bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Contextual Interference, Task Difficulty, and Levels of Processing on Pursuit Tracking
Authors: Whitehurst Michael , Del Rey Patricia
Published: September 2011

Based on an activity questionnaire, 48 females without experience in open sports skills were selected to track a moving light beam through either a circle, square, or triangular target area on a pursuit rotor. Contextual interference was created by presenting 5 velocities in either a random or a blocked context during acquisition. Level of processing was manipulated by having half of all subjects classify acquisition velocities by a predetermined numerical code. Time-on-target (TOT) was measured after each acquisition, retention, and transfer trial. Subjects tracking the circle produced higher TOTs than those who tracked the square or triangle (which did not differ from one another) across all three phases of the experiment; blocked and random acquisition groups were not significantly different from one another in acquisition, retention, or transfer. Subjects who classified acquisition velocities and tracked the circle under the blocked acquisition context produced significantly higher retention scores than those who tracked the circle but did not classify acquisition velocities. Transfer was facilitated for subjects who tracked the triangle in a random transfer context and classified velocities during acquisition. Results were discussed as providing support for the manipulation of the level of cognitive processing during the initial stage of learning. In addition, manipulating task difficulty was discussed.
Reaction Time as Related to Ball Color
Authors: Koslow Robert E.
Published: September 2011

The subjects were 32 college student volunteers all assessed to have normal or corrected normal visual abilities. Each subject reacted to each of five variously colored balls 100 times per day over a 2-day period. These balls randomly appeared at one of four locations in the subjects' visual field. Analysis indicated that the effect of color was nonsignificant. The location of stimuli was significant; faster reactions occurred at the locations closest to the subjects' point of fixation.
Relation of Selected Variables to Improvement of Children's Problem-Solving Abilities
Authors: Karkheck Russell H. , Hogan John D.
Published: September 2011

104 students in Grade 5, participating in a program designed to improve problem-solving skills, were evaluated to determine those characteristics which best predicted improvement. Neither locus of control nor cognitive tempo were significant predictors. Pretest verbal fluency was the dominant and highly significant predictor of all posttest scores of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking.
Automotive Headlighting: Effect of Foreground Illumination
Authors: Olson Paul L. , Sivak Michael
Published: September 2011

Described are studies of the relationship between the level of foreground illumination provided by automotive headlamps and the driver's eye-fixation pattern and ability to identify objects ahead of the car. Analysis indicates that the driver's eye fixations tended to move further from the car at high levels of foreground illumination. There were no differences in distance of target identification as a function of level of foreground illumination.
Effects of Imagery Ability and Instructions on Recall of Information on Spatial Location
Authors: Housner Lynn , Griffey David
Published: September 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of ability to image visually and imagery instructions on recall of information on spatial locations. 18 high and 18 low visual-imagers reproduced six spatial locations in each of six conditions of reproduction: immediate reproduction, 10-sec, 20-sec., 30-sec., and 40-sec. unfilled retention intervals and a 30-sec. distraction condition in which subjects performed a competing visualization task. Half of the high and low visual-imagers received instructions to use visual imagery as a retention strategy, while the others received no instructions. Analysis indicated that high visual-imagers reproduced spatial locations with less error than low visual-imagers. In addition, the distraction condition disrupted recall for all subjects. However, instructions for imagery did not influence recall.
Timing Information Provided by Trial-Stimulus Onset and Offset in a Sign-Tracking Procedure
Authors: Christian Beverly Jane , Hurst Philip , Allred Thomas , Palya William L.
Published: September 2011

Four types of stimulus-food contingencies were compared for effectiveness in producing and maintaining trial-stimulus pecking in pigeons. The four trial-stimulus contingencies were: (a) fixed-length trials contiguous with food, (b) variable-length trials contiguous with food, (c) fixed-length trials with fixed-length trace intervals preceding food, and (d) variable-length trials with variable-length trace intervals preceding food. In all cases the inter-trial interval was variable with a 30-sec. mean and the trial stimulus was 5 sec. or 5 sec. on the average. Trial-stimulus pecking was rapidly acquired when the trial stimulus was contiguous with food, whereas the trace procedures produced pecking in only a few pigeons and then only after considerable training. Neither variability in the trial-stimulus length nor in the trace interval reliably affected acquisition or maintenance.
Effect of Endurance Training on Perceived Exertion and Stress Hormones in Women
Authors: Skrinar Gary S. , Ingram Sue P. , Pandolf Kent B.
Published: September 2011

