A pictorial version of the Extrinsic Affective Simon Task: sensitivity to generally affective and phobia-relevant stimuli in high and low spider fearful individuals

This study assessed whether a pictorial, rather than a verbal, Extrinsic Affective Simon Task (EAST: De Houwer, 2003) is, 1) sensitive to the affective valence of normatively positive, neutral, and negative pictures, 2) sensitive to interindividual differences pertaining to fear-relevant affective associations, and 3) a valid predictor for strategic and/or reflexive fear responses. High (n = 35) and low (n = 35) spider fearful individuals completed an EAST comprising of universal positive, negative, neutral, and spider pictures. The pictorial EAST was sensitive to normatively valenced stimuli, tended to differentiate between high and low fearful individuals with respect to spider pictures, and showed independent predictive validity for avoidance behavior.     

Semantic and phonological context effects in speech error repair

When speakers repair speech errors, they plan the repair in the context of an abandoned word (the error) that is usually similar in meaning or form. Two picture-naming experiments tested whether the error's lexical representations influence repair planning. Context pictures were sometimes replaced with target pictures; the picture names were related in meaning or form or were unrelated. The authors measured target picture-naming latencies separately for trials in which the context name was interrupted or completed. Interrupted trials showed semantic interference and phonological facilitation, whereas completed trials showed semantic facilitation and phonological interference. Thus, errors influence repair production. The authors explain the polarity of these effects in terms of the literature on context effects in word production.     

Do blushing phobics overestimate the undesirable communicative effects of their blushing?

Previous research indicated that blushing has socially threatening revealing effects in ambiguous situations. To explain blushing phobics' fearful preoccupation with blushing, we tested the hypothesis that blushing fearful individuals overestimate its revealing effects. High (n = 20) and low (n = 20) blushing fearful individuals read vignettes describing prototypical mishaps and ambiguous social events. Participants were prompted in the perspective of the actor, and were asked to indicate their expectations of the observers' judgments (meta-perceptions). Blushing fearful individuals overestimated the probability and the costs of undesirable outcomes. However, this judgmental bias was not inflated by displaying a blush. Thus, the results provide no evidence to support the idea that fear of blushing is fuelled by a biased conception of its communicative effects.     

An Application of the Prototype Scale Construction Strategy to the Assessment of Student Motivation

ABSTRACT In this study, the prototype strategy was used to develop scales for the assessment of student motivation In a prestudy, teachers generated student behaviors for each pole of the motivation dimension The prototypicality of the motivated and unmotivated behaviors for the respective poles of the dimension was rated by panels of junior high school students On the basis of these ratings, scales were constructed which differed in the mean-rated prototypicality of their items In the main study the validities of these scales were investigated using peer ratings and a psychometric test as criterion measures Using confirmatory factor analysis, it was demonstrated that, as predicted, the scales with the more prototypical items had higher validity coefficients More generally, these scales possessed satisfactory psychometric properties Finally, the merits of the prototype strategy were discussed with respect to its contributions to the substantive and structural component of construct validity     

Personality,Self-Efficacy and Functioning in Management Teams: A Contribution to Validation

The relationship between individual difference variables and the contribution to team functioning was examined in 58 members of management teams. Extraversion and self-efficacy for working in teams were related to attraction to the team, which in turn was related to a rating of team effectiveness. Extraversion was also related directly to team effectiveness. The relationship between conscientiousness and team functioning was not clear. The results are considered supportive for the validity of self-efficacy for teams and extraversion as indicators of the ability and propensity of individuals to contribute to the functioning of management teams.     

Pathways to spider phobia.

Using a revised version of the Phobic Origin Questionnaire (POQ; Ost, L. G. & Hugdahl, K. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 19, 439-477; 1981), the present study examined whether conditioning experiences, modeling experiences, and/or informational learning experiences were more often reported by spider phobics (n = 41) than by non-fearful controls (n = 30). The two groups did not differ with regard to the overall frequency of conditioning or modeling events. Remarkably, the frequency of informational learning was higher among non-fearful Ss than among phobics. Although the limitations inherent to the retrospective nature of the present study should be borne in mind, the data suggest that, at least in spider phobics, conditioning events, modeling experiences, and/or informational learning do not necessarily give rise to phobic fears.     

Covariation bias and electrodermal responding in spider phobics before and after behavioural treatment

The present study investigated whether a covariation bias is present in severe spider phobics and whether such bias is modified by successful treatment. In addition, this study sought to examine whether a covariation bias is linked to differential autonomic responding. Subjects were 20 untreated phobics, 19 treated phobics, and 18 no-fear controls. Subjects were exposed to a series of 72 slides comprising three categories: spiders (fear-relevant), mushrooms, and flowers. At slide offset one of three possible outcomes occurred: a shock, a tone, or nothing at all. All slide-outcome combinations occurred equally frequent. The results show that an equally strong covariation bias is present in severe spider phobics, in successfully treated phobics, and in no-fear controls. Thus, the present data only partially sustain earlier findings of Tomarken, A. J., Mineka, S. & Cook, M. (1989) (Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 98, 381-394). The covariation bias appeared to be mimicked by differentially heightened autonomic responding. The current data suggest that both the covariation bias and the heightened physiological responding reflect a "beloningness" between spider slides and aversive outcome.     

Imagery ability and exposure in vivo in spider phobia

The present study deals with the effect of imagery ability on treatment outcome in spider phobias. Thirty-eight spider phobics completed the Questionnaire on Mental Imagery (QMI) and the Spider Questionnaire (SPQ). Subjects also went through a behavioral approach task (BAT) during which heart rate and avoidance behavior were measured. Each subject was then given one-session treatment as described by Ost. Immediately after treatment, SPQ and BAT data were again obtained. On the basis of their QMI scores, subjects were assigned to a 'good', 'moderate', or 'poor' imagers group. Neither pre-treatment nor post-treatment measures were found to vary as a function of imagery ability. Thus it appears that, at least for specific phobias such as spider fear, imagery ability is not a relevant variable for predicting the effects of in vivo exposure.     

Eyeblink startle responses in spider phobies before and after treatment: A pilot study

Before and after treatment, acoustic probes eliciting eyeblink startles were presented to 41 female spider phobies during a behavioral approach test (BAT). During this test, subjects pulled a glass jar containing a live spider as nearby as they normally would tolerate. In order to obtain baseline startles, the subjects also carried out a BAT with a basket containing attractive food items. Startle responses were found to be relatively larger during the spider BAT than during the food BAT. This difference in relative magnitude decreased as a result of one-session treatment. The startle response appeared to be relatively independent of other outcome measures (i.e., Spider Questionnaire, BAT, and heart rate). Taken together, the results sustain findings previously reported by Lang and co-workers.