In the present study, three self-managed treatment programs were compared with respect to their ability to effect and maintain change in the cigarette smoking behavior of 27 subject volunteers from the population of employees of a Veterans Administration hospital. Subjects were randomly assigned to a self—imposed delay group, a self-directed relaxation group, and a self-monitoring group. The experimental program lasted 6 weeks with a 20-minute individual meeting each week. Three months following treatment, subjects were contacted by mail and were asked to monitor their smoking behavior for one week, and to return their average daily smoking rate by mail. The results provide support for the effectiveness of the self-management technique of self-imposed delay as a durability—enhancing treatment procedure. The effectiveness of self-management techniques as a general class of treatment strategies was not supported. A task for future research would be to establish the effectiveness of the delay technique implemented earlier in the cigarette smoking chain, as well as to determine whether effectiveness is increased or decreased by a specification of the content of a delay interval.

The present research explored the role of RES manipulation on ongoing Sidman avoidance behavior. Results of the first phase revealed that both experimental drugs significantly altered RES levels in predicted directions after the first measure; however, only stimulated subjects maintained significant differences after 5 days. No activity-level differences were noted in any subjects due to drugs across time. Sidman avoidance data indicated that RES-stimulated subjects showed significant deterioration in avoidance performance as compared to other groups for the first session. Stimulated subjects were also poorer on the second and third sessions, but statistical significance was not obtained because some saline subjects also showed poorer performance. A rank order correlation revealed that a significant negative correlation existed between RES stimulation and avoidance performance, based on changes in RES levels from baseline to the end of the shock program. These data suggest that increased stress resistance due to RES stimulation may reduce the aversive properties of the shock program, thus decreasing motivation for responding. It was concluded that artificial methods of inducing stress resistance by RES stimulation may be a useful therapeutic technique for patients experiencing psychological stress.

The purpose of this investigation was to separate the effects, and determine the optimal and most feasible methods, of promoting skin temperature increase in a clinical prison population. There were no significant differences among the instructional sets with respect to skin temperature increase. Skin Temperature feedback significantly delayed the time of maximum temperature increase. However, the average delay of 3.5 minutes was not considered to be clinically significant. No other significant effects were evidenced from feedback training. It was suggested that the lack of differential effects among the instructional sets and feedback training may be a characteristic of the early stages of training and that significant differences might emerge if training were continued over a greater number of sessions.The question was raised as to whether skin-temperature training had taken place during the two training sessions. The subjects may have been displaying a nonspecific "relaxation response" or habituation to the experimental situation. It may take more than two sessions before significant conditioning of the skin-temperature response occurs. Recommendations for future research were specified, including an increase in the number of training sessions and the addition of new control procedures.

Systematic desensitization and implosive therapy have surfaced as two of the primary behavioral therapy techniques to decrease phobic responses during the past decade. Although attempts have been made to compare the efficiency and effectiveness of these two techniques, results have been unclear because of the failure of researchers to duplicate the procedures as described by their respective originators. This experiment is designed to explore the joint effects of the therapies and level of therapeutic aspiration. A second objective, and a byproduct of the data produced in achieving the primary objective, was to analyze the goal discrepancy and attainment discrepancy scores accruing throughout the therapy sessions. Several hypotheses were advanced. Further analysis of the three criterion measures by means of ANOVA resulted in significant main sessions effects for each of the three independent analyses. Results suggest that all subjects, regardless of treatment subgroup, did make significant therapeutic gains in their approach scores, fear thermometer scores, and speed of approach scores from the first to the last session. Possible explanations for results were discussed. Furthermore, approach test absolute goal discrepancy, fear thermometer absolute goal discrepancy, approach test absolute attainment discrepancy, and fear thermometer absolute attainment discrepancy scores were calculated for all goal-setting …

The present study attempted to predict the serious side effects of akathisia and parkinsonism on the basis of individualized measurement of changes in visuomotor functioning. The following were the hypotheses for this investigation. 1. A deterioration of visuomotor ability as measured by a modification of Haase and Janssen' s (1965) Handwriting Test will predict which patients undergoing neuroleptic therapy will experience the extrapyramidal symptoms of akathisia and parkinsonism (symptom group) and which will not (no-symptom group). 2. A deterioration of visuomotor ability as measured by the Bender-Gestalt will predict which patients undergoing neuroleptic therapy will experience the extrapyramidal symptoms of akathisia and parkinsonism (symptom group) and which will not (no-symptom group). It was not possible to predict the symptom group as a whole on the basis of the Handwriting Test scores since a t test of the difference was not significant between group means. However, inspection of these scores showed clear deterioration of performance among the patients who experienced parkinsonian reactions as opposed to those who experienced akathisia or who did not experience extrapyramidal symptoms at all. The symptom group was separated into akathisic and parkinsonian groups and compared to the subjects who did not experience extrapyramidal side effects (no-symptom …

