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PubMed2005

Acquisition with partial and continuous reinforcement in rat magazine approach.

Partial reinforcement, compared with continuous reinforcement, is widely considered detrimental to Pavlovian conditioned responding. However, time-accumulation models predict an invariance in acquisition when learning is assessed as a function of number of reinforcements, not trials, and intertrial interval is held constant. Three experiments examined this prediction in a rat magazine-approach procedure. All experiments showed superior responding with continuous reinforcement. Experiments 1 and 3 used common tests in between- and within-subject designs, respectively. Experiment 2 showed the same pattern in a discrimination. Earlier results are reanalyzed informally and in a meta-analysis. Contrary to previous summaries of the literature, evidence points to superior conditioned responding with continuous reinforcement in a number of procedures. Results are generally consistent with traditional associative models of learning.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Signature whistle shape conveys identity information to bottlenose dolphins.

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) develop individually distinctive signature whistles that they use to maintain group cohesion. Unlike the development of identification signals in most other species, signature whistle development is strongly influenced by vocal learning. This learning ability is maintained throughout life, and dolphins frequently copy each other's whistles in the wild. It has been hypothesized that signature whistles can be used as referential signals among conspecifics, because captive bottlenose dolphins can be trained to use novel, learned signals to label objects. For this labeling to occur, signature whistles would have to convey identity information independent of the caller's voice features. However, experimental proof for this hypothesis has been lacking. This study demonstrates that bottlenose dolphins extract identity information from signature whistles even after all voice features have been removed from the signal. Thus, dolphins are the only animals other than humans that have been shown to transmit identity information independent of the caller's voice or location.

Animal Communication↗
PubMed1985

Social skills training: an effective treatment for unipolar non-psychotic depression?

In recent times, social skills training (SST) has been used in the treatment of unipolar non-psychotic depression. We outline the rationale for SST in such treatment, provide definitions of SST, and outline the assessment and training procedures. Published studies are reviewed and their shortcomings discussed. We examine four theoretical issues arising from the review, and guidelines for improvements in future studies are suggested.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

A participant modeling procedure to train parents of developmentally disabled infants.

Most of the procedures employed in parent training programs for handicapped children have been based on an operant conditioning model in general and contingency management procedures in particular. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of a participant modeling procedure in training parents to work with their developmentally disabled infants. Fourteen such parents received training in which a therapist initially modeled the activities with the infant and then guided the parent as she or he mastered the procedures. Five developmentally disabled infants received a more traditional early intervention program in which the therapist provided all child training. The results indicated that those infants whose parents were trained by the participant modeling procedure evidenced significantly more developmental gains than those infants receiving traditional child training. The results suggest that cognitive behavioral procedures, such as participant modeling, are an alternative to strict operant procedures in training parents of handicapped children.

Behavior Therapy↗
PubMed1997

Perceived threat of illness and health protective behaviors in offspring of adults with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Self-reported measures of perceived threat of illness, health protective behaviors, psychological well-being, and family modeling of health behaviors of 30 adults with a parental history of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) were compared with responses from 29 adults with a parental history of hypertension and 30 adults with no parental history of chronic illness. The NIDDM risk group reported significantly more perceived threats of NIDDM and hypertension and more weight-control efforts than the controls did. Reports of the NIDDM risk respondents concerning physician screening, healthy diet, and exercise did not differ from reports of individuals without a family history of NIDDM. Perceived threat, psychological well-being, and family modeling did not correlate with health-protective behaviors. The findings suggest that offspring of adults diagnosed with NIDDM perceive themselves to be at risk of NIDDM and engage in health behaviors, such as weight control, to protect themselves from NIDDM onset.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1980

Speech modification in near-mute schizophrenics.

Twelve male neat-mute schizophrenics were divided into a model-plus-reinforcement group; a model-only group; and a control group, to test the hypothesis that the presence of a verbalizing model to 35 mm slides would serve as an eliciting stimulus to increase speech output. Significant increases in verbalizations were found over treatment sessions, the model-plus-reinforcement condition showing the most marked improvement. Generalization to the ward was found for only three subjects.

