bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functional Roles of the Proprioceptive System in the Control of Goal-Directed Movement
Authors: Park Sangbum , Toole Tonya , Lee Sooncheon
Published: August 2011

This article explored functional roles of the proprioceptive system during the control of goal-directed movements. Proprioceptive information contributes to the control of movement through both reflex and central connections. Spinal and transcortical reflex loops establish a servomechanism which provides automatic corrections of unexpected changes in muscle length and allows compensation for undesirable irregularities in the mechanical properties of muscles by modulating limb stiffness at the subconscious level. Central connections provide the control system with information about peripheral states which is used in voluntary components of movement control. Before the initiation of movement, proprioceptive information about initial limb orientation becomes a basis for the programming of motor commands. During a movement, proprioceptive input about velocities and angular displacements of a limb is used to regulate movement by triggering planned sequences of muscle activation and modulating motor commands. After movement, feedback produced by responses is compared with previously stored information, verifying the quality of the movement. Considering potential roles of the reflex and central connections, the proprioceptive system seems to constitute an important aspect of motor control mechanisms, providing the control system with efficiency and flexibility in the regulation of goal-directed movements.
When Does Imagery Practice Enhance Performance on a Motor Task?
Authors: Bohan Michael , Pharmer James A. , Stokes Alan F.
Published: August 2011

Imagery practice of motor tasks has been recommended for a wide range of activities as from flight training to basketball. A key question, both from a practical and a theoretical standpoint, is when during the learning process does imagery practice confer the most benefit? However, the literature does not provide clear guidance, in part because of methodological limitations. A 3 × 2 (physical practice X pretest-posttest) split-plot design was employed to investigate the effects of imagery practice on the acquisition of a discrete target at three different stages of learning. Analysis indicated that imagery practice was most beneficial in the early stages of learning and showed an inverse relationship between experience and efficacy of imagery practice. Results are discussed in terms of current theories of imagery practice and suggestions are made regarding when such practice might be best applied during skill development.
Ages of Young Children Who Fall down Stairs
Authors: Ridenour Mascella V.
Published: August 2011

Different accident patterns were noted for children using walkers and not using walkers at the time of an accident. The children were divided into two locomotion groups, natural locomotion (384 children) and walker-aided locomotion (235 children), depending on the presence or absence of a walker during the fall down the stairs. A review of incidents reported by a sample of emergency rooms identified 619 falls down steps by children between 5 and 18 mo. old during the first 6 months of 1995. The age of the highest risk, as indicated by the frequency of falls down the stairs, for the walker-aided locomotion group was 8 mo. The age of highest risk for the natural locomotion group was 12 mo. Children who fall down the stairs, in or out of a walker, are victims of the same hazard, unprotected stairs. Home safety recommendations to reduce the risk of young children falling down the stairs are provided.
Physiological and Behavioral Effects of An Antivertigo Antihistamine in Adults
Authors: Lauter J. L. , Lynch O. , Wood S. B. , Schoeffler L.
Published: August 2011

12 neurologically normal adults were tested before and after administration of meclizine, an over-the-counter medication for motion sickness. A battery of four tests was used: (1) distortion-product otoacoustic emissions, (2) the Repeated Evoked Potentials version of the Auditory Brainstem Response, (3) quantitative electroencephalography measured over the left and right sides of the auditory cortex, and (4) a hand-eye coordination task. The battery required approximately 1.5 hr. to complete. Each subject was tested with the battery in each of eight longitudinal sessions: three times on a control day (9 am, 1 pm, 3 pm—no medication); the same times on a second day one week later (medication at approximately 11:30 am), and 24- and 48-hr. check-up sessions following the medication day. Analysis indicated changes in all components, with details suggesting the site(s) of action of this type of antihistamine. The cross-section of the auditory system yielded by this battery makes it possible to observe effects at the periphery, in the brainstem, and in the cortex, including evidence linking otoacoustic emissions with central auditory physiology. Implications range from cautions regarding the use of antihistamines to physiological support for employing such medications to enhance patients' response to vestibular rehabilitation as well as to improve performance in learning-disordered children.
Lavender Aromatherapy in Recovery from Exercise
Authors: Romine I. J. , Bush Anita M. , Geist Charles R.
Published: August 2011

