bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microswitch Responding and Awareness of Contingency in Persons with Profound Multiple Disabilities
Authors: Lancioni G. E. , Abels J. , Wilms E. H. , Singh N. N. , O'Reilly M. F. , Groeneweg J.
Published: August 2011

This study was aimed at evaluating acquisition of responding on microswitches and awareness of contingency with 3 adolescents who had profound multiple disabilities. Their favorite stimulation was used contingently and noncontingently on their responding on microswitches. Analysis showed that they acquired and maintained high responding frequencies only with contingent stimulation, indicating that such responding reflected an awareness of contingency rather than stimulation-related arousal and activity. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Allocation of Attention and Production of Time Intervals
Authors: Sawyer Thomas F.
Published: August 2011

14 students enrolled in introductory psychology classes engaged in several trials of card sorting to acquire the rule for correct sorting They also were instructed to keep track of time simultaneously and to continue sorting for what they believed was 20 sec. The duration of card sorting was significantly greater for the first sorting trial, during which the rule was unknown, relative to the second consecutive trial of errorless sorting when the rule had been learned. After a shift in the rule mean sorting duration was reduced from the second errorless trial but returned to a value comparable to that on the first sorting trial. Results are interpreted in terms of the attention-allocation model of time estimation.
Age and Task Parameters in Continuous Performance Tests for Preschoolers
Authors: Hagelthorn Kathleen M. , Hiemenz Jennifer R. , Pillion Joseph P. , Mahone E. Mark
Published: August 2011

66 children ( M=56.2 mo., SD=10.9), recruited from preschool and daycare centers, were administered two continuous performance tests, one auditory and one visual. Both tests utilized a format with one target and one nontarget. Interstimulus interval was fixed at 1350 msec. for the visual test and 5000 msec. for the auditory test. The visual test produced greater rates of omission and commission errors than the auditory test. Age was significantly related to mean reaction time and response variability for both tests; however, the visual test produced an unexpected pattern of increasing response time across age groups. On both tests omission rates improved significantly with age, while commission rates were consistent across ages 3–6 years. When considering continuous performance test paradigms for preschoolers, 3-yr.-olds may need at least a 4000-msec. interstimulus interval to make a choice for the stimulus cue. Hits following an interstimulus interval shorter than 1400 msec. may reflect younger preschooters' response to a previous stimulus.
Readers' Opinions of Romantic Poetry are Consistent with Emotional Measures Based on the Dictionary of Affect in Language
Authors: Whissell Cynthia
Published: August 2011

A principal components analysis of 68 volunteers' subjective ratings of 20 excerpts of Romantic poetry and of Dictionary of Affect scores for the same excerpts produced four components representing Pleasantness, Activation, Romanticism, and Nature. Dictionary measures and subjective ratings of the same constructs loaded on the same factor. Results are interpreted as providing construct validity for the Dictionary of Affect.
Fluctuations in Sleep Duration are Correlated with Salience of Stressful Experience
Authors: Hicks Robert A. , Picchioni Dante
Published: August 2011

A total of 863 reports of sleep periods collected from 82 university undergraduates over 14 days were classified as either periods of short sleep, mid-range sleep, or long sleep. Responses to the Hassles and Uplifts Scale on the days following these sleep period classifications indicated that there was an overall significant inverse relation between these sleep-duration classifications and the number of hassles experienced. In addition, there was a significant inverse relation between these sleep duration periods and rated coping on four dimensions of coping style measured by the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. These data suggest that fluctuations in sleep duration may be associated with the salience of subsequent stress-related experiences.
Motivational Climate, Beliefs about the Bases of Success, and Sportsmanship Behaviors of Professional Basketball Athletes
Authors: Laparidis Konstantinos , Papaioannou Athanasios , Vretakou Varvara , Morou Aggeliki
Published: August 2011

Professional basketball players ( n = 76 men and n = 41 women) completed the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire, an early version of the Multidimensional Sportsmanship Orientations Scale, and a measure of beliefs about the bases for success. The perception of mastery-oriented climate scales were positively associated with the belief that success is due to hard work and to reports of sportsmanship behaviors. The perception of performance-oriented climate scales were positively linked with the beliefs that success is caused by deception and high ability. Most relationships reflected individual differences in perceived motivational climate of athletes within each team.
Mood and Flexibility in Categorization: A Conceptual Replication
Authors: Göritz Anja S. , Moser Klaus
Published: August 2011

The present study tested the hypothesis that positive mood facilitates cognitive flexibility in categorization, i.e., positive mood enhances the ability to categorize flexibly at broad and narrow levels contingent on task requirement. The study was a conceptual replication of the 1990 work by Murray, Sujan, Hirt, and Sujan. Unlike the original study, it was carried out on the WWW with some modifications in the procedure. Participants were 29 women and 132 men whose average age was 29 yr. They were put into a positive, negative, or neutral mood using the Velten technique. Mood was measured with standard mood scales. Subjects then listed similarities or differences between two entertainment TV shows. Contrary to the prediction, participants in a positive mood did not list a higher number, more diverse, or more unusual similarities and differences between the shows, and they were not faster than participants with neutral or negative moods. It is concluded that the influence of mood on cognitive flexibility needs to be reconsidered In research, temporal aspects of categorization performance as well as a wider range of mood valences should be taken into account.
Contextual Interference in Learning Precision Skills
Authors: Ávila Francisco , Damas Jesús , García Juan A. , Luis Vicente , Reina Raúl , Ruíz Antonio
Published: August 2011

