The computer as experimenter in social psychological research

The effects of familiarity and exposure paradigm on evaluative meaning were investigated in four experiments involving 161 Ss. A DEC PDP-10 computer linked to a VB10-C display screen for 1/0 assigned Ss to condition, presented instructions, tested Ss’ understanding of the instructions, generated and displayed stimuli in various frequencies, and obtained evaluative ratings of the stimuli. Problems encountered, Ss’ reactions, and current and possible use of the computer in social psychological research are discussed.     

A review of behavioral approaches to weight control

Forty case reports and experimental studies of behavioral approaches to weight control were reviewed. The treatments, categorized as: aversive conditioning, covert sensitization, coverant conditioning, therapist controlled reinforcement and self-control of eating, were evaluated in terms of their empirical support. It was suggested that self-control procedures may be the most promising treatment, particularly when used in conjunction with therapist controlled reinforcement. Methodological difficulties and implications for future research were discussed.