A study of the representation of anxiety in chronic schizophrenia.

This research is part of a series of interrelated studies, conducted with both normal Ss and clinical populations, which uses certain kinetic and linguistic aspects of communication behavior as indices for the status of thought organization. The present study, employing videotapes of clinical interviews, examined the dialogue communication behavior of 16 chronic, male schizophrenics. The methods of analyzing kinetic and linguistic behavior from videotaped interviews were based on work by N. Freedman et al (1973) and I. Steingart and N. Freedman (1975); Gottschalk's Content Analysis Scales were used in the assessment of anxiety expression. Results demonstrate a relation between these same indices of communication behavior and types of anxiety expression. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Human perception of vocalizations of domestic piglets and modulation by experience with domestic pigs (Sus scrofa).

Interspecific communication between humans and pets is possible through vocal cues. We studied how humans with differing experience with domestic pigs (Sus scrofa) interpret pig vocalizations. Forty-eight ethologists studying pigs, 31 pig-caretakers and 54 naive students evaluated the emotional intensity and valence (negative/positive) of recordings from two negative (castration, isolation) and two positive (reunion with the sow, postsuckling) contexts. They also identified the context in which the recordings were made. Castration vocalizations were evaluated as highly intense and unpleasant. The positive contexts were evaluated as low in intensity and positive in valence, and isolation fell in the middle for both intensity and valence. Compared with the other two groups, pig-caretakers evaluated the intensity of vocalizations as lower, and ethologists evaluated the valence as more negative. The level of successful classification exceeded that expected by chance for all four contexts but was especially accurate for castration. Ethologists achieved better recognition than students. Classifying (right context) and understanding the emotional content (valence, intensity) of pig vocalizations is thus a general ability of humans, although it varies according to an individual’s experience with pigs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Radio psychology and psychotherapy: Comparison of client attitudes and expectations.

We compared the expectations and attitudes of two groups of subjects who sought psychological help. One group (n?=?47) comprised callers to a radio counseling program broadcast in Israel that offers psychological help to parents and children; the second group (n?=?34) consisted of individuals who had received counseling in a child guidance clinic located in an urban center in Israel. We primarily compared the subjects' attitudes toward receiving psychological help. The results indicate that the attitudes of those who received help in the clinic were more positive than those who called the radio program. In addition, we investigated the satisfaction levels of callers to the radio counseling program and of those who received help in clinics. Last, we examined the callers' expectations of the radio counseling program and found them to be in keeping with the goals of primary prevention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Concealed lung abscess in critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients

This article reports on phenomenological research designed to discover how caring was taught in a nursing education program. The basic questions were: 1) What is the meaning of caring to the faculty and students; 2) How do the faculty communicate this meaning to the students; and 3) How does this meaning shape the experience of the students? Data were collected from a small associate degree nursing program using: a) semi-structured interviews with all faculty and a selected group of students, b) classroom observations, and c) review of documents. Data were analyzed for and found to have content explaining the meaning of caring, how caring was being taught, and what students were learning about caring as the essence of nursing. Implications derived speak to the need for faculty and administrators to have caring as a way of being if they wish to communicate caring as the essence of nursing to students.     

Infant vocalizations and parental reactions during the first 4 months of life.

Infant vocalizations were classified into four types according to their affective expression and analyzed in a longitudinal sample of infants ranging in age from 2 to 14 weeks. It was demonstrated that infants produced different types of vocalizations from the beginning. Different interactional states led to different rates of vocalization. Positive vocalizations occurred most frequently during eye contact. Positive vocalizations were predominantly responded to by parental verbal/vocal reactions, whereas physiological, negative, and effort vocalizations primarily led to changes in parents' tactile and vestibular behaviors and concomitant verbalizing. The results demonstrate the communicative nature of parent–child interactions in the first months of life, which thus helps to establish a social relationship with the caregiver. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of kitten vocalizations on maternal behavior.

