bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Token Economy Approaches for Psychiatric Patients
Authors: Glynn Shirley M.
Published: March 2007

Although the token economy is among the most well-validated and effective behavioral treatments for schizophrenia and other serious psychiatric disorders, its use in clinical and research settings has declined from a peak in the early 1970s. Reasons for this decrease in use include staff resistance, reduced length of inpatient admissions, greater emphasis on community based treatments, economic constraints, and legal and ethical challenges. Nevertheless, a small but enthusiastic group of proponents still conducts token economy research and treatment. Important topics pertaining to the token economy remain to be addressed, including specifying its remediative components, developing strategies to promote generalization and maintenance of treatment gains, and creating better methods to identify patients who would most benefit from participating in these programs.
Two Strategies for Reducing the Aversive Effects of Implicit Rewards
Authors: Sharpley Christopher F.
Published: March 2007

The effectiveness of two simple strategies designed to reduce the aversive effects of implicitreward conditions (i.e., rewarding only one child of a pair, although both are performing a set task), as previously reported by Sharpley, were tested with 96 Grade 3 and 4 children of both genders. The task used as the dependent variable was timed digit-symbol exercises, and the reward for successful performance was verbal praise and feedback of results. Data indicated that both of the strategies designed to reduce the previously reported aversive effects of implicit rewards were successful but that there was still evidence that direct application of the reward was more reinforcing than implicit conditions. Hypothetical explanations for these findings are discussed, and children's cognitive evaluations of comparative reward conditions are suggested as an important but often overlooked causal variable in child behavior modification procedures.
Simple Phobia as a Symptom of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in a Former Prisoner of War
Authors: Miller David J.
Published: March 2007

Behavioral, nonpsychoanalytic interventions for phobic conditions have shown to be quite effective in the reduction of symptomatology. This case documents that a combination of systematic desensitization, visual imagery, and in vivo exposure can reduce a phobic condition of 40 years duration. This intervention was shown to be effective even though the individual carried a concomitant diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Social Skills Training and Negative Symptoms
Authors: Matousek Nicole , Edwards Jane , Jackson Henry J. , Rudd Raymond P. , Mcmurray Nancy E.
Published: March 2007

Schizophrenic patients with severe negative symptoms may have an impaired capacity to benefit from social skills training (SST), and their negative symptoms may show little change as a result of SST. The present study, employing a multiple-baseline design across-behaviors with three patients who had prominent negative schizophrenic symptoms, combined nonverbal skills training with the Stacking the Deck social skills game. Further, the study examined changes in both social skills (assessed using role-play and conversation tests) and negative symptoms. Depression, extrapyramidal side effects, and positive symptoms were also monitored. Modest improvements in social skills and negative symptoms were achieved. There was little evidence of a training effect. The unstable baselines may have contributed to this finding. It is important for further research to employ comprehensive patient-assessment procedures.
Measuring Children's Social Skills Using Microcomputer-Based Videodisc Assessment
Authors: Irvin Larry K. , Walker Hill M. , Noell John , Singer George H. S. , Irvine A. Blair , Marquez Kate , Britz Barbara
Published: March 2007

This article describes the development of a microcomputer-based videodisc assessment prototype for measuring children's social skills. The theoretical and empirical foundations for the content are described, and the contributions of interactive microcomputer-based video technology to assessment of children with handicaps are detailed. An application of Goldfried and D'Zurilla's "behavior-analytic" approach to development of the content of assessments is presented, and the related video and computer technology development is detailed. The article describes the conceptual foundations of the psychometrics of the assessment prototype as well as the psychometric methodology that was employed throughout the development process. Finally, a discussion of the potential applications and implications of the social skills assessment prototype is included.
Validating and Teaching Affective Adult-Child Interaction Skills
Authors: McGimsey James F. , Lutzker John R. , Greene Brandon F.
Published: March 2007

A multiple-probe design across three groups of subjects was used to assess adult-child interaction skills by graduate students being trained to work with children. These skills were subjected to content and social validation by experts in childhood education and behavior analysis. Subjects in our research evinced generalization across settings. It is therefore suggested that when teaching behavior management, affective skills should also be included in the curriculum.
Using a Group-Oriented Contingency to Increase Social Interactions between Children with Autism and Their Peers
Authors: Kohler Frank W. , Strain Phillip S. , Hoyson Marilyn , Davis Lisa , Donina Wendy M. , Rapp Nancy
Published: March 2007

