Noncompliance: Medical and Psychological Aspects

Patient noncompliance to oral medication regimens was assessed by interview in a sample of 109 private practice patients at two pharmacies in an outer western suburb of Sydney. Patients were classified into one of the five following groups on the basis of their stated degree of noncompliance to all medications taken (perfect compliance on all medications, occasional noncompliance on all medications, frequent noncompliance on all medications, occasional noncompliance on only some of the medications taken, and frequent noncompliance on only some of the medications taken). Selected medical/phnrmacological, doctor-patient relationship, attitudinal and personality variables were measured and univariate and multivariate analyses of the data undertaken. Contrary to expectations, the total number of medications reportedly taken rind complexity of the regimen were inversely related to noncompliance. Respondents reported satisfaction with the doctor's consultations, skepticism of doctors, attitudes to medication and scores on Rotter's (1966) Internal-External Locus of Control Scale (IEC) did not distinguish the compliant group from the four noncompliant groups combined. The most noteworthy finding concerned the marked ditlerences between the noncompliant groups, especially in relation to the patient's opinion of having to take the medication and the Personal Control scores of the IEC.     

Patterns of regional cerebral blood flow during attempted reading aloud by stutterers both on and off haloperidol medication: Evidence for inadequate left frontal activation during stuttering

Two stutterers, both recent college graduates, were subjected to regional cerebral blood flow measurements while attempting to read aloud. Each one received two measurements, one of which was under the influence of haloperidol, 3 mg daily. Both subjects showed improvement on medication, allowing a stuttering versus essentially no stuttering comparisons for each subject. Both subjects showed higher Broca's area flow in the right compared to the left hemisphere, during stuttering. Both showed higher Wernicke's area flow in the left compared to the right hemisphere, however, during stuttering. During reading aloud without stuttering, however, the Brocas's area flows were reversed, now showing a left hemisphere advantage. The results were interpreted as consistent with H. M. Sussman and P. F. MacNeilage's (1975, Neuropsychologia, 13, 19–26) proposal that stutterers exhibit conventional left cerebral dominance for speech reception, but inadequate left cerebral dominance for speech production.     

From evolution to Larry P., or what shall we do about IQ tests?

IQ tests are a dilemma in that great morality play. “Who Shall Enjoy Society's Privileges?” Legal authorities battle over IQ tests as heroes or villians. The stages are courts around the nation jammed with plaintiffs whose test scores were used to reject them from desired educational and occupational positions or whose scores exceeded those of others who were selected for desired positions on nonintellective bases. Larry P. Bakke, and Griggs are but a few of the plaintiffs whose names may become household words in the late '70s. Judges know little about the technical construction of IQ tests, their appropriate use and interpretation, and about the underlying issues of inequality that bring the adversaries to court. But the judges will decide how, when, and for whom IQ tests may be used to make life decisions.     

Sex differences in perceptions of familial and occupational roles

Women's lower achievement level in the professions is explained by the Multiple Role Negotiation perspective as resulting from the difficulty in balancing the “active” or demanding roles of wife/mother and a high level professional role. The Value Difference perspective, on the other hand, explains this differential achievement as resulting from differences in degree to which women value professional roles and their familial role, with perceptions of “demand” serving only as “excuses” to mask values. To explore the assumptions of each position three research questions are posed and 33 first-year students in a professional program are surveyed. The findings reveal that neither males nor females perceive the female familial role as the “more active” one; females, however do anticipate less career advancement, value the higher level role less, and also perceive it as a more demanding role than the lower level role.     

Theory of learning mathematics with computer-assisted instruction: Hierarchical and nonhierarchical options

The learning of arithmetic problems is assumed to be a Markov process involving conditioning of a set of k subskills, each consisting of one or more productions. An axiom set is provided, with the choice between two options for one axiom controlling which of two models results. Model 1, which assumes that every subskill is attempted on every occurrence of a given problem, is a nonhierarchical model. Model 2, which assumes that every subskill in the temporal sequence for a problem is attempted until one is failed, is a somewhat unconventional hierarchical model: It is hierarchical in the sense that conditioningor chance success at one level is prerequisite to performance of the next subskill (next level) in the problem. As the value of the guessing parameter, g, declines, Model 2 leads to less efficient learning than Model 1.     

The paired associate learning task: Is it an externally valid instrument for assessing methylphenidate response in children with attention deficit disorder?

The Paired Associate Learning Task (PAL-T) is a laboratory-based instrument commonly used for assessing psychostimulant response (and specifically cognitive nonresponse or toxicity) in children with Attention Deficit Disorder/Hyperactivity (ADDH). The present study examined the PAL-T's sensitivity in detecting overall and between-dose methylphenidate (MPH) effects, its operating characteristics, and its relationship with academic performance in 36 children with ADDH who underwent a placebo controlled trial of MPH at four dose levels. Children's PAL-T performance under active medication resembled but was uncorrelated with direct observations of their academic performance in the classroom. Negative predictive power (NPP) rates indicated that cognitive nonresponse to MPH did not portend a poor response in children's academic efficiency under identical dose conditions in the classroom. Clinical implications are discussed.The authors are grateful to the undergraduate and graduate student members of the Children's Learning Clinic who assisted with the conduct of this study.     

The dimensional effects of missing information on choice processing

This paper demonstrates that choice processing may be different in missing information situations than in full information situations depending on whether inferences are used to fill in missing values and the overlap of the missing information itself. It is shown that when individuals do not form inferences to fill in missing values, fewer full attribute-based processes and more processes which accommodate for missing attribute values, alternative-based or given-dimension attribute-based, are used. It is also shown that when a processing shift due to missing information does occur, the overlap of the missing values will affect the type of shift that takes place. If overlap is high, a shift to given-dimension attribute-based processing is more likely, and when overlap is low, a shift to alternative-based processing is more likely. When individuals do form inferences to fill in missing values, processing is more similar to that in full information situations. Finally, it is shown that individuals will often partially fill in missing information, thus moderating the proposed effects.