The present study was designed to discover the emotional components differing effects on H. R. during the anticipatory period in the face of threat. In avoidant condition, the anticipatory period might be conceptually distinguished between pre-phase of coping performance (p-1) and the post (p-2). All subjects' data were analysed by cluster analysis, and two main time sequential patterns of H. R. were obtained. The results suggested that H. R. in p-1 was strongly associated with activity of, the behavioral activation system (BAS) in response to conditioned stimulus for expectancy and relief, and that H. R. in p-2 was related to the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) induced by fear and anxiety.

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In order to investigate the effects of self-instruction on young children's persistence at task-performance, two experiments were conducted. Exp.1 was designed to examine how success, failure and neutral experiences, as antecedent ones, would influence young children's persistence in sequent task performance. Exp.2 was designed to inspect to what extent self-instruction would affect young children's persistence at task performance with the same conditions as the least task achieving group in Exp.1. Therefore, each experiment consists of a pretest and a test of persistence. The tasks in the experiments were to untie dark brown elastic (diameter 2mm) knots. However, the firmness of the knots differed wiith the experimental groups. In Exp.1, 96 subjects aged 4-6, equal number of each sex were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups and one control group. The pretest in Exp.1 was carried out to create a 100 percent success group by untying 4 loose knots, a 50 percent success group by untying 2 loose knots and 2 impossibly tight knots and a 0 percent succes (failure) group by untying 4 impossibly tight knots. After the pretest, all the Ss took the test of persistence, i.e., to untie 5 firm knots, each S individually. The measurement of persistence was the number of knots the subjects untied. The results from the test of persistence in Exp.1 were: the failure group < the control group < the 50 percent success group < the 100 percent success group. Since the failure group was the least achieving group, the failure experience+self-instruction group was made in Exp.2. Moreover, in order to compare the influence of similar antecedent experiences with dissimilar ones in sequent task performance in relation to the children's persistence, "untie knots" task was replaced by "fix-up puzzle" task in the pretest of Exp.2. 72 subjects were assigned to three experimental groups,i,e., the failure in similar task+self-instruction group, the failure in dissimilar task+self-instruction group, and the failure in dissimilar task group. The results of the children's persistence in Exp.2 were : the failure in similar task group < the failure in dissimilar task group < the failure in similar task+self-instruction group < the failure in dissimilar task+self-instruction group. The results, therefore, indicated the effect of self-instruction on the children's persistence was fairly strong, and the influence of antecedent experiences on sequent task-performance was distinctly positive in the similar task conditions but not in the dissimilar ones. The girls' persistence was better than the boys' except in the self-instrution group.

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The pourpose of the present investigation was to examine the effect of the combinations of vicarious reinforcement in developing assertive behavior using covert modeling. Thirty six female high school and junior college students participated in the experiment as subjects receiving four inventories and one behavioral rehearsal test (BRT). Following pre-treatment measures each S was assigned randomly to one of four groups and received four treatment modeling sessions (1) positive vicarious reinforcements for model's assertive behaviors and negative vicarsous reinforcements for non-assertive behaviors (PN-Group), (2) positive vicarious reinforcements only (P-Group), (3) negative vicarious reinforcements only (N-Group), and (4) wating-list control group (WL-Group). The differences between pre- and post-treatment measures within each group were examined by matched t-test. The results revealed that while the treatment procedures of three experimental groups were all effective in developing the assertive behaviors, the results of analysis of variance showed no significant differences among three experimental groups. PN-Group, however, tended to show greater assertiveness compared with either P- or N-Group. Both informational and motivational functions of vicarious reinforcement were discussed, and the efficacy of covert modeling plus positive and negative vicarious reinforcement was suggested.

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The present study examined the relationship between the nature of feedback, especially the type and frequency, and its effectiveness in controlling HR, when Ss controlled their respiration rate and used cognitive strategies. Thirty-six female undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of four feedback conditions, constituted by two factors, i.e., the type and frequency of feedback. Ss engaged in both tasks of increasing and decreasing HR under each condition. Results indicated Ss could increase and decrease HR by biofeedback even when their respiration rate was controlled. However, the amount of changes acquired in the increasing and decreasing tasks was not different. This may occurred because the performance in the increasing task became poor as the effect of respiration rate cotrol. As to the type of feedback, proportional feedback was superior to binary one in the increasing task, while no difference was found in the decreasing task. As to the frequency, no difference was found between the conditions of once per a second and per five seconds, which was different from the findings of Gatchel (1974) in the increasing task. This seems to be caused by the difference of definitions of freguency between the two studies. Heart rate rapidly increased in the early stage and decreased to a certain level higher than the rest period, which was maintained throughout the remaining sessions in the increasing task. While, HR decreased to a lower level than the rest period in the early stage, which was maintained thereafter in the decreasing task. It is suggested respiration rate control inhibited gradual increase of HR and weakening of effectiveness of cognitive strategies caused the decrease just after the rapid increase of HR in the increasing task. When succeeded in the increasing task, Ss tended to be subjectively less relaxed, while even succeeded in the decreasing task, Ss did not necessarily tend to be more relaxed. Respiration rate control seems to have made Ss tense or annoyed even in the decreasing task. Much consideration is necessary to eliminate these kinds of phenomena to acquire more refined data in the future studies.

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