bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Explanation of Illusory Contours in Terms of Strength of Pattern and its Spread Effect
Authors: Sohmiya Tamotsu , Sohmiya Kazuko
Published: August 2011

The generation of illusory contours is closely related to distinct parts of a pattern such as dots, line ends, and corner points. On the other hand, the remarkable property is that gaze at one point of the contours diminishes the illusion and a return of gaze to the whole pattern restores it. Therefore, illusory contours depend on local parts and the whole pattern formed by the parts, and fitting data on the two aspects is necessary to clarify underlying mechanisms. We have obtained such data from the experiments performed to elucidate other visual phenomena. On the basis of the data, the concepts of strength of pattern, strength of its spread effect, ridgelines of the spread effect, and a hollow of the spread effect are introduced and then various phenomena on illusory contours, including the Kanizsa triangle, are explained in terms of these concepts.
Preschool Children's Comprehension of the Word “Handicapped”
Authors: Cohen Tamara L. , Lopatto David E.
Published: August 2011

A group of 4– and 5–yr.-old children were asked the meaning of the word “handicapped,” while another group were asked the meaning of a nonsense word. Five of 15 children claimed to know the meaning of “handicapped” but none could supply a factual definition. Two of 15 children in the comparison group claimed to know the meaning of the nonsense word. Despite their lack of knowledge, children in both groups continued to answer questions regarding their attitudes toward the word. The results cast doubt on the effective use of verbal measures of attitudes toward persons with disabilities when the subjects are preschool children.
Visual Scotoma and Visual Afterimages: Some Evidence That the Perceived Visual Afterimage May Not Be a Purely Retinal Phenomenon: A Single Case Study
Authors: Davies Peter
Published: August 2011

Observations of the differential appearance and behaviour of a deliberately induced visual scotoma and a patterned visual afterimage are reported. Although a retinal scotoma behaves like a visual afterimage in some ways, there are sufficient differences to suggest that the perceived visual afterimage may not be just the simple consequence of prolonged retinal stimulation.
A Grade-Six Reading Level Key for the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List-Revised
Authors: Lubin Bernard , Van Whitlock Rodney , Rea Melinda R.
Published: August 2011

A scoring key containing adjectives from the Multiple Affect Adjective Check List-Revised (MAACL-R) at or below the Grade 6 reading level (MAACL–R6) was used to rescore data from two nonreferred samples (college students, ns = 52 and 78) and one referred sample of 202 from a community mental health center outpatient clinic. Reliability (measures of internal consistency and test-retest) and validity (correlations with five 5–point self-rating mood scales) were almost as high as those for the MAACL–R, and convergence among the MAACL–R6 scales was not increased. Means for the referred group were significantly higher.
Lack of a Season of Birth Effect among American Athletes
Authors: Stanaway Kimberly B. , Hines Terence M.
Published: August 2011

Previous studies have reported uneven distributions of birth dates across the year for European athletes in several sports. The usual explanation has been that being born in a particular part of the year confers selective advantages or disadvantages depending on what part of the year the season of the sport in question begins. We now report the first study of season of birth effects in American athletes. We found no such effect in a sample of 167 highly skilled football players or in a sample of 600 baseball players.
Influence of British National Curriculum Physical Education on Teachers' Behaviours Associated with Pupils' Psychosocial Development: A Case Study in One English Town
Authors: Curtner-Smith Matthew D. , Kerr Iain G. , Hencken Clare L.
Published: August 2011

The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of British National Curriculum Physical Education on the quality of physical education instruction in the five state secondary schools in one southwestern English town in terms of teachers' use of behaviours related with pupils' psychosocial development during the 1994 summer term. Subjects were the 20 physical education teachers employed at the five schools. Two lessons of each teacher's choice in which they taught any activity to pupils in Years 7, 8, and 9 were videotaped. Lessons were coded with the Coaching Behavior Assessment System, an observational instrument designed to record the rate at which teachers use behaviours positively and negatively related with pupils' psychosocial development. Data generated by this system were entered into an SPSS programme to produce descriptive statistics. Regardless of the activity being taught, teachers used behaviours related to pupils' positive psychosocial development much more frequently than they used behaviours linked with pupils' negative psychosocial development. A comparison of the data collected at these five schools during the present study with those collected in the summer term of 1992 indicated that the introduction of the National Curriculum Physical Education did not affect teachers' use of behaviours associated with pupils' psychosocial development when teaching summer activities.
Relations of Goal Orientations and Expectations on Multidimensional State Anxiety
Authors: Newton Maria , Duda Joan
Published: August 2011

This study examined the relationships among task and ego orientation, expectations for success, and multidimensional state anxiety in a competitive sport situation. Subjects ( N = 107) enrolled in a tennis skills class were gender- and ability-matched and asked to play an eight game pro-set. One week prior to the match goal orientations were assessed. Immediately prior to competition multidimensional state anxiety and performance expectations were measured. Multiple regression analyses predicting multidimensional state anxiety revealed that somatic and cognitive state anxiety were only predicted by performance expectations. Also, lower ego orientation and positive match expectations were predictive of state self-confidence. Results are interpreted in light of goal perspective theory.
Effects of Taboo Words on Color-Naming Performance on a Stroop Test
Authors: Siegrist Michael
Published: August 2011

