bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Attitude towards Aggression and Creative Functioning in Patients with Breast Cancer
Authors: Lilja Åsa , Smith Gudmund , Malmström Per , Salford Leif G.
Published: August 2011

Three projective personality tests were used to assess attitude to aggression (The Identification Test), anxiety and defenses (The Meta-Contrast Technique) and creative functioning (The Creative Functioning Test) in 70 patients with breast cancer. Discriminant analyses were applied pro primo to characterize psychologically patients with a better prognosis and patients with a poorer prognosis. A second aim was to characterize psychologically older (postmenopausal) and younger (premenopausal) women. Generally, high scores on the Identification Test indicated maladaptive attitudes towards aggression among all the patients. Patients with a poorer prognosis showed responses that in healthy subjects indicate acknowledgement of aggressive impulses, perhaps suggesting lack of “defenses” against such impulses among those patients. Another way to describe it would be that patients with a better prognosis seem to have (normally nonadaptive) “defenses” against aggressive impulses while those with poorer prognosis have not. Surprisingly, the patients with a better prognosis (but not those with a poorer prognosis) gave responses classified as depression in the Meta-Contrast Technique. Typical of premenopausal patients were responses classified as anxiety as well as reaction formation on the Identification Test. Responses classified as adaptive defenses (isolation) were seen in the Meta-Contrast Technique. A surprising finding was that many of these patients were characterized by high scores on the creativity test. These original statistically significant findings of attitudes towards aggression and creative functioning in breast cancer patients are discussed in relation to the underlying nature of aggression and creativity.
Reply to Greenberg's Critique of Malik, et al.'s Experiment on the Method of Subliminal Psychodynamic Activation
Authors: Malik Rajesh
Published: August 2011

Greenberg raised two issues concerning an experiment reported by Malik, et al. on the method of subliminal psychodynamic activation. One relates to the appropriateness of control and threshold stimuli and the other to the use of subjective thresholds. Both concerns are addressed.
Short-Term Memory for Faces: Ageing and the Serial Position Effect
Authors: Bruyer Raymond , Vanberten Mélanie
Published: August 2011

Properties of short-term memory for faces (Exp. 1) were investigated in 40 young and 30 elderly persons and compared with short-term memory for nonverbal shapes (Exp. 2) with 30 new persons in a young group and an elderly one. Young subjects displayed a U-shaped curve for both kinds of stimuli, and elderly subjects displayed a U-shaped curve, but the recency effect was abolished for faces (in one condition). This suggests a possible specific short-term store for faces.
Effects of Preparation Time for Two Quantitative Measures of Narrative Production
Authors: Hughes Diana L. , Ratcliff Ann , Lehman Mark E.
Published: August 2011

Narratives are important for language assessment at the level of discourse. To investigate the effect of preparation time narratives were collected from 19 third graders, 19 eighth graders, and 19 college students. In one condition, all subjects saw a picture and told a story; in a second one they saw a picture and were instructed to wait for 1 min. before telling a story. Students also generated a story without a picture and with no instructions to wait. Measures of narrative length and mean length of communication unit were analyzed to assess the effects of preparation time. Narratives produced under the Instructions to Wait condition were longer and their mean length of communication unit was longer than narratives produced under the No Instructions to Wait condition, for all 3 age groups. Narratives generated without picture stimuli, however, were longer than those produced under either picture condition. Clinical implications for those who work with children with language and learning disabilities are discussed.
Effects of Three Stimulus Parameters on Eye Position in Cerebral Palsied Adults
Authors: Zhang Hao P. , LeGare Miriam , Lee Sang K.
Published: August 2011

Bilateral eye position was measured in 6 cerebral palsied adults to assess the effects of stimulus dimension (horizontal, vertical), amplitude (±4°, ±6°, ± 8°), and frequency (0.3, 0.5, 0.7 Hz) on saccadic and pursuit movements. The head-free, corneal reflection method was used for 54 10-sec. trials of square, triangle, and sine wave stimuli. Shared variance between each eye's position and the stimulus was tested by Wilcoxon T (dimension) and Friedman analysis of variance (amplitude, frequency) showing that the effects of saccadic and pursuit dimension and amplitude were individualized with regard to subject and right and left eye positions. The bilateral eye position of 5 of 6 subjects was affected by saccadic frequency; pursuit frequency affected bilateral eye position of 4 of 6 subjects. The lowest shared variance (critical difference in ranks) was at 0.7 Hz. The results are discussed with regard to subjects' disability, stimulus velocity, and frequency of directional reversal. Reversal may be the most critical stimulus property.
Stroop Interference is the Result of Comparable, Not of Differential Processing Speeds of Two Stimulus Dimensions
Authors: Chen Jenn-Yeu
Published: August 2011

