Perspective-Taking Judgments of Medication Acceptance: Inferences from Relative Importance about the Impact and Combination of Information

Perspective-taking judgments of medication acceptance were studied for hypothetical mental health treatment scenarios. Three types of information were manipulated in all possible subsets: level of trust in the medication prescriber, severity of the hypothetical mental health condition being experienced, and the potential side effects of the medication. Subjects made judgments from four perspectives: self perspective and that of three other hypothetical people who were each said to place the most importance on one of the three cues. The results showed individual differences in self-reports of the relative importance of the cues which, in turn, predicted differences in judgment patterns. Subjects modified their cue use when making judgments from the perspectives of hypothetical others. The interaction patterns and rank orders of the perspective-taking judgments resembled the individual differences in judgments made from subjects’ own perspectives, but the perspective-taking judgments showed extreme effects of the most important cue. There was also some influence of subjects’ own perspectives on their perspective-taking judgments. When only a subset of the three cues was given, the judgment pattern depended on the importance of the cue that was omitted. The relative weight averaging model accounted for the judgments of only a minority of the subjects. Models which propose that subjects infer the value of missing information were also unsuccessful in explaining the data of the majority. Modifications of those models are proposed.     

The Perception of Teasing Scale (POTS): a revision and extension of the Physical Appearance Related Teasing Scale (PARTS)

This article describes the development and validation of a revised measure for the assessment of history of being teased about physical appearance. Study 1 involved the preliminary psychometric evaluation of the questionnaire on a sample of 227 college women, Two factors emerged: Weight-Related Teasing (WT) and Teasing About Abilities/Competencies (Competency Teasing; CT). The integrity of the factor structure of these two scales was established in Study 2 with a sample of 87 college women. Internal consistency ratios in this sample were also found to be acceptable. In Study 3, 92 college women were administered measures of body image, eating disturbance, and self-esteem to test for convergence with the Perception of Teasing Scale. Subjects also rated teasing items for frequency and effect (e.g., how upset they were by the teasing). Two-week test-retest reliabilities for these measures were acceptable. Weight-Related Teasing correlated to a greater degree with other measures than Competency Teasing. Regression analyses revealed the importance of a frequency versus effect dimension. Findings are discussed in light of recent research on developmental factors in body image and eating disturbance.     

NONCONTINGENT PRESENTATION OF ATTENTION AND ALTERNATIVE STIMULI IN THE TREATMENT OF ATTENTION-MAINTAINED DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR

Previous research has demonstrated that destructive behavior may be reduced through noncontingent presentation of attention when attention is identified as the stimulus responsible for behavioral maintenance. Because it may not always be possible to deliver attention in all situations, we examined the extent to which alternative stimuli that have been identified through a choice assessment would substitute for attention (the functional analysis—based reinforcer) in a noncontingent reinforcement procedure. Prior to treatment, functional analyses demonstrated that the destructive behavior of 2 clients with mental retardation was maintained by adult attention. Next, a stimulus choice assessment identified highly preferred tangible items for the 2 clients. Finally, we compared the effectiveness of two noncontingent reinforcement procedures: continuous noncontingent access to attention and continuous noncontingent access to the tangible item identified in the choice assessment. For both clients, these noncontingent reinforcement procedures reduced destructive behavior. The results are discussed in terms of the clinical implications for the treatment of destructive behavior using functional and alternative stimuli.     

THE USE OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT IN THE TREATMENT OF ESCAPE-MAINTAINED DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR

We identified 3 clients whose destructive behavior was sensitive to negative reinforcement (break from tasks) and positive reinforcement (access to tangible items, attention, or both). In an instructional context, we then evaluated the effects of reinforcing compliance with one, two, or all of these consequences (a break, tangible items, attention) when destructive behavior produced a break and when it did not (escape extinction). For 2 clients, destructive behavior decreased and compliance increased when compliance produced access to tangible items, even though destructive behavior resulted in a break. For 1 client, extinction was necessary to reduce destructive behavior and to increase compliance. Subsequently, when the schedule of reinforcement for compliance was faded for all clients, destructive behavior was lower and fading proceeded more rapidly when compliance produced multiple functional reinforcers (i.e., a break plus tangible items or attention) and destructive behavior was on extinction. The results are discussed in terms of the effects of relative reinforcement value and extinction on concurrent operants.     

