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An investigation of the relationships between one hundred ninety-nine behavior traits and improvement after lobotomy in seventy-one hospitalized patients produced evidence of more or less significant association of thirty-one
traits, which Peters classes under 'two principles of prediction'. A generally heightened activity level and a state which indicates that integrity and dominance of the cortical centers has not been lost are both favorable to improvement after lobotomy. In support of the first principle is the finding that the traits 'energy, active, restless, alert, agitation, euphoria-elated-or-pleasant, and excited' characterized those who improved while 'psychomotor retardation' characterized those who did not. In support of the second principle is the finding that the traits 'purposive, initiative, independent, aggressive, circumstantial, ambitious, interests evident, reality grasp, apprehensive, speed or flight of ideas, number of fixed ideas greater than two, attentive, sociable, affable and obscene' characterized those patients who improved, while deterioration, sudden violence, apathy, hypophrenic, hallucinations, varied mood, and mood swings characterized those who did not. The findings with respect to the second principle are grouped under the headings 'Directedness of action, which is controlled within the person', 'Reality contact is maintained', 'Ideas are dominant', 'Sociability', and as a negative heading, 'Subcortical control'. A glossary in 'basic English' is included to define these various behavior traits.