On a digit-counting Stroop task, processing of the slower, nonverbal, i.e., number, dimension was slowed further by a large-number set (6 to 9), as compared with a small-number set (1 to 4). In the task, neutral symbols or conflicting digits were arranged on a horizontal line (e.g., @@@, 444) and on two separate sheets. Each sheet contained 120 stimulus arrays. Subjects counted out loud the number of symbols or digits in each array, and their counting times for each sheet were recorded. 23 subjects received the small-number set while 21 received the large-number set. It was found that counting a large number of symbols took significantly longer time (by 162 sec. per 120 stimulus arrays) than counting a small number of symbols. Moreover, interference was nonexistent (2 msec. per stimulus array) when a large number of conflicting digits were counted but was of a typical magnitude (110 msec. per stimulus array) when a small number of conflicting digits were counted. This suggests that Stroop interference is better explained as the result of comparable, not of differential, processing speeds of the two stimulus dimensions. Implications for the cause and the locus of Stroop interference are discussed.
An Examination of Shneidman's Application of Henry Murray's Classification of Needs to Suicidal Individuals
Authors: Lester David
Published: August 2011

30 suicidal deaths were examined for the presence of needs described by Henry Murray. The most common needs identified were harmavoidance and infavoidance. Other needs were present rarely and typically only in unusual suicides such as double suicides or seppuku.
A Rapid Recursion Method for Computing Cumulative Hypergeometric Probability Values
Authors: Berry Kenneth J. , Mielke Paul W.
Published: August 2011

A recursion method using an arbitrary initial value is presented for the cumulative hypergeometric probability distribution. The method is independent of the computer and the precision is dependent on the computer. The method is accurate, fast, and requires no special programming features.
Difficulty of a Spatial Task and Sex Difference in Gains from Practice
Authors: Schaefer Paul D. , Thomas Jocelyln
Published: August 2011

The influence of practice on a difficult spatial task in a small sample of 11 men and 16 women was investigated. Participants were tested on a rotated embedded figures task modified from the Gottschaldt Hidden Figure Test prior to being given practice in identifying rotated and nonrotated embedded figures. One week after the pretest and practice session, the posttest was given. In the small sample studied, the number of correctly identified rotated figures on the posttest was significantly increased relative to pretest scores for men and women. However, the tendency for women to score higher than men after practice was not significant.
Locomotion Improves Children's Spatial Search: A Meta-Analytic Review
Authors: Yan Jin H. , Thomas Jerry R. , Downing John H.
Published: August 2011

This meta-analysis quantitatively summarized the developmental influence and the effects of locomotor experience as well as the benefits of locomotor practice, locomotor assistance, and active searching patterns on children's search performance. Based on specific criteria, a search of a database and reference lists identified 19 studies, including 1,029 children (510 boys and 519 girls) from 4 to 144 months of age. Outcome measures of spatial performance were converted to 83 effect sizes that reflected the effects of specific experimental characteristics. Analyses of variance indicated that with older children, locomotor activities are more important to their spatial searching. Locomotor status, searching patterns, locomotor assistance, test conditions, and test reliability were identified as moderator variables. In addition, locomotor training significantly improved children's spatial search. The results supported the hypothesis that children's development of spatial search skills is influenced by locomotor experience.
Suicide in Eminent Persons
Authors: Lester David
Published: August 2011

A review of several listings of famous historical figures indicated that percentages of deaths due to suicide ranged from 0.3% to 13.3%, with a median of 2.9%.
Assessment of Abilities in Basketball: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Derri Vassiliki , Kioumourtzoglou Efthimis , Tzetzis George
Published: August 2011

Understanding the responding at two competitive levels of sports is prerequisite for successful identification and selection of the best athletes. The present study is a preliminary report about scores on 17 cognitive, perceptual, motor, and psychological measures of 13 elite Greek basketball athletes (national team), 20 to 22 years of age, and 15 children on a national basketball team and 14 to 15 years of age. Longitudinal studies must be conducted for the identification of the relationships among these measures and basketball performance and the development of a model for selection of athletes.
An Investigation of Tactile and Visual Stimuli in the Roadway Environment
Authors: Dixon Max A. , Jacko Julie A.
Published: August 2011

208 motorists were observed at Florida International University, in Miami, Florida as part of a study of the influence of speed humps on motorists' behavior at pedestrian crossings. It was hypothesized that the presence of a speed hump will affect motorists' behavior by compelling them either to yield or stop at a pedestrian crossing to enable a pedestrian to cross safely. A between-subjects experimental design was employed to measure motorists' reactions. Analysis indicated that the relationship is strong between drivers' behavior and the presence or absence of this roadway stimulus. There was also evidence that female drivers may take more precautionary actions than male drivers. This information is useful for roadway designers and traffic psychologists.
Handwriting and Emotional Stress
Authors: Halder-Sinn Petra , Enkelmann Claudia , Funsch Karin
Published: August 2011

The question was whether it is possible to assess retrospectively from handwriting whether the writing sample was produced under emotional stress. It was shown that modifications of spatial writing features with stress are not distinguishable from handwriting characteristics associated with mere acceleration.
Sex Differences in Paranormal Beliefs among Undergraduate College Students
Authors: Vitulli William F. , Luper Stephanie L.
Published: August 2011

