bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multidimensional Stimulus Identification: Instructing Subjects in the Order of Reporting Stimulus Dimensions
Authors: Shieh Kong-King , Lai Chien-Jung
Published: August 2011

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of order of report on identification of multidimensional stimuli under various experimental conditions. Statistical analysis showed that order of report affected speed of identification. Subjects responded faster if a natural and more appropriate way of reporting stimulus dimensions was used. Further, subjects reacted more slowly if they were free to report stimulus dimensions in any order than when they were forced to report in a particular order. Their performance was even worse when order of report was a within-subject factor. Response competition and response inhibition were proposed as possible explanations of the results. The implications of the results for multidimensional identification tasks are to designate an appropriate order of reporting stimulus dimensions and to instruct subjects to respond in that order.
Magnitude Estimation Scaling of the Loudness of a Wide Range of Auditory Stimuli
Authors: Fucci Donald , Petrosino Linda , McColl Doug , Wyatt Denise , Wilcox Corry
Published: August 2011

The study of the perception of loudness lends itself well to the psychophysical scaling technique of magnitude estimation This study was designed to extend the range of auditory stimuli used to study the magnitude estimation scaling of loudness. The five stimuli chosen were a 1000-Hz pure tone, narrow band noise (700–1300 Hz band width), broad band noise (100–10,000 Hz band width), rock music, and babble speech, i.e., speech in which meaning is not discernible because several individuals are talking at once. Subjects were 30 normal young women ( M=19 yr.). During the auditory magnitude-estimation task for each of the five stimuli, a subject was instructed to assign numbers to stimulus presented in a randomly ordered series of nine sensation levels (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 dB SL). Multivariate analysis of variance for repeated measures indicated there were no significant differences in the numerical responses of the subjects for the five stimuli. A possible explanation for these results is the presence of an underlying stabilizing factor (internal scaling mechanism) that allows adults to scale loudness consistently irrespective of the type of auditory stimulus.
A Parental Survey of Speech, Language, and Physical Development of Infants and Toddlers with Sickle Cell Disease
Authors: Gentry Betholyn , Hall Lynn , Dancer Jess
Published: August 2011

16 parents of infants and toddlers (9 girls, 7 boys) with sickle cell disease reported normal speech and language development in their children but perceived slow physical development. Such perceptions may be related to the smaller physical size of children with this disease.
The Fitness Facility Membership Questionnaire: A Measure of Reasons for Joining
Authors: Drummond Jan L. , Lenes Heather S.
Published: August 2011

This study describes the development of the Fitness Facility Membership Questionnaire of 43 items, designed to identify reasons for joining a fitness facility. Items were generated from responses to an open-ended questionnaire. A 50-item version of the questionnaire was completed by 152 members of five community-based fitness facilities. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation yielded 8 factors, accounting for 63.8% of the variance. The factors were labeled Socialization, Aquatic-related Facilities, Extrinsic Motivation, Recreational Facilities, Intrinsic Motivation, Resistance Equipment, Aerobic Equipment, and Amenities. The internal consistency of the eight factors was acceptable with Cronbach coefficients alpha ranging from .72 to .89. Discriminant analysis of responses is also presented.
Assessing Lumbar Stabilization from Point-Light and Normal Video Displays of Manual Lifting
Authors: Pellecchia Geraldine L. , Garrett Gladys E.
Published: August 2011

Routinely, physical therapists use visual observation to assess qualitatively a patient's performance. The literature, however, indicates that assessments of gait and lumbar stabilization from visual observation are at best only moderately reliable. Point-light video displays have been used to study the visual perception of human motion. The present purpose was to examine the reliability of assessments made by a physical therapist when viewing point light and normal video displays of subjects performing a lifting task. Three physical therapists assessed lumbar stabilization by viewing normal and point-light displays of 25 subjects who lifted an 8-lb. milkcrate from floor to waist height. Greater agreement of the therapists' ratings of lumbar stabilization was achieved on assessments made from point-light displays than on those made from normal displays. This finding suggests that the use of point-light displays may improve the reliability of qualitative assessments of performance on motor tasks.
The Health Student Academic Locus of Control Scale
Authors: Eachus Peter , Cassidy Simon
Published: August 2011

The Health Student Academic Locus of Contro] Scale is a 20-item context-specific scale, developed to measure Internal and External control beliefs of students in courses allied to medicine. Psychometric properties are acceptable ( N = 164) so the scale can be used to measure control beliefs in a longitudinal study.
Computer-Aided Cognitive Rehabilitation: Possible Application to the Attentional Deficit of Schizophrenia, a Report of Negative Results
Authors: Field Colin D. , Galletly Cherrie , Anderson Deborah , Walker Pieter
Published: August 2011

The cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia commonly include impairment in attention, which may contribute to difficulties with learning, memory, and executive function. This study evaluated the effectiveness of computer-aided training of attentional skills in schizophrenia. Two groups of schizophrenic subjects (9 men and 1 woman) were matched for age, estimated premorbid IQ, and positive and negative symptom scores. Both groups were assessed using a battery of attentional tests. Subjects then received either six 1-hr. computer-aided cognitive rehabilitation sessions (experimental condition) or six sessions of graphics-based computer games (control condition). Both groups were reassessed with attentional measures. There was significant improvement on only one test, a letter-cancellation task. This improvement was evident in both groups suggesting that this was a practise effect. Apart from the letter-cancellation test, subjects undertaking the computer-aided rehabilitation treatment did not show significant improvement on any attentional tasks.
Toward Convergent Validation of Children's Dental Anxiety and Disruptiveness Ratings
Authors: Mekarski J. E. , Richardson B. A.
Published: August 2011

An Anxiety Rating scale was given to 130 parents who assessed their children's anticipatory fear of dentistry. These ratings were related to a Treatment Disruptiveness scale completed by a paedodontist immediately after treatment. Internal consistencies (a) of both were >.80. Scores on the two scales were significantly correlated, and results were replicated with a new sample of 194 children. Scores on both scales were significantly correlated with suppression of play activity scores and with severity of dental work. Younger children were more disruptive during treatment than older ones. Preliminary convergent validation suggests that with further development, the parents' Anxiety Rating and play suppression might prove useful in predicting children's anxiety.
Gait Performance with Wheeled and Standard Walkers
Authors: Bohannon Richard W.
Published: August 2011

Reviewed research indicates that gait performance with wheeled walkers is typically better than with standard walkers. Although not appropriate for all patients requiring a walker, wheeled walkers in general and rollators in particular, probably merit broader utilization.
Salience of Central Figure in the Ebbinghaus Illusion: The Oreo Cookie Effect
Authors: Muise J. Gérard , Brun Véronique , Porelle Manon
Published: August 2011

The Ebbinghaus illusion was used to study size estimation as influenced by salient features of the central figure. Two groups of fourth graders, 9 boys and 11 girls, and two groups of seventh graders, 9 boys and 9 girls, judged the size of two central figures (an Oreo cookie or a black cardboard disc) with small and large black cardboard disc inducers. Responding showed the Oreo cookie was consistently perceived as larger than the cardboard disc when surrounded by the large inducing figures. The results are discussed in terms of an interaction between the geometric properties and salience of the central figure with the surrounds. This Oreo effect is not predicted by a strict version of the token-value hypothesis and differs from explanations based on contrast and conceptual similarity.
Laterality and Handedness in Mentally Retarded Subjects
Authors: Di Nuovo Santo F. , Buono Serafino
Published: August 2011

In a study of 69 adults with mental retardation, atypical laterality measured on 12 tasks was only partially noted. Distribution of over-all laterality scores was different from that of handedness with more left-handed than left lateralized and more right manual preference among the 43 women.
Failure to Uncover the Effects of Unconscious Symbiotic Fantasies on Heart Rate and Fine Motor Performance
Authors: Malik Rajesh , Apel Steffan , Nelham Carolyn , Rutkowski Cindy , Ladd Herbert
Published: August 2011

18 men and 18 women were tachistoscopically shown the stimuli MOMMY AND I ARE ONE, DADDY AND I ARE ONE, and MYMMO NAD I REA ENO, at subjective thresholds (subliminal condition) and at 500 msec. (supraliminal condition). Following exposure to each stimulus, subjects performed a fine motor line-tracing task. Heart rate was monitored continuously during stimulus presentation and the fine motor task. Analysis showed subjects did not respond more positively with decreased heart rate or fewer errors on the fine motor task following the MOMMY message than the anagram phrase, thereby providing no support for the hypotheses. No correlation was found between responsiveness to the MOMMY message and scores on measures of self-perception and kinship. In the light of mounting negative evidence, the validity of the method of subliminal psychodynamic activation is questioned.
Time-Series Analysis of Suicidal and Undetermined Deaths
Authors: Lester David
Published: August 2011

The suicide rate and the death rate for undetermined causes were negatively associated over time from 1968 to 1990 in the USA, suggesting that these undetermined deaths may include a fair proportion of suicides. In contrast, there was no association between suicide and undetermined death rates over the states in 1980.
Inversion and the Thatcher Illusion in Recognition of Emotional Expression
Authors: Muskat Jennifer A. , Sjoberg Wayne G.
Published: August 2011

The recognition of emotional expression in upright normal, inverted normal, and inverted Thatcher faces was investigated. Results for 18 students are discussed in terms of component processing, i.e., individual, internal features.
Age-Related Changes in Distribution of Body Weight on Soles of Feet for Selected Actions and Postures
Authors: Yanagida Toshiaki , Asami Takaaki
Published: August 2011

