Scott B. Hamilton

Self‐administered behavioral parent training: Enhancement of treatment efficacy using a time‐out signal seat

The effectiveness of a time‐out Signal Seat used in conjunction with a self‐instructional parent training manual and audiotape was investigated with parents of behavior problem children between the ages of 2 and 7 years. Twenty‐seven parent‐child pairs were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: Parent‐administered Treatment plus Signal Seat (PAT‐SS), Parent‐administered Treatment plus Seat (PAT‐S), or Wait‐list Control (WLC). Parents reported daily rates of child compliance, the intensity and problematic nature of frequently occurring child behavior problems, and perceptions of the target child during separate baseline, treatment, and 2‐month follow‐up periods. A post‐treatment questionnaire assessed specific aspects of the program at the conclusion of the treatment phase. When the Signal Seat was used with the self‐instructional materials, results indicated that: (a) parental report of the number and intensity of child behavior problems decreased, (b) perceptions of the target child became more p...

THOUGHTS OF ARMAGEDDON: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTITUDES TOWARD THE NUCLEAR THREAT AND COGNITIVE/EMOTIONAL RESPONSES

Although behavioral scientists have been interested in issues related to nuclear war since the development of the atomic bomb in 1945, commitment to this area of study has been inconsistent, and empirical involvement dwindled rapidly following the signing of the Test Ban Treaty in 1963 [1]. The past five years, however, have witnessed a reawakening of professional interest, especially with regard to the current psychological impact of the threat of nuclear war. Most of the empirical data currently available have been obtained from structured, semistructured, or unstructured polls, surveys, and interviews with children, adolescents, and adults [2-11]. Although questions, formats, and respondents in these studies have varied widely, the results may be tentatively summarized as follows: 1. Americans do think about the possibility of nuclear war and are concerned, worried, and afraid of its eventual occurrence. 2. People view the nuclear threat as having a deleterious impact on their present lives and their perceptions of the future. 3. Worry, emotionality, and personal estimates of the probability of nuclear war have increased over the past several years.

Nuclear War as a Source of Adolescent Worry: Relationships with Age, Gender, Trait Emotionality, and Drug Use

Abstract The present study compared the extent to which adolescents worry about nuclear war to their frequency of worry about other issues that are salient in their everyday lives. In addition, we examined empirical relationships between worry about nuclear war and the following variables: grade level, gender, trait emotionality, and drug use. Subjects were 1,043 eighth graders and 739 twelfth graders who completed an 11-item worry inventory embedded in a multidimensional drug-use survey. Results revealed that young people worry more often about such issues as school performance and negative social interactions than they do about nuclear war and that early adolescents and older female adolescents reported higher overall worry levels than late adolescent males. Moreover, whereas worry about nuclear war was significantly associated with death-related rumination, nuclear worries were negligibly related to general negative affect and level of drug use. Results are discussed with respect to sex role socializat...

Instructionally-Based Training in Self-Control: Behavior-Specific and Generalized Outcomes Resulting from Student-Implemented Self-Modification Projects

Significant pre-post changes in outcome measures, differences between successful and unsuccessful students on expectations, and other factors are shown.

The Colossal Neuron: Acting Out Physiological Psychology

Increasing enrollments in such survey courses as Introductory Psychology create special problems for the instructor interested in alternatives to traditional lecture methods. Although in-class demonstrations have been used to maintain student interest and increase the retention of information in large classroom environments, physiological psychology has been largely overlooked in terms of instructional innovation. This article provides detailed instructions concerning how to teach neuron anatomy and physiology via a /2-hour dramatic presentation involving 30 student volunteers. Data are presented to support the perceived educational and entertainment value of this active teaching method.

Relationships between the Life Values of U. S. College Students and their Cognitive/Affective Responses to the Threat of Nuclear War.

The present study was designed to examine relationships between the life values of 399 U.S. college students and their nuclear war-related thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. The students completed four scales from the Life Values Inventory: (i.e. Conventionally Defined Success [CDS]; Religious Faith and Devotion [RFD]; Activist Pursuit of Social Causes [APSC]; Materialistic Orientation [MO]), the Satisfaction With Life Scale, four scales from the Nuclear War Inventory--Nuclear Distress; Salience; Weapons Opposition; Personal Efficacy--and a single behavioral measure of approach toward information concerning nuclear weapons. Consistent with theory regarding the influence of values and commitments on attitudes and behavior, APSC was found to be positively associated with all five nuclear war measures. Additionally, MO was negatively related to Personal Efficacy and Information Approach, and CDS was positively associated with Nuclear Distress. The only value dimension which covaried significantly with general life satisfaction was RFD. Results are discussed with respect to the recent rise in conservative and materialistically-oriented values among American college students.

Thinking about the Unthinkable: The Relationship between Death Anxiety and Cognitive/Emotional Responses to the Threat of Nuclear War

In order to evaluate the relationship between death anxiety and cognitive/emotional responses to the threat of nuclear war, 345 college students completed the Templer Death Anxiety Scale (DAS) and a multifaceted questionnaire which included items concerning personal reactions, predictions, and opinions about nuclear war. Full sample correlations as well as multivariate analyses of high and low death-anxious groups indicated that death anxiety was positively related to nuclear anxiety, but negligibly associated with perceptions of political efficacy and support for specific strategic policy proposals. Moreover, although students in both groups indicated that it was “unlikely” that they would survive a nuclear war, in comparison to low death-anxious participants, those with high death anxiety reported a significantly lower desire to survive such a war. Results are discussed with regard to information-seeking coping strategies, repressive defensive structures, post-nuclear death perceptions, and the need for additional empirical research.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAMILY SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND COGNITIVE/AFFECTIVE RESPONSES TO THE THREAT OF NUCLEAR WAR

The current study involved 214 families (i.e., mother, father, and a college-age child), who were divided into high and low socioeconomic status groups on the basis of parental education and income. Dependent measures included 16 Likert-type items which provided a broad assessment of nuclear war-related thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. Results indicated that families high in socioeconomic status were more worried about nuclear war, more confident in their ability to help reduce the nuclear threat, and more supportive of proposals for arms reduction. However, groups did not differ on several other important measures (e.g., over-all life impact resulting from the nuclear threat), and the absolute levels of worry and cognitive rumination were relatively low.

Self-modification of depression via cognitive-behavioral intervention strategies: A time series analysis

A 20-year-old student enrolled in an undergraduate adjustment course implemented a self-modification program oriented toward the reduction of a 4-year history of moderate to severe depression. Following an initial baseline period, separate interventions were aimed at reducing depressive ruminatory activity by (a) reinforcing the gradual completion of academic tasks that had been serving as primary sources of negativistic thinking, and (b) reducing maladaptive rumination directly via the implementation of a cognitive-behavioral intervention package consisting of rational restructuring, covert self-reinforcement, and covert modeling. Results, analyzed by time series analysis, indicated a significant decline in frequency and intensity of self-monitored depressive thoughts only during the cognitive-behavioral intervention. Moreover, treatment effects were maintained at 6-month follow-up, with self-report data being corroborated by independent peer evaluation. Limitations and potential implications of the present single-subject experiment are discussed.