Biomedical subjects

V Squyres

Publications and source records attributed to V Squyres.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1982

Effects of reinforcement, proximity, and orientation on verbal behavior of female schizophrenics.

Evaluated effects of reinforcement, proximity, and orientation on verbal behavior of female schizophrenics. Sixty-four inpatient state hospital volunteers (36 schizophrenics and 33 hospitalized controls) either were reinforced verbally or nonreinforced for construction of appropriate sentences. Also, participants were exposed to near or far proximity as well as direct or indirect orientation. Results indicated that schizophrenics performed best in the indirect orientation condition. While no differential group effects were seen across diagnosis, participants on the average responded more effectively when reinforced. These findings are contradictory to those reported in earlier studies of verbal conditioning in schizophrenics. Discussed were the detrimental effects of attentional demands on verbal conditioning in schizophrenics and the effectiveness of verbal reinforcement across hospitalized patients.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Self-inflicted burns.

Over a 3-year period 17 people were admitted for intentionally self-inflicted burns. The mean total body surface area burn was 29.5%, and 59% of the patients sustained an inhalation injury. Two patients died from their injuries (one male and one female). The method most often used (59%) was a flammable liquid ignited by a flame. Of those patients, 50% used gasoline. Fifty-nine percent of the patients were current substance abusers, with alcohol (80%) being the favored drug. Aside from substance abuse, psychiatric abnormalities were present in 53% of the patients. Schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorders was the primary psychiatric diagnosis (44%), with most patients having undergone previous psychiatric treatment. All had diagnosed disorders (using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual III--Revised) including substance abuse and/or other psychiatric disorders. Actual stated suicidal intent was present in 41% of the cases, and another 41% were irrational attempts to escape from or control emotional pain.

Adult↗