A semiautomated Wisconsin General Test Apparatus

A modification of the WGTA is described. It retains those features of the original apparatus which make it efficient. In addition, it provides (1) precise and largely automatic control of trial pacing and stimulus presentation, (2) simultaneous acquisition of data on problem-solving and locomotor activity of the S, (3) rapid change to any one of a wide variety of behavioral situations, and (4) thorough but quick cleaning and disinfection of the monkey cage.     

A Mirror Drawing Apparatus for the Instructional Laboratory

Eighteen pairs of parents of children with Down's syndrome were tested on self-concept items prior to and immediately following genetic counseling. There was significant improvement on five of 20 self-concept items, with mothers improving on four items, and fathers on two items. Only one item demonstrated improvement by both mothers and fathers. Genetic counseling was found to be of value in improving self-concepts of parents of children afflicted with at least one type of heritable disease.     

带状记忆仪的研制

本文介绍了一种最新研制的适用于师范类大专院校教育及心理专业的心理学实验教学装置"带状记忆仪".     

Internet-Based Exposure Treatment Versus One-Session Exposure Treatment of Snake Phobia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

In this study, the authors compared guided Internet-delivered self-help with one-session exposure treatment (OST) in a sample of snake phobic patients. A total of 30 patients were included following a screening on the Internet and a structured clinical interview. The Internet treatment consisted of four weekly text modules which were presented on a web page, a video in which exposure was modelled, and support provided via Internet. The OST was delivered in a three-hour session following a brief orientation session. The main outcome was the behavioural approach test (BAT), and as secondary measures questionnaires measuring anxiety symptoms and depression were used. Results showed that the groups did not differ at post-treatment or follow-up, with the exception of a significant interaction for the BAT in favour of the OST. At post-treatment, 61.5% of the Internet group and 84.6% of the OST group achieved a clinically significant improvement on the BAT. At follow-up, the corresponding figures were 90% for the Internet group and 100% for the OST group (completer sample). Within-group effect sizes for the Snake Phobia Questionnaire were large (d = 1.63 and d = 2.31 for the Internet and OST groups, respectively, at post-treatment). It is concluded that guided Internet-delivered exposure treatment is a potential treatment option in the treatment of snake phobia, but that OST probably is better.     

A Cathode Ray Oscillograph Apparatus for the Psychological Laboratory

A computer simulation which generated various sample distributions was performed. The equal interval assumption and degree of skewness were systematically manipulated to examine the sensitivity of the t and Mann-Whitney tests to varying degrees of violations of these t test assumptions. Results show that of the 348 sets (2436 t tests), 94 (27%) contained shifts from significant to nonsignificant t test values under mild violations of the equal-interval and normality assumption and would have led to decision errors. Of these, 55% would have been Type I and 45% would have been Type II. The implications of these results are discussed relative to Types I and II errors, to the use of parametric and nonparametric statistics, and to the likelihood of encountering such problems in sampled distributions.     

Exposing Clinicians to Exposure: A Randomized Controlled Dissemination Trial of Exposure Therapy for Anxiety Disorders

ObjectiveThe present study evaluated three technology-based methods of training mental health providers in exposure therapy (ET) for anxiety disorders. Training methods were designed to address common barriers to the dissemination of ET, including limited access to training, negative clinician attitudes toward ET, and lack of support during and following training.MethodClinicians naïve to ET (N = 181, M_age = 37.4, 71.3% female, 72.1% Caucasian) were randomly assigned to (a) an interactive, multimedia online training (OLT), (b) OLT plus a brief, computerized motivational enhancement intervention (OLT + ME), or (c) OLT + ME plus a Web-based learning community (OLT + ME + LC). Assessments were completed at baseline, posttraining, and 6 and 12 weeks following training. Outcomes include satisfaction, knowledge, self-efficacy, attitudes, self-reported clinical use, and observer-rated clinical proficiency.ResultsAll three training methods led to large and comparable improvements in self-efficacy and clinical use of ET, indicating that OLT alone was sufficient for improving these outcomes. The addition of the ME intervention did not significantly improve outcomes in comparison to OLT alone. Supplementing the OLT with both the ME intervention and the LC significantly improved attitudes and clinical proficiency in comparison to OLT alone. The OLT + ME + LC condition was superior to both other conditions in increasing knowledge of ET.ConclusionsMulticomponent trainings that address multiple potential barriers to dissemination appear to be most effective in improving clinician outcomes. Technology-based training methods offer a satisfactory, effective, and scalable way to train mental health providers in evidence-based treatments such as ET.     

