On predicting minority influence

Paralleling closely an experiment on group polarization by Vinokur and Burnstein (1978), subjects discussed one of three risky, cautious, or neutral choice dilemmas. For each of the value items, one half of the six-person groups consisted of a cautious minority and a risky majority; the other half consisted of a risky minority and a cautious majority. The minorities always consisted of trained confederates. The results indicated that on risky items minorities that argued for risk had more influence than minorities advocating caution; on neutral and cautious items the majority was not influenced by the minority whether it advocated the risky or cautious alternative.     

Negative ions and behavior: impact on mood, memory, and aggression among type A and type B persons

Individuals scoring high (Type As), intermediate, or low (Type Bs) on the Jenkins Activity Survey were given an opportunity to aggress against a stranger who, previously, had either provoked or not provoked them. The opportunity to aggress (as well as all other aspects of the study) took place in the presence of (a) a high concentration, (b) a moderate concentration, or (c) a low (ambient) concentration of negative air ions. Results indicated that exposure to moderate or high levels of negative ions significantly enhanced aggression by Type A subjects, but not by other participants. In addition, we found that negative ions produced positive shifts in subjects' reported moods in the absence of provocation, but negative shifts in moods in the presence of provocation. These findings suggest that moderate or high concentrations of negative ions serve as a source of heightened activation, thus enhancing individuals' dominant reactions or tendencies in a given situation.     

Effects of noise on sensitivity of introverts and extraverts to signals in a vigilance task

Forty Ss, previously classified as introverts or extraverts on the basis of scores on the Eysenck Personality Inventory, performed a visual vigilance task while being stimulated with noise at an intensity level of either 65 or 85 dB. Introverts given noise of 65 dB intensity showed an improvement in detection rate across trials, whereas introverts given noise of 85 dB intensity showed a decline in detection rate. Extraverts responded to noise of 65 dB intensity with a slight decrease in detection rate, but showed an improvement in detection over trials when noise of 85 dB intensity was given. When noise of the lower intensity was given, introverts showed greater sensitivity to signals than extraverts. When noise of the higher intensity was given, introverts and extraverts were equal in sensitivity. The results are discussed in terms of a hypothesized relationship between stimulation and arousal, with E-I as a moderator variable.     

The psychological reactions to infertility: Sex roles and coping styles

The purpose of this study was to determine if sex roles would predict the extent to which people experience problems in coping with infertility. Based on questionnaire responses of 164 medical patients, it was found that patients scoring higher in masculinity or androgyny reported fewer problems in coping with infertility, as measured by self-esteem and body image. It was also found that groups of infertile, formerly infertile, and fertile patients were no different in levels of coping. It was suggested that physicians might be able to identify patients at risk for poorer coping with infertility by screening new referrals for self-esteem and historical-background variables.     

Diagnostic accuracy of the Millon test computer reports for bipolar affective disorder

The diagnostic accuracy of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) computer reports was assessed for the sample of 48 patients reliably identified as having bipolar affective disorder. Only 13 of the 48 reports were accurate in classifying the patients as having bipolar affective disorder, and this was significantly (p < .01) less than 50% of the cases. The diagnostic accuracy clearly left much to be desired. Additional research is needed to assess the validity of MCMI diagnostic suggestions for other patient groups.     

Peer identification and empirical validation of problematic interpersonal situations of male drug addicts

The present research was concerned with identifying and validating the problematic interpersonal situations of male veteran drug addicts. In Study I, 20 addicts self-monitored the situations with which they had difficulty coping and their associated characteristics throughout a 2-week period. Fifty situations were obtained and then rewritten into specific interpersonal scenarios. In Study II, a second group of 36 addicts and a comparison group of 20 disabled veterans rated the commonality and difficulty of each scenario along seven-point scales. Univariate ANOVAs found that five scenarios received ratings greater than four on both scales and were associated with significantly higher ratings by the addicts. These preliminary scenarios may serve as role-play situations during social-skills assessment and training and may provide further information regarding the interpersonal determinants of relapse occasioned in the natural environment. The need for controlled comparison studies using behavioral measures and an overall improvement in the methodological rigor of research in the area is discussed.The authors acknowledge the editorial comments of Ted D. Nirenberg, Ph.D., on an earlier draft of this paper. Portions of these data were presented at the Fifth World Congress on Behavior Therapy, Washington, DC.     

A simple,inexpensive stimulus waveform generator

A simple circuit for a sine wave generator is described. The total cost for construction is approximately $30.00. At present, the unit is used to generate a sinusoidally modulated light stimulus for steady state visual evoked response experiments. Modifications of the circuit for other applications are discussed.