Fifteen women (20- to 23-yr.-old), engaged in an intensive 6- to 8-wk. endurance running program, progressively increased distance from 20 miles during the first week to 50 miles during the fifth week and thereafter. Before (T1), during (T2), and after training (T3), submaximal treadmill runs of 1-hr. duration subdivided into three successive 20-min. segments were completed at approximately 60, 70, and 80% of maximal oxygen uptake, respectively. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were differentiated to obtain local (L), central (C), and over-all (O) responses during these 20-min. segments. Subjects rated the effort during the final 30 sec. of each 5-min. interval. Upon completion of each exercise segment, blood samples were drawn for analysis of lactate (Hla), epinephrine (E), and norepinephrine (NE) to determine the relationship between the differentiated RPEs and these stress markers. Endurance training significantly lowered central and over-all ratings of perceived exertion between T1 and T3 runs but no change occurred in the L-RPE responses to muscular and joint strain. Significant correlations between the stress markers and RPE pooled across sessions were observed during the three treadmill sessions (Hla vs L-RPE, η, = 0.68; E vs C-RPE, η = 0.54; and NE vs C-RPE, η, = 0.63). These findings indicate that central and over-all ratings of perceived exertion may be more readily influenced by intensive endurance training than local ratings. In addition, while lactate levels may be related to local ratings of perceived exertion, catecholamine levels appear to be associated with central ratings.
Brief Note Comparing the Rotter and Levenson Measures of Locus of Control
Authors: Blau Gary J.
Published: September 2011

This study investigated the factor stability and reliability of the 1966 Rotter and 1972 Levenson measures. The latter was more factorially stable, and little difference in reliability was noted based upon a sample of 497 business undergraduates. A scale (Chance) within the Levenson measure is suggested as an expedient way to measure locus of control.
Experimental Study of Aggression and Catharsis in Japanese
Authors: Tachibana Yoshiharu , Ohgishi Miohitaka , Monden Kotaro
Published: September 2011

28 Japanese subjects were tested to investigate how aggressive motive and TAT fantasy writing would influence provoked subjects. To examine this psychologically and physiologically subjects' changes in affect and respiration rate were measured. The results showed significant provocation and cathartic effects.
ROD and Frame Test Scores and Verbalized Strategies
Authors: Fernández-Ballesteros Rocío , Manning Lilianne
Published: September 2011

The cognitive strategies used by 31 college students, 15 men and 16 women, while solving the Rod and Frame Test in a dark room were evaluated. These strategies were analyzed in terms of the subjects' performance on the task. Those who scored lower and who were better performers on the task, used significantly more “internal” strategies than those subjects with higher scores (worse performers) who in turn employed a great number of “external” strategies in solving the task.
Effects of Laterality and Visual Angle on Time Judgments: A Phenomenological Investigation of Time Durations
Authors: Mandes Evans
Published: September 2011

20 students from an undergraduate class participated in an experiment designed to study the effects of laterality and visual angle on time judgments. Using a standard two-field tachistoscope, subjects were exposed to two experimental conditions, (1) stimulus cards with a single red or blue dot in the center and several dots clustered on both sides near the center and equidistant from it (visual angle of .6°) and (2) stimulus cards with a single red or blue dot in the center and several dots clustered on both sides away from the center on the edge of the card (visual angle of 2.6°). Five cards containing a single red or blue dot were used to control for response bias. The subjects were asked to indicate whether they saw dots in the left, right, or both fields, and whether they perceived a time duration between fields. No difference in time duration exisited, however, as all cards were exposed to both fields for equal durations. The predictions that the judged duration of dot patterns would be more accurate favoring the left visual-field and more accurate where the distance between the point of fixation and stimulus was larger were supported.
Dimensionality of Body Awareness Revisited
Authors: Iagolnitzer Edmond R. , Bruchon-Schweitzer Marilou
Published: September 2011

In the past years, Bruchon-Schweitzer investigated body image and personality using Fisher's Body Focus Questionnaire. Eventually principal component analyses were performed on scores of males and females and the first two components were interpreted. Reihman and Fisher criticized the approach on statistical and methodological bases. This paper demonstrates that (i) there are severe inner statistical inconsistencies in their presentation and (ii) their argument largely contradicts Fisher's (1970) original work.
Relationship between Grammatical Errors on Rotter's Scale and Performance on Educational Tests for Students Suspected of Having Learning Problems
Authors: Eno Lawrence , Woehlke Paula
Published: September 2011

82 public school students who were referred for psychological evaluations because learning problems were suspected were administered the Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank: High School Form and the protocols scored for errors in grammar. Grammatical errors were moderately correlated with performance on the reading and spelling subtests of the Wide Range Achievement Test and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test. Factor analyses suggested the existence of an independent factor for grammatical errors.
Effects of Omitting One to Five Subtests on Wais-R Full Scale Reliability
Authors: Mittenberg Wiley , Ryan Joseph J.
Published: September 2011

Reliability of the WAIS-R Full Scale IQ was calculated after each subtest had been omitted individually. The effect of removing the two to five Verbal and Performance subtests that lowered reliability most was then determined. Deletion of any individual subtest or the omission of the entire Performance scale produced negligible effects. Modest decreases were noted with deletion of combinations of Verbal subtests, but five verbal subtests were removed before reliability fell below the desirable level of .95. Cautions were expressed concerning the use of unvalidated short-forms even when reliability remains acceptably high.
Comparison of Learning Styles between Physical Education and Dance Majors
Authors: Zakrajsek Dorothy B. , Johnson Rebecca L. , Walker Diane B.
Published: September 2011

