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Biomedical subjects

P Suedfeld

Publications and source records attributed to P Suedfeld.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

The Ascription of Responsibility Questionnaire: development and empirical extensions.

This article describes the development of the Ascription of Responsibility Questionnaire (ARQ). In Study 1, item analytic and factor analytic procedures were used, with a data set based on 251 subjects, to reduce an initial pool of 92 Likert Scale items to 41 items that were structured by four clear, independent ascription tendencies, or ways in which people ascribe responsibility. In Study 2, this factorial structure was confirmed on a sample of 403 subjects. From the responses in both studies, reliabilities of the four ascription of responsibility scales were assessed. On the basis of a pooled sample, norms were developed. Construct validity assessment was begun by correlating scores, in both studies, on the ascription of responsibility scales with a number of conceptually related standardized and semistandardized scales, as well as with a number of demographic and personological variables that might be related to attributional and attitudinal tendencies. These and further construct validation results obtained by comparative analytic methods are presented and discussed.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1984

Intimations of mortality: integrative simplification as a precursor of death.

This article tested the hypothesis that a "terminal drop" in cognitive functioning occurs a few years prior to death. Letters written during the last 10 years of life were selected from the published correspondence of 18 eminent individuals and scored for integrative complexity--a variable which is related to the degree of integration and differentiation in information processing. The overall analysis supported the terminal drop hypothesis. The predicted decline in complexity was found during the five years prior to death among subjects who died of protracted illness or old age but only in the year immediately prior to death among subjects who died suddenly. There was no relation between complexity and age; the mean complexity scores of men were higher than those of women. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Restricted environmental stimulation therapy (REST) as a treatment for autistic children.

This study explored the usefulness of 48 hours of Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST) as a treatment for autistic children. In order to provide quantified objective measures for evaluating the effects of this treatment, a battery of psychological tests was developed which would be useful and practical for the assessment of these children in regular diagnostic settings. Several positive changes in learning, social and play behavior, and cognitive functioning were noted.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1980

Restricted environmental stimulation therapy in a weight reduction program.

Forty-eight female volunteers, between the ages of 22 and 55 years and at least 25% overweight, participated in a weight reduction program. The program factorially varied 24 hr of restricted environmental stimulation (lying on a bed in a dark, silent room) and a set of self-management messages. The combined treatment was significantly more effective than the other three conditions during a 6 month follow-up period; the mean weight loss during the first 2 months was primarily a function of the messages, while the reduced stimulation environment effect became dominant during the last 4 months of follow-up.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Positive reactions of alcoholic men to sensory deprivation.

Ten male alcoholics who had been abstinent for 2 to 9 weeks volunteered to participate in a study on the effects of sensory deprivation. After 8 hours of lying on a bed in a dark, silent room, they indicated on various measures that they had found the experience to be quite pleasant; in fact, they indicated that they had more frequent positive experiences and less frequent negative experiences than in normal life. This finding indicates that sensory deprivation may be an acceptable treatment modality for alcoholics, as it has been for other clinical population.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Satiation and sensory deprivation combined in smoking therapy: some case studies and unexpected side-effects.

Two promising techniques for smoking reduction, sensory deprivation and stimulus satiation, were applied in combination to five smokers. All were successful initially in achieving abstinence and four ultimately in maintaning abstinence. The issue of possible side-effects is worth considering. Quitting per se and both satiation and sensory deprivation may be stressful and as a result may potentially produce negative side effects. The observation of positive side-effects in these cases balances this possibility to some extent.

Adult↗