bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Prime and Target Repetition on Lexical Decision Time
Authors: Pitarque Alfonso , Algarabel Salvador , Soler Maria José
Published: August 2011

On a prime-target lexical decision task we manipulated the relatedness between prime and target (semantically related or unrelated), the number of repetitions (from 1 to 5), the type of the repeated stimulus (only the prime, only the target, or both), and the stimulus onset asynchrony (within a range of automatic activation from 60 to 400 msec.) to find whether semantic and repetition priming are additive (or interact), and whether there is episodic priming in an automatic, nonconscious way. Analysis showed repetition and semantic priming were additive rather than interactive. No episodic automatic priming was found. Results are discussed in terms of the predictions made from the main theoretical positions about the repetition effect.
Assessing Cognitive Domain Levels of Instructional Materials
Authors: Biersner Robert J.
Published: August 2011

A method is described which improves on readability formulas in accounting for the cognitive complexity of instructional materials.
Home Advantage: Does it Exist in Individual Sports
Authors: Gayton William F. , Langevin Guy
Published: August 2011

This study examined whether the home advantage exists in individual sports. The percentage of 792 wrestling matches won at home and away were compared for a high school wrestling team from 1980–1984 A significant home advantage was found: 61% vs 54%.
Team Performance and National Polls: The 1990–91 Ncaa Division I Basketball Season
Authors: Ittenbach Richard F. , Kloos Eric T. , Etheridge J. Douglas
Published: August 2011

Correlations among team indices and postseason rankings for the 64 teams who participated in the 1991 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament were computed. Two variables, points-per-game and points allowed, emerged as statistically significant correlates with other traditional measures of team success in intercollegiate basketball.
Relationship of Attribution, Expectancy, Performance, and Perceived Success to Change in Examination Preparation Strategies
Authors: Chandler Theodore A. , Spies Carl J.
Published: August 2011

The major purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between change in strategies of preparation for examination and attributions, perceived success, and performance. Prior to each of three examinations in the course, 229 undergraduate students in introductory sociology and psychology were asked their expected score/grade. Change in strategies for preparation was assessed prior to Examinations 2 and 3. Subsequent to all three examinations students were assessed on attribution, satisfaction, and perceived success. Change per se and three of the strategies for change were related to performance, specific attributions, and perceived success.
Behavioral Consultation with Difficult to Treat Psychiatric Patients
Authors: Mori DeAnna L. , Blake Dudley David
Published: August 2011

Behavioral procedures have proven efficacious in the ward-wide treatment of psychiatric inpatients. These procedures are often recommended and administrated by behaviorally oriented staff who work as consultants. While numerous published reports show that behavioral consultation is effective for changing patients' targeted behavior, few data show whether it affects recidivism and other general indicators of patients' functioning. The present report describes group and case study data for 7 patients regarding the effects of behavioral consultation on frequency and duration of hospital admissions, distress upon readmission, proportion of time spent at regressive versus autonomous privilege levels, and other molar indices of patients' functioning.
Increase in Cutaneous Temperature Induced by Hypnotic Suggestion of Pain
Authors: Hájek P. , Jakoubek B. , Kýhos K. , Radil T.
Published: August 2011

Eight patients with atopic eczema and six healthy subjects were given hypnotic suggestion to feel pain in the upper part of the back and in one case on the palm. An average local increase in skin temperature of 0.6° C (detected by thermovision) occurred under this condition. For some patients cutaneous pain threshold was increased before the experiment by means of repetitive hypnotic suggestion of analgesia. These subjects reported feeling no pain subjectively, but the local change in skin temperature was equal in both cases. The results suggest a central mechanism induced by measuring changes in pain threshold in the skin, which changes are independent of local changes in blood flow.
Preserved Implicit Memory for Lexical Information in Alzheimer's Disease
Authors: Perfect T. J. , Downes J. J. , De Mornay Davies P. , Wilson K.
Published: August 2011

Recent studies have suggested that there is a specific impairment of implicit memory for lexical priming in Alzheimer's Disease. However, there are problems in accepting data from the word-stem completion paradigm as evidence of pure implicit-memory performance. To assess whether Alzheimer's Disease patients are relatively impaired on implicit memory for lexical information an anagram-solution task was adopted. A group of 16 early stage Alzheimer's Disease patients and a group of 16 normal elderly subjects were presented a list of 40 target words. Subsequent free recall was significantly poorer in the former group, but while both groups were significantly better at solving anagrams for words they had previously seen, there was no difference between the two groups in the amount of priming. The data are consistent with the view that previous reports of an implicit deficit in Alzheimer's Disease may not generalise to implicit tasks independent of explicit-memory performance.
Incidence and Severity of Self-Reported Snoring in Male and Female College Students
Authors: Hicks Robert A.
Published: August 2011