The effect of irrelevant taboo and control words on performance on the Stroop task was examined. The mean response time for taboo words was higher than that for control words. Single stimulus presentation made it possible to estimate internal consistency for interference of taboo words, which was acceptable (Cronbach alpha = .80).
Relationships between Scores on the Motor Activity Anxiety Test and the Fear Survey Schedule
Authors: Bortoli Laura , Robazza Claudio
Published: August 2011

Relationships between the Motor Activity Anxiety Test and the Fear Survey Schedule scales were assessed in a research involving 120 subjects ages 13 to 21 years. Correlations ranged from low ( r = .27) to moderate ( r = .49). These results confirm the specificity of fearful situations in motor activity compared to events not related to physical activity and they also confirm the opportunity to use the Motor Activity Anxiety Test in an educational context.
A Short Measure of General Self-Esteem among Northern Irish University Students: Some Data on Reliability
Authors: Maltby John
Published: August 2011

The 12-item measure of general self-esteem from the Self-description Questionnaire III was reliable as estimated several ways among 263 Northern Irish university students.
Differing Results in Research on Preference for Music Tempo
Authors: LeBlanc Albert
Published: August 2011

Iwanaga's research procedure was quite different from ordinary life and from the methodology used in traditional research on musical preference. This might explain the difference in the results he obtained.
Comments to Dr. LeBlanc's Report
Authors: Iwanaga Makoto
Published: August 2011

Acknowledging LeBlanc's evaluation of my recent work in this journal, three comments are provided
Alcoholics Anonymous and Rational Recovery: Readability of the “Big Book” Vs the Small Book
Authors: Rather Bruce C. , Murphy Jay D.
Published: August 2011

Readability of the Big Book used in Alcoholics Anonymous confirmed Mills' finding of an 8th- or 9th-grade reading level, but readability of the Small Book for Rational Recovery required college level reading.
An Experimental Test of “The Mozart Effect”: Does Listening to His Music Improve Spatial Ability?
Authors: Newman Joan , Rosenbach John H. , Burns Kathryn L. , Latimer Brian C. , Matocha Helen R. , Vogt Elaine Rosenthal
Published: August 2011

This experiment was designed as a test of the 1993 findings of Rauscher, Shaw, and Ky who reported a positive effect of listening to classical music on spatial reasoning. Present results do not demonstrate the “Mozart effect.” In our study, 114 students were pretested on items from the Raven's Progressive Matrices-Advanced Form, then instructed to listen to either 8 min. of Mozart's music, relaxation instructions, or silence. Then subjects were posttested on an equivalent set of Raven's items. The subjects were also asked to provide information about their musical background and preferences. All instructions and treatments were audiotaped and played to individual subjects through earphones in the university language laboratory, ensuring standardization of procedures. Subjects in all 3 treatment groups showed a practice effect, but this improvement in Raven's scores was not dependent on the type of treatment received. There were no differences in Raven's scores among groups before or after treatment so our results do not confirm the prior ones. There was no evidence that the brief music had a different effect on subsequent problem solving according to listeners' musical background and training.
The Unsuccessful Group Treatment of “Writer's Block”: A Ten-Year Follow-up
Authors: Skinner Nicholas F. , Perlini Arthur H.
Published: August 2011

Skinner, Perlini, Fric, Werstine, and Calk (1985) reported the initial failure of the group application of Upper's (1974) and Molloy's (1983) self-treatment procedures for overcoming writer's block. Weekly one-hour administration of these group protocols has continued to be ineffective over a 10-yr. follow-up period. Researchers will investigate whether this lack of success reflects the limitations of group therapy in absentia, necessitated by the (a) second author's relocation to another university, and (b) apparent inability of the other original participants to respond to posthumous treatment.
Predicting Perceptual Defense
Authors: York Michael W. , Rabinowitz Jeffrey A. , Burdick Keith , Coffey Samuel , Tongul Elif
Published: August 2011

Perceptual defense as a phenomenon was proposed by McGinnies in 1949. His findings were, in main, replicated by York, et al. in 1984 and extended by Perroncel, et al. in 1990. The present purpose was to assess whether four independent variables, one related to emotional arousal (GSR) and three, related to connotative word meaning (Evaluative, Potency, and Activity scores from Semantic Differential words used in the Perroncel, et al. study), could predict the perceptual defense phenomenon. The multiple correlation coefficient (R) was .19; however, the percent variance accounted for by the four independent variables was 3%. Clearly, further research is necessary to specify what factors predict the perceptual defense effect.
Gender Affects the Detection of Resistive Loads
Authors: Harver Andrew , Smith David M.
Published: August 2011

Gender differences were observed on a respiratory-resistance detection task. Men ( n = 35) exhibited significantly lower thresholds for air flow resistance than women ( n = 45).
Walking Patterns and Finger Rhythm of Older Adults
Authors: Nagasaki Hiroshi , Itoh Hajime , Hashizume Ken , Furuna Taketo , Maruyama Hitoshi , Kinugasa Takashi
Published: August 2011

