CULTURAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL INFLUENCES UPON SPATIAL-PERCEPTUAL PROCESSES IN WEST AFRICA1 – PART I

Influences culturelles et physiologiques sur les processus spatio-perceptifs dans L'Ouest africain. 1^re partie. — Plusieurs études ont été réalisées dans le Sierra Leone pour tester la validité de certaines hypothèses relatives aux effets d'une culture tribale et d'un trouble endocrinien (Kwashiorkor) sur le développement de la dépendance vis-à-vis du champ et L'acquisition d'aptitudes spatio-perceptives. La première partie traite de la construction d'un test de tridimensionnalité, des variables culturelles et d'une expérience d'enseignement de la tridimensionnalité. La seconde partie présentera L'étude des variables endocriniennes et L'analyse factorielle pour L'ensemble des résultats.     

Reciprocal inhibition by aversion relief in the treatment of phobias

The treatment reported is a combination of Wolpeian reciprocal inhibition and aversion-relief therapies. The relief following termination of electric shock was substituted for Jacobsonian relaxation in the reciprocal inhibition of anxiety. Photographs of phobic objects and tape recordings of narrated phobic experiences were utilized in treating seven phobic patients and one ticqueur. Six of the seven phobic patients were free of phobic fears, without symptom substitution, at time of follow-up. Theoretical implications and research possibilities of the treatment procedure are discussed.     

Variability in gustatory quality identification

A total of 60 male and 60 female non-smoking undergraduates were tested on two gustatory screening tasks in which solutions representing the four basic taste qualities were used. The solution concentrations chosen were low, but supposedly distinct as to their qualities. Only 16% of the males were able to identify all solutions correctly, i.e., to a criterion of 4 correct out of 7 presentations, as compared to 34% of the females. A further 28% of the males consistently confused the sour and bitter qualities as did 10% of the females. A correction procedure used in one part of the experiment did not prevent this confusion. We suggest that the sour-bitter confusion may be the gustatory analogue of abnormal color vision.