Double-blind and triple-blind assessments of medication and placebo responses in hyperactive children

Hyperactive boys taking psychostimulant medication were studied using a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design. Behavior ratings and medication guesstimates were obtained for the boys when they were given methylphenidate (Ritalin) and when they were given a placebo. The ratings showed positive medication-related changes, and the guesses, done by independent judges, were significantly better than chance. The pattern of ratings for double-blind and triple-blind raters was identical. These results imply that positive psychostimulant effects are not attributable to rater sensitization or expectancy. The medication-placebo differences were highly reliable for the group comparisons and were in the predicted direction for 21 of 22 individuals, but the magnitude of the change for many individuals was not dramatic. Implications for child psychopharmacology research and differences between clinical and experimental significance are discussed.This research program was supported by NIMH grant MH 29475. Medications and matching placebos were supplied by CIBA. The authors appreciate the assistance of Howard Adelman and the staff of Fernald School, where the program was housed. We also appreciate the devotion of the entire research staff and the technical assistance of Doris Finck, Sharon Dotemoto, Joy Stapp, and George Mount.     

Assessing self-report of pain: A comparison of two recording procedures

Intensive vs. reduced demand self-monitored pain levels were compared in nine pain patients. Each patient self-monitored pain intensity on a 6-point scale every 2 hr. Overall, daily mean and maximum pain levels were calculated for each patient (1) across all intervals (intensive self-monitoring) and (2) four times per day, at meal times and bedtime (reduced-demand self-monitoring). Differences were found to be negligible. The reduced-demand procedure produced data that were closely representative of pain fluctuations indicated in the more intensive bihourly ratings. Results are discussed in terms of the representativeness and standardization in pain self-monitoring as well as possible enhancement of recording compliance through the use of the less demanding four times per day procedure.Portions of these data were presented at the meeting of the Association for Behavior Analysis, Dearborn, June 1979.     

Social cognitive processes mediating the relationship between exposure to television's sexual content and adolescents' sexual behavior

This study used multiple-group structural equation modeling to test a model explaining the association between exposure to televised sexual content and initiation of intercourse among an ethnically diverse national sample of 1,292 adolescents. The authors hypothesized, on the basis of social-cognitive theory, that exposure to televised sexual content would influence adolescents' safe-sex self-efficacy, sex-related outcome expectancies, and perceived peer norms regarding sex, and that each of these would, in turn, influence intercourse initiation. Findings support a model in which the relationship between exposure to TV's sexual content and intercourse initiation is mediated by safe-sex self-efficacy among African Americans and Whites but not among Hispanics. Outcome expectancies and perceived peer norms may also mediate the link between exposure and intercourse initiation among all 3 racial/ethnic groups, although evidence of this could not be confirmed.     

Subordinate male mice show long-lasting differences in spatial learning that persist when housed alone

In the wild, house mice live in social groups, whereas in the laboratory male mice are often singly housed. Environmental enrichment such as that provided by social housing has been argued to improve the cognitive performance of laboratory animals in experimental tests. The aim of the present study was to test the cost of aggressive social interactions on learning in male CD-1 mice. We found that subordinate mice from more aggressive dyads showed spatial learning impairment, measured as alternation on a T-maze. Learning impairments in subordinates have hitherto been presumed attributable to the animals' exposure to, and relative standing within, the social group. By contrast, the impairment we observed could not have been the result of recent social defeat because it persisted weeks later when the mice were housed alone. Elevated urinary corticosterone predicted later subordination, though paradoxically these abnormally high levels were reduced by pair housing.     

‘Plaining’: The social and cognitive practice of symbolisation in the religious society of friends (Quakers)

This paper seeks to establish that Quakers, who are often presented as and who often present themselves as disinterested in ritual and symbolism, do indeed practice symbolisation. However, it suggests that this practice is best understood not as a simple series of one‐to‐one correspondences between signifieds and signifiers, but a cognitively‐based process which we call ‘plaining’. This process is shown to be a manifestation of the more general social process wherein one group defines its identity through playing the vis‐à‐vis with another. The paper describes how Quakers’ practice of symbolisation, of plaining, began with the first Friends and has continued to the present. This discourse is manifested across a range of sign systems and is, therefore, a possible unifying resource amongst British Quakers.     

Cognitive functioning as a contraindication to organ transplant surgery: Dilemmas encountered in medical decision making

A case is presented to illustrate some of the difficulties encountered when providing psychological consultation to evaluate the readiness of patients for pediatric heart-lung transplantation. The outcome of complex medical decision making can often hinge on information provided by the psychological consultant who is attempting to simultaneously serve the needs of the patient as well as the transplant team. Ethical dilemmas frequently arise when medical decision making is driven by limited health care resources and cost constraints. The utility of cognitive functioning as a variable in pediatric transplant decision making is discussed. Recommendations are made for further work in this area on both conceptual and empirical grounds to guide the integration of psychological information into transplant decision making as health care delivery continues to evolve in the future.     

A telemetric device for measuring smoking topography

The Telemetric Topography Device (TTD) introduces new technology to the measurement of cigarette smoking topography that has advantages over existing instruments. It consists of a 90.8-g miniature vacuum transducer coupled to an FM transmitter contained within a 11/4-in.-diameter × 41/4-in. free-standing plastic cylinder. As a subject smokes through a modified commercial cigarette holder, the TTD transmits a tone proportional to the vacuum pressure change in the cylinder. Received tones are converted to voltage data and then digitized by an A/D board in a personal computer. This information can either be displayed and stored on line or recorded on audio tape and digitized during playback. The TTD has no visible electronic parts, thereby minimizing subjects’ awareness of monitoring.