The opponent process theory and affective reactions

Solomon (1980) proposed an opponent process theory to account for motivational and affective dynamics. This theory asserts that the brain avoids extremes of emotional experience by countering the stimulation it receives with an opposite or opponent reaction. Opponent processes are thought to be responsible for the characteristic changes in affective experience that occur over time, and to account for the dynamics of affective response to such stimuli as skydiving and sauna bathing, which have heretofore been difficult to explain. However, the relevance of this theory for affective experiences in general (beyond physical stimuli and addictions) has yet to be demonstrated. The present paper examines opponent process theory predictions in two settings, involving affective responses to situation-scenarios and emotion-provoking slides. In each study, significant habituation to both positive and negative affective stimuli was found, as the opponent process theory would predict. Subjects also showed a reversal of affect when the stimuli were reversed from positive to negative or vice versa. However, contrary to opponent process theory predictions, there was no evidence that withdrawal responses were greater after habituation to the affective stimulus. The only instance of a significant difference in withdrawal responses was actually in a direction opposite to that which the opponent process theory predicts. All other predicted differences were not significant. The opponent process theory, therefore, was not supported in these data and appears to need revision or qualification as to its domains of application.     

Congruency of preferences for family-based gender roles and family satisfaction in two-generation farm families

The present study examines the congruency of family-based gender-role preferences among adult members within intergenerational farm families, and tests the effects of congruency on family satisfaction. From a sample of 71 families (284 adults), results showed that the adult children hold more modern gender-role preferences and that disparities in gender-role preferences impact the satisfaction of the younger generation. The results suggest that to fully understand gender-role preferences in intergenerational relations, gender-roles need to be examined within the context of the entire family.     

Training and credentialing in forensic psychology

The number of training programs in forensic psychology has grown considerably in the past 15 years. Numerous opportunities exist for individuals interested in pursuing careers in the forensic area. Interdisciplinary training in several forms is discussed: J.D. -Ph.D. Programs, specialist Ph.D. Programs, predoctoral internships, and postdoctoral fellowships. Continuing professional education, credentialing, and board certification in forensic psychology are also addressed. Despite the face validity of these various types of training and credentialing, little is known about their relative utilities.     

The role of configuration and target discriminability in a visual search task

Ss sorted through decks of cards bearing five-element patterns, separating those in which all five were identical from those in which one of the five was different from the remaining four. Sorting time depended on the configuration and size of the pattern in which the elements were arranged but was independent of the goodness of these patterns. It was concluded that Ss did not attend to the patterns themselves, but just to the elements comprising them in searching for the discrepant element. The differences owing to the patterns appear to be due in part to the compactness of the configurations.     

The effect of redundant stimulus elements on visual discrimination as a function of element heterogeneity,equal discriminability,and position uncertainty

Garner and Lee (1962) showed no gain in visual discrimination accuracy with addition of redundant stimulus elements. Eriksen and Lappin (1965) showed a substantial gain. One experiment reported here indicates that the discrepancy is not due to the fact that the earlier experiment used heterogeneous stimulus elements. A second experiment indicated that the gain in discrimination accuracy does occur when the additional stimulus elements have the same discriminability as the original elements. It also showed that position uncertainty itself has no effect on the gain with redundant elements, but is a convenient procedural device for maintaining fixation and thus equal element discriminability. Three models of perceptual independence fit the data.     

The effect of stimulus element redundancy on speed of discrimination as a function of state and process limitation

The effect of spatially repeated stimulus elements on the speed of discrimination, measured in a sorting task, was determined under conditions of low stimulus visibility (state limitation) and high stimulus similarity (process limitation). A significant increase in speed of sorting stimuli was found when the stimuli were state limited but not when process limited, even though base speeds were the same in both cases. It is concluded that element redundancy will improve discrimination performance only when the need for the improvement is a state limitation.     

Filtering and condensation tasks with integral and separable dimensions

Speed of classification was measured with a filtering task (only one dimension relevant) and a condensation task (two dimensions relevant) with integral dimensions of Munsell value and chroma and separable dimensions of value and size. The filtering task was easier with separable than with integral dimensions, but the condensation task was easier with integral than with separable dimensions. The results emphasize the importance of dimensional structure with separable dimensions and similarity or distance structure with integral dimensions.     

Interaction of stimulus dimensions in concept and choice processes

Four major types of interaction of stimulus dimensions based on perceptual research are described: integral, configural, separable, and asymmetric separable. Implications of these interactions for concept and choice processes are discussed. With regard to concept learning, it is argued that integral or configural interactions are desirable within the set of relevant and within the set of irrelevant dimensions used to generate stimuli, but that relevant dimensions should be separable from irrelevant dimensions. With regard to choice processes, integral or configural dimensions produce choices based on ordinary distance relations or equivalent parallel processing of dimensions. With separable dimensions, however, serial processing is at least possible; and such processing can lead to choices in which the subset of stimuli and the order of processing of dimensions affects the choice outcomes.