Observation of 8 mother cats and their litters revealed that the previous occurrence of a kitten vocalization was associated with an increased probability that mothers would approach kittens, change to a different body position, shift their lactation position, or vocalize. Experimental study, in which the effects of kitten vocalizations were separated from other kitten-emitted cues, demonstrated that vocalizations reliably elicited approach and investigation of the sound source from mothers. Further, mothers exposed to kitten vocalizations removed kittens from a box and carried them to the home site. Repeated testing of mothers demonstrated that these effects of kitten vocalizations on maternal behavior remained strong across at least the 1st 30 days of life. It is concluded that vocalizations are a stimulus by which kittens influence their mother's behavior. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Locatability of vocal signals in Old World monkeys: Design features for the communication of position.

The ability of 3 monkeys (Macaca nemestrina and M. mulatta) to resolve the spatial origin of monkey vocalizations was psychophysically determined. Ss were trained through positive reinforcement operant conditioning procedures to report the detection of a change in the horizontal coordinate (azimuth) of the signal's location. Each S was tested with an array of signals, including natural calls, low-pass filtered components of calls, and simulated elements of calls. The acuity of localization of different macaque vocalizations was found to exceed a 4-fold range (from less than 4° to nearly 15°). Results indicate that both "harsh calls" and frequency-modulated "clear calls" were readily localized. The acuity of localization was unaffected by the harmonic content of clear calls. These observations suggest that signal locatability is one of the dimensions that have influenced the structure of macaque vocal signals. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The linguistic repudiation of Wundt.

Wilhelm Wundt's influence on the development of linguistics and psychology was pervasive. The foundations for this web of influence on the sciences of mind and language were laid down in Wundt's own research program, which was quite different from other attempts at founding a new psychology, as it was deeply rooted in German philosophy. This resulted in certain gaps in Wundt's conception of mind and language. These gaps provoked a double repudiation of Wundt's theories, by linguists and psychologists. The psychological repudiation has been studied by historians of psychology, and the linguistic repudiation has been studied by historians of linguistics. The intent of this article is to bring the linguistic repudiation to the attention of historians of psychology, especially the one outlined by two important figures in the history of psychology: Karl Bühler and George Mead. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Participation effects in appraisal interviews conducted in a training situation.

Participation, order, and interviewee personality effects were studied in appraisal interviews conducted as a part of a training program. 3 groups of Ss were used: 16 undergraduate education majors, 25 graduate students, and 12 high school students. Nonparticipative appraisal interviews brought about greater behavior change and interviewee satisfaction than participative interviews. Order of presentation did not affect interview outcome, and personality variables were not found to moderate the effectiveness of type of interview. The importance of the training situation is discussed in relation to the results of the study. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Primate vocalizations during social separation and aggression: effects of alcohol and benzodiazepines

The most common group of squirrel monkey vocalizations, peeps, are emitted during different social situations including social separation, affiliative interactions, feeding and aggressive confrontations. The present experiments investigated whether peeps and other vocalizations emitted during different social contexts are pharmacologically altered in a similar manner. First, vocalizations were characterized during (1) social separation in juveniles, and (2) "resident-intruder" aggressive confrontations between dominant monkeys from different social groups. Then, the effects of alcohol (EtOH) and the benzodiazepine chlordiazepoxide (CDP) on vocalizations during social separation and during aggression were examined. Isolated juveniles emitted only one type of call, the isolation peep. Resident monkeys primarily emitted peeps, but also emitted cackles, chucks, noisy calls and pulsed calls. Aggressive peeps were similar in structure and frequency (kHz) to isolation peeps, but were shorter in duration. At the same doses, both CDP (0.3-3 mg/kg) and EtOH (0.1-1.0 g/kg) reduced explosive motor behaviors and isolation peeps in juvenile monkeys during social separation and increased threat displays and aggression peeps in resident monkeys during confrontations with an intruder monkey from a different social group. Thus, similarly structured vocalizations that were emitted during social separation and aggression were very sensitive to EtOH and CDP, but the social context determined the direction and magnitude of effects.     

