Do nonclinical checkers exhibit deficits in cognitive control? Tests of an inhibitory control hypothesis.

We tested the hypothesis that persons who engage in compulsive checking may do so to compensate for cognitive errors produced by deficient inhibitory control. In two experiments, undergraduates were classified by scores on the MOCI checking subscale as checkers or noncheckers. On self-report measures, checkers were significantly more depressed, more anxious, more prone to cognitive slips, and more likely to engage in obsessive-compulsive behaviors. However, checkers performed similarly to noncheckers on laboratory tests of inhibitory control of cognition. Checkers and noncheckers were equally able to (1) ignore distractors in a selective attention task, (2) suppress inappropriate word meanings in a sentence comprehension task, and (3) inhibit retrieval of to-be-forgotten items in a memory task. These results suggest that compulsive checking does not arise from failures of inhibitory control of cognition.

Effects of familial pain models on pain complaints and coping strategies.

Recent evidence has underscored the effect of the number of parental pain models in an individual's environment on the frequency of current complaints about pain, yet little is known about the effect of number of familial pain models on other aspects of a person's pain behavior and on coping with pain. The present study assessed the effect of pain models by giving a questionnaire to 224 college students. Analysis showed that the number of familial pain models was related to the perception of pertinent secondary gains but not to the methods used to cope with pain.

Behavior therapy: an overview.

The authors examine the broad field of behavior therapy, the theories underlying its development, and the techniques that are used to change behavior. They review recent developments in behavior therapy as they relate to behavioral medicine and to treatment of psychiatric disorders, and briefly describe the use of cognitive behavior therapy in the treatment of depression and other problems. They discuss methods of behavioral assessment and the application of behavior therapy in large populations, as well as new uses of behavioral techniques in business and industry, gerontology, and marital therapy.

Behavior therapy for urinary frequency in a patient with neurogenic bladder: a case report.

A 32-year-old female with a seven year history of multiple sclerosis was hospitalized due to an exacerbation of symptoms, and complained of a high frequency of urination and occasional urinary incontinence. A urologic consult was obtained and the patient was diagnosed as having neurogenic (spastic) bladder, resulting in a reflexive voiding whenever the accumulation of urine in the bladder reacher 100 mls. A behavioral management program using feedback and goal-setting was implemented. Whenever she voided, the patient recorded the time of day, and measured the amount by using a graduated urinal. Following a 5-day baseline the patient and experimenter, on a daily basis, established a goal specifying a minimum waiting period between voidings, even when waiting might result in incontinence. Feedback on average duration between voidings was given daily. After 13 days of treatment, the duration between voidings had increased from a baseline of 58 min to 130 min and the average amount of urine had increased from 95 ml to 160 ml. At three and six month follow-ups, the patient reported that she was able to maintain treatment gains without difficulty; however, she had been unable to increase the time between voidings beyond approximately two hours.

The use of stimulus control over littering in a natural setting.

A conventional litter receptacle (55-gallon drum) and a specially designated receptacle consisting of a 55-gallon drum adorned with a plywood "har" were alternated in two areas of a football stadium over a period of four games. A frequency count of several types of litter articles showed that more than twice as many items were deposited within the experimental container than the conventional one (an average of 52.5 and 21.5 items per game, respectively). The weight of litter deposited within each container showed a similar relationship. An average of 0.65 kg of litter per game were deposited within the conventional receptacle compared with an average of 1.3 kg per game for the experimental receptacle.