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PubMed1976

The buddy system: mediator--target locus of control and behavioral outcome.

The relative locus of control of mediator--target pairs was investigated within a contingency management program. As predicted, less improvement in target behaviors occurred for pairs in which the target scored lower in externality than the mediator. In addition, the greater externality of the mediator relative to the assigned target, the less improvement in target behavior (r=-.67). In contrast, improvement in target behavior bore no relationship with the locus of control scores of either mediators or targets correlated separately, nor with the differences between mediator--target locus of control scores within pairs in which the target scored equal to or higher in externality than the mediator.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Effect of subchronic and chronic exposure to 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) on the aggressive behavior induced by food competition in undernourished dominant and submissive pigeons (Columba livia).

The acute administration of 5-HTP was reported to block in undernourished dominant pigeons the aggressive attacks induced in a submissive partner by food competition. In the present study, undernourished pigeons with previously consolidated dominance were submitted to subchronic and chronic 5-HTP treatment. Adult males (n = 28) were kept at 80% of their body weight by a restricted diet. These were divided in pairs made of a previously ranked dominant subject (total time spent in aggression higher than 200 s/20 min) and a submissive one of similar body weight (time spent in aggression between 90 and 150 s/20 min). The same pairs were exposed to a daily 20 min interaction during each experiment in an observation chamber bearing a central feeder. The time spent in aggressive behavior, feeder control behavior and eating behavior was recorded. Intratest body weight gain was also recorded. In Experiment 1, 8 pairs of pigeons were exposed to a daily trial for 4 successive days (pretreatment-scores). The dominant subjects were then injected subcutaneously, 30 min. before trials, with 7.5 mg/kg 5-HTP from day 5 to day 8 (Treatment scores). The Recovery scores were obtained through a 4-trial post-treatment schedule. In Experiment 2 different pigeons were used. The pretreatment and recovery scores were obtained according to a 16-trial schedule (16 days). Both 4-day (subchronic) and 16-day (chronic) 5-HTP treatments attenuated aggression by the dominant subjects and reduced their intra-test body weight gain but did not decrease dominance for feeder control. The recovery scores of total aggression in subchronic experiments returned to pretreatment scores. In chronic experiments, instead, the recovery scores of aggression remained lower than pretreatment scores, whereas body-weight-gain scores came back to pretreatment values. This suggests that dominant subjects submitted to chronic 5-HTP might have learned to maintain dominance and feeder control in a virtual absence of aggressive behavior.

5-Hydroxytryptophan↗
PubMed1986

Evolution of mechanisms controlling mating behavior.

The proximate mechanisms underlying mating behavior in naturally occurring species can be fundamentally different from those in more commonly studied laboratory and domesticated forms. In naturally occurring species, reproductive strategies are much more diverse, and mechanisms controlling behavior are correspondingly diverse. A variety of hormonal, environmental, and social cues can be used to activate mating behavior. Which cues are used by particular species depends on differences in environmental and physiological constraints imposed by particular reproductive strategies. Study of this diversity of mechanisms promises to identify specific selective forces that have shaped their evolution. This evolutionary perspective leads to widely applicable generalizations and provides a useful context within which to conceptualize differences between species, populations, and individuals.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Locus of control and behavior in treatment groups.

Studied the Rotter Locus of Control scale for effective prediction of behavior in small groups. Subjects were 205 male VA Hospital patients participating in self-directed groups who completed the AGCT, Psychological and Somatic Symptom Scales, and Rotter's I-E measure of locus of control. Group behavior was measured through sociometry and a Group Member Evaluation form. Three hypotheses were not supported: (a) Persons scoring high in the direction of internal control (internals) will be more likely to act to influence their social environment; (b) internals will be more active than externals in gathering and processing information in group discussions, and (c) internals will be more self-directed and less susceptible to being influenced by others. Two hypotheses were supported: (a) externals will express more somatic and psychological complaints than internals, and (b) externals will be perceived as behaving more defensively than internals. In contrast, intelligence was correlated with a large number of group process measures. Locus of control and intelligence measures predict different kinds of behavior in groups.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1981

A microcomputer system for the control of behavioral experiments.

