The waiting-list group.

This report describes a pilot study of a waiting-list group (preliminary process group [PPG]) that provided treatment for applicants to a university affiliated, urban mental health center. All individuals on the treatment waiting list were informed of the PPG. This semistructured group, meeting weekly, began with members presenting their problems, followed by free discussion, and ending with goal setting for the next week. Approximately one seventh (35 out of 262) of the clinic's applicants during a 4 1/2-month period chose to enter the PPG. They differed from those who chose not to participate (wait list) by being older and less educated. Approximately 80% of both wait-list and PPG participants subsequently entered therapy. Significantly more PPG patients than those on the wait list entered group treatment. The PPG served clinic needs by providing prompt service for self selected individuals and by supporting the group therapy program.     

Appetitive behavior, compulsivity, and neurochemistry in Prader-Willi syndrome

Advances in genetic research have led to an increased understanding of genotype-phenotype relationships. Excessive eating and weight gain characteristic of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) have been the understandable focus of much of the research. The intense preoccupation with food, lack of satiation, and incessant food seeking are among the most striking features of PWS. It has become increasingly clear that the behavioral phenotype of PWS also includes symptoms similar to obsessive compulsive disorder, which in all probability interact with the incessant hunger and lack of satiation to engender the intense preoccupation and food seeking behavior that is characteristic of this disorder. Several lines of evidence suggest that genetic material on chromosome 15 may alter synthesis, release, metabolism, binding, intrinsic activity, or reuptake of specific neurotransmitters, or alter the receptor numbers and/or distribution involved in modulating feeding. Among the likely candidates are GABAnergic, serotonergic, and neuropeptidergic mechanisms. This review summarizes what is known about the appetitive behavior and compulsivity in PWS and discusses the possible mechanisms underlying these behaviors. MRDD Research Reviews 2000;6:125-130.     

The Effect of Stress on Spontaneous Nest Leaving Behavior in the Mouse: An Improved Model of Stress-Induced Behavioral Pathology

The present experiments were conducted to develop a more sensitive and reliable model of stress-induced behavioral pathology in the mouse. Male mice were housed singly in nest cages connected to either a circular tunnel, a recreational cage or a large box with food foraging apparatus. Spontaneous nocturnal out of nest activity or food foraging behavior in these environments was continuously monitored for a two week period during which time the effects of stress were examined. It was found that both repeated restraint and aggression stress markedly and persistently reduced out of nest nocturnal activity or food foraging behavior in all 3 environments but did not alter activity in a novel open field or plus maze or food or saccharin intake in the nest cage. In a preliminary experiment the reduction in out of nest activity by stress was attenuated by prior chronic treatment with the antidepressant, desmethylimipramine. Plasma corticosterone was elevated immediately after aggression stress but reduced 5 hr after chronic aggression stress. The reduction in activity did not appear the result of increased anxiety as measured by spontaneous risk assessment behavior in the nest. It is concluded that the decrease in out of nest activity after stress in the present studies models a withdrawn behavioral state and may be due to either or both a decrease in appetitive motivation to leave the nest or an increased aversion to the external environment which does not apparently involve anxiety.     

Effects of three conditions of administration on Bem Sex Role Inventory scores

In order to assess the validity of the technique employed in selecting items for the Bern Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) 58 male and 62 female undergraduates took the BSRI under three different sets of instructions. Both males and females were able to produce extremely masculine and extremely feminine BSRI profiles which differed (p < .01) from their own BSRI profiles. The results support Bem's (1974) assertion that the BSRI Masculinity and Femininity scales are comprised of items which are consistent with widely held sex-role sterotypes.     

Effects of stimulus probability on reaction time in a number-naming task

Subjects were required to respond to the visual presentation of numerals by uttering syllables closely resembling the names of the numerals. Information in stimulus ensembles was varied by manipulating the number of alternative stimulus configurations that could appear, the relative frequencies of stimuli within an ensemble and the probability of a response being required. An increasing linear function was a good first approximation to the relation between reaction time and information transmission. Systematic deviations from this function were found and an attempt is made to explain them by introducing an intervening variable, “effective probability.”     

Some properties of the olfactory system of man

Preliminary investigations into the effects of a 12-h diurnal variation suggested there was a 10-fold decrease in odor sensitivity from morning to evening. For a selected group of odorants (methyl, t-butyl, and phenyl isonitrile), the difference between detection and recognition thresholds in general was found to be 10-fold; however, for some Ss the difference was less. When Ss were blindfolded, no changes in odor sensitivity were noted. Similarly, imposing an auditory stress on the test situation did not significantly alter odor sensitivity in either experienced or naive Ss,     

Olfactory detection thresholds in man under conditions of rest and exercise

Detection thresholds for seilen odorants were measured under conditions of rest and exercise. The test panel comprised six males with previous experience in odor detection. Exercise was maintained constant by using a modified bicycle positioned within the context of an air-dilution olfactometer. The effects of exercise were idiosyncratic for Ss: odor sensitivity was increased in some Ss, decreased in some, and not changed in others. Results of these experiments are discussed in terms of intra-subject variance within sessions and from session to session. In addition, two test techniques—one a fixed series and the other a tracking procedure—were evaluated for rapid estimation of an odor threshold. The tracking procedure facilitated prompt detection of changes in sensitivity for individual Ss.     

Expanding the Definition of Privilege: The Concept of Social Privilege

Examinations of privilege have historically focused on gender and race. By placing privilege within the context of oppression, the authors offer an expanded view of the domains of privilege that include sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, differing degrees of ableness, and religious affiliation. Los exámenes del privilegio se han enfocado históricamente en el género y la raza. Colocando el privilegio dentro del contexto de la opresión, los autores ofrecen una vista ensanchada de los dominios del privilegio que incluye la orientación sexual, la posición socioeconómica, la edad, difiriendo los grados de habilidad, y de la afiliación religiosa.     

Integrating Spirituality into Family Therapy Training: An Exploration of Faculty Members’ Beliefs

The purpose of this study was to explore the beliefs and attitudes of marriage and family therapy (MFT) faculty as they relate to the appropriateness of addressing spirituality in the context of therapy and training of future MFTs. Ninety-three MFT faculty members at masters and doctoral level programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Marriage and Family Therapy Education completed the electronic survey for this study. The results indicate that the majority of MFT faculty members believe that spirituality is important in their personal lives, in their clinical work, and in MFT training. The findings of the current study are similar to previous studies of clinical and student members of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.