bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Perceived Health and Exercise: A Cross-Lagged Panel Correlation
Authors: Salminen Simo
Published: September 2011

The relationship between perceived health and exercise was examined by cross-lagged panel technique with data from a normal sample of 27 men and 25 women. The results support the hypothesis that previous perceived health can predict exercise.
Role of Visual Feedback in Observational Motor Learning of Primary-Grade Children
Authors: Erbaugh Sarah J.
Published: September 2011

Bandura (1977) has suggested that self-observation, or visual feedback, is an important part of the modeling process because the learner uses it to make correct movements. This research was designed to test Bandura's hypothesis as applied to young children. Primary-grade children ( N = 117) learned two different motor tasks, balancing on a stabilometer and jumping a horizontally rotating bar. They performed 15 and 9 trials, respectively, of the tasks under different feedback conditions. Children in the experimental conditions viewed a videotape of their own performance periodically during learning. A three factor (Sex × Condition × Trial Block, 2 × 4 × 3) repeated-measures analysis of variance was applied to performance data. The two major findings extended Bandura's hypothesis to children's observational motor learning. The temporal placement of visual feedback was important during stability learning. The children who viewed their own performance later in learning were able to make subsequent corrections of movement whereas children in the other visual feedback groups did not improve after the initial block of practice trials. The availability of component responses influenced the young boys' ability to reproduce the jumping task. They were unable to anticipate the rotation of the bar even after extensive practice with visual feedback. In conclusion, this investigation suggested that Bandura's hypothesis that self-observation is important may be generalized to children's observational learning of a stability task. Additional research is needed to document the modeling processes during motor development.
Laterality of Cerebral Function: Relations with Anxiety, Repression, and Perception
Authors: Kennelly Kevin J. , Wilcox Gary
Published: September 2011

Based on two factor analyses of data from 67 right-handed undergraduates, a laterality quotient based on forward memory spans, spatial minus digit, divided by their sum, was devised. The hemispheric balance factor for which this quotient served as the principal marker had significant positive loadings by the laterality quotient for the Edinburgh Handedness Questionnaire and by a measure of repressive tendencies, the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Scores from this factor were positively related to global as opposed to analytic perception as measured by the Navon tachistoscopic task. This factor was unrelated to the trait anxiety and working short-term memory factors which also emerged. Trait anxiety was negatively related to global perception. The results raise the possibility that greater degrees of right-handedness may be related to the release of the nondominant right hemisphere from inhibition and that working short-term memory may not be lateralized.
Group Embedded Figures Test: Normative Data for Male Automotive Mechanical Apprentice Tradesmen
Authors: Firth R. S. , Fitzgerald D.
Published: September 2011

The Group Embedded Figures Test was administered to 274 male students enrolled in a part-time automotive mechanical apprenticeship course. Distribution characteristics and the resultant norms are compared to earlier normative data reported in the literature and the test manual. The present sample was similar to the preliminary normative group in field-dependence/independence. A number of questions are raised regarding theoretical assumptions underlying current use of the test.
Language and Visuospatial Abilities in Learning-Disabled, Brain-Damaged, and Nondisabled Young Adults
Authors: O'Donnell James P.
Published: September 2011

This study confirmed the construct validity of dysphasic errors but not of Block Design or dyscopia for 88 male and 22 female young adults, aged 17 to 29 yr. Right-hand sensorimotor deficits correlated with dysphasic errors but not with Block Design. Brain-damaged and learning-disabled with Halstead Impairment Index (HII) ≥ 0.4 differed from nondisabled on both dysphasic errors and Block Design. Learning-disabled with HII < 0.4 differed from nondisabled only for dysphasic errors. As a group, young learning-disabled adults had impaired language abilities. Learning-disabled with HII ≥ 0.4 and brain-damaged had generalized neuropsychological deficits characterized by less adequate language and visuospatial abilities.
Employees' Perception of Group Job Satisfaction
Authors: Hartnett Jack
Published: September 2011

Utilizing the interview method of job satisfaction, the survey was conducted within a communications firm. As part of the survey employees from seven departments were asked to indicate their over-all job satisfaction and their estimates of the job satisfaction of their co-workers. For the entire sample of 136 employees a significant underestimation of co-workers' satisfaction was indicated. Six of the seven departments showed a significant underestimation while the remaining one, although nonsignificant, was in the same direction. Results are discussed in terms of differences in attributional processes of actors and observers. Ramifications of misperception of co-workers' satisfaction are discussed as well as importance of dissemination of results of job satisfaction surveys throughout the organization.
Geophysical Variables and Behavior: XXVIII. Group Health-Care-Seeking Behavior and Meteorological Variables
Authors: Cyr Kenneth A.
Published: September 2011

