Discriminant validity of the General Behavior Inventory: an outpatient study

Recent studies have provided strong support for the convergent validity of the General Behavior Inventory (GBI), a case identification inventory for chronic subsyndromal affective disorders (cyclothymia and dysthymia). Fewer data are available, however, on the ability of the GBI to distinguish chronic subsyndromal affective disorders from other forms of psychopathology. In order to address this issue, outpatients with cyclothymia (n = 9), dysthymia (n = 26), nonchronic major depression (n = 16), and nonaffective psychiatric disorders (n = 30) were compared on the GBI. Diagnoses were derived blind to GBI scores using structured diagnostic interviews and DSM-III criteria. The inventory significantly discriminated cyclothymes and dysthymes from patients with nonchronic major depressions and nonaffective disorders. Using the cutoff score that maximized GBI-diagnosis concordance, the inventory correctly classified 88% of the sample. All of the cyclothymes, 92% of the dysthymes, 87% of the patients with nonaffective psychiatric disorders, and 75% of the nonchronic major depressives were correctly classified by the inventory. These data provide strong support for the discriminant validity of the GBI.     

Self-report measurement of type A behavior: toward refinement and improved prediction

Self-report measures of Type A personality receive wide research usage despite mounting evidence that they are poor predictors of coronary heart disease. It was proposed that the limited prediction results in part from the failure to restrict measurement to only those Type A characteristics that are demonstrably related to excessive stress. The first study in this article reports a factor analysis of all items on the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS), the most popular Type A questionnaire, along with 25 stress symptoms. Self-ratings were obtained from both male and female college students. Only one stress-related factor emerged including 12 JAS items out of 44. These were relevant to (a) hard-driving and competitive, (b) time-urgent, and (c) hostile/irritated characteristics. Study 2 reports correlations of +.50 and +.43 between the stress-relevant JAS items and stress for new samples of female and male college students. Study 3 considers the broader personality correlates of scores on the stress-relevant Type A items and reports markedly different patterns for male and female college students. Predicted correlations were found on new samples between these personality correlates, considered as scales, and stress-relevant Type A scores and stress.     

Auditory word discriminations in the pigeon.

Four pigeons were trained on a multiple variable-interval 30-s extinction schedule with various pairs of spoken English words presented as the discriminative stimuli. The birds typically produced discrimination indices of 70% to 90% accuracy. Discrimination accuracy was improved by shortening the interval between auditory stimulus presentations, and by increasing the number of syllables in the words.     

More on concurrent interval-ratio schedules: a replication and review.

It has been suggested that the failure to maximize reinforcement on concurrent variable-interval, variable-ratio schedules may be misleading. Inasmuch as response costs are not directly measured, it is possible that subjects are optimally balancing the benefits of reinforcement against the costs of responding. To evaluate this hypothesis, pigeons were tested in a procedure in which interval and ratio schedules had equal response costs. On a concurrent variable time (VT), variable ratio-time (VRT) schedule, the VT schedule runs throughout the session and the VRT schedule is controlled by responses to a changeover key that switches from one schedule to the other. Reinforcement is presented independent of response. This schedule retains the essential features of concurrent VI VR, but eliminates differential response costs for the two alternatives. It therefore also eliminates at least one significant ambiguity about the reinforcement maximizing performance. Pigeons did not maximize rate of reinforcement on this procedure. Instead, their times spent on the alternative schedules matched the relative rates of reinforcement, even when schedule parameters were such that matching earned the lowest possible overall rate of reinforcement. It was further shown that the observed matching was not a procedural artifact arising from the constraints built into the schedule.     

Electromyographic activity over facial muscle regions can differentiate the valence and intensity of affective reactions

Physiological measures have traditionally been viewed in social psychology as useful only in assessing general arousal and therefore as incapable of distinguishing between positive and negative affective states. This view is challenged in the present report. Sixteen subjects in a pilot study were exposed briefly to slides and tones that were mildly to moderately evocative of positive and negative affect. Facial electromyographic (EMG) activity differentiated both the valence and intensity of the affective reaction. Moreover, independent judges were unable to determine from viewing videotapes of the subjects' facial displays whether a positive or negative stimulus had been presented or whether a mildly or moderately intense stimulus had been presented. In the full experiment, 28 subjects briefly viewed slides of scenes that were mildly to moderately evocative of positive and negative affect. Again, EMG activity over the brow (corrugator supercilia), eye (orbicularis oculi), and cheek (zygomatic major) muscle regions differentiated the pleasantness and intensity of individuals' affective reactions to the visual stimuli even though visual inspection of the videotapes again indicated that expressions of emotion were not apparent. These results suggest that gradients of EMG activity over the muscles of facial expression can provide objective and continuous probes of affective processes that are too subtle or fleeting to evoke expressions observable under normal conditions of social interaction.     

The circumplexity of Leary's Interpersonal Circle: a multidimensional scaling perspective

To investigate the circulant structure of the 16 scales comprising the Interpersonal Checklist (ICL; Laforge & Suczek, 1955), intercorrelation matrices for mate and female undergraduate ICL scores were subjected to multidimentional scaling analysis. Results showed the following: (a) while the 16 ICL scales fall in a rough circular array, measurement gaps exist in the friendly-dominant and hostile-submissive quadrants; (b) sixteenths A-B-P and L-M-N were misarranged; (c) stress coefficients for a three-dimensional solution were in an acceptable range. Implications of these findings for future research and anchoring of the ICL to Kiesler's (1983) "1982 Interpersonal Circle" are discussed.     

Impulse characteristics in rapid movement: implications for impulse-variability models

Three untested assumptions of the impulse-variability model were examined in two experiments utilizing rapid, uni-planar limb movements. Experiment 1 varied movement distance (A) and movement time (MT) in a rapid-timing paradigm where the subject moved a lever through a certain distance in a certain time. Experiment 2 varied A in a reversal response where the S made a rapid elbow flexion and extension in a given MT. Displacement recordings were made on every trial. KR (knowledge of results) about MT was given after every trial. The results can be summarized as follows: (a) As predicted by the model, variations in impulse size and velocity were directly related to the impulses size; (b) There was no correlation between the accelerative and decelerative impulse durations recorded during the reversal response supporting the notion that the impulses might be independent; (c) Negative correlations (-.20 to -.50) were demonstrated between peak acceleration and impulse duration for both experiments, counter to the predictions of the model; and (d) Counter to the predictions of the model, timing error (VEt) increased as A decreased for rapid-timing responses. When the correlational results are taken into account, the model has the capacity to account for curvilinear relationships between relative timing error and movement speed. Overall, the results suggest that the impulse variability model requires some restructuring before it can be considered a viable model for the control of rapid limb movements.     

Daily versus major life events as predictors of symptom frequency: a replication study

Predictions of physical symptomatology by daily life events and by major life events were compared, replicating and expanding work reported by DeLongis, Coyne, Dakof, Folkman, & Lazarus (1982). Analyses of daily, prospective data collected on 79 married men for 90 days demonstrated that daily, undesirable events were better predictors of symptom frequencies than either past, major life events or daily, desirable events. These results, similar to those found by DeLongis et al. (1982), were further explored by examining "healthy" subjects versus subjects with prior medical conditions. Undesirable daily events were a much stronger predictor of physical symptoms in the healthy group than in the prior medical conditions group.