Charles V. Lair

Informative feedback conditions and verbal-discrimination learning in elderly subjects

Verbal-discrimination learning was investigated in elderly Ss under three different informative feedback conditions: Right-Wrong (RW), Right-Nothing (RN), and Wrong-Nothing (WN). In contrast to studies with younger Ss, Group WN displayed a slower rate of acquisition than Groups RW and RN, with the latter two groups being comparable. A successive probability analysis indicated that the slower rate under WN resulted from a perseveration of incorrect selections.

The Effects of Praise and Reproof on the Performance of Middle Aged and Older Subjects

Aged (n=33) and middle-aged (n-33) Ss were compared on a digit symbol substitution task under three conditions of verbal feedback incentive: praise, reproof, and neutral comment. Elderly Ss appeared to show decrement while middle-aged Ss showed increment under the censure condition. Elderly Ss showed early gains with praise but these were not significantly sustained through later trials as compared to controls. An analysis of “fast” and “slow” responders suggested that the fast-responding aged showed greatest decrement with censure while the middle-aged slow responders showed a tendency toward an increment with censure.

MMPI profile predictors for successful and expired open heart surgery patients

A total of 31 patients (17 females, 14 males) who were scheduled for open heart surgery were administered an MMPI within 1 week prior to surgery. Of the 31 patients, 20 (13 females, 7 males) survived and 11 (4 females and 7 males) did not survive the operation. MMPI scale T-score comparisons were made within sex between survivors and nonsurvivors. Surviving and expired males did not differ on any MMPI scales, while expired females had much higher average scale 1 and 3 elevations than did their surviving counterparts (p less than .05). Subsequent comparisons of expired and surviving female patients with 1-3 profiles revealed that females with 1-3 profiles who expired had a higher average L scale T-score and a lower average scale 6 T-score (p less than .05). Cutting scores established to divide 1-3 female profiles into success and expired groups yielded two results: (1) an L scale T-score of 50 or above identified 100% of the expired females while it generated 40% false positives and no false negatives; and (2) a scale 6 T-score of 57 and below identified 100% of the expired females while it generated no false negatives and no false positives. These results are consistent with previous research and may be used to predict mortality for prospective female open heart surgery patients with implications for psychotherapeutic assistance prior to surgery to increase prospects for success.

UTILIZATION OF VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL FEEDBACK AMONG COLLEGE SS

40 college Ss learned a discrimination task under conditions of verbal and non-verbal feedback. Prior information on meaning of overt and covert feedback cues was given half of the Ss. Generally, Ss who had pre-experimental information on the nature of feedback were superior to those who did not receive prior information. However, college Ss do appear to make significantly better use of verbal than non-verbal feedback regardless of the instructional condition.

Manifest Anxiety, Induced Anxiety and Digit Symbol Performance.

2 groups (N = 144) of female undergraduate Ss from Auburn University were divided into three subgroups with different drive levels according to scores on the Taylor MAS. A group having viewed a stressful film showed a significant depression in Digit Symbol scores when compared with a control group which observed a non-stressful film, regardless of MAS scores. Also, differences in gain scores across pre- and post-test trials were noted, with moderate MAS Ss showing significantly greater improvement regardless of stress condition. Interpretation of impaired Digit Symbol performance on the WAIS and the WISC as a response to situational stress is probably more conservative than predicting motivational levels based on a single 90-sec. trial.

Influence of Drive Level on Various Feedback Combinations.

College Ss were divided according to sex, high- or low-MAS score and into various verbal reinforcement groups. On a two-choice discrimination task, overt verbal reinforcement following every response was significantly more effective feedback than a combination of covert and overt feedback regardless of pre-experimental instructions about the meaning of the covert cue. While this appeared to support an information hypothesis, rate of learning as measured by trials to criterion was affected by the nature of the overt cue in high-MAS but not low-MAS Ss, suggesting that there is also an affective component involved in verbal feedback that may be associated with experience of success or failure.

The WISC-R and WRAT as indicators of arithmetic achievement in juvenile delinquents.

