EFFECTS OF REINFORCER QUALITY ON BEHAVIORAL MOMENTUM: COORDINATED APPLIED AND BASIC RESEARCH

The high-probability (high-p) instructional sequence has been an effective treatment for noncompliance. However, treatment failures have also been reported. We hypothesized that the efficacy of the high-p treatment may be improved by using higher quality reinforcers for compliance to high-p instructions. The resistance of compliance to change was tested by varying reinforcer quality in two applied studies and a basic laboratory experiment. Experiment 1 tested the hypothesis that an increase in reinforcer quality for high-p compliance will increase the effectiveness of the high-p treatment when it fails to increase compliance. Experiment 2 assessed the effects of reinforcer quality on resistance of compliance to change by presenting successive low-p requests following the high-p treatment. A basic laboratory study (Experiment 3) was conducted to further isolate the relation between reinforcer quality and behavioral momentum. Two different liquid reinforcers (sucrose and citric acid solutions) were presented in a two-component multiple variable-interval variable-interval schedule followed by a single extinction test session. Results of all three experiments showed a generally consistent relationship between reinforcer quality and behavioral momentum.     

Refraining Resistance and Noncompliance in Cognitive Therapy

Despite its general success, not everyone responds to cognitive therapy. Some clients have difficulty complying with assignments and others appear to be frankly resistant. This article considers strategies for dealing with passive noncompliance and active resistance within cognitive therapy. In general, it is argued that the process of therapy is usually facilitated by staying within the cognitive model—that is, by exploring and working through those beliefs and attitudes that underlie noncompliance and resistance in the same manner that other problematic beliefs and attitudes are approached. Also considered are strategies for dealing with unrealistic expectations regarding the pace of change, therapists' errors leading to noncompliance and resistance, and instances in which the therapeutic model is simply insufficient.     

二甲双胍对糖尿病大鼠脂联素的影响

二甲双胍能够改善胰岛素抵抗,而脂联素与胰岛素抵抗密切相关,因此本研究通过建立糖尿病大鼠模型,并给予二甲双胍治疗,观察胰岛素抵抗和脂联素的变化,研究结果显示二甲双胍的治疗改善胰岛素抵抗的同时,也增加了血清和组织中脂联素的表达,提示二甲双胍改善胰岛素抵抗的机制之一可能是通过增加脂联素的表达而获益。     

Tests of behavior momentum in simple and multiple schedules with rats and pigeons.

Four experiments examined the relationship between rate of reinforcement and resistance to change in rats' and pigeons' responses under simple and multiple schedules of reinforcement. In Experiment 1, 28 rats responded under either simple fixed-ratio, variable-ratio, fixed-interval, or variable-interval schedules; in Experiment 2, 3 pigeons responded under simple fixed-ratio schedules. Under each schedule, rate of reinforcement varied across four successive conditions. In Experiment 3, 14 rats responded under either a multiple fixed-ratio schedule or a multiple fixed-interval schedule, each with two components that differed in rate of reinforcement. In Experiment 4, 7 pigeons responded under either a multiple fixed-ratio or a multiple fixed-interval schedule, each with three components that also differed in rate of reinforcement. Under each condition of each experiment, resistance to change was studied by measuring schedule-controlled performance under conditions with prefeeding, response-independent food during the schedule or during timeouts that separated components of the multiple schedules, and by measuring behavior under extinction. There were no consistent differences between rats and pigeons. There was no direct relationship between rates of reinforcement and resistance to change when rates of reinforcement varied across successive conditions in the simple schedules. By comparison, in the multiple schedules there was a direct relationship between rates of reinforcement and resistance to change during most tests of resistance to change. The major exception was delivering response-independent food during the schedule; this disrupted responding, but there was no direct relationship between rates of reinforcement and resistance to change in simple- or multiple-schedule contexts. The data suggest that rate of reinforcement determines resistance to change in multiple schedules, but that this relationship does not hold under simple schedules.     

