Heightened sexual arousal and physical aggression: An extension to females

In order to examine the effects of heightened sexual arousal upon aggression by females, subjects were first angered or not angered by a female confederate, next exposed to one of four types of stimuli (nonerotic scenes; pictures of seminude young males; pictures of nude males; pictures of couples engaged in various acts of lovemaking), and finally provided with an opportunity to aggress against the confederate by means of electric shock. In accordance with previous research conduced with males, it was hypothesized that exposure to mild erotic stimuli would inhibit subsequent aggression, while exposure to more arousing stimuli of this type would facilitate such behavior. Results offered support for both predictions. In addition, it was found that females responded with increased aggression to types of erotic stimuli previously found to inhibit such behavior by males.     

Socially mediated fear reduction in rodents: Distraction,communication, or mere presence?

Two studies investigated why the presence of conspecifics reduces open-field fear. In Experiment 1 rats paired with another experimentally naive rat were not less fearful than alone controls. However, rats paired with a partner who had been preexposed to the open field exhibited fewer fear responses than alone controls. Since preexposed companions appeared to initiate more social interactions than nonpreexposed companions, it was argued that the preexposure effect could be the result of preexposed companions distracting actor rats from threatening stimuli. Experiment 2 tested this explanation by pairing socially sated or socially deprived rats with a socially sated or socially deprived companion. In accord with a distraction hypothesis, pairing two socially deprived rats produced the greatest fear reduction effects and also led to more social interaction than pairing socially sated rats. Alternative explanations involving conditioning and communication are discussed.     

THE EFFECT OF EXPERIMENTER FACIAL ORIENTATION DURING IMITATION MAINTENANCE1

The training and maintenance of imitative responding has become an important therapeutic process with language-handicapped children, as indicated by Garcia and DeHaven (American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 1974, 79 , 169–178). Typically a training “package” is used, that might entail the use of operant shaping, fading, reinforcement, and punishment techniques designed to increase correct imitation and decrease incorrect responding. Only recently have studies begun to concentrate on the components of these training “packages”. Steinman (Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1970, 3 , 159–167) highlighted the roles played by less conspicuous but functionally important components of these packages. The present study attempted to provide a systematic extension of this work within an applied context. Using subjects who were responding at high levels during an imitation-maintenance procedure, experimenter facial orientation (experimenter's eyes and head oriented towards the subject's face and head), was systematically manipulated for experimentally determined “types” of imitative behavior. Differential responding within these parameters provided an evaluation of facial orientation as a functional component within this training package. Three retarded children participated in the study. Two types of topographically different imitative responses were defined for experimental purposes (“standing” and “sitting”). Each subject progressed through four conditions of the study, which called for the reinforcement of all imitative responses. But during preselected conditions, experimenter facial orientation was removed from the therapeutic package for one of the two topographical types of imitation. Results indicated that imitation of the two topographical types of models was dependent on the presence of experimenter facial orientation within the experimental procedure.     

Modeling Nontraditional Career Choices: Effects of Gender and School Location on Response to a Brief Videotape

Effects of an 18-minute videotape promoting nontraditional career choices of 986 eighth-grade and 11th-grade girls and boys from rural and urban schools were examined. Models were women and men in occupations traditionally held by the opposite sex. Posttreatment realistic, investigative, and social interests of the treatment group who viewed the videotape were compared with a control group that received a minimal intervention. There was not a main effect for the brief videotape treatment. Boys in the treatment group expressed significantly higher social interests at posttest than did control group boys. Findings indicate that brief interventions promoting nontraditional careers have limited impact.     

Culture and body image: Body perception and weight concern in young Asian and Caucasian British women

The comparatively lower prevalence of eating disorders among Asian and Afro-Caribbean than Caucasian women in the UK has often been attributed to cultural differences in pressures for slimness. However, there have been no attempts to evaluate cultural differences in ideals for female physique directly among women in the at risk age groups. In the present study, cultural influences on body image were evaluated by comparing the body size ideals, body image and dieting concerns in a sample of 274 young white and Asian British women. The results indicate that Asian women are less likely to describe themselves as too fat, were less dissatisfied with their body size, less likely to want to lose weight and less restrained. However, Asian women were slimmer than white women and, after controlling for the difference in body size, the effects were reduced. The hypothesis that any body satisfaction differences could be explained by differences in ideal body size between the two groups were not supported; Asian women favoured even slimmer ideal body sizes than white women. Alternative explanations in terms of cultural differences in evaluation of fatness are discussed.     

Desired control and felt control as mediators of stress in a dental setting

Control-related variables have clearly affected stress responses in previous research (Thompson, 1981). Prior work, however, has primarily emphasized the amount of control that subjects perceive they have. In the three studies reported here, we examined the added predictive utility of assessing subjects' desire for control. Data from all three studies indicate that subjects who have a high desire for control coupled with a low feeling of control are characterized by particularly high degrees of dental distress. These results were found both in settings where patients anticipated immediate dental treatment and where treatment was not imminent. In addition, the results indicate that this "at risk" group reported greater distress before and immediately after actual dental treatment. Furthermore, they remembered their dental treatment as being more aversive 1 week after treatment. The practical implications and theoretical significance of these data are considered.     

Family therapy in primary health care: Skills training and outcome evaluation

Some of the theoretical tenets of family therapy such as emphasis on the activation and utilization of existing family resources and the importance it accords to context appear to have a good fit with primary health care's commitment to empowering individuals in their struggle against ill health and the circumstances in which it occurs. This paper explores the possibility of teaching a problem-solving approach to family therapy to nurses in a South African primary health care system. Training consisted of conceptual, pragmatic, and self-growth exercises, and trainees' conceptual and performance skills were compared to the skills of a group of untrained nurses.We thank Bukelwa Selema, co-trainer on the program, for her contributions to joining effectively with the nurses and enriching the experiential process. We also thank Dr. P.J. Beukes, Dr. J.H. Olivier, Dr. G.M. Louw, Matron L.C. Langley and other staff in the Soweto primary health care system for their support. In particular, we are grateful to nursing sisters Martha Nkoane and Millicent Matomela, who roleplayed clients on the videotaped training modules. We are also grateful to Edcent Williams, who was one of the videotape raters, and Mike Spruce, Ricky Snyders, Nico Cloete, Ricky Mauer, and Brenda Radebe for their inputs at various stages of designing and implementing the programme.     

When does algorithmic decomposition help? commentary

Algorithmic decomposition is a way of extending thinking. It will help when thinking is otherwise poor, and it may hinder when thinking is otherwise adequate. It may help decision making more than it helps numerical estimation.