The effects of a group-oriented contingency on the social and supportive interactions of three preschoolers with autism and their socially competent peers were examined. Children participated in daily manipulative play activities in groups of three (including one target child and two peers). A group reinforcement contingency increased all three target children's social interactions with peers (e.g., share, assistance, and play organizers) but produced few or no corollary supportive exchanges within the playgroups (e.g., one socially competent youngster tells another to "Ask [target child] to share the Lego toys with us"). After a withdrawal of treatment phase in which social interactions decreased to low levels, children were taught to direct supportive comments to other members of their playgroups. Following this brief training, the interdependent group contingency was reinstated to reinforce the share, assistance, and play organizer exchanges between the target children and peers. In addition to interacting with the target children, socially competent youngsters also used supportive prompts to facilitate the social exchanges between their remaining group members. Children's social and supportive interactions decreased and increased again during subsequent baseline and group contingency phases. These results are discussed with regard to the efficacy of group-oriented contingencies and the function of supportive peer behaviors.
A Social Skills Training Program for Preschoolers with Developmental Delays
Authors: Leblanc Linda A. , Matson Cjohnny L.
Published: March 2007

This investigation was designed to assess a social skills training program with 32 developmen-tally delayed preschoolers. Subjects were evaluated in an unstructured play session, matched for levels of appropriate and inappropriate social behaviors, and assigned to either a treatment or control condition. The treatment group (N = 16) was presented with a 6-week protocol involving positive reinforcement, modeling, rehearsal, feedback, and time out. Controls (N = 16) received no instruction beyond regular classroom activities during the 6 weeks. The two groups were reevaluated in a posttest session and again in a generalization setting where two peers with developmental delays (not included in either experimental condition) were included. Prosocial behaviors were successfully taught and maintained in generalization settings. Efforts to reduce inappropriate behaviors were less successful. A test of social validity via teachers' ratings of videotapes of pretest and posttest assessments was also conducted. Implications for generalization and social validity research are discussed.
Social Skills Training for Depressed, Visually Impaired Older Adults
Authors: Donohue Brad , Acierno Ron , Hersen Michel , van Hasselt Vincent B.
Published: March 2007

Late-onset visual impairment due to cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, or diabetic retinopathy afflicts approximately 10% of people older than 65, and often results in depression and social dysfunction. Whereas the majority of sighted older adults are active participants in their community, individuals suffering from progressively worsening vision experience heightened levels of isolation and reduced social support, and participate in fewer reinforcing recreational activities. This article describes our social skills training package for the treatment of depressed, visually impaired, older adults. Our treatment focuses on increasing the frequency and level of assertiveness with which visually impaired older adults interact with each other. In addition to specified treatment methods, our empirically derived program employs standardized assessment measures to evaluate therapeutic progress. Sessions are implemented to reinforce efforts to apply social skills in the environment and reestablish skills that have begun to fade.
Computer-Assisted Cognitive Training for ADHD
Authors: Kotwal Dilnavaz B. , Burns William J. , Montgomery Doil D.
Published: March 2007

A computer-assisted cognitive training program was used to treat a 13-year-old Caucasian male with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The subject was administered a cognitive training computer program, Captain's Log, for 35 sessions. Pre/post differences on the Conners Parent Rating Scale revealed a decrease on all subscales. The scores on the Conners Teacher Rating Scale were less conclusive. Electrophysiological testing on the A620 EEG/Neurofeedback revealed a reduction in EMG, theta, and beta wave amplitudes. However, the theta/beta ratio increased. A 7-month follow-up revealed that most of the acquired gains were maintained, but at a slightly lower level.
Behavior Therapy Empowers Persons with Severe Mental Illness
Authors: Corrigan Patrick W.
Published: March 2007

Behavior therapy has been viewed by some as disempowering persons with severe mental illness (i.e., undermining their ability to make independent decisions). This is ironic because various behavioral strategies actually promote independent decision making. Behavioral interventions (a) provide a safe place for persons to consider their life decisions; (b) simplify the range of choices that comprise many of these decisions; (c) help persons with severe mental illness learn behaviors so that they can better meet the demands of independent decision making; (d) teach family members skills so that they can provide more resources to support independent decision making; and (e) facilitate self-control over behaviors and the settings in which they occur. Behavior therapists need to assert the important role that behavioral principles assume in empowering persons with mental illness so that these principles are not discarded by professionals who misunderstand, or otherwise stereotype, behavioral interventions.
Adults' Perceptions of the Behavior of Competent and Dysfunctional Children Based on the Children's Physical Appearance
Authors: Serketich Wendy J. , Dumas Jean E.
Published: March 2007

