Gender differences in advertising response and self-consciousness variables

This study assesses gender differences in self-consciousness traits and advertising responses across a sample of adult Americans. The results indicate that there are gender differences in public self-consciousness and social anxiety, with the effects particularly pronounced for younger females. Younger females also recalled more television commercials than other male and female groups. The social implications of these findings are considered.     

Age,job complexity,satisfaction, and performance

Job complexity was measured for jobs in a Public Agency. Perceptions of job complexity were obtained from self-reports of 133 employees. Independent measures were obtained from interviews with the subjects. Career stages, based upon age groupings, were found to moderate the relationship between (1) job-satisfaction and perceived job complexity and (2) job-performance and independently rated job complexity. These results are discussed in light of the current literature.     

Youth suicide risk factors and attitudes in New York and Vienna: a cross-cultural comparison

The prevalence of suicide risk factors and attitudes about suicide and help-seeking among New York and Viennese adolescents were compared in order to explore possible cross-cultural differences. Viennese adolescents exhibited higher rates of depressive symptomatology than their New York counterparts and had more first-hand experience with suicidal peers. More attribution of suicide to mental illness was reported in Vienna; yet Viennese youth were less likely than New York adolescents to recognize the seriousness of suicide threats. Help-seeking patterns of Viennese adolescents were influenced by their setting a high value on confidentiality. These cross-cultural differences may reflect the limited exposure of Austrian youth to school-based suicide prevention programs. The findings highlight the need of taking the sociocultural context into consideration in the planning of youth suicide prevention strategies.     

Spiritual healing of disrupted childhood

This essay suggests ways in which spiritual resources--healing stories, psalms of lament and reassurance, rituals, and meditative practices--can be used to foster emotional and spiritual healing for people, such as the adult children of missionaries, who have experienced disrupted relationships with parents during childhood.     

FIXED-TIME SCHEDULES ATTENUATE EXTINCTION-INDUCED PHENOMENA IN THE TREATMENT OF SEVERE ABERRANT BEHAVIOR

We compared the effects of extinction (EXT) and fixed-time (FT) schedules as treatment for severe problem behavior displayed by 3 individuals with developmental disabilities. First, functional analyses identified the reinforcers maintaining aberrant behavior for all 3 individuals. Next, EXT and FT schedules were compared using a multielement design. During EXT, the reinforcer maintaining problem behavior was withheld. During FT, the reinforcers were presented response independently at preset intervals. Results showed that FT schedules were generally more effective than EXT schedules in reducing aberrant behavior. FT schedules may be used in situations when extinction-induced phenomena are problematic.     

Déficits visuo-spatiaux associés à la Maladie de Parkinson

La présente étude vise à préciser la nature des déficits visuo-spatiaux observés dans la Maladie de Parkinson (MP) afin de mieux comprendre la pathophysiologie associée à cette maladie. Jusqu'à présent, l'investigation des troubles spatiaux chez ce groupe de patients a donné lieu à des résultats controversés, et ce possiblement en raison de l'intrusion de biais due à la présence de composantes motrices ou à l'implication d'habiletés relevant de l'intégrité des lobes frontaux dans les tâches expérimentales. Dans le but de départager l'influence de ces variables, et de définir davantage le(s) type(s) de demande(s) des processus cognitifs aptes à produire un déficit chez cette population clinique, 15 patients atteints de MP idiopathique, sans démence associée, et 15 sujets témoins sont évalués à l'aide de trois tâches visuo-spatiales. Deux de ces épreuves font appels à des habiletés visuo-spatiales de base et ne nécessitent pas de contribution motrice, soient la discrimination d'orientation de lignes et l'exécution d'opération mentale de rotation impliquant des stimuli tri-dimensionnels. La troisième tâche consiste en une série de problèmes visuo-spatiaux qui fait appel aux capacités de raisonnement visuo-spatial et à la flexibilité intellectuelle, et qui s'est avérée sensible aux lésions corticales frontales. Les résultats montrent que les sujets MP ont un déficit à l'ensemble des trois tâches, suggérant ainsi la présence de troubles purement visuo-spatiaux dans la Maladie de Parkinson. Les changements pathophysiologiques pouvant expliquer de tels déficits sont discutés.     

Expectancies generated by melodic intervals: Perceptual judgments of melodic continuity

The present study tested quantified predictors based on the bottom-up principles of Narmour’s (1990) implication-realization model of melodic expectancy against continuity ratings collected for a tone that followed a two-tone melodic beginning. Twenty-four subjects (12 musically trained, 12 untrained) were presented with each of eight melodic intervals—two successive tones which they were asked to consider as the beginning of a melody. On each trial, a melodic interval was followed by a third tone, one of the 25 chromatic notes within the range one octave below to one octave above the second tone of the interval. The subjects were asked to rate how well the third tone continued the melody. A series of regression analyses was performed on the continuation ratings, and a final model to account for the variance in the ratings is proposed. Support was found for three of Narmour’s principles and a modified version of a fourth. Support was also found for predictor variables based on the pitch organization of tonal harmonic music. No significant differences between the levels of musical training were encountered.     

Intrusions in preschoolers’ recall of traumatic childhood events

We investigated the presence of intrusions in preschoolers’ memories for traumatic incidents by examining 30-, 36-, and 48-month-olds’ initial and 6-month recall of traumatic events that required emergency room treatment. The basic findings were (1) the number of preschoolers who produced an intrusion at the 6th month’s interview declined with age, (2) only the youngest preschoolers produced reliably more intrusions at 6 months than initially, (3) the amount of intruded information did not vary with age, and (4) the amount of information correctly recalled about the target traumatic event increased with age and was not affected by the presence of intrusions at any age. That preschoolers were able to recall considerable information concerning the target event, regardless of whether they did or did not produce intrusions, has implications for the veracity of their memories of trauma in real-life situations over extended retention intervals.     

Punished and unpunished responding in multiple variable-interval schedules

The performance of rats trained on multiple variable-interval schedules was examined before, during, and after punishment. The same linear function related relative response rates to relative density of reinforcement both in the presence and absence of punishment. Equal relative suppression was seen in both the high and low reinforcement density components. The intercept value of the function was zero. Each component of the schedule was programmed on a separate lever: thus during any component, there was an opportunity for responses on the nonoperative lever (errors). The proportions of these errors declined to a near-zero value during punishment and did not regain their prepunishment values after punishment was removed, suggesting that some discrimination learning occurred during punishment. Recovery of response rate during punishment was seen only where a greater-than-zero probability of reinforcement was associated with the response.