Gary G. Galbraith

Homophone units: A normative and methodological investigation of the strength of component elements

Eighty-eight homophone units, that is, pairs of words identical in pronunciation but different both in meaning and spelling, were presented aurally to college students to ascertain which word within each unit would be associated to and which would be spelled. Each of the separate words (elements) within the units was also used as a priming stimulus for eliciting other homophones, and the latencies were recorded. Normative data concerning the strength of the separate words within the units, and the degree of intraunit competition between elements is presented. Correlations between the three different methods of assessing comparative element strength and the three corresponding methods of assessing intra-unit element competition are also presented.

False heart-rate feedback and reciprocal inhibition by aversion relief in the treatment of snake avoidance behavior

The purpose of this study was to examine physiological and behavioral data collected using cognitive desensitization technique of treating snake avoidance behavior ( Valins & Ray, 1967 ). The reciprocal inhibition by aversion-relief model was utilized to reinterpret the cognitive desensitization treatment paradigm. The roles of both false and veridical heart-rate feedback were also investigated. Forty subjects who were unable to pick up a snake on a specially designed test of snake intimacy were randomly assigned to one of three experimental treatment procedures and one control group. GSR and EKG responding were measured throughout the experimental treatment procedures. Immediately following the treatment session, subjects were again tested on the snake intimacy test. Subjective fear ratings were also obtained both before and after treatment. Support for the aversion-relief model was found in various aspects of the data. The results indicated that if the cognition, “That stimulus has not affected me internally,” is operating for the snake slides, as suggested by Valins and Ray, it is veridical in nature and based on actual reduced physiological responding. It was also found that false heart rate feedback facilitated the overall aversion-relief treatment process.

Effects of False Heart Rate Feedback and Sex-Guilt upon Attitudes toward Sexual Stimuli

60 male Ss differing in sex-guilt were shown slides of semi-nude girls while they simultaneously heard pre-recorded sounds perceived to be either (a) their own heart rates, (b) extraneous sounds, or (c) extraneous sounds requiring close attention. The pre-recorded sounds increased in tempo to 3 slides, decreased to 3 slides and remained constant for 3 slides. Slides accompanied by an increase in perceived heart rate were rated more attractive than those accompanied by decrements and constancy in perceived heart rate, while changes in the rate of extraneous sounds had no effect upon subsequent attractiveness ratings. The effect for the sound patterns accompanying the slides of semi-nudes was present among high sex-guilt Ss but nor low sex-guilt Ss.

EFFECTS OF PERSONAL AND UNIVERSAL HELPLESSNESS UPON SELF-ESTEEM

To test effects of personal and universal helplessness on self-esteem, three groups of experimental subjects completed a self-esteem questionnaire, worked on unsolvable anagrams, completed a posttest self-esteem questionnaire, and estimated their success on an angle-matching task. Subjects in a 10% failure group were led to believe they failed all anagrams, while 9 other subjects succeeded. Subjects in a 50% failure condition were led to believe they failed all anagrams while 50% of the subjects succeeded. Subjects in a 100% failure condition believed they, and 9 other subjects, failed all anagrams. Control group subjects were not exposed to failure. A 2 × 4 (sex x condition) analysis of variance, with difference between pretest and posttest self-esteem scores as the dependent variable, showed a significant main effect for success/failure conditions and sex of subject, and a significant interaction. On the angle-matching task significant main effects for success/failure and sex were observed.