This study explored adults' judgments of competent and dysfunctional children's behavioral adjustment based solely on children's physical appearance. Adults rated photographs of preschoolers (6 boys, 6 girls) who previously had been classified as socially competent or dysfunctional on the basis of independent, standardized teacher ratings. Participants, who were not given any information about the stimulus children, rated their photographs one at a time on measures of attractiveness, aggression, anxiety, social competence, and overall adjustment. Results indicated that dysfunctional children were easily distinguished from their competent peers. Specifically, dysfunctional children were rated as less attractive, more aggressive, more anxious, less socially competent, and more likely to have an emotional or behavioral problem than competent children. These findings (especially strong for aggressive boys), remained significant when group differences in attractiveness were statistically controlled. Implications for interpreting the current literature on attractiveness and for modification of childhood behavior disorders are discussed.
Residential Behavior Therapy for Children with Conduct Disorders
Authors: Matthys Walter
Published: March 2007

Children with conduct disorders are often referred to residential treatment centers (RTCs). RTCs shorten the length of treatment and thus feel they need to reconceptualize the purpose and process of treatment. Two intervention strategies have been found to affect conduct disorder in outpatient settings: parent training programs that are based on operant learning principles and cognitivebehavioral programs that focus on the relation between cognition and behavior. These strategies should not be transferred to the RTC but adapted to the characteristics of residentially treated conduct disordered children and their parents. These methods should be used together to integrate and strengthen the various learning processes that residential treatment can foster. An outline is given of a comprehensive and integrated residential treatment program based on behavioral methods that have been proven to affect conduct disorder.
Staff Attitudes That Impede the Implementation of Behavioral Treatment Programs
Authors: Corrigan Patrick W. , Williams Oliver B. , Mccracken Stanley G. , Kommana Samatha , Edwards Michael , Brunner James
Published: March 2007

Staff who have negative attitudes about behavioral treatments are less likely to implement them. Previous research suggests that negative attitudes are associated with staff burnout and perceived collegial support. A path analysis is conducted in this study to determine the direction of these effects. Ninety staff members who work in treatment programs for severely mentally ill adults completed measures of attitudes about behavior therapy, experience with behavior therapy, burnout, and collegial support. Results of the path analysis yielded a model with good fit that confrmned our hypotheses; namely, bumout leads to negative attitudes and experience with behavior therapy yields positive attitudes. Insufficient collegial support leads to negative attitudes through burnout. Implications of these findings for improving the use of behavior treatnents in real-world programs are discussed.
Convergent Validity of Cognitive Assessment Methods
Authors: Chamberlain John , F. Haaga David A.
Published: March 2007

Studies employing multiple methods of cognitive assessment have often found low convergent validity, especially between endorsement (e.g., a checklist or questionnaire) and production e.g., think aloud or thought listing) methods. These results raise serious questions about the construct validity of measures receiving extensive use in cognitive behavior therapy research and practice. Five possible explanations for low convergent validity of cognitive assessments are elaborated: unreliability of production measures due to insufficient aggregation, noncomparable stimulus sampling across measures, use of different judges on each measure to make subjective ratings, invalidity of endorsement measures resulting from the nomothetic assumption that the same cognitions apply equally well to everyone, and invalidity resulting from arbitrary decisions about response formats during test construction. Suggestions regarding how these explanations might be tested are described, and in the case of the last explanation an original study illustrating such a research strategy is presented.
Cognitive Bias in Eating Disorders:
Authors: Williamson Donald A. , Muller Stephanie L. , Reas Deborah L. , Thaw Jean M.
Published: March 2007

Research testing the predictions of cognitive-behavioral theory related to the psychopathology of eating disorders has lagged behind treatment outcome research. Central to cognitive theories of eating disorders is the hypothesis that beliefs and expectancies pertaining to body size and to eating are biased in favor of selectively processing information related to fatness/thinness, dieting, and control of food intake or body weight. In recent years, controlled investigations of the predictions of cognitive theories of eating disorders have yielded empirical support for these theories. This paper reviews research which has tested the predictions of cognitive-behavioral theory and discusses the implications of these findings for the treatment of eating disorders. Understanding of information processing biases may assist the clinician in understanding a range of psychopathological features of anorexia and bulimia nervosa, including denial, resistance to treatment, and misinterpretation of therapeutic interventions.
Contemporary Sexism and Discrimination: The Importance of Respect for Men and Women
Authors: Jackson Lynne M. , Esses Victoria M. , Burris Christopher T.
Published: March 2007

Three studies supported the proposal that one important aspect of contemporary sexism is greater respect for men than for women and that this differential respect has a unique role to play in mediating hiring discrimination, distinct from gender stereotypes. In Studies 1 and 2, participants in a hiring paradigm evidenced bias favoring men on both respect ratings and hiring recommendations. Moreover, higher respect for male than for female applicants accounted for hiring discrimination. Some evidence that gender stereotypes contributed to hiring discrimination also emerged but it was weaker and less consistent. In Study 3, respect was shown to have a causal effect on hiring recommendations for a high-status job. It is suggested that a focus on respect for men and women could complement currently popular stereotyping perspectives on sexism and discrimination.
Spontaneous Inferences from Pictorially Presented Behaviors
Authors: Fiedler Klaus , Schenck Wolfram
Published: March 2007