Beliefs in and experience of the paranormal were assessed in 125 college-aged undergraduate students. Crawford and Christensen's 1995 12-item Extrasensory Perception Survey was administered before and after taking a course in general psychology. Men scored significantly higher than women on scale values (1–5) for beliefs regarding life after death, the existence of extrasensory perception, having at least one extrasensory experience, and UFOs with people from other places visiting our planet. There were no significant differences (within subjects) between beliefs before versus after the course, yet mean scores from pre- and posttests showed that belief in life after death, belief in precognitive experience in dreams, and belief in the existence of extrasensory perception ranked highest over-all in endorsement while beliefs in physical contacts with ghosts, auras, and psychokinesis ranked lowest. Sex differences were discussed in the context of the hypothesis of social marginality.
Drawing Performance in Children with Special Learning Difficulties
Authors: Mati-Zissi Heleni , Zafiropoulou Maria , Bonoti Fotini
Published: August 2011

The present study examined drawings on 5 tasks of 45 dyslexic and 45 nondyslexic children aged 6–9 years old. Children who show low performance in written language and phonological awareness are also expected to get low scores on drawing tasks which require similar skills such as comprehension of difference, coordination of parts in an organized whole, spatial movement, classification or distinction of figures. The present hypotheses were constructed accordingly. Analysis showed that the drawings of the dyslexic participants presented inadequate planning, difficulties in the depiction of contrast, size-scaling and canonicality, lack of details, and stereotypic depiction.
Predicting Suicidality
Authors: Lester David , Rife Julie
Published: August 2011

In a sample of 102 college students, prior suicidality was associated with self-reports of depressive tendencies, but not with manic or obsessive-compulsive tendencies, religiosity or irrational thinking.
Is the Ratio of Male and Female Dream Characters Related to the Waking-Life Pattern of Social Contacts?
Authors: Schredl Michael , Loßnitzer Tim , Vetter Stefan
Published: August 2011

The present study investigated the relationship between the sex ratio of dream characters and the person's waking-life pattern of social contacts. Results partly confirm the continuity between waking and dreaming.
Confirming False Memories: Social Construction of “Useful” Meanings
Authors: Fourie David P.
Published: August 2011

Data from a recent case study is presented to illustrate how false memories are socially constructed in the present and how they fulfill a function for the system in which such construction takes place. Based on the dubious assumption that hypnotic age-regression brings forth the historical “truth” about past events, hypnosis was misused as part of this construction, even while the outcome of the regression had to be distorted to provide confirmation of the particular memory.
Comparisons by Sex of Psychometric Correlates of the MMPI-2 Depression Scale
Authors: Sappington John , Notte Christian , Broerman F. Scott
Published: August 2011

Scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 were correlated to identify which measures predicted depression among 219 women and 115 men. Despite prevalence data indicating that dysphoria is more common among females than males, sex did not predict MMPI-2 Depression scores in this sample. Masculine Gender Role was negatively predictive of depression for both sexes. High scores on Feminine Gender Role were slightly predictive of depression among men but not among women. An effective strategy for coping with depression involves managing stress causing circumstances as opposed to managing the feelings that result from stress. Persons of either sex who score high on Masculine Gender Role endorse traits that are compatible with the better strategy.
Performance-Related Emotions in Skilled Athletes: Hedonic Tone and Functional Impact
Authors: Robazza Claudio , Bortoli Laura , Nougier Vincent
Published: August 2011

Idiosyncratic, performance-related emotions were identified in 32 track and field athletes and 34 figure skaters following the lines of the Individual Zones of Optimal Functioning model. The model is an idiographic, individual-oriented approach recognizing the beneficial or detrimental effects of emotions depending on the individual's perception. In developing optimal and dysfunctional profiles of individual emotions, the athlete is required to identify the positive (pleasant) and negative (unpleasant) emotions having facilitating or debilitating effects upon performance; however, while the individual's perception of facilitating-debilitating effects of emotions (the functional impact) is emphasized, pleasant or unpleasant characteristics of emotions are usually established a priori by the researcher. In this investigation, participants were requested both to recognize facilitating-debilitating effects of emotions and to classify them as pleasant or unpleasant. The main goal was to ascertain whether the athlete's experience of positive and negative performance-related emotions (the hedonic tone) would be different from the conventional labeling of affect. Analyses showed that different facilitating or inhibiting emotions were experienced as pleasant (23.38%), unpleasant (33.77%), or both (42.86%). Further, positive or negative emotions were functionally facilitating (12.99%), inhibiting (19.48%), or both (67.53%). Therefore, athletes perceived emotions not only as facilitating or debilitating but also as positive or negative depending on idiosyncratic meaning and intensity. The study of the functional influence of emotions as well as their hedonic tone may have important practical implications.
Hypnotic Induction Profiles, Contextual Innuendo, and Delayed Intrusion Errors for a Narrative: Searching for Mediating Variables
Authors: O'Gorman K. A. , Persinger M. A.
Published: August 2011