Outpatient visits to a “subtropical” military medical clinic (group health-care-seeking behavior) were correlated to weather variables via stepwise linear regression. Despite several significant sets of correlations, quantitative ( r, r2, multiple R, multiple Ra and xχ) and qualitative (matrix) analyses did not support the existence of lag/causal relationships between weather and behavior. The largest amount of variance ( r2) attributable to an individual weather variable was 3% for lowest (minimum) daily mean wind speed per month. No regression accommodated more than 36% of variance. Thus, 64% of variance was due to unidentified variables. A winter “seasonal effect” (December and January) was tentatively identified. Group influenza immunizations and 3-day holidays preceded increased visits.
Learning Effects of Knowledge of Results upon Time Estimation
Authors: Montare Alberto
Published: September 2011

College students of both sexes served as their own controls to test three hypotheses in each of two separate experiments designed to assess the learning effects of knowledge of results upon time estimation. The results indicated that (1) knowledge of results in the form of feedback to the nearest hundredth of a second significantly increased the mean accuracy of time estimations obtained by the method of production, (2) that knowledge of results significantly decreased the variance of the time estimations, and (3) that sex difference as a main effect was not significant in either experiment. A major conclusion of the present study was that variance represents an authentic and independent measure of learning.
Autokinesis and Personality
Authors: Jain Santosh
Published: September 2011

The relationships of autokinesis to personality traits for 40 undergraduate students of Delhi University is described. Eight response measures were taken from the subjects on an apparatus that permitted recording of the apparent motion of the autokinetic stimulus in the same plane as the light source. Personality traits of suggestibility, perseveration, oscillation, and personality dimensions were respectively assessed by body-sway test, Necker's Cube, perseveration test, and the MMPI. Analysis indicates no significant relationships between autokinetic phenomena and the various personality traits.
Recognition of Facial Affect in Depression
Authors: Mandal M. K. , Bhattacharya B. B.
Published: September 2011

25 depressed patients recognized a sad face with more errors than 25 normal persons and labeled other expressions as sadness when affective content was not recognized. Correct recognitions for 6 affects were related to the portion of the face depicted. Comparisons of responses of 25 patients diagnosed as having anxiety neuroses showed differences in responses from the depressed patients and normal persons.
Effect of Questionnaire Layout and Size and Issue-Involvement on Response Rates in Mail Surveys
Authors: Jansen J. Harry
Published: September 2011

A pilot study and an experiment on the design of questionnaires was implemented in two surveys. In the first pilot study ( n = 856) layout and page-size were varied; in the experiment ( n = 1360) only the page-size differed. Professional design of the questionnaire had no significant positive effect on the response rates. In the experiment questionnaires of the size 17 × 24 cm had significant higher response rates than the smaller one (14.5 × 21 cm). Questionnaires judged to be salient to or relevant to respondents' interests had a higher response rate.
Geophysical Variables and Behavior: XXX. Intense Paranormal Experiences Occur during Days of Quiet, Global, Geomagnetic Activity
Authors: Persinger Michael A.
Published: September 2011

25 well-documented (and published by Stevenson in 1970) cases of intense paranormal (“telepathic”) experiences concerning death or illness to friends or family were analyzed according to the global geomagnetic activity (the aa index) at the times of their occurrence. The characteristics of these cases were representative of the general literature and occurred between the years 1878 and 1967. All 25 experiences were reported to have occurred on days when the geomagnetic activity was less than the means for those months. Repeated-measures analyses of variance for the daily aa indices for the 7 days before to the 7 days after the experiences confirmed the observation that they occurred on days that displayed much less geomagnetic activity than the days before or afterwards. These results are commensurate with the hypothesis that extremely low frequency fields, generated within the earth-ionospheric cavity but disrupted by geomagnetic disturbances, may influence some human behavior.
Comment on the “Phantom Plateau”
Authors: Powers William T.
Published: September 2011

Increased variability between plateaus in learning curves may be a clue to how reorganization works.
Note on Stimulus Error and the Experienced Subject in Psychophysical Research
Authors: Reinhardt-Rutland A. H.
Published: September 2011

Experienced subjects participate in some psychophysical research. While they may be more responsive to experimental stimuli than naive subjects, they may not be immune from stimulus error, the tendency for subjects to bias their responses given known physical characteristics of the stimulus. A brief examination of the literature concerning processing of changing sound-level and visual spatial frequency may support this contention.
The Phantom Plateau Returns
Authors: Robertson Richard J. , Glines Lawrence A.
Published: September 2011

The question of whether learning curves of such cognitive-motor skills as typing and telegraphic transmission typically show plateaus where presumably subskills are being consolidated has been a matter of controversy. Reinforcement theorists argue that learning occurs steadily if equal amounts of reinforcement are applied to equal amounts of material. However, feedback control theory suggests that a complex skill involves a hierarchy of perceptual variables each level comprising the components of the next level. Plateaus should be expected where a subject must master a task one level at a time. 30 subjects were tested on a computerized “game” containing a three-level hierarchical task. Not all subjects showed plateaus. Verbalizations of the subjects during the task suggested that a crucial difference was in whether the subject worked systematically on one level before attending to the next variable. Among subjects who achieved genuine solutions mathematics and physics students used fewer trials than anthropology and psychology students. Anecdotal evidence suggested that they used hypothesis-testing strategies more frequently. It was also noted that the task might be construed differently by different subjects so they are not necessarily doing the same thing even when perceived as performing the same task by the experimenter.
Snapshot Analysis of Variance: Comparing Groups with Unequal Numbers of Scores per Subject
Authors: Weiss David J.
Published: September 2011

