Completion norms collected from younger and older adults for 198 sentence contexts

Completion responses were collected from younger and older adults for 198 highly constrained sentence contexts that were designed to elicit the same response (i.e., the best completion) in the vast majority of subjects. For each context, completions and their respective frequency of occurrence are provided. Overall, individuals of all ages produced highly similar terminal words. Results of formal analyses indicated that greater socioeconomic status and higher levels of education were mildly associated with a greater probability of producing a best completion response. Although increasing age also correlated with greater probability of producing a best completion, this very weak association would not preclude use of these stimuli with a wide age range.     

Dating Violence Prevention: A Didactic Support Group for Young Women

The authors discuss the social problem of dating violence and present a didactic support group model designed to empower young women to see themselves as “choice makers” with the ability to make informed decisions in their own best interest. They also present research findings that support the content of the group model and articulate some of their experiences in conducting this group in both high school and college settings. Finally, they discuss the potential impact of the group according to feedback from participants.     

Heart rate during group flooding therapy for PTSD

The objective of this study was to assess, via heart rate, the arousal levels of participants in group trauma reexposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder, and so to better understand this common mode of treatment, particularly in regards to its presumed curative factor, extinction. Six Vietnam combat-related PTSD inpatients participated twice weekly in group trauma reexposure therapy during which their electrocardiograms were recorded. Heart rate was quantified continuously off-line. Heart rates of participantsnot directly engaged in imaginal reexposure to their personal combat traumas consistently exhibited mild linear declines from the beginnings to the ends of the approximately 2.5 hour sessions. Participants actively engaged in personal combat trauma reexposure exhibited higher whole-session heart rates. Most also exhibited more specific elevation extending over the later portions of therapy sessions during which intensive reexposure usually occurred. Surprisingly, no patients exhibitedfocal increases in heart rate concurrent with periods of most intensive traumatic incident review as judged from videotape. Administering imaginal reexposure in a group context does not preclude substantial physiological (sympathetic) arousal, as is preconditional for extinction. Under conditions in which the actively engaged reexposure patient is reliably identified, group trauma reexposure therapy may not provide an opportunity for “vicarious” flooding in nonengaged participants.     

Feminism as a predictor of mass media use

The mass media habits of men and women who hold discrepant attitudes toward traditional female sex-role expectations were assessed. From a random sample of more than 500 citizens of Santa Barbara, California, high feminists (respondents who agreed with women's movement ideals) were found to differ significantly in several respects in their uses of media from low feminists (individuals who did not agree with movement ideals). Feminism differentially predicted the amount of television viewing for highly educated audience members. Significant differences were also found between high and low feminists for television program and radio format preferences, but not for newspaper reading habits.     

On the minimal conditions for the development of a peak-shift and inhibitory stimulus control

Failures to obtain a peak-shift and inhibitory stimulus control following massed extinction in the presence of intra- and interdimensional stimuli confirm earlier results reported by Honig, Thomas, and Guttman (1959) and by Weisman and Palmer (1969). Peak-shifts and inhibitory stimulus control were observed when any of the following procedures intervened for 3 min between massed extinction and generalization testing: (1) S+ presented, responding reinforced; (2) S+ presented, responding not reinforced; or, (3) noncontingent food presented in the presence of a dark key. Behavioral contrast was shown not to be a necessary antecedent for the occurrence of peak-shift or inhibitory stimulus control.     

Organizational Coverups: Factors Influencing the Discipline of Information Gatekeepers1

This study examines factors that influence the severity of discipline administered to a subordinate information gatekeeper who is guilty of covering up an event and concealing and distorting information. Undergraduate business students read one of eight versions of a case depicting faulty upward communication, in which three variables-the superior-subordinate dependency relationship, the subordinate's motivation, and the subordinate's remorse-were manipulated. Unethicality of the offense was evaluated to be quite high across all experimental conditions, yet mild discipline was recommended when the superior was highly dependent on his subordinate and when the subordinate acted out of altruism for his superior. Probability of reoccurrence of the infraction was judged lowest when the offending subordinate displayed remorse. These findings are interpreted as representing a pragmatic orientation toward discipline based on perceived costs or benefits to the administrator. Conditions that increase the vulnerability of decision-makers to faulty upward communication are discussed.     

Effects of felt adequacy and opportunity to reciprocate on help seeking

This experiment was prompted by the belief that felt inadequacy and lack of opportunity to reciprocate act as deterrents to help seeking when help is needed. The experiment was conducted on 56 freshmen by modifying Greenberg and Shapiro's physical disability paradigm. Subjects were told that they could not meet the quota on a manual task but had done well (poorly) for persons similarly handicapped (by arm in sling). Later they learned that the electricity would be shut off in 2 hr (15 min), making it possible (impossible) to help the visually handicapped fellow worker later on a visual task. The hypothesis that felt inadequacy inhibits help seeking was fully supported, while the corresponding hypothesis regarding lack of opportunity to reciprocate received only partial support. There were no sex differences. The relevance of these data for embarrassment theory is discussed.