Instructions as discriminative stimuli in verbal conditioning and awareness.

This investigation was to study the effects of preconditioning instructions and type of reinforcer on level of awareness and extent of conditioning. Prior to a conditioning task, Ss in different experimental groups were given varying degrees of information concerning the nature of the reinforcement and the reinforcement contingency. In some groups of Ss the reinforcement consisted of E saying "good" while in other experimental groups the Ss received points as reinforcement. The results indicated that the degree of conditioning and level of awareness were partially dependent upon the amount of information in the preconditioning instruction. However, in experimental groups where only partial information was given, Ss who received points conditioned better than Ss who received "good" even though there were no differences in the level of awareness. The nature of the response class was also found to be an important variable that affected the level of conditioning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of locus of control, instructions, and verbal conditioning on self-referenced affect in a counseling interview.

Examined the relationships between locus of control, specificity of instruction, and verbal conditionability on self-referenced affect in a counseling analog interview. 118 female undergraduates were administered Rotter's Internal–External Locus of Control Scale. On the basis of scores tabulated for H. L. Mirels's factor of personal internality, 40 Ss were classified as internals or externals and were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions: general instructions or specific instructions. All Ss then participated in an interview with a counselor. The interview was divided into 3 sections: baseline, conditioning, and extinction. During the conditioning period, the counselor verbalized self-referenced affect and reflection of feeling on a 2-min interval schedule. Results indicate that specific instructions combined with verbal conditioning procedures produced the greatest increase in self-referenced affect for both internal and external Ss. Findings are discussed in relation to the directive and instigational functions of instructions on internal/external Ss. Implications for future research are outlined. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

CS and UCS intervals and orders in human autonomic classical differential trace conditioning.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 25(3) of Canadian Journal of Psychology Revue Canadienne de Psychologie (see record 2007-04520-001). In diagram appearing in this erratum should be substituted for the diagram appearing as Figure 2 on p. 423 of the article.] Measured the GSR and digital volume-pulse change in 4 groups of 80 Ss each with light and tone as CS and shock as UCS. For Groups I and II, the CS-UCS interval was .75 and 7.5 sec., respectively; for Groups III and IV, the UCS-CS interval was .75 and 7.5 sec., respectively. Group III showed "backward" differential conditioning in the GSR; Group II yielded reliable conditioning of "multiple responses" occurring before UCS onset; the magnitude and extent of conditioning was greater in Group I than in Groups II and III, which did not differ; some evidence for "reverse" conditioning was suggested in Group IV, with slightly greater responding to the CS not paired with the UCS; instructions which distracted 1/2 the Ss from the CS did not affect responding to those stimuli. (French summary) (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive factors in differential conditioning of the GSR: Use of a reaction time task as the UCS with normals and schizophrenics.

22 normals and 22 schizophrenics underwent differential conditioning of the GSR, using 8-sec tones of differing frequencies as the CSs, an 8-sec CS-UCS interval, and a UCS comprised of an RT task signaled by a low-intensity light. Both intertrial reports and postconditioning interviews were obtained. 12 Ss in the normal group verbalized the CS relations accurately, compared to 3 Ss in the schizophrenic group. The normal group showed significant GSR differentiation, though conditioning was limited to the group of accurately verbalizing Ss. No evidence for conditioning was obtained in the schizophrenic group. Normal Ss had faster RTs than schizophrenic Ss. The RT of accurately verbalizing normals was shorter than that of inaccurately verbalizing normals, and the degree of GSR differentiation was significantly correlated with RT. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"CS and UCS intervals and orders in human autonomic classical differential trace conditioning": Erratum.

Reports an error in "CS and UCS intervals and orders in human autonomic classical differential trace conditioning" by John J. Furedy (Canadian Journal of Psychology Revue Canadienne de Psychologie, 1970[Dec], Vol 24[6], 417-426). The diagram appearing in this erratum should be substituted for the diagram appearing as Figure 2 on p. 423 of the article. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1971-24206-001.) Measured the GSR and digital volume-pulse change in 4 groups of 80 Ss each with light and tone as CS and shock as UCS. For Groups I and II, the CS-UCS interval was .75 and 7.5 sec., respectively; for Groups III and IV, the UCS-CS interval was .75 and 7.5 sec., respectively. Group III showed 'backward' differential conditioning in the GSR; Group II yielded reliable conditioning of 'multiple responses' occurring before UCS onset; the magnitude and extent of conditioning was greater in Group I than in Groups II and III, which did not differ; some evidence for 'reverse' conditioning was suggested in Group IV, with slightly greater responding to the CS not paired with the UCS; instructions which distracted 1/2 the Ss from the CS did not affect responding to those stimuli. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Studies in efficiency: Muscle-action patterns in reaction time as related to GSR conditioning.