In ongoing research, at a given time some subjects will have produced more scores than others. It may be desirable to conduct a snapshot analysis of the available data to compare the efficacy of the treatments being administered. For balanced designs, a weighted-means analysis which incorporates nesting is proposed, and an example is given.
Microcomputer-Assisted Relaxation
Authors: Baer Lee , Surman Owen S.
Published: September 2011

The present pilot study was designed to test the effectiveness of a microcomputer program developed by the authors to induce relaxation and focused attention, which are common to most clinical stress-reduction and hypnotic procedures. A nonclinical sample of 20 adults used the program on an APPLE lie computer in two 30-min. sessions in a within-subjects design. Repeated measures analyses of variance showed significant decreases in the Spielberger State Anxiety Scale and on a visual analog anxiety scale. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed.
Higher Frequency of Left-Breast Cancer: A Possible Explanation
Authors: Kramer Mary Albert , Albrecht Susan , Miller Ruth Ann
Published: September 2011

A study of 1027 women with unilateral breast cancer showed that ipsilateral breast cancer was more common before age 45 and contralateral thereafter. The data suggest a possible explanation of the higher incidence of left-breast cancer in American women. A higher percentage of left-handed women developed breast cancer before age 45, but the over-all incidence of unilateral breast cancer was not greater in left-handed women than in right-handed or ambihanded subjects.
Effects of Left-Hand Preference on Postinjury Measures of Distal Motor Ability
Authors: Grafman J. , Smutok M. , Vance S. C. , Salazar A. M. , Sweeney J. , Weingartner H.
Published: September 2011

The relationship of preinjury left-hand dominance for motor performance to postinjury distal motor skills following penetrating brain wounds in patients without overt hemiplegia was examined. We studied 13 controls, 13 right-hemisphere brain-damaged patients, and 11 left-hemisphere brain-damaged patients on motor tasks measuring reaction time, strength, and coordination. Our results indicated that no persistent deficits were seen on distal motor tasks in left-handed adults who suffered a penetrating brain wound. These findings are compatible with the relative sparing of persistent neuropsychological deficits in left-handers following brain damage.
Surrounding and Embedded-Movement and the Range Effect
Authors: Crocker P. R. E. , Wilberg R. B.
Published: September 2011

The present study investigated the effects of embedded and surrounding movements on movement reproduction using a modified range-effect paradigm. The results indicated that surrounding not-to-be-remembered movements had little effect on the bias of movement production. In contrast, to-be-remembered embedded movements presented in a random order produced a weak range effect.
Sex and Age Differences in Personal and Global Future Time Perspectives: A Replication
Authors: Tismer K. G.
Published: September 2011

The study represents a replication with 247 German adolescents of an investigation of Finnish teenagers by von Wright and Rauste von Wright in 1977 to probe the extension and thematic content of both personal and global future orientation. Results provide empirical confirmation for findings of the Finnish investigation, especially a more distant “global” future orientation” for boys than for girls.
Verbal Transformation Effect and Auditory Reversals
Authors: Esposito Nicholas J.
Published: September 2011

When specially selected “reversible” words were used as stimuli for the verbal transformation effect, subjects (13 men, 7 women) perceived significantly fewer forms and there was a greater probability that subjects would perceive alternation between two forms of the same stimulus. The results suggest that the similarity between visual reversals and the verbal transformation effect can be increased as a function of type of stimulus and the nature of the instructions.
A Response to Kurt W. Jensen's Article: Sex of the Administrator as a Variable Affecting Drawing a Person
Authors: Epstein Charles , Farylo Bohdan , Waite Bradley , Paludi Michele A.
Published: September 2011

Five methodological, conceptual, and statistical problems in a report by K. W. Jensen are listed.
Performance Evaluation Tests for Environmental Research (Peter): Code Substitution Test
Authors: Pepper Ross L. , Kennedy Robert S. , Bittner Alvah C. , Wiker Steven F. , Harbeson Mary M.
Published: September 2011