A self-contained microcomputer control system (MCS) is described for controlling and recording events from behavioral experiments using a low-cost microcomputer, the Rockwell AIM 65, and the BASIC language. Features of the system include a printer, alphanumeric display, 4K RAM, 8K BASIC on read only memory (ROM), a cassette interface, a power supply, and a control interface, all contained in a compact enclosure. The control interface allows for 16 inputs and 16 outputs, and includes a real-time clock and versatile machine language subroutines for controlling and recording real-time events. These features make BASIC a suitable user language for this application. The use of this microcomputer control system for operant research in behavioral pharmacology is described.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Life events, locus of control, and behavioral problems among Chinese adolescents.

This study examined associations of life events and locus of control with behavioral problems among 1,365 Chinese adolescents by using the Youth Self-Report (YSR), Adolescent Self-Rating Life Events Checklist (ASLEC), and the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale for Children. Results indicated that the overall prevalence of behavioral and emotional problems was 10.7% (95% CI = 9.9-11.5%). Logistic-regression analyses showed that a total of 13 negative life events mainly coming from academic domain and interpersonal relationships, high life-stress score, and high external locus score significantly increased the risk for behavioral problems. Life stress and locus of control significantly interacted with behavioral problems. These findings support the linkage between stressful life events and psychopathology in a general population of adolescents from mainland China, and demonstrate the stress-moderating effects of locus of control on psychopathology as well.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Neuroscience nurses' intentions to care for persons with HIV/AIDS.

The purpose of this study, which was based on Ajzen's theory of planned behavior, was to determine the extent to which personal attitudes, subjective norms and perceptions of behavioral control influence the intentions of nurses to care for persons with HIV/AIDS. Questionnaires measuring the concepts of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and intention to care for persons with HIV/AIDS were completed by 368 members of a neuroscience nursing organization. Hierarchial regression analysis was used to determine if nurses' intentions were predicted by their attitudes and subjective norms, and if perceived behavioral control would add to the prediction. Attitudes accounted for a significant percent of variance when entered at the first step, and perceived behavioral control accounted for a significant increase in variance when entered at the second step. In the final model, only perceived behavioral control contributed significantly to the prediction of intention.

AIDS Dementia Complex↗
PubMed2001

Maintaining intentional control of behavior under alcohol.

BACKGROUND: This research used a process dissociation paradigm to measure the influence of controlled and automatic processes on a word-stem completion task when correct performance under alcohol was positively reinforced, or had no particular consequence. It was predicted that the impairing effect of alcohol on controlled processes that govern intentional control of behavior would be resisted when drinkers were reinforced for performing well. METHODS: Four groups of eight male drug-free social drinkers initially studied a list of words. Two of the groups then received 0.56 g/kg alcohol (A) and two received a placebo (P) before the stem-completion task was performed. During the task, the correct responses of one pair of A and P groups were reinforced (money and verbal approval) whereas no reinforcement was provided to the other pair. RESULTS: As predicted, under alcohol, the influence of controlled processes that govern intentional responses was greater when reinforcement was provided than when it was absent (p = 0.005). Without reinforcement, controlled processes in the A group were lower than the P control group (p = 0.01). In contrast, the A and P groups that received reinforcement did not differ (p = 0.142). Controlled processes in the P groups were not affected by reinforcement (p = 0.65). In addition, the influence of automatic processes was not affected by alcohol or by reinforcement (p > 0.781). CONCLUSIONS: Positive reinforcement for behavior under alcohol increases the influence of controlled processes. These results suggest that the degree to which intentional control is retained under alcohol depends on the consequence of behavior in the situation. It seems that controlled processes enable drinkers to intentionally display the behavior that is rewarded.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Family-based behavioral weight control in obese young children.