Previous research on spontaneous trait inferences (STI) was based on verbal stimuli. In this research, stimulus behaviors were presented pictorially and STIs were measured in terms of the time needed to identify a trait term that gradually appeared behind a mask. An attempt was made to demonstrate that the STI cannot be reduced to a side effect of language comprehension. A pilot study showed that the phenomenon extends to pictures and that a graphical encoding task leads to even stronger STIs than verbal recoding. Experiment 1 corroborated the basic finding using an improved methodology. In Experiment 2, specific encoding operations were manipulated in a verification task. STIs were strongest when the verification task referred to concrete stimulus aspects. The findings support neither an account in terms of mere language comprehension nor a verbal interference of inferential-distance account, but they are consistent with a concreteness advantage or picture-superiority effect.
Personality Implications of Romantic Attachment Patterns in Young Adults: A Multi-Method, Multi-Informant Study
Authors: Onishi Miyoko , Gjerde Per F. , Block Jack
Published: March 2007

A prototype-matching approach was employed to assess romantic attachment in young adults. The 48-item Hazan and Shaver’s Experiences in Close Relationships inventory was configured, via prototype definitions, to capture core themes of four romantic attachment patterns: secure, preoccupied, dismissing, and fearful. The personality attributes associated with each attachment pattern were evaluated by referencing both observer evaluations and self-report correlates. The observer evaluations of the individuals matching the secure, preoccupied, and fearful prototypes were mostly congruent with their self-perceptions, whereas somewhat greater discrepancy emerged for individuals matching the dismissing prototype. The discussion focused on differences in the personality functioning associated with different romantic attachment patterns, the prototype-matching method, the importance of including both observer- and self-report data in the validation of self-report measures, and the relative advantages of self-report versus interview methodologies in studying attachment.
Am I as You See Me or Do You See Me as I Am? Self-Fulfilling Prophecies and Self-Verification
Authors: Madon Stephanie , Smith Alison , Jussim Lee , Russell Daniel W. , Eccles Jacquelynne , Palumbo Polly , Walkiewicz Michele
Published: March 2007

This research investigated the extent to which self-fulfilling prophecies and self-verification occurred among 108 teachers and 1,692 students in 108 sixth-grade public school math classrooms. Results demonstrated three main findings. Self-fulfilling prophecies and self-verification occurred simultaneously in a context where perceivers and targets had highly valid information on which to base their initial perceptions. The availability of highly valid information led perceivers and targets to develop initially similar perceptions before mutual influence took place. High similarity between perceivers’ and targets’ initial perceptions had no effect on the power of self-verification but weakened the effect of self-fulfilling prophecies for some targets. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for extended and close relationships and how the nature of people’s perceptions may influence the power of self-fulfilling prophecies and self-verification.
The Bias Blind Spot: Perceptions of Bias in Self Versus Others
Authors: Pronin Emily , Lin Daniel Y. , Ross Lee
Published: March 2007

Three studies suggest that individuals see the existence and operation of cognitive and motivational biases much more in others than in themselves. Study 1 provides evidence from three surveys that people rate themselves as less subject to various biases than the “average American,” classmates in a seminar, and fellow airport travelers. Data from the third survey further suggest that such claims arise from the interplay among availability biases and self-enhancement motives. Participants in one follow-up study who showed the better-than-average bias insisted that their self-assessments were accurate and objective even after reading a description of how they could have been affected by the relevant bias. Participants in a final study reported their peer’s self-serving attributions regarding test performance to be biased but their own similarly self-serving attributions to be free of bias. The relevance of these phenomena to naïve realism and to conflict, misunderstanding, and dispute resolution is discussed.
Traits, Motives, and Depressive Styles as Reflections of Agency and Communion
Authors: Saragovi Carina , Aubé Jennifer , Koestner Richard , Zuroff David
Published: March 2007

Helgeson proposed a comprehensive model of agency, communion, and well-being that was based on a review of the literature on agentic and communal personality traits, power and intimacy motivation, and self-critical and dependent depressive styles. The present study empirically examined the overlap among these personality dimensions as well as their relations to positive and negative affect, life satisfaction, and social adjustment. A factor analysis of the various personality measures yielded two factors, labeled communion and agency. Power motivation loaded negatively with four communal qualities: communal traits, communal role behaviors, intimacy motivation, and dependency. Self-criticism loaded negatively with two other agentic qualities: agentic traits and agentic role behaviors. Both agency and communion were significantly positively associated with positive affect and social adjustment. Agency also was sig nificantly associated with higher life satisfaction and lower negative affect. The positive adjustment outcomes related to agency were confirmed by peer reports.
Social Psychological Perspectives on the Physician's Feelings and Behavior
Authors: Snyder Melvin L. , Mentzer Steven
Published: March 2007