Alarm call responsivity of mallard ducklings (Anas platyrhynchos): VI. Effects of sibling and self-produced auditory stimulation.

Mallard ducklings (Anas platyrhynchos) respond without obvious training to the species-typical maternal alarm call by ceasing all vocal and locomotor behavior (i.e., freezing). Previous experiments have demonstrated that 1-day-old ducklings must be exposed perinatally to normally occurring duckling vocalizations. Yet, these experiments did not determine whether the source of vocalizations is important. The present experiments attempt to assess the importance of two different sources of normally occurring stimulation: sib and self-stimulation. Preventing ducklings from hearing the vocalizations of sibs reduces alarm call responsivity. Eliminating the duckling's own self-produced vocalizations, in addition to auditory isolation, further attenuates responsiveness. Finally, sib stimulation alone fully reinstates responsiveness. These data indicate that both social and self-stimulation play important roles in the development of alarm call responsivity. In addition, our results suggest that some species-typical behaviors may be affected by a variety of experiences rather than a particular aspect or source of experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Analysis of ultrasonic vocalizations emitted by intruders during aggressive encounters among rats (Rattus norvegicus).

Determined the ultrasonic vocalizations produced by intruders during aggressive interactions and investigated the role of these signals in agonistic behavior of rats. In Exp I, 7 experienced resident male Long-Evans rats were paired with both devocalized and intact vocalizing naive intruder males (n?=?14). Devocalization of the intruder males resulted in a drastic decrease in 50-kHz vocalizations and the elimination of all 22-kHz vocalizations. This almost total absence of ultrasonic vocalizations was not accompanied by any change in resident aggressive behavior or intruder defensive and submissive behavior. In Exp II, 16 naive intruders were tested with either deafened or intact resident males (n?=?8). Similarly, preventing residents from hearing intruder ultrasounds had no detectable effect on any aggressive behavior. These experiments are not consistent with the correlative evidence that intruder-produced 22-kHz vocalizations inhibit the aggressive behavior of the resident. Results show that most of the ultrasonic vocalizations emitted during aggressive encounters were probably produced by the intruder. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential use of vocal and gestural communication by chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in response to the attentional status of a human (Homo sapiens).

This study examined the communicative behavior of 49 captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), particularly their use of vocalizations, manual gestures, and other auditory- or tactile-based behaviors as a means of gaining an inattentive audience's attention. A human (Homo sapiens) experimenter held a banana while oriented either toward or away from the chimpanzee. The chimpanzees' behavior was recorded for 60 s. Chimpanzees emitted vocalizations faster and were more likely to produce vocalizations as their 1st communicative behavior when a human was oriented away from them. Chimpanzees used manual gestures more frequently and faster when the human was oriented toward them. These results replicate the findings of earlier studies on chimpanzee gestural communication and provide new information about the intentional and functional use of their vocalizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Electrophysiological and ultrasonic correlates of reproductive behavior in the male rat.

Monitored the ultrasonic vocalizations of 13 male Long-Evans rats and determined the correlation of these vocalizations with electrophysiological activity measured by chronically implanted hippocampal and cortical electrodes during mating with a female rat. Hippocampal theta rhythms were significantly correlated with high activity, mounting, intromissions, and preejaculatory excitatory behavior and were also significantly associated with 50-kHz short ultrasonic vocalizations. Postmount or postintromission behaviors (grooming, exploration) were closely correlated with an absence of ultrasonic vocalizations and the onset of irregular low-amplitude hippocampal EEG recordings. Long 22-kHz vocalizations occurred during the postejaculatory refractory period. Shorter 22-kHz vocalizations occurred during mating and were associated with unsuccessful intromissions or mounting attempts. Postejaculatory long 22-kHz vocalizations were significantly associated with irregular high-amplitude hippocampal EEG tracings, while preejaculatory short 22-kHz vocalizations were also accompanied by sleeplike irregular high-amplitude hippocampal EEG tracings with cortical spindling. Findings suggest that ultrasonic vocalizations are indicators of the sexual arousal of mating rats. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Communication between deaf children and their hearing mothers: the role of language, gesture, and vocalizations

