AN ANALYSIS OF THE REINFORCING PROPERTIES OF HAND MOUTHING

Hand mouthing often has been described as a stereotypic response that is maintained by non-social (automatic) reinforcement; however, data supporting this conclusion can be found in relatively few studies. This series of studies presents an experimental analysis of conditions associated with the maintenance of hand mouthing. In Experiment 1, a functional analysis was conducted for 12 individuals who engaged in chronic hand mouthing to determine whether the behavior is usually maintained independent of social contingencies. Results obtained for 10 subjects were consistent with an automatic reinforcement hypothesis; the remaining 2 subjects' hand mouthing was maintained by social-positive reinforcement. Based on these results, Experiment 2 was designed to identify the specific reinforcing properties of hand mouthing. Each of 4 subjects was provided with a toy that substituted for hand mouthing, and preference for a specific topography of toy manipulation (hand-toy contact or mouth-toy contact) was measured. Results indicated that hand stimulation was the predominant reinforcer for all subjects. Experiment 3 provided an extension of Experiment 2 in that the same responses were measured across a variety of toys presented to each of 5 subjects. Results again indicated that hand stimulation was the predominant reinforcer for all subjects. Implications of these results are discussed with relevance to treatment.     

Fear of snakes and facial reactions: A case of rapid emotional responding

The aim of the present study was to explore how rapid emotional responses are manifested as facial electromyographic (EMG) reactions when people with explicit fear of snakes are exposed to their fear relevant stimuli. Fifty-six subjects, high or low in fear of snakes, were exposed to pictures of snakes and flowers while facial EMG activity from the corrugator supercilii and the zygomatic major muscle regions was recorded. Measures of autonomic activity and ratings of the stimuli were also collected. Pictures of snakes evoked a rapid corrugator supercilii muscle reaction which was larger in the High fear group as early as 500ms after stimulus onset. The High fear group also rated snakes as more unpleasant and displayed larger skin conductance responses (SCRs) and increased heart rate (HR) when exposed to snakes. Pictures of flowers tended to evoke increased zygomatic major muscle activity which did not differ among the groups. The present results demonstrate that the facial EMG technique is sensitive enough to detect rapidly evoked negative emotional reactions. The results support the hypothesis that people high in fear of snakes are disposed to react very rapidly with a negative emotional response to their fear relevant stimuli.     

Dynamics in the fine structure of schedule-controlled behavior.

The variability in the behavioral equilibrium established by six basic schedules was characterized. The measures were the pause preceding the first response in each interreinforcement interval; the mean rate of responding in each interreinforcement interval; and the relative frequency of each interresponse time. The temporal windows ranged across the 780-session exposure, across a session, and across the interreinforcement interval. A display of individual interresponse times as a function of time in the interreinforcement interval indicated clear recurrent responding at somewhat less than 3 Hz in every bird, even after extended exposure to a schedule and regardless of the contingency. No strong sequential dependencies in the interresponse-time distributions were identified. A simulator, based on a simple recurrent pulser, was presented that produced output similar to the obtained data. An archival data base of the behavior chronically maintained by the simple schedules was also generated.     

情绪线索对儿童定义与评价“白谎”的影响

本研究运用图画—故事法探讨了交往意图不明确条件下 ,“听话者情绪反应”这一社会性行为结果对 5、7、9岁儿童定义和评价白谎的影响作用。结果表明 ,所有儿童能准确评定“听话者情绪反应”,内容分析发现 7、9岁儿童能运用“听话者情绪反应”信息 ,但情绪反应线索却未影响儿童对“白谎”的定义与道德评价。     

Adolescent Self-Esteem and Cognitive Skills Training: A School-Based Intervention

We developed and evaluated a school-based psychosocial prevention program for adolescents, focusing on self-esteem, negative cognitive processes, and peer isolation. Fifty-one tenth-grade students between the ages of 13–16 were recruited and randomly allocated to one of three groups; Social Cognitive Training group (SCT), Attention Placebo Comparison Group (APC) and a Waitlist Control group (WL). A pre-post design using two types of measures: specific measures of the target skills (self-esteem, self-statements) and impact measures (quality of peer relationships, acceptability of intervention for adolescents and teachers) evaluated the effectiveness and social validity of the intervention. Multivariate Analyses of Variance showed significant improvements on measures of target skills for the SCT group in contrast to the comparison conditions on reported self-esteem, and self statements, however mixed results were found on the impact measures. While the SCT group was rated as highly acceptable and useful by both adolescents and teachers, student self report ratings of quality of peer relationships showed little change across the study period. We discussed our findings in terms of the effectiveness of group based cognitive interventions in developing adolescent self-esteem and social competence, and the ecological validity of implementing programs within naturalistic settings.     

