Some uses of simulation in an in-service counselling training programme

In an in-service, pre-professional training programme offered in Gwent, a variety of simulation techniques are used to promote an understanding of the core facilitative conditions of counselling and to enable participants to experience their importance in counselling situations. In this paper, eight specific simulation techniques are described in terms of their objectives and procedures. The advantages and disadvantages of each technique are explored. Teaching and ethical issues raised through the use of such simulations in training programmes at this level are also discussed.     

An economical dispenser to improve control of food reinforcement in the rat

A hopper dispenser designed for the study of food reinforcement in rats is described. By using ordinary rat chow, it significantly reduces the cost of reinforcing rats with food. By preventing stockpiling, it also guarantees control of the accessibility, as well as the presentation of food.     

A study of some conditions relating to the retarded adult's stereotyped responding in a binary-choice task

This study was a longitudinal one that examined the effects of certain conditions on alternation and perseveration in a binary-choice task. The conditions manipulated included: (1) lapse of time (stability of the pattern), (2) stimulus dissimilarity, (3) spatial location of the two alternatives, (4) time-out (time away from the task), (5) delay between responses, and (6) differential reinforcement of the two choices. Eight mentally retarded adults, identified as “pure” alternaters or perseveraters, served as subjects. Perseveration was “disrupted” only by differential reinforcement. Alternation was affected by all experimental manipulations with the exception of stimulus dissimilarity.     

Pictorial interference with geometric shapes and achromatic shades

In two experiments, subjects were required to match printed names with subsequently displayed achromatic shades or geoinetric shapes. The presence of incongruent shades or shapes at the time of word display substantially slowed the RT for performing the match. This pictorial interference (interference due to a visual, nonlingalistic attributel was substantially attenuated, however, as the delay between the word display and shapes or shades to be matched was increased beyond 100 msec. These findings illnstrate the occurrence of a transitory automatic pathway activation from an irrelevant pictorial attribute, which may be contrasted with the verbal interference effects typically observed in Stroop-naming tasks. In both our tasks and the Stroop task, selectiwe attention fails when a stimulus must be transformed to another form of encoding in the presence of a competing stimulns which is already close to that form.     

The decision to return to college: Role concepts,personality, attitudes,and significant others

In two studies, personality, role concepts, and attitudes distinguished wives and mothers who decided to resume college from those who did not. College women and women about to resume college had more self-actualizing, achievement-oriented, and dominant personalities (California Psychological Inventory); broader, more personalized role concepts; more liberal attitudes; better educated husbands; and fewer children than housewives. Measurements before college return and during the second year at college indicated that college exposure did not significantly affect these variables. The single exception was that after college exposure, women no longer saw society as supporting their efforts to actualize their potentials.A version of this paper was presented at the 83rd Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association, Chicago, August 31, 1975.