Effects of relaxation instructions on the electromyographic responses of abstinent alcoholics to drinking-related stimuli

Viewed from a behavioral perspective alcoholism is a behavioral disorder which should be influenced by the same range of environmental and historical variables which affect other operant behaviors. Therefore, environmental stimulus circumstances should play a significant role in influencing alcoholics' disposition to drink. In particular, stimuli which have previously been associated with drinking behavior should come to exert some controlling influence over subsequent disposition to drink. Relapse to substance abuse is often believed to be precipitated by exposure to stimulus circumstances previously associated with the drug or its use. This hypothesis has received its greatest emphasis in the area of narcotics abuse (Wikler, 1965). but presumably it is relevant also to the case of alcohol abuse. Research concerning abusers' reactions to alcohol-related or drinking-related stimuli has been minimal. Ludwig et al. (1974) have presented data suggesting that alcohol-related stimuli interact with priming doses of ethanol to increase alcoholics' disposition to drink. Miller et al. (1974), however, failed to observe a significant effect of drinking-related stimuli upon alcoholics' disposition to drink.

In the field of behavior therapy, relaxation and stimulus-exposure techniques (e.g. systematic desensitization) are often recommended as techniques for reducing the effect of environmental stimuli upon an individual's behavior. However, data are lacking concerning the effect of relaxation training upon alcoholics. The present study uses psychophysiological procedures to investigate three issues concerning the effect of drinking-related stimuli and relaxation instructions upon alcoholics: (1) the effect of a single session of systematic relaxation instructions upon the electromyographic tension levels of abstinent alcoholics; (2) the effect of drinking-related auditory stimuli upon the electromyographic tension levels of abstinent alcoholics; and (3) the influence of prior relaxation instructions upon the EMG responses of abstinent alcoholics exposed to drinking-related stimuli.     

Apparent movement and metacontrast suppression: A decisional analysis

Three test and three mask energies were varied orthogonally and randomly over trials. The stimulus onset asynchrony (ISOA) separating test and mask was varied between trial blocks within each of two display conditions, apparent movement (two-object) and metacontrast (threeobject). Subjects were required to makebrightness judgments of both test and mask energies by responding “bright,” “medium,” or “dim” with respect to the apparent intensity of each stimulus. The accuracy and the coherence lconsistencyt of test judgments were U-shaped functions of SOA for both apparent movement and metacontrast situations. However, the accuracy and the coherence of mask judgments did not vary with SOA for either apparent movement or metacontrast. It was noted that substantially the same results have been reported previously when subjects were required to makecontour judgments. Hence, it is argued that apparent movement and metacontrast suppression are intimately related.     

Disulfiram maintenance employee alcoholism treatment: A three-phase evaluation

Absenteeism rates of industrial employees (N = 21) referred by their employers to alcoholism treatment were evaluated during three phases: pre-treatment (the 24 months immediately prior to treatment); treatment (the period of continuous treatment enrolment, averaging 10.6 months); and post-treatment (the period immediately following treatment, averaging 4.4 months). Treatment consisted of disulfiram maintenance—routine supervised ingestion of disulfiram—without scheduled counseling. The median per cent of scheduled work days absent for each phase was: pre-treatment, 9.8%; treatment, 1.7%; post-treatment, 6.7%. Absenteeism during the treatment phase was significantly less (p < 0.01) than that during pre-treatment and post-treatment, which did not differ significantly from one another. The five-fold reduction in absenteeism was specifically related to treatment delivery, and appears superior to the two-fold reduction reported for traditional employee alcoholism treatment via counseling.     

Behavioral analysis of clinical cases

The behavior-analytic approach to clinical phenomena is presented. An operationalized framework for conducting behavioral analysis with clinical cases is provided. Idiographic analysis and treatment innovation are conceptualized and conducted within the framework of the experimental method. Differences between technological and behavior-analytic approaches are illustrated.     

A real-time control system for CAI and prothesis

An integrated hardware and software system was used for the real-time control of text display in a CAI environment. Reliability and cost considerations led to the development of a digital EOG transducer, which was used in conjunction with a KIM-1 microcomputer. This paper traces the development of that system from a complex and expensive PDP-11-based system to a microcomputer firmware approach. Such a system could, in real time, accomplish a similar display task for severely handicapped nonvocal individuals.     

Stress and cardiac beta adrenoceptors

Most modern theories about stress recognize that although stress is not a disease, it may be the trigger for the majority of diseases when allostatic overload has been generated. During stress, the glucocorticoids and catecholamines play a key role in the regulation of physiological parameters and homeostasis during stress. In the heart, positive chronotropic, inotropic, and lusitropic responses to catecholamines are mediated by various subtypes of adrenergic receptors (beta-ARs), mainly beta1- and beta2-adrenergic receptors. beta-ARs also control cardiomyocyte growth and death, thus contributing to cardiac remodelling. The structural basis of each beta-AR subtype, as well as their signalling pathways, and adaptive responses to stress are discussed. The participation of beta3- and putative beta4-ARs in the control of cardiac function is also discussed, with emphasis on low affinity beta-AR isoforms and the role they play in the response to the catecholamines under stress. The changes in beta-AR signalling under pathogenic conditions as well as under stress are reviewed.     

Conscious control and memory awareness when recognising famous faces

We describe an experiment that investigated levels-of-processing effects in recognition memory for famous faces. The degree of conscious control over the recognition decisions was manipulated by using a response deadline procedure, and memory awareness associated with those decisions was assessed using a standard remember-know paradigm. Levels-of-processing effects were found at both short and long response deadlines, and at both deadlines those effects occurred only in remembering. Moreover, knowing, as well as remembering, increased with the greater opportunity for conscious control over recognition decisions at the long deadline. These results have implications for dual-process theories that distinguish between a slower, more controlled recollection process, reflected in remembering, and a faster, more automatic familiarity process, reflected in knowing.     

Divestment of pastoral authority: A model for healing

Traditionally the pastor has come to be responsible for the pastoral care needs of a congregation. This model suggests that by sharing this authority a pastor can empower the faith community and its members to bring about healing in a dynamic way. Healing is defined not in terms of physical rehabilitation but as the movement toward growth, wholeness, and maturity. The role of the pastor is redefined as one who leads the faith community to a new awareness of the mission of the church as a healing community.Reverend Lydic is Pastor of the Dixon Church of the Brethren, 215 N. Court Street, Dixon, Illinois 61201.