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Biomedical subjects

A R Mawson

Publications and source records attributed to A R Mawson.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1985

Contrasting beliefs and actions of drivers regarding seatbelts: a study in New Orleans.

To study the association between actual and claimed belt usage, to determine drivers' attitudes toward seatbelts, and to identify some of the factors associated with the use and nonuse of seatbelts, we administered a one-page questionnaire to 1,103 drivers attending their annual brake tag inspection in New Orleans, Louisiana. Actual belt use was unobtrusively recorded at the same time. Fifty-one per cent of drivers stated that they wore seatbelts always or most of the time, 52% agreed that seatbelts should be worn, and 28% favored mandatory seatbelt use. Yet only 5.4% of drivers were actually observed wearing seatbelts. Drivers who had experienced a previous auto injury that required a doctor's visit were 1.7 times as likely to be wearing seatbelts as those without prior injury, yet only 8% of the injured were wearing them. The results of the survey are discussed in relation to the discrepancy between attitudes towards seatbelts and observed seatbelt use.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Hypertension, blood pressure variability, and juvenile delinquency.

Although the possible role of hypertension and/or blood pressure variability in the causation of juvenile delinquency has not been directly investigated hitherto, there is evidence to suggest (a) that an excess prevalence of blood pressure variability rather than hypertension is the aspect of cardiovascular functioning which characterizes adolescents, and some indirect evidence suggests (b) that increased blood pressure variability rather than hypertension is associated with juvenile delinquency. Official criminal statistics reveal a marked increase in the rate of convictions of males in their early and middle teens--the time of puberty and the adolescent growth spurt. It is hypothesized that increased blood pressure variability is one aspect of the general change in growth rate and metabolism occurring at puberty. These physiologic changes, together with the simultaneous addition of various social stresses, may lower the threshold for aggression and impulsivity, thus placing the individual at greater risk of involvement in the wide spectrum of behaviors collectively termed "delinquent".

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Psychopathy and arousal: a new interpretation of the psychophysiological literature.

The psychophysiological literature on psychopathy is reviewed in the context of low-arousal theory. Difficulties in the theory are discussed both in general terms and specifically in relation to psychopathy. Contrary to the low-arousal theory, the data indicate that psychopaths exhibit a wider degree of variability in arousal levels and reactivity than normal indiciduals. A more accurate model of the disorder might be one in which psychopaths display a faster rate and a greater magnitude of change in physiological and behavioral activity than normals. It is suggested that psychopathy might be usefully viewed as a biochemical disturbance manifested in abnormal oscillations in neurotransmitter functioning, autonomic activity, and behavior. The literature is reexamined in light of this hypothesis, and a number of avenues for further research are discussed.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Stimulation-induced behavioral inhibition: a new model for understanding physical violence.

Physical violence is widely considered to result from action carried out with the intention of causing injury; that is, from aggression. However, the "hypothesis" of aggression is inapplicable in all but a few instances as well as inappropriate for many destructive, rage-associated responses directed at inanimate objects. This paper outlines a new perspective on physical violence, reinterpreting many behaviors hitherto labeled aggressive as stimulation-seeking behaviors (SSBs) above an arbitrary level of intensity. It is further proposed that: 1) physical violence is a by-product of SSB, driven in part by brain catecholaminergic (CA) systems, and the direct result of exchanges of energy that exceed the body's tolerance threshold; 2) allegedly discrete categories of motor-motivational behavior represent overlapping bands of intensity on a continuous spectrum of SSB; and 3) the sensory input derived from SSB is fed back into the central nervous system where it activates brain serotonergic and/or cholinergic systems, which in turn inhibit CA systems, resulting in a general state of behavioral quiescence. In addition to accounting for a number of previously unexplained observations, the model suggests that physical violence could be prevented by providing groups at high risk with extensive opportunities for therapeutic sensory stimulation to substitute for that derived from excessive SSB. For people at especially high risk, portable devices could be developed that would allow the user to self-administer desired levels of sensory stimulation at moments of intense anger, thereby preventing potentially dangerous outbursts of SSB prior to the onset of the behavior.

Aggression↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Whale strandings: hypothesis.

The hypothesis is presented that whales become stranded inadvertently as a consequence of seeking stimulation. The animals enter shallow water in order to roll over, bask, and rub themselves in the sand, and are trapped by the receding tide. It suggested that stimulation-seeking behavior (and stranding) reflects a general sympathetic nervous system response which may be due to a number of factors such as pain, discomfort, reproductive state, and other biorhythmic changes.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Attenuating effect of fighting on shock-induced gastric ulceration and hypertension: hypothesis of inhibition by sensory feedback.

A behavioral-biochemical hypothesis is presented to explain the attenuating effect of fighting on electric-shock induced gastric ulceration and hypertension in rats. It is suggested that shock-induced gastric lesions and hypertension result from undampened oscillations in central cholinergic and adrenergic activity, respectively, and that the sensory input derived from fighting serves to reduce the amplitude of these oscillations via a process of inhibition. The hypothesis suggests that other forms of sensory input in addition to that supplied by fighting--whether self-generated or produced artificially by electrical or mechanical stimulators--would have an identical equilibrating effect on oscillations in neurotransmitter activity.

Adrenergic Fibers↗