Treatment outcome in personality disorder: The effect of social,psychological and behavioural variables

The study followed-up 245 patients referred to the Henderson Hospital (194 admitted for treatment and 51 not admitted) and for whom information had been collected on their social background and certain psychological variables allowing a classification and typology of personality disorder to be worked out. The study indicates that the therapeutic community treatment is effective with selected individuals showing the antisocial behaviour associated with such disorder. In particular this treatment is of benefit to the offenders with only one conviction and who are able to persevere with treatment for a period of 6 months for treatment to be maximally effective. The variation of psychological types within the broad category of personality disorder was demonstrated and this has a bearing on the outcome of treatment, the extrapunitive neurotic being of poorest prognosis with or without treatment. Yet even in this group, therapeutic community treatment can be effective.     

Classes of models for selected axiomatic theories of choice

Adding a reversibility axiom to the other axioms of Luce's (1959) probabilistic ranking theory results in an impossibility theorem—that all alternatives in an alternative set are equally likely to be chosen (i.e., that preferences are random). This impossibility theorem is generally avoided by removing the reversibility axiom. Using simple algebraic methods such a modified theory is shown to contain a theorem similiar to the impossibility result. These results are discussed within the framework of mathematical model theory (model theory deals with the relations between sets of sentences (theories) and the structures which satisfy these sentences (models)) to illustrate the applicability of model theory as an analytic tool in theory development.     

The Social Instigation and Control of Physical Aggression

Forty male undergraduates were subjects in an experiment testing persuasibility under conditions of aggression and nonaggression. Social pressure (aggressive or pacifist) was used to persuade subjects to administer either an intense shock or a mild shock, via an electrode, to opponents. Subjects were also tested alone and in the mere presence of an audience. Aggressive social pressure significantly increased shock settings toward a nonaggressive opponent. Pacifistic social pressure significantly decreased aggression against an unmitigating aggressive opponent. The social pressure manipulation influenced the subjects' subsequent alone behavior in the former, but not the latter case. Mere audience presence mildly facilitated aggressive responding toward both types of opponents.     

Hemispheric refractoriness and control of reaction time

Experiments are described which attempt to assess the relative efficiency of the hemispheres and their relationship in performance on complex RT tasks. A divided visual field method was used to direct signals to the temporal or nasal retinae of each eye thus passing information to separate hemispheres. A comparison of the separate response times was used to assess the relative efficiency of each hemisphere but significant differences were not observed. This suggests that each may be the equal of the other in organizing simple responses. A method was used to examine more complex RT by presenting the subject with two simultaneous signals for response. When pairs of signals are directed to separate hemispheres, response times are at their lowest value. When signals are directed to separate hemispheres through the same eye, a significant increase in RT occurs. A source of mutual interference appears to exist at the level of the eye. Response times are extended to their greatest value, however, when both signals are directed to the same hemisphere. This block to function has been described as “hemispheric refractoriness”, and is different for the two hemispheres. While each show a distinct block to function the extent of this is greater in the right or minor hemisphere than it is in the left or major hemisphere.     

A Bayesian prediction of four-look recognition performance from one-look data: II

In a recent paper, four-look recognition performance was predicted from one-look (lL) data by Bayes’s theorem, with the entire pattern of two Ss’ four-look data being predicted reasonably well. In the present study, three Ss were run, with the addition that feedback was given and confidence judgments were required. Their task was to identify tachistoscopically presented graphemes A, T, or U. Predictions of four-look performance were made using three orders of lL data matrices, differing in the breakdown of confidence categories. The three matrices led to reasonably accurate predictions. Predictions varied somewhat in accuracy, depending on the order of the lL matrix. The possibility that the variation in predictive accuracy reflected the capacity of an S to combine information received from each observation was discussed. The capacity question is presently under investigation by the authors.     

Plucks and bows are not categorically perceived

Letter-like targets (a circle and a square) were presented in one of two fixed and cued visual field locations and were shown alone, flanked by a noise stimulus on the peripheral side (side of target farthest from fixation), on the central side, or on both sides simultaneously. The adjacent target and noise stimulus borders had similar featural properties (both curved or both straight lines) or dissimilar properties (one being a curved line and one a straight line). Each of 10 subjects made a go, no-go response only when his or her designated target appeared in a display. The results showed: (1) single targets were discriminated more accurately and more rapidly than were targets shown simultaneously with noise stimuli, (2) targets having dissimilar border relationships with noise items were discriminated more accurately than were targets having similar border relationships, (3) targets in central-noise displays were discriminated more accurately and rapidly than were targets in peripheral-noise displays, and (4) there was no interaction between border relationships and noise position. The principal result relating to target-noise border featural relationship was consistent with predictions derived from models which place the locus of noise effects at the stage of stimulus feature extraction. Aspects of the results were, however, seen to be consistent with both feature extraction and response competition conceptualizations.     

Couple interaction: A study of the punctuation process

This study examined couples' punctuation of their own interactions. The association between causal explanations for the interactions on issues involving differences and the nature of relatedness (i.e., degree of distress) was the major purpose of the study. Punctuation was defined as a way of grouping sequences of interactions. Punctuational differneces were operationalized by measuring couples' causal explanations and attributions of responsibility concerning their own interactions. Twenty distressed and non-distressed couples, matched on age, income, education, and length of relationship, participated in an intensive 3-hour interview conducted at their homes. Two relationship measures to determine the degree of distress were administered. The interview involved: generating issues of important differences, improvisational role plays of interactions, responses to open-ended questions about self and other perspectives, and rankings of causal explanations and attributions of responsibility about the interactions. The results suggested that the nature of relatedness, as defined by degree of distress, was associated with the punctuation of interactions by the communicators, tentatively supporting the Watzlawicket al. (1967) metacommunicational axiom. The main finding was that distressed couples attributed responsibility to the mate rather than self, whereas in nondistressed douples responsibility was shared.This article is based on a doctoral dissertation submitted to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The senior author is affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco     

The abstraction of linguistic ideas in “meaningless” sentences

It was proposed that the Bransford and Franks linear effect is unrelated to semantic processes and will, therefore, occur even when “meaningless” sentences (i.e., sentences containing nonsense instead of meaningful content words) are employed. Within the Bransford and Franks format, Ss were given either the meaningless sentences or control sentences. Results showed a significant linear effect for the meaningless sentences. Furthermore, although the slope of the effect for meaningless sentences was flatter than that of the control, other data ruled out a semantic integration explanation based on the availability of semantic information contained in sentence structure. A simple guessing strategy hypothesis was offered to account for the linear effect.