18 young men and 18 women listened to an ambiguous narrative concerning the nocturnal experiences of a young boy and then, after an inventory on hypnotic induction and a dichotic word-listening task, were asked to estimate the prevalence of child abuse or abduction by aliens (a third group served as controls). One week later the subjects were asked to reconstruct the narrative. Scores for suggestibility, estimates of prevalence, the sense of a presence during the first sitting and less cerebral lateralization were loaded on the same factor. Although the three groups did not differ with respect to numbers of literal memories, the groups who were given either one of the two innuendos also included an additional 11% of inferences and paraphrases which were considered erroneous reconstructions of the memory of the narrative.
The Identification of a Speaker's Sex from Synthesized Vowels
Authors: Whiteside S. P.
Published: August 2011

This experiment assessed whether fundamental frequency or formant frequencies have more perceptual salience in the identification of the sex of the speaker from synthesized vowels. Four sets of ten vowels were synthesized by combining fundamental frequencies and formant frequencies with different permutations 50 listeners took part in a listening test. Analysis of the listening test scores suggested that for 36 vowels, the fundamental frequency (F0) was probably the most salient perceptual cue. For the remaining four vowels, however, this was not the case as either the formant frequencies or the onset-offset patterns of the F0 appeared to have some perceptual salience.
The Sex Ratio of Juvenile Suicide
Authors: Lester David
Published: August 2011

From 1980–1993, 13 nations reported suicide rates for girls aged 5–14 years as high as or greater than those for boys.
Further Observations on the Reliability and Validity of Gain Scores
Authors: May Kim , Hittner James B.
Published: August 2011

Williams and Zimmerman in 1998, when considering the reliability and validity of gain scores (g), proposed that combinations of pretest and posttest parameters favoring high reliability of gains are more likely in practice than are unfavorable combinations. It is argued here that this is an empirical question and that no support was given for their position. Further, those authors made a potentially misleading statement about the validity of the gain score. A final point is offered, namely, that the higher the pretest-posttest reliability, the lower the reliability of g.
Compliance with a School Zone Speed Limit: Another Look
Authors: Trinkaus John
Published: August 2011

Replication of a study conducted three years earlier as to the rate of drivers' compliance with the posted speed limit of a school zone showed a decline from about 11% to 8%.
Behavioral Effects of Perches on Group-Housed Adult Female Japanese Monkeys
Authors: Nakamichi Masayuki , Asanuma Kiyomi
Published: August 2011

The use of perches to enrich the environment of group-housed Japanese monkeys ( Macaca fuscata) was assessed. When monkeys were housed in a cage which contained eight wooden perches to increase the usable space, the rate of agonistic interactions as well as the rates of spatial proximity and social grooming decreased in comparison with those evident when they were housed in a cage without such perches. These results suggest that agonistic interactions were reduced which are likely to occur more frequently in crowded conditions and the monkeys displayed affiliative behavior such as social grooming more frequently in a cage without perches, i.e., more crowded conditions, than in a cage with perches. Attempts to enrich the environment of group-housed monkeys may lead to a better understanding of their behavioral flexibility and social adjustment.
Accuracy Demands, Environmental Structure and Viewing Conditions in Interception Tasks
Authors: Kossoko Alain , Bootsma Reinoud J.
Published: August 2011

30 subjects performed an interception task in which the accuracy demands were varied under binocular vs monocular viewing conditions and under different conditions of environmental structure. The pattern of results suggests that the advantage of binocular viewing is due to the concordance of information detected by both eyes rather than to binocular vision per se. The presence of static environmental structure enhances performance because it provides a stable external basis against which optical changes can be evaluated.
Comparison of High and Moderate Intensity of Strength Training on Mood and Anxiety in Older Adults
Authors: Tsutsumi Toshihiko , Don Brian M. , Zaichkowsky Leonard D. , Takenaka Koji , Oka Koichiro , Ohno Taro
Published: August 2011

This study was designed to examine the psychological benefits of anaerobic exercise for older adults. Specifically, strength training was employed to examine the effects on mood and anxiety in a group of healthy but sedentary older women. 36 women (mean age = 68.5 yr.) were randomly assigned to groups given high intensity or moderate intensity strength training or to a control group. Strength training was conducted three days a week for 12 weeks. After the training period, both high and moderate strength-training programs produced marked improvements in muscle strength and body composition compared to the control subjects. The average improvements in the high and moderate intensity strength-training groups for muscle strength were 40.5 and 35.5%, respectively, and for percent body fat 1.52 and 2.50%, respectively. As for psychological changes, both training groups significantly improved positive mood (vigor), and the moderate intensity group significantly reduced trait anxiety compared to means of the control group. Also, both training groups showed some decrease in tension and state anxiety after the training period. These findings provide evidence for the effectiveness of anaerobic training to enhance perception of psychological well-being in older women. A moderate intensity rather than high intensity of training regimen may be more beneficial for sedentary older women to improve psychological health.
Equivocal Evidence on Field-Dependence Effects in Sentence Judgments
Authors: Cowart Wayne , Smith-Petersen G. Andrew , Fowler Sadie
Published: August 2011

