SILHOUETTE EFFECTS IN NIGHT DRIVING

JOHANSSON, G. & RUMAR, K. Silhouette effects in night driving. Scand. J. Psychol. , 1971, 12, 80–89.–In order to investigate within what areas on the road silhouettes, as framed by the light from a meeting car, can be of help to the driver, a series of experiments has been performed. The experiments employed two stationary opposing cars standing at given distances from each other, these distances (100–400 m) being determined by pre-experiments. On the area between the cars "iso-silhouette" curves were measured using a special method for a number of silhouette relevant conditions. Factors favouring silhouette effects were found to be: narrow road, short distance between the cars, high road surface reflectance, inner bend, the driver's eyes being high above the road, particles in the atmosphere, large spread of the meeting headlight beams.     

Writing about psychoanalysis: II. Analysts who write, patients who read

When we make a decision to lecture, or to write for publication, we have begun an activity that will affect every one of our patients. If they attend our lectures, or read our published works, they cannot help being influenced. Even if they do not, they will have some reaction to the focusing of our interest on particular phases of the analysis. This will be true whether or not we intend to present clinical material. These considerations inevitably affect the analyst himself, sometimes inhibiting his writing altogether, sometimes constricting its scope, or worst of all, degrading its quality. The analyst's writing is also almost certain to influence whether and with what success his patient may choose to write. Lest these considerations suggest that we avoid writing altogether, I emphasize that such a sacrifice is by no means desirable or necessary. Problems of discretion will arise, and may in some cases be virtually insoluble; but there are ways of writing that can overcome most such objections. The analyst's interest in writing should be recognized and its effects, if any, brought into the analysis; so long as the writing itself is done with due regard to the conduct of the analysis and the welfare of the patient, it need have no adverse effects on either.     

Sexual assault history and use of health and mental health services

A history of sexual assault may be associated with increased current use of mental health and medical services because of the psychologically and physically disruptive consequences of assault. To test this hypothesis, we estimated rates of mental health and medical services use among 2560 randomly selected community residents, 343 of whom had been sexually assaulted. Sexual assault was associated with seeking both forms of care. Controls for demographic variables, psychiatric diagnosis, health status, and insurance suggested that assault increases use indirectly, through poor mental and physical health. Uninsured, assaulted respondents were especially likely to consult medical providers. Respondents assaulted during childhood were particularly likely to seek mental health care. Assault was more common among mental health service users than nonusers, and among women using medical services compared to female nonpatients. The high prevalence of assault among service users underscores the need for providers to recognize and treat sexual assault-related problems.     

Constraints on effective pictorial and verbal elaboration

Three experiments investigated the conditions under which pictures facilitate learning. In Experiment 1, confusing verbal relationships were supplemented with pictures that illustrated the key concepts in each verbal relationship (base pictures), illustrated the key concepts in more elaborate arbitrary relationships (pictures of arbitrary elaborations), or illustrated the key concepts in ways that helped clarify the verbal relationships (pictures of explanatory elaborations). All three types of pictures facilitated the retention of the verbal relationships, although pictures of explanatory elaborations were superior to other types of visual illustrations. In Experiment 2, the facilitative effects of base pictures depended on a schematically unique illustration of the key concepts in a single image. In Experiment 3, picture facilitation effects were constrained by the type of verbal elaborations that accompanied the pictures. Specifically, base pictures and pictures of arbitrary elaborations did not facilitate the retention of confusing verbal relationships that were elaborated with explanatory information, and actually interfered with the retention of those explanatory elaborations. The implications of these results are discussed.     

Constraints on spontaneous transfer in problem-solving tasks

In three experiments, we investigated the conditions under which relevant knowledge is spontaneously transferred to problem-solving tasks. Subjects were presented with key concepts that could help them solve problems presented at a later time in the experiment. The key concepts were embedded in statements that had surface structures similar or dissimilar to those of the problems and that emphasized relevant or irrelevant properties of the key concepts for the problemsolving task (contextual relevance). The results indicated that the spontaneous transfer of clue information to subsequent problem-solving tasks is affected by the contextual relevance and the surface-structure similarity of the clue statements to the problems. The findings also suggested that the surface-structure similarity and the contextual relevance of clue statements differentially affect the accessibility and appropriate application of key concepts in problem-solving tasks. The implications of these results for understanding the transfer of knowledge in problem-solving tasks are discussed.     

MMPI predictors of mania among psychiatric inpatients

MMPI data from 64 patients with a diagnosis of manic-depressive illness, manic type, were compared with MMPI data from patients in two comparison groups--64 patients with a psychotic diagnosis other than manic-depressive illness, and 64 patients with a variety of psychiatric diagnoses. Manic patients had higher Ma scale scores for MMPI scales that assess personal distress and interpersonal difficulties (e.g., D and Si). Discriminant analysis, with the Ma, D, and Si scales as predictors, correctly classified as manic or not manic 82.5% of the patients in the derivation sample and 74.2% of the patients in the cross-validation sample. Two high-point pairs, Sc-Ma/Ma-Sc and Pa-Ma/Ma-Pa, occurred in the MMPI profiles of almost half of the manic patients but were rarely found among the profiles of other patients. The results of this study support the use of the MMPI in identifying manic patients, particularly when discriminating between mania and other types of psychosis.     

Doctors and patients: Partners or adversaries?

The author suggests that an inadequate understanding of the ethical relationship between doctors and patients is at the core of many current health care issues. The doctor-patient relationship is discussed with an emphasis on the expectations of patients and physicians. Three sets of expectations or models of doctor-patient interaction are reviewed and a number of health care issues are explored in this frame-work. It is hypothesized that when doctors and patients have similar expectations they will be partners and that when they differ, they are more likely to be adversaries. Finally it is suggested that unless national health policy is designed to take into account the effect of legislation on physicians' and patients' expectations, dissatisfaction with health care will continue to increase.     

An A-B-C model of habit disorders: hair-pulling, skin-picking, and other stereotypic conditions

Severe hair-pulling is characteristic of trichotillomania, an impulse control disorder not otherwise classified. Other pathological habits, including severe nail-biting and skin-picking, are also prevalent and are potentially diagnosable as stereotypic movement disorder. There is increasing awareness of the morbidity associated with these kind of habit disorders but, to date, relatively few randomized controlled trials of pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy have been undertaken. Advances in the understanding of the underlying cognitive-affective mechanisms driving stereotypies in animals and humans may ultimately lead to new approaches. An affect regulation, behavioral addiction, and cognitive control (A-B-C) approach is outlined to conceptualizing and managing these conditions.     

Beauty and the beast: Psychobiologic and evolutionary perspectives on body dysmorphic disorder

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is characterized by preoccupation with a defect in appearance. Concepts of beauty play a particularly crucial role in humans' mental and social life, and may have specific psychobiologic and evolutionary underpinnings. In particular, there is a growing literature on the neurocircuitry underpinning the body schema, body image and facial expression processing, and aesthetic and symmetry judgments. Speculatively, disruptions in cognitive-affective processes relevant to judgements about physical beauty lead to BDD.