Personality and problem-solving: The nature of individual differences in planning,scanning and verification

This study investigated the nature of individual differences in the time spent on different stages of a perceptual problem-solving task and the extent to which two task parameters (item complexity, goal setting) affected performance. A group of 24 Ss completed four sets of perceptual maze items as well as the EPI and AH5 tests. Perceptual mazes at two levels of item complexity were presented both with and without a computer-automated version. In addition to recording the overall solution time for each item, the program also records the time spent on the search, tracking and checking phases of maze-solving. The results indicated that the overall response speed is more closely related to intellectual ability (AH5 score) than to personality. In contrast, extraversion appeared to be more important in determining the relative amount of time spent on certain phases of maze-solving, particularly the initial period of scanning prior to making a response. The extent of these effects was found to depend on task parameters since the most striking differences were found on the most complex items presented without information as to the maximum solution obtainable.     

The determinants of beliefs in human nature

This study set out to examine which of a range of ‘demographic’ factors best predicted peoples' beliefs in the heredity vs environmental determinants of specific features in human nature. Ss' sex, age, education, class, voting pattern and religion were related to their beliefs in the heredity vs environmental determinants of six human characteristics: physical characteristics, psychological skills, personality, beliefs, psychological problems and physical problems. Both univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated the close relationship between the independent demographic variables, particularly education and voting pattern, and the dependent belief variables, particularly personality and beliefs. The literature on correlates of political beliefs was examined and related to the findings in this study.     

A comparison of the differential effects of three different baseline conditions within an ABA1B1 experimental design

The use of the ABA₁B₁ design over recent years in applied behavioural research has prompted many researchers to comment on its strengths and weaknesses (Kazdin, 1973; Kazdin and Bootzin, 1972; Liberman, 1972; Peck and Thorpe, 1971). One major problem is that many different types of non-contingent or no-reinforcement conditions have been used and that different types of baseline conditions may produce different effects. Despite the volume of research using a derivative of this design, surprisingly little is known about the effects of different baseline conditions.The baseline conditions most frequently used include the following: 1. No reinforcement (O'Leary and Becker, 1967; Hall et al., 1972; Aitchison and Green, 1974). 2. Threats (Phillips et al., 1971). 3. Reinforcing other types of behaviour (Ayllon and Azrin, 1965). 4. Equivalent amounts of reinforcement given in baseline and experimental conditions with all baseline reinforcement given non-contingently at the beginning or end of the phase (Wincze et al, 1972; Fernadez et al., 1973; Burchard, 1967). 5. Equivalent amounts of reinforcement in baseline and experimental conditions with baseline reinforcement given non-contingently at regular intervals or randomly throughout the phase (Foxx and Azrin, 1973; Baer and Wolf, 1970).Baer and Wolf (1970) have stated that: ‘Non-contingent reinforcement as a method of extinction has certain characteristics which may make it the method of choice for some experimental designs: especially those designs in which the adult offers reinforcers to a child’. They feel that this method is to be preferred because the total amount of reinforcement can be held constant over all conditions and thus will not be a confounding variable between conditions. However, as Skinner (1948) demonstrated, rate of behaviour can be changed by non-contingent reinforcement when ‘superstitious’ causal relations appear between behaviour and presentation of reinforcement. In effect the rate of behaviour increases because it has accidentally occurred before the presentation of reinforcement and so a connection is established whereby the probability of the behaviour is increased despite the fact that it is not causally related to reinforcement. Morse and Skinner (1957) have said about superstitious conditioning ‘Such effects must always be allowed for in designing experiments on complex behaviour’. Catania and Cutts (1963) and Yelen (1971) have shown that such superstitious conditioning can occur with human subjects.The present experiment employed three groups each trained under the same conditions but with different baseline conditions—1, 4 and 5 above. A multiple baseline design was used in which all possible responses were recorded in a four choice situation so that any accidental contingencies established would be evident.     

Practice dating as treatment for college dating inhibitions

Thirty males and 30 females who volunteered for a program to increase dating skills were randomly assigned to a treatment group of six practice dates plus feedback, a treatment group of six practice dates only, or a delayed treatment control group. Within subject-specified constraints of height, age, race, and distance from campus, a computer randomly matched opposite sexed subjects for the six practice dates, each date with a different subject. After each practice date in the feedback condition, subjects completed forms calling for primarily positive comments about the partner. Forms were later exchanged via the experimenter. Outcome was assessed by self-report, self-monitoring, behavioral, and peer rating measures. Results indicated the superiority of treatment conditions over the control condition. Some evidence indicated superiority of the no feedback condition over the feedback condition. Evidence of maintenance of changes over a three-month follow-up period is provided.     

