Discrimination learning by macaca mulatta with option to switch between S+ and S−

Three rhesus monkeys were trained to press either of two response keys. A response on the reinforcement key during presentation of the reinforced stimulus produced a sucrose pellet followed by an intertrial interval, but during presentation of the unreinforced stimulus produced only the intertrial interval. A response on the switching key changed the discriminative stimulus from reinforced to unreinforced or from unreinforced to reinforced. The reinforced stimulus was presented automatically on half the trials, but could be produced only by a switching response on the other half. Switching tended to occur in three distinct stages during acquisition of discriminative behavior. The first stage was identified as "nondiscriminative switching"; the second as "nonswitching"; and the third as "discriminative switching".     

Near-death experiences and the measurement of blood gases

Although cerebral anoxia is not thought to be responsible for triggering near-death experiences (NDEs), the issue is not so clear in the case of hypercapnia. Detection of normal blood gases in Michael Sabom's (1982) case study seems to be the major reply to suggestions that hypercapnia may have a causal role in NDEs. We argue, however, that routine arterial measures of blood gases are not a reliable indicator of cerebral levels.     

Essay on feminist family therapy: A review ofWomen in families: A framework for family therapy andThe invisible web: Gender patterns in family relationships

Monica McGoldrick, Carol M. Anderson, and Froma Walsh (Eds.). (1989).Women in families: A framework for family therapy. New York: W. W. Norton.     

Spatial contingency and the McCollough effect

On the basis of a conditioning analysis of the orientation-contingent color aftereffect (McCollough effect, ME), orientation stimuli become associated with simultaneously presented chromatic stimuli. This account suggests that decreasing the contingency between the grid orientation and color should decrease the strength of the aftereffect. Results of previous research indicate that decreasing the temporal contingency (by presenting homogeneous chromatic stimuli between presentations of chromatic grids) does not decrease the ME. However, it has been suggested that the appropriate contingency-degradation procedure would involve decreasing spatial (rather than temporal) contingency. That is, the illusion should be attenuated by extending the color beyond the confines of the grid. Contrary to this hypothesis, the results of the present experiments provide no evidence that decreasing the spatial contingency between grid and color decreases the ME; rather, the aftereffect is increased by such a manipulation.     

Isoluminance and contingent color aftereffects

In the typical induction of the orientation-contingent color aftereffect (CCAE), the stimuli are composed of elements that differ in both color and luminance. Three experiments are reported that show that chromatic contrast between stimulus elements is insufficient for the induction of the orientation-CCAE and that luminance contrast is necessary. These experiments expand on previous research concerned with the role of luminance contrast in the induction of orientation-CCAEs by eliminating alternative explanations.     

Psychometric Properties and Clinical Utility of the Scale for Suicide Ideation with Inpatient Children

The purpose of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties and clinical utility of the Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI) for children. The SSI was administered to 100 children who were hospitalized. Data were not used from 13 subjects due to the presence of a psychotic disorder or IQ less than 70, leaving 87 participants. The SSI was examined regarding its internal consistency, concurrent validity, construct validity, and factor structure when used with children. Based on the findings, the SSI appears to have adequate psychometric properties and can be used by clinicians and researchers examining children in an inpatient setting. Recommendations for clinicians are included to help make the SSI more functional in use for children.     

HOW FAR SHOULD WE GENERALIZE?

Abstract— A conceptual model based on staffing theory was applied to previously collected survey data from a representative sample of American workers The model links organizational size, workload, work experience variables (felt responsibility and involvement, assessments of work associates), and work outcomes (job satisfaction, work self-esteem, stress symptoms) Path analyses indicated that the model fit data from all waged and salaried workers relatively well When the model was applied to subsamples of new and established employees and of employees from two contrasting occupational groups (professional-technical workers and operative workers), somewhat different patterns emerged The study illustrates the benefits of applying psychological theories across subdisciplines, as well as the limitations of generalizing research findings across different categories of workers We suggest that localized theories and fine-grained analyses of workplace events could help to make research more applicable to work settings     

Treatment of the disturbed adolescent: A family system approach

Adolescence is a period of turbulence for the young person as well as his family. This particular transition phase requires changes of adaptation for all family members to facilitate the unique needs of growth of the adolescent. This article will discuss certain characteristics and factors which make some families more vulnerable in this period: e.g., a family's structure, catastrophic or unusual events within or outside the family, regardless of whether they occur in the present or have taken place in the past. Case examples are given to illustrate how a systemically oriented family therapy approach can enable these families to become unstuck, resulting in the adolescent's ability to enter the next life phase, and the family's achieving once again a new equilibrium.Gerda L. Schulman, LL.D., M.S., is Associated Professor of Family Therapy in the advanced clinical program at Hunter College; School of Social Work, and teaches in the doctoral program at Adelphi University SSW.This paper is adapted from a presentation on November, 18, 1983, at the Long Island Jewish Hillside Medical Center.