Learning styles of dance and physical education majors were described and compared. Subjects were 167 declared majors in 1982 from 9 universities (87 PE, 80 dance; 44 males, 115 females). Kolb's Learning Style Inventory which measures abstractness or concreteness and activity or reflectivity was given. By t test (.05) no significant differences in preferred learning style were found between majors or genders.
Stimulus Structure in Visual Persistence: An Examination of Selective Adaptation Effects on Phenomenal Continuity
Authors: Burns Barbara
Published: September 2011

The effects of adaptation by stimuli composed of the dimensions of color, orientation and size were measured on the visual persistence of a red vertical 3.5 c/d grating. Adaptation by the stimulus that shared an identical level on each of the three-component dimensions of the test stimulus decreased the visual persistence of the test stimulus. There was no effect of adaptation on visual persistence when the adapting stimulus and test stimulus shared an identical level on zero-, one-, or two-dimensional components. The present results extend the investigation of selective adaptation effects on visual persistence by Meyer, Lawson, Cohen, and Maquire to color, size and orientation. In addition, these results are in excellent agreement with Burns' finding that physically integral stimuli are represented in iconic memory as integral unitary wholes and not as dimensional components.
Judgment of Facial Expressions of Emotion as a Function of Exposure Time
Authors: Kirouac Gilles , Doré François Y.
Published: September 2011

The purpose of this experiment was to study the accuracy of judgment of facial expressions of emotions that were displayed for very brief exposure times. Twenty university students were shown facial stimuli that were presented for durations ranging from 10 to 50 msec. The data showed that accuracy of judgment reached a fairly high level even at very brief exposure times and that human observers are especially competent to process very rapid changes in facial appearance.
Perceived Effect of Direct and Indirect Participation by Employees
Authors: Lavy Chaim
Published: September 2011

Employees' perceptions of participation in decision-making showed for 270 employees direct participation day to day is positively associated with stronger perceived participation whereas indirect participation is associated with different perceptions. Distinguishing between direct and indirect participation is useful.
Evoked Potentials by Letters in Printed and Script Forms
Authors: Mecacci Luciano , Salmaso Dario
Published: September 2011

Visual evoked potentials were recorded for 6 adult male subjects in response to single vowels and consonants in printed and script forms. Analysis showed the vowels in the printed form to have evoked responses with shorter latency (component P1 at about 133 msec.) and larger amplitude (component P1-N1) than the other letter-typeface combinations. No hemispheric asymmetries were found. The results partially agree with the behavioral data on the visual information-processing of letters.
Psychosexual Symbolism in the Handwriting of Men and Women
Authors: Anderson Timothy , Wolowitz Howard
Published: September 2011

It was hypothesized that handwriting would reflect psychosexual differences in self-gender representations. The letter “I” was examined as potentially most representative of self for the ratio of height to width in samples of 14 male and 25 female university and 20 male and 16 female high school students. As predicted, this ratio was significantly more elongated for the men than for women in both samples.
The Limits of Verbal Pain Descriptors
Authors: Nehemkis Alexis M. , Charter Richard A.
Published: September 2011

The evidence that verbal descriptors can reliably portray the sensory and affective qualities of pain states and various clinical groupings of pain patients is examined. Support for the proposition that different pain syndromes can be distinguished on the basis of such word patterns is lacking.
Use of the NCA-Modified Assessment with a Population of Intoxicated Drivers
Authors: Gurnack Anne M.
Published: September 2011

Given the proliferation of state laws affecting drunk drivers, the recently passed Wisconsin provision which mandates alcohol assessment for all convicted offenders is of particular interest. When applied during a 2-yr. period in Racine County, WI (1 yr. prior to the enactment of the policy and 1 yr. after passage), most of the persons assessed for operating a vehicle while intoxicated were judged to be irresponsible users of alcohol (social drinkers). Those assessed as alcohol dependent were numerous and were sent to treatment rather than educationally oriented rehabilitation programs. Addressing the issue of predicting which factors would influence the referral to education versus treatment programs, the study showed that repeaters, users of the human services, and those persons having higher concentrations of blood alcohol tended to be sent to treatment. Use of the MOD-CRIT assessment instrument provides the state alcohol treatment system with a means by which drinking drivers can systematically be referred to appropriate rehabilitation programs. Although some margin of error may exist during the assessment process, mandatory assessment is deemed preferable to individualized reports that are open to bias and interpretation.
Manual Performance in the Cold with Gloves and Bare Hands
Authors: Rogers William H. , Noddin Ernest M.
Published: September 2011

