A Relationship Skills Training Program for College Students

An eight-session Relationship Skills Training program was developed for college students who have difficulty in meeting others and establishing close personal relationships. The major components of each session (i.e., introduction, cognitive restructuring, skills training, and homework) are described and results of the initial offering of the program are presented.     

A relay driver and contact closure sensing interface for an LSI-11 DRV11 parallel I/O board

A simple input and output circuit is described that allows users to sense contact closures and to drive relays from a Digital Equipment Corporation LSI-11 DRV 11 parallel interface board or a signal-compatible equivalent.     

The overshadowing of background stimuli: Some effects of varying amounts of training and ucs intensity

Two experiments investigated the capacity of a nominal CS to overshadow background stimuli. Rats received CS-shock pairings in one compartment of a double compartment apparatus. After training the shock compartment was represented, but in the absence of both the CS and shock. Overshadowing was then assessed by measuring rats' latency to enter this compartment. If rats readily entered the shock compartment this indicated that the background cues in that compartment had acquired little or no associative strength during training, and overshadowing was therefore inferred. If however rats avoided the shock compartment, then this indicated that the background stimuli must have become aversive during training, and overshadowing could not then be inferred. In both experiments it was found that the capacity of a CS to overshadow background stimuli was directly related to the amount of training given. The experiments also showed that this capacity is inversely related to shock intensity. The results are discussed in terms of Rescorla and Wagner's (1972) model of conditioning.     

Learning capacities during sleep: A preliminary study in a group of schizophrenic inpatients

The relationship between sleep and learning processes is analysed in a sample of schizophrenic patients, starting from more recent hypotheses about the function of REM sleep in learning and memory processes. This is done by means of two experiments: in the first AA. evaluate the possibility to elicit a simple motor conditional reflex acquired during daytime in different sleep stages. With the second experiment daytime learning performances are evaluated with and without a reinforcement administered during REM sleep. Results for the first experiment underline a qualitative difference between REM and nREM sleep in a reflexological perspective. In nREM sleep the conditional response is better maintained than in REM sleep. The second experiment confirms the possibility to improve daytime learning performances after an additional presentation of learning material in REM. The joint study of sleep abnormalities and learning and cognitive impairment in schizophrenic patients is finally suggested.     

A device for measuring patterns of locomotor behavior in the earthworm

A simple device capable of eliciting and detecting earthworm locomotor activity is described and its use outlined. Movement is recorded as an animal crawls in a spoked, revolving wheel. The wheel permits peristaltic crawling, yet restricts the type and timing of other movements. As a result, records of activity differentiate the rate and patterning of peristaltic crawling from changes in bodily position.     

A versatile two-part system for on-line measurement of multiple response parameters

A two-part system for digital measurement of such diverse response parameters as latency, pulse width, amplitude, and events per unit time is described. The mainframe consists of counters with light-emitting diode (LED) numeric readouts and a quartz crystal controlled internal time base. It also contains all power supply requirements for both the mainframe electronics and the second part of the system, the plug-ins. Each plug-in is designed to use the main unit counters, timers, readouts, and power supplies to measure the desired parameter. Thus, each numeric readout channel of the mainframe may be used to measure various parameters simply by changing the plug-in attached to it. The unit has proved to be very useful in reducing experimenter error in measuring response parameters in classical nictitating membrane conditioning.