The relationship of the WISC-R Arithmetic and WRAT Arithmetic scales to grades was determined for a sample of 8 female and 14 male juvenile delinquents. The WISC-R correlated .538 with grades and .302 with the WRAT, while the WRAT correlated .289 with grades. The WISC-R also correlated .508 with sex (females scoring higher). While WRAT Arithmetic is questioned as an indicator of academic achievement, WISC-R accounts for 29% of grades variance and may be a useful correlate.

Effect of Treatment by a Geriatric Multi-Service Unit Prototype on Self-Reported Clients' Depression

There has been a continued search for methods of care of the aged within home communities ( 3 ) . One such program is the geriatric multi-service unit which offers a broad spectrum of services in the community for the elderly. These services include chemotherapy, individual, group, and family therapy, visiting housekeepers and nurses, and an active outreach program. Often such programs meet resistance in the aged when they are depressed. Zung (5, 6 ) states that depression may be the most common psychopathological disorder among the aged. Some writers link geriatric depression to a loss of narcissistic supplies ( 2 ) and to decreased self-esteem resulting from growing helplessness ( 1 ). Whatever the source of the depression, however, it does lead to loss of interest and motivation which if not treated surely leads to institutionalization. The present study has attempted to make the preliminary assessment of the effectiveness of one geriatric multiservice unit prototype in a large American ciry in reducing self-reported client depression relative to that of a more traditionally oriented senior center. Elderly subjects in a geriatric multi-service (experimental) prototype ( n = 8, M = 67.9) and a senior day care center (control) subjects ( n = 8, M = 69.4) were given preand post-treatment interviews, separated by 2 mo. During the interviews the interviewee completed rhe Zung ( 4 ) Self-rating Depression Scale. The Multi-Service group obtained a pretest M = 52.5, SD = 8.99 and a posttest M = 45.4, SD = 11.16. The control unit obtained a pretest M = 47.5, SD = 11.15 and a posttest M = 49.13, SD = 10.82. Results of a 2 x 2 repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated a significant improvement between the pretest and posttest measures of depression for the multi-service patients (F l , l r = 4.80, P < .05). The multi-service patients also improved significantly more than the senior citrzens as indicated by an interaction of time X treatment ( f i . 1 4 = 12.15, P < .01). Results of a subsequent Duncans multiple range test supported the analysis of variance. The post-treatment multi-service group mean was significantly lower ( p < .01) than the pre-treatment group mean and the pre-treatment multi-service group mean was significantly higher ( p < .05) than the pre-treatment senior citizen group mean. Although based on a very limited n, the results tend to support the conclusion that the geriatric multi-service unit protorype reduced self-reported client depression more effectively than dld the control unit. While the multi-service unit depression means dropped significantly over the rwo test sessions, the senior citizen unit means tended to increase slightly. The final multi-service group mean tended to be lower than either control mean. It may be noted that findings support ZungVs contention that depression, as measured by the scale is relatively high even in normal aged. The recorded indices very closely approximate the mean index of 48.3, which was the index for normal aged recorded by Zung ( 5 ) . Pending further research, it can be tentatively concluded that a multi-faceted treatment program is more effective in alleviating depression in the aging than is an activities program alone.

Word familiarity as a factor in perceptual defense research.

Two groups of 13 college students selected on the basis of combined extreme scores from the 16 PFT were exposed to a list of 18 tachistoscopically presented words, 7 of which were “taboo” and 11 of which were “neutral.” The words were matched for frequency from the Thorndike-Lorge count (1944). Several variables were investigated, but only the familiarity dimension was found to be significant. Methodological implications for further research are discussed in this exploratory study.

Effect of Motivating Instructions on Verbal Learning According to Age and Race

Young and old white (n = 48) and black (n = 48) women were compared on a paired-associate learning task. The groups were divided as to a motivational instructional condition of support, challenge, or neutral. Both the younger and the white groups had more correct responses and learned in fewer trials. A three-way interaction suggests that old blacks make more errors of omission and commission under supportive instructions, whereas young whites do best under challenge. Various trends and implications for these findings were discussed.