Taste sensitivity in infrahuman species: Use of a genetic model to test the validity of alternative measures

In a genetic analysis of PTC taste sensitivity of mice, Ss were presented tap water and a PTC solution in a two-choice situation. A preference index was used as a measure of taste sensitivity, assuming that ability to taste would lead to avoidance, i.e., negative preference. This assumption, however, lead to the rejection of seven Ss who preferred the test solution. Due to the undesirability of deleting Ss, the data were reanalyzed, using an alternative index of taste sensitivity that required no assumption concerning the hedonic quality of the test solution. Information regarding the inheritance of taste sensitivity to PTC provided the validating criterion for this measure.     

Stereopsis with opposite contrast contours

The effects of incidental stimuli, defined as visual stimuli not under verbal control, upon a selection task were observed as a function of feedback contingency. Ss judged letter pairs to be valid or invalid completions of preceding letter parts. During the presentation of the letter parts, the response pair or an alternative pair of letters was intermittently presented at a threshold value individually determined for each S. One group of Ss received a light feedback of performance contingent upon responding to the incidental stimuli; whereas a second group received a random noncontingent feedback. The results indicated: (a) both groups responded to the incidental stimuli; (b) feedback contingency had no effect on frequency of responding to the incidental stimuli; (c) frequency of responding to the incidental stimuli remained constant over 32 trials.     

Borderline Personality Clients in University Populations

Border personality disorder symptomatology is described as it may appear within a university population. The etiology of the disorder is examined from a Kohutian self-psychology perspective. Case-management procedures are outlined with a view to preventing inappropriate contracting with severely disturbed borderline clients. Recommendations are made regarding diagnosis procedures and the use of referrals. The impact of borderline clients on university staff is also discussed.     

Depressive personality: reliability, validity, and relation to dysthymia

The reliability and validity of Schneider's (1958) construct of depressive personality was evaluated in a sample of 177 outpatients, who were administered structured diagnostic and family history interviews, an extensive battery of inventories, and a 6-month follow-up assessment. The criteria for depressive personality had moderate to good interrater reliability, internal consistency, and test-retest stability, and the assessment of depressive personality traits was not influenced by patients' clinical states. In addition, preliminary support for the convergent and discriminant validity of the depressive personality construct was obtained. Although there were significant relations between the depressive personality and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed. and rev. 3rd ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1980, 1987) diagnoses of dysthymia, the depressive personality was not entirely subsumed by existing mood disorders.     

Letter identification declines with increasing retinal eccentricity at the same rate for normal and dyslexic readers

It has recently been claimed (Geiger & Lettvin, 1987; Perry, Dember, Warm, & Sacks, 1989) that the acuity/eccentricity function is flatter in dyslexics than in normal subjects, with dyslexics showing better performance in the periphery and worse performance at fixation. In these studies, all target letters were presented to the right of fixation, a procedural flaw inviting subjects to optimize performance by directing attention and/or gaze to the right of the designated fixation point. It is suggested that dyslexic and normal readers may differ in the degree to which they might adopt the optimal strategy in this situation. To overcome this problem, target letters were briefly presented at 16 randomly intermixed locations derived from the orthogonal combination of four eccentricities and four directions from fixation (above, below, right, left). The accuracy of letter identification declined with increasing eccentricity at the same rate for good and poor adult readers and dyslexic teenagers. This finding provides no support for the view that the acuity/eccentricity function might vary with and possibly cause differences in reading level.     

MATERNITY LEAVE AND WOMEN'S MENTAL HEALTH

The Wisconsin Maternity Leave and Health Study addresses an important policy issue, parental leave, by investigating the work status, maternity leave, and mental health of 570 women. In the longitudinal design, the women, all of whom were living with a husband or partner, were interviewed during the fifth month of pregnancy, 1 month postpartum, and 4 months postpartum. At 4 months postpartum, full-time workers, part-time workers, and homemakers did not differ in depression or anger, but full-time workers showed elevated anxiety compared with the other two groups. In multiple regression analyses, length of leave interacted significantly with marital concerns when predicting depression; women who took a short leave (6 weeks or less) and were high on marital concerns had the highest depression scores. Short maternity leave can be conceptualized as a risk factor that, when combined with other risk factors such as marital concerns, places women at greater risk for depression.