Motivation×Expectancy×Value: A functional measurement approach

Functional measurement methodology was applied to test theMotive×Expectancy×Value (MEV) model of human motivation. Subjects judged the value of hypothetical games of chance in which hunger, chance of winning a sandwich, and sandwich preference were varied along with similar information concerning a drink. Graphical tests showed excellent agreement between the data and the theoretical properties of parallelism and linear fan shape. Exact statistical tests of goodness of fit confirmed these graphical tests. Despite the complexity of the task, which required integration of six pieces of information, subjects' judgments obeyed a simple cognitive algebra. Applications of functional measurement were suggested for approach-avoidance conflict, level of aspiration, work motivation, and achievement motivation. These methods can provide exact tests of the behavior models in terms of the subjective values at the level of the individual. They thus provide a unified nomothetic-ideographic approach to motivation theory.This work was supported by National Science Foundation grants MBS 74-19124 and BNS 75-21235, and by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health to the Center for Human Information Processing, University of California, San Diego. We wish to thank Donna Rodes for her assistance in the conduct of this experiment.     

The factor structure of ADHD items in DSM-III-R: Internal consistency and external validation

Previous research employing factor-analytic procedures to study the underlying dimensions of DSM-III attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADDH) symptoms have consistently supported a two-factor model. Revision of the structure of the ADHD diagnosis in DSM-HI-R, as well as inclusion of new items, has raised the question of comparability of the two diagnoses. To explore the significance of these changes, teacher ratings of DSM-III ADDH items and DSM-III-R ADHD items of 85 nonreferred school children were factor-analyzed to determine their underlying factor structures. A similar two-factor solution was obtained for each diagnostic scale. The factors consisted of items believed to reflect inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity constructs. These factors were further evaluated against results of a cognitive test battery to ascertain whether objective, external validation could be demonstrated. The hyperactivity-impulsivity factor scores were related to continuous performance test measures of response inhibition, while inattention-disorganization factor scores were related to measures of attention and visual search. Implications for assessment and diagnosis of ADHD are discussed.The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Sister Hildegarde Koger, the St. Francis de Sales School, and the parents and children who participated in this study.     

发音人和语境变异与声调知觉

本文用Garner快速分类法研究了发音人规范化和语境补偿过程与声调知觉的关系。得到的主要结果是:(1)发音人变化对声调识别产生了显著的Gar-ner干扰;声调变化对男女声判别产生了同样的十扰。(2)语境变化对声调识别也产生了显著的Garner干扰。按照Garner方法的假设,这说明发音人规范化和语境变异补偿与声调识别之问是相互联系和相互影响的。(3)虽然发音人和语境同时变化引起的声调识别反应时延长约等于它们单独变化时反应时延长量之和,但正确率下降远大于单独变化时下降量之和。说明发音人和语境变异对声调识别的干扰不是独立的,它们之间存在相互作用。这种作用增加了声调识别的难度。     

Small and unfilled psychotherapy groups: Understanding and using them effectively

Many open-ended psychotherapy groups have fewer than five members, and fewer than the number the therapist considers necessary for the group to be filled. This paper discusses the rationale for starting such groups and the special dynamics of running them. It then suggests strategies for the therapist to use in maximizing their therapeutic effectiveness. Suggestions are made for further research into the demographic and dynamic aspects of such groups.     

Medication dynamics in group psychotherapy

The use of medications in insight-oriented groups has not been adequately investigated. We report a group in which the anxiolytic buspirone appeared to be associated with attractiveness to the group in the face of impending therapists' termination. We feel that in this group, medications became a variable associated with group cohesiveness, served as a vehicle for the expression of group dynamics, and as an indicator of regression within the group. These observations suggest that, under certain circumstances, medications may become an important variable in the process and expression of group dynamics.They would like to thank Myron Pisetsky, M.D., for reading the original draft of this paper, and are also indebted to Daniel O'Neil, Ph.D., for his input.     

The capacity to join in the group process

This paper explores the difficulties certain individuals have in joining the interactional processes that make a group work. It explores the sequelea of traumatic early failures in need mediation, notably the encapsulation that renders them unresponsive to efforts by fellow group members to engage them. An uncanny similarity to holocaust victims is observed. Illustrative case examples are cited and suggestions for treatment offered.This paper was part of a symposium entitled Love and Hate in Group Therapy presented at The 11th International Congress of Group Psychotherapy, Montréal, Quebec, Canada, August 1992.     

Brief report: On becoming a group therapist

Clinicians have become group therapists via many routes, either voluntarily or not. Group psychotherapy itself has had a checkered history, in that it has often been seen as an ancillary or a second choice form of treatment. Indeed, we know that there is a growing number of well-respected clinicians who are not only not ambivalent about being seen as group clinicians, but embrace this reality as a primary clinical identity. It has occurred to us that no one has looked deeply at this developmental path or what facilitates or inhibits movement along this path. This article is a preliminary attempt to initiate this line of study.     

Dream appreciation group: A model of stress prevention for medical students

This paper describes a pilot study in stress prevention for medical students, utilizing Montegue Ullman's process in a dream appreciation group. Relevant literature on the use of dreams in a group is reviewed. In this model, group dynamics and interaction are not analyzed, rather the dream holds center stage. The technique of working with dreams in a group is described, and selected vignettes are presented to document the process. This study suggests that in the presence of a supportive group atmosphere, unconscious conflicts can be alleviated or resolved so as to enhance medical students' evolving personal and professional identity.This paper is based on a presentation at the thirty-first winter meeting of the American Academy of Psychoanalysis, Scottsdale, Arizona, December 11, 1987.     

A critique of Kellehear's transcendent society

Allan Kellehear argued that the otherworld society envisioned in near-death experiences (NDEs) is similar to utopian societies. However, his cultural analysis, based on 9 Mormon NDEs, did not reflect the diversity of near-death visions from other cultures. I suggest that these Mormon NDEs were neither as utopian as Kellehear assumed nor representative of contemporary NDE reports, and that a more complete analysis would reveal a variety of NDEs and otherworld visions reflecting the experiencers' sociocultural back-ground. Robert Bellah's model of religious evolution provides a model for charting the NDE's change over time and cultures, and allows us to differentiate the perennial features of the NDE from the transient culturally-determined ones — a first step in understanding the role of NDEs in the quest for an ideal society.Howard Mickel, Ph.D., formerly Chairman of the Department of Religion at Wichita State University, is currently Director of the Theta Project, an educational and research effort focusing on near-death and related experiences.