The effects of repeated testing on code substitution performance were studied in three experiments to determine reliability and stability of task performance under laboratory and at-sea conditions. In Exp. 1, a single 2-min. testing trial per day was administered to a group of 19 subjects for 15 consecutive weekdays. In the second experiment a 4-min. per-day test was administered to 12 of the 19 original subjects for an additional 15 consecutive weekdays. In Exp. 3, six US Coast Guardsmen were tested hourly for four consecutive days, two days at dockside and two days at sea. In Exps. 1 and 2, means, variances, and cross-session correlations became stable after Day 8. Stabilized reliabilities were .75 for Exp. 1 and .80 for Exp. 2. The results of Exp. 3 were comparable to those obtained in the first two experiments with the exception that decrements in performance corresponding to high frequencies of motion sickness symptoms occurred during the at-sea trials. The Code Substitution Test is recommended for inclusion in the PETER battery.
Effect of a Partial Report Visual Cue on Information Available in Tachistoscopic Presentations of Alphanumeric Characters Varying in Number and Type
Authors: Black Iryna Lawriw , Barbee James G.
Published: September 2011

The capacity of iconic memory is investigated using a variety of cueing techniques. As an alternative to auditory recall cues, a tachistoscopically presented arrow, with two exposure-fields at different luminances, was employed in a partial report paradigm. Alphanumeric target stimulus arrays varied in number and type. Results with 12 normal adults indicated that subjects recalled fewer items when the target array contained nine elements, as opposed to six, and when the visual cue was presented at a higher luminance. In all cases, numbers appeared easier to recall than letters. In general, subjects had less information available for recall than reported in previous studies employing auditory cues. It is possible that the effects observed are the result of backward masking by the visual cue. Nevertheless, subjects' performance suggests that the visual modality should not necessarily be abandoned for recall cueing.
Effects of Priority Instructions on Processing of More Detailed Picture Items
Authors: Kobayashi Susumu
Published: September 2011

To examine the relation between rate of presentation and information-dumping effect with more detailed pictures, two experiments were performed using a list of 17 living things and 17 nonliving things to be recalled. In Exp. I, 18 university students were instructed to pay particular attention to the living-thing items, while the remaining 18 were asked to pay attention to all the items in the list. The results showed that the information-dumping effect was obtained and the effect occurred strikingly irrespective of rate of presentation (0.3 sec. vs 0.6 sec.). Also, the use of more detailed pictures as stimulus material inhibited the over-all recall. Exp. II replicated Exp. I with response productivity held constant. The results also showed that the same outcomes as in Exp. I were obtained when response productivity was held constant.
Superstitious Behavior in a Robot: A Mathematical Model and Computer Simulation Based on Adams' Theory of Motor Learning
Authors: Brigner Willard L.
Published: September 2011

A mathematical model and computer simulation of motor learning is presented. The model is based on Adams' theory of motor learning and incorporates detection of errors and correction which is fed back to modify input.
Cautions in Alternate-Form Presentation of Aural Test Material: Speech Sounds Perception Test
Authors: Strauss Billie S. , Hartman David Elliott , Soper Henry V.
Published: September 2011

86 college students were administered the standard Speech Sounds Perception Test and an alternate recording. Although reliability between the two recordings was moderate ( r = .68) when the standard was given first, but only .36 when the alternate form was given first, differences in performance were consistent with differences in attack and decay found in voice-print tracings. Results suggest caution in using an alternate form of a neuropsychological test, particularly one using auditory stimuli, until cross-validation confirms the reliability coefficient and the level of performance.
Relations between the Phenomena of Religious Mysticism (Altered States of Consciousness) and the Psychology of Thought: A Cognitive Psychology of States of Consciousness and the Necessity of Subjective States for Cognitive Theory
Authors: Hunt Harry T.
Published: September 2011

Various apparent drawbacks and extensions are considered of a previously developed cognitive approach to mystical and altered-state experience as directly exteriorizing the normally masked processes of semantics or “felt meaning.” The humanly criterial “turning around on the schemata” as the basis for recombinatory symbolic operations would be based on the cross-modal or synaesthetic embodiment of the geometric and luminosity patterns “afforded” by the imaginal disassembling and reuse of visual-spatial perceptual microgenesis. Accordingly the more orthodox accounts of synaesthesias and geometric imagery as “primitive” or “nonsymbolic” are addressed and rejected. The cognitive-introspectionist reinterpretation of the phenomena of altered states in turn leads to a new understanding of ordinary insight, body-percept transformations in schizophrenia and yoga chakra experience, and the ‘void’ experience of classical mysticism. It appears that the juxtaposition of the psychology of thought and of altered states of consciousness is mutually and uniquely illuminating to both concerns.
Acquisition and Retention by Middle-Aged Men of Sensory-Motor Skill on Simple Reaction Task
Authors: Satow Aiko
Published: September 2011

In previous paper (Satow, 1985), a model and a method for measuring sensory-motor skill and sensory tolerance were presented and supported by four experiments using a choice reaction task. This report presents results, obtained from middle-aged men who were older than subjects in usual experiments, supporting the acquisition of skill in the model depending on four days training. A red LED target (15.7 nit), subtending a visual angle of 27′30″ exposed for a duration of 1.5 sec., was presented at four interstimulus intervals (1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 sec.) in random order while the subject sat in a room with illumination of 7.6 nit on the average on the surface of the walls of the room. Single reactions on 120 trials, with a 3-min. rest between two groups of 60 trials were performed by each subject on each day of four days training. Two men, inexperienced in such work and aged 37 and 43 yr., volunteered as unpaid subjects.
Avoidance of Repetition in Produced Sequences and the Concept of Randomness
Authors: Wiegersma Sjoerd
Published: September 2011