The study reported here examined field-dependence effects on judgments of grammaticality. Several sentence types involving coordinate structures were used. The types we tested were based on examples such as, The patients pretended that Elinor injured themselves and the dietician. Earlier work shows that the presence of the coordinate structures ( themselves and the dietician) greatly improves acceptability of apparently ungrammatical sentences such as this. The present results show no reliable differences in the over-all pattern of judgments with these and related coordinate structures for subjects classified as field-dependent and field-independent; however, some intriguing differences in pattern were nonetheless apparent across subject types, although they were not reliable in all relevant tests. In addition to reliable differences in gross response level, field-dependent people showed an attenuation of certain differences noted for field-independent people. Thus, our results constitute equivocal evidence of differences in the grammatical preferences of field-dependent and field-independent people. We argue, however, that these results reflect differences in the processing styles of the two types of individuals, not differences in the principles or logic implemented by the grammatical systems of the two types.
Vulnerability by Sex to Seasonal Affective Disorder
Authors: Lee Tatia M. C. , Chan Chetwyn C. H.
Published: August 2011

This study pooled the demographic data reported in 40 studies on seasonal affective disorder to identify the ratio of men to women with this disorder. Among the 1129 subjects recruited for these 40 studies, women out-numbered men. A sex difference in biochemical responses to climatic variables was postulated as one of the possible explanations of the observed women's vulnerability to seasonal affective disorder.
Leadership Styles of Elite Dixie Youth Baseball Coaches
Authors: Bennett Gregg , Maneval Mark
Published: August 2011

Chelladurai and Saleh's Leadership Scale for Sports was administered to 52 elite Dixie Youth baseball coaches. Analyses indicated that subjects scored high in positive feedback, training and instruction, and social support, moderate in democratic behavior, and low in autocratic behavior. These results seem to support the validity of using the scale to compare coaching behavior.
Comparison of Semantically and Phonemically Based Training Procedures in An Overlearned Naming Task
Authors: Freed Donald B. , Marshall Robert C. , Phillips David S.
Published: August 2011

This article presents a pilot study in which the effects of overlearning on two learning tasks were compared. One task used semantically based training cues (deep processing) in the training; the other used phonemically based cues (shallow processing). 30 subjects were trained on the names of complex visual stimuli, using one of the two training procedures until 200% overlearning was accomplished. Naming probes were conducted 1 wk., 1 mo., and 6 mo. after training was completed. Analysis indicated no significant difference between the two conditions. Several factors may have contributed to this finding, including the possibility that overlearning masked potential differences between the two training procedures.
Effects of Consumption of Snacks on Simulated Driving
Authors: Smith Andrew P. , Rich Neil
Published: August 2011

The present study investigated the effects of snacks on simulated driving for 24 volunteers who carried out a driving task three times. On each occasion a presnack baseline of 1 hr. of driving was taken. The snack conditions were (a) no snack (b) a 65 g-filled chocolate bar, and (c) an equicaloric snack of cheese and biscuits. Following the snack the volunteers then carried out another hour of driving. Analysis showed that following consumption of the chocolate the volunteers drove more carefully and hit the side of the track less often.
Consistency of Hand Use and Accidents with Injury
Authors: Hicks Robert A. , Inman Genevieve , Ching Patrick , Bautista Jose , Deharo Dolores , Hicks Gregory J.
Published: August 2011

In this study, we examined the relationship between the consistency of hand use and the self-reported incidence of accidents with injuries which required medical care in groups of university students ( n = 23 for each group). To do this, we adopted a scoring procedure for the Briggs-Nebes Handedness Scale that permitted us to classify individuals as consistent or inconsistent in the use of their hands. We observed that the inconsistent group was 6.12 times more likely to have experienced accidents with injury that required medical care than the consistent group. These data have implications for the literature on handedness classification and accidents. Collectively, these limited data underscore the need to pay attention to the consistency of hand use in research on handedness, health, and longevity.
Preferred Time Headway in Car-following and Individual Differences in Perceptual-Motor Skills
Authors: Van Winsum Wim
Published: August 2011

18 subjects were tested in a simulator to assess whether choice of time headway in car-following is related to individual differences in perceptual-motor skills. Drivers with a larger preferred time headway committed larger steering errors while driving on a winding road and were less accurate in maintaining a constant distance to a lead vehicle that varied its speed between 80 and 100 km/hr. compared to drivers with a smaller preferred time headway. Also, time to collision with the lead vehicle hardly affected the braking response of drivers with a larger preferred time headway. In contrast, the braking response of drivers with a smaller preferred time headway was strongly affected by time to collision with the lead vehicle. The results support the hypothesis that preferred time headway is at least to some extent the result of adaptation to the driver's braking performance and perceptual-motor skills.
Utility of Proverb Interpretation Measures with Cardiac Transplant Candidates
Authors: Dugbartey Anthony T.
Published: August 2011

