Jack G. May

Emotional processing and fear measurement synchrony as indicators of treatment outcome in fear of flying

Minimal-therapist-involvement stress inoculation training was used to treat flying phobics. Relative to no-treatment controls, treatment subjects reported more fear reduction, were more likely to participate in an exposure session, and flew more during a two-month follow-up period. Subjects who exhibited synchronous changes in heart rate and report of anxiety during exposure had greater fear reduction than subjects showing less synchrony. Subjects who voluntarily took plane flights in the two months following treatment showed greater indications of emotional processing during in vivo exposure. Relative to flight avoiders, fliers had higher mean heart rate in the plane, a greater reduction in heart rate from the beginning to the end of the flight, and greater reported fear reduction from pre- to post-flight.

Imitative pecking in chicks as a function of early social experience

Three groups of seven White Leghorn Chicks were reared for five weeks in one of three conditions of social stimulation. It was found that group reared chicks exhibited more imitative pecking than chicks reared in semi-isolation and that the semi-isolates imitated more than chicks reared in total social isolation.

The Mentally Retarded Offender Prevalence Rates Based on Individual Versus Group Intelligence Tests

A random sample of 10% of Floridas mentally retarded inmates were individually tested with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT), the Revised Beta, and the Vineland Social Maturity Scale. Results indicated that prevalence rates of retardation were approximately 1% when identification was based on individually administered IQ tests (the WAIS or Beta) as contrasted with the 4% prevalence rate established by entry-level group IQ testing. Entry-level group testing seriously overestimates the prevalence of retardation in prison. The process by which group tests are administered may contribute more to the increased prevalence rate than the type of test administered. Problems associated with group testing and suggestions for remediation are discussed. Program needs of the retarded are important and must be considered by the prison. It does not help to identify an inmate as retarded if adequate habilitation programs are not available.

Biofeedback treatment of dysmenorrhea

Nine dysmenorrheic women were run in EMG and thermal biofeedback procedures with concurrent autogenic relaxation practice. Significant reductions in subjective estimates of symptomology associated with dysmenorrhea were noted in all subjects. EMG levels correlated positively with the reductions in symptoms. Thermal levels did not correlate with EMG. In fact no consistent patterns in thermal measures were noted. However, thermal biofeedback cannot be ruled out as an effective treatment for dysmenorrhea since reductions in symptoms occurred during thermal biofeedback training. Another significant aspect of the present study is the effectiveness of long treatment procedures. A six month period was employed and significant reductions in symptoms were noted following two months of biofeedback treatment. Finally, the importance of beginning biofeedback treatment prior to onset of menstrual symptoms is indicated.

Effect of Sex and Race of the Observer and Model on Imitation Learning.

The effects of sex and race of observer and model characteristics, verbal, motor and total numbers of imitative responses, were investigated within a 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 4 repeated measures design which also assessed the effects of idiosyncratic model effects within each model characteristic. Analysis of the verbal imitation data indicated that Negro females imitated more than Negro males while white males imitated more than white females. Analysis of the motor and total imitation resulted in similar significant effects. In both cases, a significant race of S effect as well as an interaction effect between race of S, sex of M, and exposure trials was reported. In addition, an analysis of the motor imitation data yielded a significant race of S by team of model effect and a four way interaction between sex of S, sex and race of M, and exposure trials.

The effect of early social isolation on imitative pecking in young chicks: The influence of repeated exposure to the testing situation

Ten White Leghorn chicks were reared in social isolation and another 10 were reared normally in a group. When tested at 18 days of age, group chicks exhibited more imitative pecking than did isolates. Isolates’ base rates were relatively higher than those of the group animals, and their rate of responding dropped when presented with a model. These effects held up over 6 test days.

Conditional emotional response with humans: The effect of a variable interstimulus interval using a trace conditioning paradigm

A variable interstimulus interval was used in conjunction with a trace conditioning paradigm in an attempt to maximize “anxiety” by increasing the uncertainty of the occurrence of a noxious stimulus, and thus increasing the probability of obtaining conditioned suppression with humans. No evidence of suppression was obtained nor was there any differential responding to low, medium or high frequency levels of CS-US pairings.

EFFECT OF INCREASED REWARD ON THE TWO-PERSON NON-ZERO-SUM GAME

Using 12 pairs of college males as Ss, a study was done to determine what effect, if any, the introduction of greater amounts of potential reward would have on the number of collaborative responses made by Ss when playing the G-type game introduced by Scodel, et al. (1959). Only 2 of 12 pairs played the game in a collaborative manner. The correlation between the number of collaborative responses and the amount of money for which the game was being played was insignificant. These results support those of Scodel, et al. (1939).

Learned helplessness and the facilitation of biofeedback performance

The present article reports the results of two studies, which, taken together, support the hypothesis that learned helplessness resulting in effort cessation, while detrimental to performance on cognitive tasks, is actually facilitative to performance in a biofeedback relaxation task. Data are presented indicating that false failure feedback leads to the typically reported decrement in performance on a cognitive arithmetic task, while such feedback leads to enhanced performance in biofeedback relaxation. Self-report data suggest that this occurs because when subjects encounter failure, they revise their expectancies of future success downward and consequently plan to exert less effort. Reduction of effort is proposed as the common mechanism underlying the contrast in results between the arithmetic and biofeedback tasks. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for the way in which theories of self-efficacy and learned helplessness are commonly interpreted.

Effects of Race and Sex of Experimenter and Subject on Responsiveness during Nonreinforcement and Reinforcement Conditions

Two 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 3 × 4 repeated measures analyses of variance were used to assess the effects of sex of S, race of S, sex of E, race of E, E-replications within characteristics and trials on responsiveness during nonreinforcement and reinforcement (verbal approval) conditions. Ss were 96 children from the Headstart program. They ranged in age from 60 to 72 mo. and were equally divided according to sex and race (black and white) characteristics so as to form 4 groups of 24 Ss each. Chi-square analyses of responsiveness of adjacent nonreinforcement and reinforcement conditions indicated that there was a reinforcement effect. Analysis of variance indicated significant differences were manifest in responsiveness under nonreinforcement conditions for sex of S, sex of E and E-replications. Significant interactions for sex by race of S and sex by race of E were also found. Similar effects were found in responsiveness under reinforcement conditions except that the interaction of sex by race of E which was not manifest.