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Biomedical subjects

W D Groman

Publications and source records attributed to W D Groman.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1980

Gibson's invariance hypothesis and the Ames oscillatory effect.

Previous explanations of the Ames oscillatory effect are evaluated by means of a functional-evolutionary theory of perception. Use of stored interpretations, static elements, and other explanatory ideas are rejected in favor of adaptive response to ambiguity as the essential factor for the effect. It is emphasized that Ss report perception of rotation, oscillation, reversal, and flapping, which are all correlates of horizontal contraction and expansion of the retinal image, when viewing rotating objects. The provision of all possible correlates of the transforming array is described as supportive of a functional-evolutionary approach, and Gibson's theory of perception.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Neurotic anxiety, pronoun usage and stress.

The use of the pronoun "I" when a speaker refers to his own actions, thoughts, or emotions is appropriate. Omission of the pronoun or the use of "you" or "it" may be taken as an indicant of psychological distantiation. This study examines the effects of stress and neurotic anxiety on pronoun usage. Forty-five male and female undergraduate Ss enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University were selected randomly from 172 volunteers assessed for neurotic anxiety level as measured by the Maudsley Personality Inventory and Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. Treatment consisted of asking 20 emotionally charged questions, 10 of which were neutral baseline questions and the other 10 were either negative, neutral, or positive in stress. Responses were tape recorded and transcribed. It was found that negative stress interacting with medium level anxiety neurotics significantly increased distantiation above baseline levels. A hypothesis to explain the results was offered.

Anxiety Disorders↗
PubMed1975

Neurotic verbalizations: an exploration of a Gestalt therapy assumption.

Based upon assumptions of Gestalt Therapy, an objective, reliable scoring system for analyzing a specific aspect of verbal behavior, avoidant verbalization, was developed. Verbal samples were elicited from 30 female college students who previously had been rank ordered on the Neuroticism scale of the Maudsley Personality Inventory. The expectation that psychologically stressful questions would result in a significantly greater number of avoidant verbalizations was confirmed. Contrary to another expectation, no significant correlation between neuroticism as measured by the MPI and total number of avoidant verbalizations uttered by the Ss was found. Results were interpreted on the basis of the Gestalt Therapy theory of personality.

Extraversion, Psychological↗