Avoidance of repetition in randomized response sequences has repeatedly been attributed to biased concepts of randomness. The few studies directed toward testing of this hypothesis did not present supporting evidence. However, the manner in which concepts of randomness have been measured in previous studies, namely, selection of one random series from a number of series varying in percentage of repetitions, may be inadequate. It is argued that judgements in these studies might easily be affected by bottom-up perceptual processes. A different measure, probability assignment, is used to measure the concept of randomness. The results show that the concept measured in this way is not biased towards nonrepetition and that there are no correlations with avoidance of repetition in randomization of responses. This is considered evidence against the explanation of avoidance of repetition in production of sequences by biased concepts of randomness.
Habitual Sleep Duration and Eating Disorders in College Students
Authors: Hicks Robert A. , Rozette Elizabeth
Published: September 2011

To measure the relationship between habitual sleep duration and eating disorders, the responses of groups of 34 short- and 43 longer-sleeping college students to the EAT-26 Test were compared. The short-sleepers scored twice as high and were five times more likely to exhibit abnormal eating patterns than the longer-sleeping group.
Visual Dominance in the Cross-Modal Kinesthetic to Kinesthetic Plus Visual Feedback Condition
Authors: Reeve T. Gilmour , Mackey Lesia J. , Fober Gene W.
Published: September 2011

In previous studies subjects who have learned a positioning response with kinesthetic feedback tended to make greater errors when visual feedback was provided during later trials. These subjects have always performed with both kinesthetic and visual feedback available. This study determined whether subjects with only visual feedback would produce errors similar to those who received kinesthetic plus visual feedback. Blindfolded subjects learned to move a handle to a criterion location with knowledge of results following each trial. Subjects then were assigned to one of three experimental groups, with only kinesthetic feedback, with kinesthetic plus visual feedback, or with only visual feedback. Subjects had 9 trials without knowledge of results in chese feedback conditions. When visual feedback was available, subjects tended to make longer response errors. This finding replicates previous studies. Also, the similarity of performances from the conditions with visual feedback indicated the dominance of visual information in the condition with kinesthetic plus visual feedback.
Changing the Perception of Behavioral Properties by Subliminal Presentation
Authors: Overbeeke C. J.
Published: September 2011

Profiles designed by Pittenger and Shaw were used in a tachistoscopic experiment. Subjects were asked to make estimates of age of a profile of a 10-yr.-old boy preceded subliminally by an older (old group) or younger (young group) profile or by a blank card (control group). Results show the mean estimate of the young group to be significantly smaller than that of the control group. The mean estimate of the old group was not significantly greater than that of the control group. The results are discussed in the framework of the debate on direct versus indirect perception. Marcel's 1983 data and the present results indicate that higher level perceptual processing (the perception of behavioral properties) can precede lower level perceptual processing (the perception of physical properties). By assuming that people do perceive directly the behavioral properties of an event, the direct approach avoids the danger of putting too much emphasis on intelligence in perception and at the same time avoids the homunculus trap.
Differences in Hemispheric Functional Asymmetry between Athletes and Nonathletes: Evidence from a Unilateral Tactile Matching Task
Authors: Rossi Bruna , Zani Alberto
Published: September 2011

To study the hemispheric specialization for spatial information processing in athletes and nonathletes a Unilateral Tactile Matching Task was administered. Athletes showed more marked hemispheric specialization than nonathletes. The right hemisphere of the former, in fact, indicated a more pronounced accuracy than those of the latter in perceiving rod orientations.
Classical Conditioning of Pupillary Constriction
Authors: Borrego Richard L. , Gardnre Rick M.
Published: September 2011

Previous attempts to condition classically the pupillary response have resulted in mixed outcome. Studies using light as the UCS have generally been unsuccessful while those studies using shock as the UCS have been more successful. In the present study six subjects were visually presented 15 CVC trigrams while their pupil sizes were monitored. Five of the CVCs had been previously presented, five had been previously presented while paired with shock, and five had not been previously presented. Analysis indicated that more pupillary constriction occurred to the five CVCs paired with shock than those presented without shock or those not previously presented. The resulting classically conditioned pupillary constriction is discussed in terms of the development of meaning through classical conditioning.
Relationship between Specific Disfluency Variables and Dichotic Listening in Stutterers
Authors: Blood Ingrid M. , Blood Gordon W.
Published: September 2011