The self-reported incidence and severity of snoring were assessed for a group of 749 college students. Although snoring was more frequently reported by the 356 men, these data did not support the speculation that snoring is a masculine secondary sexual characteristic.
Academic Learning Problems and Rorschach Indices: A Spanish Replication
Authors: Rodriquez-Sutil Carlos , Calonge Isabel , Scott Ralph
Published: August 2011

This study compared the Rorschach responses of Spanish children who were and who were not judged by their teachers to be experiencing significant reading problems. With controls exacted on gender, social class, chronological age, and IQ, the responses of 15 pairs of subjects were examined; group differences in perceptual accuracy, self-concept, and reactivity were assessed. Consistent with American studies involving profiles of learning disabled and nonlearning disabled subjects, despite some differences being small, responses of children with reading problems were characterized by lower perceptual accuracy and lower self-concept; inconsistent findings appeared on measures of reactivity. Empirical problems in conducting cross-cultural investigations with the Rorschach are discussed.
Prediction of MMPI Clinical Scores from the Apperceptive Personality Test
Authors: Karp Stephen A. , Silber David E. , Holmstrom Robert W. , Kellert Heather
Published: August 2011

Eight independent scores from a new objective/projective personality test, the Apperceptive Personality Test (APT), were validated against eight clinical scores of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). In parallel studies of 150 male and 150 female college volunteers given both tests, weighted combinations of the 8 APT measures significantly predicted MMPI raw scores in 15 of 16 analyses ( Ma scores could not be predicted for men). Of 84 predicted zero-order correlations between APT and MMPI measures, 50 (60%) were confirmed, 74% for women and 45% for men; however, the vast majority of these correlations were below .30.
Types of Leadership and Performance Norms of School Athletic Teams
Authors: Kim Myung-Soo
Published: August 2011

This study assessed whether the four types of leadership by team captains, based on leaders' goal achievement orientation (P-function) and group-relations orientation (M-function) designated by Misumi affected performance norms, i.e., attitudes shared among group members about how high a level of performance the group should achieve, Banzai's 1989 leadership scale, Misumi's 1985 and Patchen's 1966 performance measures (ratings by team members) were modified for a sports setting and completed by 1972 athletes who belonged to 114 school athletic teams. Analysis showed that the performance norms were highest under leaders of both goal achievement and group orientation (high on both P- and M-function), followed by Pm and pM types (high in only one of two functions) and pm type (low on both orientations). The present results indicate that types of leadership affect performance norms of school athletic teams.
Field Dependence/Independence and Learning Condition: An Exploratory Study of Style Vs Ability
Authors: Rollock David
Published: August 2011

Recent reviews have concluded that field-independent individuals typically show learning equal or superior to that of field-dependent individuals. However, many studies supporting these conclusions have not capitalized fully on the stylistic strengths of field-dependent learners. Among 35 field-independent and 42 field-dependent undergraduates, when grade-point average was controlled, no significant differences were found in scores on an examination following an audiotaped lecture. However, field-dependent learners significantly outperformed their field-independent peers on follow-up quizzes when material was presented interactively, using examples that required social sensitivity for full appreciation. These results are discussed as supporting the importance of further study of the stylistic aspects of field dependence/independence and the narrowness of conceptualizations of individual differences when teaching.
Measuring the Typicality of Objects Included in Environmental Scenes: A First Scale
Authors: Beltran Francesc S. , Herrando Salvador , Pelegrina Manuel
Published: August 2011

Many researchers have been using the concept of “typicality” to explain the influence of knowledge structures on processing visual stimuli. In this paper we try to establish a preliminary method for measuring the typicality of natural objects contained in environmental scenes. The results are discussed in the context of research on how objects in scenes are identified. We also suggest that scales of typicality continue to be developed.
A Normative Sample Using the Loong Computerized Tapping Program
Authors: Whitfield Keith , Newcomb Rosemarie
Published: August 2011

This article provides results of a comparison between the Halstead-Reitan tapper and a 1988 computerized tapping program by Loong. Care should be taken in using the computerized tapper in diagnosis or assessment.
Student Leaders' and Their Parents' Perceptions of Social Skills
Authors: D'Ilio Victor R. , Karnes Frances A.
Published: August 2011

Comparison of student leaders' (55 boys and 59 girls) perceptions of their social skills to their parents' (71 fathers and 90 mothers) perceptions of the students' behaviors, using the Social Performance Survey Schedule, showed significant differences. Student leaders perceived themselves as exhibiting more positive social behavior than did their parents. Mothers perceived their children as more socially skillful than their fathers did.
Approximation Methods in Discrete Spatial Density Analysis for Finite Populations
Authors: O'Brien Frank
Published: August 2011

The author's three-parameter square-root model for the measurement of discrete spatial density in human populations was previously derived under the assumption that exact coordinate locations of the density points were available. The model, called the population density index (PDI) model, has been expanded to include a set of routines for calculating two-dimensional spatial density measures based upon in situ geometric approximations of the interobject Euclidean distance measure for any finite sample size. The derivation and specification of the algorithm for the abbreviated calculation routines are presented and exemplified. The author has been able to apply the methods of the PDI model to submarine environments at the U.S. Naval Underwater Systems Center, resulting in several U.S. Patent applications.
Concept of Visual Sensation in a Theory of Visual Attention: A Theoretical Note
Authors: Bundesen Claus
Published: August 2011