This research studied the effect of different organisations of practice (blocked and random) on the learning of three different types of throwing. 35 male students practiced three precise throws for 3 wk. Initially the subjects were separated into two groups who trained under different conditions of practice (blocked and random). All subjects improved significantly from initial performance, with both blocked practice and random practice. At the end of acquisition no differences were found between the groups. No significant differences were found on retention tests carried out 48 hr., 4 wk., and 8 wk. after the training period.
Graphic Indicators of Pedagogic Style in Greek Children's Drawings
Authors: Bonoti Fotini , Misailidi Plousia , Gregoriou Fotini
Published: August 2011

311 Greek children's drawings of classroom life were employed to investigate the diagnostic validity of this measure in identifying teachers' pedagogic style. The sample was divided into three age groups, 6-, 8-, and 10-yr. olds, who were asked to draw pictures of themselves and their teachers in their classroom. Drawings were scored using as criteria the four graphic indicators (ratings of size, detailing, centrality, and social distance) proposed by Aronsson and Anderson in 1996. Analysis showed three out of the four indicators discriminated teacher-centered vs student-centered pedagogic style. More specifically, in the teacher-centered setting children drew the teacher of dominant size, in a central position, and as remote, while in the student-centered setting the teacher was depicted closer to the student, in a less central position, and less emphasized relative to the student. The findings are discussed with respect to the absence of age-related effects and the possibility of using children's drawings of classroom life as a measure for tapping into children's representations of pedagogic style.
Evaluation of Bizarre-Idiosyncratic Thinking Scale as a Measure of Thought Disorder in Children and Adolescents with Severe Psychiatric Disorders
Authors: McCarthy James , Loewenthal Laura , Herdsman Lisa , Leonard Noelle , Bluestone Cheryl , Gorman Bernard
Published: August 2011

To investigate the prevalence of thought disorder and the possible appropriateness of the Bizarre–Idiosyncratic Thinking Scale for children and adolescents with severe psychiatric disorders, 96 child and adolescent inpatients and day hospital patients, ages 6 to 18 years, at a state psychiatric hospital were rated by review of retrospective records using Marengo and Harrow's 1986 Evaluation of Bizarre–Idiosyncratic Thinking Scale for the presence of thought disorder in the Thematic Apperception Test and Rorschach Inkblot Test responses. Although the Evaluation of Bizarre–Idiosyncratic Thinking Scale had not been previously used with children and adolescents, the analysis suggested possible indications of thought disorder in several diagnostic groups. No significant differences were found on the Rorschach between patients with Schizophrenia and Psychosis, Not Otherwise Specified and those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Major Depression, and Conduct Disorder. On the basis of the Thinking Scale ratings, the Thematic Apperception Test responses showed significantly higher ratings of thought disorder for patients with Schizophrenia and Psychosis, Not Otherwise Specified. There was no general relation between thought disorder and age or IQ, but schizophrenic patients, aged 13 and older, had more thought disorder than schizophrenic patients who were younger than 13.
Using Broad Measures of Maladjustment to Assess Psychological States of Outpatients with Schizophrenia
Authors: Wagner Edwin E. , Adair Holiday E.
Published: August 2011

Two broad indexes of maladjustment derived from two projective tests and administered at two separate points to the same 50 outpatients with schizophrenia showed substantial convergent validity at both testings ( r = .52, p< .001; r = .58, p<.001). Conversely, test-retest reliabilities for both indexes were nonsignificant. These findings suggest that broad measures of maladjustment may be more suitable for reflecting current states of adjustment for subjects known to be diagnosed with certain symptoms, the manifestations of which fluctuate over time.
Temporal Stability of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory
Authors: Tsigilis Nikolaos , Theodosiou Argiris
Published: August 2011

To examine the temporal stability of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory a Greek version was administered to 144 undergraduate students after an endurance field test. The same procedure was repeated one week later. Factor analysis followed by varimax rotation showed that three factors (Perceived Competence, Interest/enjoyment, and Effort/importance) explained 65.26% of the total variance. Computed intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were .61 for the Perceived Competence subscale, .86 for the Interest/enjoyment, .60 for the Effort/importance, and .70 for the overall scale. The results, however, were modified when the sample was divided in two groups. The first represented small changes in perceived competence between the first and the second measurement, while the second one represented large changes between the two measurements. Recalculated intraclass correlation coefficients for individuals whose Perceived Competence score remained relatively stable yield a high value (.92), whereas individuals whose Perceived Competence changed yield an extremely low value (.60). It was concluded that the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory provides a temporally stable measure, given that perceived competence has not been markedly changed.
Comparison of Implicit and Explicit Learning Processes in a Probabilistic Task
Authors: Green Thomas D. , Flowers John H.
Published: August 2011

