Physiological responses in blood phobics

Eighteen patients with blood phobia were shown a film of thoracic operations containing large amounts of blood. Their heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) were measured continuously before, during and after the watching of the film. The group data showed a diphasic response; an increase in HR and BP from baseline to the beginning of the film, and then a sharp drop in these parameters with the lowest values 4 min after the film was turned off. Individual data from 5 patients who fainted or were on the edge of doing so, showed massive bradycardia or drop in BP or both. In all of these patients at least one (range 1–33) 5-sec period of asystole was recorded. Possible theoretical explanations for this characteristic response pattern are discussed.     

Individual response patterns and the effects of different behavioral methods in the treatment of social phobia

The importance of individual response patterns in the treatment of phobic patients was examined in the present study. Forty psychiatric outpatients with social phobia were assessed with a social interaction test which was videotaped. Heart rate was continuously monitored during the test. On the basis of their reactions in the test situation, the patients were divided into two groups showing different response patterns; behavioral and physiological reactors. Within each group half of the patients were randomly assigned to a behaviorally focused method (social skills training) while the other half received a physiologically focused method (applied relaxation). The patients were treated individually in 10 sessions. The within-group comparisons showed that both treatments yielded significant improvements on most measures. The between-group comparisons showed that for the behavioral reactors, social skills training was significantly better than applied relaxation on six out of ten measures, and for the physiological reactors applied relaxation was significantly better than social skills training on three of the measures. The results support the hypothesis that greater effects are achieved when the method used fits the patient's response pattern.     

Central response selection is present during memory scanning, but hand-specific response preparation is absent

Two experiments were performed to replicate the results of Ilan and Miller that response selection but no response-hand specific preparation is present during memory scanning. Letter-case determined which hand would respond, while memory set membership status determined whether the response was to be executed (go) or withheld (nogo). In Exp. 1, the LRP was observed as an index of response-hand specific preparation. In Exp. 2, the consistency effect derived from the response priming paradigm was observed as an index of more central response selection. The results replicate those of Ilan and Miller and suggest that central response selection is present during short-term memory scanning, but hand-specific response preparation is absent. Apparently, preliminary information is transmitted to the response selection stage during memory scanning, a finding that is inconsistent with serial stage models, but memory scanning interferes with hand-specific response preparation. Received: 30 March 1998 / Accepted: 30 November 1998     

Mood change and marathon running: A pilot study using a Swedish version of the POMS test

Regular exercise is said to have positive effects on mood, especially if the exercise intensity is low to moderate. However, the acute effects resulting from participation in a strenuous competition, such as a marathon race, have been studied less. The present investigation used the Profile of Mood States (POMS) test to measure mood, before and after the 1989 Stockholm Marathon. A total of 106 male runners (mean age 40.0 years), with finishing times between 3h and 3h 45 min participated as subjects. Results showed great changes between pre- and post-marathon scores, most of them significant at the p less than 0.001 level. Furthermore, differences between a faster and a slower group of runners were demonstrated with regard to mood states, even though plasma glucose levels were comparable. It is concluded that participation in a marathon race greatly effects mood, mainly in a more negative way than low to moderately intense exercise does.     

Spatial determinants of depth perception in two-dot motion patterns

The aim of the present study was to identify spatial properties of motion patterns yielding perceived depth. A model was proposed to describe the different motion patterns in terms of the common and the relative motions of the moving parts. Using motion patterns consisting of two dots moving in straight paths, it was found that there were three different types of relative motions yielding unambiguous percepts: (1) lack of relative motions was perceived as motion in a frontoparallel plane; (2) two-dimensional concurrent motions were perceived as translatory motion in depth; (3) nonconcurrent motions were perceived as rotation in depth. Only two-dimensional motion patterns yielded stable depth percepts. The utility of the proposed vector analysis was discussed, and further research suggested.     

