Gary S. Stern

Interal locus of control as a value

Abstract Internal and external subjects, who previously filled out Rotters (1966) I-E scale, were asked to score the I-E scale of “another student”. Subjects were exposed to “an others” score of either 0, 5, 10, 16, or 23, and were asked to rate themselves and the “other” on an evaluative questionnaire. It was predicted that ratings of the “other” would increase in positivity to the extent the “other” scored as an internal. A reverse direction was predicted for an index of negative evaluations. The predictions were confirmed. The results suggest that internal locus of control is a societal value. The findings did not support either Hannahs (1973) hypothesis that internals are more responsive to a need for social approval, or Byrnes (1969) similarity hypothesis.

Attention to important versus trivial tasks and salience of fatigue-related symptoms for coronary prone individuals

Abstract The present study tested the hypothesis that individuals with the Type A coronary prone behavior pattern focus their attention more on important tasks, and less on trivial tasks than do Type Bs. The study used a paradigm in which some subjects worked on math problems (important task) and rated intervening mood items (trivial task), whereas others rated mood items they were to memorize (important task) and worked on intervening math problems (trivial task). All subjects were later tested on recall of mood items. Results indicated that Type As performed better on math problems and recalled more fatigue-related mood items when the task was important than when it was trivial; for Type B subjects, there was no difference in the number of math problems solved correctly or number of mood items recalled between important and trivial task conditions. Moreover, Type As reported greater fatigue when mood recall was the important task than when math was the important task, whereas fatigue ratings of Type Bs did not differ across these conditions. The findings suggest that Type As suppress their attention to fatigue-related symptoms only when symptoms are not the objects of focus.

The role of challenging incentives in feedback-assisted heart rate reduction for coronary-prone adult males.

Three experiments were performed to study the influence of challenging incentives on feedback-assisted heart rate reduction for coronary-prone (Type A) and non-coronary-prone (Type B) males. In the first experiment, when subjects were given a competitive instructional set, Type As were significantly more successful relative to Type Bs in reducing their heart rate; with a noncompetitive set, Type Bs were significantly more successful than were Type As. In the second experiment, when told that heart rate reduction was a scarce ability, Type As reduced heart rate significantly better than did Type Bs; when told that heart rate reduction was a common ability, Type Bs achieved significantly greater heart rate reduction than did Type As. In the third experiment, when heart rate reduction was described as being instrumental to time-urgency (i.e., getting more done in less time), Type As reduced heart rate significantly bettern than did Type Bs; when heart rate reduction was described as being instrumental to relaxation, Type Bs were significantly better able to reduce heart rate. In all three studies, the incentives had no effect on heart rate when feedback was not provided. The results are discussed as support for the notion that Type A behavioral pattern characteristics can be exploited to reduce Type A symptoms. Implications for how coronary-prone individuals may be challenged to modify symptoms within the clinical setting are discussed.

Perceived control: bogus pulse rate feedback and reported symptom reduction for individuals with accumulated stressful life events.

The present investigation tested the hypothesis that perceived control reduces reported symptom incidence for individuals with stressful life events. Subjects (undergraduate psychology students from an urban university) were divided into two groups, high and low in stress, based on their life change unit scores as measured by the Schedule of Recent Events (Holmes & Rahe, 1967). Subjects participated in a study in which they attempted to reduce pulse rate (PR) and were informed of their successes (i.e., PR reductions) through bogus feedback. High and low stress subjects were assigned randomly to one of the following conditions: bogus ascending success feedback (AS), wherein successes were concentrated more in the later stage of a PR reduction period; bogus equally distributed success feedback (EDS), wherein successes were equally distributed in the early and later stages of a PR reduction period; or no feedback (NF). The study consisted of three sessions held on 3 consecutive days. Each session consisted of a 3-minute baseline (nonfeedback) period followed by a 10-minute PR reduction period. Self-reports on 13 symptom items were measured 2 weeks before the study (pretest), after the final session of the study (posttest), and 3 weeks after the study (follow-up). Results indicated that on 5 of the 13 symptom items, the AS condition produced a significant reduction in reported symptom incidence for high-stress subjects only, and this effect was maintained for 3 weeks after the experiment. Results are discussed in terms of the effect perceived control may have on perceptions of physical health. Suggestions are made regarding the use of biofeedback treatment as a method by which perceptions of symptom distress may be reduced for individuals exposed to cumulative stressful experiences.The present investigation tested the hypothesis that perceived control reduces reported symptom incidence for individuals with stressful life events. Subjects(undergraduate psychology students from an urban university) were divided into two groups, high and low in stress, based on their life change unit scores as measured by the Schedule of Recent Events(Holmes & Rahe, 1967). Subjects participated in a study in which they attempted to reduce pulse rate(PR) and were informed of their successes(i.e., PR reductions) through bogus feedback. High and low stress subjects were assigned randomly to one of the following conditions: bogus ascending success feedback(AS), wherein successes were concentrated more in the later stage of a PR reduction period; bogus equally distributed success feedback(EDS), wherein successes were equally distributed in the early and later stages of a PR reduction period; or no feedback(NF). The study consisted of three sessions held on 3 consecutive days. Each session consisted of a 3-minute baseline(nonfeedback) period followed by a 10-minute PR reduction period. Self-reports on 13 symptom items were measured 2 weeks before the study(pretest), after the final session of the study(posttest), and 3 weeks after the study(follow-up). Results indicated that on 5 of the 13 symptom items, the AS condition produced a significant reduction in reported symptom incidence for high-stress subjects only, and this effect was maintained for 3 weeks after the experiment. Results are discussed in terms of the effect perceived control may have on perceptions of physical health. Suggestions are made regarding the use of biofeedback treatment as a method by which perceptions of symptom distress may be reduced for individuals exposed to cumulative stressful experiences.

