Lyle Jacobs

An MMPI sign to separate organic from functional psychiatric patients.

Evaluated the utilities of all 90 possible unweighted additive/subtractive two-scale MMPI combinations as indices to separate brain-damaged from functional patient groups in a Veterans Administration psychiatric hospital. One index, Hs-PT, showed more promise than any of the other 89. Hs-PT mean scores were significantly higher among organics than among alcoholics, neurotics, affective psychoses, character disorders, process schizophrenics or reactive schizophrenics. Interpretative information on the Hs-PT index was presented.

Evidence for a dual-factor concept of psychopathological emotional deficit: anhedonia and sensation-seeking.

Correlations between measures of anhedonia and sensation-seeking were calculated in two psychiatric samples. The correlations indicated that, despite their conceptual similarity, the two represent different motivational deficits. Ther correlates appeared to indicate that sensation-seeking represents neurotic inhibition, while anhedonia reflects a separate motivational deficit apparently characteristic of process schizophrenics.

The construct validity of an aftereffect-based subtyping system for alcoholics.

In an earlier project, we identified five alcohol-consumption aftereffect factors, which were named Hangover, Euphoria, Flushing, Seizures, and Sleepiness. In this study (N = 100) we assessed the construct validities of the five, using 47 MMPI, self-report, and recidivism criteria. The number of significant relationships between the factors and the criteria substantially exceeded chance. The Hangover factor related to social maladjustment and to the MMPI Psychopathic Deviate, Paranoia, Psychasthenia, Hypomania, and Masculinity-Femininity scales. The Euphoria factor was associated with a high number of job losses, but a low incidence of certain physical sequelae. The Flushing factor was associated with high consumption, late development of alcoholism, many physical complaints, and older age. The Seizure factor correlated with high consumption, facial puffiness, tremors, and lack of defensiveness on the MMPI. The Sleepiness factor was associated with a good prognosis and several mild MMPI elevations. These findings suggest that the factors may provide the basis for a useful alcoholism subtyping system and that additional research on them should prove fruitful.

Interrelationships and correlates of four measures of pleasure deficit

Compared the utilities of four measures currently used to assess pathological deficit in the ability to experience pleasure (N = 56). The Watson Anhedonia Interview scale was less reliable than the others, but was correlated as often with measures of pleasure-seeking as they were after correction for attenuation. It was more heavily correlated with measures of psychopathology than the others. The Chapman, Chapman, & Raulin (1976) Social and Physical Anhedonia scales demonstrated superior reliability and more correlations with pleasure-seeking ratings than the other scales, at least before correction for attenuation. However, their relatively modest relationships with measures of psychopathology suggested that the pleasure-deficits they measure best may not be as characteristic of psychiatric conditions as that reflected by the Anhedonia Interview. The Zuckerman General Sensation Seeking scale showed less reliability than the Chapman scales and fewer correlations with both pleasure-seeking and psychopathology than the others.

Role of Selective Attention to Emotional and Neutral Stimuli in Schizophrenic Affective Deficit

A test of the hypothesis that psychopathological emotional deficit involves selective attention to unemotional stimuli was made. The attention of schizophrenics (n = 100) with high and low scores on measures of anhedonia and sensation-seeking to pleasant, unpleasant and neutral stimuli was contrasted. No differences in the mean attention scores of the groups appeared. The results do not support the hypothesis. Emotional deficit in schizophrenia does not seem to result from selective attention to nonemotional stimuli.

Systems releasing action therapy with alcoholics: an experimental evaluation.

Described Systems Releasing Action Therapy (SRAT) and a controlled study that evaluated its effectiveness. The therapy combines physical and fantasy exercises and has its roots in the Bioenergetic and Gestalt traditions. To evaluate its effectiveness, 56 patients who were receiving treatment for alcoholism were assigned randomly to therapy and control groups. On 3-week follow-up, the therapy sample showed significantly more improvement than the controls on measures of blood pressure, physical symptoms, anxiety, hysteroid tendencies, disturbed feelings and self-image. Suggestive differences (interactions significant only at the .20 level) in favor of the therapy group also appeared on measures of vital capacity withdrawal, excessive drinking, anhedonia and four neurosis-oriented MMPI scales. However, 6-month follow-up data were relatively unimpressive. The results suggest this type of therapy is an effective one, at least for the short term.

Pain adaptation and emotional deficit

The pain adaptation rates of high- and low-emotional deficit schizophrenics were compared. Electrical stimulation pain thresholds were calculated and retaken at four intervals after administration of shocks in a learning task. Low scorers on the General Sensation-Seeking and Thrill/Adventure Seeking scales showed significantly less pain adaptation than did their high sensation-seeking counterparts. No differences in level of adaptation appeared between high and low scorers on the Anhedonia scale or three other sensation-seeking scales. The results suggested that the neurotic emotional deficit defined by the sensation-seeking scales may be mediated by inadequate adaptation to painful stimuli.

Correlates of alpha, beta and theta wave production.

Studied the correlations of alpha, beta and theta time densities with psychological and psychophysiological variables in a psychiatric population (N = 76). The correlations of the EEG variables with measures of adjustment were small and barely exceeded chance expectations. Alpha and beta were correlated positively with pain threshold, while beta was related inversely to blood pressure. Theta was correlated positively with blood pressure and negatively with pulse rate. The implications of these findings for EEG biofeedback treatment were discussed.