Feature encoding and pattern classifications with sequentially presented Markov stimuli

The major objective of this experiment was to develop and evaluate a methodology designed to permit more direct assessment of the detailed processes involved in prototype abstraction. Thirty Ss participated in a task having the following characteristics: (1) classifications of Markov-generated stimuli sampled from two different populations, (2) controlled scanning of pattern features, (3) a measure of the degree to which pattern features were correctly identified, and (4) intermittent reproduction of pattern features abstracted from collections of mixed instances. Results showed that a significant number of the Ss learned to classify the stimuli into categories corresponding to generation rules and, at least partially, abstracted the population prototypes from these variable instances. The feature identification data suggested that the Ss who were unsuccessful in classifying the stimuli into the rule-defined categories used an inappropriate strategy for sampling pattern information upon which to base their classifications.     

Factors affecting grief adjustment

Earlier research has suggested that therapy and time are factors of change in grief level for those who are grieving. This follow-up study of widows and widowers suggests that there are also other relevant factors such as church activities, death of other relatives, other activities, time of grief counseling group, health, age, consideration of remarriage, religion, number of months widowed, and financial situation. A regression analysis of 138 widows and widowers found each of these factors significantly related to the. 05 critical level of significance to various measures of grief level.     

The contexts of system orientation in secondary-school counselling

This is the fourth and final article in a series exploring the ways in which secondary-school counsellors resolve their working dilemmas. It examines evidence to suggest that the resolution of such dilemmas, in terms of the degree to which the demands of the school are legitimated, is carried out in the internal context of other considerations in the minds of the counsellors. Among these other considerations are the extent to which they seek to work within a 'person-focussed' frame of reference, as opposed — perhaps — to the use of organisational structures; and the extent to which they see themselves in a posture of active 'interventionism' in the lives of their clients or the functioning of the system. Evidence is also examined which indicates that the effects of system orientation may be modified by the external context, represented by the capacity of the system as an organismic cell to resist ingression. The suggestion emerges that counsellors are involved in sociological as well as psychological tasks, requiring an ecology model to represent them adequately.     

The role of physiological attention-focusing in the relaxation treatment of sleep disturbance,general tension,and specific stress reaction

Three experiments comparing the effects of muscle tension-release relaxation with vs without physiological attention-focusing and no-treatment on (a) sleep disturbance, (b) general tension, and (c) a variety of time estimation, heart rate perception, and stress reaction measures, are reported. The two relaxation conditions produced equivalent reductions in latency to sleep onset reports, suggesting the importance of tension-release in the relaxation treatment of sleep disturbance. Relaxation without physiological attention-focusing was unexpectedly superior to the other relaxation condition in reducing reported daily tension, supporting Denny's (1976) hypothesis that pervasive anxiety may be a function of anxiety conditioned to relaxation-produced cues. Sleep disturbed subjects over-estimated elapsed time, and relaxation training improved accuracy of time estimation. Several additional differences between sleep and tension subjects and among the three treatment conditions on physiological activity during stress are reported and discussed.     

Counsellors as teachers

An examination of the arguments for and against the role combination of teaching and counselling leads to a view of counselling as being, in some senses, an ingression into the traditional practices of teaching and, in other senses, an egression from them. The traditional practices of teaching are, therefore, analysed in such a way as to generate items for an inventory to measure 'teacher identification'. The inventory also includes items which invite respondents to reject the ingression of non-teaching principles and practices. En route to the development of the inventory, some observations are made concerning the kinds of role combination with teaching which counsellors tend most to resist.     

Algebraic models for integration of painful and nonpainful electric shocks

Subjects rated the average intensity of two sequentially presented electric shocks, which were either painful (intensity range from 1 to 4 mA, Experiment 1) or nonpainful (intensity range from .6 to .9 mA). In both experiments, stimuli were presented in a 4 by 4 factorial design to allow tests of algebraic models of the integration process under analysis of variance (Anderson, 1970, 1974). Both sets of data were fit by the equation R_{i j}=w₁s₁+w₂+s₂, (w₁+w₂=1), where R_{i j}is the rating scale response, s₁ and s₂ the scale values for the first and second stimuli, respectively, and w₁ and w₂ associated weights. When stimuli were painful, w₁=w₂, and when stimuli were nonpainful, w₁< w₂. Subjective scale values as a function of stimulus intensity appear to increase nonlinearly for painful stimuli and linearly for nonpainful stimuli. Some implications of the results for pain research are discussed.     

Testing of an orthogonal measure of cultural identification with adult mission Indians

The Orthogonal Cultural Identification Scale (OCIS; Oetting & Beauvais, 1990-91) has been validated among Native American youth, but not adults. The present study sought to test the reliability (internal consistency) and validity (construct and factorial) of the OCIS among an adult Native American sample consisting of 389 Mission Indians (61% female). Participants were recruited from reservations using a venue sampling strategy. The OCIS was completed as part of a self-assessment packet of questionnaires. Internal consistency for OCIS subscale scores ranged from 0.76 to 0.91. Both concurrent and discriminant validity were demonstrated. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed 2 factors: (1) Anglo American Identification and (2) Native American Identification. These results indicate the OCIS is a reliable and valid instrument for use with adult Native Americans.     

Simultaneous vs sequential discriminations of Markov-generated stimuli

This experiment required Ss to make same-different classifications of Markov-generated histoforms that were distortions of three different prototypes. Task memory requirements were varied by presenting stimuli either simultaneously or sequentially for comparison, and the effects of shifts in memory requirements were also assessed. Classification performance in all cases was found to be superior under the simultaneous condition. Postshift performance was strictly a function of the mode of stimulus presentation following the shift, rather than the memory requirements present in the initial trials. These results, coupled with the observed relationships between performance and a measure of individual stimulus variability under the two memory conditions, strongly suggest that prototype encoding has limited relevance to performance in the same-different classification task used here.     

Discussion: Reflections from the clinical trenches

This paper involves a series of personal reflections on the deleterious impact of excessive bureaucracy and other institutional forces on the psychosocial treatment of the chronically mentally ill. The writer appeals to three groups of mental-health practitioners—behavior analysts, practicing clinicians, and academic clinicians—to promote cultural change by advocating a restructuring of large-scale bureaucracies with the concurrent establishment of multiple community-based associations.     

Evaluation of unconstrained sorting data

Two statistics are offered for evaluating unconstrained sorting performance in a specific task when categories are E-defined. One statistic is based upon empirically estimated sampling distributions and can be used for determining sorting performance significantly deviant from chance for any number of S-defined categories; the second statistic can be used to evaluate consistencies between S- and E-defined categories, regardless of the number of categories used by S. The present procedure provides a statistical basis for evaluation of performance where no adequate evaluation procedures are now available.