This experiment compared the performance with explicit (rule-application and rule-discovery) and implicit (nonrule-instructed) learning approaches on the performance of a probabilistic video game task requiring fine motor control. The task required visual tracking of a small ball of light and “catching” it by means of joystick manipulation. A general pattern of improvement with practice occurred for all conditions. All conditions showed use of predictive relations among stimulus events. However, task performance of the rule-application and rule-discovery conditions were inferior to the nonrule-instructed implicit condition, particularly during the early phases of rule acquisition and application. This pattern strongly suggests substantial performance costs associated with attempting to discover or apply probabilistic rules. Decrements are likely due to increased cognitive demands associated with attempting to remember and strategically apply provided probability rules or attempting to discover and apply potentially important and useful probability information from a complex visual display.
Effects of Mixed versus Blocked Design on Stimulus Evaluation: Combining Underadditive Effects
Authors: van der Schoot Menno , Los Sander A. , Smulders Fren T. Y. , Kok Albert
Published: August 2011

According to the asynchronous discrete coding model of Miller, two manipulations should display underadditive effects on reaction time if they slow down noncontingent stages associated with the processing of two separable dimensions of a stimulus. Under additive effects are also predicted by a dual route model when a task variable is factorially varied with design type (mixed vs blocked). Interpretations of both underadditive effects and their combination were evaluated. Intact and degraded stimuli were presented to 18 young adults either in a single block (mixed) or in separate blocks (blocked). Spatial stimulus-response (S-R) compatibility was manipulated in all conditions. Stimulus degradation and S-R compatibility interacted underadditively, but only in blocked presentations. Both interpretations of underadditive effects were supported. Eye-movement registrations provided additional support for the alternative routes model.
Time Use by Inpatients Receiving Neurorehabilitation
Authors: Bohannon Richard W.
Published: August 2011

Inpatients with stroke spend the vast majority of their time in non-therapeutic activities. Their engagement in more therapeutic time seems warranted on the basis of research on skill development and intensity of rehabilitation. Means of providing such time, although challenging, should be pursued and their benefits investigated.
Rhythm or Music? Contrasting Two Types of Auditory Stimuli in the Performance of a Dancing Routine
Authors: Pollatou Elisana , Hatzitaki Vassilia , Karadimou Kostandina
Published: August 2011

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether rhythmic beats only or music would be more effective as accompaniment for the motor performance of specific rhythmic-dance steps by 30 female students of physical education ( M age 20.1 yr.), without prior experience in music or dance. They performed a dance routine in synchronization with a musical phrase of eight rhythmical meters, with the general value of 4/4 each. Each meter involved representative steps of the rhythmical values of 4/4, 1/4, 1/8, and 1/16 like rhythmical walking, small kicks, galloping, chassé, cat leap, and different ways of balancing. Subjects performed these in synchronization to the rhythm played on a tambourine or to music played on an harmonium. All movement performances were registered using two video cameras. Differences between the two groups (“rhythm” and “music”) and across the different meters (4/4, 1/8, 1/8, 1/16, 1/4) were analyzed by a mixed between-within subjects 2 × 3 analysis of variance with repeated measures of “meter.” Students who performed with the tambourine showed better synchrony with that external auditory stimulus than students who performed the same routine guided by music played on the harmonium. Also, students showed better synchrony with the external rhythm when performing a whole (4/4 meter) than when performing either the 1/8 or the mixed 1/8–1/16–1/4 meters. These findings suggest that for highly complex artistic movements such as the ones involved in dance, beginners perform much better when their movements are guided by a rhythmical sequence of single beats than when guided by a musical phrase having identical metrical structure.
Surveying a Blank Field with the Attentional Spotlight
Authors: Mendez Mario F.
Published: August 2011

Spatial localization is a unique aspect of selective attention that precedes and facilitates other aspects of sensory processing. A common model of spatial attention is an attentional spotlight that enlarges to fit attentional demands. It is unclear if this attentional spotlight expands to survey a blank field or to scan the spatial environment with a smaller attentional spotlight. Two tachistoscopic experiments with young adults investigated how attention is surveyed in a blank field. Exp. 1 consisted of single letters at two concentric regions and under different conditions of attentional demand. Reaction times were proportionally slower for stimuli occurring in a combination of the two regions located at different distances from the fixation point than for stimuli occurring in each region alone. This finding is not consistent with attentional spread to encompass the entire attentional field. The addition of more stimulus locations within each single region yielded significantly slower reaction times. Together these findings suggest that a small attentional spotlight serially monitors different regions of the visual field when there are anticipated locations to be attended.
Memory Consolidation and Contextual Interference Effects with Computer Games
Authors: Shewokis Patricia A.
Published: August 2011