We investigated age-related changes in the distribution of body weight on soles of feet in 878 healthy subjects ranging from 5 to 80 years of age. By modifying Morton's Staticometer, we constructed an instrument for measuring body-weight distribution over three areas of soles of the feet, the big toe (inner forefoot), the other four toes combined (outer forefoot) and the heels for both feet, thus a total of six areas. The weights in the six areas were recorded at the completion of nine selected actions and postures. We observed that for inhaling and exhaling standing postures, generally younger subjects had a ratio close to 1:2:3 for weights recorded for the inner toe:outer toes:heels as observed by Morton, but elderly subjects had a smaller value than 3 for the heel. The body-weight distribution tended to shift from heels to outer toes across age groups, which was more distinctly observed in women than in men.
Effects of Between-Item, Within-Item, and Autobiographical Elaborations on Incidental Free Recall
Authors: Toyota Hiroshi
Published: August 2011

Effects of types of elaboration on incidental free recall were investigated. The subjects performed an orienting task involving three rating conditions followed by an unexpected free recall test. Three rating conditions were designed to force between-item elaboration, within-item elaboration, and autobiographical elaboration. Between-item elaboration led to better recall than autobiographical elaboration, which in turn led to better recall than within-item elaboration. The above result was discussed in terms of both generative and discriminative processes in retrieval.
Object-Based and Location-Based Shifting of Attention in Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Hsieh Shulan , Lee Chia-Ying , Hwang Wen-Juh , Tsai Jing-Jane
Published: August 2011

Research into Parkinson's disease has made much use of the precuing paradigm developed by Posner to examine patients' ability to shift visuospatial attention. The majority of studies indicate that patients with Parkinson's disease have significantly reduced shift costs when compared with normal controls. This reduction in costs is ascribed to abnormal maintenance of attention resulting from Parkinson's disease. We know that visual attention is not directed to spatial locations alone but that it may also be directed to object representations. To date, however, it has not been clear whether the reduced shift costs apparent in Parkinson's disease patients are evident only on spatial locations or on both spatial locations and object representations. Therefore, in the current study we have adopted a new technique with a view to studying both location-based and object-based attentional components within the same paradigm. Our results with 17 patients with Parkinson's disease suggest, at least in the early stages, patients do not show deficits in maintenance of attention to the miscued source of stimulation as reflected in their normal magnitude of cuing effect related to shifting between locations and between objects. 14 normal persons were control subjects.
Relation between Synchronized and Self-Paced Response in Preschoolers' Rhythmic Movement
Authors: Kumai Masayuki , Sugai Kuniaki
Published: August 2011

Regulation of the rhythmic movement of 29 preschoolers ages 3 to 6 years was studied in connection with self-paced response. An Auditory Pulse condition presented the pulse audibly, a Visual Pulse condition presented the pulse visibly, and a Moving Visual Target condition presented the repetitive movement of a visual target. We used a Quick Tempo condition in which the interstimulus interval was slightly different from the average self-paced tapping rate at which each subject felt comfortable, and a Slow Tempo in which the interval was considerably different. The error in the interresponse interval of tapping, i.e., the time gap between the mean interresponse and interstimulus intervals, was calculated as an indicator of regulation. The error in the former decreased across age groups only in the Slow Tempo condition. In the Slow-Tempo Visual-Pulse condition in which the error in the interresponse interval was particularly large, the younger subjects tended to respond at a rate near the self-paced response. In both tempos, the error in the interresponse interval in the Moving Visual Target condition was much the same as in the Auditory Pulse condition and was statistically smaller than in the Visual Pulse condition. These results may suggest that one of the important factors in the development of preschoolers' synchronization with physical rhythm is an ability to modify or restrain the self-paced response and that additional information from movement of the visual target could assist them externally in regulating movement.
Instrumental Performance of an Etude after Three Methods of Practice
Authors: Vander Ark Sherman
Published: August 2011

For 80 fifth-grade students three practice conditions (mental, mental with physical simulation, and physical with singing) produced significant mean differences in instrumental performance of an etude. No significant differences were found for traditional, physical practice.
Further Aspects of the Asymmetry of the Stepping Test
Authors: Reiss Michael , Reiss Gilfe
Published: August 2011

The test-retest reliability of the asymmetry of the Unterberger stepping test was obtained over a 3-mo. period. This stepping test is a test examining the labyrinthine deviation when testing the lower extremities. Also, self-report items were validated against individual measures of the stepping test. The investigations show high reliability of the asymmetry of the stepping test. The data indicate further that a questionnaire is a valid method for the assessment of the asymmetry of the stepping test.
The Author Recognition Test and Vocabulary Knowledge: A Replication
Authors: Lee Sy-Ying , Krashen Stephen , Tse Lucy
Published: August 2011