We advocate developing a psychology of the physician and illustrate with two examples. Two functions the physician performs are making judgments and communicating to the pa- tient. One line of research has identified systematic errors in making judgments. Another has explored reluctance to com- municate bad news. Both these lines illustrate how social psy- chological perspectives can illuminate the feelings and behavior of the physician.
Some Thoughts about the Stigma Notion
Authors: Katz Irwin
Published: March 2007

Goffman (1963) believes that the stigma notion can provide a unifying perspective in the field of intergroup relations. But except for his treatment, the term stigma has never been examined as a social psychological concept. In this paper a preliminary explication is attempted. Following a brief review of Goffman's contribution, three causal models of the stigmatization process are presented: attribute-as-cause, labeling, and scapegoat. Implications for research are discussed. Next described are some important dimensions of stimulus variation among different types of stigma: visibility, threat, potential for sympathy and pity arousal, and apparent responsibility of the possessor. Attitudes of observers toward a range of stigmas appear to be ambivalent, and an ambivalence-response amplification theory of social reactions to stigmatized individuals is mentioned, along with some empirical evidence.
Students' Perceptions of the College Milieu
Authors: Battistich Victor A. , Thompson Eileen G.
Published: March 2007

In order to examine perceptions of the social environment, 109 college undergraduates rated the similarity of all nonredundant pairs of 30 representative social situations. An additional 70 subjects rated each situation on 38 bipolar scales descriptive of the situation's perceived properties and the subject's typical behavior and affect in that situation. A nonmetric multidimensional scaling solution in four dimensions provided an optimal fit to the similarity data. The dimensions were interpreted as Interpersonal Intimacy, Group vs. Individual Activity, Social Isolation, and Behavioral Conformity. The findings are discussed in terms of their relationship to previous investigations of the perception of social episodes and their implications for person-situation interaction research.
Antecedents of Empathy
Authors: Barnett Mark A. , Howard Jeffrey A. , King Laura M. , Dino Geri A.
Published: March 2007

Undergraduates scoring at the extremes on the Mehrabian and Epstein (1972) empathy scale completed a questionnaire tapping their early socialization experiences. Hi and Lo empathy groups differed on a variety of dimensions relevant to the expression and awareness of affect. A consistent pattern of sex differences on the empathy-relevant socialization practices was also found.
Distortions in Estimating Consensus from Sequential Events
Authors: Kassin Saul M.
Published: March 2007

The present study assessed the effects of two variables on people's estimates of consensus from sequential events: Normative expectancies and presentation order. In two experiments, subjects "observed" a 50% base rate unfold in a sample of SO actors, and then estimated what that consensus was. In experiment 1, subjects' estimates were distorted in the direction of their a priori normative beliefs, as they overestimated an expected base rate and underestimated an unexpected base rate. In experiment 2, subjects' responses were biased by the order in which the consensus evolved, revealing a strong primacy effect. These results were discussed in the context of the consensus literature and the "perseverance of beliefs" phenomenon.
Pity, Anger, and Guilt
Authors: Weiner Bernard , Graham Sandra , Chandler Carla
Published: March 2007

Three basic dimensions of causality, which represent the underlying properties of causes, have been identified: locus, stability, and controllability. Evidence was presented that these dimensions are linked with feelings of pity, anger, and guilt. Two experiments were conducted; one asked participants to recall situations in which pity, anger, and guilt were experienced, while the other examined ratings of pity and anger as a function of the a priori classification of given causes of events. It was found that uncontrollable causes of negative events gave rise to pity, independent of the locus of the cause. For both anger and guilt, the associated cause was perceived as controllable and internal to the target of the emotion. Stable causes influenced the magnitude, rather than the direction, of emotions. It was contended that causal thoughts often precede and determine the experiences of pit, anger, and guilt.
Motivational Profiles
Authors: McAdams Dan P. , Rothman Stanley , Lichter S. Robert
Published: March 2007

The Thematic Apperception Test (TA T) was administered to a group of adults previously active in the political "New Left" of the 1960s and a group of more politically "moderate" adults involved in various community affairs. The TA T stories were scored for four social motives: power, intimacy, affiliation, and achievement. For both sexes, adult radicals scored significantly lower on intimacy motivation than did moderates. Further, radical males scored significantly lower on achievement and significantly higher on power than did moderate males.
For Appearances' Sake
Authors: Miller Lynn Carol , Cox Cathryn Leigh
Published: March 2007