To assess metaphorical understanding and proverb interpretation in cardiac transplant candidates, the neuropsychological assessment records of 22 adults with end-stage cardiac disease under consideration for transplantation were analyzed. Neuropsychological tests consisted of the Controlled Oral Word Association Test, Halstead Category Test, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (Copy), Trail Making Test, and summed scores for the proverb items of the WAIS–R Comprehension subtest. Analysis showed that the group tended to interpret proverbs literally. Proverb scores were significantly associated with scores on the Similarities and Picture Arrangement subtests of the WAIS–R. There was a moderate negative association between number of reported heart attacks and Proverb scores. The need for brief yet robust assessments including measures of inferential thinking and conceptualization in transplant candidates are highlighted.
Typicality of Objects in Environmental Scenes: Effects of Stimuli
Authors: Beltran Francesc S. , Herrando Salvador , Salavert Francina
Published: August 2011

The norms of typicality for objects included in scenes can be obtained by showing a set of paired scenes and objects and asking subjects to rate their typicality on a scale from 1 to 5. However, it is necessary to know whether the presence or absence of the object in the scene influences this judgement. We showed scene-object pairs within equivalent scenes and with or without objects of varying typicality to 56 subjects. Analysis showed the influence of including the object in the scene when the typicality is judged at the lowest values of the scale.
Development of Visuomotor Integration in Learning to Grasp a Moving Ball
Authors: Teixeira Luis Augusto
Published: August 2011

Specificity of visuomotor maps was investigated in the acquisition of a task of grasping a moving ball. Performance was initially assessed in four visual conditions of full vision, visual occlusion of 100 msec, 200 msec, and 300 msec. preceding contact between the ball and hand. During acquisition one group practiced under full vision and another one with visual occlusion of 300 msec. A posttest was performed with the same visual conditions as the pretest, and in a subsequent transfer phase the groups reversed their visual conditions. The analysis of proportion of prehensions and movement kinematics indicated that practice in either experimental condition resulted in transfer to performance in different visual conditions.
Difference in Stimulus-Response Compatibility Effect in Premotor and Motor Time between Upper and Lower Limbs
Authors: Kato Yuichiro , Asami Takaaki
Published: August 2011

The present study assessed differences in stimulus-response compatibility effects during central information processing and peripheral motor control between upper and lower limbs by measurement of times for premotor and motor response to a stimulus presented to one visual hemifield. 16 subjects participated. One stimulus-response assignment was Compatible and the other was Incompatible. In the former, the stimulus presented in the left field required a response from a left limb, and that presented in the right field required a response from a right limb. In the Incompatible condition, assignments were reversed. For both conditions, subjects were required to release the key for the upper or the lower limb as quickly as possible. The analysis of Premotor time showed the stimulus-response compatibility effect for both upper and lower limb responses, although analysis of Motor time indicated the stimulus-response compatibility effect occurred in only a lower limb response. It is concluded that the effect of stimulus-response compatibility for upper limb response was influenced only by central information processing, while the effect for lower limb response was influenced also by peripheral motor control.
Attentional Memory and Visualization Strategies in Mental Additions
Authors: Abbate Costanza Scaffidi , Di Nuovo Santo F.
Published: August 2011

To evaluate the role of attention, memory span, and visualization in the performance of additions carried out mentally, two blocks of mental additions differing in difficulty were presented to 18 women and 18 men who recorded after the first block the strategy used for solution. The 24 subjects who did not spontaneously use a visual strategy (mentally putting digits into columns) were induced to adopt it for the second block of additions. Previously, the subjects' processing of visual images, memory for digit span, and resistance to distraction were assessed using imagery tasks, a Digit-span test, and the Stroop Color-Word test. Analysis showed that in the execution of mental addition use of different strategies did not influence significantly the performance on the easier items, whereas for more difficult calculations a nonvisual strategy appeared more effective. Subjects who had lower scores on visualization did worse if they spontaneously used a ‘putting-into-columns’ strategy or if induced to change a strategy and adopt a visual one.
A Program for F Distributions with Fractional Degrees of Freedom
Authors: Berry Kenneth J. , Mielke Paul W.
Published: August 2011

A FORTRAN 77 program is described that evaluates the F distribution, providing probability values given a computed F statistic and critical values of F given a probability value. The program is accurate for all F distributions and allows the user to input positive fractional degrees of freedom.
Weight Cycling Alters Muscular Strength and Endurance, Ratings of Perceived Exertion, and Total Body Water in College Wrestlers
Authors: Wenos David L. , Amato Herbert K.
Published: August 2011