Some investigators of the contextual interference effect contend that there is a direct relation between the amount of practice and the contextual interference effect based on the prediction that the improvement in learning tasks in a random practice schedule, compared to a blocked practice schedule, increases in magnitude as the amount of practice during acquisition on the tasks increases. Research using computer games in contextual interference studies has yielded a large effect ( f = .50) with a random practice schedule advantage during transfer. These investigations had a total of 36 and 72 acquisition trials, respectively. The present study tested this prediction by having 72 college students, who were randomly assigned to a blocked or random practice schedule, practice 102 trials of three computer-game tasks across three days. After a 24-hr. interval, 6 retention and 5 transfer trials were performed. Dependent variables were time to complete an event in seconds and number of errors. No significant differences were found for retention and transfer. These results are discussed in terms of how the amount of practice, task-related factors, and memory consolidation mediate the contextual interference effect.
Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Brunel Mood Scale for Use with Water-Skiing Competition
Authors: Fazackerley Richie , Lane Andrew M. , Mahoney Craig
Published: August 2011

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the factorial validity of the Brunel Mood Scale, which measures anger, confusion, depression, fatigue, tension, and vigor, for water-skiers. Participants were 345 water-skiers (age range 16 to 39 years, men: n = 311, women: n = 34) who completed the scale approximately 1 hour before a water-skiing competition. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated support for the validity of the 6-factor model, with a Comparative Fit Index of .90 and Root Mean Squared Error of Approximation of .07. Internal consistency coefficients were above the .70 criterion. It is suggested that the Brunel Mood Scale shows factorial validity for use with water-skiers and that researchers should continue to assess validation of the Brunel Mood Scale with other measures and with specific appropriate samples.
Sex, Gender Role, Attribution of Pathology, and Handwriting Tidiness
Authors: Sappington John , Money Molly
Published: August 2011

An archival study sampled personality test protocols with spontaneous handwriting specimens from 73 men and 168 women for signatures and scores on selected scales from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2. Judges applied a 5-point scale to sort signatures for tidiness. Interrater agreement was .93. The mean handwriting tidiness score for men was 1.8 and 2.8 for women, a significant difference of 1 point. Correlations between handwriting tidiness and MMPI–2 scores did not support the hypothesis that erratic handwriting is associated with pathology but scores for gender role correlated significantly with handwriting tidiness. Masculine Gender Role predicted sloppy penmanship and Feminine Gender Role predicted tidy writing, independent of the writers' biological sex.
Ratings of Contracting Infectious Diseases and of the Risk of Sexual Hiv Transmission by Health Care Students from Germany, Lithuania, and Namibia
Authors: Klewer Jörg , Kugler Joachim , Sasnauskaite Laura , Pavilonis Alvydas , Lauschke Helmut
Published: August 2011

In Germany, Lithuania, and Namibia different types of the HIV epidemic are present. HIV testing of health care students and their ratings of the risk of sexually acquired HIV infections and factors influencing the risk of contracting infectious diseases were analyzed. 182 German medical and dental students, 176 Lithuanian medical students, and 135 Namibian student nurses participated by completing anonymous questionnaires. The Namibian student nurses rated sexual HIV transmission risks higher than the Lithuanian and German medical students did. In general, the Lithuanian medical students rated risks of HIV transmission lowest, compared to the students in the other two samples. Risk behavior and environmental factors were most emphasized by the three student samples as having an influence on the risk of contracting infectious diseases. Thus, national prevalence of HIV influences ratings of sexual HIV transmission risks, while rating of factors influencing the risk of contracting infectious diseases are similar.
Enhanced Power within a Specific Band of Theta Activity in One Person While Another Receives Circumcerebral Pulsed Magnetic Fields: A Mechanism for Cognitive Influence at a Distance?
Authors: Persinger M. A. , Koren S. A. , Tsang E. W.
Published: August 2011

Four pairs of adult siblings served once as either the stimulus or the response person in two sessions separated by one week. While the brain of the stimulus person, who was seated in a closed chamber, was exposed successively to six different complex magnetic fields for 5 min. each quantitative monopolar electroencephalographic measurements over the frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes were collected by computer for the response person who was seated in another room. The six configurations of fields served as different stimulus patterns and had been designed to affect consciousness. As predicted theoretically, a significant increase in electroencephalographic power within the 5.0-Hz to 6.0-Hz band over the frontal and occipital lobes was noted for the response persons when the stimulus persons received one of the six specific patterns of weak (1 microTesla range) magnetic fields. This magnetic stimulus was presented for 100 msec. with changes in rate of 20 msec. to each of the eight solenoids that were equally spaced in the horizontal plane around the head of the stimulus person. Derivatives within this narrow frequency band had been hypothesized to be a source of the “binding factor” for the cohesive cerebrogenic electromagnetic fields producing consciousness. The results suggest that an appropriate altered state of one brain can effect specific predictable frequencies of the electroencephalographic activity of another distant brain which is genetically related.
Perceptual Defense in Anxiety Disorders
Authors: Poloni Claudia , Riquier Françoise , Zimmermann Gregoire , Borgeat François
Published: August 2011