Clinical Experiences in Conducting Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Social Phobia

Several authors have identified a disconnect between psychotherapy research, including research on cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and real-world psychotherapy practice. This disconnect has several negative consequences, potentially including less-than-optimal practice standards as well as a lack of input from practicing psychotherapists on how research can be improved and made more relevant in their day-to-day clinical work. As part of an ongoing effort to engage practicing psychotherapists in a feedback loop with psychotherapy researchers, this study reports the results of a survey of CBT therapists who have used CBT in the treatment of social phobia (SP). The survey was designed primarily to document how often certain potential problems, identified by expert researchers and CBT manuals, actually act as barriers to successful treatment when CBT is employed in nonresearch environments. The participants were 276 psychotherapists responding to email, online, and print advertisements completing the online survey. Participants varied considerably in psychotherapy experience, work environment, experience in using CBT for SP, and in some ways varied in their usual CBT techniques when treating SP. Among the most prominent barriers identified by many of the participants were patient motivation, comorbidity, logistical problems (especially with exposures), patient resistance, and severity and chronicity of SP symptoms. These findings may be useful for psychotherapy researchers as areas for potential study. The results may also suggest topics requiring clinical guidelines, innovations within CBT, and dissemination of successful techniques to address the barriers identified here.     

Fifty years on: a training for the 21 century, from couple to community

The paper describes the gradual transformation of the structures, process and content of the adult training at the Society of Analytical Psychology (SAP) from 1997 when the potential for individuation had gone awry through lack of a culturally relevant and coherent programme until 2005 when trainees' professional and personal individuation could be enhanced by a process and a curriculum representing fairly the interests and beliefs of the range of different approaches to Jungian psychology that are to be found in the SAP. The process has taken eight years to complete and in the paper, the authors, two successive Directors of Training, describe the persistent resistances to necessary change from within their Society, focusing in particular on the key role of the founder member; the privileging of the internal world at the expense of significant external factors; a confusion of roles among members between volunteers and professionals and last, but by no means least, the contamination of the educative task and the creation of a training community by fantasies of the mother/infant couple.     

胰岛素抵抗与非酒精性脂肪性肝病

非酒精性脂肪性肝病是一种以肝细胞脂肪变性和脂肪贮积为病理特征但无过量饮酒史的临床综合征。肥胖、2型糖尿病和高脂血症被认为是非酒精性脂肪性肝病的重要危险因素。有研究表明胰岛素抵抗与非酒精性脂肪性肝病密切相关。脂质代谢异常、氧应激反应、瘦素、脂联素等与胰岛素抵抗的发生有相互作用,也影响着非酒精性脂肪肝病的发生发展。胰岛素抵抗在非酒精性脂肪性肝病发病机制上的作用以及与胰岛素抵抗相关的发病因素值得关注。通过体育锻炼与控制饮食热量逐渐减轻体重,并配合血糖及血脂的控制对非酒精性脂肪性肝病患者十分重要。     

幽门螺杆菌感染治疗新进展

在中国幽门螺杆菌(Helicobacter pylori,Hp)有非常高的感染率,国人感染率约55%,所以Hp感染处理中的临床问题是目前Hp研究领域中的重点课题,Hp感染治疗中的重要问题主要包括以下几方面:(1)哪些病人应该治疗?(治疗适应证问题);(2)如何治疗?(治疗方案问题);(3)如何避免或克服Hp对抗生素的耐药性问题?Hp对抗生素的耐药是Hp根除失败的主要原因,所以本文还要重点讨论Hp对抗生素的耐药牲,Hp根除失败的补救治疗及其治疗研究进展。     

The Continuation of Perpetrator Behaviors that Influence Perceptions of Sexual Harassment

This study was designed to investigate sexual harassment perceptions based on continuation of unwanted sexual attention following victim resistance. Participants were 504 undergraduates who responded to statements regarding a sexual harassment scenario, in which the perpetrator continued or discontinued attention, which varied in severity according to nonphysical, physical, or restraint contact. Results showed that continued attention and any type of physical contact strengthened harassment perceptions, although men’s perceptions were weaker unless restraint was present. No sex differences were observed in the restraint condition. Women had stronger perceptions than men did in the physical condition, but showed a non-significant trend toward stronger perceptions in the nonphysical condition. Findings suggest that continuation following resistance may clarify for observers that harassment is occurring. Conceptualizations of harassment severity are suggested.