A double-blind comparison was conducted using typical doses of soporific agents from three drug classes and a placebo. Drugs which were used in the study included secobarbital, flurazepam hydrochloride, and thioridazine. Subjects were 40 outpatient volunteers whose primary complaint was difficulty in falling to sleep. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of the three drug groups or the placebo group. One of the drugs or the placebo was administered to each subject for 3 nights. Half of the subjects in each of the four groups were told the drug had caused any observed changes in their sleep behavior and were in this way led to attribute any changed sleep behavior externally to the drug. The other half were told the drugs were not typically used to treat insomnia and changes in their sleep were due to changes made in their own behavior, thus attributing any changes in sleep behavior internally. The implication for clinicians was that a short course of drug therapy using a placebo or one of several soporific drugs might be used equally effectively to treat primary latency insomnia. Additionally, the results demonstrated that clinicians might expect the effectiveness of treatment to be maintained following treatment. Recommendations included …

A psychological intervention involving relaxation training and biofeedback training for the control of peripheral skin temperature was investigated in this study with 27 female rheumatoid arthritics as participants. Based on analysis of the temperature data, it was concluded that the biofeedback response was not learned. From electromyographic data, it was concluded that participants did learn to relax. The hypothesis that the two treatment components would have beneficial effects on the physical, functional, and psychological aspects of rheumatoid arthritis was answered partially. No differential effects as a function of biofeedback training were found as the data for the temperature increase and temperature decrease groups were statistically combined in multiple analyses of variance for repeated measures. Although no differential effects were obtained, numerous positive changes were found. Correlated with the relaxation training were decreases in reported subjective units of discomfort, percentage of time hurting, percentage of body hurting, and general severity of pain. Improved sleep patterns were reported as was increased performance of activities of daily living. Reductions were also found in psychological tension, and in the amount of time mood was influenced by the disease. Shifts were not found in imagery, locus of control, and other psychological dimensions. Constitutional improvements were …

Depression received much attention in the professional literature as a stimulus both for experimental as well as applied research. It continued to be the subject of much controversy in respect to its definition, identification, and classification. Attempts were made to objectify the assessment of depression using self-report scales to tap various aspects though to be related to its etiology as well as its symptomology. Two of the most popular and reportedly well-validated self-report scales identified in the literature for determining and quantifying depressive symptoms were the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck) and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (Zung).The present study was designed to determine if there were factors in common between the Beck and the Zung scales and, in addition, to test whether these factors would differentiate subjects by sex class membership, diagnostic category, and by some linear combination of biographical or life-history information. The major purpose was the identification of outstanding charactersitics of depression predicted from biographical data and the determination of the relationship of these data to self-rating psychometric measures of depression. This study makes it clear that the Beck and Zung scales are measuring different aspects of depression and thus are likely based on separate constructs. The need …

A technique for altering subjects' self-evaluations and subsequent performance was developed and tested. Two types of therapist evaluative modeling, positive and critical, were compared, for effectiveness in training subjects to be assertive, with a no-modeling control and an insight treatment group. All modeling conditions used a behavior rehearsal paradigm, while the insight treatment employed a Rogerian therapy design. Dependent measures included a paper-and-pencil self-evaluation scale and a behavioral role-playing test of assertiveness. No significant differences were found among the modeling conditions, but the behavior rehearsal strategy brought about significantly greater increases in assertiveness among the severely unassertive subjects than did the insight treatment.

Increases in the number of users of the medical delivery system, along with an ever-increasing variety of available services, makes it desirable to identify those individuals who will benefit most from its services. With the growing reliance on third party payment, economic limitations no longer effectively restrict the use of the system's resources to those individuals who are truly ill. A framework is needed whereby individuals who are medically ill can be separated from those whose needs might be more effectively addressed by other services. A variety of means, including locus of control, has been used in the attempt to make such discriminations. In conclusion, it was observed that the low magnitude of obtained relationships presents opportunities for future research, but disallows meaningful prediction at the present time.