The effects of a family-based, behavioral weight control program on weight, linear growth, and nutrient intake among 17 obese children aged 1 to 6 were studied. The 1-year behavioral treatment involved three components: diet, exercise, and child management. Treatment meetings were held weekly for 10 weeks and then monthly for the remainder of the year. Relative body weight decreased significantly from 42.1% at baseline to 24.0% overweight at 1 year and 27.8% overweight at 2 years, while height increased normally over the 2 years of observation, suggesting that the children were obtaining adequate calories to maintain growth. The caloric and nutrient intakes of the children were analyzed from 3-day food records kept by the mothers during baseline and the tenth week of treatment. The mean caloric intake was 1,457 kcal prior to treatment and 1,025 kcal during treatment. Nutrient intake exceeded the Recommended Dietary Allowances at pretreatment for the nutrients investigated and continued to exceed the RDAs for all nutrients except calcium (96% of RDA) and iron (84% of RDA) during treatment. Improvements in nutrient density were shown for all nutrients. The results suggest that obesity can be treated successfully in young children without detrimental effects on growth or nutrient intake.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1987

Inspiratory neurons that are activated when inspiration is inhibited behaviorally.

Respiration can be automatic or controlled behaviorally. Behavioral control in the cat occurs, at least in part, through control of the brainstem respiratory neurons that constitute the automatic system. Thus, when inspiration is inhibited behaviorally, inspiratory neurons in the medulla are inactivated. Reported herein are data on inspiratory cells, located in both the dorsal and ventral respiratory groups, that were activated when other inspiratory cells there were inhibited behaviorally. During spontaneous breathing, their activity showed much variability unattributable to the respiratory cycle--indicating that they receive a considerable non-respiratory input. These cells might act as the interface through which behavioral inhibition of inspiration occurs.

Animals↗
PubMed1975

Life change, disease, perception and heroin addiction.

This is a pilot study of heroin addicts using recently developed tests which measure life change, perception of life change and perception of disease. The data indicate that heroin addicts maintain very high levels of life change while having normal or augmented perception of the impact of life change and of the seriousness of their disease. It is postulated that treatment techniques aimed at increasing understanding and insight may be countertherapeutic for these patients in that it gives them additional methods of manipulating others and tends to perpetuate the addiction life reducing life change in a setting of tight behavioral control where behavioral substitutes to heroin use are offered.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Are pretrial commitments for forensic evaluation used to control nuisance behavior?

The shift to dangerousness-oriented civil commitment criteria has led to speculation that mentally ill persons who do not meet those criteria are being hospitalized under criminal commitment statutes. Using data on patients' psychiatric symptoms at admission to a state hospital in Massachusetts, the authors retrospectively assessed whether patients charged with minor criminal offenses who were committed for evaluation of competence to stand trial would have met civil commitment criteria. The data suggest that most mentally ill patients who were criminally committed could have been civilly committed. However, a relatively greater proportion of persons with substance abuse, mental retardation, or other conditions who did not meet civil commitment criteria for mental illness were committed for pretrial evaluation.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Models of alcohol use by young adults: an examination of various attitude-behavior theories.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of various attitude-behavior theories in explaining alcohol use among young adults. The theory of reasoned action (TRA), the theory of planned behavior and an extension of the TRA that incorporates past behavior were compared by the method of maximum-likelihood estimation, as implemented in LISREL for Windows 8.12. METHOD: Respondents consisted of 122 university students (82 female) who were questioned about their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, past behavior and intentions relating to drinking behavior. Students received course credit for their participation in the research. RESULTS: Overall, the results suggest that the extension of the theory of reasoned action which incorporates past behavior provides the best fit to the data. For these young adults, their intentions to drink alcohol were predicted by their past behavior as well as their perceptions of what important others think they should do (subjective norm). CONCLUSIONS: The main conclusions drawn from the research concern the importance of focusing on normative influences and past behavior in explaining young adult alcohol use. Issues regarding the relative merit of various alternative models and the need for greater clarity in the measure of attitudes are also discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Can short-range intentions predict physical activity participation.

