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Biomedical subjects

M Dickerson

Publications and source records attributed to M Dickerson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

On the determinants of persistent gambling behaviour. I. High-frequency poker machine players.

Persistent gambling was studied as a function of the reinforcement of arousal and winning during normal poker machine playing sessions. Play rate, heart rate, winnings, subjective excitement and expectations of winning were recorded for five male and five female high-frequency players. Autoregressive regression analysis indicated that wins affect play rate for up to three minutes, while effects of the other variables were inconsistent. Markov chain analysis confirmed that wins smaller than 50 credits tend to elevate play rate, while larger wins cause a breakdown in the otherwise very regular rate of play. Results are discussed in relation to the development of impaired control of gambling behaviour.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Pharmacologic activity of CI-977, a selective kappa opioid agonist, in rhesus monkeys.

CI-977 is a selective, nonpeptide kappa opioid agonist. In rhesus monkeys, CI-977 is a potent antinociceptive agent against thermal stimuli after i.m. administration. Increasing the intensity of the nociceptive stimulus can reduce the analgesic activity of CI-977. Antinociceptive activity also was seen when PD 126212, containing CI-977 as the (-)-enantiomer, was administered sublingually. Naloxone antagonized the antinociceptive action of CI-977, demonstrating opiate receptor involvement in this activity. Monkeys treated with CI-977 also showed sedation at doses close to those required to produce antinociception. As with morphine, the sedative properties of CI-977 were associated with impaired cognitive performance. Aged monkeys appeared more sensitive than young monkeys to the performance-impairing effect of CI-977. Tolerance developed to the antinociceptive and response-suppressing effects. CI-977 was approximately 1000 times more potent than morphine as an analgesic when tested against a moderate (50 degrees C) thermal stimulus but less effective than morphine against a strong (55 degrees C) thermal stimulus.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

On the determinants of persistent gambling. III. Personality, prior mood, and poker machine play.

Sixty-four poker machine players were observed in the ecologically valid setting of their social club while completing a session of play. Subjects were assessed by interview, the Profile of Mood States, and personality measures. Personality scores did not predict level of involvement in gambling, session duration, or persistence when losing. High-frequency players were generally more predictable than other players, with over 70% of the variance of session duration accounted for by predictor variables. Also for this group of players, persistence when losing was significantly accounted for by prior mood and cognitions concerning win size.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Gamblers' self-perceptions of the determinants of impaired control.

Impaired control occupies a focal position in the medical model perspective of pathological gambling and is central to the concept of addictive processes generally. Nonetheless there have been few studies on self-control in gambling behaviour. A questionnaire was developed to measure subjectively assessed self-control in poker machine players. This Self-Control Scale comprised a framework adopted from Cameron (1985) distinguishing between (i) the likelihood of starting a session and continuing a session, and (ii) internal and external determinants. The Scale and a descriptive questionnaire on demographics and actual gambling behaviour was administered to 26 problem gamblers and 40 players of different levels of involvement. The results indicated that the Scale had acceptable internal consistency and validity. The Scale effectively discriminated between problem and non-problem players. The differences on specific items between low-frequency, high-frequency and problem groups were incorporated into a hypothetical developmental progression. Negative emotions such as frustration and depression and the belief in chasing (Lesieur, 1979, 1984) were perceived to be the most significant determinants of impaired control problem gamblers.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Intrusive unwanted thoughts: a two-stage model of control.

It was proposed that the greater time taken to dismiss intrusive compared with neutral thoughts is better explained in terms of a decreased ability to disattend to the intrusive thought than a decreased ability to access a more pleasant replacement thought. A study of 43 subjects with 'normal obsessions' using a methodology that controlled the valence and content of replacement thoughts provided support for this disattention hypothesis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Sex therapy outcome research: a reappraisal of methodology. 1. A treatment study of male sexual dysfunction.

In the first section a controlled treatment study of male sexual dysfunction is described. 'Unlucky' randomization of subjects yielded treatment groups which differed with respect to variables of possible prognostic significance. Hence the results are largely uninterpretable. In the second section the predominantly negative or inconsistent findings in sex therapy outcome research are reviewed and methodological problems, such as those described in the first part, are considered as possible reasons for these negative findings. The interrelationships are explored between small treatment groups, prognostic variability, bias, power, and small expected treatment effects. A strategy for future research is proposed, with particular emphasis on the recognition and use of relevant prognostic indices.

Combined Modality Therapy↗
PubMed1979

The evolution of a course in human sexuality University of Edinburgh, 1972-1978.

A short undergraduate course in human sexuality has been developed over a period of 7 years. The objectives, initially concerned with cognitive learning, shifted to affective aspects of the topic, introduced through a format of sexually explicit films and small-group discussions. Continuing evaluation of successive courses by students has been particularly valuable in identifying helpful and unhelpful behaviour in group leaders, and has been used in their training. The evaluations also demonstrated that students saw a need to develop their interviewing skills. The course, therefore, now seeks to combine affective learning with other topics of direct relevance to clinical practice.

Education, Medical, Undergraduate↗