An integrated account of visual sensation, recognition, and attentional selection is sketched in outline.
Does the Type of Eye Motion Determine Whether Induced Motion is Diminished or Enhanced?
Authors: Reinhardt-Rutland A. H.
Published: August 2011

Humber and Sherrick's report of diminished induced motion during eye motion may reflect their mainly fast, saccadic eye motion; by contrast, slow eye motion, such as tracking, can enhance induced motion.
Reproduction of Short Time Intervals by African Immigrants
Authors: Golia Bruna , Antonietti Alessandro
Published: August 2011

20 Italians (mean age: 29.1 yr.) and 20 African immigrants (mean age: 29.7 yr.) were asked to assess when one minute had passed after a given signal. Italians produced an approximately correct time interval, while African immigrants produced time intervals shorter than the correct ones. The subjective underestimation observed in African immigrants is discussed with reference to the changes in the style of life associated with the transition from their native country to the country in which they are living.
Comeditation: An Exploratory Study of Pulse and Respiration Rates and Anxiety
Authors: Fasko Daniel , Hall Geri , Osborne Michael R. , Kornfeld Richard W. Boerstler Hulen
Published: August 2011

To achieve deep relaxation in seriously ill persons, Tibetan medicine has employed a breathing process, known as “comeditation,” which requires a caregiver to focus attention on the chest of the reclining patient while making a sound or number keyed to the patient's exhalation. This study investigated the relationship between state and trait anxiety and lowered respiratory rate, using the comeditation procedure. Ten subjects were assigned randomly to either a control or comeditation group. Anxiety was measured on the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Analysis indicated a decrease in State-Anxiety scores in the comeditation group, but no differences between groups in pulse and respiration rates or trait anxiety. Implications for theory and research are discussed.
Correlates of Self-Perceived Fitness
Authors: Lamb Kevin L.
Published: August 2011

This paper reports the associations between two global measures of self-perceived fitness and numerous objective fitness and fitness-related measures among 118 British men and women (mean age = 37.9 yr.). Self-perceived fitness, indicated on both a semantic scale of excellent through very poor (I) and an ordinal scale of 1 through 5 (II), was significantly correlated with most fitness and fitness-related variables. For self-perceived fitness I and II, respectively, these included physical work capacity ( rho = 0.48 and 0.51), percent body fat ( rho = −0.27 and −0.39), grip strength ( rho = 0.30 and 0.35), very hard leisure-time physical activity ( rho = 0.47 and 0.35), and frequency of sweating ( rho = 0.54 and 0.45). Stepwise regression analyses yielded Rs of 0.70 and 0.64 for self-perceived fitness I and II, respectively. A significant correlate of self-perceived fitness was self-perceived health ( rho = 0.47), suggesting that people may perceive fitness and health in the same manner. The present data suggest the considerable scope for examining further how people interpret the concept of fitness.
Test-Retest Reliability of the Work Addiction Risk Test
Authors: Robinson Bryan E. , Post Phyllis , Khakee Judith F.
Published: August 2011

Test-retest reliability of the Work Addiction Risk Test over 2 weeks was .83 for 151 undergraduates; coefficient α was .85.
Hand Differences on a Sensory Test Using Tactual Stimuli
Authors: Hatta Takeshi , Nakaseko Masaru , Yamamoto Mayumi
Published: August 2011

To examine hand differences in the sensory feeling of texture, 35 subjects made sensory evaluations with the left and the right hands to a tactile stimulus (sponge rubber) and also marked on a 5-point Likert scale 50 adjectives which represented various tactual feelings. Factor analyses, applied to the data of 35 subjects, showed that the left hand related more to a keen and sharp dimension while the right hand related more to a mild and soft dimension of the tactile stimulus. Possible relations of these hand differences in sensitivity to hemisphere functioning were discussed.
The “Hot Hand” Revisited: Successful Basketball Shooting as a Function of Intershot Interval
Authors: Adams Robert M.
Published: August 2011

For 83 players the mean interval from making a field goal ( n = 372) to making a field goal in 19 NBA games did not differ from the mean interval from making to missing ( n = 394), which further challenges assumptions regarding streaks of “hot” shooting.
Contributions to the History of Psychology: LXXXV. Jean Piaget, Student of Pierre Janet (Paris 1919–1921)
Authors: Amann-Gainotti Merete
Published: August 2011

This article provides information about an important period of Piaget's formative years, those he spent in Paris from 1919 to 1921, during which he came into contact with eminent members of the French scientific and philosophical community of the time. Among these was the psychiatrist and psychologist Pierre Janet, whose genetic approach to the psychology of behavior and ideas about the hierarchical organization of psychological functions converged with Piaget's early scientific interests and provided Piaget a conceptual framework within which to work and develop his own project of studying the genesis of knowledge.
Conservation of Distance in African Children from Rural and Urban Schools
Authors: Sawyerr Ebun S.
Published: August 2011

