Effects of contingency violations on the extinction of a conditioned fear inhibitor and a conditioned fear excitor

Rats were used in a conditioned-suppression paradigm to assess the effects of contingency variations on responding to a conditioned inhibitor (CS-) and a conditioned excitor (CS+). In Experiment 1, various unconditioned stimulus (US) frequencies were equated across the presence and absence of a CS- in the context of either background cues (continuous-trial procedure) or an explicit neutral event (discrete-trial procedure). With both procedures, a CS-alone treatment enhanced inhibition, whereas treatments involving 50% or 100% reinforcement for the CS- eliminated inhibition without conditioning excitation to that CS. The latter outcome also occurred in Experiment 2, with discrete-trial training equating considerably reduced US frequencies for the presence and absence of the CS-. In further evidence that inhibition was eliminated without conditioning excitation to the CS-, Experiment 3 showed that a novel CS did not acquire excitation when 25%, 50%, or 100% reinforcement was equated across the presence and absence of that CS in the context of a discrete-trial event. Using the procedures of Experiment 1, Experiment 4 showed that a CS+ was extinguished by a CS-alone treatment but was substantially maintained by treatments involving 50% or 100% uncorrelated reinforcement. These effects for a CS+ and a CS- implicate CS-US contiguity, rather than contingency, as the factor determining the extinction of a CS.     

Germ-line gene therapy and the clinical ethos of medical genetics

Although the ability to perform gene therapy in human germ-line cells is still hypothetical, the rate of progress in molecular and cell biology suggests that it will only be a matter of time before reliable clinical techniques will be within reach. Three sets of arguments are commonly advanced against developing those techniques, respectively pointing to the clinical risks, social dangers and better alternatives. In this paper we analyze those arguments from the perspective of the client-centered ethos that traditionally governs practice in medical genetics. This perspective clarifies the merits of these arguments for geneticists, and suggests useful new directions for the professional discussion of germ-line gene therapy. It suggests, for example, that the much discussed prospect of germ-line therapy in human pre-embryos may always be more problematic for medical genetics than adult germ-line interventions, even though the latter faces greater technical difficulties.     

The Perception of Teasing Scale (POTS): a revision and extension of the Physical Appearance Related Teasing Scale (PARTS)

This article describes the development and validation of a revised measure for the assessment of history of being teased about physical appearance. Study 1 involved the preliminary psychometric evaluation of the questionnaire on a sample of 227 college women, Two factors emerged: Weight-Related Teasing (WT) and Teasing About Abilities/Competencies (Competency Teasing; CT). The integrity of the factor structure of these two scales was established in Study 2 with a sample of 87 college women. Internal consistency ratios in this sample were also found to be acceptable. In Study 3, 92 college women were administered measures of body image, eating disturbance, and self-esteem to test for convergence with the Perception of Teasing Scale. Subjects also rated teasing items for frequency and effect (e.g., how upset they were by the teasing). Two-week test-retest reliabilities for these measures were acceptable. Weight-Related Teasing correlated to a greater degree with other measures than Competency Teasing. Regression analyses revealed the importance of a frequency versus effect dimension. Findings are discussed in light of recent research on developmental factors in body image and eating disturbance.     

Managing stress and managing illness: Survival and quality of life in chronic disease

Interest has been steadily building in the impact of stress on psychological and physiological functioning, in particular on immune system responses, furthering the concept of a strong connection between the mind and the body. Implications for prevention of disease onset or treatment of stress-induced illness or immunocompromised conditions have been explored through the implementation of stress management techniques. Cognitive behavioral stress management interventions, biofeedback, relaxation, guided imagery, hypnosis, individual and group psychotherapy, aerobic exercise, and guided self-efficacy treatment are briefly reviewed to identify possible treatment mechanisms that may affect immune function and promote quality of life. The application of behavioral techniques to reduce distress and sharpen coping skills has great promise in reducing the costs associated with chronic disease and in enhancing quality of life among those afflicted.Presented at the APA Presidential Miniconvention, To Your Health: Psychology Through the Life Span, Session VIII, Assuring a Healthy Lifestyle: Psychology Delivers. Chair: Diane J. Willis, Ph.D. The third author received partial funding through the Terry Fox Research Fellowship 5257, National Cancer Institute of Canada.     

Encouraging College Males to Perform Testicular Self-Examination: Evaluation of a Persuasive Message Based on the Revised Theory of Reasoned Action1

This study evaluated the effect of a persuasive message derived from a revised version of the theory of reasoned action on the performance of testicular self-examination (TSE). Subjects (114 male college students) were randomly assigned to listen to a taped persuasive message challenging unfavorable outcome beliefs (as suggested by the theory of reasoned action), a message on testicular cancer information, or no message. All subjects then completed a questionnaire operationalizing the components of the theory of reasoned action (revised to incorporate self-efficacy). As predicted, there was a significant relationship between exposure to the persuasive message and self-reported TSE performance (χ²(2) = 15.66, p < .0001). Sixty-three (71.23%) of the subjects contacted at a 4-week follow-up reported performing the exam. Of those, 44.23% had heard the theory-based message, 36.54% had heard the informational message, and 19.23% had not been exposed to a message. A path analysis of the relationships among components of the theoretical model provided partial support for the hypothesized causal pathways between message exposure and TSE intention and behavior.     

The conjunction fallacy?

Tversky and Kahneman (1983) showed that when subjects are asked to rate the likelihood of several alternatives, including single and joint events, they often make a "conjunction fallacy." That is, they rate the conjunction of two events as being more likely than one of the constituent events. This, they claim, is a fallacy, since the conjunction of two events can never be more probable than either of the component events. In addition, they found that prior training in probability theory does not decrease the likelihood of making this fallacy. We argue that in some contexts, an alternative that contains the conjunction of two events can be more probable than an alternative that contains only one of the conjunction's constituent events. We carried out four experiments in which we manipulated this context. The frequency of making a conjunction fallacy was affected by the manipulation of context. Furthermore, when the context was clearly specified, prior training in statistics influenced the ratings.     

Counseling the incest offender

The Center Against Sexual Assault in Phoenix, Arizona is currently treating 50 incest offenders in its Offender Group treatment program. The average age range is 31–45 years old, and 80 percent were sexually or physically abused as children. These men have been found to be extremely self-centered, exhibit poor impulse control, and possess a strong denial of reality. The treatment program includes several intake sessions to ascertain suitability of the offender to this type of therapeutic approach and a stated self-admission of at least the possibility of incestuous involvement. The offenders work in groups, as well as individual sessions.     

The role of group therapy in incest counseling

The use of group therapy is an essential component in the treatment program for victims of incest, their families, and offenders at the Center Against Sexual Assault in Phoenix, Arizona. Four types of groups are conducted on a continuous basis: (a) adults who were victims as children, (b) families of victims, (c) offenders, and (d) child victims. Group therapy is the predominant treatment modality for the 400 incestuous families seen at CASA. Details of each of the four groups are given in this article.