Are some individuals more apt to alter their physical appearance to seem more attractive? The current research investigated individual differences in the use of makeup. Women who were particularly concerned about their appearance (those high in public self-consciousness) wore more makeup and were more apt to believe that makeup enhances their social interactions. Implications of the current research for Self-Consciousness findings are discussed.
Public and Private Self-Consciousness and the Recall of Self-Relevant Information
Authors: Agatstein Fredric C. , Buchanan Donna B.
Published: March 2007

Two experiments were conducted to assess the extent to which public and private self-consciousness affect the recall of self-relevant information. Subjects rated adjectives under one of three conditions (public self-reference, private self-reference, non-self-reference) and were given a surprise recall task. Results indicated that subjects showed the "self-reference memory enhancement effect"(Rogers, 1981) for those words processed under the self-referent condition congruent with their types of self-consciousness. High public self-conscious subjects recalled significantly more words rated under the public self-reference condition than the other two conditions, whereas high private self-conscious subjects recalled significantly more words rated under the private self-reference condition. Implications for further research are discussed.
Children's Task Interest and Performance
Authors: Fabes Richard A. , McCullers John C. , Hom Harry L.
Published: March 2007

This study explored the effect of extrinsic reward on children's task interest and performance. A total of 48 third-grade children participated in groups that differed in whether or not rewards were offered and the task used (mazes or block design). Each child participated twice. The baseline session was designed to assess initial nonreward levels. The experimental session, which occurred one week later, was identical except that half of the children received rewards for their participation. Results revealed that the effects of reward on subsequent intrinsic interest were found to vary as a function of the task. Lowered interest under reward conditions was found only for those children in the block design task. However, rewards were found to adversely affect immediate task performance on both tasks, supporting McGraw's (1978) prediction model. Reward subjects also perceived the task to be of greater difficulty than did nonreward subjects. These findings suggest the effects of rewards on performance and interest are not directly related and that task characteristics, particularly perceptions of task difficulty, may be important mediators of reward effects.
Assessing Psychopathology in Individuals and Groups
Authors: Manis Melvin , Paskewitz Joan R.
Published: March 2007

Subjects were presented with vocabulary definitions that were to be used in assessing emotional disturbance in a single patient ('Mr. Green') or in a group of patients. Some respondents were initially presented with a high-pathology series of definitions, whereas others received more benign (low-pathology) definitions. All respondents then received a set of midscale definitions. Assessments of Mr. Green, both at the beginning and at the end of the experimental session, were directly related to the available information (definitions). Ratings of the group initially followed a similar course. However, at the end of the experiment, there was clear evidence of a reversal (crossover pattern); in their final assessments, respondents who had initially received a pathological set of definitions judged the group-as-a whole to be less disturbed than did the respondents who had initially been provided with nonpathological definitions. Theoretical implications of these results are discussed.
Exploring the Effects of Mood Checklist Pretesting on Experimental Mood Induction Procedures
Authors: Nagata Donna K. , Trierweiler Steven J.
Published: March 2007

Research was conducted to investigate the potential impact of mood checklist (MAACL) pretesting upon the Velten experimental mood induction procedure. Multivariate analyses (MANOVA and ANCOVA) of the three MAACL subscales (Depression, Anxiety, and Hostility) suggest that variance unique to Anxiety, and that shared between Anxiety and the other subscales, is affected by pretesting, including both a main effect and a pretesting X Velten interaction. In contrast, the Velten manipulation impacted only variance unique to Depression and variance shared between Depression and the other two subscales. Apart from their significance for mood induction research, these findings provide rare evidence for the discrimination validity of the MAAACL subscales. Implications of these findings are discussed along with methodological suggestions for future studies.
Personality Traits Expressed
Authors: Osborn Don R.
Published: March 2007

This study examined the relationship between the personality trait of social participation and the interior design of subjects' home entertainment areas. In all, 50 men and 41 women enrolled in an MBA Program completed the Social Participation scale from the Jackson Personality Inventory and drew a diagram of their home entertainment areas. Correlations were calculated between Social Participation scores and the number of seats per square foot in the entertainment area (r = .24, p < .05) and Social Participation scores and ratio of chairs to seats in the entertainment area (r = -.23, p < .05). Female respondents showed a significantly stronger r = -.39 than males r = -.06. These general results are interpreted as supporting behavior-setting theory as a mediator in the personality-situation controversy.
Making it without Losing it
Authors: Helmreich Robert L. , Spence Janet T. , Pred Robert S.
Published: March 2007

