Comparing the effects of differential reinforcement of other behavior and response-cost contingencies on tics in youth with tourette syndrome

Tics are rapid, repetitive, stereotyped movements or vocalizations that arise from neurobiological dysfunction and are influenced by environmental factors. Although persons with tic disorders often experience aversive social reactions in response to tics, little is known about the behavioral effects of such consequences. Along several dimensions, the present study compared the effects of two treatments on tics: response cost (RC) and differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO). Four children with Tourette syndrome were exposed to free-to-tic baseline, DRO, RC, and quasibaseline rebound evaluation conditions using an alternating treatments design. Both DRO and RC produced substantial decreases in tics from baseline levels. No differential effects of DRO and RC contingencies were seen on self-reported stress or in the strength of the reflexive motivating operation (i.e., premonitory urge) believed to trigger tics, and neither condition produced tic-rebound effects. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

The restorative effects of smoking upon self-control resources: a negative reinforcement pathway

Based on a model in which self-control (SC) is considered to be a limited resource, research suggests that diminished SC resources may increase the likelihood of tobacco smoking. Yet, the inverse--how smoking may influence SC resources--has not been tested. The authors of this study utilized a randomized, 2 × 2 crossed-factorial (SC Depletion Manipulation × Smoking Manipulation), between-subjects design to test the hypothesis that smoking restores depleted SC resources. To manipulate SC depletion, experimenters instructed half of 132 nicotine dependent smokers to suppress their emotional reaction to a brief video depicting environmental damage (i.e., depletion), whereas the other half were instructed to "act natural" (i.e., no depletion) during viewing. Half of the participants in each condition then smoked a cigarette, whereas the other half sat patiently without smoking (i.e., smoke vs. no smoke). All participants then completed behavioral measures of SC. As hypothesized, an interaction occurred between the depletion and smoking manipulations for duration of time spent on a frustrating mirror-tracing task. That is, depletion reduced persistence on the task, unless depletion was followed by smoking. This effect was mediated by positive affect (PA). Thus, smoking appeared to restore depleted SC resources via modulation of PA, but independent of negative affect or smoking urges. These findings suggest that restoration of SC resources may represent another means by which smoking is negatively reinforced. The application of the self-control strength model to the study of nicotine dependence may inform the development of novel treatment modalities.     

Naïve realism and capturing the “wisdom of dyads”

Two studies provided evidence for the role of naïve realism in the failure of individuals to give adequate weight to peer input, and explored two strategies for reducing the impact of this inferential bias. Study 1 demonstrated that dyad members see their own estimates as more “objective” than those of their partners and that this difference in perceived objectivity predicts the degree of underweighting. Compelling participants to assess their own versus their partners' objectivity prior to revising estimates decreased underweighting, an effect that was mediated by differences in perceived objectivity. Study 2 showed that the increase in accuracy that results from requiring dyad members to offer joint estimates via discussion is largely retained in subsequent individual estimates. Both studies showed that underweighting is greater when dyad members disagree on the issue about which they are making consensus estimates—a finding that further supports a “naïve realism” interpretation of the phenomenon.     

Detecting Treatment Effects with Small Samples: The Power of Some Tests Under the Randomization Model

Randomization tests are often recommended when parametric assumptions may be violated because they require no distributional or random sampling assumptions in order to be valid. In addition to being exact, a randomization test may also be more powerful than its parametric counterpart. This was demonstrated in a simulation study which examined the conditional power of three nondirectional tests: the randomization t test, the Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney (WMW) test, and the parametric t test. When the treatment effect was skewed, with degree of skewness correlated with the size of the effect, the randomization t test was systematically more powerful than the parametric t test. The relative power of the WMW test under the skewed treatment effect condition depended on the sample size ratio.     

