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.     

Social uncertainty and interdependence: A study of resource allocation decisions in groups

Social uncertainty about the behavior of others with whom one is interdependent for rewards is hypothesized to encourage self-interested behavior and inhibit behavioral commitment to the group. This paper examines the roles of uncertainty, expectations, and feedback about other group members' contributions to the group in interdependent decision making. In the absence of feedback, resources tend to be divided between individual and group interests. Resource allocations to the group are found to increase significantly if group members receive feedback about other members' allocations, particularly if that feedback is at the individual level, not an aggregated group level. However, the effects of feedback presence and type are eliminated when group members state their expectations about other members' future contributions to the group. Implications for expectancy value theories of motivation and commitment to groups in organizations are discussed.     

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.     

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.     

Near-death experiences in India: They have tunnels too

An advertisement in an Indian newspaper solicited accounts from people who had come close to death. Of 19 received, 7 reported no experiences, 4 reported dreamlike experiences, and 8 reported near-death experiences (NDEs). These DNEs were comparable to those reported by Ray-mond Moody, and included tunnels, dark spaces, and bright lights, contrary to previous reports of Indian cases. Many respondents reported positive life changes regardless of whether or not they had an NDE.     

Group analytic therapy with schizophrenic outpatients

This paper describes a model for group analytic psychotherapy with patients who have been psychotic, namely, schizophrenics and manic depressives. The groups are run on the group centered principles of S. H. Foulkes. They are continuous, slow-open groups, in line with these patients' needs for long-term therapy. A theory is proposed which justifies treating these patients in group-centered groups despite their great dependency needs. The paper also describes the task of the therapist in building and running such a group.Acknowledgments to Geoffrey Elkan, Marcia Levene, Noa Rotem, Aya Levi-Posnanski, Yossi Ezrati, S. Littman, Tamar Sternberg, E. Danilowitz, and C. Kauffman.     

Affective interactions of depressed and nondepressed mothers and their children

The expressed affect of clinically depressed and nondepressed mothers as measured by the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia: Lifetime Version (SADSL) and their children (1 1/2 to 3 1/2 years) was observed in seminatural situations. The objectives were to investigate how maternal depression enters into affective interactions between mother and child and how the affect patterns of mother and child are related. Fortynine unipolar and 24 bipolar depressed mothers and 45 nondepressed mothers were observed on 2 days, 2 weeks apart, for a total of 5 h. Each minute was coded for the predominant affect of mother and child. Affects relevant to depression (anxioussad, irritableangry, downcast, pleasant, tenderaffectionate) were coded. Depressed mothers expressed significantly more negative affect than did control mothers. Mothers' expressed affect and their selfreports of affect on days of observation were unrelated. Mother's and child's affects, measured on different days, were significantly correlated. Unipolar mothers and mothers severely depressed spent significantly more time in prolonged bouts of negative affect. There was significant synchrony between their bouts and the negative bouts of their daughters. Gender of child was related to mother's and child's affect, and to relations between mother's and child's affect.