Experimental analysis of human vocal behavior: applications of speech-recognition technology

Recent developments in speech recognition make it feasible to apply the technology to study vocal behavior. The present study illustrates the use of this technology to establish functional stimulus classes. Eight students were taught to say nonsense words in the presence of arbitrarily assigned sets of symbols consistent with three three-member experimenter-defined stimulus classes. Computer-controlled speech-recognition software was used to record, analyze, and differentially reinforce vocal responses. When the stimulus classes were established, students were taught to say a new nonsense word in the presence of one member of each stimulus class. Transfer of function was tested subsequently to determine if the novel stimulus names transferred to the remaining stimulus class members. Most subjects required two iterations of the training and testing procedures before transfer occurred. The data illustrate the usefulness of recording vocal behavior during stimulus control procedures and demonstrate the use of speech-recognition technology. The paper also describes the current state of speech-recognition technology and suggests several other areas of research that might benefit from using vocal behavior as its primary datum.     

Visions of rationality

The classical view that equates rationality with adherence to the laws of probability theory and logic has driven much research on inference. Recently, an increasing number of researchers have begun to espouse a view of rationality that takes account of organisms' adaptive goals, natural environments, and cognitive constraints. We argue that inference is carried out using boundedly rational heuristics, that is, heuristics that allow organisms to reach their goals under conditions of limited time, information, and computational capacity. These heuristics are ecologically rational in that they exploit aspects of both the physical and social environment in order to make adaptive inferences. We review recent work exploring this multifaceted conception of rationality.     

Applied behavior analysis at West Virginia University: A brief history

The development of an emphasis on applied behavior analysis in the Department of Psychology at West Virginia University is traced. The emphasis began primarily in the early 1970s, under the leadership of Roger Maley and Jon Krapfl, and has continued to expand and evolve with the participation of numerous behavior analysts and behavior therapists, both inside and outside the department. The development has been facilitated by several factors: establishment of a strong behavioral emphasis in the three Clinical graduate programs; change of the graduate program in Experimental Psychology to a program in basic Behavior Analysis; development of nonclinical applied behavior analysis within the Behavior Analysis program; establishment of a joint graduate program with Educational Psychology; establishment of a Community/Systems graduate program; and organization of numerous conferences. Several factors are described that seem to assure a stable role for behavior analysis in the department: a stable and supportive "culture" within the department; American Psychological Association accreditation of the clinical training; a good reputation both within the university and in psychology; and a broader community of behavior analysts and behavior therapists.     

Inpatient adolescent and latency-age children's perspectives on the curative factors in group psychotherapy

Thirty-three adolescent and 11 child psychiatric inpatients were administered a downward revision of Yalom's (1970) 60-item Q-sort, which sets forth 12 putative curative factors of group, to assess patient perceptions of which factors in group therapy are most curative. The impact that age, patient level of functioning, and time in treatment had on which factors were most valued was assessed. Patient perceptions of the value of group compared to other treatment modalities were also assessed. Both child and adolescent subjects highly valued the factors of Hope, Cohesiveness, and Universality. Patients' level of functioning had limited effects on adolescents' perceptions, but did effect children's perceptions of what was most valued in group. The modest effect of time in treatment was attributed to the short duration of inpatient treatment. Implications for inpatient adolescent and child group therapy and future research are explored.Appreciation is extended to Mary Kelly, Elly Cobb, and Anna Csaky-Chase for their conceptual and editorial assistance.     

The interactions of courtship, feeding, and locomotion in the behavioral hierarchy of the snail Helix aspersa

Starvation both increased the number of snails that exhibited feeding (i.e., increased feeding proclivity) and decreased the latencies of response to a food stimulus (i.e., increased food arousal). Feeding inhibited locomotion, although starvation itself had no effect. Sexual arousal (the intensity of courtship) increased locomotion, but only in the absence of a mating partner. Sexual proclivity (the likelihood of a snail to court with conspecifics) had no effect on locomotion. In general, proclivity and arousal had different effects on behavior. Food deprivation did not alter the preference of sexually aroused snails for sexual stimuli over food stimuli Both starved and fed courting pairs responded to a food stimulus only during periods of low sexual arousal, although when not sexually aroused, starved snails usually increased the amount of time they spent in contact with a food stimulus. These results suggest that courtship can suppress feeding and that the expression of feeding behavior is dependent upon the occurrence of low levels of sexual arousal (time sharing).     

Sensitivity and Strength: Effects Of Instructions on Resistance to Change

Several research laboratories have found that instructed behavior can be less sensitive to changes in contingencies than shaped behavior. The current experiment examined whether these differences in sensitivity could be related to resistance to change. Two groups of subjects, who were matched on the basis of an initial disruption assessment, were exposed to a variable-interval 30-s schedule of reinforcement with and without a disrupter. The disrupter was a video presentation of a popular television situation comedy. One group received minimal instructions (MI) that told them only that they could earn points exchangeable for money. Each member of the second group received a complete instruction (CI) that described the topography of the target response that was yoked to a MI subject’s stable baseline response rate. The response rates under the disruption condition for the CI subjects were more resistant to change than the MI subjects in 14 out of 15 disruption sessions. These findings are discussed in terms of resistance to change being increased by instructional conditions like those manipulated and that the procedures used to test disruption provide an additional method to !waluate differences between instructed and contingency-governed behavior.

     

Let’s be healthy together: Relational motivation for physical health is more effective for women

Four studies examined the role of relationally-autonomous reasons in health behavior (RARHs) and how gender moderates their association with health outcomes. Study 1 (n = 160) involved the development of a measure of RARHs. The results of a factor analysis distinguished RARHs from other types of health reasons. In Study 2, participants (n = 284) completed a survey assessing their relational reasons prior to taking assessments of their body composition and fitness level. In Study 3, participants (n = 577) completed an online survey assessing RARHs, self-construal and health behaviors. The results of Studies 2 and 3 showed that RARHs positively predicted healthy outcomes for females only. In Study 4, participants (n = 72) were asked to complete an online survey, attend an orientation session, keep track of their exercise and nutrition over the course of a week, and attend a follow-up session. The results revealed that having an exercise partner was positively associated with RARHs, and that this in turn predicted reported effort and progress outcomes at the follow-up session for females only. Implications for theories of motivation and gender differences are discussed.