20 men were randomly assigned to a control or an experimental group. After baseline screening, all subjects performed moderate physical exercise for 2 min., then rested for 10 min., during which the experimental group was exposed to lavender aromatherapy. Recovery measures included diastolic and systolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, pulse pressure, and heart rate. As the mean difference in diastolic blood pressure fell just short of statistical significance, further study with larger groups is required.
Relative Contribution of Lateral Inhibition to the Delboeuf and Wundt-Hering Illusions
Authors: Coren Stanley
Published: August 2011

It has been suggested that lateral neural interactions contribute to some illusions with intersecting or converging line elements but cannot be present in figures that lack these components. Most attempts to ascertain the contribution of neural interactions in visual illusions have involved changes in the actual pattern of illusion. It has now been demonstrated that certain forms of intermittent light stimulation can enhance lateral inhibitory activity. The Wundt-Hering and the Delboeuf illusions were tested under continuous illumination and “shaped” intermittent illumination which augments lateral inhibition. As expected, the Delboeuf illusion was unchanged with increased lateral inhibition while the magnitude of the Wundt-Hering illusion increased.
Earwitness Recall and Identification: Comparison of the Cognitive Interview and the Structured Interview
Authors: Memon Amina , Yarmey A. Daniel
Published: August 2011

77 undergraduates instructed to act as kidnap victims heard taped instructions given by a mock abductor. Two days later witnesses' recall of the culprit's monologue was tested using either a Cognitive Interview or a Structured Interview. Participants then rated the abductor's voice for nine speech characteristics and attempted to identify his voice from an audiotaped lineup. No significant differences were found between the two interview conditions for accuracy or error rates in free recall, for ratings of descriptive voice characteristics, or for performance in voice identification. These earwitness results are consistent with eyewitness investigations which have yielded no positive influence of the cognitive interview on identification. It is concluded that the success of the cognitive interview is best explained through its influence on social components of interviewing.
Capacity for Mental Imagery and its Spontaneous Use
Authors: Campos Alfredo , Pérez-Fabello María José , González María Ángeles
Published: August 2011

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the capacity to form mental images influences the frequency with which subjects use mental images. Two tests measuring capacity for mental imagery were given to 283 undergraduates, a self-assessment and a performance test. Frequency of spontaneous use of mental imagery was also measured. Subjects with high self-assessed ability to form images used mental imagery spontaneously more often than those with low self-assessed imaging ability.
Motiveless Firesetting: Implicating Partial Limbic Seizure Kindling by Revived Memories of Fires in “Limbic Psychotic Trigger Reaction”
Authors: Pontius Anneliese A.
Published: August 2011

23 unselected juvenile firesetters (M age 12.0 yr.) consisted of seven with schizophrenia, three with organic mental disorder, six with posttraumatic stress disorder, two with severe mental retardation, and two with conduct disorders. Three previously nondestructive boys ( M age 11.0 yr.), all of them loners, did not fit such traditional diagnoses. Their fleeting (c. 20 min.) symptoms included flat affect, autonomic arousal, and delusions or hallucinations. It appeared that their motiveless, unplanned acts were each preceded by a chance encounter with an individualized stimulus which revived the three boys' repeatedly ruminated memories of intermittently experienced merely moderate stresses associated with fire, smoke, or matches. Such a sequence of events is characteristic of seizure kindling. One boy's abnormal EEG was congruent with seizures in the temporal lobe area, which includes the amygdala, i.e., that part of the limbic system particularly susceptible to seizure kindling. The three boys' consistent symptomatology was very similar to that reported for 17 men with bizarre homicidal acts implicating a kindled partial seizure called “Limbic Psychotic Trigger Reaction.” In primates, too, similar partial nonconvulsive “behavioral seizures” with psychosis-like symptoms can be elicited through experiential kindling.
An Exploratory Study of Motivational Predictors Which Influence Graduation from Two- and Four-Year Colleges
Authors: Bensur Barbara J. , Dickens David , Eliot John , Hegde Laxman
Published: August 2011