Prior research by MacLeod and Rutherford (1992) indicates that anxious subjects could have perceptual strategies different from nonanxious subjects. 42 verbal stimuli of six types (disease, social anxiety, panic, agoraphobia, obsessive–compulsive, and neutral) were tachistoscopically presented to three groups of subjects, aged 18 to 60 years: Panic Disorder group ( n = 21: 13 women and 8 men), and Obsessive—Compulsive Disorder group ( n = 20: 14 women and 6 men), recruited from an outpatient clinic, and a Control group ( n = 22: 14 women and 8 men), recruited among students and hospital staff. The times required for correct identification were generally longer for anxious subjects but quicker for stimuli specifically related to their disorder. The data could indicate a two-step perceptual strategy or two distinct ways of perceiving, usually, a generalized perceptual defense for a majority of anxiety-loaded stimuli, but also a selectively facilitated processing for stimuli specific to the disorder.
False Recall with the Drmrs (“Drummers”) Procedure: A Quantitative Summary and Review
Authors: McKelvie Stuart J.
Published: August 2011

In the Deese-Roediger-McDermott-Read-Solso (DRMRS) procedure, which has recently enjoyed widespread use, participants try to remember lists of items constructed around critical themes that are not presented. The purpose of this quantitative review was to estimate the extent to which these themes are falsely recalled (Critical Intrusions) and to compare this error rate with Correct Recall and with false recall of other words that were not presented (Noncritical Intrusions). Based on 111 estimates, the mean rate of Critical Intrusions was .374 (95% confidence interval of .344 to .403), which was a very large effect ( d = 2.40). Critical Intrusions were less frequent than Correct Recall (.572) but more frequent than Noncritical Intrusions (.078). Critical Intrusions were lower (.318) for people told to be confident (not to guess) than for people not so cautioned (.428), a medium to large effect size ( d = 0.69). Effects of other variables are summarized, and the theoretical and applied implications of these results are discussed.
Does Phase-Modulation of Applied 40-Hz Transcerebral Magnetic Fields Affect Subjective Experiences and Hypnotic Induction?
Authors: Sculthorpe Lauren , Persinger M. A.
Published: August 2011

12 men and 12 women were exposed to a sham-field, a 5-Hz sine-wave magnetic field, a 40-Hz sine-wave magnetic field, or the latter field-phase modulated five times per sec. (5-Hz) for 30 min. between two administrations of the Spiegel's Hypnotic Induction Profile. To replicate the geometry that has produced significant increases in these scores in previous studies, the weak (1 microT) magnetic fields were applied over the right parietotemporal region through a modified helmet. The hypothesis that the enhanced suggestibility previously observed was due to an intrinsic phase-modulation of the fields was not supported. However, the ratings of overall pleasantness of the experiences were negatively correlated ( r = –.36) with global geomagnetic activity at the time of the experiment. The pleasantness was ranked significantly greater by subjects exposed to the 40-Hz field (explaining 41% of the variance) relative to subjects exposed to the 5-Hz field who also reported more visual experiences within their left peripheral visual fields. The percentages of time alpha rhythms were measured over the temporal lobes (but not frontal or occipital lobes) during the treatments were moderately and positively correlated with scores on questionnaires administered before the experiment, from which the capacity to imagine, temporal lobe signs, and religious (but not exotic) beliefs were inferred. The groups exposed to either the 5-Hz or 40-Hz/5-Hz phase-modulated field displayed greater durations of alpha rhythms over the temporal lobes than the other two groups.
Correlation of Phasic and Tonic Skin-Conductance Responses with Severity of Motion Sickness Induced by Viewing an Optokinetic Rotating Drum
Authors: Wan Hongwei , Hu Senqi , Wang Jiangyue
Published: August 2011

50 subjects viewed an optokinetic rotating drum for 12 min. Subjective ratings of motion sickness were obtained during the development of motion sickness. The tonic and phasic skin-conductance responses were recorded from the sites of finger, palm, and forehead during the baseline and drum-rotation periods. Analysis showed subjects' subjective ratings of motion sickness gradually increased during the 12 min. of the drum-rotation period. Both phasic and tonic skin conductance also gradually increased during drum rotation for all subjects. Pearson correlations for 50 subjects showed their ratings of motion sickness during the drum-rotation period were significantly correlated with ratios of phasic skin conductance recorded at the forehead between drum rotation and baseline periods ( r = .62), followed by ratios of tonic skin conductance recorded at the finger palmar site ( r = .48), ratios of phasic skin conductance recorded at the finger palmar site ( r = .43), and ratios of tonic skin conductance recorded at the forehead site ( r = .39). In conclusion, the phasic skin-conductance responses recorded at the forehead site were most sensitive physiological correlates of motion sickness induced by viewing an optokinetic rotating drum.
Predicting Performance in Primary School Subjects
Authors: Karlsdottir Ragnheidur , Stefansson Thorarinn
Published: August 2011

