Defining clinically significant changes in the treatment of child stutterers.

This study established a clinically significant criterion to evaluate outcomes of children's stuttering therapy. 30 stutterers, ages 6 to 15 years, and 30 non-stutterers served as subjects. Speech samples were recorded and the percentage of stuttered syllables and rate of speech analyzed. According to Jacobson and Revenstorf's procedure, 3% of stuttered syllables and 160 syllables per minute should become the target behaviors in the treatment of children's stuttering.     

Erroneous Perceptions in Generating Sequences of Random Events1

This paper reports the results of 2 studies that examine the perceptions of individuals attempting to generate random sequences. It was hypothesized that erroneous perceptions dominate probability judgment. The first study demonstrated that subjects verbalized significantly more erroneous than accurate perceptions when generating sequences of random binary events. The second study was designed both to replicate these data and to assess the role of motivation on the frequency of misconceptions. Results showed that the total number of erroneous perceptions again outnumbered accurate perceptions but, motivation did not increase the number of misconceptions. A basic error concerned subjects' inability to consider events as being independent of each other. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed in relation to the psychology of gambling.     

Beliefs about obsessional thoughts

Recent cognitive-behavioral formulations of obsessive-compulsive disorder postulate that intrusive or obsessional thoughts are subject to appraisal. Extreme beliefs about the occurrence and meaning of intrusive thoughts direct appraisal, thus causing marked distress and subjective responsibility which may lead to neutralizing activity. A brief self-report belief inventory was developed from a 92-item pool to assess extreme beliefs concerning intrusive thoughts and responsibility, the control of such thoughts and their possible consequences, and the appropriateness of guilt and neutralizing behavior as a response. The inventory was developed sequentially on two nonclinical samples (N=125, N=265) to distinguish between neutralizing and nonneutralizing subjects. Initial psychometric data for the final instrument were obtained for two further nonclinical samples (N=61, N=50) along with a sample of OCD patients and a matched control group. The instrument showed satisfactory reliability and evidence of criterion, convergent, discriminant, and factorial validity. Finally, data from a heterogeneous outpatient medical sample (N=299) was used to test the relationship among obsessive-compulsive symptoms, mood state, and beliefs. The implications of these results for contemporary models of obsessive-compulsive disorder are discussed.     

CARACTÉRISTIQUES PSYCHOLOGIQUES DE LA PRISE DE RISQUE MONÉTAIRE DES JOUEURS ET DES NON-JOUEURS À LA ROULETTE*

This study compares different dimensions of the personality, the perception of control and risk-taking behavior of gamblers and non-gamblers exposed to American roulette. The analyses of the data revealed that no significant differences emerged among the two groups on personality or perception of control. Although gamblers started the game by stacking more money than non-gamblers, the latter rapidly bet as much as the regular gamblers. Furthermore, risk-taking behavior increased as the game progressed. The practical implications of the data are discussed in relation to the psychology of gambling.     

Self-efficacy and compliance with benzodiazepine taper in older adults with chronic insomnia.

Better understanding of compliance with BZD taper is warranted. Compliance with a taper program and perceived self-efficacy (SE) in being able to comply with hypnotic reduction goals was monitored weekly in 52 older adults (mean age: 63.0 years) with chronic insomnia (average duration: 21.9 years) who underwent a 10-week physician-supervised medication tapering. One group received cognitive- behavior therapy for insomnia during discontinuation, whereas the other did not. Compliant patients showed higher SE ratings at Weeks 6, 8, 9, and 10. Medication-free patients at the end of the treatment also reported higher mean SE ratings at those 4 weeks. Differences remained significant when withdrawal symptoms and sleep efficiency were controlled for. These results have important clinical implications because SE may indicate key time points when patients are experiencing more difficulty during discontinuation.     

