Heart rate during group flooding therapy for PTSD

The objective of this study was to assess, via heart rate, the arousal levels of participants in group trauma reexposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder, and so to better understand this common mode of treatment, particularly in regards to its presumed curative factor, extinction. Six Vietnam combat-related PTSD inpatients participated twice weekly in group trauma reexposure therapy during which their electrocardiograms were recorded. Heart rate was quantified continuously off-line. Heart rates of participantsnot directly engaged in imaginal reexposure to their personal combat traumas consistently exhibited mild linear declines from the beginnings to the ends of the approximately 2.5 hour sessions. Participants actively engaged in personal combat trauma reexposure exhibited higher whole-session heart rates. Most also exhibited more specific elevation extending over the later portions of therapy sessions during which intensive reexposure usually occurred. Surprisingly, no patients exhibitedfocal increases in heart rate concurrent with periods of most intensive traumatic incident review as judged from videotape. Administering imaginal reexposure in a group context does not preclude substantial physiological (sympathetic) arousal, as is preconditional for extinction. Under conditions in which the actively engaged reexposure patient is reliably identified, group trauma reexposure therapy may not provide an opportunity for “vicarious” flooding in nonengaged participants.     

Shaping data collection congruent with experimental hypotheses

The influence of instructions and feedback from an experimenter on observational recordings of disruptive behavior was evaluated. Four subject-observers recorded four categories of disruptive behavior from videotapes of children in a classroom setting. Two sets of videotapes, labelled "baseline" and "treatment", were matched for rates of disruptive behavior in each category. The observers were told that two target behaviors were expected to decrease and the other two control behaviors were not expected to change during the treatment condition. During observational recording of treatment videotapes, the observers were given positive feedback when they reported decreases in the two target behaviors, and negative feedback when they reported either to change or increases in the two control behaviors. The target behaviors were recorded less frequently by observers, while recordings of control behaviors were unaffected during the treatment phase. These results suggest that contingent feedback to observers should be avoided as a possible source of bias in behavioral recordings.     

Behavior modification consultation in a Mexican-American school

Following consultation by two psychologists with an elementary school populated primarily by Mexican-American students, absenteeism was chosen as the first problem area to attempt to change. A between-groups experimental design was used to evaluate the effect of contigent rewards on the students' attendance. Analysis of the data showed no improvement in attendance. The results of the study were discussed in terms of (1) a more thorough behavior analysis of the absenteeism problem, (2) methodological restraints of a between-groups experimental design, (3) the need for consultants to be familiar with the community in which they work, and (4) relatedly, the success of the local school psychologist in implementing behavior modification programs.     

Syllabic complexity and syntagmatic rules for syllable production-a comment on aspects of the syntax of behaviour by D. G. Mackay

Using a metric of syllabic complexity derived from a syntagmatic theory of syllabic production, in which syllabic recoding expands a syllable into an optional initial consonant group and an obligatory vowel group, MacKay (1974) examined the relationship between the complexity of syllables and their durations in a task of rapid repetition. He concluded from spectrographic measurements of the test syllables that the complexity metric was a good predictor of the syllable durations, and hence syllable repetition rates. The present report demonstrates that comparable, if not better, predictions are made by a simpler theory based on the recoding of syllable structures as series of CV combinations, with appropriate reductions of C or V segments.     

A longitudinal study of the intrusiveness of cognitions in test anxiety

Medical students who had to undergo an important set of examinations were asked to fill out two questionnaires, the first early in the term, the second 1 or 2 wk before the exams. Students whose anxiety increased substantially between the two questionnaire administrations reported that their thoughts had become more intrusive on a number of parameters including distress, frequency and dismissability. Subjects whose anxiety increased only moderately or not at all reported correspondingly smaller changes in intrusiveness. There was considerable stability in reported cognitions over time, but changes in anxiety were related to changes in reports of thought content. The perceived probability of negative outcomes did not vary over time. These results indicate that changes in anxiety levels over time are related to several parameters of intrusiveness as well as thought content.     

Anxiety management and applied relaxation in reducing general anxiety

Sixty-three generally anxious subjects were assigned to anxiety management training, applied relaxation training, relaxation-only, placebo and untreated control conditions. After 6 weeks of treatment, anxiety management training led to reductions on a variety of self-report measures of state and trait anxiety and decreases in maladaptive cognitions during a laboratory stress procedure. On several measures, subjects in anxiety management training differed from relaxation-only and placebo subjects as well as untreated controls. However, treatment effects did not extend to performance and physiological measures of anxiety. Applied relaxation training, which in contrast to anxiety management training lacks structured rehearsal involving the recognition and reduction of tension cues during the treatment sessions, resulted in less consistent decreases in measures of general anxiety.     

Religious Affiliation Influences on the Health Status and Behaviours of Students Attending Seventh-Day Adventist Schools in Australia

Students attending Seventh-day Adventist (Adventist) schools in Australia have been shown to have better health status and behaviours compared to secular norms, yet these schools cater for a high percentage of non-Adventist students. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of religious affiliation (Adventist/non-Adventist) on the health status and behaviours of students attending Adventist secondary schools in Australia. The sample included 1734 students who responded to a health and lifestyle survey that captured demographic details, self-reported height and weight, self-reported health status, mental health and select health behaviours. Students who identified themselves as Adventist reported significantly better health behaviours than the non-Adventist students in several behavioural domains, especially among the male students. However, this did not translate to a difference in health status. Further research is needed to understand the causal mechanisms responsible for the potential health advantage of Adventist students, which may include family or church religious influences.