherapy (29), Pat was elected president of APA Division 17 in 1972. In recognition of his lifelong commitment to the field, he received the Division 17 Leona Tyler Award in 1994. Cecil H. "Pat" Patterson will be remembered as much for his love of family and the genuine personal interest he took in everyone he met as he will for his outstanding professional achievements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Right-Trunkers" and "Left-Trunkers": Side Preferences of Trunk Movements in Wild Asian Elephants (Elephas maximus).

In this article, the side preferences of feeding-related trunk movements of free-ranging Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) were investigated for the first time. It is hypothesized that a functional asymmetry of the trunk is necessary to perform skillful feeding movements more efficiently. This might be connected with a corresponding hemispheric specialization. Video recordings of 41 wild elephants provided frequencies and durations of the following trunk-movement categories: object contact, retrieval, and reaching. In each category, individual side preferences were found. The strength of side preferences varied between the trunk-movement categories and the sexes. Mean durations of retrieval and reaching correlated negatively with the strength of side biases. Comparing the side preferences in the unpaired trunk with analogous phenomena in other unpaired grasping organs and in primate handedness. the authors discuss possible explanations for the evolution of asymmetries in unpaired grasping organs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Iconic memory," location information, and the bar-probe task: A reply to Chow (1986).

Mewhort, Campbell, Marchetti, and Campbell (1981) argued from an analysis of errors in the bar-probe task that the decreased accuracy associated with a delayed probe reflects loss of location information at a postcategorical level, not loss of precategorical data in "iconic" memory. Chow (1986) argued that the error analysis underlying their conclusions is misconceived and that the loss associated with a delayed probe reflects decay of precategorical item information. His position is based on a bar-probe task in which subjects reported both the location (L) and the identity (I) of the item probed. He treated the conditional probabilities p(I?|?L) and p(L?|?I) as measures of identity and location information, respectively. We show that the conditional scores are not measures of identity and location information and that their pattern across probe delay is quite compatible with the late-selection position. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Comment on 'Articulation of values'": Response to Cochran (1988).

We respond to Cochran's critique of our 1986 study, which was in part a replication of Cochran's original grid methodology for the study of career values. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What is "real" in the relationship? Comment on Gelso and Carter (1994).

Applauds C. J. Gelso and J. A. Carter's (see record 1994-38236-001) attempts to provide a complex, systems view of the common components in the therapeutic relationship and to develop potentially testable propositions about the interaction of the components. The author suggests, however, that more conceptual clarification and measurement development is needed before this attempt will yield fruit. The Gelso and Carter conceptualization of the therapeutic relationship is not highly generalizable and probably applies mainly to therapies conducted from a psychodynamic point of view. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A metacognitive approach to "implicit" and "explicit" evaluations: Comment on Gawronski and Bodenhausen (2006).

Comments on the article by B. Gawronski and G. V. Bodenhausen (see record 2006-10465-003). A metacognitive model (MCM) is presented to describe how automatic (implicit) and deliberative (explicit) measures of attitudes respond to change attempts. The model assumes that contemporary implicit measures tap quick evaluative associations, whereas explicit measures also consider the perceived validity of these associations (and other factors). Change in explicit measures is greater than implicit measures when new evaluative associations are formed and old associations are rejected. Implicit measure change is greater than explicit when newly formed evaluative associations are rejected. When implicit and explicit evaluations conflict, implicit ambivalence can occur. The authors relate the MCM to the associative-propositional evaluation model and explain how the MCM builds on the attitude strength assumptions of the elaboration likelihood model of persuasion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Social influences on the selection of a protein-sufficient diet by Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus)": Correction to Beck and Galef (1989).

Reports an error in "Social influences on the selection of a protein-sufficient diet by Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus)" by Matthew Beck and Bennett G. Galef (Journal of Comparative Psychology, 1989[Jun], Vol 103[2], 132-139). There was a misstatement. On page 137, second column, second paragraph, the sentence that begins on line 7 ought to read as follows: Protected t tests revealed that subjects in the Different Food-Same Place Group gained a significantly smaller percentage of body weight than did subjects in each of the other two groups (LSD = .67, both ps 1989-31944-001.) Investigated effects of interactions between naive and knowledgeable rats (Rattus norvegicus) on selection of a nutritionally adequate diet by the naive. We found that during a 7-day test, isolated rats choosing among 4 foods, 3 of which were protein-deficient and 1 of which was protein-rich, failed to learn to prefer the protein-rich diet and lost weight. Conversely, those rats that interacted with conspecifics trained to eat the protein-rich diet developed a strong preference for that diet and thrived. The authors also found that Ss were more strongly influenced in their diet selection by the flavor of the foods eaten by conspecifics than by the locations where conspecifics fed. The results suggest that social influence may be important in development of adaptive patterns of diet choice by rats (or other dietary generalists) that need to find nutritionally adequate diets in demanding environments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comments on "Retrospect: Psychology as a profession" by J. McKeen Cattell (1937).

Offers commentary on the remarks made by J. M. Cattell (1937, 1992) concerning the future development of psychology as a profession. Cattell correctly predicted the future certification of psychologists, the growth of professional psychology, and the formation of professional schools. However, some of these developments have not occurred exactly as Cattell envisaged them. Cattell also did not foresee the current conflicts between professional psychologists and those interested in the science of psychology. These recent developments are discussed along with some speculations about possible developments in the future. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)