The impact of orbital prefrontal cortex damage on emotional activation to unanticipated and anticipated acoustic startle stimuli

Damage to the orbital prefrontal cortex has been implicated in selectively diminishing electrodermal autonomic nervous system responses to anticipated punishing stimuli (e.g., losing money; Bechara, Damasio, & Damasio, 2000), but not to unanticipated punishing stimuli (e.g., loud noises; Damasio, Tranel, & Damasio, 1990). We extended this research by examining the effects of orbitofrontal damage on emotional responses to unanticipated and anticipated acoustic startles and collecting a more extensive set of physiological measures, emotional facial behavior, and self-reported emotional experience. Consistent with previous research, patients showed intact physiology to an unanticipated startle but failed to show appropriate anticipatory cardiovascular responses (patients’ heart rates decreased, controls’ increased). In addition, patients displayed more surprise facial behavior and reported marginally more fear than did controls in response to the unanticipated startle. Thus, orbitofrontal damage may compromise the ability to anticipate physiologically the onset of aversive stimuli, despite intact or enhanced emotional responses when such stimuli occur unexpectedly.     

Patterns of interference in sequence learning and prism adaptation inconsistent with the consolidation hypothesis

The studies reported here used an interference paradigm to determine whether a long-term consolidation process (i.e., one lasting from several hours to days) occurs in the learning of two implicit motor skills, learning of a movement sequence and learning of a visuo-motor mapping. Subjects learned one skill and were tested on that skill 48 h later. Between the learning session and test session, some subjects trained on a second skill. The amount of time between the learning of the two skills varied for different subjects. In both the learning of a movement sequence and the learning of a visuo-motor mapping, we found that remote memories were susceptible to interference, but the passage of time did not afford protection from interference. These results are inconsistent with the long-term consolidation of these motor skills. A possible difference between these tasks and those that do show long-term consolidation is that the present tasks are not dynamic motor skills.     

MMPI-A structural summary characteristics of male juvenile delinquents

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personal Inventory-Adolescent Structural Summary factor scores for 655 male juvenile delinquents were determined. These Structural Summary scores were compared to the Structural Summary scores in the normative sample of boys. Elevations on Factor 2 (Immaturity) were most characteristic, with half of delinquents' scores being elevated by at least one standard deviation. Discriminant analyses suggested that linear combinations of the Structural Summary scores are as capable of distinguishing between the normative and delinquent samples as were linear combinations of the clinical scales. Furthermore, use of Structural Summary scores provided incremental validity in distinguishing between the two samples, increasing positive predictive power by 20% to 40% as compared to use of only the clinical, content, and supplementary scales.     

Effect of ethnic group membership on ethnic identity,race-related stress,and quality of life

This study examined the effect of ethnic group membership on ethnic identity, race-related stress, and quality of life (QOL). The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure, the Index of Race Related Stress--Brief Version, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life--Brief Version were administered to 160 male and female participants from 3 ethnic groups (African American, Asian American, and Latino American). Results indicated that African American participants had significantly higher race-related stress, ethnic identity, and psychological QOL scores than did Asian and Latino American participants. A stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that ethnic identity and cultural racism were significant predictors of QOL and accounted for 16% of the total variance for the entire sample.     

Changing a culture: a brief program analysis of a social learning program on a maximum-security forensic unit

This report presents outcome data collected for a three-year period from a maximum-security forensic psychiatric program. Admission and discharge variables, restraint/seclusion, and client abuse/neglect data are presented from a one-year period that preceded the advent of the Behavior Management Treatment Program's (BMTP's) Social Learning Diagnostic Program to two years after implementing the Social Learning Diagnostic Program. Significant overall progress and improvement was observed in all variables analyzed after instituting a social learning program paradigm. This report provides a brief summary of the BMTP's Social Learning Diagnostic Program along with a discussion of the role played by Dangerousness Management Plans in the treatment of patients within the social learning milieu. Additionally the patient population served, and the rationale for implementation of a program based in social learning theory, are discussed.     

Coping, Conflictual Social Interactions, Social Support, and Mood Among HIV-Infected Persons

This study considers the interrelationships among coping, conflictual social interactions, and social support, as well as their combined associations with positive and negative mood. Research has shown that each of these variables affects adjustment to stressful circumstances. Few studies, however, examine this full set of variables simultaneously. One hundred forty HIV-infected persons completed a questionnaire containing measures of coping, social support, conflictual social interactions, and positive and negative mood. Factor analyses showed that perceived social support and conflictual social interactions formed separate factors and were not strongly related. Compared to perceived social support, social conflict was more strongly related to coping behaviors, especially to social isolation, anger, and wishful thinking. Conflictual social interactions were more strongly related to negative mood than was perceived social support. Coping by withdrawing socially was significantly related to less positive and greater negative mood. The findings point to the importance of simultaneously considering coping, supportive relationships, and conflictual relationships in studies of adjustment to chronic illness. In particular, a dynamic may occur in which conflictual social interactions and social isolation aggravate each other and result in escalating psychological distress.     

A quaternary temperament model and defense cluster preferences

A quaternary model of temperament constructed from orthogonal axes defined by Extraversion-Introversion and Thinking-Feeling resulted in four groups: Introverted Thinking, Introverted Feeling, Extraverted Thinking, and Extraverted Feeling. Hypothesized relationships between quaternary groups and defense cluster preferences were tested by giving 158 female college students the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Defense Mechanisms Inventory. There was little support for hypothesized relationships between the quaternary model and defense preferences. The only hypothesized significant group difference showed the Extraverted Feeling group recording a greater preference for the Reversal defense cluster than the Introverted Feeling group.     

Cues to deception

Do people behave differently when they are lying compared with when they are telling the truth? The combined results of 1,338 estimates of 158 cues to deception are reported. Results show that in some ways, liars are less forthcoming than truth tellers, and they tell less compelling tales. They also make a more negative impression and are more tense. Their stories include fewer ordinary imperfections and unusual contents. However, many behaviors showed no discernible links, or only weak links, to deceit. Cues to deception were more pronounced when people were motivated to succeed, especially when the motivations were identity relevant rather than monetary or material. Cues to deception were also stronger when lies were about transgressions.     

Differential effects of visual context on pattern discrimination by pigeons (Columba livia) and humans (Homo sapiens)

Three experiment examined the role of contextual information during line orientation and line position discriminations by pigeons (Columba livia) and humans (Homo sapiens). Experiment 1 tested pigeons' performance with these stimuli in a target localization task using texture displays. Experiments 2 and 3 tested pigeons and humans, respectively, with small and large variations of these stimuli in a same-different task. Humans showed a configural superiority effect when tested with displays constructed from large elements but not when tested with the smaller, more densely packed texture displays. The pigeons, in contrast, exhibited a configural inferiority effect when required to discriminate line orientation, regardless of stimulus size. These contrasting results suggest a species difference in the perceptionand use of features and contextual information in the discrimination of line information.