Rearing in response to a visual conditioned stimulus: An index of associative strength or of associability?

Two procedures for observing rearing behavior during a localized visual CS paired with an appetitive US were compared within subjects during classical conditioning and extinction procedures. When rearing was observed using the method and response definition described by P. C. Holland (1977, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 3, 77–104), responding was acquired and maintained during conditioning trials in rats receiving paired presentations of the CS and US, but not in rats receiving the stimuli according to a “truly random” procedure. When rearing of the same rats was observed using the method and response definition described by H. Kaye and J. M. Pearce (1984, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes, 10, 90–109), responding declined across conditioning trials in both groups. Furthermore, in extinction, rearing during the CS declined according to Holland's scoring method but was temporarily restored according to Kaye and Pearce's scoring. Observations of a second behavior, magazine responding, revealed essentially the same pattern of responding for both methods of scoring. These results support the position that the response criteria used by Holland and by Kaye and Pearce assess different components of behavior that occur in response to a visual CS, reflecting associative strength (i.e., a CR) and associability of the CS (i.e., an OR), respectively.     

Clarifying and measuring the concept of traditional vs. egalitarian roles in marriages

To clarify and develop a measure of the concept of traditional vs. egalitarian marriages, a 13-item scale was developed and administered to two traditional groups (N=35) and three egalitarian groups (N=51), and then to four cross-validation groups (N=52). Two distinct factors or dimensions were identified. In both analyses the traditional and egalitarian groups were significantly different on the first factor, designated “the leader,” and not on the second, socioemotional factor. Reliability and initial validity of the scale in measuring leadership in the marital dyad are thus demonstrated. However, the concept of traditional vs. egalitarian marriages either needs to be narrowed to refer to leadership only or there needs to be empirical demonstration that other dimensions can be fruitfully included.     

Hierarchical semantics for relevant logics

This paper was presented to the 1990 meeting of the Australasian Association for Logic held at the University of Sydney, and I thank those present for helpful comments made.     

Professional pilots' views of alcohol use in aviation and the effectiveness of employee-assistance programs

Pilots holding the Airline Transport Pilot certificate were surveyed about the seriousness of the alcohol problem in various areas of aviation and about the importance of a number of possible reasons why a pilot might drink and fly. They also rated a number of actions in terms of their potential effectiveness for reducing inappropriate alcohol use, and they evaluated a number of characteristics of employee-assistance programs. Respondents judged employee-assistance programs to be the best way to reduce problem drinking. They also identified areas in which currently available employee-assistance programs could be improved.     

Waiting for Paternity: Interpersonal and Contextual Implications of the Timing of Fatherhood

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of life-span contextual variation on father-child relationships. Sixty families in which both parents were either younger than 26 or older than 29 when they began childbearing, and whose child was between the ages of 3 and 5 at the time of the study participated. Videotaped observations of father-child play were collected. Questionnaires were also administered to fathers, assessing their marital satisfaction, work-home compatibility, and social network attributes. Older fathers established stronger connections to extra-familial contexts and displayed greater reliance on verbal mechanisms to engage children during play. Younger fathers maintained a more traditional style of fathering and engaged their children through physical stimulation. The implications of these findings for models of father-child relationships were explored.