Previous research aimed at quantifying and reducing the decrements encountered in performing manual tasks in cold weather has not described the relationships between task characteristics and cold-induced impairments. The amount of decrement and, often times, the optimal means for reducing the decrement, appear to be task-specific. The research reported here is one in a series of studies formulated to explore those relationships. The strategy is to use tasks from the battery developed by Fleishman (1967) to measure the factorially ‘pure’ abilities needed to perform all manual tasks. 24 U.S. Marines performed this battery of nine tasks across a range of cold temperatures. To determine if the decrement due to wearing gloves might be less than the decrement due to cold hands as the air temperature decreased, performance on the battery of tasks was measured with and without gloves. Only three of the tasks (abilities) were affected by cold temperatures, and the amount of decrement increased as the air temperature decreased. Three tasks deteriorated due to wearing of gloves, two of those affected by cold and one other. Temperature affected performance independently of the glove effect. Half of the subjects did not complete bare-handed testing at — 18°C (approximately 20 min.), indicating this is the lower end of the temperature range in which bare-handed performance for more than a few minutes is practical.
Use of Three Writing Tasks at an Adolescent Treatment Center
Authors: Sinatra Richard
Published: September 2011

Adolescent residents placed in a state youth facility for crimes, misdemeanors, and anti-social behavior were presented with three writing modes during their language arts instruction. The modes required that they write a composition based on viewing a slide arrangement (Visual Composition), on imagery generated while the teacher provided sensual impressions (Imagery Composition), and on embellishing and rearranging a list of sentence fragments (Report Writing). The mean of a composition holistically scored prior to the writing treatment was significantly lower than the means of Report, Imagery, and Visual Composition writing for 14 subjects present for all writing tasks. While no significant differences emerged among the writing modes the percent gain over baseline was highest for Visual Composition (50%), a technique in which no printed language cues were available to the writer. Perhaps for problem adolescents with low literacy skills, direct emphasis on traditional and non-traditional, nonverbal approaches to composition may increase writing proficiency.
Rule-Violating Behavior on the Golf Course
Authors: Erffmeyer Elizabeth S.
Published: September 2011

An unobtrusive observation technique was utilized to record the rule-violating behavior of 150 male golfers on a public golf course. The number of golfers in the group as well as the type and frequency of rule violations were recorded. An indirect measure of skill (i.e., the number of strokes) was also recorded for each golfer. Analysis indicated that 50% of the golfers violated at least one of the rules set forth by the USGA. There was a significant relationship between the number of golfers in the group and the number of rule violations, as there was between the skill of the golfer and the number of rule violations. Several possible interpretations of the rule-violating behavior were offered.
The Symbol Digit Modalities Test: A Screening Instrument for Brain-Damaged Children
Authors: Lewandowski Lawrence J.
Published: September 2011

28 brain-damaged males ranging in age from 8 to 16 yr. were compared with 28 nondamaged matching controls on their Symbol Digit Modalities Test performance. The damaged group performed significantly more poorly, and 75% of the subjects scored more than .5 z score below their matched controls. The results suggest that this brief and objective test can be used to screen brain-damaged children when their performance is compared to that of a control group or the normative group.
Temperature-Induced Changes in Neuromuscular Function: Central and Peripheral Mechanisms
Authors: Goodman D. , Hancock P. A. , Runnings D. W. , Brown S. L.
Published: September 2011

Three series of experimental tests were conducted on subjects under both elevated and depressed thermal conditions. Tripartite series consisted of whole-body immersion excepting the head, whole-body immersion excepting the head and response limb, and immersion of the discrete-response limb. Measures of physiological and behavioural responses were made at sequential .4°C changes during whole-body immersions and approximately 5°C changes of water temperature during the immersion of a limb only. Results suggested that velocity of nerve conduction decreased with thermal depression. Premotor, motor, simple, and choice reaction times varied differentially as a function of the hot and cold conditions. Implications of these differential effects on neuromuscular function are examined with respect to person-machine performance in artificially induced or naturally occurring extremes of ambient temperature.
Effects of Intertrial Interval, Orientation, and Adaptation on Orientation Discrimination Measured with a Yes-No Signal Detection Paradigm
Authors: Valle Vincent , Rivera Robert Michael , Matin Ethel
Published: September 2011

Orientation discriminations were measured with a 3-8-cpd sinusoidal grating stimulus and a yes-no signal-detection procedure. Analysis showed that such discriminations are independent of light-adaptation conditions and of intertrial interval over the 2- to 8-sec. range of values explored. However, they are strongly influenced by the orientation where measurements are made (the “oblique effect”).
Ladder Angle and Ankle Flexion While Climbing
Authors: Gabbard Carl , Miller Glenn , Thiebaud Renee
Published: September 2011

39 children 4 to 8 yr. of age were filmed while ascending and descending ladders positioned at 90, 67, 40, 24, 14, and 0° from horizontal. Analysis indicated that the greatest range of motion, i.e., variability, took place at angles of 90, 67, and 40°, and at each angle the deviation was from dorsi- to plantar flexion. While results showed that at each angle more dorsiflexion was exhibited ascending than descending, minimal plantar flexion was noted so most movement occurred in the dorsiflexion range. The greatest deviation (and near maximal movement) was in dorsiflexion at the horizontal (0°) position. Implications for design of play apparatus were presented.
Searching for Correlates of Spatial Ability
Authors: Vandenberg Steven G. , Kuse Allan R. , Vogler George P.
Published: September 2011

