The motivation to breastfeed: a fit to the opponent-process theory?

The opponent-process theory, a dynamic model of acquired motivation presented by Solomon and Corbit (1974), was applied to the process of breastfeeding. A modified form of the Nowlis Mood Adjective Checklist (MACL, Nowlis, 1965, 1970) and a discomfort measure were used in assessing through recall the affective course predicted by the theory. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and correlational procedures. Results were highly significant: Women who breastfed for relatively long periods recalled positive affective responses while the baby was at breast and a subsequent negative or dysphoric response. The additional characteristics of acquired motivation, habituation, and withdrawal, were also evidenced in the data. As a control for possible confounding demand characteristics inherent in the methodology, a sample of childless women was surveyed using an "as-if" form of the same questionnaire. Very little similarity to the breastfeeders was found in the pattern of responses yielded by this group. It was concluded that our major findings are quite likely free of influence from this source.     

The Effects of Limited and Conflicting Stereotypic information on Group Categorization in Northern Ireland1

The process of group categorization, as suggested by Tajfel and Turner's (1979) theory of intergroup comparison, was examined under conditions of intergroup conflict in Northern Ireland. The theory predicts that under “normal” conditions groups have a need to distinguish themselves from others. The present study investigates how individuals in Northern Ireland under extreme environmental pressures to identify both their own and other groups, can use learned stereotypic cues in making such categorizations. Results suggested that such limited information was highly effective in the process of categorization, with both Protestant and Catholic subjects exhibiting significant agreement and confidence in identifying unknown persons on the basis of stereotypic cues Conflicting information was found to reduce subject's confidence levels, with conflicting Catholic cues being more disruptive than Protestant ones     

STAR: A unique embedded performance assessment technique

STAR (The Strategic and Tactical Assessment Record) is a versatile research tool designed to evaluate the effects of sustained performance and other stressors on integrated, complex cognitive functioning. This completely automated task is presented in the form of a highly motivating computer game. However, unlike typical computer games, successful performance of STAR depends on an individual’s ability to rapidly and accurately assess risk/benefit ratios in a variety of situations, and on the skilled use of an array of multipurpose control systems. STAR is unique in that approximately 80 performance measures are unobtrusively embedded in the operations required to “play the game”; no obvious performance assessment interferes with task presentation. STAR provides multiple measures of psychomotor function, attention, memory, information processing, decision making, risk-taking behavior, subjective state, errors, and error paths. In this report, we describe STAR, and summarize two preliminary experiments designed to separately evaluate the effects of task difficulty and task stress level on complex performance.