This paper contains a review of the small literature on the association of rural/urban residence and attainment of distance conservation among African children and an account of a study of the age at which children in Sierra Leone, West Africa, attain conservation. 150 children from the ages of 8 to 18 years, from rural and urban schools, were assigned Piagetian tasks to judge their conservation of distance. Analysis showed that at 11 + years, conservation was observed and that there was no significant difference between the urban sample and the rural one. Several confounds in the data limit conclusions but use of the children's own languages was possible in some experiments.
Symmetry in Building Block Design for Learning Disabled and Nonlearning Disabled Boys
Authors: Meyer Martha J. , Day Sheryl Lee , Lee Yung-Bin Benjamin
Published: August 2011

This study examined perceptual differences in symmetry with and without a model between 21 learning disabled boys with reading deficits and 28 learning disabled boys with deficits in mathematics. 55 nonlearning disabled boys served as controls. All boys were in Grades 3, 4, or 5. Without a model, all learning disabled boys built significantly more asymmetrical building block designs than nonlearning disabled boys. However, with a model, all learning disabled boys could imitate the model, but it took them longer to complete the task successfully. All boys appeared to have difficulty in modeling asymmetrical tasks taking more time for task completion after seeing an asymmetrical model. This study suggests modeling perceptual tasks might be an effective teaching strategy for such children
Willingness to Take Legal Action in Wrongful Dismissal Cases: Perceptual Differences between Men and Women
Authors: Grant James D. , Wagar Terry H.
Published: August 2011

146 business students with full-time work experience participated in a study of dismissal from employment. Based on self-ratings, men were more likely than women to favor court action in the event of dismissal.
Effects of Listeners' Experience on Two Measures of Intelligibility
Authors: Ellis Lee W. , Fucci Donald J.
Published: August 2011

10 speech-language pathologists with extensive experience in judging speakers' intelligibility and 10 control subjects with no such previous experience provided written identification and magnitude-estimation scaling judgments of the intelligibility of nine audiotaped speech samples. Analysis indicated no significant main effect for experience on either the written identification or the magnitude-estimation scaling tasks. Implications for the continued use of magnitude-estimation scaling as a measure of speech intelligibility are discussed.
Comment on Nelson, et al.: ‘Comparative Time Estimation Skills of Hispanic Children’
Authors: Dawson Kim A.
Published: August 2011

Recently Nelson, Smith, Dodd, and Smith reported a dissipation of a cross-cultural difference in time estimation. A number of difficulties in this study are noted and a recommendation for further research is provided. The difficulties include an inappropriate jump to a conclusion about future perspective and the restriction of the dissipation of the cross-cultural difference to Grade 5 children. Research on children beyond Grade 5 would demonstrate the durability of the dissipation reported.
Rorschach Movement Responses and the Tat Transcendence Index in Physically Handicapped Children
Authors: Ihanus Juhani , Keinonen Mirja , Vanhamäki Satu
Published: August 2011

It has been supposed that those who give many Rorschach movement responses and score high on the TAT Transcendence Index are more inhibited in their motor activity. In previous studies motor inhibition was investigated by experimentally preventing motor activity. In the present study the effects of long-term motor inhibition on movement perception and fantasy level were explored in 19 physically handicapped children, ages 11 to 15 years. Analysis showed that the physically handicapped children produced more (both human and animal) movement responses than the 19 normal children. Fantasy in the TAT was also higher in the former group. The theoretical basis of projective movement responses and fantasy in physical handicap needs more clarification. A more detailed approach in qualitative analysis of the movement responses is also important.
Perception of Loudness and Musical Preference: Comparison of Musicians and Nonmusicians
Authors: Hoover David M. , Cullari Salvatore
Published: August 2011

To estimate the relationship between musical preference and perceived loudness, 25 subjects, musicians and nonmusicians, were asked to match the loudness of a neutral stimulus to a given musical selection. Ten different types of music were used; each was rated for likability by the subject. Over-all analysis of loudness ratings indicated that nonmusicians were more accurate in matching loudness of a neutral stimulus with the musical selections. This finding suggests differences in loudness perception between musicians and nonmusicians. Both groups were most accurate on the selection which could be inferred as most familiar.
Effects of Four Physical Education Teaching Methods on Development of Motor Skill, Self-Concept, and Social Attitudes of Fifth-Grade Children
Authors: Emmanouel Constantine , Zervas Yannis , Vagenas George
Published: August 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of four teaching methods on several measures of motor skill, self-concept, and social attitudes of 130 fifth-grade children (67 boys, 63 girls), who were randomly chosen from five elementary schools in one area. Teaching methods were systematically applied for 60 teaching days (20 weeks). Measurements were assessed on three occasions (pre-, mid-, and post-experiment). A 4 × 2 × 3 multivariate analysis of covariance showed the ‘combined’ method most effective in improving the students' motor ability, while ‘indirect’ and ‘game-oriented’ methods contributed to the improvement of self-concept and social attitudes, respectively. Since each of the four methods had different effects on various measures made to evaluate whether aims of physical education had been met, the teacher should be aware of many methods and able to implement them in various combinations, depending upon the special features and purposes of a lesson.
Category Use in First Impressions of Restaurant Interiors
Authors: Burns Leslie D. , Caughey Carol C.
Published: August 2011