A brief questionnaire about sense of direction and mechanical experience correlated with Mental Rotation scores. Several new, experimental measures thought to be related to spatial ability did not in fact correlate with Mental Rotation scores.
Cognitive Antecedents of Dream Recall
Authors: Martinetti Raymond F.
Published: September 2011

222 students completed the Cognitive Processes Survey which assessed imaginal life, orientation toward imaginal life, and defensiveness. Subjects were separated according to number of weekly dreams recalled and tested for short-term memory with the Digit Span of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Analyses of variance showed that imaginal life differed significantly across low, average, and high dream recallers. Orientation toward imaginal life was significant for high dream recallers but not for low recallers. A t test for correlated Digit Span raw scores indicated significant differences between low and high dream recallers. Differences in dream recall seemed better explained by cognitive variables such as short-term memory than attitudinal factors such as defensiveness. Dream recall might be enhanced by increasing the channel capacity of short-term memory and increasing imaginal life through activities such as introspection, daydreaming, and meditation.
Interactive Effects of Noise with Illumination and Age on Activity of Rats
Authors: Delay Eugene R.
Published: September 2011

Locomotor activity of male, albino rats (25, 90, and 200 days old at the start of the experiment) was measured in conditions of light and dark. Continuous and pulsed noises of 50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 dB were presented under each illumination condition. While noise intensity altered activity of all age groups, it interacted with illumination and age, resulting in different sensory-dependent patterns of activity in each age group. The results are interpreted in terms of arousal theory and potential functional development of CNS structures regulating the effects of ambient sensory input on behavior.
Effect of Practice of Correct Symbol Reversals on Reading Achievement by First-Grade Children
Authors: Heydorn Bernard L.
Published: September 2011

Practice in correcting symbol reversals had no significant effect on reading achievement of 41 boys and 36 girls in first grade although there were significant gains in reading and reduction in reversal errors by both groups but no significant difference between the groups in gains or errors.
Comparison of Mothers' and Fathers' Speech with That of Their School-Age Children
Authors: Mullis Ronald L. , Mullis Ann K.
Published: September 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine mothers' and fathers' speech and that of their school-age children. Data were gathered for 32 two-parent families with children (16 boys and 16 girls) between 9 and 10 yr. of age. Parents' speech was categorized as either More Directly Controlling Utterances or Less Directly Controlling Utterances. Other verbal behaviors of parents and children included Mean Length of Utterance, Conversational Turns, and Verbal Responsiveness. Sex-of-parent by sex-of-child interactions were significant for Directly Controlling Utterances and for Mean Length of Utterance, Conversational Turns, and Verbal Responsiveness.
Geophysical Variables and Behavior: XXVI. A Response to Rutkowski's Critique of the Tectonic Strain Hypothesis for UFO Phenomena
Authors: Persinger M. A.
Published: September 2011

The tectonic strain hypothesis for many reports of UFOs (UFORs), primarily odd luminosities and metallic-looking phenomena, has been criticized on the basis of inadequate data. This reply begins with the distinction between the empirical basis for the association between UFORs and seismic activity, the hypothesis, and laboratory experiments. It is emphasized that criticisms of data should be based upon empirical criteria rather than value judgments about scientific credibility. Multivariate and bivariate analyses have indicated systematic relationships between UFORs and earthquake measures within several different areas and for different historical periods. However, the physical mechanisms for the generation of individual UFO events and their relationship to UFORs require closer examination.
Gender Differences in Perceived Physical Self-Efficacy among Older Individuals
Authors: Godin Gaston , Shephard Roy J.
Published: September 2011

Gender differences in perceived physical self-efficacy were investigated in 90 subjects, stratified by sex and age (45 to 54 yr., 55 to 64 yr., and 65 to 74 yr.). Application of the scale by Ryckman, Robbins, Thornton, and Cantrell yielded scores for total perceived physical self-efficacy, perceived physical ability, and confidence in physical self-presentation. Men showed greater efficacy than women on the first two scales. There was no evidence of an age effect in perceived physical self-efficacy.
Effects of Range on Category Scaling of Loudness Judgments
Authors: Payne M. Carr , Corso Gregory M.
Published: September 2011

In two experiments subjects judged the loudness of a 1000-Hz tone within a range of three loudnesses. The first used a within-subjects design with ranges of 1—2 sones, 1—4 sones, and 1—8 sones. The second used a between-subjects design with ranges of 1—2 sones, 1—8 sones, and 1—16 sones. Except for two values in the 1- to 2-sone range the two experiments produced comparable results. As range was increased the tendency to round away from the end points increased and the judged mid-point occurred at a higher value. Comparisons are made with rounding patterns that occur in studies of linear scales. The present results are interpreted to support Poulton's (1975) position, that the mid-point of subjective estimates depends on the range of stimuli judged, rather than that of Stevens (1975), that the mid-point on a prothetic scale is assigned to a value that is lower than the mid-point on the subject's subjective scale.
Development of Sign-Based Perception by Deaf Children
Authors: Hamilton Harley
Published: September 2011