The present investigation sought to explore the efficacy of stress inoculation in the management of pain with severely burned adults. Subjects were 16 adult burn patients randomly assigned to either the stress-inoculation or no-treatment comparison group. The focus of the analysis was the amount of change or improvement from pretreatment to posttreatment periods. The stress-inoculation group showed significant improvement on all nine dependent measures, while the no-treatment group improved significantly on only two (physical and emotional self-ratings). The overall comparison of the amount of change between groups revealed that the stress-inoculation group showed significantly greater improvement in pain management than the no-treatment group during this time. It was concluded that stress inoculation, as a flexible treatment package, was efficacious in the management of pain experience of burn patients.

Child-rearing behaviors and attitudes have been implicated by some authors in the persistence of bed-wetting after the age of three. In this study, maternal child-rearing behaviors were evaluated from the point of view of the child. Perceived maternal behaviors were assessed through the use of the Child's Report of Parent Behavior Inventory. Field dependence/independence was measured by Children's Embedded Figures Test scores. Correlational analysis of the data suggested the following conclusions: 1) The rapidity of response to conditioning treatment for enuresis is not related, to scores of Acceptance, Psychological Control, and Lax Control. 2) Degree of field dependence/independence is unrelated to the rapidity of response to conditioning treatment for enuresis. 3) Child's Report of Parent Behavior Inventory factor scores of Acceptance, Psychological Control, and Lax Control are unrelated to Children's Embedded Figures Test scores. 4) Primary enuretic boys do not differ from nonenuretic boys along the dimension of field dependence/independence.

Self-monitoring, lowered arousal training (i.e., biofeedback and relaxation training) and maintenance follow-up appeared to contribute to effective treatment of hypertension. Cognitive therapy, while effective in treatment of some stress-related disorders, has not been studied as a specific treatment component for hypertension. The present study explored the use of cognitive therapy as a treatment variable to reduce blood pressure in hypertensive persons. The effectiveness of a multi-element treatment including cognitive therapy, blood-pressure biofeedback, and relaxation training was also assessed. Self-monitoring and maintenance training were included as a part of each treatment process.

Contingency management has been utilized to improve treatment compliance and attendance in a medical setting. A related question involves the effect of contingency management on attendance in outpatient psychotherapy. Sixty-nine individuals ranging in age from 8 to 50 years agreed to participate in such a study. These individuals agreed to sign a contract specifying consequation for failure to notify the centers 24 hours in advance of an impending absence. Data on attendance and notification of impending absences were collected weekly for five sessions. After five sessions, dropouts and remainers were interviewed and the course of treatment was discussed. For the purpose of this study, a "dropout" occurred whenever an individual terminated therapy by missing an appointment and not rescheduling, or whenever an individual missed three consecutive appointments.

The present study translated the major theories of obesity into physiological terms, then tested for the ways these theories might find physiological expression. Theoretical positions included the psychoanalytic perspective, emphasizing intrapsychic processes; psychosomatic perspective, emphasizing food as an anxiolytic agent; and Schachterian perspective, emphasizing heightened sensitivity to external stimuli. Additionally, two classificatory distinctions, age at onset of obesity and extent of dietary restraint, were examined. The later distinction suggested that Schachterian findings on obese behavior were due not to obesity, but to a dieting life style.

The assertive training literature has documented the effectiveness of both behavioral and cognitive methods to increase individual's assertiveness. However, the ability for such methods to enhance the generalization of treatment effects to untrained assertive response classes and the natural environment has been poor. In addition, little notice has been paid to the durability of these changes. Although the past several years have witnessed more intensive efforts by investigators to program generalization as part of their interventions, results have continued to be disappointing. A specific generalization-enhancing treatment strategy, self-directed practice, has been utilized with much success in phobic populations. This strategy, and the theoretical orientation it reflects, has been proposed for use in assertive training. The present study sought to examine the effectiveness of this method as compared to the traditional assertive training procedures and investigate the role of self-efficacy expectations in mediating initial behavior change and its subsequent generalization.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes and treatment knowledge of medical student professionals regarding rape victims. In addition to generating normative data for a population which, as a function of their vocation may come in contact with victims, comparisons were made between a sample of those beginning their medical education process and those at the end of training in order to measure change in treatment knowledge and attitudes towards rape victims which occur during medical school. Also investigated were differences which exist in the attitude and treatment knowledge measures for rape victims compared to other emergency room patient populations, and the effect of gender of the physician upon those measures. A final element investigated the physicians' perceptions of a "real" rape as it relates to those measures.

