Physician-assisted suicide: the role of mental health professionals

A review of the literature was conducted to better understand the (potential) role of mental health professionals in physician-assisted suicide. Numerous studies indicate that depression is one of the most commonly encountered psychiatric illnesses in primary care settings. Yet, depression consistently goes undetected and undiagnosed by nonpsychiatrically trained primary care physicians. Noting the well-studied link between depression and suicide, it is necessary to question giving sole responsibility of assisting patients in making end-of-life treatment decisions to these physicians. Unfortunately, the use of mental health consultation by these physicians is not a common occurrence. Greater involvement of mental health professionals in this emerging and debated area is advocated. Beyond describing mental health professionals' role in the assessment of patient competency or decision making capacity, other areas of potential involvement are described. A discussion of ethical principles relevant to this area follows, along with comments on the training necessary to adequately serve patient needs.     

早期年龄儿童短时记忆的发展

有关短时记忆的发展问题,如果说在种系发展上已经完成了大量的研究工作,并且做了充分令人信服的、关于在进化中短时记忆不断改善的结论的话,那么,在个体发展上,人的早期短对记忆的发展问题的研究,还是个空白。有关记忆的实验心理学研究,是从儿童生后的第三、四年开始的。以往有关个体发育的早期阶段记忆的发展材料,主要来自《母亲日记》一类的资料,在这类资料中,有关记忆的记述,带有偶然性。在这个时期,记忆的某些形式,其中包括短时记忆,一般地说,还没有研究。     

关于思维活动对识记的作用

我们这篇文章专门用来论讨在直接再现和延缓再现中,记忆和思维相互关系这个当前必须解决的问题А·А·斯米尔诺夫早就证实过,积极的思维活动是提高不随意识记效率的基础。积极思维活动的内容越复杂,就越容易识记。     

把普通教育和职业训练提高到新的水平

学校改革——这是历史发展的必然规律的体现。教育是为了使人适应生活而培养人的,而生活又在不断地发展,它对人的要求也在不断地变化,因此,教育也应当不断地变化。这一改革将根据本世纪末、下世纪初发达的社会主义社会对学校教育的要求来进行。     

外向性格、场独立性及认知作业的操作

 取120名12岁儿童作被试.(a)调查外向性格、神经过敏症及场独立性之间的关系.(b)调查外向性格和场依存性对两个认知作业(推理和回忆散文)的影响.(c)研究人格特点和言语——表象学习方式之间的关系.     

A multi-systems theory of the structure and dynamics of motor functions

A theoretical analysis of the structure and dynamics of human motor functioning is presented from the perspective of a general theory of individuality. Within multifactor-systems theory, the structural units of the six systems of integrative personality (i.e., sensory, motor, cognitive, affect, style, and value) are hierarchical factor structures. Integrative functioning, both within and among systems, is described via the principles of general systems and information-processing theory. Our theoretical synthesis of the structure and dynamics of human motor functioning involves conceptualizing the hierarchy of motor factors as: (a) the basic dimensions of individual differences in the motor domain, (b) classes of decomposable motor programs that specify the spatio-temporal organization of behavior, and (c) decomposable classes of processing components entailed by motor programs. Some of the implications for understanding the role of affect in motor functioning and some research suggestions were presented.     

The relative law of effect: effects of shock intensity on response strength in multiple schedules

Key pecking of four birds was reinforced with food according to a two-component multiple variable-interval 1-minute variable-interval 4-minute schedule. In addition, key pecking was punished by a brief shock according to a variable-interval 30-second schedule during both components of the multiple schedule. The intensity of the shock was varied. For all birds, punishment had a stronger suppressive effect on the responding maintained by the leaner food schedule, and the ratio of responding during the two components of the multiple schedule became closer to the ratio of reinforcement as shock intensity was increased, as the relative law of effect predicts. At the higher shock intensity, there was some evidence that the ratio of responses overmatched the ratio of reinforcements.     

A molar theory of reinforcement schedules

Behavior of subjects exposed to concurrent and individual interval and ratio schedules of reinforcement may be described in terms of a set of expressions relating the value of responses to their durations, a feedback equation relating reinforcement to response duration, and the assumption that subjects allocate their time among various responses so as to maximize value.     

The effects of different component response requirements in multiple and concurrent schedules

Six pigeons were trained on multiple and concurrent schedules. The reinforcement rates were varied systematically (a) when lever pressing was required in one component and key pecking in the successive component; (b) when lever pressing was required in both multiple components; (c) when key pecking was required in both multiple components; and (d) when key pecking was required on one schedule and lever pressing was required on the concurrently-available schedule. Only the absolute level of responding was changed by different response requirements. Analyzed by the generalized matching law, performance under different response requirements resulted in a bias toward key pecking, and the measured response bias was the same in multiple and concurrent schedule arrangements. The bias in time measures obtained from concurrent schedule performance was reliably smaller than the obtained response biases. The sensitivity to reinforcement-rate changes was ordered: concurrent key-lever; multiple key-key; multiple lever-key; and, the least sensitive, multiple lever-lever. The results confirm that requirements of different topographical responses can be handled by the generalized matching law mainly in the bias parameter, but problems for this type of analysis may be caused by the changing sensitivity to reinforcement in multiple schedule performance as response requirements are changed.