In this study the sign-based perceptual abilities of 59 deaf children are investigated. Like many hearing speaking children, deaf signing children appear to perceive isolated lexical items based on the formational parameters of those items. Also, deaf signers show trends similar to those exhibited by hearing speakers for the development of the perceptual ability necessary to distinguish between minimal pairs within their respective language systems.
Interindividual Differences in Acuity for Odor and Aroma
Authors: Burdach Konrad J. , Köster E. P. , Kroeze Jan H. A.
Published: September 2011

To determine the olfactory acuity of 27 subjects a sensory test was presented which was divided into 4 subtests, 2 for nasal and 2 for oral stimulation. Each subtest contained 28 (4 substances × 7 concentrations) olfactory detection tasks (items). The substances used were lemon and rum aroma as well as ethyl butyrate and amyl acetate, the solvents tap water and sugared tap water. Analysis showed that the test provided a clear differentiation between subjects of low, medium, and high olfactory acuity. The intercorrelations among the test substances and the split-half reliabilities of the subtests proved relatively high, whereas only moderate to low intercorrelations among the subtests were found. This was considered an effect of intraindividual variations of olfactory sensitivity. Finally, some conclusions for the construction of acuity tests for odor and aroma are presented.
Multifactorial Assessment of Reading Disability: Identifying the Best Predictors
Authors: Kerns Kimberly , Decker Sadie N.
Published: September 2011

A multifactorial diagnostic assessment battery was evaluated using data obtained from 105 reading-disabled children and their matched controls (total N = 210). A stepwise discriminant function analysis selected five nonreading measures from among 16 as the best diagnostic predictors of reading disability. These measures included WISC-R Information and Digit Span, self-reported family histories of reading problems, and tests of symbol-processing speed and letter fluency.
A Magnitude-Estimation Response Pool for Production of Lingual Vibrotactile Magnitudes
Authors: Fucc Donald , Petrosino Linda , Harris Daniel
Published: September 2011

The present pilot study was designed to obtain samples of numerical vibrotactile magnitude estimations from two groups of 37 randomly selected subjects ( Mage = 22.04 yr.) and to determine if these numbers were statistically equivalent. Analysis showed the numerical responses of the two groups of subjects were statistically equivalent. It was suggested that they might be viewed as a representative sample of magnitude-estimation numbers that could be employed in experimentation on lingual vibrotactile magnitude production.
Level of Aspiration and Performance of Chronic Psychiatric Patients on a Simple Motor Task
Authors: Nadler Irving M. , Moore Sharon J. , Ryan Timothy T. , Christensen Kathleen M.
Published: September 2011

The level of aspiration and performance was examined for 25 male psychiatric inpatients whose mean age was 57.4 yr. and mean length of hospitalization was 23–6 yr. For a simple motor task involving flipping a plastic chip over a goal line, each patient expressed the ward and his personal pretask levels of aspiration, performed the task, and expressed his personal posttask aspiration. The expressions of both the ward and pretask levels of aspiration were less than the mean score of a nonhospitalized referent group. Both performance and posttask levels of aspiration were greater than the pretask level. More patients predicted they would perform worse than the other patients on the ward than predicted they would perform better. The patients appropriately shifted their levels of aspiration either up after success or down after failure. The results were discussed according to expectations from classical theory as well as findings with schizophrenics. Implications for further research were discussed.
Death Anxiety as a Semantic Conditioned Suppression Paradigm
Authors: Persinger M. A.
Published: September 2011

Death anxiety and more severe forms of thanatophobia are encountered frequently in the clinical population. However, approaches that allow behavioral solutions to these experiences are conspicuously absent in the literature. From an operant perspective, death anxiety arises from repeated exposures to direct and implicit forms of the statement “I will die”. It is the semantic equivalent of a conditioned suppression paradigm. Historically, the human organism has attempted to reduce the aversive consequences of this reinforcement schedule by extinguishing one of its three components. The “solutions” characterize the fundamental philosophical and religious treatments of death anxiety. A behavioral semantics approach is proposed as suitable for dealing with death anxiety of areligious, educated young adults, particularly those dying of terminal diseases.
Perception of Life Stress Events by Older and Younger Women
Authors: Davies Ann D. M. , Hulligan Anne
Published: September 2011

24 women over 60 yr. and 24 younger women rated the severity of life stress events drawn from a pool of events occurring to elderly people. There were no over-all age differences, but rather strong agreement on which events were most threatening. There was some evidence, however, that the old rated ‘severe’ death events as less threatening than younger women.
Auditory Memory-Search
Authors: Boyer Robert W. , Charleston Dodds E.
Published: September 2011

