A pictorial attitude test for the evaluation of In-Service training programs

Two sets of pictures of hospital scenes were developed to permit assessment of attitudinal changes expected from training in the area of care and treatment of hospitalized mental patients. Response range is restricted; a scoring guide facilitates scoring. Interscorer reliability is .97. Equivalence of the two parallel forms appears adequate. A pilot study and cross validation suggest validity (significant mean differences between professional and nonprofessional hospital employees and between nonprofessional personnel and people in general). Use of the picture test in the assessment of attitude change in employees participating in a number of training programs indicates sensitivity and utility of the instrument.     

The Role of Visual Perception in the Reproduction of Bender-Gestalt Designs

Four groups (controls, organics, acute and chronic schizophrenics) of 14 Ss each were matched for age, sex and intelligence. The principal tasks involved (1) reproducing the designs and (2) matching according to similarity a series of 8 design-choices with varying degrees of distortion from most-like to least-like the stimulus designs. The results confirmed the hypotheses (1) that perception of the B-G designs does not significantly differentiate between normal subjects and subjects manifesting psychopathology while (2) there exists a significant difference regarding reproduction of the designs between the groups. These findings are considered to be in agreement with current conceptualization of perception.     

A Human Modification of the Children's Apperception Test (CAT-H)

Since the creation of the CAT fifteen years ago, first introduced in the pages of this Journal, many studies have been published comparing the stimulus value of animal versus human figures. Some outcomes favored the animal figures, while an even larger number favored the human stimuli. It appears that some children respond better to animal stimuli, and some to human figures, depending on particular characteristics of the child. A human modification of the CAT was therefore developed by Bellak and Bellak. It is hoped this version will be useful with older children, especially those with an M.A. beyond ten years, and will thus bridge the gap between the animal CAT and the TAT. The human CAT may also elicit more information from children with particular personality characteristics.     

Field dependence-independence and social traditionalism

Three independent variables—ethnicity, sex, and urbanism—were used to investigate differences in the cognitive style, field dependence-independence, among six ethnic subcultures of Trinidad. It was assumed that differences in field dependence-independence reflected differences in adherence to values of social traditionalism among the six subcultures. The major hypothesis of the study was that a field-dependent cognitive style would be functional for the maintenance of social traditionalism, whereas a field-independent cognitive style would facilitate modernization. It was found that ethnicity, sex and urbanism were significant predictors of field dependence-independence, but because of a significant interaction effect, the results were not uniform. Ethnicity was the strongest predictor of cognitive style, for example, but whether it did, in fact, significantly predict field dependence-independence depended on the sex and the urbanism of the subjects. Consequently, the hypothesized rank order of ethnic groups by field dependence-independence held only for urban males.     

What is it like to be Oscar?

Oscar is going to be the first artificial person — at any rate, he is going to be the first artificial person to be built in Tucson's Philosophy Department. Oscar's creator, John Pollock, maintains that once Oscar is complete he will experience qualia, will be self-conscious, will have desires, fears, intentions, and a full range of mental states (Pollock 1989, pp. ix–x). In this paper I focus on what seems to me to be the most problematical of these claims, viz., that Oscar will experience qualia. I argue that we have not been given sufficient reasons to believe this bold claim. I doubt that Oscar will enjoy qualitative conscious phenomena and I maintain that it will be like nothing to be Oscar.     

Development and transfer of interactive videodisc instructional technology

Interactive videodisc instruction is described along with issues involved in the development of the method.     

Withdrawal From Coparenting Interactions During Early Infancy

This study examines early withdrawal in the coparenting system, and the utility of a brief problem‐solving discussion about coparenting responsibilities as a means for evaluating such withdrawal. One hundred and fifteen couples were evaluated both prenatally and at 3 months postpartum. During prenatal assessments, parents rated their personalities and completed marital assessments. After the baby arrived, they completed a negotiation task in which they discussed disputes about parenting roles and responsibilities, and interacted together with the baby in a triadic play assessment. Fathers' but not mothers' withdrawal during coparenting negotiations was associated with greater disengagement and less warmth during triadic play and with fathers' feelings that mothers did not respect their parenting. Fathers' but not mothers' withdrawal during coparenting negotiations was also forecast by low ego resilience and by an increase in depressive symptomatology during the postpartum. As the negotiation task appeared to be an effective provocateur of withdrawal when confronting coparenting disagreement, it may prove useful for eliciting this aspect of coparental process in work with couples.     

Agreement Between Psychiatric and Psychological Diagnosis in a State Hospital

Published studies report generally on agreement between psychiatrists. This investigation is concerned with agreement based on interdisciplinary and consultative rather than independent judgments. Two samples of patients admitted to Napa State Hospital were analyzed separately (85 adults and 84 children). Frequency of concurrence and rate of agreement were identified with reference to symptomatology and specific as well as general diagnoses. Agreement is highest for adult patients with secondary symptoms (75% for men, 92% for women). Rate of agreement for specific diagnoses is 62% for adult patients and 78% for children, as compared with 66% (adults) and 80% (children) for general diagnostic formulations. Hypotheses concerning the influence of symptomatology, specificity, age, sex and administrative expediency on rate of agreement are presented.