Contributions to the history of psychology: CXVII. Who's who in American psychology: a citation study of introductory psychology textbooks

The author indexes of 15 introductory psychology textbooks were surveyed to identify the authorities cited most frequently. The five names cited most often in descending order were Freud, Bandura, Skinner, Piaget, and James. Differences from earlier comparable citation studies are discussed.     

A Multilevel Contextual Model of Neighborhood Collective Efficacy

Different data sources were used to examine hypothesized relations among neighborhood-, family-, and individual-level variables, and perceptions of neighborhood collective efficacy. Data were from 1,105 individuals (56% female, 42% African American, and 58% White) nested within 55 neighborhoods and 392 families, analyzed within a multilevel design using a 3-level model. At the neighborhood level, the study examined relations between Census, police, and neighborhood representative indicators. At the family level, the model examined the influence of marital status and family income. At the individual level, gender and age were examined. Results indicated that age at the individual level, marital status at the family level, and poverty and perceived gang activity at the neighborhood level predicted levels of neighborhood collective efficacy. The study illustrated significant variation across neighborhoods and families, and demonstrates the utility of combining different sources of neighborhood data to examine relations of interest within a multilevel framework.     

Neural correlates of Pavlovian conditioning in components of the neural network supporting ciliary locomotion in Hermissenda

Pavlovian conditioning in Hermissenda consists of pairing light, the conditioned stimulus (CS) with activation of statocyst hair cells, the unconditioned stimulus (US). Conditioning produces CS-elicited foot shortening and inhibition of light-elicited locomotion, the two conditioned responses (CRs). Conditioning correlates have been identified in the primary sensory neurons (photoreceptors) of the CS pathway, interneurons that receive monosynaptic input from identified photoreceptors, and putative pedal motor neurons. While cellular mechanisms of acquisition produced by the synaptic interaction between the CS and US pathways are well-documented, little is known about the mechanisms responsible for the generation or expression of the CR. Here we show that in conditioned animals light reduced tonic firing of ciliary activating pedal neurons (VP1) below their pre-CS baseline levels. In contrast, pseudorandom controls expressed a significant increase in CS-elicited tonic firing of VP1 as compared to pre-CS baseline activity. Identified interneurons in the visual pathway that have established polysynaptic connections with VP1 were examined in conditioned animals and pseudorandom controls. Depolarization of identified type I_e interneurons with extrinsic current elicited a significant increase in IPSPs recorded in VP1 pedal neurons of conditioned animals as compared with pseudorandom controls. Conditioning also enhanced intrinsic excitability of type I_e interneurons of conditioned animals as compared to pseudorandom controls. Light evoked a modest increase in IPSP frequency in VP1 of conditioned preparations and a significant decrease in IPSP frequency in VP1 of pseudorandom controls. Our results show that a combination of synaptic facilitation and intrinsic enhanced excitability in identified components of the CS pathway may explain light-elicited inhibition of locomotion in conditioned animals.     

Culture as a resource for mental health

This article is based on the author's address at the National Multicultural Conference and Summit III in Los Angeles, California, in January 2003. The author focuses on culture as a resource--a resource for theories that can inform one's understanding of human behavior; a resource for healing, self-help, and positive emotions; a resource for clinical practice; and a resource for mental health and wellness. The author uses a healing story from native culture to describe the essence of his relational worldview and to reframe the professional thinking about culture as one of the greatest assets for healing and mental wellness rather than as a problem to solve.     

Detecting random, partially random, and nonrandom Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent protocols

The ability of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-Adolescent (MMPI-A; J. N. Butcher et al., 1992) validity scales to detect random, partially random, and nonrandom MMPI-A protocols was investigated. Investigations included the Variable Response Inconsistency scale (VRIN), F, several potentially useful new F and VRIN subscales, and formulas F-sub-2 - F-sub-1 and F + F-sub-2 + |F - F-sub-2|. Protocols completed by 150 adolescents at a juvenile court setting, screened for randomness with a matched-pair Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI) or Jesness Inventory, were compared with 100 computer-generated, all-random protocols, and with 5 levels of partially random protocols. VRIN was the most effective scale in detecting all-random protocols; however, the optimum cutoff of >or= 75 failed to identify 1/3 of them. Using the new scales, a decision algorithm was described that correctly classified 94%-95% of protocols as interpretable, partially interpretable, or uninterpretable.     

Inhibition of acoustic startle using different mechanoreceptive channels

In this experiment, we investigated the impact of vibrotactile prepulse frequency and intensity on the acoustically elicited startle response in humans. Mechanoreceptive channels differing in their sensitivity to transient stimulation have been identified in the skin. The Pacinian channel is optimally sensitive to vibrations at approximately 300 Hz and is specialized for the detection of stimulus transients, whereas the non-Pacinian I and III channels are optimally sensitive to vibrations at approximately 30 Hz. Vibrotactile prepulses with frequencies of 30 and 300 Hz and intensities of 95 and 130 mV were presented for 50 msec to the dominant hand of college students (N = 31), followed on some trials by a 95-dB broadband acoustic startle stimulus. The 300-Hz prepulses resulted in significantly more pronounced inhibition of startle magnitude, amplitude, and probability, whereas only the 30-Hz prepulses significantly facilitated blink latency. These results support the idea that the inhibition of acoustic startle is determined more by transient than by sustained aspects of vibrotactile prepulse stimuli. This study also demonstrates that different aspects of the startle response differentially reflect stimulus characteristics of the prepulse.     

A locus of control measure as a teaching demonstration

268 students (M age = 20.0 yr., SD = 4.4; 68% women), randomly chosen from psychology classes, completed Rotter's I-E scale and Pettijohn's 1992 locus of control scale for class demonstration. The two sets of scores were similar but examination of reliability and validity indicated the latter was best used as a demonstration.     

Accounting for Time Preference in Management Decisions: An Application to Invasive Species

Managers of invasive species seek to prevent and mitigate their impact, which vary in the time horizon over which they are realized. Likewise, stakeholders vary in the time horizons they consider relevant. Agricultural impacts might reasonably be considered over two or three decades, although ecologists typically consider environmental impacts over much longer time frames. Although time preference plays a critical role in decision making, it has largely been ignored in multicriteria analyses. In this study, we examine how time has been treated in previous decision analyses of invasive species management, focusing on the differences between multicriteria and economic cost–benefit analyses. We then outline a method for incorporating time preference information into multicriteria decision analyses to ensure that criteria weights remain a faithful representation of the decision maker's preferences. To illustrate how time preference can be elicited for invasive species problems involving both monetary and nonmonetary consequences, we describe a small empirical study we conducted with a small group of experts and managers. By outlining a way to consider time preference information in multicriteria analyses of invasive species management, we hope to facilitate better decision making that is reflective of the decision maker's true preferences. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.