A methodology for an auditory analogue to the visual memory-search task first reported by Sternberg in 1966 was developed to test the effects of processing load with high levels of practice using auditory stimuli and to examine the generality of hypotheses of processing mode based on visual memory search. Simultaneously presented pure tones discriminable by frequency and location were used in a single-presentation, search task. The number of tones in the memory and test sets, the presence or absence of a match, and categorical differences between targets and distractors were varied in a fixed-set procedure using consistent mapping of stimuli to responses such that tones used in the memory set were never used as distractors. Results demonstrated that subjects were able to perform the search tasks even when as many as four pure tones were presented simultaneously. Under conditions in which target and distractor ensembles were composed of a mixture of high and low tones, accuracy and mean reaction time continued to show load effects after extensive practice. Under conditions in which targets were categorically different from distractors, low tones versus high tones, load effects were nonsignificant even at the beginning of practice. Implications for search-task paradigms and for a theory of automaticity are discussed. Parameters that relate automatic and controlled processing to an underlying quantitative continuum ate emphasized.
Space Flight: III. Isolation of Perceptual Variable in Parabola Flight Sickness with Countermeasure to Lower Gastric pH
Authors: Stewart Rod
Published: September 2011

Two factors of space sickness are discussed, one perceptual and the other physiological. Data from 2 adults on KC-135 airplane parabolic flights.
Motoric Indicators of Laterality and Determination of Lateral Dominance in Schizophrenia
Authors: Scott David G.
Published: September 2011

The literature suggests that schizophrenics exhibit reduced or reversed cerebral lateral dominance relative to normal control subjects. An hypothesis which predicted reduced or reversed cerebral laterality for schizophrenics was tested on 60 young, familially right-handed males, with 20 men in each of the following three groups: schizophrenic inpatients, nonschizophrenic psychiatric inpatient controls, and normal controls. The subjects were administered a battery of seven measures of cerebral laterality. The application of multivariate statistical techniques showed groups did not differ significantly in the degree or the direction of their cerebral lateral dominance. Also there were no significant correlations between the measures of laterality. The findings suggest that cerebral lateral dominance is not necessarily altered concomitantly with psychopathology but rather that it is a complex phenomenon which may not be reliably determined on the basis of simple behavioral characteristics.
Perceptual Information for Batting Can Be Extracted Throughout a Ball's Trajectory
Authors: De Lucia Patricia R. , Cochran Edward L.
Published: September 2011

Studies of batters' eye movements have demonstrated that batters do not (or cannot) maintain fixation on the ball throughout its trajectory. In addition, the velocity of a pitched ball, together with the limitations of human reaction time, seems to imply that only the first portions of the ball's trajectory provide information to batters. We prevented nine experienced fast pitch softball players from viewing the ball during the first, middle, or last third of its trajectory and found that seeing the first third of the ball's trajectory is not as critical as had been thought: batters are very good at making do with whichever two-thirds of the ball's trajectory is visible. The results demonstrate the importance of peripheral vision and indicate that batters can extract perceptual information for batting throughout the flight of the ball.
Validity of the Leadership Potential Score of the High School Personality Questionnaire with Talented Students
Authors: Karnes Frances A. , Chauvin Jane C. , Trant Timothy J.
Published: September 2011

The 176 subjects attending a fine and performing arts high school were given the High School Personality Questionnaire to determine the validity of the Leadership Potential Score. The instrument did not differentiate between talented individuals who actually held positions of leadership and those who did not. The two groups did not differ on any of the primary factors of the questionnaire.
Biofeedback and Gifted Children: An Initial Investigation
Authors: Karnes Frances A. , Oehler-Stinnett Judy J. , Jones Gary E.
Published: September 2011

37 intellectually gifted students were given a 15-min. training session in EMG frontalis biofeedback to determine its effectiveness for reduction of stress. While differences across sex in biofeedback training were not found, these highly able students significantly reduced their levels of tension.
Age and Video Game Playing
Authors: McClure Robert F.
Published: September 2011

This study compared attitudes of 216 high school students and 138 mature adults toward playing video-computer games. Younger subjects were more comfortable with video games, liked playing them better, and were more likely to have a computer at home. Older subjects were more afraid of computers, were not aware of the variety of computer games, and did not like playing video games very much.
Health Locus of Control and Voluntary Use of Seat Belts among High School Students
Authors: Desmond Sharon , Price James H. , O'Connell Janelle K.
Published: September 2011

An 18-item Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale published by Wallston, Wallston, and DeVellis in 1978 was given to 124 high school students, 59 of whom wore seat belts and 65 of whom did not. It was hypothesized that nonseat-belt wearers were more likely to be externally oriented than seat-belt wearers but this was not confirmed. Strong scoring internal subjects were not found in this sample of students.
Effects of a Paradoxical Intervention on a Child's Anxiety about Sleep- and Sports-Related Performance
Authors: Dollinger Stephen J.
Published: September 2011