This study examined separation—individuation developmental issues for young adult women, from the perspective of object-relations theory. Its purpose was to explore a woman's perception of her relationship with mother as it is affected by age and request for psychotherapy as well as the relationship between the mother-daughter bond and selfreported personality characteristics. Ninety-six women from 17 to 40 years of age volunteered to participate, and they were grouped into two age ranges. Life Stage 1 women were 17-22 years of age, while Life Stage 2 women ranged from 23-40. Within each Life Stage, the women were further categorized into clinical and non-clinical groups. All of the participants were college students and/or working women from clerical, managerial, and professional occupations who were recruited from their respective schools, jobs and outpatient clinics. Each woman completed the test packet which included a demographic data questionnare; the Identity vis-a-vis Mother Questionnaie (IVM-20) developed by Crastnopol (1980); the Clinical Analysis Questionnaire (CAQ) and Rotter1s Locus of Control Scale. The IVM-20 contains four scales, each designed to measure a unique mother-daughter relationship: Individuated (Ind), Symbiosis (Syra), Practicing (Prac) and Distancing (Dist). Ind is supposed to reflect a healthy autonomy with a loving mother-daughter bond, while Prac …

Vaginal photoplethysmography was utilized in combination with standardized sleep-recording procedures to investigate changes in vaginal pulse amplitude (VPA) during both waking and sleeping conditions in low- and high-arousability females (n = 10 per group), as classified by the Sexual Arousability Inventory. Based upon previous research, it was predicted that both groups would exhibit similar mean levels of VPA during waking exposure to erotic stimuli and during various stages of sleep. Despite hypothesized physiological similarities between groups, the low-arousability group was expected to subjectively report less arousal during the waking erotic conditions.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is often used for evaluating candidates for gastric bypass surgery, chronic pain patients, head trauma victims, and medical school applicants. However, due to the considerable time involved in completing and scoring the standard MMPI, researchers have attempted to devise short versions of this instrument to reduce the time required while providing similar results. In recent years, the Faschingbauer Abbreviated MMPI (FAM) and the MMPI-16 8 have been proposed as viable MMPI substitutes. The present study examined the comparability between profiles using these short versions of the MMPI with the patterns obtained using the entire measure. Participants consisted of equal numbers of gastric bypass candidates, chronic pain patients, head trauma victims, and medical school applicants. Scores on the FAM tended to be similar to scores on the complete MMPI for gastric bypass, chronic pain and head trauma patients. In contrast, the MMPI-16 8 yielded profiles which were similar to complete MMPI profiles with chronic pain and head trauma patients.

A survey of stress and crisis literature indicated traumatic events tend to initially overwhelm individual coping resources. The adjustment process following such events appears to be characterized by phases in which gradual perceptual and cognitive reorganization occurs. Emotional shock, denial processes, and intrusive ideation accompany initial phases. A survey of stress and crisis literature indicated traumatic events tend to initially overwhelm individual coping resources. The adjustment process following such events appears to be characterized by phases in which gradual perceptual and cognitive reorganization occurs. Emotional shock, denial processes, and intrusive ideation accompany initial phases.

Obesity has been referred to as a common and chronic medical condition in our society. It has been associated, directly or indirectly, with numerous medical complications. These have included increased risk of cardiovascular problems, diabetes mellitus, breast cancer, problems during pregnancy and delivery, and low back pain. Psychological complications of obesity have included emotional problems, body image disturbances, and discrimination practices. The literature has utilized numerous methods to measure body composition, particularly according to the underweight overweight continuum. However, these methods have not taken into consideration the importance of social judgement. A scale was needed to further define desirable/undesirable body composition in a way more traditional definitions have not attempted.

The present study evaluated offender characteristics associated with completion of halfway house placement by the inclusion of additional offender characteristics for analysis in addition to those studied in previous research, the analysis of a large number of representative cases, and the use of statistics allowing clear conclusions upon which to base decision making. Data analysis was done in three steps. The first Step was to identify offender characteristics which were associated with completion in halfway house placement. The second step was to see how accurate the offender characteristics identified were in predicting completion of an offender's halfway house stay. The third step was to identify any possible factors which underlie the offender characteristics identified. Discriminant analyses identified ten offender characteristics which were associated with completion of halfway house placement for 521 male offenders and four offender characteristics which were associated with halfway house completion for the group of 33 female offenders studied. These offender characteristics resulted in 75.38 percent correctly classified cases for the male offender group and 96.9 7 percent correctly classified cases for the group of female offenders. Factor analyses resulted in the identification of four factors for the group of male offenders and two factors for the …

This study sought to investigate the influence of expressive task demand, as determined by amount of face-to face social interaction, level of subjects' expressive ability, sex of subject, and sex of experimenter on subjects' digit and visual-spatial short-term memory span performance. The amount of personal contact was manipulated by the automated versus person administrations of the memory measures. The automated administration was accomplished through the use of a microcomputer.