CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL AND DROPOUT MDTA TRAINEES1

A study was designed to compare several variables of Manpower Development Training Act (MDTA) clients who dropped out of the program with those of clients who completed the program. A random sample of application cards was drawn for individuals enrolled in MDTA adult classes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Trainees who completed the program were more likely to be married, older, characterized by a more stable employment history prior to entering the program, and slightly more educated than were program dropouts. Clients who completed the program versus those who did not were not significantly different on the following variables: (1) sex; (2) counseling versus no counseling; (3) race; and (4) client reported physical disability.     

Beiträge zur sensori-tonischen Feldtheorie der Wahrnehmung

Zusammenfassung 30 weibliche und 30 männliche Versuchspersonen gaben im Dunkelraum bzw. mit geschlossenen Augen bei seitlicher Körperneigung bis in die Horizontale an, in welcher Position ihnen eine Leuchtlinie und ein Metallstab senkrecht erschienen. In nichtlinearer Abhängigkeit vom Grad der Körperneigung zeigten sich dabei Abweichungen der scheinbaren von der objektiven Vertikalen. Die Tendenz dieser Abweichung war für den visuellen wie für den taktilen Wahrnehmungsbereich gleich, bei geringer Körperneigung entgegen, bei großer Körperneigung in die Richtung der Neigung, wobei letztere Tendenz stärker für die visuelle Vertikale ausgeprägt war. Die Ergebnisse wurden auf dem Boden der sensoritonischen Wahrnehmungstheorie interpretiert, nach der sich die Veränderungen in der Lage der scheinbaren Vertikalen nach dem Prinzip der sensori-tonischen Induktion auf Tonusveränderungen des Organismus durch die Scitwärtsneigung zurückführen lassen. Zur Erklärung der nichtlinearen Beziehung zwischen Körperneigung und Abweichung der scheinbaren Vertikalen wurde ein dynamisches Kräftespiel zwischen einer Tendenz zur Reizzuwendung und einer im Dienst der Konstanterhaltung der Wahrnehmungswelt dieser entgegenwirkenden Reaktion angenommen. Das Ergebnis dieses Kräftespiels ließ sich interpretieren, wenn man die Bedeutung einer Konstanterhaltung der Raumdimensionen in aufrechter gegenüber liegender Körperstellung für den visuellen Fernraum gegenüber dem taktilen Nahraum berücksichtigt.

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Summary Thirty male and 30 female Ss indicated by means of a luminescent rod in the darkroom and by means of a metal bar with closed eyes the vertical direction of space under systematic variation of tilt from erect to the horizontal position. Deviations of apparent from true vertical had a non-linear relation to the degree of body tilt. The trend of deviations was similar for the visual and tactual experiment: With small angles of body tilt apparent vertical tended to deviate opposite to the direction of tilt; with large degrees of tilt apparent vertical tended to deviate in the direction of tilt. The latter tendency was more pronounced for visual than for tactual vertical.The results were interpreted in keeping with sensory-tonic field theory of perception, according to which deviations of apparent vertical were due to changes in the sensory-tonic state of the organism. Such changes were experimentally introduced through lateral body tilt. To explain the non-linear relation between deviations of apparent vertical and the degree of body tilt, it was hypothesized that there is a dynamic interplay between a primary tendency of the organism to towards stimulation and a secondary opposing tendency serving the maintenance of constancy of spatial dimensions. The result of this interplay was interpreted by introducing the notion of biological relevance of spatial constancy of the upright position versus the reclining position for visual far-space and tactual near-space.

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Diese Arbeit wurde unterstützt durch ein Public Health Service Research Grant, MH-00348 des National Institute of Mental Health, während der erste Autor als NATO-Forschungsstipendiat an der Clark-Universität arbeitete. Die Berechnungen wurden im Rechenzentrum des Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts durchgeführt.     

Über Wahrnehmungsverhalten beim 8- bis 10wöchigen Säugling

Zusammenfassung Im Rahmen einer Systemtheorie des Verhaltens und der Persönlichkeit und auf dem Hintergrund der Ergebnisse der Berner Längsschnittuntersuchungen wird eine Hypothese über die Genese der Wahrnehmung entwickelt, wonach die frühesten Wahrnehmungen im wesentlichen Verarbeitungen der Reizwirkungen in einer von zwei Klassen von Verhaltenssystemen sind, nämlich der Abwendung und Selbstsicherung (A-Systeme) bzw. der Zuwendung zur Außenwelt (Z-Systeme).In einem Experiment mit 8-, 9- und l0wöchigen Säuglingen wurde das Wahrnehmungsverhalten in Abhängigkeit von verschiedenen Reizfiguren, von der individuellen Eigenart und vom Aktivationsniveau des Kindes mit Hilfe eines Zeitstichprobenverfahrens beobachtet. Der auf die Differenzierung zwischen den verschiedenen Reizfiguren entfallende Varianzanteil steigt mit zunehmendem Alter an, während die Wirkung der autonomen Aktivationsprozesse allmählich zurücktritt. Mit 10 Wochen kann eine geordnete Form oder gute Gestalt leichter verarbeitet werden als eine mehr zufällige Form.Einige Probleme im Zusammenhang mit Annahmen, Methoden und Ergebnissen des Experiments werden diskutiert, darunter die Theorie der Formwahrnehmung, die Genese von Subjekt- und Objektsystem und die beschränkte Bedeutung der Methode der bevorzugten Fixierung in der Erforschung der Säuglingswahrnehmung.