Walking patterns and rhythmic movement of the fingers were examined in a total of 1,134 male and female community residents 65 years of age and over. Walking patterns were characterized according to the ratio of step length divided by step rate (cadence), called the Walk Ratio, during level walking at preferred and maximum speeds. The walking pattern tended to change according to age; older subjects walked with shorter steps (smaller Walk Ratio). Rhythmic movement was examined using the finger-tapping test in time to the sound of a 4-Hz metronome. Hastened tapping or finger festination, in which the subject tapped faster than requested (constant error of 3 msec. and over in the intertap interval), was characteristic of aging; 16.8% of the subjects exhibited finger festination and the occurrence increased with age, especially among those in their eighties (29.3%). Finger festination was accompanied by walking patterns with an increased step rate, or a smaller Walk Ratio. These characteristics of aging were discussed as similar to extrapyramidal symptoms of walking and rhythm production in patients with Parkinson's disease.
Visuospatial/Vocabulary Differences in Boys and Girls and a Potential Age-Dependent Drift in Vocabulary Proficiency
Authors: Moulden J. A. , Persinger M. A.
Published: August 2011

A total of 188 monolingual (English) boys and girls whose ages ranged from 6 years through 14 years were administered the Vocabulary and Block Design subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Although the boys ( n = 85) displayed significantly greater relative strengths for the visuospatial task than the girls ( n = 103), the effect was due primarily to the boys' less proficient Vocabulary scores. The detection of a significant linear decrease ( r = −.32) in standardized scores for Vocabulary but not for Block Design over this age span was not expected. The drift over 9 grades was equivalent to more than one standard deviation. Possible sources of interference such as exposure to the same second language that occupied 6% to 12% of the instructional time are suggested.
Effect of Instruction on Perceived Physical Ability and Exercise Adherence
Authors: Cain Richard E.
Published: August 2011

The preliminary findings on the effectiveness of instruction on perceived physical ability and attrition among 53 adult women registered in an 8-wk. structured aerobic exercise program are provided.
The Controversy between Qualitative and Quantitative Research in Education: A Legacy of Kuhn's Incommensurability Thesis?
Authors: Niaz Mansoor
Published: August 2011

It is suggested that the Kuhnian incommensurability thesis, a major source of inspiration for qualitative researchers, represents an obstacle for a meaningful dialogue between qualitative and quantitative researchers in education.
Spatial and Temporal Locations in Child Jordanian Arabic
Authors: Khanji Rajai , Weist Richard M.
Published: August 2011

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the influence of cognitive development on the acquisition of the spatial and temporal systems in Jordanian Arabic. 60 Jordanian children 2 to 6 years old received a comprehension test based on a 1991 sentence-picture matching task of Weist, wherein each problem contained a minimal morphological contrast. These contrasts were either spatial, e.g., ‘in/on,’ or temporal, e.g., past/future tense. Further, the contrasts required either a single referent object or event, e.g., ‘in/on’ and past/future tense, or they required two or more referent objects or events, e.g., ‘between’ and ‘before/after.’ Firstly, significant change across age groups was noted. Secondly, problems which required two referent objects or events were more difficult than those requiring one referent object or event. Finally, spatial contrasts were easier than temporal ones. The findings were related to the general issue of the interaction of language and thought during the acquisition of language.
Should Body-Image Scales Designed for Adults Be Used with Adolescents?
Authors: Byrne Nuala M. , Hills Andrew P.
Published: August 2011

For many people, there is a discrepancy between perceived and desired physical appearance. Attempts have been made to quantify this discrepancy as a measure of body-image disturbance; however, the use of measurement scales which are not population-specific may bias the assessment. To investigate whether ratings of body-images were affected by the scale employed, 57 male and 40 female adolescents were tested using both adult and adolescent body-figure silhouette scales. Significant between-scale differences were found, with adolescents displaying consistently lower body-image ratings when viewing adult as opposed to adolescent scales. In addition, between-sex differences in discrepancy scores and correlations between discrepancy scores and another measure of body satisfaction were significantly influenced by the scale employed. The results confirm the need for population-specific measurement scales and the implementation of standardised assessment procedures.
Effects of Subliminal Symbiotic Stimuli on Anxiety Reduction
Authors: Malik Rajesh , Krasney Mark S. , Aldworth Bryn , Ladd Herbert W.
Published: August 2011

The present study assessed the effectiveness of subliminal psychodynamic stimuli in reducing anxiety. 50 male and 50 female college students were tachistoscopically exposed to one of five stimuli: MOMMY AND I ARE ONE, DADDY AND I ARE ONE, I AM HAPPY WITH MYSELF, ONE, or a control stimulus MYMMO NAD I REA END. It was hypothesized that men would show a significant decrease in anxiety to the MOMMY stimulus, while women were expected to respond favorably to either the MOMMY or DADDY stimulus, or to both. Results showed that the subliminal stimuli did not produce differential effects on anxiety. This finding did not support previous claims for subliminal psychodynamic activation that the stimulation of symbiotic fantasy with the maternal figure produces positive behavioral effects. Despite this negative finding, women's response to the MOMMY message was predicted by measures of self-perception.
Profile of Exercising Women
Authors: Puretz Susan L. , Haas Adelaide , Meltzer Donna
Published: August 2011