Scores on the Author Recognition Test and self-report of number of books read (free voluntary reading) made independent contributions to scores on a passive vocabulary measure for 30 adult native-speakers of English.
Cognitive Test Performance and Background Music
Authors: Cockerton Tracey , Moore Simon , Norman Dale
Published: August 2011

This study examined the effects of background music on test performance. In a repeated-measures design 30 undergraduates completed two cognitive tests, one in silence and the other with background music. Analysis suggested that music facilitated cognitive performance compared with the control condition of no music: more questions were completed and more answers were correct. There was no difference in heart rate under the two conditions. The improved performance under the music condition might be directly related to the type of music used.
On the Protheticity of Olfactory Pleasantness and Intensity
Authors: Doty Richard L.
Published: August 2011

In Exp. 1, the “protheticity” of the pleasantness of a diverse set of relatively isointensive odorants was estimated using exponents from power functions fitted by an iterative least squares procedure between scale values established by (a) magnitude estimation and (b) category rating and rank ordering. In Exp. 2, this procedure was applied to intensity data derived from quarter-log-step volume dilution series of two hedonically disparate odorants, furfural and methyl salicylate. The goodness of fit of the power functions was somewhat better for the intensity than for the pleasantness data. The pleasantness dimension of the diverse stimuli was slightly prothetic (respective category scaling and rank order/magnitude estimation exponents = 0.60 and 0.63). The intensity dimension of furfural was considerably more prothetic than that of methyl salicylate (respective category/magnitude estimation exponents = 0.20 and 0.68; respective rank order/magnitude exponents = 0.21 and 0.69). These data suggest that the degree of olfactory protheticity depends upon the stimuli as well as the attributes chosen for investigation and support the view that Stevens' metathetic/prothetic dichotomy has little utility in classifying the scaling attributes of odors. Whether the degree of protheticity reflects the nature or distribution of olfactory system receptive elements within the main olfactory pathway remains an empirical question which awaits a more specific understanding of the nature of olfactory coding at the level of the neuroepithelium.
Skilled Performance on Software as a Function of Domain Expertise and Program Organization
Authors: Barfield Woodrow
Published: August 2011

As part of a study on the recall of skilled and novice programmers, 23 subjects each viewed a 25-line BASIC program organized in one of three ways, executable order, random chunks, and random lines. Subjects performed a perceptual task in which they recopied a 25-line BASIC program on an answer sheet while the program remained in plain view, and a memory task, in which they recalled the BASIC program after a 4-min. exposure to it. For the perceptual task, the number of glances and amount of time per glance between the answer sheet and stimulus material were used as indices of recall. For the memory task, the number of lines recalled as a function of program organization and level of programming skill measured performance. Analysis indicated that skilled programmers encoded more lines of a program per glance and also spent less time examining each line of code than novices when the program was presented in executable order or random chunks. Further, skilled programmers recalled more lines of code than novices when the program was presented in executable order or random chunks but not in random lines. Implication of the results for the design of human-computer interfaces is discussed.
Preliminary Study of Relations between Physical Characteristics and Psychological Impressions of Natural Voices
Authors: Hieda Ichiro , Kuchinomachi Yasuo
Published: August 2011

To improve the naturalness of synthesized voices, the relations between the physical characteristics of the synthesized voices and the psychological effects should be established. The authors performed a psychological evaluation using natural voices of men and women as stimuli. The method of principal component analysis was applied to intercorrelations, the numerical racings of the evaluation, and principal components were extracted which represented aspects ordinary people use to evaluate natural voices. Pitches of the voices used in the evaluation were analyzed as samples of physical voice parameters, and the relations between the pitches and the principal components were examined. Four principal components were extracted, representing aspects to which most people were observed to pay most attention when listening to voices. A significant relation was also found between physical pitches which were standardized by sex and the perceived pitches which were introduced from the principal component scores. This finding suggests that different criteria are used for perceptions of pitches of men and women.
Ratio of Male and Female Characters in a Dream Series
Authors: Schredl Michael , Jacob Sarah
Published: August 2011

The present study investigated the change in gender ratio of dream characters in relation to the dreamer's environment in waking-life and found a preponderance of male characters in the subject's dream while living in a ‘male’ environment which was not present while living in a ‘female’ environment. The results support the continuity hypothesis of dreaming and stress the importance of situational factors rather than personality factors in the explanation of the gender ratio of dream characters.
Some Aspects of Earedness—The Validity and Reliability of Self-Report Items
Authors: Reiss Gilfe , Reiss Michael
Published: August 2011

In contrast to the extensive literature on hand, foot, and eye preferences there are only a few studies concerning ear preference. From a review of 27 studies 13 items (Stopwatch, Telephone receiver, Tablecloth, Head movement, Wall, Drawer, Wall phone, Heartbeat, Door, Earphone, Box, Pocket radio, Voice) were identified in the measurements of ear preference. In a series of investigations, these self-report items were validated with respect to individual behavioural measures and test-retest reliabilities were obtained over 1 mo. and 1 yr. for earedness. These data indicate that a questionnaire composed of these items could be a valid and reliable method for the assessment of various forms of ear preference, but there are several differences among the items in validity and reliability.
Perceptual Integrations and the “Normal” Rorschach Percept
Authors: Wagner Edwin E.
Published: August 2011

