Goal-directedness and personal identity as correlates of life outcomes

Although much research has been conducted on goal setting, researchers have not examined goal-directedness or propensity to set goals as a stable human characteristic in adults. In this study, a survey was developed and distributed to 104 adult participants to assess their goal-directedness, personal identity, and various life outcomes. A theoretical model was developed and tested using structural equation modeling that proposed that both goal-directedness and personal identity should positivcly influence important life outcomes. Analysis showed that goal-directedness and personal identity are positively related to personal well-being, salary, and marital satisfaction. Further, personal identity was positively related to job satisfaction but, contrary to related research, goal-directedness did not predict job satisfaction.     

Imaginary relish and exquisite torture: the elaborated intrusion theory of desire

The authors argue that human desire involves conscious cognition that has strong affective connotation and is potentially involved in the determination of appetitive behavior rather than being epiphenomenal to it. Intrusive thoughts about appetitive targets are triggered automatically by external or physiological cues and by cognitive associates. When intrusions elicit significant pleasure or relief, cognitive elaboration usually ensues. Elaboration competes with concurrent cognitive tasks through retrieval of target-related information and its retention in working memory. Sensory images are especially important products of intrusion and elaboration because they simulate the sensory and emotional qualities of target acquisition. Desire images are momentarily rewarding but amplify awareness of somatic and emotional deficits. Effects of desires on behavior are moderated by competing incentives, target availability, and skills. The theory provides a coherent account of existing data and suggests new directions for research and treatment.     

Coding simultaneous experiments as independent FORTRAN subroutines

Simultaneous experiments can be coded as separate FORTRAN subroutines which pass requests for critical times and events to a coordinating subroutine named CHECK. These requests are stored in a “request table.” When all the experiments are temporally dormant, CHECK loops through the request table, checking each request. Whenever CHECK discovers that one of the requested times or events has occurred, it CALLs the subroutine of the appropriate experiment. In addition to supporting simultaneous experiments, this system permits a simpler style of programming experiments than that possible in unenhanced FORTRAN. This simplicity is largely due to the fact that the “loop and check” control structures are implemented in the CHECK subroutine and hence are transparent to the programmer.     

Integration of post-exposural directional scanning and cerebral dominance explanations of lateral differences in trachistoscopic recognition.

Post-exposural directional scanning and cerebral dominance are major postualtes which account for lateral differences in tachistoscopic perception. These ideas can be intergrated when tachistoscopic perception is viewed as a short-term memory task. Briefly exposed stimuli not only have to be scanned, but also rehearsed, subvocally, before they can be encoded. Since most Ss are left-hemisphere dominant for language, scanned information arriving in the right hemisphere has to be sent to the left hemisphere for rehearsal. This transmission effects a loss of scanned information because it is held in a rapidly dissipating storage. These ideas account for lateral differences found with vertically and horizontally oriented targets, but methodological considerations are discussed which indicate that these notions are more clearly demonstrable with the former than latter displays .     

Investigations of Hypesthesia: Using Anesthetics to Explore Relationships between Consciousness, Learning, and Memory

This paper discusses the ways in which anesthetic agents can be used to investigate the role of awareness in learning and memory. It reviews research into learning during light, subclinical anesthesia, termedhypesthesia.This research suggests that the effects of anesthetics on implicit and explicit memory are roughly comparable, although implicit memory for simple stimuli may resist the effects of very low doses of anesthetic. In addition, this paper reports experimental data demonstrating that long-term retention of information is prevented by doses of anesthetic that are low enough to permit awareness and even short-term memory of auditory stimuli. Overall, these findings are consistent with the hypothesis (e.g., Caseley-Rondi, 1996) that frontal lobe function is particularly sensitive to anesthetics. They raise theoretical and practical questions about the necessity of consciousness for learning and about interpretation of the evidence for learning during surgery under general anesthesia.     

Brief escape from a dangerous place: The role of reinforcement in the rat's one-way avoidance acquisition

Five experiments are reported which attempt to eliminate two possible sources of reinforcement in one-way avoidance learning: a period of escape from aversive apparatus cues and the termination of the warning signal (WS). A “brief escape”/one-way avoidance procedure was developed to minimize the time rats spent away from the shock box. It was found that, although prolonged escape from shock box cues contributes to the acquisition rate of one-way avoidance, it is not essential for relatively rapid acquisition to occur. It was also found, in agreement with earlier evidence, that WS termination makes no discernible contribution to learning in the one-way situation. Thus, neither source of reinforcement appears to be necessary for acquisition. At this point, one may argue either that reinforcement is not necessary for rapid one-way avoidance acquisition [e.g., Bolles' 1972 species-specific defense reaction hypothesis (In G. H. Bower (Ed.), The psychology of learning and motivation: Advances in research and theory (Vol. 6). New York: Academic Press, 1972)] or that there are other sources of reinforcement. As an example of the latter approach, a consummatory stimulus reward hypothesis is advanced.     

The influence of context on the assessment of family interaction: a clinical study*

A clinical study to compare clinically-observed with task-elicited family interaction was carried out as follows. Twelve families receiving family therapy were administered a series of tasks by tape-recorder. The therapist and an independent observer recorded interaction patterns in six dimensions (Alliance, Parenting, Marital Relationship, Communication, Affective Status and Boundary Integrity) and the results were compared with what was known clinically. Except for conflict the Task Interview revealed the main clinical features; however, it also revealed significant new information in all cases but one. The study has implications for clinical work.     

Suppression of the rat’s locomotor activity at low intensities of electric footshock

Over 50% of all just noticeably different footshock intensities lie below ,3 mA for rats. Unfortunately, the suppression of the rat’s locomotor activity by low-intensity footshock precludes the use of these shock intensities in active escape or avoidance training. This activity-suppression effect was demonstrated in an alley and in a tilt cage. One explanation of this effect is that rats remain relatively immobile in order to avoid painful peaks in current density that occur when the animals’ paws make or break contact with “hot” grids. If this explanation is correct, the activity-suppression effect should be more pronounced with higher impedance shock sources. Some evidence is reported that is consistent with this explanation.