TOWARD THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRUCTURED CRITERIA FOR INTERPRETATION OF FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS DATA

Using functional analysis results to prescribe treatments is the preferred method for developing behavioral interventions. Little is known, however, about the reliability and validity of visual inspection for the interpretation of functional analysis data. The purpose of this investigation was to develop a set of structured criteria for visual inspection of multielement functional analyses that, when applied correctly, would increase interrater agreement and agreement with interpretations reached by expert consensus. In Study 1, 3 predoctoral interns interpreted functional analysis graphs, and interrater agreement was low (M = .46). In Study 2, 64 functional analysis graphs were interpreted by a panel of experts, and then a set of structured criteria were developed that yielded interpretive results similar to those of the panel (exact agreement = .94). In Study 3, the 3 predoctoral interns from Study 1 were trained to use the structured criteria, and the mean interrater agreement coefficient increased to .81. The results suggest that (a) the interpretation of functional analysis data may be less reliable than is generally assumed, (b) decision-making rules used by experts in the interpretation of functional analysis data can be operationalized, and (c) individuals can be trained to apply these rules accurately to increase interrater agreement. Potential uses of the criteria are discussed.     

University students' priorities: Life goals vs. relationships

To assess the importance of life goals and relationships, a specially designed Life Goals Scale was administered to 303 university students (200 women and 103 men). Women's average ratings for relationships exceeded those of men. Men and women did not differ in average importance ratings of goals nor in tendency to sacrifice goals for a heterosexual relationship. Seventy-three percent were willing to sacrifice a majority of their goals for the relationship. The goal vs. relationship choices were influenced by sex role orientation, by dating status, and by the importance of marriage. Gender, age, year in school, parents' marital status, and grade point average were unrelated to goal vs. relationship choices. Stepwise multiple regression analyses indicated different predictors of goal vs. relationship choices for men and women.     

Predicting Contraceptive Behavior Among University Men: The Role of Emotions and Behavioral Intentions1

This research employed two theories to predict contraceptive behavior (condom use) among university men. The sexual behavior sequence (Byrne, 1977, 1983) hypothesizes that erotophobia-erotophilia (negative to positive emotional response to sexuality) will generalize and mediate avoidance or approach of contraception. The theory of reasoned action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980; Fishbein & Ajzen, 1975) hypothesizes that condom use behavior (B) is a function of behavioral intentions (BI) to perform this act; BI is hypothesized to be a function of attitudes towards the act (Aact) and relevant subjective norms (SN), and Aact and SN in turn have hypothesized basic determinants (). In addition, the theory of reasoned action holds that variables external to this model (i.e., erotophobia-erotophilia) may only affect behavior indirectly, by affecting the model's components. To test these assumptions, 145 undergraduate males completed measures of erotophobia-erotophilia and BI, Aact, SN, and and with respect to condom use in the coming month; a one month follow-up measure of B was also obtained. Results confirmed each of the hypothesized relationships and showed that for subjects who had sex during the month under study (N= 44), erotophobia-erotophilia and behavioral intentions were related to condom use (r= .33, r= .44, p < .05). Moreover, in contrast to the assumption of the theory of reasoned action, erotophobia-erotophilia and intentions independently predicted condom use; the linear combination of these factors predicted condom use significantly better (R= .57, p < .001) than either factor taken singly. Conceptual and applied implications of these findings are discussed.     

Menstrual discomfort, psychological defenses, and feminine identification

Theorists have suggested that menstrual complaints occur more frequently in women who have a weaker sense of feminine identification. To test this hypothesis 50 women were administered the Body Symptom Questionnaire and the Defense Mechanisms Inventory (DMI). The DMI scales have been linked to differences in sexual identification. Results affirmed a relationship between personality dynamics and the degree of menstrual discomfort experienced by women relative to their other body problems. As predicted, the higher the percentage of menstrual symptoms, the more likely it was that a woman made use of "masculine mode" externalizing defenses and the less apt she was to use "feminine mode" non-externalizing defenses. A composite index of the tendency to externalize hostility when faced with conflict was highly correlated with the percentage of menstrual complaints. The defense pattern findings suggest that a woman who has a strong acceptance of herself as a female will experience fewer of her somatic symptoms as menstrual.     

Spouse-aided versus individual therapy in persisting psychiatric disorders: a systematic comparison

Fifty-three married patients with a wide range of severe, persisting psychiatric disorders were randomly allocated to a form of couples therapy (spouse-aided therapy) or to individual therapy. Both were outpatient, goal-oriented therapies, with an overall mean duration of 9.5 hours. Before, during, immediately after, and three months after therapy, patients and spouses completed ratings of target and personal problems, sexual activity and attitudes, psychological symptoms, and marital satisfaction. Ratings were also conducted by independent assessors. Spouse-aided therapy proved superior to individual therapy at a statistically significant level on most outcome measures, with clinically worthwhile improvements in symptoms, problems, and marital satisfaction in both partners. Individual therapy was followed by improvement in some symptoms, but marital dissatisfaction increased and both partners were more depressed at three months follow-up than before treatment.