The spontaneous decay of compulsive urges

An experiment was carried out on eleven obsessional patients who complained of compulsive checking rituals. Exposure to a provoking situation produced marked anxiety/discomfort and strong urges to check. With minor exceptions, execution of the appropriate ritual was followed by marked decreases in anxiety/discomfort and urges. The results were interpreted as being consistent with an anxiety/discomfort reduction hypothesis.

The spontaneous decay of anxiety/discomfort and urges was observed during a 3-hr response-prevention period. The greatest part of the discomfort and compulsive urges dissipated within an hour. Discomfort scores and urges ran a closely parallel course. Few resurgences of discomfort or urges were observed during the 3-hr observation period, and there was little sign of displacement checking activity.     

Observation of behavior,inference of function,and the study of learning

Before the present century, the primary means of studying animals was observation of the form and effects of their behavior combined with presumption of their intent. In the present century, ethologists continued to emphasize observation of form and replaced presumption of intent with the study of proximate function and evolution. In contrast, most learning psychologists minimized both observation of form and presumption of intent by defining behavior in terms of simple environmental effects and establishing intent by deprivation operations. We discuss advantages of the use of observation in the study of learning, examine arguments that it is unnecessary, irrelevant, and unscientific, and consider some practical considerations in using observation. We conclude that observation of the form of behavior and concern with its ecological function should be an important part of the arsenal of techniques used to study learning.     

Reduced K+ Channel Inactivation, Spike Broadening, and After-Hyperpolarization in Kvβ1.1-Deficient Mice with Impaired Learning

A-type K⁺ channels are known to regulate neuronal firing, but their role in repetitive firing and learning in mammals is not well characterized. To determine the contribution of the auxiliary K⁺ channel subunit Kvβ1.1 to A-type K⁺ currents and to study the physiological role of A-type K⁺ channels in repetitive firing and learning, we deleted the Kvβ1.1 gene in mice. The loss of Kvβ1.1 resulted in a reduced K⁺ current inactivation in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. Furthermore, in the mutant neurons, frequency-dependent spike broadening and the slow afterhyperpolarization (sAHP) were reduced. This suggests that Kvβ1.1-dependent A-type K⁺ channels contribute to frequency-dependent spike broadening and may regulate the sAHP by controlling Ca²⁺ influx during action potentials. The Kvβ1.1-deficient mice showed normal synaptic plasticity but were impaired in the learning of a water maze test and in the social transmission of food preference task, indicating that the Kvβ1.1 subunit contributes to certain types of learning and memory.     

PROMPTING PATRON SAFETY BELT USE AT A RESTAURANT

A reversal (ABABAB) design was used to assess the effects of a verbal prompt on safety belt use of restaurant patrons. A verbal prompt delivered by employees at the exit door resulted in an average increase of 20% in safety belt use by drivers leaving the restaurant. A previous study provided this type of antecedent immediately before supermarket patrons entered their vehicles. This effort demonstrates the effects of a verbal prompt with greater latency between the prompt and target response.     

Personality correlates of dissociative experiences

This study investigated the prevalence of dissociative experiences in a normal British sample. The Dissociation Experiences Scale of Bernstein and Putnam was used to measure these experiences. The relationship between dissociative experiences and personality variables measured by the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was a major focus of the study. It was found that the degree of dissociative experiences was related to neuroticism, but not to any other variable.     

Dimensions of interpersonal orientation: Cross-cultural studies regarding the structure of the ‘DOI Kit’

The DOI Kit is a four-version instrument (Junior Self and Other-Report, and Adult Self-and Other-Report) developed in Spain to measure ‘Dimensions of Interpersonal Orientation’ (Spanish: ‘Dimensiones de Orientación Interpersonal’ or DOI), which are defined as prevalent postures in interpersonal behaviour. The DOI Kit has six first-level scales that collapse into two broad oblique dimensions: Prosocial versus Antisocial Behaviour, and Sociability versus Unsociability.The aim of this article is to find out whether the first- and second-level structure of the Spanish DOI Kit can also be applied to data gathered in Chile and in Germany. A total of eight groups of data were studied. In order to find the best common structure for Spanish, Chilean, and German samples, Simultaneous Component Analysis (SCA) was applied. SCA shows an excellent replication of the original DOI Kit structure. This is also found when separate factor analyses (varimax and oblimin rotations) are performed.     

The Axioms of Set Theory

In this paper I argue for the view that the axioms of ZF are analytic truths of a particular concept of set. By this I mean that these axioms are true by virtue only of the meaning attached to this concept, and, moreover, can be derived from it. Although I assume that the object of ZF is a concept of set, I refrain from asserting either its independent existence, or its dependence on subjectivity. All I presuppose is that this concept is given to us with a certain sense as the objective focus of a ”phenomenologically reduced“ intentional experience. The concept of set that ZF describes, I claim, is that of a multiplicity of coexisting elements that can, as a consequence, be a member of another multiplicity. A set is conceived as a quantitatively determined collection of objects that is, by necessity, ontologically dependent on its elements, which, on the other hand, must exist independently of it. A close scrutiny of the essential characters of this conception seems to be sufficient to ground the set-theoretic hierarchy and the axioms of ZF. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

NK(3) receptor agonism promotes episodic-like memory in mice

The mammalian tachykinins are a family of closely related peptides including substance P, neurokinin A, neurokinin B and, recently, also hemokinin-1. They are present in the peripheral and central nervous systems, and bind to three known neurokinin (NK) receptors, the NK(1)-, NK(2)- and NK(3) receptors. In both rodents and humans, NK(3) receptors are expressed in brain structures which have been associated with learning and memory. Evidence for a role of NK(3) receptors in learning and memory has been found in NK(3) receptor knockout mice. Here, we investigated the influence of the NK(3) receptor agonist, senktide (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg), on the performance of C57BL/6 mice in a recently developed episodic-like memory task. Since a promnestic effect of senktide was expected, we employed an experimental protocol that provided sub-optimal learning conditions for episodic-like memory. The results indicate that senktide promotes episodic-like memory in mice in a dose-dependent manner, providing, for the first time, evidence for an involvement of NK(3) receptors in episodic-like memory.     

An experience sampling study of emotional reactions to music: listener, music, and situation

The Experience Sampling Method was used to explore emotions to music as they naturally occurred in everyday life, with a focus on the prevalence of different musical emotions and how such emotions are related to various factors in the listener, the music, and the situation. Thirty-two college students, 20 to 31 years old, carried a palmtop that emitted a sound signal seven times per day at random intervals for 2 weeks. When signaled, participants were required to complete a questionnaire on the palmtop. Results showed that music occurred in 37% of the episodes, and in 64% of the music episodes, the participants reported that the music affected how they felt. Comparisons showed that happiness-elation and nostalgia-longing were more frequent in episodes with musical emotions, whereas anger-irritation, boredom-indifference, and anxiety-fear were more frequent in episodes with nonmusical emotions. The prevalence of specific musical emotions correlated with personality measures and also varied depending on the situation (e.g., current activity, other people present), thus highlighting the need to use representative samples of situations to obtain valid estimates of prevalence.