A twin study of personality and temperament during middle childhood

In a study of 105 same-sex twin pairs, ages 7 to 10 years, maternal ratings on 23 bipolar scales yielded six factors designated as compliant morality, applied cognitive, sociability, emotionality, tough-mindedness, and activity-distractibility. Analyses by twin pairs (68 identical, 37 fraternal) indicated that correlations for identical pairs were significantly higher than fraternal pairs on all but one factor: tough-mindedness. Profile analyses for the six factors indicated that the profiles of scores across the factors were more concordant for the identical twin pairs. Correlations obtained from the individual scales produced differences between the identical and fraternal twin pairs as well. Overall, the data suggested that several components and the total organization of those components of personality and temperament are genetically influenced.     

A CPI comparison of engineers and managers

Seventy-one male employees of three high-technology content product industries in northern Utah were divided into three contrast groups: engineers, engineering-trained managers, and non-engineering-trained managers. The California Psychological Inventory was administered and multivariate analysis of variance performed on seven preselected CPI scales. Results revealed that nonengineering managers scored significantly higher than engineers on scales Dominance, Capacity for Status, Social Presence, and approached significance on Sociability. Engineering-managers also scored significantly higher than engineers on Dominance, and significantly higher than other managers on Psychological Mindedness. A multivariate main-effect significant p < .001 to predict group membership was found. Engineering-managers share with other managers a confident, persuasive, and aggressive self-presentation combined with a preference for leadership roles. Their elevation on Psychological Mindedness, however, suggests a more pragmatic analytical and less intuitive approach to management situations.     

The treatment of tension headache—I. Muscular abnormality and biofeedback

The specificity and efficacy of a short EMG biofeedback treatment were assessed in a selected group of chronic tension-headache cases—those having significantly elevated levels of muscle tension. The effects of training patients to raise/maintain EMG levels were compared to those obtained from patients who were trained to lower tension levels. The results showed little evidence of increased self-control of the muscle despite successful EMG control during six bio-feedback sessions. A progressive and significant reduction in resting level was found only in the groups trained to reduce EMG levels. The treatment proved ineffectual in reducing headache. The implications of the dissociation of muscle tension and headache are discussed both with respect to current views of tension headaches and the role of biofeedback in their treatment.     

The treatment of tension headache—II. EMG ‘normality’ and relaxation

A selected group of patients complaining of severe and chronic tension headache (without muscular abnormality) were given a short 3-week course of relaxation treatment. Half of the subjects received progressive relaxation instructions, while the other half received relaxation plus calming imagery. Both groups showed substantial improvements in pain behaviour and in pain experience. The improvements were synchronous and still present at the 6–8 week follow-up assessment. Although no significant differences were found between the groups, the addition of imagery appeared to produce larger improvements on a number of measures. These results were compared with those reported obtained in a previous biofeedback study and the implications of both the studies were discussed with respect to tension headache and its treatment.     

Natural science and the healing of persons

The importance of a counselor's philosophical point of departure is emphasized. Viewing the self as a conscious, free, and responsible decision-making actor in a world of substantial and self-transcendent meanings and purposes is suggested as the core of a definition that uses an existentialist point of departure. In the light of this definition, four specific inadequacies of counseling that uses a natural-scientific point of departure are identified and discussed: 1) it is overreductionistic; 2) it reinforces the view of self as helpless victim; 3) it disregards the importance of transpersonal concerns; 4) it ignores the importance of conflicting world views between therapist and client.     

Hemiplegic writing in severe aphasia

Three patients with severe aphasia and right hemiplegia are described who could write to dictation with the right arm using a limb prosthesis though agraphic with the "intact" left hand. The phenomenon of "hemiplegic writing" is explained as an access to submerged or preprocessing levels in language and action structure, through the use of older proximal motor systems. This interpretation has implications for our understanding of language and brain function, as well as for approaches to the treatment of patients with severe language disorders.     

Control of CRT intensity via Apple II software

An inexpensive, easy-to-build device for the Apple II microprocessor is described. The modification permits software control of four levels of relative screen intensity (contrast) settings for any video monitor. The relationship of the technology to choice reaction time and perception research is briefly indicated. Principles governing operation of the modification are also discussed. Finally, a set of step-by-step instructions for building the device is provided.     

Feature-positive effect in adults and attention to portion of stimulus array

In three experiments, adult humans were tested in a feature-positive or feature-negative simultaneous symbol task. In Experiment 1, some persons focused on the correct side of the stimulus cards, whereas other persons focused on the not-correct side of the stimulus cards. The feature-positive group learned faster than the feature-negative group did in the correct side condition; the feature-negative group learned faster than the feature-positive group did in the not-correct side condition. In Experiments 2 and 3, all persons focused on both the correct and not-correct sides of the stimulus cards. Under these circumstances, feature-positive and feature-negative performances were comparable. These results indicated that the usual superiority of feature-positive over feature-negative learning results from a tendency to attend to only a portion of the stimulus array.