A significant interaction between degree of efficiency in reaction time and in meeting task requirements in the GSR conditioning situation was found, such that efficient Ss tended to take longer to reach criterion under instructions to relax, while there was no difference between the groups when the requirement was to solve a problem. Under the relax instructions the correlation of right- to left-arm tension with trials to successive CRs was .60; under problem instructions it was -.04. Taken together with the previous studies, these results are interpreted as support for the method of analysis implied by the concept of efficiency. They prepare the way for further tests of the hypothesis that efficiency will be related to degrees of psychopathology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Physiological need, set, and visual duration threshold.

The interaction between the effect of deprivation level and set-inducing instructions on the thresholds of need-related words is investigated by presenting tachistoscopically to two groups of Ss, one group soon after mealtime and the other after about 9 hours food and water deprivation, a list of neutral words and then a list of need-related words, half of the Ss in each group receiving set instructions before the second list. The results indicate that while Ss given set instructions exhibit a significantly lower threshold for need-related words than did non-set groups, there is no difference in performance between satiated and deprived Ss, even among Ss not given set instructions. A second study, similar to the first, save that the set variable is eliminated and the words presented in mixed order showed no differences in the threshold for need-related words in the two groups of Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of information, subject age, and instructional set on predictive judgments.

Examined the effects of 3 variables on the accuracy of 120 male undergraduate judges to predict behavior. Variables were: (a) no information about the Ss whose behavior was to be predicted, biographical information, and information considered relevant to the behavior; (b) S age, with Ss being 1 child and 2 adults; and (c) no instructions, and instructions oriented toward furnishing a set regarding how to predict. Significant differences were found between the 2 levels of S age and also among the 3 levels of information. The effect of instruction approached significance. There were some additive effects apparent when all 3 variables were considered at 1 time. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of instructions and reward conditions on the generalization of a prohibition.

Studied effects of instructions and reward contingency on conformity to a prohibition in 48 male and female preschoolers. Ss built with blocks of graduated sizes but were told to use only big (little) blocks. Some were given explicit information as to the permitted sizes; some were not. For some Ss, a prize was contingent upon following instructions; for others, it was not. All groups conformed, displaying a gradient for blocks used according to size. Interactions between instruction and reward conditions are discussed in terms of the effects of task difficulty on performance under threat of negative consequences for errors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship between a dimension of body image and two measures of conditioning.

Hypothesized that definiteness of the body image boundary is a variable related to differential ease of acquisition of autonomic conditioned responses. The barrier score, derived from Rorschach ink blots, served as the measure of body image definiteness. 29 High- and 20 low-barrier male undergraduates were subjected to a classical autonomic conditioning procedure. The autonomic responses measured were GSR and heart rate. Results indicate that low-barrier Ss are more susceptible than high-barrier Ss to the conditioned heart rate response while high-barrier Ss are more easily conditioned to the GSR response. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

GSR conditioning in anxiety states, normals, and chronic functional schizophrenic subjects.

"Conditioning of the GSR to electric shock in 60 hospitalized anxiety states, 60 normal controls, and 60 chronic functional schizophrenics yielded the following… [results]: With magnitude of response (in log conductance units) during experimental extinction as an indirect measure of strength of conditioning, and anxiety Ss showed significantly stronger conditioning than both the normal and schizophrenic Ss, the difference in response magnitude being some increasing function of the number of extinction trials, as shown by a significant interaction term." (28 ref.) From Psyc Abstracts 36:01:1HK83H. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between a measure of transitory anxiety and spontaneous autonomic activity.

The effects of stress (threat of shock) on GSR nonspecific responses were evaluated for Ss who differed in transitory anxiety as measured by the Affect Adjective Check List (AACL). 52 Ss were equally divided among 4 groups: Hi AACL Stress, Lo AACL Stress, Hi AACL Nonstress, and Lo AACL Nonstress. 1st, all Ss rested; then both Stress groups were threatened with shock, while both Nonstress groups continued resting; finally, all Ss rested again. During the 2nd period GSR nonspecifics increased for both stress groups; however, during the final period, after the cessation of stress, GSR nonspecifics decreased more for the Lo AACL Ss than for the Hi AACL Ss. It was concluded that the AACL may be related to "autonomic recovery rate." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Use of hypnosis as an aid to eyewitness memory.

72 hypnotically susceptible undergraduates observed a videotape of a simulated bank robbery. One week later, Ss were interviewed in 1 of 3 conditions: hypnotized, relaxed, or waking. Half of the Ss in each of these groups received imagery instructions; the remainder were given guided memory instructions. Each S answered 47 questions, including 5 misleading ones, about both the video event and the context of the viewing room. Ss also were offered a photo identification task. Results show that overall recall accuracy for both the video and live events was high. Hypnosis had no positive effect on recall, nor were hypnotized witnesses more susceptible to misleading information. The type of memory instruction interacted with recall condition. This interaction differed for the video and live aspects of the event. Rated confidence on photo choice was positively related to both accuracy of choice and amount recalled. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Modeling and instructions in training for counselor empathy.

