Effects of anxiety sensitivity on emotional response to a stress task

The purpose of this investigation was to further define the role of anxiety sensitivity, in relation to physiological arousal and the cognitive perception of anxiousness, as a determinant of anxiety. One hundred and thirty-two undergraduates at an urban university served as subjects. Two physiological measures of arousal and two cognitive measures of anxiety were used following an anxiety inducing task (mental arithmetic). The general expectation, which was supported, was that individual differences in anxiety sensitivity levels are more closely related to subjects' reported anxiousness in stressful conditions than are the actual physiological changes. Additionally, anxiety sensitivity was related to poststress levels of anxiety whereas trait anxiety was only related to pre- and postrelaxation levels of anxiety. Implications of the findings are addressed.     

Dual diagnosis: Clinical issues in the treatment of substance abuse,and affective,personality, and psychotic disorders

Co-morbidity of alcohol and substance with the spectrum of other psychiatric diagnoses is examined with specific emphasis on diagnostic indicators for anxiety and mood disorders. Diagnostic issues for the chemically dependent person are examined with the context of borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders. Clinical research related to the dually-diagnosed patient is explored     

Longitudinal Development of the Automatic Postural Response in Infants

In this longitudinal study, the development of automatic postural responses elicited during stance following perturbation of the support surface was investigated. Infants (N = 9) unable to stand without support were tested initially: follow-up tests were performed until the infants were able to stand and walk independently. Surface electromyographic recordings of leg and trunk muscle activity following a postural perturbation induced by a forward or backward translation of the support surface were made for each infant. Muscle onset latencies following the perturbation and the proportion of trials in which muscle activity was recorded were determined. First, infants activated appropriate muscles either in isolation or in pairs and then combined these muscles into functional synergies. Although activation of all three postural muscles was recorded in infants before they were able to stand and walk independently, the three-muscle response was not consistent in the youngest children. The proportion of trials eliciting muscle activity continued to increase (p <.O5) after infants began to walk independently, with postural muscle activity recorded in virtually every trial by late independent walking. Thus. the automatic postural response elicited during stance was shown to begin with activity in single or paired muscles, followed by activation of the postural muscles in functional synergies. These data illustrate the progressive development of an effective sensory-motor organization.     

Creativity in an Indigenous Afro-Arab Islamic Culture: The Case of Sudan

The present study attempted to appraise creativity in the indigenous Sudanese culture, which is formed by a complex integration and interaction of various social and cultural factors, mainly of African, Arab, and Islamic origin. More specifically, the study investigated the concept of creativity in a conformist culture, the problem of using Western tests and the problem of modernization. Also it attempted to find answers to some crucial questions: What is the scope available for creative expression in a tight sociocultural system? How could creativity coexist with conformity? What form of creativity can exist in the indigenous sociocultural system?