Delayed one-trial extinction of the McCollough effect

Initial tests of the McCollough effect were made on separate groups at delays of 4, 24 or 96 h after induction, with little apparent decrement. Subsequent tests were made at 4, 24 and 96 h after each initial test delay, again using separate subject groups in order to avoid test-induced extinction. All tests consisted of magentagreen nulling of the aftereffect. A single test session, whenever administered, seems to initiate a decay or extinction process lasting several days, resembling the time course shown by repeated testing. These results are difficult to reconcile with a perceptual conditioning model of the McCollough effect.     

Self-concept and delinquency proneness

Contrary to the theory of the homeostatic model of self-concept, i.e., the expectancy that engaging in anti-social or pro-social behavior results typically in shifts in the self-concept (Graf, 1968; Deitz, 1970 shifts did not occur. Subjects, 12- 14-year-old boys enrolled in junior high school, delinquent prone (DP) and non-delinquent prone bright (NDPB), reacted to manipulation by engaging in reparative behavior as indicated via an aggression module in a fashion generally expected but the expected shift from chronic self-images did not occur. Both DP and NDPB viewed themselves similarly on self concept. The authors postulated that if shifts would occur for the delinquent prone it would be after they left school with its accompanying identification with a sub-culture outside the school setting.     

Patterns of transactional style deviance in the TAT's of parents of schizophrenics

Parents of schizophrenics show more transactional style deviance in diverse situations than do other parents. In a sample of families of nonschizophrenic outpatient adolescents, a manual for scoring such deviance on stories told for seven TAT cards was developed. This scoring system was shown to be composed of six meaningful factors. When this system was applied to the TAT's of parents of offspring with a variety of psychiatric diagnoses, a total deviance score did not discriminate among the parents. High scores on two particular factors were found only in parents of hospitalized schizophrenics, but four factors were nondiscriminating. Parents of young adults with schizophrenia spectrum disorders were more likely to show high scores on at least one of these six factors than other parents. Considering the scores of mothers and fathers together yielded the best discrimination of parents of schizophrenia spectrum disorders from other parents.     

Humanistic behaviorism: A tool for creating healthy learning environments

Behavior modification techniques have been both highly revered and highly criticized by educators. Unfortunately, both viewpoints have often been based on a superficial understanding of theory and research. More significantly, the application of behavioristic principles has frequently failed to integrate techniques derived from research in the areas of personality development and communication (much of which is currently incorporated under the term humanistic psychology). This article presents a school-based model for creating a synthesis of behavioristic and humanistic technologies. Examples from the author's work as a teacher and consultant are combined with an examination of associated research findings to demonstrate the practical application of such a synthesis.     

Encoding origin of the terminal asymmetry effect in recall

Jones (1976) found that the accuracy of recall of the order in which a series of pictures was seen was dependent upon the way in which recall was cued. For the latter part of a series, sequential position was a more effective cue for the recall of the corresponding picture than the picture was for sequential position. Two experiments reported here (testing altogether 100 subjects) investigated whether this terminal asymmetry effect (TAE) arises at encoding or only at retrieval. It was found that the TAE was affected by the conditions of presentation of the series but not by the post-presentation factors studied.