Instrumental escape behavior with extended training

Four groups of nine Ss were run in a straight alley shock situation for 240 trials, 30 per day. Ss received either 180- or 300-V shock and interval intervals (ITI) of 30 or 120 sec. On Day 1 of training, the 300-V groups first started faster than the 180-V groups, but then showed considerable adaptation, resulting in approximately equal performance at the end of Day 1. Over all 8 days, the 180-V group started significantly faster than the 300-V group when a 30-sec ITI was used, but the converse when a 120-sec ITI was used. Over all 8 days, the 300-V groups continued to increase in performance, while the 180-V groups showed a decline after Day 4.     

Dual semantic encoding of homographs and homophones embedded in context

Dual encoding of homographs and homophones was inferred from the intrusion of their alternative meanings across trials in two experiments using a modified Brown-Peterson paradigm. In Experiment 1 subjects heard a word triad and then engaged in a 10.5-sec distractor task. Written recall was then demanded. On context trials a homophone with alternative meanings belonging to two distinct categories was embedded in a triad biasing one meaning, e.g., helpless,/wik/, fragile. On the next trial, words from the category of the other meaning were presented, e.g., year, month, decade. A significant number of intrusions of the alternative coding of the homophone, e.g., WEEK, across the category boundary were observed. Experiment 2 employed visual presentation of embedded homographs, e.g., plunged, jumped, DOVE, and oral recall but was logically similar to Experiment 1. Intrusions of the alternative codings of homographs across category boundaries, e.g., pigeon, sparrow,/d Λ v/, were again noted.     

Operant discrimination of an interoceptive stimulus in rhesus monkeys

Five rhesus macaques monkeys surgically prepared with Thiry small intestinal (jejunum) loops and implanted brain electrodes were restrained in primate chairs and kept on 23-hr deprivation-feeding cycle. After being trained to press a lever for sugar pills on an FR 25 schedule of reinforcement, a discrimination training procedure was established. Lever presses were reinforced during the S(D)-a non-aversive mechanical stimulus applied to the internal walls of the Thiry loop by rhythmic inflation-deflation of a small latex balloon by air at the rate of one cycle per sec at 100 mm Hg pressure. The S(Delta) was the absence of the visceral stimulation. The monkeys successfully discriminated between presence and absence of the internal stimulus. A discrimination reversal was attempted and completed on one monkey. The results clearly show operant discrimination based on an interoceptive stimulus. Cortical and subcortical EEG records reflected the onset but not termination of the visceral stimulation.     

Are women invisible as leaders?

This study shows that women are unlikely to be seen as leaders. Subjects (n=448) rated each member of a five-person group (shown in a photograph) on leadership attributes and also chose one of the five as “contributing most to the group.” Eight different stimulus slides were used. In two slides the “head-of-the-table” cue to group leadership was pitted against sex-role stereotypes. A man seated at the head of the table in a mixed-sex group was clearly seen as leader of his group, but a woman occupying the same position was ignored. The head-of-the-table cue identified women as leaders only in all-female stimulus groups. The data were consistent with the hypotheses that sex stereotypes still control social judgments, and that discrimination operates nonconsciously and in spite of good intentions.     

A normative and descriptive study of the MMPI with acknowledged child molesters

The MMPI performance of 122 men convicted of a sexual offense against a child was examined to determine if meaningful subgroups of these offenders could be identified. Cluster analysis revealed three distinct MMPI profile types, which were found to differ significantly on a variety of psychological, psychosexual, and offense related variables. The potential clinical meaningfulness of these differences is explored.     

Effects of age and interpersonal contact on stereotyping of the elderly

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the age of an individual, the type of contact an individual has with the elderly, the amount of knowledge an individual has about the elderly, and the extent that the individual stereotypes the elderly. In accordance with the Social Identity Theory and the Contact Hypothesis, stereotyping was predicted to be higher among individuals who did not identify with nor have contact with the elderly. Fifty young (18-25 years of age) and fifty elderly (64-79 years of age) participants completed surveys measuring their level of contact with the elderly, knowledge about aging (knowledge score), and tendency to stereotype the elderly (stereotype score). Results of this study indicated that regardless of age, participant knowledge of aging and application of aging stereotypes were affected by the quality of contact experienced. Although the young participants achieved significantly higher knowledge scores than the elderly participants, there was no significant age difference in stereotype scores for the young and elderly groups. However, as predicted, the young and elderly participants who experienced high levels of contact with the elderly achieved higher knowledge scores and lower stereotype scores. These scores were compared to the respective scores of the young and elderly participants experiencing low levels of contact with the elderly. Moreover, the elderly participants experiencing low levels of contact with the elderly achieved lower knowledge scores than any of the other groups. Elderly participants experiencing low levels of contact with other competent elderly individuals may be more susceptible to the negative effects of aging stereotypes and at risk for not identifying with their own social group.     

The Occupational Stereotypes and Expectations for Their Children Held by Mothers Representing Different Ethnic Communities in Miami1

The study focuses on the occupational expectations and aspirations that mothers, representing 5 different ethnic groups and 2 social classes, have for their children. An intergroup perspective was adopted by considering the occupational stereotypes that mothers have of the different ethnic groups, and the extent to which ethnic group membership influences hiring decisions. The results indicate that there exist very clear ethno-occupational stereotypes, and that these influence hiring decisions. However, despite wide variation in the occupational status in the stereotypes of different ethnic groups, mothers had universally high expectations for their children. The extent to which these represent optimism or false hope is addressed.