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Effects of stress versus flotation-REST relaxation on creativity and literacy skills in advanced English as a second language (ESL) composition
... Kogan's claim with regard to game-like (e.g. Dansky & Silverman, 1973;Dentler & Mackler, 1964;Drwal, 1973;Sandlund, Linnarud, & Norlander, 2001;Ward, Kogan, & Pankove, 1972), untimed (e.g. Cropley, 1972;Johns & Morse, 1997;Kelly & McGrath, 1985;Torrance, 1969) or both conditions (e.g. ...
... Hence, the characteristics of the task appear to act as an additional moderating variable that needs to be considered when investigating the variations in creativity under different testing conditions. In summary, research findings in this area emphasize the need for further studies to determine exactly how testing conditions affect performance on creativity instruments (Chua & Iyengar, 2008;Johns et al., 2000;Sandlund et al., 2001). ...
The growing body of creativity research has raised several challenging issues with regard to the measurement of this construct. This paper aims to provide a review of current challenging methodological issues related to measuring creativity. Five methodological issues are discussed: selecting measurement instruments, sampling, testing conditions, psychometric properties and domain-generality/specificity of creativity. This paper reveals that there remain a number of unresolved issues and serious questions surrounding the measurement of creativity. Research gaps and suggestions for future research are discussed.
... In addition, the ability to learn was described as being improved resulting in a kind of "superlearning": "Floating induce a theta state which is considered the gateway to learning and memory". Studies on learning [55,63], as well as floating and creativity have indicated increased originality and altered states of consciousness after floating [23,24,[64][65][66], which makes the statements about increased creativity relatively truthful, although exaggerated and speculatively presented. Sensory deprivation tends to reduce the activity of so called secondary processes, such as abstract thinking and thoughts about event in everyday life, concurrently with primary processes, such as intuition, imagination and focus on the here and now, becoming more prominent [11]. ...
... Although, many of the statements of increased performance are scientifically founded [e.g. 23,24,49,50,55,63], they might not happen to everyone who floats, or perhaps only to a few under very special circumstances [67]. Possibly, the most likely experience when floating is stress-reduction [12] and a moment of personal time. ...
Introduction
Flotation-REST (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique) is a complementary and alternative medicine therapy with evidence-based beneficial effects like pain and stress reduction. During flotation-REST a person is lying in a supine position inside a quiet and dark tank, filled with salt water maintained at skin temperature. The water is high in buoyancy, which makes it possible to float comfortably on the back. The method induces deep relaxation through minimization of sensory input. Contemporary scientific findings about beneficial effects resulting from floating have increased the number of private owned floating centers. The aim of this study was to investigate how these centers advertise the benefits of flotation to the public and compare these claims with published scientific evidence.
Method
The Google search engine was used to localize web-sites hosting private floating center entrepreneurs. Described effects resulting from floating on these sites were systematically gathered and analyzed thematically. In addition, advertisements were compared to scientific studies on flotation-REST.
Results
The analysis resulted in five overarching themes: (1) Physiological changes, (2) Alleviation of medical conditions, (3) Relaxation, (4) Personal growth and enhancement, and (5) Altered states of consciousness. Advertisements seemed to target four different interest groups: the inner explorers; the sick; the supermen; and the stressed out. Various effects of flotation were highlighted for the different groups and some limited scientific evidence identified.
Conclusions
Although the advertisements described many evidence-based effects resulting from floating, information tended to be exaggerated, could be misleading to consumers, and was not always substantiated by published scientific studies.
... It was shown early on (Goldberger 1961;Noy, 1967) that sensory deprivation results in cognition dominated by primary processing by way of reduced feedback to the secondary processing. The flotation-REST technique, which is based on sensory deprivation, has been shown to produce a strengthened state of primary processing (Norlander, 1997; and shown that the state is perceived as relaxing (Norlander, Bergman & Archer, 1999;Sandlund, Linnarud & Norlander, 2001). At the same time patients find it easy to rest calmly in the warm salt water without any disturbance. ...
... Recent research, especially in connection to the flotation form of REST, instead indicate that meaningful positive effects may be obtained. Thus, the results indicate positive effects, such as an increased well-being and relaxation [8], mild euphoria [9], greater production of ideas [10,11], an increased originality [12,13], improved sleep at night [14], reduced stress, tension and anxiety [6, 9,15 -17], reduced pain [18 -19], reduced headache [20], lowered blood pressure [15], less muscle tension [21] as well as a suitable complement to psychotherapy [8,22]. It ought to be indicated that the method is experienced as pleasant and subjects are always prepared to endorse it on further occasions [23]. ...