Responses to a questionnaire by 497 women on their exercise, nutrition, and health habits were studied. Analysis showed respondents were well educated and represented a wide age range. The majority exercised at least 3 times a week for at least half an hour per session. Slightly more than half had been engaging in exercise for more than 5 years, with about 1 in 4 beginning for health goals and 1 in 4 motivated by weight control. Health was ranked in the top three most important reasons for continuing to exercise by more than half the women, but so were weight control, pleasure, and tension reduction. Lack of time limited regularity.
Nonwords and the Phonological Loop: A Comment on Saito (1995)
Authors: Gathercole Susan E.
Published: August 2011

Short-term memory for nonwords, like real words, may be supported both by long-term knowledge about the sound structures of familiar words in the language and the phonological loop component of working memory. It cannot therefore be safely assumed that employing nonwords in memory experiments will guarantee dependence only on the phonological loop.
Preference for the Half-Left Profile Pose: Three Inclusive Models
Authors: Conesa Jorge
Published: August 2011

Kinsbourne's hemispheric activation model and infant habitual-postural constraints may help explain the preference for the half-left profile.
Motivation to Participate of Divers with and without Disabilities
Authors: Yarwasky Lauri , Furst David M.
Published: August 2011

8 divers with disabilities and 8 able-bodied divers completed a survey regarding motivation to participate in SCUBA. Analysis showed that the two groups participated in SCUBA mainly for how it made them feel emotionally. Groups had comparable rankings of the three most and least important reasons for participation.
Effects of Inclusive Education and Strategies of Conflict Resolution on Perceived School Behavior and Personal Self-Concept
Authors: Ziegler Edward W. , Taylor Ronald L. , Scott Barbara N.
Published: August 2011

Three teams of 7th grade English teachers and students were assigned to 3 placements of inclusive education, conflict resolution, and regular curriculum. The inclusive education group ( n = 27) scored significantly higher than the regular curriculum group ( n = 23) on measures of both perceived school behavior and personal self-concept. Statistically significant teacher-student intercorrelations on both measures were observed in the regular curriculum group.
Gender Differences in Methods for Suicide
Authors: Lester David
Published: August 2011

Suicide rates were higher for men than for women whether using methods dependent upon modern technology or more traditional methods, both in a study of the USA from 1962–1989 and over 24 nations of the world in 1980.
An Inquiry into Application of Gokyo (Aikido's Fifth Teaching) on Human Anatomy
Authors: Olson Gregory D. , Seitz Frank C. , Guldbrandsen Frank
Published: August 2011

In this anatomical analysis the authors examined Gokyo, Aikido's Fifth Teaching. Using their cadaver/anatomist-observer model, the authors observed that tissues manipulated by the technique were primarily on the dorsal side of the wrist, proximal to the second metacarpal. The source of the pain was thought to involve the manipulation of the wrist joints and associated carpometacarpal ligaments. Locations of the manipulated tissue and sources of pain associated with that tissue, and their limited practical application were discussed.
Ganzfeld Perceptual Field and Gender Effects on Short-Term Memory as a Function of Rate of Digit Presentation
Authors: Vitulli William F. , Laconsay Kendra L. M. , Shepard Heather A.
Published: August 2011

Efforts to enhance short-term memory for digit span (in serial recall) included the Ganzfeld perceptual field and variation in the rate ( interstimulus interval: 1 sec., 2 sec., 3 sec.) of 25 auditorily presented computer-generated random numbers (1 to 5). Undergraduate volunteers (52 men and 91 women) wore goggles consisting of halves of translucent ping-pong balls while viewing a red lamp and listening to 60 decibels of white noise. Control subjects wore goggles with clear plastic lenses. Participants were instructed to recall 25 random digits in the correct series (vocalized sequentially through headphones worn by the subjects) immediately after their presentations. A mixed 2 × 2 × 3 split-plot analysis of variance yielded a significant effect for digit rates, and post hoc Scheffé tests of multiple comparisons showed differences in recall between interstimulus intervals of 1 and 2 sec., 1 and 3 sec., and 2 and 3 sec. Other Scheffé comparisons showed that men scored higher than women with the 3–sec. interstimulus interval and with the “clear” perceptual field. Ganzfeld may have reduced distractibility for women as compared with recall following the “clear” perceptual field. Serial-position effects favored “primacy,” yet the “recency effect” was seen within the last 5 serial positions.
Perceptions of Job Title: Interior Decorator, Interior Designer and Building Designer or Architect
Authors: Wright Jelaine C. , Wood B. Jeanneane , Lee Carl
Published: August 2011