The present study was undertaken to investigate the extent to which scales measuring four categories of influences predict whether students maintain their motivation to achieve a long-term goal such as college graduation. Data from 779 students in parallel studies were then compared using a path analysis to ascertain whether scales for these same four categories of variables were useful as predictors that could influence graduation from both two-year colleges and four-year colleges.
Pace of Life and Suicide
Authors: Lester David
Published: August 2011

In 21 American cities, the pace of life was negatively associated with suicide rates.
Consistency of Hand Use and Frequent Falls
Authors: Hicks Robert A. , Inman Genevieve , Deharo Dolores , Hicks Gregory J.
Published: August 2011

We examined relationships between consistency of hand use and falling in groups of right-handed university undergraduates who were either consistent ( n = 45) or inconsistent ( n = 32) in the use of their hands. A scoring procedure developed for the Briggs-Nebes Handedness Scale permitted us to classify individuals as consistent or inconsistent in the use of their hands. The inconsistent group was 2.81 times more likely to have experienced frequent falls during the last 12-mo. period and was 1.64 times more likely to rate themselves higher on proneness to falling. These data suggest that inconsistent hand use may be a sign of a developmental inconsistency in motor coordination.
Walking through a Maze Alters the Architecture of Sleep
Authors: Meier-Koll Alfred , Bussmann Britta , Schmidt Claudia , Neuschwander Dirk
Published: August 2011

Human and animal studies imply that sleep is a critical period for consolidation of recent memories. Whereas the majority of researchers focussed on the procedural learning, the present human study concerns how storing of spatial information and episodic memory are linked to sleep stages. Two city mazes, a simple and a complex one, were created by means of a computer program. Local aspects of these mazes appeared as street scenes on a TV-screen. Our subjects sat in front of the screen and manoeuvered through the maze by the help of a three-button PC mouse. Thus, each subject took a ‘mental walk’ through an imaginary city. The task was to find various end-points and to find the way back to the starting point. Subjects of two experimental groups ‘walked’ through either the simple or complex city maze for eight hours. Afterwards the subjects slept in our laboratory, where their sleep stages could be measured polygraphically. Subjects who had explored the simple maze showed considerable alteration in sleep architecture. They remained significantly longer in sleep Stage 2 than subjects who had explored the complex maze. Moreover, with successful orientation in the simple maze sleep stages occurred aperiodically, whereas walking through the complex maze was associated with sleep stages in accordance with ultradian cycles, as observed in a control group. Compared to subjects of the control group who had experienced neither maze, the subjects of both experimental groups had significantly enhanced EEG sleep spindle activities Alteration in temporal architecture of sleep and selective prolongation of sleep Stage 2 following spatial orientation point to a functional linkage between cognitive mapping of space and sleep Stage 2 with enhanced EEG spindle activity.
Effects of Verb and Delay on Recall of an Accident
Authors: Zykowski Tracy , Singg Sangeeta
Published: August 2011

This experiment focused on the interaction between suggestive language and delayed recall of an event. Two independent variables were the verb used to describe a vehicular accident and the lapse of time before questioning the viewers. The dependent variable was the viewers' speed estimate of the vehicle before the accident. 270 undergraduates were randomly divided into three verb conditions (Contacted, Bumped, and Smashed) cross-classified by three time intervals (Immediately, 2 Weeks, and 1 Month). An analysis of variance gave a significant interaction for speed estimates, indicating that, if questioning about an event is delayed several weeks, then the report of an eyewitness might be influenced significantly by choice of suggestive language.
Suicide and Homicide in Caribbean Nations
Authors: Lester David
Published: August 2011

