James L. Tramill

A proposed relationship between the unidimensional short form of the TMAS and the DAS: The effects of embedding vs. separate administration

The relationship between the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the unidimensional short form of the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (TMAS) was studied. A second purpose of the study was to evaluate the effects of administering a combined, or embedded, version of these two instruments. These tests were administered to 236 undergraduate college students. Regardless of type of administration, the DAS and short form of the TMAS were highly and positively related. Further, females scored significantly higher than males on both instruments. Administration of the combined version resulted in a decrease, albeit nonsignificant, in the scores on both tests.

Defensive burying: A cross-species replication and extension

Five experiments investigating the display of defensive burying by Mongolian gerbils and mice are reported. Adult gerbils failed to engage in defensive burying when the aversive stimulus consisted of a flashbulb (Experiment 1), an electric shock (Experiment 2), and a chemical substance (Experiment 3). Young gerbils also failed to engage in burying under the flashbulb condition (Experiment 4). Mice, however, engaged in burying under the flashbulb condition (Experiment 5).

The relationship between the type A behavior pattern, fear of death, and manifest anxiety

Scores on the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) and the unidimensional short form of the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (TMAS) were evaluated as a function of personality type: A+, A−, B−, and B+. Type A+ personalities displayed higher DAS and TMAS scores than did the other personality types. Furthermore, it was found that females had higher scores than did males on both tests.

Learned Helplessness in Learning Disabled Adolescents as a Function of Noncontingent Rewards

The study was designed to examine the effect of noncontingent rewards on learned helplessness in learning disabled children. Noncontingent rewards are of particular importance for students receiving services in a variety of educational environments. Subjects were exposed to two series of tasks, the first involved replication of a series of block design patterns. Children were randomly assigned to three reward schedules: response-contingent reward, 100% noncontingent reward, and 50% random noncontingent reward. A fourth control group was not exposed to the first series of tasks. The second task series involved the solution of coding problems. On these tasks, all children received response-contingent rewards for performance. Response latency and errors on each coding task served as dependent measures. Analysis of variance yielded significantly greater response latencies for subjects assigned to the noncontingent reward conditions than for those who received contingent rewards and for controls. No differences in number of errors were found. The results suggest that learning disabled children may become “learned helpless” as a result of instructional interventions involving use of noncontingent rewards.

The effects of chronic ethanol challenges on aggressive responding in rats maintained on a semideprivation diet

A 2 by 3 factorial design was used to evaluate the effects of type of injection (saline vs. ethanol) and amount injected (.25 cc,.50 cc,.75 cc/100 g body weight) on shock-elicited aggression. All subjects were maintained on a restricted diet for the duration of the experiment. Intraperitoneal injections were administered to all subjects each day for 15 days. On the 15th day, each subject received shock-elicited aggression testing 15 min after the daily injection. The results indicated that the alcohol-injection subjects were significantly more aggressive than were the saline-injected subjects at the.25-cc level, but these subjects were significantly less aggressive at the.75-cc level.

Shock-Elicited Aggression as a Function of Acute and Chronic Ethanol Challenges

In a test of competing hypotheses regarding the effects of alcohol on shock-elicited aggression, animals maintained on a food restricted regimen were administered either chronic or acute ethanol challenges. Chronic Ss showed a significantly higher rate of target-directed aggression and spent significantly more time in aggressive activity than did acute or saline control animals. Results support the proposed interactive effect of food restriction and extended periods of alcohol intake leading to increased aggression.

The Relationship Between Type A and Type B Behavior Patterns and Level of Self-Esteem

Scores on Form A of the Texas Social Behavior Inventory (TSBi) and the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) were evaluated as a function of Type A +, A −, B −, and B + behavior pattern scores on the modified Jenkins Activity Survey for Health Predictions. Type A + and A− participants had significantly lower self-esteem (TSBI) scores, but significantly higher death anxiety (DAS) scores than did Type B− and B + participants. While gender differences did not exist with regard to TSBI scores, females had significantly higher DAS scores than did males.

NONCONTINGENT REWARD-INDUCED LEARNED HELPLESSNESS IN HUMANS

Noncontingent verbal and concrete rewards were incorporated into a learned-helplessness paradigm in an attempt to provide increased generalizability of the reward-induced helplessness phenomenon. The treatment phase required subjects to reproduce a series of block-designs, for which they received either verbal or concrete reward according to one of three schedules: response contingent, 100% noncontingent, or 50% random noncontingent. A control group was not exposed to the task. The performance phase involved a letter/number-substitution coding task during which all subjects received response-contingent reward. Analysis showed a helplessness effect, with the noncontingent reward conditions producing significantly more errors and omissions than contingent reward and/or control conditions. Differences in effects of verbal and concrete rewards were nonsignificant.

Defensive Burying of a, Classically Conditioned Stimulus

Two experiments involving defensive burying of a classically conditioned stimulus are reported. The results of the first experiment clearly demonstrate that a previously neutral stimulus (light) that had been paired with electric shock was defensively buried. In the second experiment rats that were allowed to avoid the electric shock, and exposed to unavoidable shock presentations, respectively, subsequently buried the neutral stimulus.

The relationship between the Type A behavior pattern and process versus impact achievement motivation

Based upon Friedman and Rosenman’s (1977) characterization of the Type A individual, it was predicted that Type As would show higher levels of impact (as opposed to process) achievement motivation than would Type Bs. The modified Jenkins Activity Survey and the Success Behaviors Questionnaire were administered to 352 undergraduate college students to measure Type A/B characteristics and process versus impact achievement orientation, respectively. The results were generally supportive of this prediction.