The psychophysics of the kinesthetic aftereffect in the Petrie block experiment

Kinesthetic size is reported in the Petrie experiment by a simultaneous size comparison in which a standard block held between the thumb and forefinger of one hand is matched in size by moving the thumb and forefinger of the opposite hand along a wedge until the proper width is reached. After a baseline is obtained, a kinesthetic aftereffect is produced by rubbing a block of contrasting size followed by a return to the standard block. Experiments with 22 male Ss and 20 female Ss, tested in separate cycles, show that augmentation following stimulation with a block smaller than standard and reduction following stimulation with a block larger than standard are both statistically significant, and, at least for augmentation, the aftereffect persists for at least 48 h. When the data are corrected for regression there is no significant relationship between initial baseline and the amount of augmentation or reduction; reasons why such a relationship has been reported are indicated. The results suggest that when this kind of experiment is used for the study of individual differences (a) it is satisfactory to derive augmentation and reduction scores by subtracting the baseline from the absolute scores, provided the scores are corrected for regression, and (b) a counterbalanced order of presentation is not advisable in view of the carryover of augmentation from one day to the next, which is likely to make the two orders incommensurate.     

MANAGEMENT OF GERIATRIC INCONTINENCE IN NURSING HOMES

A behavioral management system designed to reduce urinary incontinence was evaluated in two nursing homes with a pretest-posttest control group design with repeated measures. The primary components of the system were prompting and contingent social approval/disapproval which required approximately 2.5 minutes per patient per hour to administer. The frequency of correct toileting for experimental subjects increased by approximately 45%. The experimental groups were significantly different from the control groups on both incontinence and correct toileting measures. The results are discussed in view of the management issues inherent in nursing home settings.     

Effects of post-operative environment on recovery from dorsal hippocampal lesions in young rats: Tests of spatial memory and motor transfer

Young rats (30 days old) were given dorsal hippocampal lesions and then housed in different conditions to assess the contribution of the environment to recovery from the effects of the lesion. They were subsequently tested on a spatial memory task and on a task requiring complex motor movements and transfer ability. Animals with lesions were inferior to sham-operates on both these tasks. Social housing and environmental enrichment improved performance on both tests, but there was no evidence for an interaction between lesion and environmental effects. The validity of using the term “recovery” in these circumstances is discussed, and called into question.     

Relapse and therapeutic response in the conditioning treatment of enuresis: A review of recent findings on intermittent reinforcement,overlearning and

Recent research concerning relapse and response to auditory alarm stimuli in the conditioning treatment of enuresis is reviewed. Both intermittent reinforcement and overlearning procedures have been found to be associated with reduced relapse rates—of 25% and 12.8% respectively, a consensus of published results to date favouring overlearning as the more effective procedure in countering relapse. Auditory stimulus intensity is identified as a critical factor affecting rate of acquisition of continence, but not relapse, and appears implicated in the improved acquisition obtained in past studies of variations upon basic conditioning treatment.