Providing independent recreational activities to reduce stereotypic vocalizations in chronic schizophrenics.

We evaluated the effects of minimally supervised, independent recreational activities on stereotypic vocal behavior in two chronic schizophrenic patients. In baseline sessions, subjects were observed during unstructured free time in the psychiatric ward. In treatment sessions, therapists presented preferred recreational materials (magazines, models, and art projects), verbally prompted on-task behavior every 20 min, and, in one condition, administered contingent tokens. Independent recreational activities reduced medium-rate self-talk in one subject and high-rate mumbling in a second subject by 60%-70%. Results were the same with or without contingent tokens. Apparent self-maintaining characteristics of these vocal responses are discussed.     

Caloric balancing and sucrose intake of hamsters and gerbils

In Experiment 1, hamsters and gerbils were randomly assigned to groups that were given a choice between pairs of sucrose solutions differing in concentration. The groups consisted of a control along with the following pairs: 2% and 6%; 2% and 8%; 2% and 12%; 2% and 18%; 6% and 8%; 6% and 12%; 6% and 18%; 12% and 18%. They were tested for 15 days, and the results indicated that the animals drank more from the cylinder containing the higher concentration. The principle of "least consummatory effort" appeared to be substantiated by these results. In Experiment 2, other hamsters and gerbils were randomly assigned to one of six groups receiving either 0.5%, 2%, 6%, 10%, 14%, or 18% sucrose solution. Analysis of their intake of sucrose and Purina Lab Chow indicated that their total caloric intake was relatively constant, reflecting the fact that an increase of consumption of the solutes in the sucrose solution reduced their intake of the stock diet. The results from both experiments indicated that although the caloric intake of hamsters relative to body weight was greater than that of gerbils, the proportion of total calories taken from sucrose was greater for the latter than for the former.     

On the importance of being masculine: Sex role,attribution, and women's career achievement

The present study investigated the relation between sex-role identification and career achievement in working women. Women classified as feminine in Bem's Sex Role Inventory achieved less in their careers, attributed their career performance less to ability and effort, and had parents with lower educational expectations for them than women classified as masculine. Multiple regression analysis of a number of correlates revealed that education level and masculinity were the only significant predictors of career achievement in women. When education was not included in the regression analysis, both masculinity and the absence of femininity predicted women's achievement.This study is based on an honor's thesis by Gail E. Kettlewell and is supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant to P. T. P. Wong.     

Effects of eye movements on the recognition and localization of dichotic stimuli

Three experiments examined the effect of gaze shifts on overall performance and ear differences in dichotic listening. In the first two experiments, lights were switched on and off so as to induce rightward, leftward, or upward gaze during dichotic stimulation. The dichotic material consisted of musical passages in Experiment 1 and two kinds of verbal material in Experiment 2. Vertical eye movements enhanced the accuracy of identification of music but not verbal material. The lateral direction of eye movements affected subjects' ability to localize targets in Experiment 1: localization was more accurate in the direction toward which subjects were looking. In the third experiment it was found that optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) influenced the asymmetry of performance on a dichotic consonant-vowel (CV) test. The right-ear advantage was greatest when the OKN drum rotated from left to right and least when it rotated from right to left. The effect was due to corresponding variation in left-ear scores. Possible mechanisms through which shifts of gaze affect auditory identification and localization are proposed.     

Value and Sex-Role Orientation of Chinese Adolescents

The value preference of a sample of Chinese adolescent high school students, as measured by the Rokeach Value Survey, showed a greater emphasis on the personal and competency values. Specifically, adolescents in this study tended to favour a joyous, comfortable, free, and enjoyable lifestyle. It was found that the four most important terminal values were: freedom, true friendship, happiness, and a comfortable life, while the four least important were: mature love, national security, an exciting life, and salvation. The four most important instrumental values included: capable, cheerful, broadminded, and intellectual, while the four least important included: logical, imaginative, clean, and obedient. The relationships between value preference and sex role were examined and close relationships were found, especially with respect to the instrumental values. Specifically, masculine adolescents were more agentic and instrumental, and feminine adolescents were more expressive and communal in their value preference. Androgynous adolescents were found more similar to the masculine than to the feminine group. In addition, regression analyses showed that masculinity tended to have more pervasive effects than femininity on adolescents' value preference. The implications and significance of the findings of this study in contrasting the general collectivistic depiction of Chinese and in relating to adolescent development, are discussed.     

Rat gestation during space flight: Outcomes for dams and their offspring born after return to earth

Sprague-Dawley rats were studied to learn whether gestation in the near-zero gravity, high radiation environment of space impacts selected mammalian postnatal events. Ten rats spent days nine to twenty of pregnancy aboard the space shuttle orbiterAtlantis (STS-66). Their movement, was studied shortly after return to Earth; subsequently, several of their offspring were cross-fostered and examined through postnatal day 81 (P81) for whole body growth and somatic motor development. Values for the flight animals were compared to ground-based control groups. Relative to controls, the pregnant flight rats showed a marked paucity of locomotion during the first few hours after returning to Earth. There was greater likelihood of perinatal morbidity for the offspring of flight dams when compared to the control groups. Whole body weight of surviving offspring, averaged for each group separately, showed typical sigmoidal growth curves when plotted against postnatal age. The flight group for our study had a larger ratio of female to male pups, and that was sufficient to account for the lower average daily weight gained by the flight animals when compared to the control groups. Walking was universally achieved by P13 and preceded eye opening which was complete in all pups by P17. Thus, both of these developmental horizons were attained on schedule in the flight as well as the control rats. Characteristic changes were observed in hind limb step length and gait width as the pups grew. These patterns occurred at the same time in each group of rats. Therefore, prenatal space flight from days nine to twenty of gestation did not interfere with the establishment of normal patterns for hind paw placement during walking.     

重复知盲:刺激呈现时间及作业对反应时的影响

本研究用汉字材料及反应时的数据来探讨重复知盲现象及有关机制。在实验一中,被试必须判断快速连续呈现的两个字究竟是否包含两个或是只有一个动物字。结果显示在７０毫秒时,有重复知盲现象（重复动物字组比非重复动物字组的反应时为长）;在１００毫秒时则无;另外,在２００毫秒时则有重复启动现象产生（重复动物字组比非重复动物字组的反应时为短）。实验二采用同样的材料及呈现方法,但被试只需要判断以７０毫秒呈现之实验材料中的第二个字是否动物字。结果发现类似重复启动的现象,这些结果显示,呈现时间与作业是决定重复刺激究竟造成知盲或启动效应的重要因素。本文另外还讨论本研究的方法与结果对了解重复刺激心理加工的可能贡献。     

Feeding inhibition produced by concurrent sucrose ingestion in gerbils and hamsters

The daily 1-h intake of solid diet, 7% sucrose solution, and water of gerbils and hamsters tested for a 15-day period was investigated. Results of Experiment 1 indicated that gerbils provided with sucrose solution in addition to Purina rat chow showed an inhibition of food intake relative to control gerbils not given access to sucrose solution. However, experimental animals did not differ from control animals in either body weight loss or total caloric intake. For Experiment 2, results indicated that hamsters provided with sucrose solution in addition to sunflower seeds did not differ in their daily 1-h intake of seeds from control hamsters that had access to sunflower seeds. In Experiment 3, gerbils were tested under the same conditions as those of Experiment 2, and results indicated that concurrent sucrose ingestion inhibited the intake of sunflower seeds. The implications of these species differences in reactions to the test conditions are discussed.