Perceived control: contingent and noncontingent feedback in pulse-rate change and reduction in depressive cognitions.

The present study tested the hypothesis that perceived control results in reduced depressive cognitions. Subjects were divided into two groups, high and low in depressive cognitions (HDC and LDC) based on their scores on a Depression Scale. Subjects (HDC and LDC) were assigned randomly to one of the following treatment conditions: contingent feedback (CF), noncontingent (yoked) feedback (YF), or no feedback (NF) in pulse-rate (PR) regulation. Half the subjects were instructed to decrease (D) and half were instructed to increase (I) PR. The study consisted of three sessions spaced one week apart. Each session was comprised of a three-minute baseline (nonfeedback) trial followed by a 15-minute experimental session. After each experimental session, subjects completed a questionnaire which assessed how well they felt they regulated PR, and the extent to which they attributed such regulation to their ability, effort, the difficulty or ease of the task, and luck. After three sessions, subjects were posttested on the Depression Scale. Results indicated that a significant, though small, reduction in depressive cognitions occurred for CF and YF subjects who were instructed to decrease PR, and this effect was mediated by subjects attributing PR regulation to ability and effort. Results are discussed in terms of the effect that perceived control may have on attributions and reported depression. Also, limitations regarding the generalizability of the findings to a clinical population are discussed.

Perceived Aversiveness of Recommended Solution and Locus of Control as Determinants of Response to Danger.

Abstract As determined by their scores on Rotters Locus of Control scale (Psychological Monographs, 1966 , 80 (1, Whole No. 609)), internal and external subjects were exposed either to a high-, low-, or no-fear message on the dangers of exposure to a sunlamp. It was recommended to half the subjects in each condition that they apply a cream which was described as producing minimal skin irritation (low aversiveness), while half the subjects received recommendations to apply a cream described as producing considerable skin irritation (high aversiveness). It was predicted that (a) a high-fear message would be more effective than a low-fear message in getting subjects to use the cream, especially when the recommended behavior was perceived as low in aversivensss; and (b) a high-fear message would be more effective than a low fear message for subjects classified as internals. The second prediction was confirmed, and the first was tentatively supported. Results were interpreted in terms of the perceptual processes which may mediate the relationship between fear and action. The findings did not support the fear-drive model.

Feedback in pulse rate change and divergent affective reactions for high and low sensation-seekers

The present investigation examined the relationship between affect and pulse rate (PR) change for individuals with different sensation-seeking preferences. Based on their scores on the Sensation-Seeking Scale (Zuckerman, Kolin, Price, & Zoob, 1964), high (HSS) and low (LSS) sensation-seekers were assigned randomly to either 40 minutes of feedback or nofeedback in PR. Subjects were instructed either to decrease or to increase PR. Measures of affect were administered after the 40-minute period. The results indicated that while feedback caused subjects to change PR in either direction, HSS subjects were more successful at increasing, while LSS subjects were more successful at decreasing. Moreover, negative affect resulted only when HSS subjects decreased and LSS subjects increased PR. The results are discussed in terms of the importance of considering individual differences in preference for activation in order to clarify the relationship between physiological and affective responses.