Identification of cues and control of sexual arousal by rapists

The experiments in this article pertain to factors relevant to rape. The first experiment examined the ability of four groups to discriminate between appropriate and inappropriate sexual cues. Rapists detected such cues as well as did either Normals or Non-rapist Inmates, in all but the most assaultive rape tape. Normal subjects who had consumed alcohol prior to testing, detected inappropriate cues earlier in the tapes than did all other subjects. The second experiment addressed the ability of subjects to inhibit sexual arousal when instructed to do so. Rapists and Non-rapists were shown to be equally capable of inhibiting arousal in response to both mutually-consenting and rape cues. These findings negate theories suggesting that rapists differ from other men in that they are unable to exert control over their arousal, and that they have difficulty in identifying inappropriate cues to arousal.     

Sequential comparisons of relaxation training and biofeedback in the treatment of three kinds of chronic headache or,the machines may be necessary some time of the time

Two studies are reported in which patients with chronic headache, who did not improve significantly as a result of a 10-session, 8-week relaxation training program, were subsequently treated with biofeedback. For the tension headache sufferers, 36% of the relaxation non-responders showed significant improvement with frontal EMG biofeedback training. For those with vascular headaches, 44% of the relaxation non-responders showed significant improvement with thermal biofeedback. Vascular headache patients with combined migraine and tension symptoms did better than those with only migraine. Psychological test scores significantly differentiated successful vs non-successful biofeedback responders.     

A multitrait-multimethod examination of affect structure: hedonic level and emotional intensity

Past research on the personality structure of affect suggests that hedonic level and emotional intensity are two separate major dimensions. The present study employed a multitrait-multimethod approach to verify this finding. Seventy-four University of Illinois students completed daily mood reports and self-report questionnaires, and their parents completed a questionnaire about them. Both hedonic level and intensity measures were used. The convergent validities (monotrait-multimethod correlations) were all significant and tended to be highest for emotional intensity. The multitrait-monomethod coefficients were nonsignificant, as were the correlations based on different measures of different traits. The data were interpreted as supporting the distinction between hedonic level and affect intensity, as well as supporting the validity of the measures.     

Further tests of a meta-model of youthful marijuana use

This paper tests a meta-model of youthful marijuana use on students in Grades 11, 12 and 13. Although the specific models for each grade varied in detail, all followed a meta-model making the following assumptions: (1) that use or nonuse of marijuana depends primarily on attitude towards use; (2) that attitude largely reflects the perceived functional and dysfunctional consequences of use; and (3) that what people perceive as functional or dysfunctional depends on relevant personality characteristics. All three models showed satisfactory goodness-of-fit in terms of nonsignificant overidentification tests (minimum P > 0.25) and small discrepancies between observed correlations and the corresponding theoretically implied correlations. A notable feature of the Grade 13 data in contrast to those for Grade 12 and previously reported findings was the seeming unimportance of the perceived value of marijuana use for gaining acceptance from peers. It was suggested that this might reflect the selective survival into Grade 13 in the sampled community of more independently-oriented students.     

Return of fear: The role of rehearsal

The assumption was made that return of fear could be brought about by recalling highly fear-provoking material. Two conditions were contrasted in the design, one of which was high- vs low-intensity treatment and the other rehearsal of phobic material vs distraction following treatment. The experimental conditions yielded no significant results at the end of the rehearsal/distribution period. However, a week later at retest, partial return of subjective fear was observed in the ‘distraction’ groups and elevated heart-rates in the high-intensity groups. It was concluded that rehearsal of fear-provoking material following treatment constituted a prolongation of the latter and was therefore therapeutic. Implications of results with regard to within and between-session habituation are discussed.     

The assessment of depression in children: The internal structure of the child depression inventory (CDI)

In the present report three separate studies of childhood depression were conducted. First, the internal structure of the Child Depression Inventory (CDI), with 216 children representing various ethnic groups with equal numbers of boys and girls, was evaluated through a factor analysis and by various internal-reliability measures (e.g. split-half reliabilities, Pearson correlations of each item to the total score). Four factors were established and internal reliability of the scale proved to be high. The relationship of the factor structure of the CDI to Kendell's Type A and B categorization of depression are discussed. In Study 2 the relationship of demographic variables to the CDI using the same group of children described for Study 1 was employed. Evaluating the characteristics of depression across age, sex and so on in children has not been frequently studied, and was deemed appropriate for the present investigation. Age proved to be a significant factor in depression scores although race and gender did not. With respect to age, older children tended to display more symptomatology. Comparisons of depressed children to nondepressed children also showed that age was a factor in the obtained scores, and range of severity in both groups. Depressed children differed from nondepressed children on all 27 items indicating that all the items on the CDI seem to be measuring a unitary concept. Study 3 compared CDI scores to a measure of social behavior, the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngster (MESSY). Seventy-six children (36 girls and 40 boys), ages 4–10 yrs $\text{(}\text{X}\text{?}\text{= 7)}$ were evaluated. Appropriate Social Skills was negatively correlated with childhood depression, and Inappropriate Impulsive/Assertiveness was positively correlated with depressive features described under the factor Guilt/Irritability. The implications of these data for further research on assessment, differential diagnosis and evaluation of treatment research are discussed.     