265 university students were asked to rank their perceptions of interior decorators, interior designers, and building designers or architects after reading a brief summary of the applicable professional's education. Similar to other research conducted in this area, a majority of these students ranked interior decorators and interior designers as more similar to one another while interior designers and building designers or architects were more dissimilar.
Perception of Body Shape by Underweight, Average, and Overweight Men and Women
Authors: Demarest Jack , Langer Elsa
Published: August 2011

Using figure drawings, perception of body shape was evaluated by underweight, average, and overweight men and women. Body-shape dissatisfaction was greatest for 60 overweight women, and about the same in 151 average weight women as it was for 102 overweight men. Average weight men ( n = 107) and underweight women ( n = 31) were fairly satisfied with their current shapes. Both men and women had distorted views of the shape the opposite sex found most attractive. Women guessed that men would prefer a thinner shape than they actually did, and men guessed that women would prefer a larger shape than they actually did. The distortion was larger for men as their own size increased but not for women.
Correlations among Field Dependence/Independence, Locus of Control and Self-Monitoring
Authors: Leventhal Gloria , Sisco Howard
Published: August 2011

72 college students completed the Witkin Rod and Frame Test and the Group Embedded Figures Test as measures of Field Dependence/Independence, the Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, and the Snyder Self-monitoring Scale. Analysis indicated a small but significant relationship between scores on the first two tests but none between the second two. A significant correlation between scores on locus of control with the Group Embedded Figures Test and none with the Rod and Frame test, and a small but significant relationship between scores on self-monitoring with those on both measures of field dependence.
Visual Factors in the Child's Gait: Effects on Locomotor Skills
Authors: Assaiante Christine , Amblard Bernard
Published: August 2011

This kinematic study investigated the effects of visual factors on the angular oscillations of the head and trunk during various locomotor tasks in 3- to 8-yr.-old children and adults. The oscillations of the head under normal vision were limited and changed little across ages Oscillations of both head and trunk about the roll axis were the most sensitive to difficulty in maintaining lateral equilibrium. On narrow supports, the lateral oscillations of the trunk increased between the ages of 3 and 6 years, with a maximum amplitude at the latter age and then decreased up to adulthood, suggesting a transition phase around the age of 6 years. Visual restriction had little effect on the control of angular oscillations of the head in children or adults. On a narrow support in darkness, adults increased oscillations of the trunk but reduced oscillations of the head. It can be concluded that, regardless of the age, control of locomotor equilibrium aims at limiting the angular oscillations of the head. Vision seems to contribute little to stabilization of the head.
Perception of Anxiety and Expectations of Performance
Authors: Wiggins Matthew S. , Brustad Robert J.
Published: August 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine expectations of performance and the directionality of anxiety. Directionality refers to the facilitative or debilitative aspects of anxiety. Subjects were 91 athletes competing in soccer, swimming, and track and field. The Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 with an added Facilitative/Debilitative scale and Expectation of Performance scale was employed. Analysis showed that athletes with lower scores on cognitive and somatic anxiety, and higher scores on self-confidence perceived their anxiety as more facilitative of performance. These athletes also had significantly higher scores on the Expectation of Performance scale.
Temporal and Spatial Repetition Avoidance
Authors: Brugger Peter
Published: August 2011

An experiment is introduced in which subjects had to mark with either an “X” or a point 100 squares arranged in a 10 by 10 matrix randomly. One group of subjects had to proceed horizontally (starting with the top row, left to right), another group vertically (starring with the left-most column, top to bottom). Two forms of repetition avoidance were found, temporal (avoidance of preceding choice) and spatial (avoidance of the mark contained by the neighboring cell, i.e., the one above or the one to the left for the horizontal and vertical procedures, respectively). Selection of a “random” choice in a two-dimensional array is thus affected by internal (self-generated) as well as external stimuli. The two forms of avoidance were negatively intercorrelated, indicating that suppression of internal and external cues are separate and mutually competing functions. Random matrix tasks may provide a simple means to assess a person's relative susceptibility to either form of repetition avoidance.
Quantitative and Qualitative Scores on Dream Test
Authors: Živkovič Momčilo
Published: August 2011

A quantitative Dream Test score is defined as the ratio of the number of the key dream words selected by a subject and given a plus sign to the number of the dream words given minus sign as is done on the Initial-letter Word-association Test. The mean quantitative Dream Test score is 2+/3- with a slight prevalence of minus over plus signs and the mean number of selected key dream words of 5. The qualitative Dream Test score was formulated to represent the dream categories and subcategories in which individual dreams are classified according to manifest dream content. From a sample of 122 dreams reported by 122 women, students in psychology ( M age 20 yr.), dreams were categorized as Death (27 or 22.0%), Nightmares (53 or 43.1%), Love (35 or 28.3%), Atypical dreams (7 or 57%), and No dreams (1 or .8%). The most frequent qualitative Dream Test score was for Nightmares which is in accord with the slight prevalence of minus over plus signs in the Dream Test mean quantitative score.
Locomotive Stereotyped Behavior in Cynomolgus Macaques, Macaca Fascicularis
Authors: Minami Tetsuhiro
Published: August 2011