Two studies examining different aspects of the Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique (REST) were carried out. In the first study, 38 participants were assigned randomly to either a group that floated on one occasion or a group that was given floating on three occasions. Following this, the subjects performed a test of divergent creativity and a test of logic. In the second study, 32 participants were assigned randomly first to two groups, Flotation-REST or Chamber-REST groups, and then randomly assigned to two more groups, namely to either a Stress-group or to a Non-stress group. The most inportant dependent variables of this second study were derived from essay-writing which was adjudged on the basis of elaboration, liveliness, originality, and realism. The results did not indicate any differences deriving from one or three flotations; both groups performed worse on the test of logic but tended to be better on the test of creativity. Both REST groups were similarly relaxed after treatment although the Flotation-REST group showed altered states of consciousness to a greater degree. The Flotation-REST group showed more originality whereas the Chamber-REST group showed more elaboration and realism. The results are discussed from the standpoint of fluctuations within the primary-secondary process continuum.
... Participants are presented with three headlines and the task is to write a newspaper snippet that might accompany the given headline. The test is a variation of the ESL composition task (Sandlund, Linnarud, & Norlander, 2001), where the participants are given four random words as a starting point. ii. ...
... Recent research with the flotation form of REST indicates that meaningful positive effects may be obtained. Such results include increased well-being and relaxation (13), mild euphoria (14), greater production of ideas (15,16), increased originality (17,18), improved sleep at night (19,20), reduced stress, tension and anxiety (12,14,(21)(22)(23), reduced pain (20,24), fewer headaches (25), lowered blood pressure (21) and decreased muscle tension (26). It also constitutes a suitable complement to psychotherapy (13,27); the method is described as pleasant and subjects eagerly endorse it on later occasions (28). ...
The purpose of the present study was to examine the potential effects of attention-placebo on flotation tank therapy. Flotation-restricted environmental stimulation technique is a method whereby an individual lies in a floating tank and all stimuli are reduced to a minimum.
Thirty-two patients were diagnosed as having stress-related muscular pain. In addition, 16 of the participants had received the diagnosis of burnout depression. The patients were treated with flotation-restricted environmental stimulation technique for six weeks. One-half of the patients were also given special attention for 12 weeks (high attention), while the remainder received attention for only six weeks (normal attention).
The participants exhibited lowered blood pressure, reduced pain, anxiety, depression, stress and negative affectivity, as well as increased optimism, energy and positive affectivity. The results were largely unaffected by the degree of attention-placebo or diagnosis.
It was concluded that flotation therapy is an effective, noninvasive method for treating stress-related pain, and that the method is not more affected by placebo than by other methods currently used in pain treatment. The treatment of both burnout depression and pain related to muscle tension constitutes a major challenge for the patient as well as the care provider, an area in which great gains can be made if the treatment is effective. Flotation therapy may constitute an integral part of such treatment.
This study aimed to investigate long-term effects of the flotation-REST (restricted environmental stimulation technique) 4 months after treatment. Seventy patients, 54 women and 16 men, participated, diagnosed as having stress-related pain. Twenty-six participants had also the diagnosis of burnout depression. Participants were randomly assigned in equal numbers to either a control group or a flotation-REST group and participated in a total of 12 flotation-REST or control sessions. Results indicated that pain areas, stress, anxiety, and depression decreased, whereas sleep quality, optimism, and prolactin increased. Positive effects generally maintained 4 months after treatment, but prolactin returned to initial levels. It was concluded that flotation tank therapy is an effective method for the treatment of stress-related pain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Extensive research suggests when and how anxiety has debilitating or facilitating effects on routine cognitive tasks or motor tasks. However, research examining anxiety's relation to performance on creative tasks such as divergent thinking and artistic tasks is less conclusive despite a rather substantial literature. The authors' meta-analytic investigation of 59 independent samples finds that anxiety is significantly and negatively related to creative performance. In addition, the findings provide insights into factors such as task complexity, type of task (i.e., figural or verbal), and type of anxiety (i.e., state or trait) that moderate the relationship between anxiety and creativity-all of which are consistent with the idea that anxiety and creativity present competing cognitive demands. In addition to identifying gaps in the literature such as the need for research using a two-component model of anxiety in relation to creativity, the authors' results have practical implications for those seeking to increase individual creativity.