In the present longitudinal study, 20 deaf and 20 hearing children were observed during free play with their hearing mothers when the children were 22 months and 3 years of age. Compared to hearing children, deaf children were severely language delayed, with deaf 3-year-olds using less language (speech or sign) than hearing 22-month-olds. Deaf children communicated primarily through nonlinguistic vocalizations, with increasing use of gesture from 22 months to 3 years of age. Although mothers of deaf children used more visual communication than mothers of hearing children, they still primarily communicated through speech. In addition, deaf children did not visually attend to much of their mothers' communication. Therefore, deaf children received much less communication than hearing children. These results suggest that intervention efforts should be focused on increasing the quantity of perceived linguistic input by the child.     

Age differences in integrated semantic memory.

Used J. D. Bransford and J. J. Franks's (1971) paradigm of linguistic abstraction to examine age differences in the nature of stored semantic information. 20 young (mean age 18.7 yrs) and 18 old adults (mean age 67.3 yrs) served as Ss. Specifically, age differences on 2 dimensions of memory were examined: (a) integration of related content from separate sentences and (b) retention of precise semantic content. Young and old Ss were not found to differ in the precision of retained semantic information. Furthermore, while both age groups evidenced integration of information as indexed by a strong linear trend of recognition rate across sentence complexity, this trend did not interact with age, supporting the idea that both age groups showed comparable integration of linguistic information into holistic ideas. Implications for current conceptualizations of age differences in memory are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Can free-ranging rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) extract artificially created rules comprised of natural vocalizations?

Though nonhuman animals lack anything like a set of grammatical structures in their natural vocalizations, studies now suggest that at least some animals can extract patterns from a structured input that appear abstract and rule-like. The authors continue this line of research by adding three new methodological contributions, specifically, tests of (1) a free-ranging animal population (as opposed to captive laboratory subjects), (2) a new taxonomic group (i.e., Old World monkeys: rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta), and (3), the presentation of artificially sequenced strings of species-specific vocalizations (as opposed to artificial symbols or speech stimuli). Specifically, the authors created artificial strings of rhesus vocalizations in the pattern notated as AAB (i.e., two identical calls [AA] followed by a different one [B]) or ABB. Following habituation to AAB strings, rhesus monkeys showed significantly more orienting responses to novel ABB strings than to novel AAB strings. Further, following habituation to an ABB pattern, rhesus responded more in test trials to AAB than ABB. These results, combined with other parallel studies, suggest that animals can extract an identity relationship from an artificial sequence of sounds, and can do so even though the tokens are species-specific vocalizations that are never produced in this sequence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Auditory-visual cross-modal perception of communicative stimuli in Tufted Capuchin Monkeys (Cebus apella).

Research on cross-modal performance in nonhuman primates is limited to a small number of sensory modalities and testing methods. To broaden the scope of this research, the authors tested capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) for a seldom-studied cross-modal capacity in nonhuman primates, auditory-visual recognition. Monkeys were simultaneously played 2 video recordings of a face producing different vocalizations and a sound recording of 1 of the vocalizations. Stimulus sets varied from naturally occurring conspecific vocalizations to experimentally controlled human speech stimuli. The authors found that monkeys preferred to view face recordings that matched presented vocal stimuli. Their preference did not differ significantly across stimulus species or other stimulus features. However, the reliability of the latter set of results may have been limited by sample size. From these results, the authors concluded that capuchin monkeys exhibit auditory-visual cross-modal perception of conspecific vocalizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)