肯定性“重要度“语义量词的多级估量模糊集模型建立及其应用

在人员选拔和心理素质评价研究中,需要通过被研究者在特定的问题、事件或情境上所作出的评价,来了解他们的心理活动特点。为了确保评价的可靠性,在量表设定上多采用自然语言的回答方式,如是或否,或极重要、很重要、较重要、稍重要等.等级性自然语言可表征人们评价事物的心理量,称语义量词.但这些语义量词不是一个数值,而是一个边界不确定的数量范围,难以作数量化分析,一直是心理测量方法学研究的重要课题。马谋超提出的模糊评判的“多级估量法”［‘l为等级性自然语言的数量化研究提供了重要的理论依据。优秀军事指挥员心理选拔与…     

AN ANALOGUE EVALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT: THE ROLE OF STIMULUS PREFERENCE

To evaluate the effects of environmental enrichment on stereotypic self-injurious behavior (SIB), we conducted an assessment of preference for manipulating alternative stimuli rather than engaging in SIB. First, for each of 3 participants, a functional analysis of SIB was conducted in Phase 1. Participants were selected for Phase 2 if the functional analysis showed that SIB persisted in the absence of social consequences. In Phase 2, a preference assessment was conducted in which participants were observed manipulating preferred stimuli in a free-operant format. A measure was taken of time spent manipulating each stimulus and time spent engaging in SIB. In Phase 3, environmental enrichment was evaluated using stimuli that were preferred over the target response, and alternative treatments were evaluated in the event of environmental enrichment failure. Results suggested that the free-operant preference assessment (a) predicted the efficacy or inefficacy of an environmental enrichment procedure and (b) suggested possible treatment alternatives when environmental enrichment was ineffective. Collectively, the results may provide a basis for interpreting the idiosyncratic effects of environmental enrichment and a rationale for treatment selection when behavioral function is unknown.     

低卷入情境中品牌远延伸的成功机制

品牌延伸是近年营销学界的一个研究热点。多数实证研究表明,母品牌认知、母品牌好感、延伸类别与母品牌类别之间的拟合度以及母品牌特定联想对品牌延伸评价有重要的影响作用。然而,已有理论在解释跨类别的远距离延伸的成功机制上比较乏力。本研究采用实证方法对这一点进行了补充。考虑到初始延伸评价所处的低卷入情境,概念层级较高的品牌相关变量在品牌远延伸评价中有重要的影响作用,本研究对三个品牌相关变量：品牌类别固着度、品牌抽象性与功能性特点、品牌声誉的主效应采用三个控制实验进行了测查。实验结果表明,较小的类别固着度,较高的品牌抽象性特点,以及较高的品牌声誉是品牌远延伸获得成功的机制保证。     

前瞻记忆提取的自动加工、策略加工和控制加工

引入“准意识”来描述一种不能通达意识但又需要注意资源的状态,基于意识性的控制加工、准意识性的策略加工和无意识性的自动加工提出了前瞻记忆提取的三加工自动激活模型。     

Service Delivery Issues and Program Evaluation in Pediatric Psychology

Presents a framework for categorizing pediatric psychology research into practice and service system outcomes and functioning. The questions of importance are (a) who is being served, (b) what services are provided, (c) how treatments are implemented, (d) how services are organized and staffed, (e) what are the outcomes of the services, (f) how do various consumers perceive services, (g) how services are reimbursed, and (h) what are alternatives and innovations? The framework of program evaluation is detailed for domains most germane to service delivery in pediatric/child health psychology. Such domains include diagnostic information on patients, types of intervention, behavioral/psychological outcome variables, costs of treatments, service system functioning, and perceptions of satisfaction from multiple sources. This framework may be useful in directing future research on the delivery of services in pediatric psychology settings, thereby adding to the value of the field.