A paradoxical instruction was used to treat a 10-yr.-old boy's complaint of crying when unable to sleep and the daytime equivalent of fearing the public display of crying when failing at sports performances. The instruction resolved both the sleep disturbance and the public crying. The results suggest that, like adults, children may experience anxiety about sleep difficulties and that paradoxical intention may have promise for the treatment of some children's insomnia.
Verbal Responses of Male College Students to Human Figure Paintings Varying in Collative Properties, Perceived Sexuality, and Perceived Aggression
Authors: Heinrichs R. Walter
Published: September 2011

20 male undergraduates rated 60 human figure paintings on verbal scales to index collative variability (e.g., simple-complex), perceived sexuality, and perceived aggression in the stimuli. Regression equations were used to predict epistemic (interest) and diversive (pleasingness) responses to the paintings. Collative variability predicted diversive but not epistemic appreciation. Perceived aggression was the strongest predictor for both types of aesthetic reaction. Perceived sexuality was most strongly related to diversive appreciation. Both linear and nonlinear functions emerged and these were discussed in terms of consistency with Berlyne's 1971 theory of aesthetics.
Geophysical Variables and Behavior: XXXI. Global Geomagnetic Activity during Spontaneous Paranormal Experiences: A Replication
Authors: Schaut G. B. , Persinger M. A.
Published: September 2011

A retrospective analysis was completed of the global geomagnetic activity (aa indices) for the day, month, and year in which subjective experiences of telepathy-clairvoyance ( n — 57), precognition ( n = 56), and post mortem ( n = 74) phenomena were reported to have occurred. All of the experiences referred to death, sudden illness, or intense crisis to members of the family or to friends. The experiences were obtained from a series of first-hand reports from FATE magazine and involved all cases that contained the day, month, and year (1920 through 1967) of occurrence. Days on which telepathy-clairvoyance experiences occurred displayed significantly much lower geomagnetic activity (aa = 13.5 ± 10.9) than days on which the precognition (25.5 ± 23.1) and postmortem (26.4 ± 19.1) cases occurred. The aa values for the days on which the telepathy-clairvoyance experiences occurred were also significantly less than the average geomagnetic activity for the months or years in which the experiences occurred. This was not evident for the other types of cases. Results for telepathic-clairvoyance are similar in both direction and magnitude to those from two other data sources. We conclude that such phenomena should be considered within the framework of behavioral epidemiology.
Effects of Ambient Noise on Time Estimation by Humans
Authors: Delay Eugene R. , Mathey Mianne E.
Published: September 2011

10 male and 10 female undergraduates were asked to estimate 5-, 10-, 15-, and 30-sec. intervals under five intensities of ambient noise (50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 dB). Interval estimates became shorter as the intensity of noise increased from 50 to 80 dB but became longer at 90 dB. The effects of intensity of noise were most prominant in the two longest intervals. These results are interpreted in terms of CNS arousal theory.
Team Approach in Mental Health Services: Generalists or Specialists?
Authors: Shaw Stephen J. , Herron William G. , Poland Harold V.
Published: September 2011

Psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers were compared on their assessments of pathology, treatment techniques, and theoretical orientation for a typical hospitalized psychiatric patient. The purpose was to determine the relationship between treatment-team members' professional discipline and their clinical approach to a patient. Clinical discipline was significantly related to assessment, treatment, and theory. Psychiatrists favored medication, hospitalization, support, and brief, infrequent structured treatment focused on the present and external factors with an aim of social adaptation. Social workers were similar, but added types of treatment and longer, more frequent treatment. Psychologists were unique with an emphasis on psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy aimed at personality change.
Contextual Effects on People's Ratings of Seriousness for Side Effects of Prescription Drugs
Authors: Keown Charles F.
Published: September 2011

Subjects rated the seriousness of 25 side effects. Two contextual effects, varying the health problem for which subjects were taking the drug and providing brief descriptions of side effects, were examined. The group given the scenario of a serious health problem made lower ratings of seriousness than the group given no health problem. Providing subjects with brief descriptions of side effects also lowered their ratings of seriousness. The study has implications for researchers assessing perceptions of risk as well as for designers of consumer information.
Does Rotter's I-E Scale Measure Perceived Competence? A Replica to Graybill-Sergeant
Authors: Palenzuela David L.
Published: September 2011

This article discusses the interpretation put forward by Graybill and Sergeant of considering Collins' 1974 Difficult-Easy World Factor as a measure of perceived competence. Theoretical arguments are presented of how Collins' items do not seem to be linked to the perceived competence dimension postulated by Graybill and Sergeant but rather to the perceived contingency dimension. Several scales of locus of control and perceived self-efficacy were completed by 184 subjects. Stepwise multiple regression analyses offer clear empirical support to these theoretical arguments. The article concludes by suggesting a need to unravel the current confusion to introduce some coherence and to develop a general model of perceived control which will articulare the different constructs which constitute the nexus of confusion.