Automatic classification of dysfunctional thoughts: a feasibility test.

The identification of dysfunctional thoughts is a central effort in cognitive therapy. This paper describes the first version of a computer module that classifies dysfunctional thoughts automatically. It is part of COGNO, a system we are developing to give automatic feedback on dysfunctional thoughts. The system uses rules that were developed from language markers identified in a sample of 149 dysfunctional thoughts. The system was tested with an independent set of 112 example thoughts. The system detects the majority of dysfunctional thoughts, but works reliably only for some thought categories. Automatic thought classification may be a first step toward developing natural dialogue systems in cognitive therapy.     

Development of a Japanese version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children

In this paper, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule for Children originally developed in 1999 by Laurent, et al. was adapted for use in Japan. In Study 1, a total of 763 children in Grades 4 to 6 completed this Schedule, and 103 of them completed it again about three months later. Principal factor analysis with promax rotation identified two factors, positive and negative affect, in the Japanese version, whose alphas (over .80) and test-retest correlations (over .50) were sufficient to indicate internal consistency and stability over time. In Study 2, a total of 328 children completed the Japanese version, the Depression Self-rating Scale for Children, and the Trait Form of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children. Intercorrelations showed convergent and discriminant validity using these self-report measures of depression and anxiety. Overall these data support the reliability and validity of this Japanese version.     

Children's perceptual organization of seriated displays: evidence against a memory reorganization hypothesis.

The memory for a seriated display and its reorganization over an eight-month interval was examined in educationally subnormal children. By including groups of children who viewed a random display and an array of disordered sticks, it was found that the reorganization into a more seriated drawing after the passage of time was not directly based on the original stimulus. Various controls including copying of the original material, and matching and recognition conditions, give evidence that the child's cognitive level affects encoding of the material as well as its later output. The observed phenomenon of 'memory' improvement may have little to do with stored images, and may instead be linked to the developmental symbolic level of the child which influences original perception as well as 'memory'. It was also found that educationally subnormal children perform like normal children of the same mental age on the seriation task.     

Book reviews

GAZE, R. M. The Formation of Nerve Connections. London and New York. Academic Press. 1970. Pp. 282. £4.00.

CORNSWEET, T.N. Visual Perception. New York and London: Academic Press. 1970. Pp. xi + 475. £7.00.

ESTFS, W. K. Learning Theory and Mental Development. New York and London: Academic Press. 1970. Pp. 223.

SCHOENWLD, W. N. (Ed.). The Theory of Reinforcement Schedules. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. 1970. Pp. x + 316. (Price not known.)

REESE, HAYNEW. AND LIPSITT, LEWIS P. Experimental Child Psychology. New York and London: Academic Press. 1970. Pp. 782. £6.30.

MCNEILL, DAVID. The Acquisition of Language: The Study of Developmental Psycho-linguistics. New York: Harper & Row. 1970. Pp. 183. £3.15.

SINGLETON, W. T., Fox, J. G. and WHITFIELD, D. Measurement of Men at Work. London: Taylor and Francis. 1971. Pp. xiii + 267. £6.00.

NELSON, D. SSRC: Bibliography of British Psychological Research 1960-1966. Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1971. Pp. 210. £1.00.     

Models and modeling with the Louisville experiment simulation system (LESS)

A system is described which permits the average instructor, without programming knowledge, to prepare a simulation model that can be called up by students as a simulated experiment.     

Hierarchical planning disability in the drawings and constructions of a special group of severely aphasic children

A small group of severely receptive aphasic children who appear to be suffering from a rare aphasic syndrome that has been referred to in the literature as "acquired aphasia with convulsive disorder in children" was tested on drawing and construction tasks which tap hierarchical planning abilities. Although they could draw and construct a complex figure when using a serial method, they could not do so when required to use hierarchical planning in building up the model in terms of its subunits. Their scores reflecting hierarchical ability were significantly lower than those of age-matched profoundly deaf and normal children. The nature of this disability is discussed and its effects noted on tasks in other modalities. It is argued that neither an auditory deficit theory nor a short-term memory deficit theory is adequate to account for the observed disabilities. Individual differences in the group were noted. It was also found that a smaller percentage of developmentally expressive aphasic children evidenced the hierarchical planning disability. It is concluded that a primary hierarchical planning disability in some aphasic children can account for some aspects of their linguistic disabilities and for disabilities on other nonlanguage and nonauditory tasks.     

Child and adult learning of surface structure cues to deep structure using a picture card technique

An experiment requiring the learning of “new” (nonsense) words replacing the words “eager” and “easy” in the linguistic structure “John is eager/easy to please” showed that only adults and higher-IQ children could perform better than chance on the new words. Contrary to prediction, children showed no differential learning ability on two types of words to be learned. However, an analysis of the strategies used gave evidence of a language-specific learning ability in children but not in adults. It is proposed that the inability of lower-IQ children to learn the words, as well as the lack of differential learning of the two types by higher-IQ children, was due to the nature of the task-being more like that used in concept formation experiments than like natural language.     

Conservation by the congenitally blind

A conservation study of amount using specially designed wire cylinders was made of congenitally blind children and two control groups of sighted children (one of which undertook the task blindfolded), matched for chronological age. No differences were found among the three groups on the age of attainment of conservation. However, the manner by which the blind processed the environment differed from the blindfolded sighted children, as evidenced in some of their non-conservation answers. The language of the blind children did not differ from that of the sighted children in describing the materials, but the language of the non-conserving children of all groups differed from that of conserving children. The importance for several theoretical views on the attainment of conservation is discussed, and it is argued that the achievement of the beginning of operational thinking may be more a central developmental phenomenon than one based on specific sensory experience.     

Discomfort intolerance: evaluation of a potential risk factor for anxiety psychopathology

Discomfort intolerance, defined as an individual difference in the capacity to tolerate unpleasant bodily sensations, is a construct recently posited as a risk factor for panic and anxiety psychopathology. The present report used a biological challenge procedure to evaluate whether discomfort intolerance predicts fearful responding beyond the effects of trait anxiety and a well-established psychological vulnerability factor (i.e., anxiety sensitivity). Nonclinical community participants (N=44) with no history of panic attacks or any Axis I condition completed a 35% CO(2) challenge. Results are consistent with our hypothesis suggesting that discomfort intolerance incrementally predicts increased subjective reactivity to the challenge. Moreover, there was some suggestion that discomfort intolerance interacted synergistically with anxiety sensitivity to increase anxiety-related symptoms. These findings add to a small but growing literature suggesting that discomfort intolerance may play a role in the development of anxiety problems.