Competing theoretical models and equivocal evidence leave unanswered questions regarding stressors' effect on creativity. The present meta-analysis of 76 experimental studies (including 82 independent samples) aims to clarify this association and identify factors that may explain differences between studies. Our results suggest that the effect of stressors on creative performance depends on how stress-inducing the stressor is and what type of stress is induced. We found a curvilinear relationship between evaluative stress and creativity such that low evaluative contexts increased creative performance over control conditions, whereas highly evaluative contexts decreased creative performance. We found a linearly negative relationship between uncontrollability and creativity such that more uncontrollability decreased creative performance. The results suggest that stressors' effect on creativity is more complex than previously assumed and points to the need for understanding boundary conditions that shed light on inconsistent findings.
In light of recent theoretical and empirical developments in the areas of reading, writing, and learning, this article proposes a view of literacy learning in which various forms of reading and writing are conceptualized as unique ways of thinking about and exploring a topic of study en route to acquiring knowledge. Throughout this article, we take the theoretical position that a topic of study is analogous to a conceptual “landscape” about which knowledge is best acquired by “traversing” it from a variety of perspectives. In this system, different forms of reading and writing represent the “traversal routes” through which an individual can explore a given content domain. Specifically, we wish to argue that more complex or diverse combinations of different forms of reading and writing provide a learner with the means to conduct a more critical inquiry of a topic by virtue of the multiple perspectives or ways of “seeing” and thinking that these reading and writing exchanges permit. Finally, in light of this theoretical orientation, we contend that the ability to direct dynamically one's own reading and writing engagements en route to learning is central to conducting an inquiry of this nature. This perspective suggests a reexamination of a line of research that has pursued the question of how writing in combination with reading influences thinking and learning.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether or nor the floating form of Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique (REST) may be exploited within the field of competitive archery to reinforce primary process (inner-directed) orientation and thereby enhance the quality of coaching and training. Floatation REST consists of a procedure whereby an individual is immersed in a water-tank filled with saltwater of an extremely high salt concentration. The experiment was performed over the course of two weekends with a 6-week interval. Twenty participating archers, 13 male and 7 female, were recruited. The between-group factor was “adjudged skill.” The within-group factor was provided by an Armchair condition in which the participants sat in an armchair for 45 min after which they were required to shoot four salvo series of three shots each, as a comparison to the Flotation-Rest condition whereby the participants were required to lie in a floating-tank for 45 min just prior to shooting. Results indicated that: (a) the participants experienced less perceived exertion during marksmanship in the floating condition, (b) the elite archers performed more consistently in the Flotation-REST condition, (c) the least and most proficient archers had lower muscle tension in the Extensor Digitorum in the Flotation REST condition.
The rationale of this article is to review, analyze, and discuss studies concerning the role of Tai Chi in stress management and well-being, linking those studies to research on exercise, yoga, and relaxation with regard to physiological and psychological wellness. All studies reported in PsychLit and Medline between 1996 and 1999 directly related to the subject, plus other studies relevant for the analysis, are addressed in this review. Studies reviewed in this article characterize Tai Chi as a form of moderate exercise. Although Tai Chi may not be suitable for achieving aerobic fitness, it may enhance flexibility and overall psychological well-being. Cognitively, there are indications that Tai Chi exercise may lead to improvements in mood. However, it is not clear whether the positive effects of Tai Chi are due solely to its relaxation and meditation component, or whether they are the consequence of various peripheral factors, since it is known that stress reduction often occurs when we indulge in activities we find pleasurable and satisfying. An important finding is that all studies on the benefits of Tai Chi for senior adults have revealed positive results.