The development of reflection-impulsivity: further data

The MFF20 was administered to 617 children aged 7–12yr. The resulting development trends for latency and errors suggest errors decrease to about age 10 yr then level off while a corresponding, though less dramatic, increase in latency was observed. These results were obtained without evidence of ceiling or floor effects or any evidence of a decrease in the relationship between latency and errors after age 10 yr, in contrast to those obtained by Salkind and Nelson (1980).     

The treatment of sleep-maintenance insomnia with stimulus-control techniques

Sleep-maintenance insomniacs received either a stimulus-control (n = 7) or a credible placebo treatment (n = 8), administered in small groups for 4 weeks. Self-reports of time awake after sleep onset, total number of arousals and number of arousals exceeding 10 min were collected at baseline, at termination of treatment (post-treatment), and at a 3-month follow-up. Results showed a statistically- and clinically-significant reduction on all three dependent measures from baseline to post-treatment for both groups; these gains were maintained through the follow-up period. However, the results achieved with stimulus-control procedures were not significantly different from reductions found with a credible placebo condition. These findings compare favorably with other reports of behavioral treatments of both onset and maintenance insomnia.     

The relationship between assertion and sociometric status of children

A correlational study was conducted in an effort to examine the relationship between children's level of assertive skill and their social (sociometric) status. The Ss were 15 male and 15 female elementary school children ranging in age from 9 to 11 yr. Each S was administered: (a) positive and negative peer nominations and roster and rating scale sociometrics; (b) self-report questionnaires concerning their assertive behavior; and (c) standardized interviews to assess knowledge of assertive behavior. In addition, teachers' ratings of children's interpersonal behavior were obtained. Results indicated some degree of correspondence between assertion indices and sociometric ratings. However, correlation coefficients generally were in the low-to-moderate range. Also, several scales from children's self-report and teacher's ratings of children's assertive behavior differentiated high- and low-popular children. Results are discussed in terms of: (1) the utility of employing multiple criteria in assessing social functioning of children; and (2) the need to determine empirically the relevance of assertive and other interpersonal skills in childrens' social repertoires.     

The influence of introversion-extraversion on activity choice and satisfaction among the elderly

The present study investigated the optimum theory of aging. This theory predicts that individuals with different personality types will react differentially to the aging process. In the present study, 60 nursing-home residents were administered the Eysenck Personality Inventory and then randomly assigned to one of two experimental manipulations. Elderly subjects classified as extraverts showed a high level of satisfaction to an experimental manipulation which was of a high activity, interpersonal type; those classified as introverts evidenced more satisfaction with a low activity, non-interpersonal type manipulation. Inspection of records documenting actual participation in programs within the nursing home indicated that introverts were more often involved in low activity, non-interpersonal events whereas extraverts participated more often in high activity, interpersonal events. Implications of these results are discussed in relation to the optimum theory of aging.     

The altruistic personality and the self-report altruism scale

This paper is divided into two parts. In the first, the rank order stability of individual differences in altruism across situations is examined and it is found that substantial consistency occurs when due regard is given to the principle of aggregation. In the second, a self-report altruism scale, on which respondents rate the frequency with which they have engaged in some 20 specific behaviors, is found to predict such criteria as peer-ratings of altruism, completing an organ-donor card, and paper-and-pencil measures of prosocial orientation. These data suggest there is a broad-based trait of altruism.     

The effects of control and lack of control on active and passive avoidance in rhesus monkeys

Most studies which have examined the effects of lack of control have utilized test tasks in which active responding is required, and generally they have found impaired learning. Those few studies which have required passive responding in the test task generally have found facilitation of learning. The present two experiments examined the effects of lack of control in both active and passive avoidance tasks in a primate species (Macaco mulatta) not previously used in this research area. In Experiment 1, although the group without control (IE) tended to be inferior at active and superior at passive avoidance in comparison to the group with control (E), there were no significant differences. In Experiment 2, utilizing a difficult discrimination task in which subjects were required to learn when and when not to respond actively to avoid aversive stimulation, greater group differences were found. Two monkeys from Group IE failed to escape in active avoidance acquisition and, as a whole. Group IE was somewhat slower to respond than Group E. At passive avoidance, however. Group IE was superior to Group E and, as a consequence, more efficiently solved the discrimination problem. Implications of the present results for interpretation of the effects of lack of control as deficits are discussed.     

The evidence for interactionism in psychology : A critical analysis of the situation-response inventories

A great deal of the evidence for interactionism in personality psychology arose out of the situation-response (S-R) studies of which there are now over 30. This paper examines closely the evidence for traitism, situationism and interactionism that arises from these studies. Nearly all of the published studies are tabulated, reanalysed and detailed criticisms of the more influential papers are offered. Serious problems are apparent in the methodology and analyses of these studies as well as in the conclusions drawn from them. It is argued that these studies have brought as much confusion as clarity to an area of research bedevilled by both conceptual and methodological problems.