The “normal” Rorschach percept is characterized by congruency (correspondence between blot and reality) and good form (an appropriate synthesis among elements comprising the blot). Both congruency and good form arise from perceptual integrations and can be objectified in terms of providing false information (in-congruency) and maximizing identifying information about the blot (good form), thus providing a logical foundation for Rorschach interpretation.
Perception of Traits: Implicit Personality Theory of Self and Others
Authors: Itoi Hisako , Aoki Riho , Yoshida Kumiko
Published: August 2011

Sande, Goethals, and Radloff argued that people perceive themselves as having more varied traits than other people. Those authors suggested a multifaceted and adaptive perception of self. To confirm this hypothesis we investigated the differences in perception among self, a liked acquaintance and a disliked acquaintance. Subjects were 162 undergraduates in Japan. Analysis indicated that people perceived themselves having more and varied traits than did the acquaintance, especially the disliked one. This result also supported the idea that people believe they possess opposing pairs of traits.
Caffeine Ingestion and Performance
Authors: Jacobson Bert H.
Published: August 2011

Caffeine, a strong central nervous system stimulant, may serve as either an ergogenic or a ergolytic agent dependent on dose and task.
Use of Hypnosis and Jacobson's Relaxation Techniques for Improving Academic Achievement of College Students
Authors: Schreiber Elliott H. , Schreiber Karen N.
Published: August 2011

This study of group hypnosis and Jacobson's muscle relaxation techniques evaluated change in academic examination grades of undergraduate students in educational psychology. An intact group of 30 students who were hypnotized were compared over 15 weeks with a class of 22 students given muscle relaxation instruction. Although initially scores were similar, the former group had significantly higher mean scores on the final examination than the latter. Some suggestions for further study are made.
Reliability Estimates of the Purpose in Life and Seeking Noetic Goals Tests with Rural and Metropolitan-Area Adolescents
Authors: Sink Christopher A. , Van Keppel John , Purcell Mark
Published: August 2011

The Purpose in Life and Seeking Noetic Goals tests were administered to 198 rural Missouri and 659 metropolitan-area Washington high school students and readministered after an 8-week interval. The obtained test-retest and Cronbach alpha coefficients were largely consistent with earlier research using adult clinical samples.
Covert Neuromuscular Activity of the Dominant Forearm during Visualization of a Motor Task
Authors: Livesay Jerry R. , Samaras Michael R.
Published: August 2011

This study evaluated specific covert neuromuscular activity during a silent visualization exercise. 30 subjects participated in a dual-baseline single-subject procedure. The experimental test condition required the subjects to visualize themselves squeezing a hand-size rubber ball as tightly as possible for 1 min. In the comparison test condition, subjects were asked to imagine the ‘sun setting on the horizon’ for 1 min. Visualization of the motor task brought about significant ( p < .05) increases in dominant forearm EMG (μV) and heart-rate activity (bpm) from rest to the experimental test condition. Nondominant forearm activity showed no significant changes from rest to either test condition, and heart-rate activity (bpm) showed no significant change from rest to the comparison visualization task.
Indirect Tactual Discrimination of Heights by Blind and Blindfolded Sighted Subjects
Authors: Sunanto Juang , Nakata Hideo
Published: August 2011

The ability of blind and blindfolded sighted subjects to discriminate cubes of different heights was measured using the method of constant stimuli. Five male blind and 5 male blindfolded sighted students, ages 22 to 28 years, were subjects. All blind subjects had undergone orientation and mobility training at a school for the blind. The cubes, made of wood, were explored using a long cane. Subjects were presented the standard cube and a comparison cube and required to judge whether the comparison cube height was taller, the same, or shorter than the standard. Analysis showed that the difference thresholds of blind and blindfolded sighted subjects were 1.93 and 2.14 cm, respectively. No significant difference in accuracy of discrimination was found between the two groups. The blind subjects showed significantly better performance than the blindfolded sighted subjects on the discrimination task. The blind subjects performed the task significantly faster than the blindfolded sighted subjects. The results suggest that braille reading, use of a long cane, and daily physical activities which required prolonged haptic or proprioceptive learning, may enhance nonvisual motor skills.
Methodological Concerns When Using Silhouettes to Measure Body Image
Authors: Gardner Rick M. , Friedman Brenda N. , Jackson Natalie A.
Published: August 2011