Assessment is discussed as a key part of instruction. Several evaluation approaches are described, such as process approach to writing instruction, talking about writing, writing about what has been written including progress logs and self-reflective essays, and portfolio evaluation. (15 references) (LB)
Explored whether or not flotation restricted environmental technique (REST) facilitates the creative problem-solving ability and originality. Sample 1 consisted of 40 Ss (aged 19–31 yrs), 20 men and 20 women, randomly assigned in equal numbers to either a nonREST group (armchair-sitting) or to a floating REST group. Both groups worked on a "chain puzzle" for 5 min and were then interrupted with 45 min of sitting or floating. The Ss were then given the task of continuing with the creative problem-solving test. Sample 2 consisted of 54 Ss (aged 19–33 yrs), 27 men and 27 women, randomly assigned in equal numbers to either a nonREST group (armchair-sitting), a dryREST group (lying on a couch in a dark room) or a flotation REST group. The groups then had to fill in a couple of paper-and-pen tests and were given scores on fluency, obvious answers, original answers, elegance and deductive thinking. The results (impaired creative problem-solving ability and higher originality for the floating group) were interpreted as an indication of cognitive function where the primary process still dominates over the secondary process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Thirty-one patients suffering from chronic tension headache participated in one of four procedures, each of which comprised two one-and-one-half hour sessions per week for 4 weeks. The conditions were: Chamber/Control (both weekly sessions lying on a bed in a dimly-lit room), and three active treatment procedures: Chamber/Tank, one session as above, the other floating in a dark, silent REST tank; Chamber/Relaxation, one as above, one doing progressive muscle relaxation exercises; and Tank/Relaxation, one session floating and one doing progressive muscle relaxation. By 6 months after the end of treatment, complete data had been obtained from 20 subjects. There was a significant overall decrease in headache reports; the active treatment groups collapsed improved significantly more than the control group. At the 6-month followup, the treatment groups showed continuing improvement (57% over end of treatment for the Tank-Relaxation group and a mean of 25% for the other two), whereas the control group had deteriorated by 34% since end of treatment. Clinical improvements were comparable to those of more time- and effort-consuming relaxation therapies, and confirm the usefulness of REST as a long-lasting and versatile treatment in behavioral health.
This article describes a scale measuring dispositional optimism, defined in terms of generalized outcome expectancies. Two preliminary studies assessed the scale's psychometric properties and its relationships with several other instruments. The scale was then used in a longitudinal study of symptom reporting among a group of undergraduates. Specifically, respondents were asked to complete three questionnaires 4 weeks before the end of a semester. Included in the questionnaire battery was the measure of optimism, a measure of private self-consciousness, and a 39-item physical symptom checklist. Subjects completed the same set of questionnaires again on the last day of class. Consistent with predictions, subjects who initially reported being highly optimistic were subsequently less likely to report being bothered by symptoms (even after correcting for initial symptom-report levels) than were subjects who initially reported being less optimistic. This effect tended to be stronger among persons high in private self-consciousness than among those lower in private self-consciousness. Discussion centers on other health related applications of the optimism scale, and the relationships between our theoretical orientation and several related theories.
This pilot project investigated the effects of controlled frequent brief REST relaxation sessions on the blood pressure of three subjects with borderline essential hypertension. A flotation REST system was used, and subjects had 2 or 3 sessions weekly for 2 months. All three subjects had blood-pressure reductions of a clinically significant magnitude across the treatment and follow-up periods.
The overall goal of this presentation is to demonstrate the interdisciplinary approach of health professionals and how we are investigating the benefits of using a flotation tank in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is one of a large group of diseases in which inflammatory changes and pain are the major features. The effects of these changes on patient mobility and function are so profound that they cause significant changes in the patient’s ability to earn a living, as well as his/her social status.
Every year between 33% and 42% of adults experience insomnia (Bixler, Kales, Soldatos, Kales, & Healy, 1979; Mellinger, Balter, & Uhlenhuth, 1985). The inability to get adequate sleep is a symptom that can be either primary or secondary in nature. Seven of nine subclasses are considered secondary. Only two are thought of as primary insomnias; that is, insomnias with no obvious underlying cause, such as a medical or psychiatric condition (Association of Sleep Disorder Centers [ASDC], 1979). The second most common insomnia to be treated is “persistent, psychophysiological insomnia” (Coleman, Roffwarg, & Kennedy et al., 1982).
The purpose of this study was to investigate if experiences induced by flotation-REST (in flotation-tank) are affected by settings or subjects earlier experiences of altered states of consciousness (ASC). No such significant differences were found. Significant effects owing to flotation-REST were found regarding reduction in experienced pain and enhancement of mood. Flotation-REST was considered a pleasurable technique. Different kinds of visual and acoustic effects, altered time perception, and a sense of weightlessness have been reported. Also, deep transpersonal experiences were quite common, and could be distinguished into three types: experiences of one's own childbirth/delivery; feeling of cosmic unity; and experiences of losing contact with the body or out-of-body experiences. Flotation-REST must be regarded as a consciousness-altering method with promising potential for clinical and therapeutic use.