Correlations among letter naming, word reading, letter writing, and visual-motor integration scores at school start in Grade 1 and reading, spelling, and handwriting scores at the end of Grades 2 and 5 obtained in a longitudinal design for 217 boys and 190 girls entering Grade 1 at the age of 7 years are reported. The correlations between letter naming, word reading, and letter writing and reading and spelling in Grades 2 and 5 fall in the ranges .51≤ r≤ .62 and .43 ≤ r≤.50, respectively (α = .01). For all other correlations ( r<.40) α =.01.
Problems in Synthesis (Meta-Analytic) Studies: An Example from the Communication Disorders Literature
Authors: Meline Timothy
Published: August 2011

This research note examined contemporary issues for meta-analysis with an example from the communication disorders literature. A significant proportion of experimental and quasi-experimental research results are not published in the mainstream literature, which suggests that publication bias is a potential problem for synthesis studies. Nonetheless, 50% of synthesis studies (meta-analyses) in communication disorders do not include statistical or visual procedures, e.g., fail-safe Ns or funnel plots, to reinforce the integrity of results. Tests for publication bias are recommended as routine procedures for meta-analyses.
Effects of Exercise on Perceptual Estimation and Short-Term Recall of Shooting Performance in a Biathlon
Authors: Grebot Christelle , Groslambert Alain , Pernin Jean-Noel , Burtheret Alain , Rouillon Jean-Denis
Published: August 2011

Little is known about the effects of exercise on cognitive function, but in a biathlon it is known that intense skiing exercise decreases shooting performance. So the present study was designed to assess the cognitive origin of this decrease by examining the influence of skiing exercise on perceptual estimation and short-term verbal recall of shooting performance in a biathlon. 10 elite biathletes (6 men, 4 women) performed five trials of five shots in standing position in two conditions, at rest and after a standardised skiing exercise. At the end of each trial, the shooting performance was investigated by measuring the actual shooting performance and the perceptual estimation of the shooting performance. A two-way analysis of variance and the effect size indicated a significant decrease in shooting performance after skiing, but none between the actual and estimated shooting performance. At rest .4% of the shots were not estimated (1 out of 250), whereas after exercise the biathletes were not able to estimate 4.8% of the shots (12 out of 250). Further, only .01% of the nonestimated shots after exercise missed the target, i.e., 3 out of 250. The results suggest that the perceptual estimation of the shooting is not significantly affected by skiing exercise and do not explain the decrease in shooting performance observed after intense exercise. However, intense exercise could increase the difficulty of recall shooting performance and may force biathletes to use their memory selectively.
Vividness in Judgements of Guilt
Authors: Bensi L. , Nori R. , Strazzari E. , Giusberti F.
Published: August 2011

This study investigated the vividness variable in legal decision-making. It was hypothesised that different verdicts regarding the same legal case can be obtained by simply varying the vividness of phrases, without changing any probative element. 53 participants read Original (26) or Vivid (27) versions of testimonies to a homicide case, then made a decision as to the defendant's guilt. Results support the hypothesis: participants' judgements significantly differ between the two conditions; that is, participants who read the Original version consider the homicide as unintentional while participants who read the Vivid one are not able to choose between intentional or unintentional homicide. Therefore we can infer that vividness influenced the process by which guilt is attributed.
Influence of the Type of Training Sport Practised on Psychological and Physiological Parameters during Exhausting Endurance Exercises
Authors: Garcin M. , Mille-Hamard L. , Devillers S. , Delattre E. , Dufour S. , Billat V.
Published: August 2011

The present purpose was to study the influence of the type of training sport practised (long distance running, sprinting, handball) on ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), estimation of time limit (ETL), and heart rate (HR) on running tests. It was hypothesised that these parameters would be related to the type of training sport practised. 31 trained women (10 endurance-trained runners, 10 sprinters, and 11 handball players) performed two exercises to exhaustion on an outdoor track. The first test was a graded run to estimate maximal aerobic speed (SMA), i.e., the minimal speed which elicited maximal oxygen uptake. The second test was a constant all-out run at speed delta 50 (SΔ50), which corresponded to the speed halfway between SMA and the speed at lactate threshold (SLT), to specify time to exhaustion at this intensity (TLIM). Sensations regarding RPE, ETL, and HR were recorded during these tests. SMA, SΔ50, and SLT, expressed in absolute values (km · hr.−1) were statistically significantly different between groups ( p<.05) whereas TLIM was not. The covariance analysis showed that endurance-trained runners perceived the exercise as lighter and presented lower HR than handball players and sprinters for a same running %SMA ( p<.05). Moreover, endurance-trained runners felt that they could endure more than the other groups at a given %SMA or relative exhaustion time (%TLIM). These results mean that the type of training sport which has been performed may mediate perceptual responses and influence physiological parameters during exhausting exercises. These results are likely in part related to sport-specificity of the exercise mode used in tests. This point must be taken into consideration by physical trainers who have to prescribe exercise intensities during athletic seasons for different groups of athletes.
Is Listening to Mozart the Only Way to Enhance Spatial Reasoning?
Authors: Lints Amanda , Gadbois Shannon
Published: August 2011

