Effects of naloxone and neuroleptic drugs on muscle rigidity and heart rate of the nervous Pointer dog

Muscle rigidity, a persistent physiological characteristic of the nervous Pointer dog, is not only attenuated by the major neuroleptic drugs, haloperidol and pimozide but also by naloxone. In addition, naloxone administration results in a modest but significant increase in heart rate of these subjects. The data obtained in this study add support for the concept that an abnormality in central nervous system dopaminergic function is involved in the genesis of abnormal behavior of this animal model.     

Values,expectations, and the prediction of social action: An expectancy-valence analysis

Two studies were conducted to test hypotheses about the relationship of values to action within the context of expectancy-valence theory. In these studies, university students who had previously completed the Rokeach Value Survey answered questionnaires that related to social movement organizations and that contained attitude items, expectancy items, and measures of willingness to assist these organizations. It was predicted that (1) value rankings from the Rokeach Value Survey will be systematically related to attitudes toward social movement organizations; (2) both attitudes and outcome expectancies (subjects' estimates of how helpful their action will be) will be correlated with measures of willingness to act on behalf of an organization; and (3) attitudes and expectancies will jointly account for more of the variance in action measures than either attitudes or expectancies can account for independently. Results showed that hypotheses were consistently supported across two measures of action, two contrasting organizations, hypothetical and actual commitments to act, and two subject samples. These results extend the scope of the expectancy-valence approach by incorporating general values (conceived as motives) into the analysis, and they have practical implications for social movement strategies.The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of John Mann and John Crosbie in compiling and analyzing the data reported here.     

Constructing content and delimiting choice: International coverage of KAL Flight 007

For more than two decades, international debate over a New World Communication and Information Order has called attention to the question of whether or not newspapers around the world are limited by the alleged dominance of the international news flow by the Western media. Looking at how six newspapers from around the world covered the 1983 downing of KAL Flight 007 by the Soviet Union, we find that papers are in fact able to shape their coverage of major international events through their choice of providers, their selection and interpretation of subjects and facts, and their use of headlines to emphasize and frame information. Thus, newspapers can delimit choice to suit their own needs and goals.     

College Students Use Implicit Personality Theory Instead of Safer Sex1

Many college students engage in high levels of unsafe sexual behavior that puts them at risk for HIV infection. To better understand the dynamics underlying college students' unsafe behavior, focus group discussions were conducted with 308 students (146 men and 162 women). The results showed that, instead of consistently using condoms, many college students use implicit personality theories to judge the riskiness of potential sexual partners. Specifically, partners whom college students know and like are not perceived to be risky, even if what students know about these individuals is irrelevant to HIV status. The students determine the riskiness of partners they do not know well based on superficial characteristics that are also generally unrelated to HIV status. Therefore, AIDS prevention interventions for college students must expose the ineffectiveness of the students' use of implicit personality theories to determine potential partners' riskiness, and the “know your partner” safer sex guideline should be abandoned.     

Putting Organizational Effectiveness Into Practice: The Preeminent Consultation Task

Successful consultation relies on the consultant's ability to conceptualize the operations of the total organization. An overview of the theoretical and practical applications of the construct “organizational effectiveness” (OE) is presented in relation to consultation. Barriers limiting earlier conceptualizations and applications of the construct are identified and discussed. A model of OE that melds open systems, organizational, and consultation theories is presented as a tool for guiding maximally beneficial consultation interventions. The implications of this model for consultation practice, advancing theory and research, and professional ethics are discussed.     

A Comparison of Survey Data Collected by Regular Mail and Electronic Mail Questionnaires

A survey was conducted by the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) to examine the telecommunications needs of the organization's membership. A component of this study permitted an examination of two response modalities (regular mail and e-mail) across a number of variables. Separate samples of 585 were drawn to take the survey. The first sample consisted of all those organization members who had registered their e-mail address with the organization while the second sample was randomly selected from those members who did not list an e-mail address. The first group was sent a nine question instrument via e-mail while the second group was asked to fill out a ten question instrument via regular mail. Overall response rates were low and significantly different [30% for the e-mail group and 36% for the regular mail group, ² (1) = 10.42, p < .01], though not uncommon for institutional surveys. Individual item response rates, however, were statistically significantly higher for the e-mail group across a number of dimensions. The results suggest that for some organizations, e-mail questionnaires may be a viable mechanism for conducting surveys. Suggestions are made on how to improve overall response rates.     

Posttraumatic stress disorder: A sensitization reaction

This article discusses past research bearing on the question of the etiology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It argues that PTSD can be adequately accounted for by a process of emotional sensitization and that this is a more parsimonious explanation than the two-factor learning theory of Mowrer, now postulated by several writers. In brief, the etiology and subsequent development of PTSD is viewed as the result of the sensitization of fear/anxiety which is linked to a variety of to be conditional stimuli by both backward and forward association: these become conditional stimuli (CSi) once paired with the instigating circumstances. It is furthermore assumed that PTSD will not occur in the absence of a genetic susceptibility that may vary from zero to absolute certainty. Thus far, our evidence is limited to a sensitivity to loud sounds, but it is highly probable that touch and other sensory systems are involved (not necessarily in parallel). The fact that abuse often leads to behavioral disorders, including sexually seductive behaviors in children sexually abused, requires a recognition that emotional reactions other than fear may be sensitized. Fear in combination with pleasure or pleasure alone coupled with a loss of self-esteem may explain these acting-out behaviors.     

Predictive Validity of Adult Attachment Measures in Relation to Emotion Regulation Behaviors in Marital Interactions

This study examined the predictive validity of 2 assessment approaches to adult attachment in relation to emotion regulation behaviors during marital conflict interactions. Both partners of 40 couples completed the Adult Attachment Style self-report (AAS; C. Hazan & P. Shaver, 1987), the Adult Attachment Questionnaire (AAQ; J. A. Simpson, 1990), the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; C. George, N. Kaplan, & M. Main, 1985), and a videotaped interaction during which the partners engaged in a problem-solving discussion. The discussions were coded by means of the Interactional Dimensions Coding System (IDCS; D. Julien, H. J. Markman, & K. M. Lindhal, 1989). Results showed that AAI classification predicted proactive emotion regulation behaviors, whereas the AAS and the AAQ did not. Issues concerning the predictive validity of current measures of adult attachment are discussed.