In a study by Matthews, Helmreich, Beane, and Lucker (1980), responses by academic psychologists to the Jenkins Activity Survey for Health Prediction (JAS), a measure of the Type A construct, were found to be significantly, positively correlated with two measures of attainment, citations by others to published work and number of publications. In the present study, JAS responses from the Matthews et al sample were subjected to a factor analysis with oblique rotation and two new subscales were developed on the basis of this analysis. The first, Achievement Strivings (AS) was found to be significantly correlated with both the publication and citation measures. The second scale, Impatience and Irritability (I/I), was uncorrelated with the achievement criteria. Data from other samples indicate that I/I is related to a number of health symptoms. The results suggest that the current formulation of the Type A construct may contain two components, one associated with positive achievement and the other with poor health.
Kimball Young's Social Psychology
Authors: Minton Henry L. , O'Neil Christopher A.
Published: March 2007

Kimball Young in his graduate education was exposed to two diametrically opposed scientific worldviews. He received his M.A. in sociology under W. I. Thomas and his Ph.D. in psychology under Lewis M. Terman. His interest was in social psychology as reflected by his doctoral study on racial differences in intelligence. His initial commitment to Thomas's position of cultural relativity was superseded by his adoption of Terman's perspective of biological determinism. However, once he forged his own career as a social psychologist, Young recanted the hereditarian views he had voiced in his dissertation. Implications about the development and current status of American social psychology are drawn from Young's conceptual shifts.
Reactions to Heterosexual Opening Gambits
Authors: Cunningham Michael R.
Published: March 2007

Gender-related responses to opening conversational gambits were examined in two field and one laboratory experiment. In Experiment 1, a male approached female singles bar patrons, using one of six opening lines, classified as direct, innocuous, or cute-flippant. The cute-flippant lines were found to elicit significantly more negative responses than did the direct and innocuous lines. In Experiment 2, male and female experimenters delivered direct, innocuous, and cute-flippant lines to opposite-sex bar patrons. The experimenters also touched half of the subjects while delivering the opening lines. Female subjects again responded more negatively to the cute-flippant approaches compared to the direct and innocuous gambits. Male subjects displayed significantly more positive responses than did female subjects, regardless of the opening gambit. Interpersonal touch had no significant effect on heterosexual responses. A third, laboratory experiment examined whether gender differences in personality inference processes or in mindlessness could account for female discernment and male responsiveness. Males responded more positively than did the females to the two cute-flippant, the two direct, and one of the innocuous lines and made more positive personality attributions about the individuals who delivered them, suggesting that the genders differ in their attributions in this domain. Although both males and females were influenced by the perceived sociability of the target, judgments of sexiness were closely related to males' interest in the female target but not to females' interest in the male. Females, in contrast were more influenced by the male targets' perceived brightness than by their sexiness.
The Role of Ambiguity and Gender in Mediating the Effects of Salient Cognitions
Authors: Johnson James D. , Jackson Lee A. , Smith Garry J.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of the present research was to assess the effects of the simultaneous occurrence of two potential moderators of the perceptual-biasing effects of salient cognitions. These moderating factors were ambiguity of the behavioral information and individual differences (gender). The design was a 2 (salience-salient, nonsalient) X 2 (ambiguity-ambiguous, relatively unambiguous) X 2 gender (male, female) factorial. One-half of the subjects were exposed to information focusing on the inappropriateness of sexual inequality (salient condition), whereas the other half were not exposed to such information (nonsalient condition). Subsequently, subjects read a passage that depicted an acquaintance rape in which the female clearly (relatively unambiguous condition) or did not clearly (ambiguous condition) convey her lack of consent to intercourse. The results indicated that salience had minimal effects in the relatively unambiguous condition. In the ambiguous condition, the effects of salience were moderated by gender. Implications for research focusing on moderators of salient stimuli and modification of negative perceptions of rape were discussed.
Individual Contributions to a Collective Effort
Authors: Shepperd James A. , Wright Rex A.
Published: March 2007

Subjects were asked to generate uses for an object either alone or in a group. Half were offered a modest incentive for a good (individual or group)performance, and half were not. As predicted, evidence of social loafing was found when subjects worked as part of a group, but only when the incentive was not provided.
Attitude Importance and Attitude Accessibility
Authors: Krosnick Jon A.
Published: March 2007

Across a range of settings, attitudes that people consider personally important have been shown to be more powerful determinants of perceptions of others' attitudes, of liking of others, and of social behavior than unimportant attitudes are. This article reports two studies that evaluate one possible explanation for this difference: the hypothesis that important attitudes may be more accessible in memory and may therefore come to mind more frequently in the course of social perception. In both studies, subjects reported the importance they attached to a series of political attitudes and reported those attitudes on a computer that measured response latencies. Important attitudes were reported more quickly than unimportant ones, even when subjects were instructed to report the first attitudinal cue that came to mind. This finding supports the accessibility hypothesis.
Attenuation of Illusory Correlation
Authors: Sherman Steven J. , Hamilton David L. , Roskos-Ewoldsen David R.
Published: March 2007