Primate infants separated from their mothers and kept alone for a long period may exhibit behavioral disorders and develop stereotyped behavior according to genetic predispositions of the infants and environmental factors such as characteristics of the cage. However, it is not clear whether the locomotive and repetitive stereotyped behaviors are related to maternal separation or isolation rearing early in life. The locomotive and repetitive stereotyped behaviors and their relationship were examined with 65 juveniles of cynomolgus macaques kept under artificial conditions. All infants were separated from their mothers and kept with peers. Observations were conducted when they were about three to five years old. The monkeys exhibited locomotive and repetitive stereotyped behavior such as turning, backward somersaulting, and bouncing. Most showed both turning and backward somersaulting. Observations indicated that social interactions with peers following maternal separation at the age of 3 to 5 mo. produce the locomotive and repetitive stereotyped behavior and that turning may change to backward somersaulting for older infants. Further work with controls for several factors is needed.
Psychometric Properties of a Paper-and-Pencil Test Measuring the Personality Trait of Persistence
Authors: Gustafson Roland , Norlander Torsten
Published: August 2011

A test measuring the behavioral aspects of the personality trait of persistence, The Persistent Effort Test, was constructed and psychometric properties assessed. The original version consisted of 12 items, each one a nonsense block of six letters. The task of 9 men and 9 women was to construct as many correct Swedish words as possible from letter combinations. The total time spent on this task and the number of correct words constituted the dependent variables. A Persistence Effort Quotient was calculated. The reliability calculated on the quotient for the 12-item version was acceptable (Cronbach alpha = .86) and an item analysis indicated that the test could be shortened by six items with increased reliability (Cronbach alpha =.87). A validity analysis also using the quotient performed with a second sample of subjects using classmates' ratings on two separate rating scales of specific aspects of persistence, yielded acceptable validity (Pearson r = .69 for the first scale and .71 for the second scale). This indicates that the shortened 6-item version is a reliable and valid test of persistence even though it is necessary with more studies to address the issues of predictive validity and norms for different groups of people.
The Onset of Upright Locomotion and Night Wakings
Authors: Scher Anat
Published: August 2011

Frequency of awakenings of 9 prewalkers was lower than that of 14 walkers in a longitudinal study.
Auditory Temporal Resolution in Specifically Language-Impaired and Age-Matched Children
Authors: Helzer Jenny R. , Champlin Craig A. , Gillam Ronald B.
Published: August 2011

Recently there has been renewed interest in the auditory processing capabilities of children with specific language impairment. In this study, eight children with specific language impairment and eight nonimpaired, age-matched peers completed a task to assess temporal resolution abilities. Children were asked to detect a tone in three masking conditions wherein the masker contained silent gaps of 0 msec., 40 msec., or 64 msec. in duration. Thresholds were measured in each masking condition at 500 Hz and 2000 Hz. Across the groups, thresholds decreased (improved) significantly as a function of increases in the duration of the gaps. Children in the two groups exhibited remarkably similar thresholds for the three masking conditions. However, children with specific language impairment required a significantly greater number of ascending trials to achieve the threshold criterion than did age-matched children. Results suggest that language-impaired children perceive temporal aspects of acoustic stimuli as well as their normally developing peers. Attentional mechanisms may play an important role in the difficulties they exhibit in auditory processing.
Communication Skill and Behaviour Disorder
Authors: Chung Man Cheung , Jenner Louise , Chamberlain Lisa
Published: August 2011

The aim was to identify changes in communication skills and behaviour disorder of 15 clients with learning difficulties 6 mo. and 1 yr. after they moved from large- to small-scale accommodations. Clients were allocated into a group of 6 with profound multiple learning difficulties, a preverbal group of 5, and a verbal group of 4. Communication skills were measured using the Preverbal Communication Schedule, and behavioural disorder was measured using the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist. Analysis showed that from the baseline to one year follow-up, there was a significant increase from baseline in social withdrawal by the clients with multiple difficulties but that there were improvements in communication skills of both preverbal and verbal clients. No control group was involved.
Odors as Cues for the Recall of Words Unrelated to Odor
Authors: Morgan Cynthia L.
Published: August 2011

The effectiveness of an ambient odor as a retrieval cue for words unrelated to odor was investigated. After incidental learning of 40 adjectives, 40 participants were tested for recall during three unannounced recall phases (15 min., 48 hr., and 5 days). Participants in two control conditions learned with no odor present and either had no odor present during any recall phase or only during recall after 5 days. Participants in two conditions learned with an odor present and either had the odor present during recall only after 5 days or during recall both after 15 min. and after 5 days. Analyses indicated that, while participants in the control conditions recalled significantly less during each succeeding recall phase, recall by participants in the two experimental conditions did not decrease significantly. Recall by participants in the two experimental conditions was significantly higher during recall after 5 days (when the odor was reintroduced) than either control group. The addition of a salient cue during learning and retrieval facilitated recall more than the presence of constant environmental cues.
Locus of Control and Women's Perceptions of Sex Discrimination
Authors: Lanier Patricia A. , Barnett Tim
Published: August 2011

