High-contrast plasma-electrode Pockels cell

A plasma-electrode Pockels cell (PEPC) has been developed for use on the OMEGA extended performance (EP) laser system that can be used in a high-contrast optical switch, as required for isolation of the system from retroreflected pulses. Contrast ratios reliably exceeded 500:1 locally everywhere in the clear aperture. The key to achieving this improvement was the use of circular windows simply supported on compliant O rings, which is shown to produce very low stress-induced birefringence despite vacuum loading. Reliable operation was achieved operating at a relatively high operating pressure, low operating pressures being found to be strongly correlated to occurrences of local loss of plasma density.     

Person comparison and the set-size effect in impression formation.

Exp. I with 46 undergraduates, and 2 replications with an independent-groups design failed to demonstrate a set-size effect. Subsequent experiments explored the roles of person comparison and demand characteristics in the set-size effect. Exp. II, with 84 Ss, showed a highly significant, largely linear set-size effect for simultaneous exposure to several sketches, but not for exposure to a single sketch. In Exp. III, with 98 Ss, which featured successive exposure to several sketches, significant linear set-size effects were obtained in the target-1st and -2nd conditions; however, the significant set-size effect for target-3rd was quadratic. Dry-run simulations of Exp. II and III, respectively, failed to support a demand-characteristic interpretation. It is concluded that the magnitude and form of set-size effects depend on (a) whether person comparison is available, and (b) whether the comparative information is exposed simultaneously or successively. (French summary) (25 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonverbal cues for anxiety: An examination of emotional leakage.

20 silent 1-min video segments of psychiatric patients ranging in anxiety levels were shown to 46 psychology seniors serving as raters. Results show that raters were able to identify the presence of anxiety and discriminate varying intensities of anxiety on the basis of nonverbal cues alone. Nonverbal cues identified as most salient in communicating anxiety were the hands, eyes, mouth, and torso. Additional microanalysis examined how these body areas cued anxiety. Discussion of nonverbal cues for anxiety is presented in terms of P. Ekman and W. V. Friesen's (1969) theorizing regarding nonverbal masking and leakage. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonverbal cues for depression.

Presented 67 psychology faculty, graduates, and undergraduates with a silent videotape film of 5 depressed and 5 nondepressed psychiatric patients and asked them to identify which patients appeared depressed on the basis of nonverbal cues alone. Results show that depressed patients maintained eye contact for only about one-fourth of the time that nondepressed patients did. The mouth and angle of neck were also identified as salient nonverbal cues. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use of consultants in the provision of psychological services to the university community.

Attempted to justify the provision of psychological services within the university community by consultation. In this context, 4 main issues are discussed. The recommendations of the Kirk Committee concerning the provision of consulting services to the university community are summarized. 5 views of the consultant task and consultant role models are presented. 2 role models for the university consultant, emphasizing the consultant as a facilitator of social integration and/or the consultant as a facilitator of appropriate action toward distressed individuals are recommended. (French summary) (22 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introducing psychological consultation to a university community.

Attempts to provide primary intervention programming in a university community is discussed in terms of stages employed in implementation. Initial focus was dictated by selection of an "action facilitation" model of consultation and the appropriateness of this approach to epidemiological data gathered for this community. Intervention activities are discussed in terms of sanction to consult, points of entry, intervention programmes for individual colleges and programmes across colleges. Initial evaluation of programming emphasizes problems arising from intervention attempts in the absence of clearly defined areas for consultation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Community psychology in colleges II: Psychologist as administrator.

An earlier article by the author outlined basic approaches to community consultation in a large Canadian university. This article discusses community psychology programming where the psychologist is an integral part of the target community. Examples of primary and secondary prevention are discussed, along with an example of how organizational psychological principles can be utilized within a university community. It is suggested that a community psychological approach to universities not only facilitates administrative policy-making but is also valuable in introducing university students to a paradigm of thinking about their living and working environment that they can carry out to the community at large. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonverbal cues for depth of depression: Set versus no set.

100 psychology undergraduates and 15 clinical graduates viewed a silent videotape of depressed and nondepressed patients, rated depression on a 10-point scale, and indicated which of 10 body areas conveyed depression. Results show that Ss, even when given no informational set (the depression label), can discriminate depth of depression by nonverbal cues alone, suggesting that it may be an unobtrusive diagnostic technique. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)