SUCCESSIVE REVERSALS OF A CLASSICALLY CONDITIONED HEART-RATE DISCRIMINATION1

Rats were trained to criterion in successive reversals of a classically conditioned heart-rate discrimination. Criterion was attained more rapidly in the later reversals in the series than in the early reversals and the inter-problem learning curve was of the same general form as that found with successive instrumental discrimination reversal in the same species.     

Pavlovian extinction,phobias, and the limits of the cognitive paradigm

The slow or total lack of decrease in some autonomic responses during extinction in aversive conditioning and concomitant verbalizations of fear have remained a problem for learning theories and psychophysiology. Removal of the aversive stimulus should result in a rapid decrement in responding, as it does in cognitive and somatic systems. In laboratory analogues of phobia and clinical neurosis, however, such decreases do not occur in some autonomic responses and reported fear. In this article three areas of research are presented in which dissociations occur between cognitive and autonomie responses: 1) relational learning, 2) phobia, and 3) incubation. The data indicate that there are some important distinctions to be made concerning the properties of different psychological and physiological systems. These distinctions pertain to the differences between cognitive and noncognitive systems, between the two branches of the ANS, and between acquisition and extinction processes. These distinctions lead to a number of hypotheses concerning dissociations between response systems and have important implications for the understanding and treatment of neurosis.     

The influence of gender on occupational aspirations of kindergarten children

By updating and extending previous research on the effect of gender role socialization on occupational choices of children, this research found very sexstereotypical occupational preferences in a sample of 540 kindergarten children. The girls in the study selected occupations that averaged 87% female and the boys selected occupations averaging 84% male. The boys perceived a significantly wider range of vocational options than the girls. In a reversal condition, children were asked to pretend to be of the opposite sex. Most of the children selected occupations with sex ratios favoring their pretended sex; girls were slightly more stereotypic than boys. An unanticipated finding was the extremeness of reactions of the boys to the suggestion that they pretend to be girls. It is argued that current sex-role socialization fails to recognize the realities of the expanding participation of women in the paid labor force.     

Sex Differences in Clinical Pain: A Multisample Study

A recent meta-analysis of the experimental pain literature revealed effect sizes of .55 for pain threshold and .57 for pain tolerance, indicating a moderate difference in pain perception between men and women, with women reporting an increased sensitivity to pain. The current study investigated the relationship between sex and clinical pain ratings, in patients seeking care at a tertiary care facility. Five samples of chronic pain patients were recruited from several diverse clinics associated with the University of Florida. Analyses of clinical pain ratings revealed similar effect sizes for all samples, ranging from –.07 to –.25, indicating small differences, with women reporting higher levels of clinical pain. This is the first paper to report effect sizes for differences in report of pain in samples of chronic pain patients presenting for treatment at a tertiary care facility.     

Derivation and implications of MMPI cluster groups in clinically depressed inpatient females.

The purpose of this study was to subclassify clinically depressed patients based on a cluster-analytic examination of the MMPI. Subjects were 79 female inpatients with major depression. A cluster analysis of the MMPI validity and clinical scales resulted in three clusters labeled psychotic (287 MMPI profile), hostile (24 MMPI profile), and histrionic (32 MMPI profile) depression. The psychotic group exhibited the greatest depression as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The psychotic and hostile groups, however, did not differ on other associated aspects of depression, such as negative cognitions, nonassertiveness, or personality style. The hostile group reported the fewest physical difficulties and the most excessive alcohol use. The groups, however, did not differ on other aspects of depression history or presentation such as family history of depression or previous hospitalizations. A repeated measures ANOVA for the three cluster groups on the BDI at admission, discharge, and 6 months after discharge indicated that all groups showed improvement at discharge but that only the hostile depressive group continued to show improvement at the 6-month follow-up.     

Report of the Working Group on Clinical Services

Prepared by the Working Group on Clinical Services from the November 1995 Georgetown conference sponsored by the Association of Medical School Psychologists, this paper focuses upon issues related to the effects of health care reform and changes to the health care system on psychologists practicing within academic health care settings. Discussion of the changes in the health care economic system and the call for cost-effectiveness produced five specific suggestions for psychology to establish accountable, data-based models of behavioral health care.     

On being eager and uninhibited: narcissism and approach-avoidance motivation

This article demonstrates the validity and utility of conceptualizing narcissistic personality in terms of relative approach-avoidance motivation. Across three studies (N = 1,319), narcissism predicted high approach and low avoidance motivation. That is, narcissists reported being strongly motivated to approach desirable outcomes but only weakly motivated to avoid negative outcomes. Relative approach-avoidance motivation was shown to be useful in terms of explaining behavioral tendencies associated with narcissism (i.e., functional and dysfunctional impulsivity) and distinguishing different "flavors" of narcissism (i.e., overt and covert narcissism). Discussion focuses on how approach-avoidance motivation may be used to explain prior findings in the narcissism literature and generate novel future hypotheses.