Assessed the relative contributions of modeling and instructions to training of counselor empathy in a factorial design incorporating 2 instruction conditions (instructions or no instructions) and 3 modeling conditions (high-empathy model, low-empathy model, or no model). Ss were 68 clergymen from various religious denominations. Ss wrote responses to a taped client in Phase 1, a training phase, and conducted an interview with a client (actor) in Phase 2, a generalization phase. Instructions had no effect on empathy offered by Ss, but Ss hearing a high-empathy model showed significantly higher empathy in Phase 1 responses than all other Ss. Findings were not significant in Phase 2. Reasons for lack of generalization and implications for further research and training are noted. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

GSR conditioning, anxiety, and extraversion.

"Hypotheses by Eysenck and Spence relating GSR conditioning to extraversion and anxiety, respectively, were examined… [Ss] scoring on the extremes of anxiety and extraversion were selected… . Using a conditioned response amplitude measure,… a significant positive relationship was found between anxiety and conditioning. No significant relationship was found between extraversion and conditioning… . The results give clear support to Spence's theory while failing to support that of Eysenck." From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4CG27B. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hypnosis, task-motivating instructions, and learning performance.

40 Ss, including 30 who had been previously rated as suggestible and 10 as nonsuggestible, were pretested and then retested on equivalent forms of 3 learning tasks: digit symbol substitution, memory for words, and abstract reasoning. All Ss received the pretests in the same way. The 30 suggestible Ss were retested under 1 of the following 3 experimental treatments with 10 Ss assigned at random to each treatment: task-motivating instructions, hypnotic induction procedure with task-motivating instructions, and control. The 10 nonsuggestible Ss were retested under a task-motivating-instructions treatment. Analyses of covariance indicated that (a) task-motivating instructions given alone or following a hypnotic induction procedure did not significantly affect performance on the memory for words or abstract reasoning tasks; and (b) task-motivating instructions produced a comparable enhancement of performance on the digit symbol substitution task in hypnotized and nonhypnotized Ss and in suggestible and nonsuggestible Ss. (33 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learned helplessness in task-orienting versus performance-orienting testing conditions.

Fifth- and 6th-grade subjects (Ss; 51 boys and 59 girls) were classified as low or high in effort orientation based on the number of items in the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire for which lack of effort was selected as an explanation for failure. On a computerized, 2-choice discrimination learning task, half of the Ss were given directions designed to reduce concerns about performance and to direct attention toward the task ("task-orientation" instruction condition); half were given "performance-orienting" instructions. The computer was programmed to ensure that all Ss failed to solve all four problems. Analyses of problem-solving strategies revealed that fewer low-effort-orientation Ss used effective strategies in the performance- than in the task-orienting condition. The instructions did not affect the proportion of high-effort orientation Ss who used effective strategies. The results suggest that task-orienting strategies may facilitate the performance of children who tend to de-emphasize the role of effort. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of heightened motivation on the detection of deception.

1 of 5 cards was selected by each S and 2 minutes association to this card was required. GSR response to the selected card was compared to the responses for nonselected cards in 2 groups of Ss. 1 group was motivated to "deceive the operator and withhold responses." The other group was given no special instruction. The hypothesis that Ss who are motivated to deceive will more frequently produce disproportional large skin resistance responses to critical items as opposed to noncritical items than will Ss who have not been so motivated was upheld. Ss who were motivated to deceive were more successfully detected. In addition detection took place at a much greater than chance level in the motivated group, while in the other group it occurred only at chance levels. The degree of autonomic response to significant stimuli appears to be a function of the motivational state of the S. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pavlovian galvanic skin response conditioning in overweight and normal weight women.

20 overweight and 20 normal weight female undergraduates underwent habituation, classical conditioning, and extinction of the GSR. Overweight Ss were consistently more responsive to the CS (tone) during all 3 phases of the study and were somewhat more responsive to the UCS (shock). Rates of response attenuation and enhancement, however, were not different during any phase. Results are generally consistent with research which demonstrates that overweight Ss are more externally stimulus bound than normals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Some relationships between GSR conditioning and judgments of anxiety.

"The aim of the present study was to investigate… the relationship between GSR conditioning and various clinical judgments of anxiety in a sample of psychiatric patients conditioned under presumably optimal procedures… . anxiety groups ranked on the basis of admission psychological data… were found to be significantly different in conditionability." This was not so with Ss ranked via the Taylor MA scale, and "anxiety groups revealed no significant differences in extinction." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)