Robert J. Howell

The Ability of Three-, Four-, and Five-Year-Old Children to Distinguish Fantasy from Reality

Summary In an effort to investigate the relationship of age and sex of three-, four-, and five-year-old children a series of six “fantasy” and six reality pictures was administered to 78 Ss. From the Ss description of each picture a decision was made as to whether he could distinguish the picture as being realistic or unrealistic. It was found that the ability of the Ss increased with age but that there were no sex differences.

Relaxation training and its relationship to hyperactivity in boys

Examined the relationship of relaxation to hyperactivity in boys. Ten male Caucasians, who ranged in age from 6-12, were given 10 neutral treatment sessions and 10 relaxation training sessions. Behavioral observation, psychological tests and parental rating were taken before and after both neutral treatment and relaxation training. Analysis of the research was accomplished by using orthogonal planned comparisons. On all nine dependent variables, the Ss exhibited no change after neutral treatment and significant change after relaxation training. Data collected during the relaxation process demonstrated reduced muscle tension for all Ss.

Pupillometric and personality test score differences of female aggressing pedophiliacs and normals.

A group of 10 incarcerated female-aggressing pedophiliacs was compared with a control group of inmates by their responses to a sexual deviancy scale and by pupillometrics. It was found that on the sexual deviance scale, using a cutting score of 43, only one individual out of the 20 involved was misidentified. The results also indicated significant differences in the pupil change responses between the two groups. The nondeviate males consistently dilated to pictures of adult females and the female-aggressing pedophiliacs did not dilate or constrict to the same pictures. Female-aggressing pedophiliacs, on the other hand, most often showed pupil dilation to pictures of immature females, while only half of the nondeviate males showed pupil dilation to the pictures of a immature females. It appears, on the basis on this study, that both instruments used have significant value in identifying incarcerated female-aggressing pedophiliacs from other incarcerated but nondeviate males.

Classification of Prison Inmates with the NMPI An Extension and Validation of the Megargee Typology

In order to determine how well Megargee’s MMPI-based system for classifying federal prisoners could be extended to a state prison population, a sample of 641 male state prisoners was obtained. A second question was whether or not this system was related to inmate adjustment in the state prison population. Eighty-eight percent of this sample was classified, but the distribution of types differed from Megargee’s. The 10 types differed significantly on several non-MMPI variables and on three of the six measures of prison adjustment which were obtained to assess the predictive validity of the system. Similarities and differences between the findings of the current study and Megargee’s study were discussed, and it was concluded that the Megargee system can be generalized to a state prison population, although some adjustments should be made. Implications of the outcomes on the prison adjustment ratings were discussed.

PERSONALITY, INTELLECTUAL, AND BEHAVIORAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BLACK, CHICANO, AND WHITE PRISON INMATES IN THE UTAH STATE PRISON

There is very little literature on racial characteristics of prisoners. What literature is available seems to be historical and theoretical rather than empirical. The proportion of blacks in the prison population was 15 times greater than that of the Utah population. The proportion of Chicanos was three times greater in the prison than in the state population. The present correlational study compared 668 Caucasian, 103 Chicano, and 73 black inmates on 47 variables considered relevant to the prison setting. Religious differences were prominent as were differences in scores on standard intelligence tests. Chicanos tended to be more assaultive. Blacks posed less escape risk, and fewer blacks used alcohol. Blacks scored as better adjusted on Bipolar Psychological Inventory Scales relating to feelings of personal inadequacy. Other differences were found.

Differences Among Behavioral Variables, Personal Characteristics, and Personality Scores of Tattooed and Nontattooed Prison Inmates:

This study was conducted to ascertain differences among be havioral variables, personal characteristics, and personality scores of 101 tattooed and 70 nontattooed inmates at the Utah State Prison. It was found that tattooed inmates had significantly more psychic pain, family discord, self-degradation, social deviancy, impulsiveness, hostility, and depression than nontattooed inmates. The tattooed had lower intelligence quotients, had completed fewer grades in school, and had been involved in more prison rule infractions than the nontattooed inmates. They were more likely to be married, to violate their parole, to have juvenile records, and to misuse drugs.

Three modes of hierarchy presentation in systematic desensitization therapy

Abstract Behavioral and self-report measures of snake fear were obtained from three groups of male snake phobies (10 in each group) before and after systematic desensitization therapy. The stimulus hierarchy was presented to one group by using the standard imagination method; to another group by projecting the photographed scenes on a screen; and to the third group by enacting the same scenes in vivo before the group. Each group demonstrated substantial reduction in snake fear during treatment (t = 2.08-5.16, p = 0.05-0.0005), and there were no significant differences among the groups. A three week follow-up revealed further reductions in snake fear in some instances.

Changes in analogical reasoning in adulthood

This study sought to investigate adult intellectual development through an analysis of a particular type of cognitive ability, verbal analogical reasoning. The performance of 60 individuals between the ages of 20 and 79 was compared on 100 verbal analogies. The subjects consisted of six groups of ten individuals each (five males and five females), matched as a group for education and gender. Solution times and error rates served as the dependent measures. Results showed that there was a significant trend for the older subjects (60- and 70-year-olds) to be slower than the young subjects (20-, 30-, 40-, and 50-year-olds), but not necessarily more error prone. These data suggest that verbal analogical reasoning changes with age. Supplemental data demonstrated a change in other abilities as well (i.e., decline in perceptual-motor speed and spatial skill).

PUPIL RESPONSE: A PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MEASURE OF FEAR DURING ANALOGUE DESENSITIZATION ','

15 highly aroused snake phobics individually constructed fear hierarchies by selecting colored photographs of snakes. Subjects either imagined fear scenes based on their photographs or were exposed to duplicate projected slides during desensitization. Pupillary responses of the Slide Group were also recorded before, during, and after desensitization. Fear of snakes was significantly reduced for both groups within five or fewer desensitization sessions. Changes in pupil size of the Slide Group appear to reflect arousal of fear as well as reduction of fear after treatment. Current technology makes pupillary response a viable psychophysiological measure of fear.

Assertiveness Training Using Rehearsal and Modeling with Male Alcoholics

Two different forms of an assertiveness training program were designed for use in an inpatient ward at a VA hospital. Alcoholic subjects were pretested on self-report, behavioral and unobtrusive measures of assertiveness, and randomly assigned to one of three conditions: rehearsal group, modeling group, or discussion control group. Six 1-h group assertiveness training sessions were held over a 2-week period. On completion of the assertiveness training, trained subjects scored significantly higher on the measures of assertiveness than did controls; they also received more regular (vs irregular) discharges from the hospital. These alcoholic patients responded best to a treatment based on rehearsal. At a 2-month follow-up interview from date of discharge from the hospital, assertiveness trained subjects reported less drinking and more abstinent days than controls, though the differences were not statistically significant. Collateral report of subject behaviors generally agreed highly with subject report though collaterals gave slightly less favorable reports. Results were discussed in terms of the problems in conducting follow-up research and in terms of application to alcoholism treatment.