Cross-modal transfer and intermediate-size transposition

Kindergarten and third grade boys learned an intermediate-size problem either visually or tactually. They were then tested either visually or tactually. The test sets were separated from the training set by either 1, 2, or 4 steps. The data supported predictions derived from the D. M. Lane and F. M. Rabinowitz (Child Development 1977,48, 412–426) transposition theory on choice and consistency measures. Of greatest interest were the markedly different transposition gradients exhibited by the boys in the visual-visual and visual-tactual groups.     

Effects of imaginal exposure to feared disasters in obsessive-compulsive checkers

The combined effects of imaginal exposure to feared catastrophes and in vivo exposure to external stimuli were compared with the effects of in vivo exposure alone in 15 obsessive-compulsives with checking rituals. The first group received 90 min of uninterrupted exposure in imagination, which concentrated mainly on disastrous consequences, followed by 30 min of exposure in vivo to stimuli-situations which triggered rituals. The second group was given 2 hr of exposure in vivo only. Both groups were prevented from performing rituals. Treatment consisted of 10 daily sessions within a 2 week period.Assessments were conducted before and after treatment and at follow-up ranging from 3 months to 2.5 yr with a mean of 11 months. At post-treatment both groups improved considerably and did not differ. But at follow-up those who received imaginal and in vivo exposure maintained their gains, whereas the group who were treated by exposure in vivo alone evidenced partial relapse on four of the six dependent measures. The results tend to indicate that a closer match between a patient's internal fear model and the content of exposure enhances long term treatment efficacy.     

Modality-specific information processing and intellectual ability

Two groups of children, one of below average intelligence and one of above average intelligence, were adminitered nine tasks involving matching information between auditory and visual modalities and temporal and spatial presentations. The below average intelligence children made more matching errors than the above average intelligence group, with no indication that matching problems were particular to one modality or particular to cross-modal as opposed to intramodal matching. Factor analyses did suggest, however, that matching processes varied according to levels of intelligence. The results are discussed in terms of the differences between modality-specific and nonmodal theoretical views of sensory systems, and it is noted that neither view alone is adequate to account for the variations found for the two intelligence groups. It is suggested that the results are consistent with Luria's research on neurological organization.     

Constraints on Pavlovian aversive conditioning: Implications for avoidance learning in the rat

Four experiments investigated the relative degree of control exerted by several conditional stimuli when each stimulus: (a) preceded shock, (b) followed shock, and preceded a shock-free interval, (c) was independent of shock, or (d) was novel. When the onset of an auditory stimulus had preceded shock (Experiments 1, 2A, and 3), it always exerted conditioned excitatory control. When the same stimulus preceded a shock-free interval, it never exerted conditioned inhibitory control. When the onset of light (Experiments 2B, 4), silence (2C), or darkness (1, 2D) preceded a shock-free interval, it always exerted conditioned inhibitory control. However, when one of the latter stimuli preceded shock, it failed to exert excitatory control. Several models of this phenomenon were tested. The implications of these results for the species-specific defence reaction and two-factor theory accounts of avoidance learning were outlined.     

Development of strategies for recalling letter sequences

Kindergarten, second-grade, and fourth-grade children (6, 8, and 10 years of age, respectively) were asked to recall letter sequences on a task that required the use of: (a) a verbal strategy; (b) a positional strategy; or (c) either strategy. Additional trials, allowing either strategy, were interspersed among those requiring a verbal or positional strategy; strategy use was determined from performance on these interspersed trials. The results show that children at all grade levels attempted to use a task-appropriate strategy. Performance on the verbal task showed a more marked developmental increase than did performance on the positional task. A second experiment replicated the first with the interspersed trials removed. A third experiment was designed to determine whether letter names interfered with older children's efficient use of a positional strategy. Even with this source of interference removed, the developmental pattern of Experiments 1 and 2 was replicated. There was a Sex by Condition interaction in Experiments 2 and 3 which showed that males do better in the condition requiring a positional strategy, and females do better in the condition requiring a verbal strategy.     

Habituation of subjective anxiety during flooding in imagery

Patterns of habituation of subjective anxiety during flooding in fantasy are delineated for eleven obsessive-compulsive and six agoraphobic patients. The majority showed a curvilinear pattern of subjective anxiety response, while three patients showed a linear decelerating pattern. Habituation was found both within and across sessions. The results are compared with habituation patterns in physiological responses during flooding in fantasy and in vivo.     

An examination of the Fishbein-Ajzen behavioral-intentions model's concepts and measures

The Fishbein-Ajzen behavioral-intentions model is designed to represent the effect of attitudes and subjective norms on behavioral intentions. The model has been used in a variety of contexts, and evidence for its validity flows largely from its generally good performance in predicting behavioral intentions. However, the manner in which these concepts are defined and operationalized appears to make it inappropriate for those seeking to distinguish between personal and normative reasons for engaging in a behavior. Additional problems were found in the hypothesized relationship between the more global normative construct and its underlying components.