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Papers by susana aronsohn
PubMed, 1981
Behavioral effects of monocularity were assessed in rats, by means of visual discrimination train... more Behavioral effects of monocularity were assessed in rats, by means of visual discrimination training in a jumping box. The results showed that the experimental subjects did not differ from controls in brightness discrimination, however, were significantly inferior on a conditional discrimination task. This particular test involves the association of present cues with previously learned ones. Since previous work proposes the consideration of the rat's brain as a functional split-brain, and in our condition the visual information was highly lateralized only to the contralateral hemisphere, we suggest that our results may be due to an impairment produced by the reduction of the brain mass available for the discrimination.
Adherence to medical prescriptions reaches 50% in chronic illnesses. Doctor-patient encounters ha... more Adherence to medical prescriptions reaches 50% in chronic illnesses. Doctor-patient encounters have been dissected, searching for responsible factors or components in order to uproot them painlessly, mimicking scientific approaches of natural sciences, thus replacing these relationships by subject-object artificial gaps. Our empirical study is an instance of a phenomenological interpretive approach that brings forth adherence related issues both in non-chronic patients and in doctors, with customized interviewing procedures in the background. Drawing on Ricoeur, medical visits were considered subplots that acquired meaning in the context of the main plot in each patient´s ongoing life. Interviews addressed professional issues of doctors and narratives of patients in the context of their ongoing life plots. Results showed that doctors considered themselves patient educators, repeating standardized messages endlessly, otherwise leaning on patients' relatives or medical communities for help when these procedures failed. They considered relational issues psychological, foreign to medical scope. Patients, instead, scanned doctors precisely in terms of their commitment and adherence depended on the doctors' comprehensive grasp of patients' priorities. Medical training routinely underestimates the relationship, a professional crux: being at the service of another, listening and talking to him/her.
Springer eBooks, 1986
Bruxism, the nonfunctional clenching and grinding of the teeth, and its associated myofascial pai... more Bruxism, the nonfunctional clenching and grinding of the teeth, and its associated myofascial pain dysfunction (MPD) syndrome have been explained either on the basis of mechanical (i. e., occlusal disharmonies) or psychological factors [5]. No definite conclusions regarding psychological characteristics have been reached by means of conventional psychometric testing. An alternative approach is furnished by content analysis of verbal behavior, which attempts to measure psychological states on the basis of the content of communication. Thus, inferences may be drawn from on-line information provided by the subject’s speech behavior. The Gottschalk-Gleser method was designed to specify and quantify different kinds of emotions, taking into consideration the surface meaning as well as the “deeper layers of meaning embedded in the content” [7]. Clear-cut instructions are available for the coding and scoring of verbal samples according to content analysis scales of affect.
Animal Learning & Behavior, 1978
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, May 1, 1987
A guided-response procedure was used to train a visual pattern discrimination by rats in a modifi... more A guided-response procedure was used to train a visual pattern discrimination by rats in a modified Sutherland box. The method consisted of guiding the animal to the correct choice by means of a retractable bridge that led to reinforcers, followed by gradually removing this prompt. This method was compared to a stimulus-fading procedure, in which the initial differences between discriminative stimuli were gradually faded until they differed only with respect to the critical dimension for discrimination, and to a trial-and-error procedure. Both gradual procedures resulted in fewer errors compared to the trial-and-error procedure. The higher efficiency of the fading procedures was attributed to less aversiveness derived from performance with few errors and to the use of step-by-step requirements relative to the criterion performance.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1987
A guided-response procedure was used to train a visual pattern discrimination by rats in a modifi... more A guided-response procedure was used to train a visual pattern discrimination by rats in a modified Sutherland box. The method consisted of guiding the animal to the correct choice by means of a retractable bridge that led to reinforcers, followed by gradually removing this prompt. This method was compared to a stimulus-fading procedure, in which the initial differences between discriminative stimuli were gradually faded until they differed only with respect to the critical dimension for discrimination, and to a trial-and-error procedure. Both gradual procedures resulted in fewer errors compared to the trial-and-error procedure. The higher efficiency of the fading procedures was attributed to less aversiveness derived from performance with few errors and to the use of step-by-step requirements relative to the criterion performance.
Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 1984
Verbal affective expression and psychometric variables were studied in a group of 5 duodenal ulce... more Verbal affective expression and psychometric variables were studied in a group of 5 duodenal ulcer and 6 irritable bowel patients. The aim was to assess the relevance of the alexithymia contruct to the distinction between both groups. Irritable bowel patients exhibited higher scores on Zung's depressiveness scale. Alexithymia scores were significantly higher for duodenal ulcer patients. Regarding verbal affective expression a discrimination was possible between both groups in the scale of hostility directed inward. Ulcer patients expressed less affect. These findings suggest that a distinction is possible at the behavioral level between patients with functional vs. patients with organic gastrointestinal illness, thus rendering the concept of alexithymia relevant to this nosological categorization.
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 1980
It is suggested in this paper that alexithymia may be a graded behavioral characteristic in much ... more It is suggested in this paper that alexithymia may be a graded behavioral characteristic in much the same way as psychological dimensions are. Under this assumption every person would possess an alexithymic score, however low it could be, and the basis for distinguishing between diagnostic groups would thence be quantitative rather than qualitative. The measurement of alexithymia in any given individual poses two main problems: the nature of the underlying phenomenon and the instruments that should be used for its depiction. Whether alexithymia is a trait, a state, or both cannot be answered confidently at present. On the other hand, its quantitative assessment depends upon an interaction between phenomenon, observer and situation. Some data bearing on the application of the Beth Israel Alexithymic and Psychosomatic Questionnaire by informed and uninformed interviewers suggest the need for reliability studies of this instrument. Also advanced is the possibility that some aspects of the syndrome (reflected differently in the questionnaire items) might be easier to detect or more amenable to quantitative assessment, thus suggesting that some weighting of items is needed in order to obtain a total alexithymia score.
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
It is suggested in this paper that alexithymia may be a graded behavioral characteristic in much ... more It is suggested in this paper that alexithymia may be a graded behavioral characteristic in much the same way as psychological dimensions are. Under this assumption every person would possess an alexithymic score, however low it could be, and the basis for distinguishing between diagnostic groups would thence be quantitative rather than qualitative. The measurement of alexithymia in any given individual poses two main problems: the nature of the underlying phenomenon and the instruments that should be used for its depiction. Whether alexithymia is a trait, a state, or both cannot be answered confidently at present. On the other hand, its quantitative assessment depends upon an interaction between phenomenon, observer and situation. Some data bearing on the application of the Beth Israel Alexithymic and Psychosomatic Questionnaire by informed and uninformed interviewers suggest the need for reliability studies of this instrument. Also advanced is the possibility that some aspects of the syndrome (reflected differently in the questionnaire items) might be easier to detect or more amenable to quantitative assessment, thus suggesting that some weighting of items is needed in order to obtain a total alexithymia score.
Postgraduate Medicine, Jul 1, 2013
The prevalence and disease burden of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) sugges... more The prevalence and disease burden of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suggests that primary care physicians (PCPs) have an opportunity to improve the functioning and quality of life of a significant number of adult patients. The American Academy of Pediatrics provides evidence-based clinical practice guidelines that recognize ADHD as a chronic condition, and a large proportion of children with ADHD continue to meet diagnostic criteria as adults. Therefore, the management of ADHD should incorporate principles common to the management of other chronic conditions, including proactive planning for continuity of treatment across the life span and integrated, multidisciplinary health care teams for optimal disease management. This article describes a clinical approach whereby adult ADHD is treated within a chronic care paradigm that prominently features the involvement of the PCP. If PCPs envision ADHD as a chronic illness, similar to asthma or diabetes, they may be less likely to refer individuals to be managed by specialists, and more likely to see their role in coordinating and monitoring adult ADHD care, knowing when and how to bring other resources into play, and when and how to educate patients.
