Comparison of PPVT-R and WISC-R in a mild/moderate handicapped sample

The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, Form L was compared with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised with a sample of 32 mild/moderate handicapped students (24 boys, 8 girls). Significant correlations were found between the WISC-R Full Scale IQ (.46) and the WISC-R Verbal IQ (.50) and the PPVT-R, but no significant correlation was found between the WISC-R Performance IQ and the PPVT-R (.34). Mean scores on the PPVT-R and WISC-R were significantly different.     

A meta-analytic evaluation of couples weight-loss programs

Applied Hedges and Olkin's (1985) statistical meta-analytic procedures to summary data from all published studies that compared behavioral weight-control programs that formally involved partners in treatment (couples programs) to similar programs in which subjects participated alone (subject-alone programs). Based on tests of effect sizes, couples programs are significantly superior to subject-alone programs at posttreatment (p less than .05). A nearly significant (p = .06) statistical superiority for couples programs versus subject-alone programs is also found at 2- to 3-month follow-up, but not thereafter. The couples programs differed in the kinds of social support provided by partners, and the most productive kinds of partner support remain to be identified. In particular, the use of partners in providing social support to subjects after formal therapy has ended is still an area of largely unexplored potential.     

Spouse involvement and a possible long-term follow-up trap in weight loss

The present study was conducted to determine if husband attendance at treatment sessions and participation in behavioral contracting would produce greater weight losses than two other levels of spouse involvement. The three treatment groups investigated did not significantly differ at post-treatment but by 1-yr follow-up female Ss who attended treatment sessions alone and contracted with the counselor (HA) lost significantly more weight than women who attended sessions with their husbands and also contracted with the counselor (HNC). The Ss who attended sessions with their husbands and contracted with them (HC) did not significantly differ from Ss in the other two conditions. The total amount lost by Ss in the HA, HNC and HC conditions by 1-yr follow-up was 16.4, 4.4 and 15.5 lb, respectively. The study was also conducted to collect preliminary data about procedures Ss used during long-term follow-up to ascertain if weight losses during follow-up could be attributed to the behavioral weight-loss techniques learned during the treatment program. At all follow-up periods, many Ss reported using behavioral weight-loss techniques but 4 of the 36 Ss (11.1%) at 1-yr follow-up, 15 of the 23 (65.2%) and 24 of the 25 (96.0%) who responded, respectively, at 3- and 4-yr follow-up had used other weight-loss programs or methods. A possible confound for follow-up data was identified and suggestions for future research were presented.     

Stimulus control of spatial behavior on the eight-arm maze in rats

Rats were trained on an eight-arm, elevated radial maze in a large cylindrical chamber where extramaze stimuli could be manipulated. The first experiment indicated that rats could use extramaze stimuli to locate the arms if such stimuli were available, whereas they performed less effectively and tended to employ response chaining if these stimuli were not available. The second experiment demonstrated that maze performance was disrupted by transposition of the stimuli but was relatively unaffected by rotation of the same stimuli. The third experiment suggested that the disruptive effect of stimulus transposition might be due to a “resetting” process elicited by the alteration in the configuration of the stimuli after stimulus transposition. These results suggest that when extramaze stimuli are available, rats tend to use such stimuli in a configurational manner to locate the arms rather than as a list of items processed independently of their spatial relationships to each other.     

Tri-ethnic alcohol use and religion,family, and gender

Nine different behavioral responses to alcohol by over two hundred ninth-graders in Austin, Texas, were examined in a survey designed to identify the relationship between adolescents' alcohol use, religious affiliation, religiosity, and gender. The relationship between alcohol use and family adaptability was also examined. While religious affiliation was found to be mildly predictive of use, religiosity determined only specific behavior. Gender differences in alcohol use appeared to be narrowing. Family adaptability was the most predictive variable, showing a relationship with six of the nine kinds of alcohol behavior. Future studies of family influences on adolescents' alcohol behavior and alcohol use among females are recommended.     

The Impact of Gender on Productivity and Satisfaction Among Medical School Psychologists

The impact of gender on productivity and satisfaction was examined among a random sample of 293 psychologists employed as faculty members in medical schools. Forty-one percent of the respondents were female. Males were older than females, had worked in a medical school longer, had higher academic ranks, held more administrative positions, were more likely to be tenured, and earned higher salaries. When years of employment as a psychologist were statistically controlled, there were no gender differences in productivity, as measured by publications, presentations, and grant awards; however, gender differences in salary remained. Females were less satisfied than males with regard to salary, promotion opportunities, and overall respect. Results are discussed within the context of the changing gender composition within psychology and the changing demands within the health care system.