Since 1993, controversy has surrounded the Mozart Effect that refers to enhanced spatial processing following listening to Mozart's Sonata for Two Pianos. Some researchers have replicated the effect while others have not. The present study represents an attempt to replicate and generalize the Mozart Effect and to examine the role of participants' expectations. Experimental groups were matched for musical experience and preference, and a Verbal and a Spatial Reasoning condition were used as control groups. Contrary to our hypotheses, the analyses showed that participants' expectations did not enhance performance on a spatial reasoning task. Further, enhanced spatial reasoning occurred following a variety of conditions, not just after listening to Mozart.
An Overview of Field Sobriety Test Research
Authors: Burns Marcelline
Published: August 2011

Traffic officers stop moving vehicles for probable cause, most frequently a traffic code violation. When an officer approaches the driver of a stopped vehicle, he may note an odor of alcohol or other signs indicating alcohol consumption. In such circumstances, it is the officer's duty to undertake an alcohol investigation. If the driver is asked to get out of the vehicle to perform roadside maneuvers, the performance of the maneuvers, together with the officer's observations and the driver's responses to questions, are the evidence on which an arrest or release decision is based. In some jurisdictions, officers also obtain a measurement of the driver's alcohol level with a Preliminary Breath Test, but not all agencies permit breath tests at roadside or provide the instruments for them. A Standardized Field Sobriety Test battery, which includes Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, Walk and Turn test, and One-leg Stand test, is widely used. If the driver is arrested, the admissibility of the officer's testimony about them at trial often is challenged. Sobriety tests have been examined in three laboratory studies and five field studies in the United States. Two additional studies were conducted in Finland. To provide an overview of sobriety test research in a single publication, this paper presents the methods and findings of these studies.
Styles of Adaptation in Panic Disorder with and without Agoraphobia
Authors: Rubino I. Alex , Romeo Domenico , Siracusano Alberto
Published: August 2011

Two groups of women with a main DSM-IV diagnosis of panic disorder, one with and one without agoraphobia (respectively, n = 26 and n = 14) were compared on several clinical variables. Forward logistic regressions were run for the presence of agoraphobia. Age of onset, duration of illness, presence of major depressions, and cluster classification on Axis II did not predict the criterion variable. Diagnosis and scores on avoidant personality disorder led, respectively, to 65% and 72.5% rates of correct classifications. Among panic symptoms, fear of going crazy and palpitations significantly predicted agoraphobia (75% of correct allocations). Three adaptive variables assessed by the Serial Color-Word Test (a serial version of the Stroop task) led to a 90% rate of correct classification. Agoraphobic patients were mainly characterized by an anxious or over-controlling style, which permitted a pseudo-objective mastery of the conflict situation. The findings seem to support the clinical relevance of the Serial Color-Word Test.
A Preliminary Study of Motor Problems in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: Karatekin Canan , Markiewicz Steven W. , Siegel Michelle A.
Published: August 2011

Although many children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are described as “clumsy,” there is relatively little research on problems in motor development in this population. We used a survey method to assess retrospectively developmental histories of 25 children with ADHD and 27 control children (ages 8–15 years). Children with ADHD reportedly had more difficulty than control children with both learning and performing a variety of motor skills, e.g., tying shoes, printing letters, playing sports. In contrast, parents reported few problems in their children's language development. Severity of motor problems was related to performance on specific IQ indices and reading and spelling tests. Given previous research on adverse consequences of clumsiness in children with attention deficits, results of this preliminary study indicate that further research on motor development can shed light on the developmental psychopathology of ADHD.
Examination of Coaches' Self-Efficacy: Preliminary Analysis of the Coaching Efficacy Scale
Authors: Tsorbatzoudis Haralambos , Daroglou Garifallia , Zahariadis Panayotis , Grouios George
Published: August 2011

The purpose of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Coaching Efficacy Scale, which measures coaches' beliefs about their capacity to affect the learning and performance of their athletes on Game Strategy, Motivation, Teaching Technique, and Character Building. 230 Greek male team coaches ( M = 37.6 yr. ± 6.2) with 5.5 yr. ( SD = 4.8) of experience completed the Greek translation of the scale. A first-order confirmatory factor analysis supported the basic factorial structure of the scale. Examination of a higher order model of an overall coaching efficacy factor showed satisfactory fit, using second-order confirmatory factor analysis. Moreover, the scale showed satisfactory Cronbach α of .82 and 30-day test-retest reliability of .73. Significant differences between experienced and less experienced coaches, defined by mean score, were found on Teaching Technique and overall self-efficacy factors, with more experienced coaches having significantly higher scores. Results supported the reliability and validity of the Greek version of the scale.
Performance of Male Nursing Students on the MMPI, Fantasy, and Self-Esteem Inventories
Authors: Mlott Sylvester R. , Rust Philip F. , Assey Jane L. , Doscher Margaret S.
Published: August 2011