Content Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 1986
Content Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 1986
PubMed, 1981
Behavioral effects of monocularity were assessed in rats, by means of visual discrimination train... more Behavioral effects of monocularity were assessed in rats, by means of visual discrimination training in a jumping box. The results showed that the experimental subjects did not differ from controls in brightness discrimination, however, were significantly inferior on a conditional discrimination task. This particular test involves the association of present cues with previously learned ones. Since previous work proposes the consideration of the rat's brain as a functional split-brain, and in our condition the visual information was highly lateralized only to the contralateral hemisphere, we suggest that our results may be due to an impairment produced by the reduction of the brain mass available for the discrimination.
Adherence to medical prescriptions reaches 50% in chronic illnesses. Doctor-patient encounters ha... more Adherence to medical prescriptions reaches 50% in chronic illnesses. Doctor-patient encounters have been dissected, searching for responsible factors or components in order to uproot them painlessly, mimicking scientific approaches of natural sciences, thus replacing these relationships by subject-object artificial gaps. Our empirical study is an instance of a phenomenological interpretive approach that brings forth adherence related issues both in non-chronic patients and in doctors, with customized interviewing procedures in the background. Drawing on Ricoeur, medical visits were considered subplots that acquired meaning in the context of the main plot in each patient´s ongoing life. Interviews addressed professional issues of doctors and narratives of patients in the context of their ongoing life plots. Results showed that doctors considered themselves patient educators, repeating standardized messages endlessly, otherwise leaning on patients' relatives or medical communities for help when these procedures failed. They considered relational issues psychological, foreign to medical scope. Patients, instead, scanned doctors precisely in terms of their commitment and adherence depended on the doctors' comprehensive grasp of patients' priorities. Medical training routinely underestimates the relationship, a professional crux: being at the service of another, listening and talking to him/her.
Springer eBooks, 1986
Bruxism, the nonfunctional clenching and grinding of the teeth, and its associated myofascial pai... more Bruxism, the nonfunctional clenching and grinding of the teeth, and its associated myofascial pain dysfunction (MPD) syndrome have been explained either on the basis of mechanical (i. e., occlusal disharmonies) or psychological factors [5]. No definite conclusions regarding psychological characteristics have been reached by means of conventional psychometric testing. An alternative approach is furnished by content analysis of verbal behavior, which attempts to measure psychological states on the basis of the content of communication. Thus, inferences may be drawn from on-line information provided by the subject’s speech behavior. The Gottschalk-Gleser method was designed to specify and quantify different kinds of emotions, taking into consideration the surface meaning as well as the “deeper layers of meaning embedded in the content” [7]. Clear-cut instructions are available for the coding and scoring of verbal samples according to content analysis scales of affect.
Animal Learning & Behavior, 1978
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, May 1, 1987
A guided-response procedure was used to train a visual pattern discrimination by rats in a modifi... more A guided-response procedure was used to train a visual pattern discrimination by rats in a modified Sutherland box. The method consisted of guiding the animal to the correct choice by means of a retractable bridge that led to reinforcers, followed by gradually removing this prompt. This method was compared to a stimulus-fading procedure, in which the initial differences between discriminative stimuli were gradually faded until they differed only with respect to the critical dimension for discrimination, and to a trial-and-error procedure. Both gradual procedures resulted in fewer errors compared to the trial-and-error procedure. The higher efficiency of the fading procedures was attributed to less aversiveness derived from performance with few errors and to the use of step-by-step requirements relative to the criterion performance.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 1987
A guided-response procedure was used to train a visual pattern discrimination by rats in a modifi... more A guided-response procedure was used to train a visual pattern discrimination by rats in a modified Sutherland box. The method consisted of guiding the animal to the correct choice by means of a retractable bridge that led to reinforcers, followed by gradually removing this prompt. This method was compared to a stimulus-fading procedure, in which the initial differences between discriminative stimuli were gradually faded until they differed only with respect to the critical dimension for discrimination, and to a trial-and-error procedure. Both gradual procedures resulted in fewer errors compared to the trial-and-error procedure. The higher efficiency of the fading procedures was attributed to less aversiveness derived from performance with few errors and to the use of step-by-step requirements relative to the criterion performance.