Aged↗
PubMed2001

Favourite movie stars, their tobacco use in contemporary movies, and its association with adolescent smoking.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relation between adolescents' favourite movie stars, the portrayal of tobacco use by those stars in contemporary motion pictures, and adolescent smoking. DESIGN AND SETTING: 632 students (sixth to 12th grade, ages 10-19 years) from five rural New England public schools completed a voluntary, self administered survey in October 1996. The survey assessed tobacco use, other variables associated with adolescent smoking, and favourite movie star. In addition, tobacco use by 43 selected movie stars was measured in films between 1994 and 1996. OUTCOME MEASURES: Students were categorised into an ordinal five point index (tobacco status) based on their smoking behaviour and their smoking susceptibility: non-susceptible never smokers, susceptible never smokers, non-current experimenters, current experimenters, and smokers. We determined the adjusted cumulative odds of having advanced smoking status based on the amount of on-screen tobacco use by their favourite film star. RESULTS: Of the 43 stars, 65% used tobacco at least once, and 42% portrayed smoking as an essential character trait in one or more films. Stars who smoked more than twice in a film were considered smokers. For adolescents whose favourite stars smoked in only one film, the odds of being higher on the smoking index was 0.78 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53 to 1.15). For adolescents whose favourite stars smoked in two films, the odds of being higher on the smoking index was 1.5 (95% CI 1.01 to 2.32). For adolescents whose favourite stars smoked in three or more films (Leonardo DiCaprio, Sharon Stone, John Travolta), the odds of being higher on the smoking index was 3.1 (95% CI 1.34 to 7.12). Among never smokers (n = 281), those who chose stars who were smokers in three or more films were much more likely to have favourable attitudes toward smoking (adjusted odds ratio 16.2, 95% CI 2.3 to 112). CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents who choose movie stars who use tobacco on-screen are significantly more likely to have an advanced smoking status and more favourable attitudes toward smoking than adolescents who choose non-smoking stars. This finding supports the proposition that the portrayal of tobacco use in contemporary motion pictures, particularly by stars who are admired by adolescents, contributes to adolescent smoking.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Exposure and participant modelling in a case of injection phobia.

BACKGROUND: From the literature it appears that there may be two types of injection phobia, (1) the 'vasovagal' type, and (2) the 'resistant' type. The first type is characterized by a diphasic cardiovascular response during or after injection and by a tendency to react in a passive, nonresisting way when injected. The second type is characterized by strong, sometimes violent resistance and no vasovagal reaction to an injection. Characteristics of blood injury phobia apply to the first type, but not to the second. The possibility is considered that exposure may be an effective treatment in the first type, and participant modelling in the second type. METHOD: A single case study was carried out with a case of injection phobia of the second type in which exposure with modelling, followed by participant modelling of the injection, was applied. Measures of state anxiety (STAI) and heart rate were obtained. RESULTS: According to expectation, participant modelling of injections was effective in eliminating the fear of injections in a patient of the second type of injection phobia. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study warrant further investigation of the model in a group design in which the differential treatment effects of exposure and participant modelling are tested.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Psychotherapies: an overview.

The author schematically describes the three predominating themes in the development of the psychotherapies: dynamic, behavioral, and experiential. These themes represent different conceptualizations of the fundamental nature of man and his ills, therapeutic processes or change agents, the basic nature of the physician-patient relationship, and the primary techniques and methods used. Although there appears to be some unifying thread connecting the four different areas within each theme, a comparable bond does not exist across the three themes. The author questions the potential unification of the psychotherapies and poses specific dimensions for further exploration.

Autogenic Training↗
PubMed1984

Social skills training for psychiatric patients. I: Concepts, methods, and clinical results.

Deficits in social skills are often seen in psychiatric patients. In particular instances these may be a consequence of the psychiatric illness, a contributing cause to that illness, or a feature of the psychiatric disorder. During the last two decades, systematic training programs in social skills have been developed and evaluated for the amelioration of these deficiencies. The author critically reviews basic concepts and methods in social skills training and the results of treatment in case reports, analogue studies, and single-case experimental designs.

Assertiveness↗
PubMed1976

Aggression in children in an urban clinic.

Seeking to identify causal factors and practical means of controlling aggressive behavior, the clinical records of 35 aggressive and 35 non-aggressive boys were examined for evidence of parental and peer models, frustating life experiences, and capacity for fantasy on projective tests. Records of 15 girls were also studied. The most striking difference between groups appeared in the high frequency of aggressive behavior in parents and peers of the aggressive children and the relative absence of such behavioral models for the nonaggressive groups. Support for fantasy and frustation theories was also found. The reduction of aggressive behavior would necessitate going beyond individual treatment and enlisting the cooperation of aggressive families.

Aggression↗
PubMed1980

Reducing child uncooperative behavior during dental treatment through modeling and reinforcement.

The uncooperative behavior of grade-school children during dental treatment was examined. Forty children enrolled in a government dental program were observed during treatment conditions involving instructions concerning the appropriate behavior required by the dental practitioner, description of the objective procedures and subjective experience the child could expect, praise for appropriate behavior, and a colorful stamp for coming to the clinic. Eight of these children whose behavior was still too disruptive for effective dentistry were formally introduced to additional intervention procedures of tangible consequences for cooperative behavior, and observation of peers and by peers during actual dental treatment. Within a multiple baseline design, the intervention conditions were effective in decreasing the children's uncooperative behavior to acceptable levels.

Child↗