Resistance to the response-decrementing effects of response-independent reinforcement produced by delay and non-delay schedules of reinforcement

In two experiments, animals were initially exposed to response-dependent schedules of food before exposure to response-independent reinforcement matched for overall rate and temporal distribution of reinforcers to the preceding condition. In Experiment I, response decrements during the response-independent phase were smaller after delayed reinforcement training than after a comparable immediate reinforcement schedule, for both doves and rats. In Experiment II variable-interval and variable-ratio schedules, both with either immediate or delayed reinforcement, were used with rats. Both the delayed reinforcement schedules produced resistance to subsequent response-independent reinforcement, but response decrements were larger after either of the immediate reinforcement conditions. It was concluded that the critical factor in response maintenance under response-independent reinforcement was the type of response-reinforcer contiguities permitted under the response-dependent schedule rather than perception of response-reinforcer “contingencies”. If the response-dependent schedule was arranged so that behaviours other than a designated operant (key pecking or lever pressing) could be contiguous with food, responding was maintained well under response-independent schedules.     

Neural mechanisms of interference control underlie the relationship between fluid intelligence and working memory span

Fluid intelligence (gF) and working memory (WM) span predict success in demanding cognitive situations. Recent studies show that much of the variance in gF and WM span is shared, suggesting common neural mechanisms. This study provides a direct investigation of the degree to which shared variance in gF and WM span can be explained by neural mechanisms of interference control. The authors measured performance and functional magnetic resonance imaging activity in 102 participants during the n-back WM task, focusing on the selective activation effects associated with high-interference lure trials. Brain activity on these trials was correlated with gF, WM span, and task performance in core brain regions linked to WM and executive control, including bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (middle frontal gyrus; BA9) and parietal cortex (inferior parietal cortex; BA 40/7). Interference-related performance and interference-related activity accounted for a significant proportion of the shared variance in gF and WM span. Path analyses indicate that interference control activity may affect gF through a common set of processes that also influence WM span. These results suggest that individual differences in interference-control mechanisms are important for understanding the relationship between gF and WM span.     

Re-assessing causal accounts of learnt behavior in rats

Rats received either a common-cause (i.e., A→B, A→food) or a causal-chain training scenario (i.e., B→A, A→food) before their tendency to approach the food magazine during the presentation of B was assessed as a function of whether it was preceded by a potential alternative cause. Causal model theory predicts that the influence of an alternative cause should be restricted to the common-cause scenario. In Experiment 1, responding to B was reduced when it occurred after pressing a novel lever during the test phase. This effect was not influenced by the type of training scenario. In Experiment 2, rats were familiarized with the lever prior to test by training it as a potential cause of B. After this treatment, the lever now failed to influence test responding to B. In Experiment 3, rats given common-cause training responded more to B when it followed a cue that had previously been trained as a predictor of B, than when it followed another stimulus. This effect was not apparent in rats that received causal-chain training. This pattern of results is the opposite of that predicted by causal model theory. Thus, in three experiments, the presence of an alternative cause failed to influence test responding in manner consistent with causal model theory. These results undermine the application of causal model theory to rats, but are consistent with associative analyses.     

The Development of Modern Logic

G. FREGE, Collected papers on mathematics, logic, and philosophy. Edited by B. McGuinness. Translated by M. Black, V. H. Dudman, P. Geach, H. Kaal, E.-H. W. Kluge, B. McGuinness and R. H. Stoothoff. Oxford and New York: Blackwell, 1984. viii + 412pp. £28.50.     

Rapists’ talk: Linguistic strategies to control the victim∗

Abstract

Rape is a crime of violence and force. The stereotype of the male rapist's attack is that he attains power and control over the victim through strategies based on physical force. The present study shows that not only do rapists use physically based strategies, but also they use a second set of strategies based on language. The sample consists of 115 female adult, adolescent, and child rape victims. Open‐ended interviews were used and information was collected on what conversation occurred. In analyzing what rapists reportedly said, 11 major themes emerged: threats, orders, confidence lines, personal inquiries of the victim, personal revelations by the rapist, obscene names and racial epithets, inquiries about the victim's sexual “enjoyment,” soft‐sell departures, sexual put downs, possession of women, and taking property from another male. What these themes have in common is that they constitute a strategy for exercising power over the victim, either before, during, or after the rape.     

An Application of Psychoanalysis to Education by Richard M. Jones

Abstract

This report describes a psychosocial therapy group for Parkinson’s patients, focusing on the therapeutic processes arising when group members and therapist share the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. The paper explores the question, “What is the therapeutic effect on the group when the therapist suffers and displays the same illness as members of the group” ? Countertransference issues are described.