The scores on locus of control and perceptions of sex discrimination among women in a national sample of approximately 3,500 indicated that women with scores implicating an internal locus of control were more likely to perceive that they had been victims of sex discrimination than other women. Women with internal locus of control scores were also more likely to complain to a supervisor, file a grievance, or take legal action with regard to perceived discrimination.
Role of Contextual Mediation in Direct versus Reconstructed Angelic Encounters
Authors: Lange Rense , Houran James
Published: August 2011

A sample of 89 instances of angelic encounters found on Internet web sites were analyzed using the classification scheme for contextual variables proposed by Lange, Houran, Harte, and Havens (1996). Consistent with previous research, the contents of the contextual variables operating during these angelic encounters were consistent with the content of percipients' experiences. In addition, contextual variables were related to the modalities of the experiences as well as to the percipients' apparent arousal. The proposed existence of two different types of encounters was supported. Percipients' experiences in “direct” encounters strongly resembled those found in other hallucinatory experiences such as poltergeist-like episodes, death-bed visions, and shamanic trances. By contrast, there is strong evidence that “reconstructed” encounters are often the result of accidental or puzzling (but otherwise normal) encounters with actual human beings.
The Age of Stopping Smoking: The Spanish Example
Authors: Becoña Elisardo , Vázquez Fernando L.
Published: August 2011

In this study we analysed the average age at which smokers in Spain seek treatment. The sample of 485 smokers who sought to participate in a smoking cessation program by mail had a mean age of 37.5 yr. and the mean reported number of cigarettes smoked per day was 26.3. Subjects' age was significantly associated with gender, marital status, and the number of cigarettes smoked before treatment.
Hauntings and Poltergeist-like Episodes as a Confluence of Conventional Phenomena: A General Hypothesis
Authors: Houran James , Lange Rense
Published: August 2011

Hauntings and poltergeist-like episodes are argued to be products of contagious reactions to ambiguous environmental or cognitive events. In particular, evidence suggests that the subjective and objective effects reported by percipients are the function of independent, nonparanormal etiologies whose constitutions have been previously established and described. According to this multivariate model, the labeling of ambiguous events as “abnormal” or “paranormal” initiates the reactive process which is subsequently sustained by perceptual contagion, i.e., flurries of paranormal observations due self-reinforcing attentional processes.
Psychological Testing Variables as Predictors of Return to Work by Chronic Pain Patients
Authors: Robbins Rosemary A. , Moody David S. , Hahn Marc B. , Weaver Michael A.
Published: August 2011

After multidisciplinary pain treatment, pretreatment psychological testing variables were compared for 20 chronic pain patients who were working and 42 who were not working. Symptom Checklist-90–R scores for Depression, Anxiety, Phobic Anxiety, Psychoticism, Global Severity, and Positive Symptom Distress were lower for working subjects as were those on the Beck Depression Inventory. In contrast, workers scored higher on self-efficacy to manage pain, self-efficacy to function, self-efficacy to manage other symptoms, and over-all self-efficacy.
Incidence of Head Injury: Lasting Effects among College Students and Working Adults in the General Population
Authors: Triplett George , Hill Curtis , Freeman Leslie , Rajan Usha , Templer Donald I.
Published: August 2011

224 (21%) of 1067 persons in a nonclinical population surveyed had one or more head injuries resulting in unconsciousness. They had a total of 306 head injuries with 113 (31%) of them resulting in lasting neurological effects. Both in a pilot project and in the main study, headache was the most commonly reported of an array of symptoms that are essentially a postconcussion syndrome.
The Learning Styles of Medical Students: An Annotated Bibliography of Twenty Years of Research
Authors: Hylton Jaime , Hartman Steve E.
Published: August 2011

25 papers selected from a search of the relevant literature are annotated briefly.
Effects of Background Motion on Eye-Movement Information
Authors: Nakamura Shinji
Published: August 2011

The effect of background stimulus on eye-movement information was investigated by analyzing the underestimation of the target velocity during pursuit eye movement (Aubert-Fleishl paradox). In the experiment, a striped pattern with various brightness contrasts and spatial frequencies was used as a background stimulus, which was moved at various velocities. Analysis showed that the perceived velocity of the pursuit target, which indicated the magnitudes of eye-movement information, decreased when the background stripes moved in the same direction as eye movement at higher velocities and increased when the background moved in the opposite direction. The results suggest that the eye-movement information varied as a linear function of the velocity of the motion of the background retinal image (optic flow). In addition, the effectiveness of optic flow on eye-movement information was determined by the attributes of the background stimulus such as the brightness contrast or the spatial frequency of the striped pattern.
Content, Style, and Emotional Tone of Texts in Introductory Psychology
Authors: Whissell Cynthia M.
Published: August 2011

Random samples taken from six recent textbooks and three older books in introductory psychology were analyzed with respect to linguistic style, emotional tone, and pattern of citation. Newer and older books, individual books, and categories of chapters within books were compared to each other. Analysis suggests that newer books are longer and linguistically more complicated. They also contain proportionally more citations, and more text pages devoted to social psychology and psychopathology than older books. There were several significant stylistic and emotional differences among books and some significant content differences among chapters.
Extension of the Spatial PDI Model to Three Dimensions
Authors: O'Brien Frank
Published: August 2011

