This study was designed to evaluate a hypothesis drawn from clinical impressions and from suggestive incidental data of prior research that concerns about body intactness will be reflected in a Wechsler subtest pattern where the Object Assembly (OA) score is lower than those of other subtests. OA scores were found to be significantly lower in children with bodily concerns than in a control group, and there were no other significant differences on other Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) subtests. In addition, Rorschachs of adult patients with low and high OA scores were compared and there was a significantly greater percentage of Rorschach responses indicating bodily concern in the group scoring low in OA. These findings are discussed in relation to the assessment of cognitive processes and ego functions in diagnostic testing, the process of clinical inference and prior research on body image.
In order to investigate the role of prior cognitive organization on receptivity to minimal stimulation, 2 cognitive structures of Ss' initial impressions of a neutral face were created. Then Ss redescribed their impressions of the constantly visible neutral face while 2 additional faces, 1 Happy and 1 Sad, were superimposed below Ss' detection threshold. The results showed that a cognitive structure in which the elements are relatively undifferentiated and nonlogically related significantly facilitates the influence of minimal stimuli. When Ss' initial impressions were organized into a more differentiated, logical structure, however, minimal stimuli tended not to be incorporated. The major findings are consistent with psychoanalytic notions about the role of primary and secondary thought processes and sensitivity to minimal stimulation.Concepts of cognitive structures and their role in mediating stimulus input have been of particular interest to various experimenters in recent years. Festinger (19S7) and Zajonc (19SS, 1960) have attempted to specify the effects of cognitive organization on attitude formation and interpersonal communication. In addition, Rokeach's (1960) studies of open and closed belief-disbelief systems and Leventhal's (1962) study of interpersonal impression formation have reflected an interest in the effects of structural variables on the response to and evaluation of new information.These studies suggest that cognitive organizations which are more flexible, more complex, and permit the assimiliation of disparate, undifferentiated, global experience tend to be associated with a greater degree of sensitivity to and a greater capacity to evaluate new stimulus input, or information, 1 This study is based on a dissertation submitted to the faculty of the Graduate School of Yale University in candidacy for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The study was carried out while the author was a predoctoral United States Public Health Service trainee in clinical psychology. 2 The author is especially grateful to Sidney I. Perloe, Chairman of the Dissertation Committee, for his support and advice during all phases of this study. Fred D. Sheffield and Leonard W. Doob offered many valuable suggestions.In addition, thanks go to Cynthia M. Wild and Richard R. Waite for ranking the responses, to Cynthia Fox Dember for having made her stimuli available and for having shared her ideas with the author.
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