A combined therapeutic approach in a family setting

Combined treatment approaches, co-therapy and family work are three concepts which are under much discussion in psychiatry. This paper describes the systematic use of an integrated treatment approach used by co-therapists working with families in which a child was the referred patient. The rationale behind this approach together with its advantages and disadvantages are discussed. The authors conclude that the approach is sufficiently promising to merit formal evaluation.     

Modeling semantic memory: Effects of presenting semantic information in different modalities

How is semantic information from different modalities integrated and stored? If related ideas are encountered in French and English, or in pictures and sentences, is the result a single representation in memory, or two modality-dependent ones? Subjects were presented with items in different modalities, then were asked whether or not subsequently presented items were identical with the former ones. Subjects frequently accepted translations and items semantically consistent with those presented earlier as identical, although not as often as they accepted items actually seen previously. The same pattern of results was found when the items were French and English sentences, and when they were pictures and sentences. The results can be explained by the hypothesis that subjects integrate information across modalities into a single underlying semantic representation. A computer model, embodying this hypothesis, made predictions in close agreement with the data.     

Multiple encoding of word attributes in memory

Two experiments employing the release from PI method were conducted to determine whether degree of release could be predicted by the amount of denotative attribute overlap between the control and experimental groups. This theory was very appropriate for predicting the results of the first experiment, but was less successful in the second unless a connotative attribute is also introduced. It is suggested that this class of attribute should be included in semantic memory conceptualization.     

Population growth and social structure of confined colonies of mongolian gerbils: Scent gland size and marking behaviour as indices of social status

Male gerbils have larger ventral scent glands, and they mark more than females. In both sexes, scent gland activity is dependent on gonadal hormones. Observations on colonies of gerbils, living in enclosures or cages, showed that both scent gland size and marking behaviour were related to social status. In colonies founded by a single pair, breeding was confined to the original female. The infertility of the daughters was due to failure of sexual maturation. As this was always associated with a lack of development of the scent glands, the functional state of the latter could be used as an index of fecundity. A change in social organization (eg removal of the parents) caused previously infertile females to conceive and was accompanied by development of the scent glands If there was competition for dominance, the scent glands of the losers regressed; at autopsy, their ovaries and uteri appeared to be nonfunctional. The founding father usually had a larger scent gland than his sons, but the inhibition of sexual function was not as severe as in the females. However, the father characteristically showed much more marking behaviow in a neutral territory than his sons. None of the fem ales-except the mother-showed appreciable marking, and her scores were much lower than those of the dominant male. Asymptotic populations were reached at about the same level in enclosures and cages, implicating an intrinsic capacity for control independent of the number of animals per unit of space but probably related to the natural size of a social group. Stabilization of numbers was achieved not only by reproductive inhibition of young females, but also by cessation of breeding by the founding mother and death of litters. Littermates raised in enclosures without their parents showed delayed sexual maturation accompanied by fighting which resulted in the formation of a hierarchy headed by a breeding female and a dominant (marking) male.     

Survey of the Use of Crisis Intervention Centers by the Black Population*

ABSTRACT: In an attempt to determine the extent to which crisis centers meet the needs of black communities, questionnaires were sent to 12 centers. Responses were received from six. Only two centers, in Nashville and Washington, D.C., had statistics of callers identified by race. The findings from these two centers indicate that there are differences between the white and black callers with regard to age, marital status, and type of problem. As an example, the typical black male caller was older and more concerned about his job and financial problems than were white males. This kind of information suggests a need for expanded services within the crisis center framework, possibly for a more preventive approach. More data gathering concerning the black community using crisis centers is urged in order better to identify the needs of this population and the methods to be used for meeting those needs.