Category use in first impressions of restaurant interiors was investigated. Subjects were 98 students who viewed slides of four restaurant interiors and wrote descriptions of each restaurant. The contents of the descriptions were analyzed using a classification system developed by the researchers. “Holistic impressions” was the most common category used, followed by “room components” and “color and pattern.” Category use was not related to characteristics of the restaurants or to subjects' major fields of study.
Differences in Precompetitive Mood States between Black-Belt Ranks
Authors: McGowan Robert W. , Pierce Edgar F. , Jordan David
Published: August 2011

Several studies involving practitioners of Karate-Do have yielded significant differences on measures of personality and affect between successful and less successful competitors, and between belt ranks. This study examined differences between first degree black-belts and higher ranking black-belts in precompetitive affect. Analysis indicated that first degree black-belts were less experienced and scored higher on precompetitive anger-hostility than higher ranking black-belts. Differences between male and female competitors were also evident.
Mania, Loss and Defense: A Percept-Genetic Investigation
Authors: Rubino I. Alex , d'Avossa Giovanni Maria , Ciani Nicola
Published: August 2011

The defensive organization of manic states has been investigated with the Defense Mechanism Test-Separation Theme. A black and white stimulus portraying a mother figure who is leaving an infant alone was presented tachistoscopically, at increasing durations of exposure, to 22 inpatients who had had a manic episode and to 22 age- and sex-matched normal controls. The manic group was characterized by the following six major defense codings: (1) the infant is able to walk or run, (2) the mother is a rigid, inanimate being, (3) the mother is veiled or disguised, (4) the mother is protective or inviting, (5) the mother is seen as a male figure, and (6) colors are perceived in the colorless stimulus. Controls were more often coded for the denial of mother's actions (she enters the room, she opens a window, etc.). The findings were discussed in the context of the pertinent percept-genetic and psychoanalytic literature.
Perceptions of Psychological Researchers and Clinicians: A Questionnaire Based on Empirical Data and Theory
Authors: Barton Keith , Masada Karen
Published: August 2011

Clinical and research psychologists continue to be regarded stereotypically even by 187 students currently anticipating careers in psychology and closely related fields. This article gives data for 10 issues on which clinicians and researchers are perceived to differ. Specifically, a 10-item questionnaire is described which allows such stereotypes to be further explored or explained.
Bootstrap Investigation of Respondent Sample Size for Environmental Preference
Authors: Stamps Arthur E.
Published: August 2011

Although environmental researchers use many different sizes of respondent samples, few environmental studies provide statistical rationales for selecting those sizes. This article utilizes bootstrap analysis to calculate split-block correlations of preferences of randomly selected respondents to a variety of environmental stimuli. Two analytic methods were used, raw score ratings and comparative choice. Analysis showed split-block correlations of .90 and higher could be achieved with 25 to 30 respondents with rating protocols and 10 to 15 respondents with comparative-choice protocols.
Neuropsychological Practice Effects x Age: A Brief Note
Authors: Horton Arthur MacNeill
Published: August 2011

This is a brief review of some literature on practice effects and age on neuropsychological testing. Research suggests that younger subjects show greater improvement when retested on intelligence tests than older persons. The implication is that the effects of neuropsychological practice may vary with the age of the person assessed. Suggestions for further research are discussed.
Effects of Noise on Sleep Inertia as a Function of Circadian Placement of a One-Hour Nap
Authors: Tassi P. , Nicolas A. , Dewasmes G. , Eschenlauer R. , Ehrhart J. , Salame P. , Muzet A. , Libert J. P.
Published: August 2011

The purpose of the present study was to analyse the arousing effects of noise on sleep inertia as a function of circadian placement of a one-hour nap. In a first experiment, we measured the effects of sleep inertia in a neutral acoustic environment after a one-hour nap placed either at 0100 or 0400 on response time during a spatial memory test. In a second experiment were analysed the effects of an intense continuous noise on sleep inertia. The results showed that noise produced a total abolition of sleep inertia after an early nap (0000 to 0100). This may be due to the arousing effect of noise; however, results are less clear after a late nap 0300 to 0400 as noise seems to be ineffective. This result is discussed in terms of either a function of time-of-day effect or of prior sleep intensity. Moreover, our data suggest a possible interaction of noise with partial sleep deprivation leading to a slight deleterious effect on those subjects who did not sleep at all.
A Response to Ruck and Weininger
Authors: Plimpton Carol E. , Regimbal Celia
Published: August 2011

