Effects of positive and negative adult-child interactions on children's social preference

The effects of positive and negative interactions on children's performance and preferences for the adults associated with each type of interaction were studied. Five children served as subjects during daily sessions in which each of three adults followed prescribed patterns of social interaction. One adult (positive) dispensed positive comments contingent upon either color-sorting or completion of arithmetic problems; a second adult (negative) mildly reprimanded the child for off-task behavior; and the third adult (extinction or nonreactive) said nothing to the child when he was present. Following each session the three adults reentered and the child chose one of them for an additional period of interaction. Three response measures (frequency, latency, and percent of time on-task) and children's adult preferences were obtained daily. The negative adult affected the most task behavior and had strongest stimulus control; the positive adult, though exerting little control over children's behavior, was the most preferred. Children's adult preferences were not specific to the task setting, but were observed across a variety of contexts.     

Resistance to continuous delay of reinforcement or extinction following partial delay or partial reinforcement in acquisition: A direct comparison

Rats received either partial reward (PR) or partial delay (PD) in acquisition with one, two, or three delay or nonreward trials followed by an immediately rewarded trial or one delay or nonreward trial followed by an immediately rewarded trial. These four groups were then split in half and given either continuous delay or continuous nonreward (extinction) in a “response persistence” phase. In addition, two continuously reinforced groups, one experiencing continuous delay, and the other experiencing extinction were included. The results showed that response persistence was greater when PD groups were given continuous delay rather than extinction, but the opposite was true for PR groups. The “length” (1, 2, or 3 versus 1 nonreward or delay trial) also transferred to the response persistence phase with the length 1, 2, and 3 conditions being more persistent than the 1 length conditions. The results were discussed with respect to theoretical notions of response persistence.     

Psychological correlates of the course of Sydenham's chorea

Published reports provide contradictory evidence concerning the cause, nature, and course of Sydenham's chorea: Physiological, psychological, and interactional hypotheses have been advanced. Reports supporting any of these views suffer from lack of detail, objective observations, and/or longitudinal behavioral sampling. This case was studied longitudinally with numerous psychological tests. They revealed acute encephalopathy and severe personality disturbance in the acute stage, followed by rapid and lasting clearing of both symptoms. Thus, this case provided evidence consistent with virtually all published reports and with each hypothesis about Sydenham's chorea, suggesting the need for more careful longitudinal studies and a conceptual framework which can more fully embrace all the data.This study was begun while the author was at the William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute in Columbia, South Carolina.The author gratefully acknowledges the comments of Professor Arthur L. Benton.     

On the choice between eating and aggressive display in the Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens)

In Expt 1, male Betta splendens were given a choice between food and a mirror image in a T-maze. All fish consistently preferred food. In Expt 2, the choice of fish that lived in the T-maze for the duration of the experiment was compared with the choice of fish that were transferred to the T-maze for each experimental session. Fish that lived in the T-maze consistently preferred food, but fish that were transferred showed a shift in preference toward mirror image. Differential inhibition of hunger and aggression by fear is suggested as the cause of the preference shift.     

Similarity,Sex, and Requests for Small Favors1

To determine whether correspondence in appearance between helper and helped will increase the rate of helping behavior, two types (Hippie and Straight) and two sexes of experimenters approached each of the four corresponding types of subjects and asked to borrow a dime for a telephone call. As predicted, a significantly greater number of persons were willing to lend money to someone who resembled them in appearance. Furthermore, as predicted, his tendency to match on the basis of appearance was stronger for male subjects than for female subjects. It was hypothesized that dress styles, like race, provide a basis for assumptions about other areas of similarity and create a greater willingness to help a similar other.     

Self-Defeating Behavior Workshops: Systems Approach for Hard-to-Serve Veterans

For the past two and one-half years, the self-defeating behavior (SDB) theory has been applied to a population of veterans who had a history of problems in job training, vocational placement, and academic settings. A group-therapy structure meeting eight times during a four-week period is the basic approach of the SDB seminar. In conjunction with the SDB seminar, a variety of support people and agencies have combined efforts to develop a systems approach to helping the veterans eliminate behaviors that are self-defeating. Results from the systems approach have been excellent.     

Evaluating a sex-related ability: Comparison with same-, opposite-, and combined-sex norms

A study was conducted to replicate and extend Zanna, Goethals, and Hill's (Zanna, M. P., Goethals, G. R., & Hill, J. F. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 1975, 11, 86–93) experiment investigating social comparison choices for evaluating a sex-related ability. In a 2 × 3 design male and female undergraduates received ambiguous feedback about their performance on a test. The test was described as one in which either males typically excel or females typically excel, or no sex differences for performance were mentioned. Subjects were then given the opportunity to select normative comparison information in order to evaluate their performance. Information about same-sex, opposite-sex, and combined (male and female) norms was available. The results showed that interest in same-sex and combined information was high on both first and second choices. Opposite-sex comparisons were of low priority. Same-sex comparisons were of high priority even when sex differences were not made salient. Males and females differed to some extent in their comparison choices. The results suggest that while persons prefer to compare with similar (same-sex) others, they are also interested in making broader kinds of comparisons (with combined-sex norms). The results are discussed in terms of Wilson's (Wilson, S. R. Sociometry, 1973, 36, 600–607) two-process analysis of ability comparison and Goethals and Darley's (Goethals, G., & Darley, J. In J. M. Suls & R. L. Miller (Eds.), Social comparison processes; Theoretical and empirical perspectives. Washington, D. C.: Hemisphere/Halsted/Wiley, 1977) related attribute hypothesis.     

College students' study time: course level, time of semester, and grade earned

The association of total study time, number of events, time per event ratio, study strategies, and course grades across the semester were examined by linking students' study logs to course performance. There were 37 upper-division and 109 lower-division participants. Students earning As and Bs studied more frequently at the end of the semester but for shorter periods of time than students earning lower grades. Results are discussed in terms of providing college students and faculty with recommendations about learning strategies and time spent studying.