The author's population density index ( PDI) model is extended to three-dimensional distributions. A derived formula is presented that allows for the calculation of the lower and upper bounds of density in three-dimensional space for any finite lattice.
P3B and Positive Slow Wave following Real and Dummy Feedback on Arithmetic Rule-Learning and Perceptuomotor Tasks
Authors: McDonough Bruce E. , Warren Charles A.
Published: August 2011

Event-related Potentials (ERPs) were recorded to feedback during a cognitively demanding, arithmetic rule-learning task and a relatively simple, skill-oriented, perceptuomotor task. For both tasks, a compound feedback display was employed. It consisted of numeric feedback information presented simultaneously with a red or green light (50% each) which indicated whether the numeric information was real (valid) or dummy (invalid). The task and feedback-validity manipulations showed a functional dissociation between the P3b (350–450 msec.) and a Positive Slow Wave (600–900 msec.). P3b was larger for real than for dummy feedback; Positive Slow Wave was larger for rule-learning than for perceptuomotor tasks.
Why is it Difficult to Learn Absolute Judgment Tasks?
Authors: Hu Gang
Published: August 2011

The effects of using different presentation orders on absolute judgment were examined in four experiments. 120 college students identified horizontal bars of eight different lengths. Using the same set of stimuli, participants were trained under different presentation schedules with feedback and then tested with various common schedules with or without feedback. Participants trained with the small-differences schedule (small-step) performed well during the training, consistent with prior findings but generally poorer on subsequent tests. In contrast, the participants trained with the large-differences schedule (large-step), performed less well during the training but did not perform more poorly on the tests. The results suggest that mental processes such as abstraction of relative uniqueness and memory overload may be involved.
How Child-Resistant are Stroller Belt Buckles?
Authors: Ridenour Marcella V.
Published: August 2011

70 children, between the ages of 24 and 36 months, participated in the assessment of three different styles of stroller seat buckles representing difficulties for children to disconnect the buckle mechanism in the restraint system. None could prevent all the children from opening the restraint system. One was much easier for children to open than the other two styles. Stroller-restraint buckles provide false security to parents who use strollers, as there are no published standards regarding the use of children's stroller seat-belt buckles as a safety device.
Assumptions about Fitness and Exercise among Elderly Persons
Authors: Vitulli William F. , Malek Joyce M.
Published: August 2011

There may be differential benefits from regular exercise for elderly persons, and their rationales about exercise can influence the likelihood that they will do it 98 elderly persons (29 men, M age = 66.3 yr., SD = 9.1, Range = 51–90 and 69 women, M age = 72.7 yr., SD = 10.3, Range = 53–94) were given two self-report surveys of 13 items each consisting of statements about jogging, not jogging, or engaging in other forms of exercise. Only one man and one woman completed the “reasons for jogging” form, while 96 elderly persons completed the “reasons for not jogging” form. A two-way (repeated-measures) analysis of variance indicated a significant main effect for differences among 10 items dealing with “reasons for not jogging.” These reasons included engaging in another form of aerobic activity (such as walking), having a health condition that prevented jogging, and jogging as too uncomfortable.
State-Dependent Psychiatric Phenomena on the Rorschach: Two Case Studies of Acutely Unstable Suicidal Mental Status
Authors: Hart Lance Roderic
Published: August 2011

Two inpatient case studies are presented illustrating the clinical utility of the Rorschach to display and evaluate acute state-dependent psychiatric phenomena. The patients interviewed experienced severely acute, intrusive, ego-alien suicidal ideation. Comparison of test and retest data indicates correspondence between symptoms and test signs. Data suggest that Rorschach responses, given with serious and perhaps ominous affect involving inanimate movement, morbid content directly imputable to suicidal themes, and some co-occurrence of morbid content and inanimate movement, were closely associated with acutely unstable suicidal mental status and display remission coincident with clinical improvement. These efficiently available Rorschach data may be of value in substantiating acute mental status.
Physical Performance in Relation to Age, Sex, Social Class and Sports Activities in Kindergarten and Elementary School
Authors: Krombholz Heinz
Published: August 2011

Physical performance of preschool children and elementary school pupils ( N = 2309, age: 61 to 108 mo.) was related to characteristics of physical growth and cognitive performance and to ecological variables. Correlations between measures of physical growth and physical performance and between physical and cognitive performance were positive and significant. Measurements of physical fitness and body coordination increased across ages. Significant differences were found between boys and girls; however, boys exceeded on some items, girls on others. Children of higher socioeconomic status performed better than children of lower status and children who participated in sports outside school outperformed those who did not.
Use of the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory in Clinical Practice
Authors: Piotrowski Chris
Published: August 2011

A review of recent survey data indicates that the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) ranks among the most frequently used tests by practicing clinicians. This instrument is surpassed only by the MMPI or MMPI-2 in the area of objective personality assessment.