86 stutterers' disfluency patterns were examined in relation to their laterality preferences. Results suggest that young stutterers are a heterogeneous group and that specific disfluency variables were not related to ear preferences on a dichotic consonant-vowel listening task.
Social Conformity and the Type a Behavior Pattern
Authors: Yarnold Paul R. , Grimm Laurence G. , Mueser Kim T.
Published: September 2011

The relation between the Type A behavior pattern and social conformity was examined on a perceptual skill task. 23 extreme Type A and B persons participated in an experiment based on the Asch conformity paradigm. Type B subjects conformed twice as often as Type A persons ( p < .02). The same task administered to a subset of the sample and a larger normative sample indicated that social pressure to conform was responsible for differences in judgmental accuracy of stimuli (the conformity measure). The results suggest that Type A persons' resistance to subtle social coercion to conform may reflect their increased sensitivity to threats to their personal control. The findings are discussed in the context of reactance and control theories of Type A behavior.
Effects of Divorce upon School Self-Esteem and Achievement of 10-, 11-, and 12-Year-Old Children
Authors: Hofmann Richard , Zippco Diane
Published: September 2011

17 children of divorce who were between the ages of 10 and 12 yr. were compared with 60 similarly aged peers of nondivorced parents on four self-esteem measures, defined by the Coopersmith, and one achievement measure, the Stanford Achievement Test. Neither multivariate effects nor univariate differences were observed.
Relationship of Scores on PPVT—R and WISC—R with Special Education Children and Youth
Authors: Candler Ann C. , Maddux Cleborne D. , Johnson Dee La Mont
Published: September 2011

Comparisons of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test—Revised and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised were made with 104 children diagnosed as learning disabled and mentally retarded. Significant but modest correlations were found between all but one of the WISC—R scaled scores (i.e., Coding) and PPVT—R standard scores, and between WISC—R IQs and PPVT—R standard scores. Significant differences were found among mean Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQs and mean PPVT—R standard scores. The PPVT—R standard scores underestimated WISC—R Verbal IQs by 7 points, WISC—R Performance IQs by 17 points, and WISC—R Full Scale IQs by 11 points.
Perception of an Adversary as a Function of Masculinity, Sex, and Aggression/Empathy
Authors: Alumbaugh Richard V.
Published: September 2011

The study was designed to test whether men and women identifying with a masculine stereotype differ in their perception of a confederate (adversary) who displays either an empathetic or aggressive role in resolving a disagreement over social issues. It was hypothesized that masculine individuals would be more perceptually sensitive to aggressive cues of an adversary and make more hostile responses than nonmasculine individuals. Conversely, nonmasculine individuals were hypothesized to be more perceptually sensitive to empathetic cues of an adversary and make fewer hostile responses than masculine individuals. Results of both perceptual measures and the measure of hostility did not support the hypotheses. Nonmasculine individuals perceived the adversary more positively than masculine individuals regardless of strategy of resolution.
Effects of Aquatic Training on Swimming Skill Development of Preschool Children
Authors: Erbaugh Sarah J.
Published: September 2011

This research investigated the effects of aquatic training on the swimming performance of 126 children, ages 2.5 to 5.5 yr., over 8 mo. Two groups of children were enrolled in an aquatic training program. Group 1 were returning program participants at the beginning of this study, and Group 2 were new participants. The control children (Group 3) received no aquatic training during the research. Subjects performed six categories of swimming tasks at three points in time—1st mo., 4th mo., and 8th mo. The categories were Locomotion: Front, Locomotion: Back, Kicking, Entry: Jump, Diving, and Ring Pick-up. A2 × 3 × 2 × 3 (sex × group × age × time) repeated-measures analysis of variance procedure showed that returning participants performed each category of swimming tasks at a more advanced level than the other groups at each time of measurement. New participants after training performed five of the categories of tasks at a more advanced level than the control group. Amount of training significantly influenced swimming, and training effects were task-specific when data were interpreted in terms of specific movement characteristics.
Relationships between Experiences, Processing Style, and Sex-Related Differences in Performance on Spatial Tests
Authors: Olson Darlene M. , Eliot John
Published: September 2011

53 female and 45 male undergraduates were administered the Spatial Antecedents Questionnaire (Activities, Academic Courses, Self-assessments, and Environmental Mapping subscales), the Spatial Dimensionality Test (Embedded Figures, Card Rotations, Paper Folding, Surface Development, Horizontal/Vertical Rotations, and Cube Perspectives subtests), and Revised-Individual Differences Questionnaire of Paivio. Scores from the Academic Courses and Self-assessment scales accounted for the most variability in spatial performance. Visual processing style correlated with performance on spatial tests for men, but not for women. Different patterns of activities and experiences correlated with spatial test performance for men and women.
Cognitions in Consonance
Authors: Zusne Leonard
Published: September 2011