Experimental manipulations of responsibility: An analogue test for models of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Several authors attribute excessive responsibility a predominant role in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) [Salkovskis, P. M. (1985) Behaviour Research and Therapy, 23, 571–583; Rachman, S. (1993) Behaviour Research and Therapy, 31, 149–154; van Oppen, P. & Arntz, A. (1994) Behaviour Research and Therapy, 32, 79–87]. The present studies aimed at demonstrating the link between different levels of perceived responsibility and checking behaviors by experimentally manipulating responsibility in non-clinical Ss. In the first study, a sound recognition task was used to compare checking behaviors in Ss with high (HR) and low (LR) perceived responsibility. Only one variable was significantly different, Ss from the HR group reporting more anxiety during the task than Ss from the LR group. Results did not support a link between responsibility and checking behavior. In a second study HR and LR Ss were compared on a manual classification task. Subjects from the HR group hesitated and checked more, and reported more preoccupation with errors and anxiety during the task than Ss from the LR group. Since perceived severity of the outcome was the most variable affected by the manipulation, the implications for current models of OCD are discussed and an alternative explanation is attempted. Finally, clinical implications are examined and suggestions are made for future directions of research.     

Experimental manipulation of intolerance of uncertainty: a study of a theoretical model of worry

Intolerance of uncertainty has been identified as an important variable related to worry and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) [Dugas, M. J., Gagnon, F., Ladouceur, R., & Freeston, M. H. (1998). Generalized anxiety disorder: a preliminary test of a conceptual model. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 36, 215-226; Ladouceur, R., Dugas, M. J., Freeston, M. H., Rhéaume, J., Blais, F., Boisvert, J.-M., Gagnon, F., & Thibodeau, N. (1999). Specificity of Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms and processes. Behavior Therapy, 30, 197-207]. The goal of the present study was to clarify the relationship between this cognitive process and worry by experimentally manipulating intolerance of uncertainty. A gambling procedure was used to increase intolerance of uncertainty in one group (N = 21) and to decrease intolerance of uncertainty in another group (N = 21). The results indicate that participants whose level of intolerance of uncertainty was increased showed a higher level of worry, compared to participants whose level of intolerance of uncertainty was decreased. These results provide some initial clarifications as to the causal nature of the link between intolerance of uncertainty and worry. These results are coherent with our theoretical model of worry and GAD (Dugas et al., 1998), which stipulates that intolerance of uncertainty plays a key role in the acquisition and maintenance of excessive worry.     

Symbols presentation modality as a determinant of gambling behavior

In this study, the authors investigated the effects that modality of symbol presentation on video lottery terminals (sequential vs. simultaneous) has on gambling behavior. They predicted that sequential presentation would incite players to prolong their gambling session. Results confirmed this prediction and showed that modality of presentation is a determinant of gambling persistency. The authors discuss the relationship between modality of presentation, hopes of an imminent win, losses, and practical and theoretical issues about other cognitive and emotional elements that may influence gamblers' behaviors.     

Characteristics of illness intrusions in a non-clinical sample

This study examines whether illness intrusions can be distinguished from obsessional intrusions and worries. It also assesses the relationship between strategies, thought characteristics, and appraisal of illness intrusions. Two hundred and forty-three non-clinical participants identified an obsessive intrusive thought, a worry, and an illness intrusion. They evaluated each thought using items from the Cognitive Intrusions Questionnaire. The comparisons of intrusions showed that illness intrusions share characteristics of worries and obsessional intrusions, but also have their own characteristics. Illness intrusions seem to be particularly egosyntonic. The relationships between the strategies used to counter illness intrusions and their appraisal were also tested. Results support the idea that there are specific links between the evaluation of cognitive intrusions and the way they are processed. It demonstrated that escape/avoidance strategies are associated with the egodystonic nature of the thought and that problem-focused strategies are associated with the thought's basis in reality. Illness intrusions may be conceptualised as either obsessions or worries. This study demonstrated that the category of an intrusive thought might not be as important as the way it is processed. It seems more important to consider appraisal of the disturbing thought and the way in which the person subsequently reacts and behaves.