A response to Ruck and Weininger's critique of “Differences in Motor Proficiency According to Gender and Race” is provided.
Distraction and Body-Focused Hand Movements
Authors: Kenner Andrew N.
Published: August 2011

The hypothesis that apparently irrelevant self- or object-manipulatory hand movements may act as a means of coping with distraction was tested by experimentally manipulating the amount and type of distraction experienced by 10-year-old children while they engaged in the Stroop colour-confusion and colour-naming tasks. If the hypothesis was correct, then increases in distraction were expected to be associated with increases in the frequency of these body-focused movements. The external distractions consisted of either the occurrence of a light signalling the need to perform a reaction time task or listening to distracting sounds through headphones. None of the hand movements increased in frequency with increases in secondary distraction, whether the secondary distractor was visual or auditory.
Evaluating Pretest-Posttest Control Group Experiments
Authors: Klockars Alan J.
Published: August 2011

The analysis of pretest-posttest control group experiments was simulated using gain scores, analysis of covariance, and posttest only methods. In addition, a sequential procedure was evaluated in which gain scores were used unless the initial difference between the groups on the pretest was large at which time a covariance was used. The sequential strategy was conservative with regard to Type I error. The power of the methods with varying correlations between pre- and posttest and varying treatment effects favored a standard analysis of covariance.
Changes in Performance Norms of Japanese School Athletic Teams Mid- to Postseason
Authors: Kim Myung-Soo
Published: August 2011

An analysis of changes in performance norms of school athletic teams from mid- to postseason was carried out on scores of 805 athletes belonging to 50 teams in Japan. Groups with high performance norms at midseason showed little change at postseason, whereas groups with low performance norms during midseason declined further at postseason.
Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Negative Affect, Positive Affect, Stress, and Depression
Authors: Dua Jagdish , Hargreaves Lorette
Published: August 2011

Three groups of subjects, 15 Longer-term Exercisers, 14 Short-term Exercisers, and 18 Nonexercisers completed questionnaires designed to measure negative affect associated with thoughts, negative affect associated with day-to-day experiences, positive affect associated with thoughts, and positive affect associated with day-to-day experiences, depression, and stress. All the subjects also provided a rating of their over-all general stress. The Longer-term Exercisers reported more positive affect associated with their thoughts and day-to-day experiences than the Nonexercisers. There also was a trend for the Longer-term Exercisers to report less over-all stress than the Nonexercisers.
Biases in Perception and Reporting following a Perceived Toxic Exposure
Authors: Lees-Haley Paul R. , Brown Richard S.
Published: August 2011

Reactions to chemical exposures often include fears of future illness, cancerphobia, reports of multiple chemical sensitivity, and other ill-defined complaints. Frequently, these complaints occur at levels of exposure not known to cause physiological harm. Although frequently dismissed as hysterical or hypochondriacal reactions, these complaints, along with other indefinite symptoms, may be better understood in terms of biases in perception and reporting. In this paper, we outline various sources of perceptual and response biases including prior beliefs, the media, influential others, reconstructed personal histories, self-perceptions, and the forensic environment. It is recommended that a thorough understanding of symptom-reporting and psychological distress following a chemical exposure involves consideration of these issues.
Perceived Level of Stress among University Undergraduate Students in Edmonton, Canada
Authors: Campbell Robert L. , Svenson Lawrence W. , Jarvis George K.
Published: August 2011

A sample of 457 (177 men, 280 women) undergraduate students were surveyed regarding perceived level of stress. Women were more likely than men to report an unacceptable stress level. To reduce stress, women were more likely to indicate a need to limit commitments, exercise, and worry less. Reasons for not reducing stress were lack of time and lack of self-discipline, both of which were reported significantly more often by women. The present data suggest health education interventions are needed to assist students in coping with the stress they experience.
Effects of Contextual Interference on Learning Technical Sports Skills
Authors: Bortoli Laura , Robazza Claudio , Durigon Valter , Carra Carlo
Published: August 2011

The effects of contextual interference on learning skills of volleyball (volley, bump, serve) are influenced by the scheduling of actual practice sessions: the activities can be proposed in a repetitive practice schedule (blocked practice) by continuously repeating the same task (low interference) or in random practice schedules by performing more tasks or variations of one same activity (high interference). High contextual interference, even though causing immediate limited performance, leads to superior performance on retention and transfer tests. Four experimental groups (13 students each) were placed in conditions of random, blocked, serial, and serial with high interference practice for 8 meetings (2 tests and 6 practice). Analysis yielded significant differences among the groups on a transfer test (long transfer) for the serve, so results in this instructional setting are partially in line with those generally found in laboratory experiments.
Language Ability and Sex Affect Humor Appreciation
Authors: Johnson A. Michael
Published: August 2011