Wooden versus Plastic Apparatus with the GATB: A Restudy

The finding of a mean difference of 11 points (one standard error) between wooden and plastic peg boards for the M-aptitude of the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) as reported by Kapes and Sievert (1973) led to this investigation. The intent was to replicate their research and, by the use of a broader sample range, to examine other selected variables to determine whether any differences remained constant across the population. The results of the study indicated that individuals tested on the wooden equipment perform significantly higher than those individuals tested on the plastic equipment. Converted score differences for the M-aptitude indicated an average difference of approximately 10.5 points in favor of the wooden apparatus.     

Mere Exposure: A Gateway to the Subliminal

In the mere-repeated-exposure paradigm, an individual is repeatedly exposed to a particular stimulus object, and the researcher records the individual's emerging preference for that object. Vast literature on the mere-repeated-exposure effect shows it to be a robust phenomenon that cannot be explained by an appeal to recognition memory or perceptual fluency. The effect has been demonstrated across cultures, species, and diverse stimulus domains. It has been obtained even when the stimuli exposed are not accessible to the participants' awareness, and even prenatally. The repeated-exposure paradigm can be regarded as a form of classical conditioning if we assume that the absence of aversive events constitutes the unconditioned stimulus. Empirical research shows that a benign experience of repetition can in and of itself enhance positive affect, and that such affect can become attached not only to stimuli that have been exposed but also to similar stimuli that have not been previously exposed, and to totally distinct stimuli as well. Implications for affect as a fundamental and independent process are discussed in the light of neuroanatomical evidence.     

Modification of Type A behavior through aerobic exercise

This psychophysiological evaluation of an aerobic exercise program examined specifically whether aerobic training modified Pattern A for those individuals at behavioral risk for developing coronary heart disease, i.e., young Type A individuals. At pretest and posttest of this secondary prevention study, Type A and Type B subjects were assessed in three conditions: aerobic exercise program, nonaerobic activity (Aikido, a martial art) control, and notreatment control. After 10 weeks, Type A but not Type B subjects exhibited lower Pattern A behavior in the aerobic program than in control conditions. Average workout pulse rates and differentially reliable increases in aerobic capacity indicated that aerobic training was indeed aerobic, whereas aikido activity was not. Even though selected nonaerobic factors, such as locus of control and group participation, did not mediate the Pattern A decrease for Type A's when comparing aikido and aerobic conditions, changes in aerobic capacity may have been the mediator. Generalizability of the results and implications for theoretical development and clinical intervention are discussed.     

Rates of Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Exposure

Research on the social influences associated with rates of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is scarce and limited to studies of contagion within inpatient and residential treatment settings. Using an archival dataset that included 1,965 college students, the current study examined whether exposure to acts of NSSI and/or suicidal behavior in others was associated with increased rates of NSSI. Results supported hypotheses in that participants who knew someone who had engaged in NSSI only, or knew someone who engaged in both NSSI and suicidal behavior were more likely to have engaged in NSSI compared to those not exposed. The findings provide preliminary, albeit indirect, evidence of the potential for social modeling to influence rates of NSSI within college students. Directions for future studies are offered.     

Combining Prototypes: A Selective Modification Model

We propose a model that accounts for how people construct prototypes for composite concepts out of prototypes for simple concepts. The first component of the model is a prototype representation for simple, noun concepts, such as fruit, which specifies: (1) the relevant attributes of the concepts, (2) the possible values of each attribute, (3) the salience of each value, and (4) the diagnosticity of each attribute. The second component of the model specifies procedures for modifying simple prototypes so that they represent new, composite concepts. The procedure for adjectival modification, as when red modifies fruit, consists of selecting the relevant attribute(s) in the noun concept (color), boosting the diagnosticity of that attribute, and increasing the salience of the value named by the adjective (red). The procedure for adverbial modification, as in very red fruit, consists of multiplication-by-o-scalar of the salience of the relevant value (red). The outcome of these procedures is a new prototype representation. The third component of the model is tversky's (1977) contrast rule for determining the similarity between a representation for a prototype and one for an instance. The model is shown to be consistent with previous findings about prototypes in general, as well as with specific findings about typicality judgments for adjective-noun conjunctions. Four new experiments provide further detailed support for the model.