The ideas presented in this book have been incubating for over 25 years. I was in the first grade, I believe, when the ideas that eventually developed into this social psychology of creativity first began to germinate. The occasion was art class, a weekly Friday afternoon event during which we were given small reproductions of the great masterworks and asked to copy them on notepaper using the standard set of eight Crayola® crayons. I had left kindergarten the year before with encour agement from the teacher about developing my potential for artistic creativity. During these Friday afternoon exercises, however, I developed nothing but frus tration. Somehow, Da Vinci's "Adoration of the Magi" looked wrong after I'd fin ished with it. I wondered where that promised creativity had gone. I began to believe then that the restrictions placed on my artistic endeavors contributed to my loss of interest and spontaneity in art. When, as a social psy chologist, I began to study intrinsic motivation, it seemed to me that this moti vation to do something for its own sake was the ingredient that had been missing in those strictly regimented art classes. It seemed that intrinsic motivation, as defined by social psychologists, might be essential to creativity. My research pro gram since then has given considerable support to that notion. As a result, the social psychology of creativity presented in this book gives prominence to social variables that affect motivational orientation.
There is a conception that a uniquely positive correlation prevails between the intake of alcohol and creativity, but only a few experimental studies address this subject. Existing studies together with recent experiments are reviewed. This later series of experiments explored whether or not moderate alcohol intoxication (1.0 ml of 100% alcohol/kg body weight) facilitated different phasesof the creative process, i.e. preparation, incubation, illumination, verification, and restitution. A hypothesis is derived which postulates that modest alcohol consumption inhibits aspects of creativity based mainly on the secondary process (preparation, certain parts of illumination, and verification), and disinhibits those based mainly on the primary process (incubation, certain parts of illumination, and restitution).
Research over the last 25 years on the contribution of aloneness to creativity enhancement has had mixed results. Early studies of sensory deprivation generally found negative effects while more recent research on flotation isolation has reported positive influence. Sports performance, for example, has been improved by means of directed imagery and flotation aloneness. However, there has been only one study which has attempted to enhance creativity through the flotation method and while this study reported positive results, it lacked several control features and was based on a very small sample of highly selected subjects.The present study was designed to evaluate directly the potential contribution of floating to creativity enhancement as measured by the Guilford fluency test and other measures. Subjects were male and female university students, half of whom spent one hour in a float environment and the other half in a darkened room. Each was tested before and after experimental trial on the Guilford and other creativity measures and on two personality/affect scales. Float subjects showed significant increases on the Guilford test from the pre- to post-float and meaningful increases on other thinking measures as compared to non-floating control subjects. Floating was associated with a decrease in anxiety/tension, depression, hostility, and fatigue, but with an increase in vigor and a maintenance of curiosity scores, and it is speculated that the creativity benefits may be a result of these state changes.
Basic research has documented reliable changes in emotional. cognitive, behavioral, and psychophysiological functioning as the effects of two related techniques that drastically reduce the level of environmental stimulation: chamber and flotation restricted environmental stimulation therapy (REST). Studies applying these findings in medical. psychotherapeutic, and behavioral health contexts have shown reductions in stress and inappropriate behavior among patients suffering from drug-induced mania. agitation, autism, and Alzheimer's syndrome; reduced phobic symptoms; Significantly lower relapse in habit modification interventions (e.g., smoking, alcohol intake, and weight loss); improved stress management and the amelioration of tension headaches, insomnia, and other stress-related symptoms; reduction of chronic pain; and better muscle control among cerebral palsy patients and others. The broad benefits of chamber and flotation REST. used alone or in combination with other intervention techniques, warrant further investigation and clinical use.
