The value of possessions in compulsive hoarding: Patterns of use and attachment

Hoarding behavior, patterns of use of possessions, and emotional attachment to possessions were examined among a sample of female undergraduates and a sample of community volunteers. Hoarding behavior was associated with a decreased frequency of use of possessions and excessive concern about maintaining control over possessions. Furthermore, high scores on the hoarding scale were associated with higher levels of perceived responsibility for: (1) being prepared; and (2) the well-being of the possession. Hoarding was also associated with greater emotional attachment to possessions and to the reliance on possessions for emotional comfort. The implications of these findings for the definition of hoarding are discussed.     

Intelligence and the Frontal Lobe: The Organization of Goal-Directed Behavior

Basic to the study of individual differences is the concept of “general intelligence” or Spearman'sg.In this article we suggest thatgis largely a reflection of the control functions of the frontal lobe. A series of experiments investigates a phenomenon we callgoal neglect:disregard of a task requirement even though it has been understood and remembered. Subjectively it is as though the neglected requirement “slips the subject's mind.” Previously described in frontal patients, we show that goal neglect can also be seen in some members of the normal population. In line with conventional distinctions between controlled and automatic processing, eliciting conditions for goal neglect include novelty, weak error feedback, and multiple concurrent task requirements. Under these conditions neglect is linked closely togand extremely common after frontal lesions. Following many other models, we suggest that behavior in any task is structured by a set of action constraints or requirements, derived in part from verbal instructions and specified at multiple levels of abstraction. A frontal process of constraint or requirement activation is fundamental to Spearman'sg.     

Adapting Basic Skills to Counsel Children

The purpose of this article is to help counselors modify basic adult interviewing skills, often the focus of the skill development component in counselor education programs, for more effective application with elementary-age children. In particular, 4 specific areas regarding counseling skills are presented: (a) establishing the appropriate physical environment, (b) building trust, (c) maintaining the counselor's facilitative attitude, and (d) using questions appropriately. Recommendations on how these skills can be modified are also discussed.     

THE VISUAL SYSTEM'S MEASUREMENT OF INVARIANTS NEED NOT ITSELF BE INVARIANT

Abstract— When two shapes that differ in orientation or size have to be compared or objects have to be recognized from different viewpoints, the response time and error rate art systematically affected by the size of the geometric difference. In this report, we argue that these effects are not necessarily solid evidence for the use of mental transformations and against the use of invariants by the visual system. We report an experiment in which observers were asked to give affine-invariant coordinates of a point located in an affine frame defined by three other points. The angle subtended by the coordinate axes and the ratio of the lengths of their unit vectors systematically affected the measurement errors. This finding demonstrates that the visual system's measurement of invariants need not itself be invariant.     

Control across the life span: A model for understanding self-direction

A comprehensive four-factor interactive model on physical, psychological, and environmental processes related to the sense of control is presented for adult development with an emphasis on later life. The four experienced components are (1) control from within oneself, (2) control over oneself, (3) control over the environment, and (4) control from the environment. Control over oneself and over the environment measure self-directed control, while control from within oneself and from the environment measure nonself-directed control. Coping (a bidimensional control scale) measures control from powerlessness and suicide to overcontrolling. Findings confirm a significant loss of coping in an older cohort group from a white, rural sample composed primarily of single subjects with low coping representing a significant drop in self-directed behavior. A discussion of the relationship between self-direction and health in the older cohort group follows.     

妄想型与非妄想型精神分裂症唤醒水平(皮肤电反应)的初步探讨

问 题 机体如果连续处于高唤醒水平,就会出现中枢神经系统兴奋-抑制关系紊乱的现象。一般的后果是抑制机制受损害而产生中枢性调节障碍(Malmo 1959)。在行为上,唤醒水平表现为机体作出反应、准备行动的能量动员水平。对精神病人唤醒水平的研究     

暗示感受性和针刺对痛刺激引起的大脑诱发电位影响的关系

本工作的目的为继续探讨皮肤感觉(电感受性、电痛觉)的暗示感受性和针刺镇痛的关系。被试为30例正常人。方法:针刺镇痛的效果是通过观察针刺对痛刺激引起的大脑诱发电位的抑制效应,以第一体感区的P_2次波幅变化为客观指标。暗示实验重复过去方法。主要结果:1)针刺能镇痛,针刺对多数被试(21/3D)能抑制痛刺激引起的大脑诱发电位。2)暗示后电感受性和痛阈均有提高(分别为31.26％和18.37％)3)暗示感受性高低和针刺抑制痛刺激引起的大脑诱发电位没有相关(P>0.50)。还看到被试对针刺能镇痛的信任程度与针效无关,提示暗示在针刺镇痛中不起主要作用。