Relative validity of contextual and discrete cues

Contextual conditioning during relative validity training was explored in 3 experiments that used an appetitive Pavlovian conditioning preparation with rats. Magazine entries were the conditioned response. In Experiment 1, true-discrimination (TD: AX+, BX-) training generated weaker conditioning of X than did pseudodiscrimination (PD: AX+/-, BX+/-) training. The context showed a similar relative validity effect. Also, both PD training and simple partial reinforcement (X+/-) reduced contextual conditioning more than did unsignaled food, a demonstration of relative validity using partial reinforcement. Experiments 2 and 3 used within-subject and between-subjects designs, respectively, and showed that relative validity was determined by the summation of differences in conditioning to both the common element (X) and the context. Our results are consistent with an attentional model or with a computational comparator model but not with the Rescorla-Wagner (R. A. Rescorla & A. R. Wagner, 1972) model.     

An Examination of the Adlerian Construct of Social Interest With Criminal Offenders

The present study addressed the utility of the construct of social interest as related to the behaviors of criminal offenders. Social interest involves concern for others and optimism regarding one's view of the world. Offender scores on the Sulliman Scale of Social Interest (J. R. Sulliman, 1973) were examined along with demographic and criminal history predictors of parolee outcomes following release from a medium security correctional institution. The results indicated significant relationships between social interest scores and offender outcome as demonstrated by employment status, new felony arrests, and reincarceration status. The results have implications for those involved in predictive and rehabilitative efforts with criminal offenders.     

Mothers' emotional expressivity and children's behavior problems and social competence: mediation through children's regulation.

The relations between mothers' expressed positive and negative emotion and 55-79-month-olds' (76% European American) regulation, social competence, and adjustment were examined. Structural equation modeling was used to test the plausibility of the hypothesis that the effects of maternal expression of emotion on children's adjustment and social competence are mediated through children's dispositional regulation. Mothers' expressed emotions were assessed during interactions with their children and with maternal reports of emotions expressed in the family. Children's regulation, externalizing and internalizing problems. and social competence were rated by parents and teachers, and children's persistence was surreptitiously observed. There were unique effects of positive and negative maternal expressed emotion on children's regulation. and the relations of maternal expressed emotion to children's externalizing problem behaviors and social competence were mediated through children's regulation. Alternative models of causation were tested; a child-directed model in which maternal expressivity mediated the effects of child regulation on child outcomes did not fit the data as well.     

Appearing smart: the impression management of intelligence, person perception accuracy, and behavior in social interaction

Intelligence is an important trait that affects everyday social interaction. The present research utilized the ecological perspective of social perception to investigate the impression management of intelligence and strangers' evaluations of targets' intelligence levels. The ability to effectively portray an impression of intelligence to outside judges as well as interaction partners was appraised and the effect of impression management on the accurate judgment of intelligence was assessed. In addition, targets' behavior was studied in relation to impression management, perceived intelligence, and actual measured intelligence. Impression-managing targets appeared more intelligent to video judges but not to their interaction partner as compared to controls. The intelligence quotient (IQ) of impression-managing targets was more accurately judged than controls' IQ. Impression-managing targets displayed distinct nonverbal behavioral patterns that differed from controls. Looking while speaking was a key behavior: It significantly correlated with IQ, was successfully manipulated by impression-managing targets, and contributed to higher perceived intelligence ratings.     

Facilitating a benign interpretation bias in a high socially anxious population

Previous research has shown that high socially anxious individuals lack the benign interpretation bias present in people without social anxiety. The tendency of high socially anxious people to generate more negative interpretations may lead to anticipated anxiety about future social situations. If so, developing a more benign interpretation bias could lead to a reduction in this anxiety. The current study showed that a benign interpretation bias could be facilitated (or 'trained') in a high socially anxious population. Participants in the benign training groups had repeated practice in accessing benign (positive or non-negative) interpretations of potentially threatening social scenarios. Participants in the control condition were presented with the same social scenarios but without their outcomes being specified. In a later recognition task, participants who received benign interpretation training generated more benign, and less negative, interpretations of new ambiguous social situations compared to the control group. Participants who received benign training also predicted that they would be significantly less anxious in a future social situation than those in the control group. Possible implications of the findings for therapeutic interventions in social phobia are discussed.