Weight cycling is the continued loss of body weight practiced by wrestlers to compete in a lower weight class. Effects of weight cycling on muscular strength, muscular endurance, total body water, and ratings of perceived exertion of the dominant hamstring-quadricep and shoulder girdle were examined in 19 wrestlers during a collegiate season. Over a 4.5-mo. period, total body water changes occurred only during acute dehydration. A decrease of ≥3% of body weight over a 24-hr. period was classified as acute dehydration. Large muscle groups changed little in muscular strength and endurance whereas the smaller shoulder abductors and adductors and hamstring muscles were differentially affected at times of testing. Ratings of perceived exertion declined after the 4.5-mo. wrestling season of weight cycling but not at times of acute dehydration.
Increased Risk of Work-Related Violence during Weekend Nights
Authors: Salminen Simo
Published: August 2011

The aim of this study was to show that the risk of occupational violence increases during weekend nights. An interview study of 164 victims of occupational violence was connected with the exposure data obtained from a study in which 10,974 people kept diaries on their use of time. The Relative Risk of violence during weekend nights compared to violence during regular office hours was 9.92 and to other times at work 1.65. The risk of violence at work increased between 5 p.m. and 5 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.
Exploring Biases in Self-Reported Exercising Behavior: Heuristics Based on Recency, Frequency, and Preference
Authors: Matt Georg E. , Garcia Monica , Primicias Wesley W. , Frericks Lailani , De Fabia Fabio
Published: August 2011

This study investigated biases in the recall of frequency and duration of physical exercise. Following an initial computer-administered self-report interview, 77 subjects maintained diaries for four weeks, in which they recorded the day, time, duration, and type of each exercising bout. Then the interview was administered again, and subjects recalled they exercised more often and for shorter durations than they recorded in their diaries. While social desirability may explain the overestimation of the number of days exercised, the underestimation of exercise duration poses a puzzle. The heuristic of frequency, recency, or prototype could not account for this underestimation. Alternative explanations are explored. Self-reported estimates of exercising duration and frequency should not be taken at face-value until the processes and heuristics used to record and recall exercising behaviors are better understood.
Selection of Effective Tests of Motor Ability in Preschool Children Based on Pass-or-Fail Criteria: Examination of Reliability, Objectivity, and Rate of Passing
Authors: Goshi Fumio , Demura Shinichi , Kasuga Kosho , Sato Susumu , Minami Masaki
Published: August 2011

The purpose of this study was to select effective tests of motor ability based on pass-or-fail criteria for use with preschool children. 37 items selected by examining theoretical validity and the results of preliminary tests were administered to preschool children (3 yr.: M = 3.7 yr., SD = 0.28; 4 yr.: M = 4.7 yr., SD = 0.28; 5 yr.: M = 5.7 yr., SD = 0.28). A skilled tester and each child's homeroom teacher rated whether the child's performance passed certain criteria or not. With agreement on two trials as an index of test-retest reliability, the mean agreement among the three grades ranged from 69% to 99% for Locomotion; 59% to 95% for Manipulation; and 66% to 100% for Stability. Disagreement on two trials may reflect instability in movement, practice effects, and so on. With agreement between two testers as an index of objectivity for 37 items, 33 showed interrater agreement of 80% or more for all three grades. No significant increase in pass rate with age was found on 10 items. In examining the three conditions mentioned above, 27 items were selected as tests of motor ability: 14 items for Locomotion, 7 items for Manipulation, and 6 items for Stability.
Ethnicity, Sleep Duration, and Sleep Satisfaction
Authors: Hicks Robert A. , Lucero-Gorman Kristy , Bautista Jose , Hicks Gregory J.
Published: August 2011

Analysis of responses of 1100 students from four ethnic groups to questions about the quantity and quality of their sleep indicated that ethnicity was modestly but significantly related.
Selection of Forced- and Free-Choice by Monkeys (Macaca Fascicularis)
Authors: Suzuki Shuji
Published: August 2011

Using a concurrent-chains procedure, the present study examined preference of monkeys between forced-choice and free-choice with multiple alternatives. The forced-choice was followed by the reinforcer with a probability of .8. The free-choice was between reinforcement alternatives of high probability ( p = .8) and low probability ( p = .5) in which the monkeys mostly chose the former. The number of keys with each kind of alternative in the free-choice was manipulated under four conditions. Preference for free-choice increased with the number of keys for the preferred alternative. However, the number of keys for the less-preferred alternative had no influence on preference. Effects of the less-preferred alternative on preference were inconsistent with previous studies using pigeons.
Measuring Involvement
Authors: Behling Dorothy U.
Published: August 2011

The purpose of the study was to develop a valid and reliable scale, that is not age dependent, which can be used to measure involvement with fashion goods. The behavioral scale was developed testing full-time working women who ranged in age from 18 to 65 years as well as undergraduate women from a midwestern campus. Factor analysis and a scree diagram were used to extract a single-factor eight-item scale that appears to be both valid and reliable. Convergent validity of the scale was also established through correlations with Zaichkowsky's Personal Involvement Inventory.
Effect of Practice in Bilateral and Unilateral Reaction-Time Tasks
Authors: Taniguchi Yuko
Published: August 2011