Subjects (63 men and 63 women) completed a humor appreciation scale and 20 trials on a word-recognition task using a divided visual field. Factor analysis extracted eight factors from the humor scale most of which differentiated subjects on the basis of liking for various humorous contents including disparagement and nonsense humor. Subsequent analyses showed that greater liking for specific types of humor was associated with basic language abilities. The results also support sex differences in humor preferences and Freud's tripartite taxonomy of humor contents.
Longitudinal Reliability of the Life Satisfaction Index (Short Form) with Nursing Home Residents: A Cautionary Note
Authors: Abraham Ivo L.
Published: August 2011

We administered the Life Satisfaction Index (Short Form) 18 times over a 39-wk. period to an initial sample of 76 old, frail, multiply impaired, and depressed nursing home residents participating in a longitudinal quasi-experimental study of the effects of cognitive group interventions on cognition and depression. As no changes over time were observed on the outcome variable of life satisfaction, the stability of the instrument's internal consistency could be examined. Kuder-Richardson KR-20 coefficients ranged from .11 to .60, with a mean of .42 ( SD = .11). We conclude that caution should be used when applying this instrument to measure life satisfaction in frail nursing home residents.
Correction of the Student T Statistic for Nonindependence of Sample Observations
Authors: Zimmerman Donald W. , Williams Richard H. , Zumbo Bruno D.
Published: August 2011

A computer-simulation study examined the one-sample Student t test under violation of the assumption of independent sample observations. The probability of Type I errors increased, and the probability of Type II errors decreased, spuriously elevating the entire power function. The magnitude of the change depended on the correlation between pairs of sample values as well as the number of sample values that were pairwise correlated. A modified t statistic, derived from an unbiased estimate of the population variance that assumed only exchangeable random variables instead of independent, identically distributed random variables, effectively corrected for nonindependence for all degrees of correlation and restored the probability of Type I and Type II errors to their usual values.
Methodological Flaws in Imagery Research: Brief Reply to McKelvie
Authors: Chara Paul J.
Published: August 2011

Four methodological criticisms of the 1986 Chara and Verplanck and the 1988 Chara and Hamm studies recently raised by McKelvie in 1990 are examined and disputed.
Parsing Attentional Components during a Simple Reaction Time Task Using Sleep Deprivation and Amphetamine Intervention
Authors: Cochran Joyce C. , Thorne David R. , Penetar David M , Newhouse Paul A.
Published: August 2011

To examine the independent contributions of the attentional components of arousal and activation in performance, sleep deprivation was used as the attentional manipulation in a reaction time (RT) task. The subjects were 18 men who underwent 63 hr. of sleep deprivation during which time they periodically performed a simple auditory RT task with manipulations of temporal uncertainty and intensity. After 48 hr. sleep deprivation, subjects ingested either 20 mg d-amphetamine or placebo, then continued testing throughout Day 3. During sleep deprivation, performance was more impaired on trials associated with low temporal uncertainty (arousal) and high preparation (activation) than on trials associated with high temporal uncertainty and low preparation. Analysis indicated that sleep deprivation perturbed activation, leaving arousal relatively unimpaired and that amphetamine had a restorative effect on the sleep deprivation-impaired activation system. The stimulus of high intensity was disruptive on Day 1 but facilitative on Day 3, a result which was interpreted as an initial inhibition, then disinhibition of arousal. Results were interpreted to indicate that, in some instances, alterations in the less specific arousal and activation systems may underlie impairment or changes in the more specific information processing and motor output stages.
Conditioning Reaction Time: Evidence for a Process of Conditioned Automatization
Authors: Montare Alberto
Published: August 2011

The classical conditioning of the standard, simple reaction time (RT) in 140 college men and women is described. Consequent to an anticipatory instructed conditioning procedure, two experimental and two control groups acquired voluntary, controlled US(light)-URTR (unconditioned reaction-time response) associations which then served as the foundation for subsequent classical conditioning when a novel CS (auditory click) was simultaneously paired with the US. Conditioned reaction-time responses (CRTRs) occurred significantly more often during test trials in the two experimental groups than in the two control groups. Statistical and introspective findings support the notion that observed CRTRs may be products of cognitively unconscious conditioned automatization whereby the conditioning of relatively slow, voluntary, and controlled US-URTR associations leads to the acquisition of relatively fast, involuntary, and automatic CS-CRTR associations.
Computer Measurement of the Autokinetic Effect
Authors: Shoemaker Allen L. , Bolt Daniel M.
Published: August 2011

Previous methods for measurement of the autokinetic effect have several drawbacks, including limited accuracy and limited information. A new computer technique for measurement of the autokinetic effect is presented. A computer and computer mouse record tracing movements every tenth of a second, yielding a permanent record that can be analyzed further. The method is flexible, sensitive, and stable, as shown by test-retest correlations using 26 subjects. Correlations and medians for latency, total distance traveled, number of stops, straight line distance from origin to end-point, maximum speed, maximum acceleration, percent of time in motion, and speed and percent of motion in each of eight compass directions were computed. The results are similar to previously reported values.
Effect of Using Age-Adjusted Suicide Rates on Time-Series Studies of the American Suicide Rate
Authors: Lester David
Published: August 2011