The field of nursing in the past has been considered a stereotypically feminine vocation, but in recent years an increasing number of men have begun to enter. The present study shows the present day men entering the nursing profession as possessing adequate self-concept, level of ego strength, self-esteem, and male sexuality. They are comparable to other men in the various areas of personality explored and have less need to rely upon fantasy in their everyday functions than control peers in this study.
Effects of Divergent Reinforcement Histories upon Differential Reinforcement Effectiveness
Authors: Schuett Mary Andrews , Leibowitz J. Michael
Published: August 2011

The effectiveness of differential reinforcement techniques in reducing lever-pressing was studied as a function of natural reinforcement history and prescribed schedule. Based upon a prebaseline, 30 children with natural high rates of responding and 30 children with natural low rates of responding were reinforced for tapping an assigned key for 15 min. on either a differential reinforcement of low rate (drl 5“) or a differential reinforcement of high rate (Conjunctive VR 10-drh 5”) schedule of reinforcement. Responding on the other key was then reinforced for 15 min. on a variable ratio (VR 35) schedule utilizing one of three differential reinforcement techniques to eliminate the previously taught response. Findings indicated that a child's natural history significantly influences subsequent rates of responding. Prescribed divergent schedules effected changes in responding only while the child was being reinforced on that schedule. The differential reinforcement techniques did not produce significant differences between subjects' performance on the new key but did affect responding on the previously reinforced key.
Effects of Instructing Subjects to Pretend Forgetting on Disorganized Recall
Authors: Bertrand Lorne D. , Spanos Nicholas P.
Published: August 2011

Two experiments investigated the role of instructions to pretend forgetting on disorganized recall. Exp. 1 indicated that the wording of instructions to pretend influenced both the tendency of subjects to show disorganization and their tendency to guess the disorganization hypothesis. Importantly, only instructions to pretend that led to guessing the hypothesis also led to disorganization. Exp. 2 indicated that subjects exhibited significant disorganization even when they were instructed both to pretend to forget and to recall a specific number of words. Implications of these findings for research on hypnotic amnesia are discussed.
Trait-Anxiety and Appraisal of Flood Hazard, a Brief Comment
Authors: Simpson-Housley P. , De Man A. F. , Yachnin R.
Published: August 2011

105 residents of an area subject to inundation took part in a study of the relationship between trait-anxiety and anticipated riverine flood damage to households. Expectation of such damage was significantly related to trait-anxiety.
Positive Reinforcement in Short-Term Treatment of an Electively Mute Child: A Case Study
Authors: Albert-Stewart Phyllis L.
Published: August 2011

Increased audibility and intelligibility of sentences by a 13-yr.-old Mexican boy read from books or spoken spontaneously with a therapist, in class, and in group-therapeutic sessions were observed after implementation of simple differential reinforcement using a tape recorder.
Daily Hassles and Profiles of Well-Being among Older Residents of Small Rural Towns
Authors: Scheidt Rick J.
Published: August 2011

As part of a larger study of adaptation to environmental stress, 101 older (65 yr. +) small-town residents displaying four distinct profiles of subjective well-being (frail, disengaged, partially-, and fully-engaged) were administered a 67-item version of the Daily Hassles Scale in interview format. A 1-way multivariate analysis was conducted on frequency of hassles and intensity scores across eight hassle-content categories (Health, Friends and Relatives, Finances, Social Reactions, Physical Environment, Declines in Capacity, Time, and Job). Follow-up univariate F tests and post hoc analyses indicated significant group differences on the number of hassles for five categories (except Social Reactions, Time, and Job). Reliable group differences on intensity of hassles were found for Health, Friends and Relatives, and Declines in Capacity. The general pattern of data showed both frail and fully engaged elderly experiencing more hassles and with greater intensity than the partially engaged and disengaged. Interpretations are offered.
Mock Jurors' Behavior as a Function of Sex and Exposure to an Educational Videotape about Jury Duty
Authors: Lyons Arthur W. , Regina Joanne
Published: August 2011

An experiment was designed to assess the influence of viewing a tape intended to educate mock jurors to jury duty and the jury process and sex of juror on juror verdicts and sentencing in a rape case scenario. The subjects were 35 male and 51 female college undergraduates of a traditional college age. The educational tape significantly influenced jurors' verdict and sentencing. Jurors exposed to the tape assigned a guilty verdict significantly less often than those in the control group. Of those jurors who assigned a verdict of guilty after exposure to the tape, they also imposed a significantly longer sentence than did the control subjects who assigned a verdict of guilty. Female jurors also assigned the guilty verdict significantly more often than did the male jurors. The implications and limitations of these findings as well as suggestions for further research were discussed.