The effects of practice on bilateral and unilateral reaction times (RTs) for thumb flexion tasks were investigated. Four female and 23 male students were divided into 4 groups who practiced a task under a single condition: unilateral (with either the right or left hand), bilateral, or control. Unilateral and bilateral groups practiced 20 trials 3 days a week for 6 weeks. For the left hand, the RT shortened following practice in the Unilateral-left and Bilateral groups; however, the interaction of the practice group by task was not significant. For the right hand, the RT shortened following practice, but neither the interactions of the practice group by task nor the practice group by measurement time were significant. The changes in the bilateral RTs with practice were significantly correlated with the change of the unilateral-left RT but were not significantly correlated with the change of the unilateral-right RT. As a result, no significant change in bilateral deficit was found. There was no lateral specificity in the effect of practice on RT.
Relationship between Choice Reaction Time and the Tower of Hanoi Test
Authors: Bestawros Alain , Langevin Jean-Philippe , Lalonde Robert , Botez-Marquard Thérèse
Published: August 2011

The aim of this study was to examine a possible relation between the speed of information processing, as measured by simple and choice visual RT, and problem-solving, as measured by the Tower of Hanoi test. For 20 normal teenagers, performing all tests, significant correlations were found between choice RT and both measures of performance on the Tower of Hanoi, number of disk moves, and time taken to complete the task. Simple RT was correlated with Completion time but not with the number of moves, while the reverse pattern was discerned for decision time. Choice movement time was also associated with both measures, but simple movement time was not. These results are consistent with the hypothesis of a common neurobiological basis to information-processing speed and executive functions.
Participation Motives of Young Australian and Chinese Gymnasts
Authors: Kirkby Robert J. , Kolt Gregory S. , Liu Ji
Published: August 2011

Reasons for participating in gymnastics were investigated with 280 Australian and 103 Chinese youth. The participants, aged 8 to 15 years, completed modified versions of the Participation Motivation Questionnaire. Treatment of the scores by principal components analysis yielded seven factors. Further analyses showed that the samples differed significantly on six of these factors. Comparisons of individual items indicated that the Australian gymnasts rated having fun and liking the rewards as more important than did the Chinese respondents. Chinese athletes allocated higher ratings to being part of a club, having a good body, liking to win, and wanting to be popular Both groups assigned high values to reasons associated with improving skills, being and getting exercise. It was suggested that the findings reflected cultural differences between Australian and Chinese societies as well as particular characteristics of the Chinese sample.
Research in Subliminal Psychodynamic Activation: Note on Masling (1998)
Authors: Fudin Robert
Published: August 2011

Masling (1998) questioned Malik, Apel, Nelham, Rutkowski, and Ladd's 1997 suggestion that subliminal psychodynamic activation research with MOMMY AND I ARE ONE should be restricted Problems in Masling's paper and the scope of research with MOMMY AND I ARE ONE are discussed. His position that such research should not be restricted is supported on the condition that subliminal psychodynamic activation research with MOMMY AND I ARE ONE (and other messages) use Fudin's 1986 procedure that could clarify the interpretation of successful experimental outcomes.
Human Taste Contrast and Self-Reported Measures of Anxiety
Authors: Specht Steven M. , Twining Robert C.
Published: August 2011

Successive negative taste contrast in humans was demonstrated with a common taste stimulus, i.e., cherry-flavored Kool-Aid. A total of 31 male and female college-aged participants rated a 7% sucrose solution which was cherry-flavored as less sweet when it was preceded by a 28% rather than a 7% sucrose solution which was cherry-flavored. Because drugs such as the benzodiazepines affect taste contrast in rats and act as anxiolytics in humans, the present experiment also examined whether several self-reported measures of anxiety were related to taste contrast in humans. Neither scores on Taylor's Manifest Anxiety Survey nor those on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were related to “sweetness” ratings or contrast effects.
Stress, Relaxation States, and Creativity
Authors: Khasky Amy D. , Smith Jonathan C.
Published: August 2011

114 participants in four groups practiced 25 minutes of progressive muscle relaxation, yoga stretching, imagery, or a control task. Before and after training, participants took state versions of the Smith Quick Stress Test (which measures Somatic Stress, Negative Affect, and Worry) and the Smith R-State Inventory (which measures relaxation-related states Disengagement, Physical Relaxation, Mental Relaxation, Strength and Awareness, Joy, Love and Thankfulness, and Prayerfulness). After training, all took both the Verbal and Figural forms of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking. At posttest, groups' scores did not differ on Creativity; however, when compared with yoga stretching, imagery trainees had lower posttest scores on Negative Affect. Both yoga stretching and imagery trainees displayed higher scores on self-reported Physical Relaxation than did controls. Progressive muscle relaxation trainees had lower scores on Somatic Stress than controls. Paradoxically, for all relaxation trainees, Disengagement (feeling “distant, far away, indifferent”) correlated positively with both Negative Affect and Physical Relaxation, suggesting that disengagement in relaxation may not lead to relaxation-induced anxiety bur may help one cope with such anxiety.