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Summary Within the framework of a System Theory of behavior and personality and against the background of the results of the Bernese Longitudinal Studies, a hypothesis of the genesis of perception is developed. It states that the earliest perceptions are essentially integrations of the effects of stimuli into one of two classes of behavioral systems, viz. withdrawal and self-preservation (A-systems) or, respectively, approach to the outer world (Z-systems).The perceptual behavior of 8-, 9-, and 10-week-old infants as a function of different stimulus forms, individuality, and activation level was observed by means of a time-sampling rating method. The proportion of variance accounted for by the differences between stimuli was found to increase with age; at the same time the effect of autonomic activation processes was decreasing. At the age of 10 weeks the infant can work up an orderly form or good Gestalt more readily than a more irregularly-shaped form.Some problems in connection with the assumptions, methods, and results of the study are then discussed, including form perception theory, the genesis of subject- and object-system, and some restriction of the method of preferred fixation in the study of infant perception.

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Gegenwärtig als Canada Council Postdoctoral Fellow an der York University in Toronto, Ont., Canada. Der Verfasser möchte seinem verehrten Lehrer Richard Meili seinen herzlichen Dank für die Anregung dieser Arbeit ausdrücken.     

Job Satisfaction Researches of 1964–65

This annual review of job satisfaction researches is the 23rd in a series and covers reports published in 1964–65 plus earlier studies not previously dealt with in this journal. The format—findings and conclusions, topics investigated, per cent dissatisfied, current emphases, and summaries of studies—has become standard in this series of articles.     

Cognitive behavior modification: ‘Motivated learning’ reading treatment with subprofessional therapy-technicians

A method of treating reading deficits based upon an extrinsic motivational system previously employed successfully with a single subject was extended to eighteen additional subjects. The junior-high age subjects included retarded children in special classes, several emotionally disturbed children, and culturally deprived children. The method of training used in the original study was designed to be simple to administer and simple to record the performance of the child. Thus, it was hypothesized that subprofessional personnel could be employed to administer the treatment. Adult volunteers and high school seniors were used as the therapy-technicians.

The eighteen Ss were given 38.2 hr of training in daily half-hour sessions, during which period the average reinforcement earned was $22.29. The mean number of single word reading responses was 94,425. The rate of reading accelerated over the period of training even though the reading material became more difficult. This occurred during a period when progressively less (about one-fourth as much) reinforcement was given per reading response. A mean of 593.5 new words were learned and 70.9 per cent of these were retained in a long-term test. The attention, attendance, cooperation, and diligent work behavior of the various children were maintained in good strength throughout the duration of the study. The results suggest that research be conducted to develop methods for treatment of behavioral deficits that can be widely applied by subprofessional therapy-technicians supervised by clinical psychologists.     

Cognitive-behavior therapy and physical disability

This article attempts to assist the cognitive understanding of children and adults with significant physical disability. A discrimination is offered between disability and handicap. Common cognitive schemes and irrational beliefs of people with physical disabilities are explored. The development of belief systems from a social learning perspective and several cognitive assumptions of parents and families of children who have physical disabilities are presented. Finally, certain self evaluative beliefs specifically related to physical disability are examined in terms of how they relate to self image and, concomitantly, behavior. The article offers information arrived upon from the author's clinical practice as well as the author's personal experience as a person with a physical disability.Dr. John D. Sweetland, received his Ph.D. in Clinical and School Psychology from Hofstra University in 1979. His doctoral dissertation involved the application of a Rational Emotive Education program specifically for severely physically disabled children. He is a licensed psychologist in New York State, a school psychologist with the Port Washington Public Schools and in private practice with offices in Merrick and Massapequa, Long Island. Dr. Sweetland had polio and is semiambulatory. He was also a gymnast and a nationally ranked competitive acrobat.     

Toward a therapeutic jurisprudence analysis of medication refusal in the court review model

A therapeutic jurisprudence analysis attempts to discern the role of legal proceedings, lawyers and judges in producing therapeutic or anti-therapeutic consequences. This paper will attempt to use the therapeutic jurisprudence framework to analyze the legal and administrative aspects of court review as it was reported during a one year epidemiologic study of drug refusal. Characteristics of the review process, the effect on patient refusal, and the attitudes of treating psychiatrists are presented. To broaden the clinical context of the administrative findings, selected clinical characteristics of refusing patients, their attitudes toward mental illness, reasons for refusing medication and satisfaction with court review will be described. The discussion attempts to show how the initial administrative study findings may be interpreted in the broader context of their relationship to the achievement of therapeutic outcomes.     

Distinguishing deviant and non-deviant nurses using the personnel reaction blank

Personnel Reaction Blank (PRB) scores and biographical data were obtained from two groups of registered nurses; a deviant group, represented by those who had official actions taken against their nursing license by the Minnesota Board of Nursing (n=53) and a non-deviant group of nurses (n=79) randomly selected from a broader population. The hypothesis that the deviant group of nurses would exhibit lower PRB scores, on average, compared to the non-deviant group was confirmed. The mean PRB scores for the deviant nurses (m=32.43) were significantly lower (p.01) than for the randomly selected non-deviant nurses (m=35.06). A multiple regression logit analysis showed that in addition to PRB scores, college degree, sex, and household income variables were also significantly related (p.001) to deviant and non-deviant group assignment; nonetheless, PRB significantly differentiated these groups after holding these variables constant.This study is based on the Masters thesis research of the first author. We acknowledge the help of the study subjects who contributed their time and effort.     

Safety locus of control and employees' accidents

This study further established the criterion-related validity of the Safety Locus of Control Scale. The safety scale was designed to predict employment applicants' propensity for on-the-job accidents. In this study, 283 hospital employees with moreexternal safety locus of control orientations reported significantly more occupational accidents, as well as more severe and costly injuries, than workers with moreinternal safety attitudes (p<.05 in all cases). Implications of these results are discussed.Research study presented at the 1988 Annual Conference of the Association of Human Resources Management and Organizational Behavior, Long Beach, California, October 26–29.