A reconceptualization of some of the ideas associated with the aesthetic experience is proposed. The problems that arise in defining the terms ‘beautiful’ and ‘perfect’ may be overcome by substituting the term ‘fittingness.’ The core of the aesthetic experience is the experience of some degree of fit between the specimen (the aesthetic object or event) and the corresponding standard. The degree of fit determines the intensity of the experience. The essential element of the aesthetic experience is the process of collation between specimen and standard, but the nature of the experience must be sought in the realm of motivation. To every instance of an extrinsive motive that begins with a deficiency, stimulation, or conflict and ends in homeostasis, there corresponds an intrinsic motive that is self-reinforcing. Cognitive conflicts lead to cognitive dissonance, and cognitive equilibrium is achieved by various cognitive means. There is also a state of cognitive consonance, which is sought for its own sake. The aesthetic experience is the experience of cognitive reinforcement that occurs upon the realization that the aesthetic specimen approximates or fits the model of perfection currently held by the individual. This reinforcing experience of cognitive consonance is the core of the aesthetic experience. This view is compared with Berlyne's theory.
A New Quantitative Approach to the Assessment of Stages of Vigilance as Defined by Spatiotemporal EEG Patterning
Authors: Ulrich G. , Frick K.
Published: September 2011

Electroencephalographically oriented research on vigilance needs valid measures for assessing the level of vigilance between wakefulness and sleep. When studying different psychologically, psychopathologically, and pharmacologically induced states, special attention has to be paid to minor alterations of the level of vigilance which are reflected, essentially, in topographical changes of alpha-activity (Stage A). Since vigilance is a dynamic process, brief fluctuations in the range of a few seconds must also be recorded. In our opinion existing methods of quantification do not fully meet these demands. We have, therefore, developed a relatively simple procedure which can be characterized as an attempt quantitatively to reconstruct visually, i.e., spatiotemporally defined patterns of vigilance. The usefulness of this method, which also has certain limitations, has been demonstrated in psychopharmacological studies.
Standard and Modified Administrations of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills with Learning Disabled Students
Authors: Estes Robert E. , Baum Douglas L. , Bray Nanci M.
Published: September 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate the performance of junior high school learning disabled students on standard and modified administrations of selected subtests from the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. No significant differences were noted for correlations between types of administration and teachers' ratings on any of the subtest comparisons. Grade placements for Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension using the modified administration were significantly higher than those using the standard administration and more closely aligned with teachers' ratings. Math Concept and Math Problem-solving grade-placement scores did not differ by type of administration; teachers' ratings were higher than those produced by either testing format.
The Predictive Validity of the Twelfth Grade Achievement Test for Primary School Teacher Trainees in Kenya
Authors: Arap-Maritim Ezra K.
Published: September 2011

This research was conducted to determine the predictive utility of the twelfth grade scores on the scores achieved by 363 primary teacher trainees in different courses. For related topics the validity coefficients were small but significant.
Test-Retest Reliability of the Matrix Analogies Test—Short Form
Authors: Naglieri Jack A.
Published: September 2011

This study examined the test-retest reliability of the Matrix Analogies Test-Short Form over a 4-wk. interval for 43 students (77% white), 20 boys and 23 girls in regular fifth grade classrooms (9 yr.-5 mo. to 13 yr.-11 mo.). In raw scores the test-retest (4-wk. interval) Pearson r was .78 indicating fair reliability. There was a modest difference ( p = .05) between test (23.98) and retest (25.42) mean raw scores. Implications for test use are discussed.
Signal-Detection Analysis of Recognition Memory of Obese Subjects
Authors: Gardner Rick M. , Sandoval Yvonne , Reyes Beth
Published: September 2011

Obese and normal-weight subjects were run on a series of recognition-memory tasks with low and high meaningful CVC trigrams. Subjects received feedback or no feedback regarding the appropriateness of their answers during testing for recognition memory. A signal-detection analysis was used to examine a relatively pure index of memory ( d') as compared to response-bias factors [Ln (β)]. No significant main effect on memory of obese and control subjects was noted although a significant interaction indicated that obese subjects' memory increases over trials in a differential fashion from normal-weight individuals with poorer performance among the obese after 3 trials. Feedback facilitated memory for both groups. Analysis of response criteria [Ln (β)] showed no significant difference between groups. Highly meaningful trigrams had a significantly lower response criterion than low meaningful trigrams and there was a significant interaction of meaningfulness by trials. An interaction of feedback by meaningfulness was also present. Advantages of using a signal-detection analysis in memory studies comparing obese and normal weight subjects are discussed. Ramifications of the present data for the internality/externality hypothesis of obesity are also discussed.
Validation of Two Cognitive Measures to Assess Field-Dependence/Independence
Authors: Saracho Olivia N.
Published: September 2011

