Independently delivered food decelerates fixed-ratio rates

Following fixed-ratio baselines, the independent delivery of reinforcers was scheduled alone or concomitant with the fixed-ratio schedule for all subjects. Systematic manipulations of either the interreinforcement interval or the ratio size were also made during concomitant schedules. Response rates during the independent delivery of reinforcers did not decelerate until the subjects had been exposed for 50 or more sessions. Rates decelerated after a few sessions when the interreinforcement intervals were less than half of the original value and scheduled along with the ratio dependency. When both schedules were available, reductions in the ratio size resulted in slight deceleration of response rate when compared with the level of deceleration yielded by reductions in the independent reinforcement intervals.     

An internal consistency check for scale values determined by the method of successive intervals

The method of successive intervals is a psychological scaling procedure in which stimuli are classified into successive intervals according to the degree of some defined attribute which they are judged to possess. A psychological continuum is defined and the scale values are then taken as the medians of the distributions of judgments on the psychological continuum. It is assumed that the distributions of judgments for each stimulus are normal on the psychological continuum as defined.An internal consistency check indicates that the cumulative distributions of empirical judgments for the various stimuli can be reproduced by means of a limited number of parameters with an average error that compares favorably with that usually reported for paired comparison data. Furthermore, the scale values obtained by successive interval scaling, for the data reported, are shown to be linearly related to those obtained by the method of paired comparisons.This paper was written while the first author was a post-doctoral Research Training Fellow of the Social Science Research Council studying at the University of Chicago. It reports research undertaken in cooperation with the Quartermaster Food and Container Institute for the Armed Forces. The views or conclusions contained in this report are those of the authors. They are not to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views or endorsement of the Department of Defense.     

Self-defense as an exoskeletal coping mechanism in women

Women enrolled in a Beginners' Judo-jujitsu class, as compared to women in Crafts, Physical Fitness, and Advanced Judo-jujitsu classes, were found to perceive the world as more threatening as measured by word lists involving bodily concern and fearfulness and to employ exoskeletal defenses as measured by adornment on the DAP. It was suggested that the exoskeletal coping mechanism may play an important role in the way in which women defensively handle threat.     

Differentiation of occupational perceptions among different age groups

The perception of occupations plays a key role in many vocational behaviors and in theories of vocational development. This study hypothesizes that occupational perceptions are more specific for older age groups than for younger age groups.This hypothesis was tested by using latent root analysis and minimum residual factor analysis to analyze the intercorrelations among six Vocational Preference Inventory (VPI) scales for five large and diverse samples-elementary school students, rural high school seniors, college freshmen, employed salesmen, and employed women.Both analyses supported the hypothesis. The results are discussed in relation to those of Cureton (1970) and the implication is drawn that occupational perceptions may be used to estimate a person's level of vocational development.     

Comparisons among the Holden Psychological Screening Inventory (HPSI), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR)

Issues of reliability, item latent structure, and faking on the Holden Psychological Screening Inventory (HPSI), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI), and the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR) were examined with a sample of 300 university undergraduates. Reliability analyses indicated that scales from all inventories had acceptable internal consistency. Confirmatory item principal component analyses supported the structures and scoring keys of the HPSI and the BIDR, but not the BSI. Although all inventories were susceptible to faking, validity indices of the HPSI and the BIDR could correctly classify over two-thirds of test respondents as either responding honestly or as faking.