This study sought to investigate adult intellectual development through an analysis of a particular type of cognitive ability, verbal analogical reasoning. The performance of 60 individuals between the ages of 20 and 79 was compared on 100 verbal analogies. The subjects consisted of six groups of ten individuals each (five males and five females), matched as a group for education and gender. Solution times and error rates served as the dependent measures. Results showed that there was a significant trend for the older subjects (60- and 70-year-olds) to be slower than the young subjects (20-, 30-, 40-, and 50-year-olds), but not necessarily more error prone. These data suggest that verbal analogical reasoning changes with age. Supplemental data demonstrated a change in other abilities as well (i.e., decline in perceptual-motor speed and spatial skill).

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Assertiveness training using rehearsal and modeling with male alcoholics.

Two different forms of an assertiveness training program were designed for use in an inpatient ward at a VA hospital. Alcoholic subjects were pretested on self-report, behavioral and unobtrusive measures of assertiveness, and randomly assigned to one of three conditions: rehearsal group, modeling group, or discussion control group. Six 1-h group assertiveness training sessions were held over a 2-week period. On completion of the assertiveness training, trained subjects scored significantly higher on the measures of assertiveness than did controls; they also received more regular (vs irregular) discharges from the hospital. These alcoholic patients responded best to a treatment based on rehearsal. At a 2-month follow-up interview from date of discharge from the hospital, assertiveness trained subjects reported less drinking and more abstinent days than controls, though the differences were not statistically significant. Collateral report of subject behaviors generally agreed highly with subject report though collaterals gave slightly less favorable reports. Results were discussed in terms of the problems in conducting follow-up research and in terms of application to alcoholism treatment.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Ozone. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Sensitive individuals are at risk of adverse health effects from exposure to even modest levels of ozone. Such individuals are likely to develop respiratory symptoms and are more likely to be hospitalized when exposed to ozone at currently accepted levels. A review of scientific documents regarding the health effects of ozone has led the DHHS to agree with the EPA that the primary ambient air standard for ozone should be changed from 0.12 ppm (1-hour average) to 0.08 ppm (8-hour average). Achieving the proposed 0.08 ppm standard should decrease physician visits, hospitalization, and use of respiratory medications. In addition, because very susceptible healthy individuals may experience adverse health effects of the current standard, it is clear that the current standard provides little or no margin of safety, particularly for sensitive individuals. In order to avoid exposure to unhealthy levels of ozone, people should take precautions to minimize exposure from 2:00 to 6:00 pm on days when ozone levels are high. This is especially so for children, adults who are active outdoors, those with respiratory disease such as asthma, and people with unusual susceptibility to ozone.

Adult↗