This paper discusses methodological concerns of using silhouette figures to measure body images. These include concerns related to scale coarseness (limiting response options to one of a finite number of drawings), restriction of range, method of presentation, and scale of measurement. Recommendations are made to address these limitations, and an alternative silhouette scale using continuous scale measurements is proposed.
Ear Preference: Association with other Functional Asymmetries of the Ears
Authors: Reiß Michael , Reiß Gilfe
Published: August 2011

The bases for the preferential use of one ear are not clear. We investigated ear preference, asymmetry on a dichotic listening test and acuity dominance (laterality of hearing loss) in a sample of 51 patients with mild high frequency hardness of hearing. There was a higher correlation between measured ear preference and the measured acuity dominance than between ear preference and dichotic listening, suggesting a certain peripheral (cochlear) base for the ear preference.
Practice and Serial Reaction Time of Adolescents with Autism
Authors: Inui Nobuyuki , Suzuki Kan-Ichiro
Published: August 2011

This study examined effects of practice on timing of serial reactions by 7 adolescents diagnosed with autism by using a task requiring they track a series of timed lights. The adolescents showed significantly slower and more variable mean simple reaction time than 10 normal control subjects of the same age. On a task of tracking a serial light stimulation for 4 days, on the other hand, significant effects of practice on timing of serial reactions were observed for mean serial reaction times of them. In addition, from individual variations in reaction times and anticipatory reaction times, four of seven subjects with autism showed significant effects of practice. Analysis suggested that these autistic adolescents may be chunlung together the whole series of responses and are unable to coordinate the timing of individual responses with individual sumuli. Our data indicate that at least some adolescents with autism are able to form and utilise a motor program with practice.
Psychology of the Scientist: LXXIII. Miscommunication in Technical Writing
Authors: Ammons Douglas
Published: August 2011

Characteristics of jargon such as strings of words without connectives lead to miscommunication in technical writing by producing ambiguity.
Sleep-Wake Patterns of Partners
Authors: Lange Alfred , Waterman DÉ , Kerkhof Gerard
Published: August 2011

Using self-report measures, the sleep/wake patterns and several aspects of marital adjustment of 55 couples were established. Preferred sleep/wake pattern and marital adjustment appeared not to be associated; however, couples who were mismatched on actual sleep/wake pattern showed lower marital adjustment than the matched couples.
Effects of Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation on Perception of Subjective Vertical in Standing Humans
Authors: Tardy-Gervet Marie-Françoise , Séverac-Cauquil Alexandra
Published: August 2011

The present work reinvestigated the influence of bimastoidal galvanic vestibular stimulation (0.4 mA during 10 sec.) on subjective vertical. We tested the hypothesis that deviations are directed towards the anode side, like postural tilt evoked by galvanic vestibular stimulation. 15 subjects were instructed to orient vertically in darkness a light-rod during 3 experimental conditions of control, anode right, and anode left. The statistical analysis showed that the perception of the vertical was modified according to the experimental conditions and the subjects. Angular deviations occurred towards the anode side. The results are interpreted as a consequence of a modification of the central representation of the vertical or of ocular torsion directed towards the anode side and likely to induce an apparent displacement of the rod towards the cathode side.
Attentional Focus of Sport Spectators
Authors: Wann Daniel L. , Steele Nathan L.
Published: August 2011

To test the hypothesis that a player possessing the ball, i.e., the actor, is the most salient component of a football scenario and that, consequently, spectators tend to focus their attention on this person, subjects were asked to view a series of short video clips depicting college football plays. Subjects were asked to state their focus of attention following each clip As predicted, subjects reported greater focus on the actor than on other aspects of the environment. Potential explanations are proposed for the unexpected finding that attention became decreasingly actor-oriented as the video progressed.
LÜscher Color Preferences of Arctic Inuit and of Southern Canadians
Authors: Cernovsky Z. Z. , Haggarty J. , Kermeen P.
Published: August 2011

A comparison of color preferences based on the Lüscher Color Test was made for 21 Inuit residing within the Arctic circle and those of 49 residents of Southern Canada. These two groups have been raised in radically different physical and cultural environments. We expected that such factors could influence color preferences; however, no statistically significant differences were found in relative preferences for blue, green, red, yellow, purple, brown, grey, and black for our data based on Luscher's scoring and those on our own scoring system independent of Luscher's theory and scoring.
Priming Effect as Related to Difficulty in Selection for Overlapping Stimuli Manipulated by the Relative Line Thickness of Attended and Unattended Figures
Authors: Kobari Hiroyuki
Published: August 2011