The attenuation of distinctiveness-based illusory correlations in judgments of groups was investigated. Subjects read about desirable and undesirable behaviors performed by members of either two or three groups. The behavioral information about two of the groups (A and B) was identical in all conditions, Group B and undesirable behavior occurring infrequently. When only information about Groups A and B was presented, results replicated the usual distinctiveness-based illusory correlation. That is, judgments of Group B were biased to be more negative than those of Group A. In three other conditions, behavioral descriptions of a third group (C) were also presented. The pattern of information about Group C differed, but in each case it was designed to undermine the basis on which illusory correlations are formed. In all three conditions the additional information about a third group attenuated, but did not eliminate, the illusory correlation evident in the two-group case. The attenuation involved changes in judgments of Group B members but not Group A members.
Attributing Traits to Oneself and to Others
Authors: Prager Irene Glassman , Cutler Brian L.
Published: March 2007

Attributional explanations of trait ascription processes predict that actors are more likely to use a situational attribution when describing themselves than when describing others. It has been further hypothesized that as level of acquaintance with the other increases, so does the tendency to form situational attributions for the other. The hypothesis concerning level of acquaintance has received mixed results, perhaps because previous studies in which the hypothesis was tested have confounded situational attributions with neutral, uncertain, and ambiguous ones. Subjects in the current study rated themselves and four acquaintances (differing in level of acquaintance) on 16 traits, using a response format that allowed unconfounding of the aforementioned attributions. This more precise measure of attributional tendencies revealed a clear-cut positive relation between level of acquaintance and the tendency to use a situational attribution. The implications of these findings for current views of personality ascription are discussed.
Continuity and Diversity in the Stream of Selves
Authors: Knowles Eric S. , Sibicky Mark E.
Published: March 2007

William James used a "stream" metaphor to conceptualize the one-in-many-selves paradox. In the ensuing 100 years, seven additional distinctive metaphors have been proposed to describe how the self can be a single entity and yet have different, even contradictory parts. This article presents these metaphors and analyzes the dimensions they highlight. The authors offer a metaphor of self as a galaxy of identities, roles, and schemata that addresses the one-in-many-selves paradox more directly.
Smile and (Half) the World Smiles with You, Frown and You Frown Alone
Authors: Hinsz Verlin B. , Tomhave Judith A.
Published: March 2007

The facial expression responses of adults to the display of facial expressions were examined in a variety of public settings to test predictions from a contagion hypothesis, that the display of smiles and frowns results in smiles and frowns, and folk wisdom that the display of a smile will result in a smile but that a frown will not lead to a frown in response. It was also predicted that female subjects would smile more frequently than male subjects and that people would smile at females more than at males. The results supported the folk adage rather than the contagion hypothesis: Over half the subjects responded to a smile with a smile, whereas few subjects responded to a frown with a frown. The predicted effects of subjects' and displayers' gender were also observed. The results were interpreted in the context of internalized norms of reciprocity for brief encounters. The potential for enhanced affect as a result of the contagion of smiles is discussed.
Increments and Decrements in Mean Arterial Pressure as a Function of Audience Composition: An Averaging and Summation Analysis
Authors: Seta Catherine E. , Seta John J.
Published: March 2007

Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) measures were taken to assess performs' anxiety levels while they performed in front of heterogeneous and homogeneous audiences. The addition of one high school student to an audience of one faculty member lowered MAR whereas the addition of the same student to an audience of one high school student raised MAP In addition, subjects' MAP levels were elevated when their performance was observed by a faculty member and by two high school students relative to a setting in which no audience was present (i.e., an alone condition). The results support predictions made by the averaging-summation model and suggest that individuals are sensitive to both the average and the summative impact of evaluative audience members. 7he importance of considering the composition of audiences for predictions about individuals' anxiety levels is discussed.
Interpersonal Complementarity, Gender of Interactants, and Performance on Puzzle and Word Tasks
Authors: Estroff Sharon Duke , Nowicki Stephen
Published: March 2007

Using a circumplex model of interpersonal acts, subjects were placed in complementary (reciprocal on control and similar in affect) or anticomplementary (similar on control and reciprocal in affect) dyads to test Sullivan's assumption that complementary transactions facilitate relationships. It was predicted that complementary dyads would perform better than anticomplementary ones on jigsaw puzzle and word generation tasks. Both hostile and friendly types of complementary dyads were composed of mixed- and same-under pairings. Analyses revealed, as predicted, that whether they were hostile or friendly, complementary dyads peformed better than anticomplementary ones on the jigsaw puzzle task and tended to perform better on the word generation task However in addition, it was found that hostile complementary dyads with a male dominant and a female submissive consistent{y put few pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together than the other complementary pairings. Results are discussed within an interpersonal theory framework, and suggestions are made for future researchers to examine complementary transactions for varying lengths of time and conditions.