Divorce rates were significantly associated with crude suicide rates in a time-series study of the USA from 1950–1985 but not with age-adjusted suicide rates.
Reporting What You Have Seen: Effects Associated with Age and Mode of Questioning on Eyewitness Reports
Authors: Laumann Lisa A. , Elliott Rogers
Published: August 2011

This study examined age-related differences in the reporting of a filmed domestic scene, in which a mother was either ambiguously caring or ambiguously abusive toward her daughter. Three age groups were used (3- to 4-yr.-old, 6- to 7-yr.-old, and adult), and three modes of questioning were used (free recall, short-answer cued-recall, and leading questions either consistent or inconsistent with what was observed). There were 119 subjects in all: 39 3- to 4-yr.-olds, 39 6- to 7-yr.-olds, and 41 adults. Developmental trends were found in the subjects' ability to answer free-recall questions and cued-recall questions. Although 6- to 7-yr.-olds were significantly lower than adults in their accuracy scores on the cued-recall questions, they were still highly accurate. There were also significant age-related differences in the subjects' suggestibility, with the 3- to 4-yr.-olds being relatively suggestible, the 6- to 7-yr.-olds less so, and the adults virtually unsuggestible. When the leading questions that concerned the central theme of the film (i.e., Was the mother abusive or not?) were isolated, however, no significant age-related differences in suggestibility were found.
Basketball Size as Related to Children's Preference, Rated Skill, and Scoring
Authors: Regimbal Celia , Deller Jean , Plimpton Carol
Published: August 2011

This study was done to ascertain ball preferences of ten-year-old children and to assess whether their preferences were related to their skill in shooting, score attained, or some other factor. 77 children recruited from a rural community and also from the National Youth Sports Program volunteered to participate. Subjects were videotaped as they shot five free throws using in random order a men's, a women's, and a junior standard basketball. A shooting score and a technique score were recorded. Children preferred a ball smaller than the one they normally used; prior experience with a basketball did not seem to influence point scoring. Most subjects were unable to use technically correct mechanics to shoot free throws. There may be considerable improvement in children's shooting technique if instruction is given and a junior size basketball used.
Recognition of Japanese Kana Words in Priming Tasks
Authors: Hirose Takehiko
Published: August 2011

The processes of lexical access in two types of Kana (Japanese syllabic scripts), Hiragana and Katakana, were studied by means of lexical decision and naming experiments. Each target word was preceded by a word that was either related or unrelated semantically. The semantic priming of target words facilitated performance in both lexical decision and naming for Katakana words that were conventionally written in Katakana (e.g., foreign loanwords are normally written in Katakana). In contrast, semantic priming facilitated only lexical decision for these words written in Hiragana. These results suggest that (1) for foreign loanwords written in Katakana, lexical decision and naming are influenced by the internal lexicon and (2) for foreign loanwords written in Hiragana, naming is not strongly influenced by the internal lexicon. This supports the notion that lexical access of some Kana (phonologically shallow orthography) words can be achieved without phonological recoding.
Effect of Adding Cognitively Demanding Tasks on Soccer Skill Performance
Authors: Smith Matthew D. , Chamberlin Craig J.
Published: August 2011

The effect of adding cognitively demanding elements to the performance of a real-world motor task in which functional interference among the elements in performance existed was investigated across level of expertise. The primary task involved running as quickly as possible through a 15.25-m slalom course. Two secondary tasks were used, dribbling of a soccer ball and identification of geometric shapes projected on a screen located at the end of the slalom course. 4 novice, 5 intermediate, and 5 expert female soccer players served as subjects and performed three trials each of three experimental conditions: running through the slalom course, running through the slalom course while dribbling a soccer ball, and running through the slalom course while dribbling a soccer ball and identifying geometric shapes. Analysis of variance using a 3 (experimental condition) × 3 (level of expertise) design gave significant main effects and a significant interaction. The latter indicated that, although the addition of cognitively demanding elements caused a decrement in performance, the amount of decrement decreased as level of expertise increased. It was concluded that structural interference between elements of performance decreased the positive effect of automation of one element on dual task performance.
An Unusual Variant of Capgras Syndrome
Authors: Vasavada Tarak , Masand Prakash
Published: August 2011

In a 40-yr.-old man a variant of Capgras syndrome called reverse subjective doubles is described. The unusual feature of the case was the presence of a delusion that the patient had been transformed into someone else.
Development of Complex Motor Skills in Psychotic Children
Authors: Therme Pierre
Published: August 2011

This article describes the study of the concurrent complex mechanisms which take place during behavioral changes in psychotic children and adolescents when they are asked to learn a motor task, in this case, to practise the sport of judo. Complex motor skills can be acquired by the psychotic subject insofar as the proposed physical activity is isomorphous with the psychosis. The different stages of development are marked by different levels structuring interpersonal space. The examination treats the linking processes between psychic mechanisms and motor behavior from a developmental perspective.