The present study examined how difficulty of ignoring unattended stimulus affected the negative priming. To establish an experimental situation with intentional ignoring, subjects were presented overlapping stimuli consisting of two figures of different colors and were required to attend to one of the figures while ignoring the other. Moreover, the difficulty in selection was manipulated by their line thickness. The assumption was that the magnitude of that difficulty should increase with the ratio of line thickness of the unattended figure to that of the attended one. Reaction time was measured in both ignored repetition and control conditions. In the former, both the unattended figure in the prime and the attended one in the probe were of the same form, while in the latter, they were different. Priming effect was indicated by the difference between the two reaction times. Two experiments showed that the priming effect changed with the ratio of line thickness, depicted as a V-shaped curve. The effect was facilitative at the ratio of line thickness of 1, which was inconsistent with the previous studies reporting an inhibitive effect. The following two experiments, however, confirmed that the effect at the ratio of 1 was facilitative when the ratio of line thickness was varied, but it was inhibitive when the ratio of line thickness was fixed within a session. The inconsistency could then be attributed to the difference in the manipulation of the ratio of line thickness.
WAIS–III and WISC–III IQ Gains in the United States from 1972 to 1995: How to Compensate for Obsolete Norms
Authors: Flynn James R.
Published: August 2011

Flynn used data covering 1932 to 1972 to put U.S. gains at about 0.300 IQ points per year. For post-1972, comparison of WISC–R versus WISC–III, particularly the data of Zimmerman and Woo-Sam, gives a rate of 0.312. However, comparison of WAIS–R versus WAIS–III shows that the current rate may be as low as 0 171 It is hypothesized that the discrepancy may be due to sampling error and it is suggested that post-1972 US gains be put at about 0.25 points per year.
How Much Do Accurate Instructions Raise Scores on a Timed Test?
Authors: Joncas Jasmine , Standing Lionel
Published: August 2011

This study assessed the performance increment obtainable with small changes in test instructions, using the Digit Symbol subtest of the original Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Scores were raised by 47% ( N = 60) under more explicit instructions than the standard instructions.
Ontogeny of Two-Point Discrimination for Fingers and Toes in Children (Ages 7 through 15 Years)
Authors: Richards P. M. , Persinger M. A. , Michel R. N.
Published: August 2011

Accuracies of two-point discriminations (successive 2-mm increments between 0 and 10 mm) for the middle fingers and the middle toes for 87 children from ages 7 through 15 years were measured to obtain normative data. The finer discriminative capacity for the fingers rather than the toes was evident. Whereas discriminative accuracy approached the asymptote with distances equal to or greater than 4 mm for the fingers, distances equal to or greater than 8 mm were required for the toes. For this ontogenetic range, the effects for toes vs fingers was much greater than the effect size for age.
Variability in Development of Overarm Throwing: A Longitudinal Case Study over the First 6 Months of Throwing
Authors: Marques-Bruna Pascual , Grimshaw Paul N.
Published: August 2011

One female subject of 15 months of age,-at the onset of overarm-throwing behaviour, was tested on a longitudinal study of throwing development. Data were collected at the onset of throwing and monthly thereafter, producing 6 sets of data. Kinematic variables were obtained using 3-dimensional video analysis and digitization. Qualitative observations showed that both arm-dominated and sequentially linked throws, right- and left-handed throws, and homolateral and contralateral forward steps were generated in an array of inconsistent throwing. Sequentially linked throws were generally ‘interrupted’, whereby the child paused briefly after the Back swing to focus externally, then the child executed the propulsion. The throwing elbow remained flexed at ball release. Angles of ball release (referred to the horizontal) fluctuated from 2.17° to 28.03° for all 6 months of throwing development, and the speed of ball release varied from 2.08 m/sec. to 4.32 m/sec. Height of ball release oscillated between 91.5% and 103.3% of the child's height. Horizontal and vertical components of the velocity of the ball while in the hand differed amongst both arm-dominated and sequentially linked throws. The time of the Push up phase in arm-dominated throws varied from 0.14 sec. to 0.50 sec. In sequentially linked throws the time of the Back swing ranged from 0.18 sec. to 0.22 sec., and the Propulsion varied from 0.06 sec. to 0.14 sec. This work in identifying such variability is important, therefore, in the understanding of the motor skill of throwing.
Revision of the Brief Index of Self-Actualization
Authors: Sumerlin John R. , Bundrick Charles M.
Published: August 2011

Items from the 40-item Brief Index of Self-actualization were submitted to principal factor analysis with promax and oblique rotation ( N = 620). With eigenvalues greater than 1 and factor loadings of .40 or higher, 32 items were retained as four factors, without overlap. A revised Brief Index of Self-actualization is presented as an improved measure of constructs underlying Abraham Maslow's description of a self-actualizing person.
Some Relationships between Skills in Word-Category Recall and Factors in Adults' Aphasia
Authors: Sommers Ronald K.
Published: August 2011