This study examined the issue of proximity of intention in the physical activity domain by employing both short-range (2 and 3 days) and longer range (4 weeks) intentions in the prediction of participation in physical activity. Subjects were 42 undergraduate students who completed intention and physical activity assessments every class (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) for six weeks and also a single assessment four weeks apart. Analysis indicated that short-range intention is a better predictor of physical activity than is the longer range intention; however, even the short-range intention-physical activity correlations were only of modest magnitude. Interpretation of the results focused on the potential nonvolitional nature of physical activity and the possible role of perceived behavioral control and behavioral expectation.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Cigarette use by adolescents: attitude-behavior relationships.

Structural equation models were used to test the effectiveness of various theories in predicting cigarette smoking among adolescents. Maximum-likelihood estimation, as implemented in LISREL for Windows 8.12, was used to compare the theory of reasoned action (TRA), the theory of planned behavior, and a modified version of the theory of reasoned action incorporating past behavior. Respondents consisted of 225 high school students who were questioned in 1994 about their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, past behavior, intentions, and actual behavior relating to the use of cigarettes. Results indicated that the modification of the TRA incorporating past behavior provided a marginally better fit than the other models. For this group of high school students, attitudes toward smoking, past behavior in relation to smoking, and perceptions of what significant others think they should do were significant predictors of their intentions to smoke. Intentions, together with past behavior, predicted their actual behavior. The models used in the present research show that this behavior can be explained with reference to a small number of key variables which are useful for furthering our understanding of the structure of adolescent smoking.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Micropatterned substratum adhesiveness: a model for morphogenetic cues controlling cell behavior.

It is generally considered that tracks of cell adhesiveness are important in controlling cell migration during the development and regeneration of many tissues. In order to investigate this experimentally, a number of techniques have in the past been employed to make patterns of differential adhesiveness for in vitro studies. However, practical limitations on patterning resolution and the introduction of residual topography to the experimental substrata have restricted their usefulness. Here we describe a simplified photolithographic technique for patterning cell adhesiveness which allows a high degree of flexibility and precision. We have quantified, using adhesion and spreading characteristics of BHK cells, the differential adhesiveness that can be created on patterned surfaces, how this alters with the duration of exposure to serum proteins, and how this, in turn, relates to the persistence of cell patterning despite increases in cell density. We believe that this technique will prove extremely useful for the detailed in vitro examination of the mechanisms controlling cell behavior as it offers a degree of precision and ease of fabrication that has previously been unavailable.

Adhesiveness↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Psychosocial correlates of physical activity among fifth and eighth graders.

BACKGROUND: Identification of the factors that influence children's participation in vigorous activity is essential to the development of effective intervention strategies aimed at the prevention of cardiovascular disease and obesity. METHODS: Correlates of intent to participate in vigorous activity were assessed among 310 fifth and eighth graders in Cambridge, Massachusetts, through the development and administration of a questionnaire based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, an extension of the Theory of Reasoned Action, which includes the domain of perceived behavioral control (how easy or difficult it is to engage in vigorous activity). Heights and weights were measured and questionnaires were completed during physical education classes. RESULTS: Perceived behavioral control and attitude predicted children's intent to participate. How much a child agreed s/he was good at doing vigorous activity predicted perceived behavioral control. In each grade, girls reported being less good at vigorous activity than did boys. Eighth-grade girls reported significantly fewer hours of vigorous activity than did eighth-grade boys. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that gender differences related to intent to participate in vigorous activity, perceived behavioral control, and sense of competency are evident in eighth grade and may begin in fifth grade. These gender differences in perception therefore precede the gender difference in participation in vigorous activity demonstrated among ninth graders in the 1990 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Promotion of activities children enjoy, and in which they feel a sense of competency, is likely to sustain participation in vigorous activity throughout adolescence and possibly reduce the prevalence of obesity.

Adolescent↗