Does witnessing gender discrimination predict women's collective action intentions for gender justice? Examining the moderating role of perceived female support

Previous research has indicated that witnessing gender discrimination may instigate women's participation in collective action for gender justice. However, relatively little is known about the role of perceived female support in motivating collective action among women who witness gender discrimination in public life. This study aims to analyse whether and when perceived support from feminist-minded women moderates the association between women's witnessing gender discrimination and their willingness to engage in collective action for gender justice. We argue that the association between witnessing gender discrimination and willingness to engage in collective action depends on the support women perceive from their female friends and family members. In studies of women in the U.S. (Study 1; N = 271) and Ukraine (Study 2; N = 256), witnessing gender discrimination predicted greater willingness to participate in collective action for gender justice, and this association was stronger when female support was perceived to be lower. Study 3 (N = 1,304) replicated the findings of Studies 1 and 2 with self-identified feminist women in Turkey. Our research offers novel insights regarding why perceived lack of female support may encourage women to engage in collective action for gender justice.     

Changes in religious attitudes and behaviors of Euro-Turk students with theology education

This paper studied a new dimension of international students, who are citizens of another country but came back to Turkey for religious education where their parents or grandparents are citizens. Did a five-year religious education process based on the main sources of Islam lead to a change in these students' religious attitudes and behaviors, and if yes to what extent did these changes occur? A panel survey is conducted on these students in pre-education and post-education periods to answer this question. Without ignoring the effect of the social environment outside of education on religious attitudes, we found that students exhibit a more tolerant, nonstrict attitude toward both their coreligionists and those who have negative attitudes toward their religion. Additionally, in parallel with the deepening of religious knowledge, a questioning and critical perspective was formed with a decrease in superstitions. We found that the attitude change in female students was generally higher than that of male students.     

Behold the wrath: Psychophysiological responses to facial stimuli

The complex musculature of the human face has been shaped by natural selection to produce gestures that communicate information about intentions and emotional states between senders and receivers. According to the preparedness hypothesis, different facial gestures are differentially prepared by evolution to become associated with different outcomes. As attested by psychophysiological responses in Pavlovian conditioning experiments, expressions of anger and fear more easily become signals for aversive stimuli than do expression of happiness. Consistent with the evolutionary perspective, the superior conditioning to angry faces is stronger for male than for female faces, for adult than for child faces, and for faces directed toward the receiver rather than directed away. Furthermore, it appears to be primarily located in the right cerebral hemisphere. The enhanced autonomic activity to angry faces signaling electric shock is not mediated by conscious cognitive activity, but is evident also when recognition of the facial stimulus is blocked by backward masking procedures. Similarly, conditioned responses can be established to masked angry, but not to masked happy faces. Electromyographic measurement of facial muscle activity reveals a tendency for emotional facial expression to rapidly and automatically elicit its mirror image in the face of the receiver, typically accompanied by the appropriate emotional experience. The research reviewed in this paper supports the proposition that humans have been evolutionarily tuned to respond automatically to facial stimuli, and it is suggested that such early automatic reactions shape the subsequent conscious emotional processing of the stimulus.The responsibility for this paper is shared equally between the authors. The research reviewed in the paper has been supported by separate grants to both authors from the Swedish Council for Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences, The Swedish Council for the Coordination and Planning of Research, and the Bank of Sweden Tercentennial Fund.     

SINGLE-ATTRIBUTE UTILITY ANALYSIS MAY BE FUTILE,BUT THIS CAN’T BE THE END OF THE STORY: CAUSAL CHAIN ANALYSIS AS AN ALTERNATIVE

Research on providing single-attribute utility analysis has shown moderate or even negative effects on the acceptance of selection and training tests by human resource decision makers. In this study, we contrasted the perceived utility of single-attribute utility analysis with causal chain analysis as an alternative way of conducting utility analysis. Causal chain analysis focuses on measuring the linkages between HRM interventions and organizational outcomes mediated by employee attitudes and customer perceptions. We compared 144 managers' reactions to both methods of utility analysis concerning the variables understandability, information quality, perceived usefulness, user information satisfaction, and intention to use. Causal chain analysis yielded higher results than single-attribute analysis for these variables, and a compound measure of these constructs supported this finding. This indicates that causal chain analysis is a valuable alternative method of communicating the utility of HRM interventions.