It has long been recognized that a basic dimension to the lexical organization of the brain is semantic, and some brain mapping studies have indicated that the brain fields are distinctly different from some grammatical classes. Findings from the present investigation showed consistent relationships between 29 aphasic adults' performances on tasks involving graphic and gestural skills and those involving sequential recall of spoken words from different word categories. Each adult received the Porch Index of Communication Abilities which relies upon the physical manipulation of objects to assess verbal, gestural, and graphic abilities. Scores on a test requiring recall of word strings of nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, or prepositions were used to predict the subscale scores from the Graphic and Gestural factors of the index. Recall scores for verb and preposition were predictive of the aphasic subjects' performances on the Graphic subscale, and noun and preposition scores were predictors of subjects' scores on the Gestural subscale. The results are related to other research showing that verb and preposition skills are predictive of fine motor abilities of children with communication disorders and brain-mapping studies. Some discussion centers on possible overlapping functions of brain activity involving word categories, language, and fine motor skills.
Sleep in Relation to Age, Sex, and Chronotype in Japanese Workers
Authors: Park Young Man , Seo Yoo Jin , Matsumoto Kazuya , Shinkoda Harumi , Park Kwang Pak
Published: August 2011

The Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and Life Habits Inventory were administered to 622 Japanese workers matched for sex and age. We investigated the distributions of the scores on the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire and sleep-wake habits by age and sex. Subjects were classified into five age groups and three chronotypes. The distributions and mean scores on the questionnaire advanced slightly toward the Morning type from the young to the aged group. The habitual bedtimes and waking times were significantly earlier in all the chronotypes from the young to the aged group, and the preferred bedtimes and waking times were also clearly earlier from the young to the aged group. The length of sleep was shorter for the Evening than the Morning types, especially in the group below 24 yr. The differences in habitual and preferred sleep length were greater than 1 hour for all age groups, especially the two groups under 34 yr. The number of awakenings during night sleep increased from the young to the aged group for all chronotypes. The older Evening type tended mote toward frequent napping and longer naptime. The variabilities of bedtime and sleep length were larger for the young and Evening type than for the old group and Morning types. Further, the mood upon waking and satisfaction with sleep length were better in the aged Evening type than the young Morning type. The women under 44 yr. woke up earlier than the men of the same age, and the women of the 35–54 yr. groups had a shorter length of sleep than others. These may be related to childcare and housework. These results indicated that the phase of circadian rhythms had moved forward from the young to the aged group, and the individual's rhythm, of those that were aged Morning types, showed better agreement with sleep-wake rhythms than did others.
Stress Triggers of Long, Short, and Variable Sleep Patterns
Authors: Sexton-Radek Kathy
Published: August 2011

Sleep and stress patterns in 34 young adult sleepers were measured. Time series analysis of sleep report measured 6- and 3-day patterns of light stress preceding a change in sleep pattern for long ( n = 15) and short or variable ( n=7 and 12) sleepers, respectively.
Joseph Richman's Signs for Distinguishing Genuine from Simulated Suicide Notes
Authors: Lester David , Linn Marge
Published: August 2011

Scores from two independent judges indicated that criteria derived from the clinical experience of a suicidologist were successful in differentiating genuine from simulated suicide notes.
Word-Type Effects in Word-Stem Priming: Evidence for Semantic Processing in the Perceptual Representation System?
Authors: Cooley Eileen L. , Stringer Anthony Y.
Published: August 2011

While a presemantic Perceptual Representation System is believed to mediate implicit memory tasks such as word-stem priming, clinical studies suggest semantic information can be processed during priming. To clarify the nature of this system, we investigated word-type effects in word-stem priming in a nonclinical sample of 41 undergraduates who rated the pleasantness of threatening and non threatening words, performed implicit and explicit memory tasks, and completed measures of mood state. More nonthreatening words were primed and scores on the Beck Depression Inventory were negatively correlated with production of nonthreatening words. During cued recall, more threatening than nonthreatening words were remembered and ratings of state anxiety were negatively correlated with recall of nonthreatening words. Our findings support the contention that semantic information is processed during priming and that mood congruent biases also operate. These results may call for a reconceptualization of the Perceptual Representation System.
Color or Brightness Effects on Grip Strength?
Authors: Dunwoody Lynn
Published: August 2011

Research into the effects of color on grip strength has produced inconsistent results, but studies show methodological problems, for example, the non-standardised reporting of stimulus colours, differing intertrial rests, and the neglect of warm-up effects. The present study was designed to replicate the 1989 work by Hasson, et al. and also to examine potential brightness effects of stimuli on grip strength. Analysis indicated brightness effects might confound potential to produce Type I errors.
Perceptions of Family Capital: Influence of Sibling Background
Authors: Marjoribanks Kevin , Kwok Yanny
Published: August 2011

In 1989 Marjoribanks examined relationships among social status, birth order, sibsize and Australian adolescents' perceptions of family learning environments. This present study investigated similar relationships for 387 14-yr.-old Hong Kong students. The findings from the two investigations suggest a modified sibling dilution hypothesis that there are significant differences between boys and girls in the nature of the associations among social status, sibling variables, and adolescents' perceptions of family cultural and social capital.