A manual of techniques for teaching writing in classes of English as a second language (ESL) encourages composition beyond elementary-level sentence exercises. The objectives include communicating to a reader, expressing ideas without the pressure of face-to-face communication, exploring a subject, recording experiences, and becoming familiar with the conventions of English discourse. An introductory chapter outlines various approaches to writing in ESL: controlled-to-free, free-writing, paragraph-pattern, grammar-syntax-organization, communicative, and process. Subsequent chapters discuss these techniques: seven basic questions for planning the class; using pictures; using readings; using all language skills; teaching practical writing; using controlled writing; teaching organization; and responding to students' writing. A section providing ideas for class activities follows each chapter. (MSE)
Discusses the restricted environmental stimulation technique (REST) and its 2 major versions: a prolonged session in a dark, soundproof room or shorter periods floating in a dark, silent tank containing a warm saline solution. These applications are useful in the treatment of addictive behaviors with regard to the successful initiation of long-term habit change and achievement of deep relaxation. It is suggested that REST can provide a safe, versatile, and cost-effective tool for health professionals dealing with behavioral problems. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
(
This reprinted article originally appeared in the Journal of Experimental Psychology,
1935, Vol 18, 643–662. The following abstract of the original article appeared in PA, Vol 10:1863.) In this study pairs of conflicting stimuli, both being inherent aspects of the same symbols, were presented simultaneously (a name of one color printed in the ink of another color—a word stimulus and a color stimulus). The difference in time for reading the words printed in colors and the same words printed in black is the measure of the interference of color stimuli on reading words. The difference in the time for naming the colors in which the words are printed and the same colors printed in squares is the measure of the interference of conflicting word stimuli on naming colors. The interference of conflicting color stimuli on the time for reading 100 words (each word naming a color unlike the ink-color of its print) caused an increase of 2.3 sec or 5.6% over the normal time for reading the same words printed in black. This increase is not reliable, but the interference of conflicting word stimuli on the time for naming 100 colors (each color being the print of a word which names another color) caused an increase of 47.0 sec or 74.3% of the normal time for naming colors printed in squares.… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This book is about the latest scientific thinking and research regarding stress and coping. My goal is to provide essential background information for anyone who desires to be "stress literate" in an important, expanding, and often confusing field. This book is for anyone interested in the exciting new study of stress. It is of particular interest to college students in health professions, including psychology, counseling, nursing, social work, personnel administration, medicine, and psychiatry. Those in business and education will find important information on stress and performance. Students will discover new tools for understanding problems of living. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Investigated the effect of psychological stress on the generation of ideas in divergent problem solving. The subjects (39 undergraduates) were administered 4 divergent thinking tests (alternate uses, story and figure interpretations, and block arrangements) in 2 situations: under stress and when relaxed (control). Performance on all tests was decreased from the stress induced by a threatening examination situation: the number of ideas (ideational fluency), the number of response categories (spontaneous flexibility), and the percentage of original responses were all reduced. The projection of anxiety and of a sense of threat upon the content of the generated ideas was more frequent, while ideas of aggressive and asocial content were less frequent in the stress than in the relaxed condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Potential creativity as measured by the Alternate Uses Test, remoteness of word associations, and rated creativity of fantasy stories was found to be related to primary process content in written fantasy stories. Psychoticism and openness to experience have been found to be related to creativity. There are theoretical reasons to think that they might also be related to use of primary process cognition. However, neither potential creativity nor primary process content were significantly correlated with either psychoticism or openness to experience. An exploratory factor analysis, though, suggests that creativity, primary process cognition, extraversion, and psychoticism are interrelated. The common train linking them together may be disinhibition.
Five psychology faculty members each spent six 90-min sessions sitting alone in their office and six 1-hour sessions floating in a restricted environmental stimulation tank (REST) (warm saline solution, darkness and silence). The order of environments was counterbalanced. During the office sessions and for 30 min after each REST session, subjects dictated ideas concerning their research into a tape recorder. Subsequent self-ratings showed that novel ideas generated after REST were ‘better’ (more creative) than those developed in office sessions. Interview reports identified experiences compatible with the hypothesis that REST induces a ‘twilight state’. Mood ratings showed that REST was associated with trends towards a higher level of vigor and lower levels of tension, anger, depression, fatigue and confusion. These findings support the prediction that REST would facilitate high-level creative behavior and positive affect.
This paper is about the use of reformulation as a strategy for the teaching of academic writing, but more especially about
the exploratory investigation of the use of reformulation for such purposes. Its main aim, therefore, is to add to our understanding
of the workings of such a strategy. In the first part of the paper the reformulation strategy is itself described, as it has
been developed and used with non-native writers of English in a British university setting. The strategy generates a rich
database of writing samples which permits the pursuit of a number of precise research questions. In the second part of the
paper the selected text measures are described, and the third part then reports the preliminary application of these text
measures to the data from two case studies, in response to the research questions already established. In conclusion it is
emphasized that although the results are consistent with a generally positive interpretation of the strategy's effects they
should be seen as helping us understand the reformulation strategy rather than as attempting to prove its validity. In particular
they suggest that the class discussion that follows the provision of the reformulated version may be crucial to the strategy's
successful operation, and perhaps more influential than the reformulation itself.