Psychotherapy and psychosomatics, 1984
Verbal affective expression and psychometric variables were studied in a group of 5 duodenal ulce... more Verbal affective expression and psychometric variables were studied in a group of 5 duodenal ulcer and 6 irritable bowel patients. The aim was to assess the relevance of the alexithymia contruct to the distinction between both groups. Irritable bowel patients exhibited higher scores on Zung's depressiveness scale. Alexithymia scores were significantly higher for duodenal ulcer patients. Regarding verbal affective expression a discrimination was possible between both groups in the scale of hostility directed inward. Ulcer patients expressed less affect. These findings suggest that a distinction is possible at the behavioral level between patients with functional vs. patients with organic gastrointestinal illness, thus rendering the concept of alexithymia relevant to this nosological categorization.
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 1980
It is suggested in this paper that alexithymia may be a graded behavioral characteristic in much ... more It is suggested in this paper that alexithymia may be a graded behavioral characteristic in much the same way as psychological dimensions are. Under this assumption every person would possess an alexithymic score, however low it could be, and the basis for distinguishing between diagnostic groups would thence be quantitative rather than qualitative. The measurement of alexithymia in any given individual poses two main problems: the nature of the underlying phenomenon and the instruments that should be used for its depiction. Whether alexithymia is a trait, a state, or both cannot be answered confidently at present. On the other hand, its quantitative assessment depends upon an interaction between phenomenon, observer and situation. Some data bearing on the application of the Beth Israel Alexithymic and Psychosomatic Questionnaire by informed and uninformed interviewers suggest the need for reliability studies of this instrument. Also advanced is the possibility that some aspects of the syndrome (reflected differently in the questionnaire items) might be easier to detect or more amenable to quantitative assessment, thus suggesting that some weighting of items is needed in order to obtain a total alexithymia score.
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics
It is suggested in this paper that alexithymia may be a graded behavioral characteristic in much ... more It is suggested in this paper that alexithymia may be a graded behavioral characteristic in much the same way as psychological dimensions are. Under this assumption every person would possess an alexithymic score, however low it could be, and the basis for distinguishing between diagnostic groups would thence be quantitative rather than qualitative. The measurement of alexithymia in any given individual poses two main problems: the nature of the underlying phenomenon and the instruments that should be used for its depiction. Whether alexithymia is a trait, a state, or both cannot be answered confidently at present. On the other hand, its quantitative assessment depends upon an interaction between phenomenon, observer and situation. Some data bearing on the application of the Beth Israel Alexithymic and Psychosomatic Questionnaire by informed and uninformed interviewers suggest the need for reliability studies of this instrument. Also advanced is the possibility that some aspects of the syndrome (reflected differently in the questionnaire items) might be easier to detect or more amenable to quantitative assessment, thus suggesting that some weighting of items is needed in order to obtain a total alexithymia score.
Postgraduate Medicine, Jul 1, 2013
The prevalence and disease burden of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) sugges... more The prevalence and disease burden of adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suggests that primary care physicians (PCPs) have an opportunity to improve the functioning and quality of life of a significant number of adult patients. The American Academy of Pediatrics provides evidence-based clinical practice guidelines that recognize ADHD as a chronic condition, and a large proportion of children with ADHD continue to meet diagnostic criteria as adults. Therefore, the management of ADHD should incorporate principles common to the management of other chronic conditions, including proactive planning for continuity of treatment across the life span and integrated, multidisciplinary health care teams for optimal disease management. This article describes a clinical approach whereby adult ADHD is treated within a chronic care paradigm that prominently features the involvement of the PCP. If PCPs envision ADHD as a chronic illness, similar to asthma or diabetes, they may be less likely to refer individuals to be managed by specialists, and more likely to see their role in coordinating and monitoring adult ADHD care, knowing when and how to bring other resources into play, and when and how to educate patients.
Content Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 1986
Content Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 1986