Familial and peer modeling and verbal commentary: associations with muscularity-oriented body dissatisfaction and body change behaviors

This study investigated associations between familial and peer modeling of weightlifting and verbal commentary with muscularity-oriented body dissatisfaction and body change behaviors to increase muscularity in men. Participants were 177 male undergraduates who completed self-report questionnaires measuring negative verbal commentary about appearance and encouragement to lift from family and peers, paternal and peer modeling of weightlifting, muscularity-oriented body dissatisfaction and body change behaviors aimed at increasing muscularity. Two hierarchical linear regressions examined the relationships between these social influences and body dissatisfaction and body change behaviors. Both regression models were significant. Peer encouragement to lift and peer negative verbal commentary were significant predictors of body dissatisfaction; paternal and peer modeling and peer encouragement to lift were significant predictors of body change behaviors. These findings confirm the importance of verbal commentary to male body dissatisfaction and also highlight the importance of modeling on men's engagement in body change behaviors to increase muscularity.     

Time Flies When You're Having Approach-Motivated Fun: Effects of Motivational Intensity on Time Perception

Time flies when you're having fun, but what is it about pleasant experiences that makes time seem to go by faster? In the experiments reported here, we tested the proposal that approach motivation causes perceptual shortening of time during pleasant experiences. Relative to a neutral state or a positive state with low approach motivation (Experiment 1), a positive state with high approach motivation shortened perceptions of time. Also, individual differences in approach motivation predicted shorter perceptions of time. In Experiment 2, we manipulated approach motivation independently of the affective state and showed that increasing approach motivation caused time to be perceived as passing more quickly. In Experiment 3, we showed that positive approach motivation, as opposed to arousal, shortens perception of time by comparing a highly arousing positive state with a highly arousing negative state. Shortening of time perception in appetitive states may prolong approach-motivated behavior and increase the likelihood of acquiring appetitive objects or goals.     

The Three‐option Format for Knowledge and Ability Multiple‐choice Tests: A case for why it should be more commonly used in personnel testing

Multiple‐choice (MC) tests are arguably the most widely used testing format in applied settings. In the psychometric and education literatures, research on the optimal number of options for knowledge and ability MC tests has revealed that three‐option tests are psychometrically equivalent and, in some cases, superior to five‐option tests. In addition, there are a number of practical, economic, and administrative advantages associated with the use of three‐option MC tests. Yet, despite its advantages, the three‐option format is underutilized in personnel selection. Across two studies, we compared test‐taker perceptions, criterion‐related validity, and sex‐based subgroup differences, and in Study 1, we compared race‐based subgroup differences on three‐ and five‐option tests. Participants in the two studies completed a three‐ or five‐option version of ACT. Test perceptions, criterion‐related validity, and race‐ and sex‐based subgroup differences were similar across test formats. The implications for the expanded use of three‐option tests in applied settings and future directions for research are discussed.     

A Structural Modeling Examination of the Executive Decline Hypothesis of Cognitive Aging Through Reanalysis of Crawford et al.'s (2000) Data

This study presents a new analysis of data previously published by Crawford, Bryan, Luszcz, Obansawin, and Stewart (2000) examining the role of executive function in age-related declines in general cognitive ability and memory. Although the original authors' question is relevant to understanding the role of executive function in aging, this paper argues that the methods used can be substantially improved to more accurately answer the question. Thus, Crawford et al.'s data are here analyzed using a more parsimonious methodological approach (structural equation modeling), and the results obtained depart from the authors' results but are in line with their original hypotheses. First, for younger individuals, age was differently associated with verbal measures of cognitive ability than with performance measures. Although the relation of age to executive function was stronger than the relation of age to verbal abilities, this difference was not apparent with regard to performance abilities. Second, across samples (i.e., younger and older individuals), memory was not accounted for by cognitive ability but was related to age and executive function. Finally, also across samples, executive function was strongly linked to recall and recognition measures, accounting for the largest variance in memory. These results are discussed in relation to previous findings as well as their theoretical significance for aging research.