The administration and scoring procedures for the Articulation of the Body-concept Scale and the Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test were adapted to assess 3- to 8-yr.-old children's magnitude of field-dependence/independence. 300 3- to 5-yr.-old and 480 6- and 8-yr.-old children were administered the appropriate forms of the Embedded Figures Test, Articulation of the Body-concept Scale, and Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test. High reliability and validity estimates were found using a variety of procedures. Scores on these tests were correlated with each other to find the relationships among the tests for both the preschool and primary children. Correlations for the preschool children were stronger than those for the primary children. However, the results support the hypothesis that the administration and scoring procedures for the Articulation of the Body-concept Scale and the Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test can be used to determine preschool and primary children's field-dependence/independence.
Some Attention to Developmental Considerations in Drawing and Copying Tasks: Construction of a Copying Figures Task
Authors: Chovan William L. , Schermerhorn William Sterling
Published: September 2011

120 children were randomly drawn from kindergarten through Grade 5. Several developmental properties were identified in their reproduction of 18 figures. With increasing age children reproduced a greater number of the more complicated figures. Preliminary evaluations are made on the Copying Figures Task and reliabilities reported.
Statistical Interpretation of Intraindividual Variability on the Test of Language Development—Primary
Authors: Grossman Fred M.
Published: September 2011

The TOLD-P manual presents adequate information related to generating normative statements regarding an individual child's over-all language development; however, the manual provides little direction with regard to interpretations of variability of intraindividual scores. The present study provides clinicians with a statistically based approach to determine relative strengths and weaknesses among a child's TOLD-P Composite Quotients.
Effect of Schooling on Categorization Preferences: A Picture-Classification Study
Authors: Jahandarie Khosrow
Published: September 2011

The effects of schooling on the categorization preferences in a picture-classification task were studied in a sample of 332 Salvadoran children, between the ages of 6 and 14 yr. Schooling was the major cause of the developmental shift from a perceptually-based to a conceptually-based categorization preference. Children from higher grades were significantly less likely than their less-schooled counterparts to use perceptible categories and more likely to use functional, nominal, and superordinate categories. Urban-dwelling affected the development in the use of nominal, but not functional, categories. The results are discussed in relation to the findings of previous research.
Effects of Environmental Context on Recognition Memory in An Unusual Environment
Authors: Emmerson Paul G.
Published: September 2011

Environmental context is thought to influence recognition memory in relatively few cases, and it is an empirical matter to determine the conditions under which a positive effect occurs. Amateur divers learnt visually presented word lists in two environments: in air on a small boat and underwater at a depth of 20 m. Recognition memory was examined by a yes-no procedure in either the environment of learning or the alternative environment. Environmental context produced small but statistically reliable effects on recognition memory. Words learnt underwater were best recalled there and vice versa.
Do Your Standards Make Any Difference? Asymmetry in Preference Judgments
Authors: Tyson Paul D.
Published: September 2011

The symmetry of preference judgments reflects how much a person's standards affect judgments. In this study, 80 subjects used one of two methods of measuring the symmetry of preference judgments, and a third group of 40 subjects used the method of paired comparisons. Although about 65% of the judgments were symmetrical, individuals varied from 16% to 90%. Besides the effects of standards contributing to the asymmetry in preference, other factors such as reliability and order may contribute to the asymmetry. The implications of assuming judgments are symmetrical affect all areas whether studying aesthetic preferences, cognitive complexity, or individual differences using personality theory.
A Dictionary of Affect in Language: V. What is An Emotion?
Authors: Whissell Cynthia M. , Berezowski Helen
Published: September 2011

Subjects in three experiments gave their opinions as to the emotional meaning of various words in terms of categorical inclusion as an emotion (yes, no), a rating scale of emotional impact, and frequency of citation in an open-ended emotion-naming task. Subjects' responses were correlated with several scores based on the Dictionary of Affect. A word was more likely to be called an emotion or rated highly on emotional impact when it had a high value of Arousal and a high or low value for Pleasantness. In two of the three experiments, distance from the origin in Evaluation-Activation space was also a significant predictor of responding. Correlations supporting these conclusions ranged from low to medium magnitude.
Life-Span Ontogeny of the Parallel-Lines Illusion
Authors: Jaeger Ted
Published: September 2011

The magnitude of two assimilative and one contrastive version of the parallel-lines illusion was measured using 72 observers whose ages ranged in years from the teens to the seventies. Only the overestimated assimilative illusion varied significantly with age, producing smaller misestimations in both youth and old age and a maximal distortion in the 50s. This quadratic trend duplicated the adult-age course of the overestimated Müller-Lyer illusion thereby reinforcing the belief that the two are kindred visual anomalies. As with the Müller-Lyer, the ontogeny of the parallel-lines illusion is best explained by age-induced changes in the vigor of contour interactions.
Age Salience in Older Adults' Spontaneous Self-Concept
Authors: Gfellner Barbara M.
Published: September 2011

Distinctiveness theory predictions were examined by the salience of age in older adults' spontaneous self-concept with variation in age composition of residential setting. The hypothesis that elderly respondents in ordinary housing would mention age more often than those in senior housing apartments or nursing homes was not supported. The findings suggest that developmental contingencies exert a differential influence on trait salience in self-concept less during later adulthood than in earlier years.