BENEATH man's thin veneer of consciousness lies a relatively uncharted realm of mental activity, the nature and function of which have been neither systematically explored nor adequately conceptualized. Despite numerous clinical and research reports on daydreaming, sleep and dream states, hypnosis, sensory deprivation, hysterical states of dissociation and depersonalization, pharmacologically induced mental aberrations, and so on, there has been little attempt made to organize this scattered information into a consistent theoretical system. It is my present intention to integrate and discuss current knowledge regarding various altered states of consciousness in an effort to determine (a) the conditions necessary for their emergence, (b) the factors which influence their outward manifestations, (c) their relatedness and/or common denominators, and (d) the adaptive or maladaptive functions which these states may serve for man.
For the purpose of discussion, I shall regard "altered state(s) of consciousness" [hereafter referred
The restricted environmental stimulation technique or REST is a method of relaxation where the level of environmental sensory inputs is kept very low. A particular REST technique called tank flotation, or flotation REST, consists of 1 h sessions in a tank containing water with a high salt content and maintained at 35.5 degrees C. In this protocol, five normal subjects were studied before and during 2 h after a 60 min flotation REST session and a control session of 60 min in a supine position on a bed. Cortisol, thyreostimulating hormone (TSH), thyroxine (T4), prolactin, melatonin, luteinizing hormone (LH), growth hormone (GH), beta-endorphin, vasopressin (ADH), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were measured in plasma. HVA, 5-hydroxy-indoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) and vanylmandelic acid (VMA) were measured in urine. There were no changes in hormones concentrations that could be attributed to flotation REST. The urinary excretion of VMA was lower after the flotation REST session. The psychological consequences of flotation REST were more easily demonstrated than the neuroendocrine changes that are assumed to reflect the state of relaxation. Flotation REST increased subjective levels of sedation and euphoria. The possible mechanisms by which flotation REST induces relaxation are discussed.
The Martens, Vealey, and Burton (1990) model of competitive anxiety contains perceived uncertainty, perceived importance, and competitive trait anxiety (A-trait) as key determinants affecting a person's perception of threat and competitive state anxiety (A-state). This experiment tested perceived uncertainty of outcome and A-trait influences on A-state. Club level golfers (N = 72) were assigned to either a low uncertainty condition (LU) or a high uncertainty (HU) condition. In this experiment participants were matched and competed for 12 golf balls in a modified chipping competition. Participants also completed the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory -2 and the Match Orientation Questionnaire (a measure of perceived uncertainty) prior to, and during breaks in the competition. Players alternated in taking four rounds of eight shots from a zone marked approximately 30 metres from the hole. A series of tests did not support the manipulation of uncertainty. This was probably due to likely losers and likely winners not experiencing similar levels of A-state, as Martens et al. assume. Recoding the uncertainty data to reflect levels of confidence, and entering confidence and A-trait into multiple regression equations resulted in these two variables accounting for between 15% and 23% of the A-state variance at different stages of the competition. Recommendations for future research, and possible revisions of the model in light of the present findings are discussed.
This study investigated the physioacoustic chair's, i.e., an application of low-frequency sound waves, possible psychological effects with respect to deductive thinking and creativity as well as its possible effect on heart rate. Subjects, 21 men and 21 women, were randomly assigned in equal numbers to three groups: a control group, a placebo group, i.e., a group who believed that they underwent a physioacoustic treatment program which they however did not undergo, and a physioacoustic treatment group. After manipulation, subjects were required to take three psychological tests (measuring fluency and originality, preconscious thinking, and deductive thinking) in random order. During the entire experiment, subjects' heart rates were registered every minute. Analysis showed no significant differences among the groups with respect to psychological effects or to heart rate. The results were interpreted to mean that the physioacoustic chair provides a form of relaxation which does not produce effects on the creative process.
Analyzing developing discourse structure: the Nordwrite project
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REST-assisted relaxation and chronic pain
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Testa din engelska språkfärdighet
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