MODIFICATION OF HUMAN GASTRIC ACID SECRETION WITH OPERANT-CONDITIONING PROCEDURES1

In an attempt to control gastric acid secretion with operant-conditioning techniques, four normal women were given visual feedback on gastric pH plus money reinforcers. When money was made dependent on increased secretion in a differential-reinforcement-of-high-rates schedule, the rate of secretion of three of the four subjects increased to three times baseline. When money was then made dependent on decreased secretion in a differential-reinforcement-of-other-behaviors schedule, the rate of secretion of these three subjects returned to baseline levels. Heart rate, respiratory frequency, abdominal electromyographic activity, and stomach motility (measured by the electrogastrogram method) were not consistently correlated with acid secretion across subjects, although individual subjects showed substantial correlations between acid secretion and one or more other physiological response.     

Schizophrenic performance on form E of Cattell's 16PF test.

Form E of Cattell's 16PF test was administered to 515 hospitalized schizophrenics. This sample was compared to Cattell's standardization population for both raw scores and sten scores. Comparisons were made between males and females, acute patients and chronic patients, and amongst three categories of schizophrenia (paranoid, undifferentiated, schizo-affectives). The results indicate that the "schizophrenic profile," reported in previous research with Form A, did not obtain expected differentiations among schizophrenic categories. The question of the usefulness of Form E in diagnosing schizophrenia was raised.     

Self-help with diagnosis (a self-administered semi-projective device).

Studied the validity of a self-administered semi-projective packet of tests and questionnaires developed to provide quick, inexpensive information preparatory, or ancillary, to further diagnostic examinations. Brief writeups of inferences derived from the packet of tests were compared to diagnostic inferences based on from one to three psychiatric interviews, and with full examinations, which included psychiatric and social work interviews and extensive psychological testing. Generally, high comparability between the packet and both criteria were shown on questions of global diagnostic impression, character and defense, central conflicts, and basic ego functions; and significant information was often added by the packet to the data collected in diagnostic interviews. The patients filled out the packet forms conscientiously, and their written self-reports indicated that some patients could learn and otherwise benefit just from performing this task.     

Baby X

The present study investigated adult behavior while interacting with a three-month-old infant under conditions in which the child was introduced as a boy, as a girl, or with no gender information given. Gender labels did not elicit simple effects, but rather interacted significantly with the sex of the subject on both toy usage and physical contact measures. There was a stronger tendency for both male and female adults to utilize sex-stereotyped toys when the child was introduced as a girl. Most of the findings, however, reflected a differential response of men and women to the absence of gender information. In this condition, male subjects employed a neutral toy most frequently and handled the child least; in contrast, females used more stereotyped toys and handled the child more. All subjects attempted to guess the gender of the child (with “boy” guesses more frequent, although the child was actually female) and all justified their guess on the basis of stereotyped behavioral or physical cues like strength or softness.     

Individual commitment to risky and conservative choices as a determinant of shifts in group decisions1

The consistently positive relationship between initial riskiness and perceived influence obtained in past work led us to speculate that (1) the deliberative effort involved in making a choice increases with its riskiness, as a result (2) individuals who select a risky course of action will be more committed to their choice than conservative individuals, and (3) the former will be more influential in group decisions. The following support was obtained for these conjectures When individuals had to select a reaction time interval to beat, those who were risky, that is, who selected a short interval, were more confident in having chosen wisely, were less likely to feel they might change their choice given the opportunity, and took longer to make their choice than those who were conservative, that is, who selected a long interval The first two of these measures were assumed to reflect commitment to the choice, and the third was taken as a rough indication of the amount of effort involved in choosing A group decision was also made regarding the reaction time interval It tended to be riskier than that preferred by the average individual prior to the decision if the riskiest member was more committed and/or expended more effort in choosing than his partners, on the other hand, it tended to be more conservative than the average prior preference if the most conservative member was more committed and or expended more effort     

A new status index derived from sociometric analysis

For the purpose of evaluating status in a manner free from the deficiencies of popularity contest procedures, this paper presents a new method of computation which takes into accountwho chooses as well ashow many choose. It is necessary to introduce, in this connection, the concept of attenuation in influence transmitted through intermediaries.This work was done under the sponsorship of the Office of Naval Research.     

Habitual Susceptibility to Misinformation and Individual Differences in Eyewitness Memory

A novel multiple-event, multiple-item procedure was employed to identify individuals who were habitually susceptible to accepting post-event misinformation. Using this procedure, it was found that many people succumbed at least once to the effects of misinformation, given enough opportunities. Moreover, some individuals could be identified who showed a pattern of repeated susceptibility, accepting some misinformation for each of three separate events. Several individual difference measures discriminated between individuals who were habitually susceptible to false post-event information and those who were not; these include empathy, self-reported vividness of visual imagery and a memory accuracy measure. © by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of Concurrent Visual Feedback Frequency on Postural Control Learning in Adolescents

The purpose was to find better augmented visual feedback frequency (100% or 67%) for learning a balance task in adolescents. Thirty subjects were divided randomly into a control group, and 100% and 67% feedback groups. The three groups performed pretest (3 trials), practice (12 trials), posttest (3 trials) and retention (3 trials, 24 hours later). The reduced feedback group showed lower RMS in the posttest than in the pretest (p = 0.04). The control and reduced feedback groups showed significant lower median frequency in the posttest than in the pretest (p < 0.05). Both feedback groups showed lower values in retention than in the pretest (p < 0.05). Even when the effect of feedback frequency could not be detected in motor learning, 67% of the feedback was recommended for motor adaptation.