The suicide and homicide rates of 14 Caribbean islands in the 1970s were predicted in part by the proportion of the population of African descent.
An Experimental Study of Maslow's Deprivation-Domination Proposition
Authors: Wicker Frank W. , Wiehe James A.
Published: August 2011

Students wrote essays designed to enhance recall of past attainment or past deprivation of belongingness-level needs. Essays affected subsequent goal-attainment ratings of esteem-level rather than belongingness-level goals and tended to affect rated intentions to pursue goals at all levels of Maslow's hierarchy. These data appear to support a somewhat modified version of Maslow's motivation theory.
Emotion Space under Conditions of Perceptual Ambiguity
Authors: Ogawa Tokihiro , Takehara Takuma , Monchi Rie , Fukui Yoshikazu , Suzuki Naoto
Published: August 2011

This study examined whether a two-dimensional structure of emotion could be found under the condition of perceptual ambiguity, using a stereoscopic procedure. Two expressions of depicted emotion were presented simultaneously to each different eye of the subjects. Multidimensional scaling yielded results suggesting that the dimensional structure such as valence and arousal was evident even under such an unusual condition as that of the current study.
The Dynamics of Motivation and Perceptions of Control When Competing in the Olympic Games
Authors: Pensgaard Anne Marte
Published: August 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between changes in motivational factors and perceptions of control among participants of the Norwegian Olympic Soccer Team for Women, prior to and during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta. The findings show that Task Orientation decreased when competing in the Olympic Games, as did the perception of a Mastery climate, while the perception of a Performance climate increased during the Games. The further findings support the proposed positive relationship between a high Task Orientation and high perceptions of control.
Effects of Distributing “Handouts” during a Speech on Receivers' Inferred Information Processing
Authors: Pryor Burt , Butler Jeff , Boyson Aaron , Barfield Rufus L.
Published: August 2011

The experiment examined the adage that material should never be given members of an audience during a speech presentation. 45 students enrolled in speech fundamentals courses were exposed to one of three versions of a speech, which informed students of an impending $50 fee increase to improve university parking facilities. The speaker, allegedly a representative from Parking Services, discussed four main benefits of the fee increase. In one version, he began by distributing a handout listing four main benefits to the fee increase. A second version listed four benefits different from those identified in the speech, while a control condition received no handout. The control condition established the receivers' dominant cognitive response as negative. This negative response was accentuated when the handout repeated the four main points but was less when the handout provided a competing message in the form of information not contained in the speech. Results were discussed with reference to previous research on distraction theory and repetition of a message.
Defense or Offense? Which is the Better Predictor of Success for Professional Football Teams?
Authors: Onwuegbuzie Anthony J.
Published: August 2011

Data from the 1997 National Football League (NFL) regular season were analyzed to assess whether components that best predicted success tend to be associated more with offense or defense. Analyses indicated that the total number of points conceded by the defense in the regular season explained more variance in success (73.5%) than did the number of points scored by the offense (14.7%). When turnover differential, i.e., the difference between the number of fumbles and interceptions gained by a team's defense and the number of fumbles and interceptions given away by same ream's offenses, was included in the model, it explained 43.4% of the variance in success. These and other findings suggest that, outside the 20-yd. zone, the attainments of the defense are more important than are the offensive attainments in predicting the success of NFL teams. Replications of these analyses are recommended using data from previous seasons and including other variables.
Preliminary Findings with a New Vietnamese Stroop Test
Authors: Doan Quyen T. , Swerdlow Neal R.
Published: August 2011

Stroop performance was compared in primary Vietnamese- vs English-speaking individuals (age range 19–68 years), currently living in the USA. A modified Vietnamese Stroop task mimicked word, color, and interference effects of an English-language Stroop test. Stroop performance (items correctly completed and interference “cost”) did not differ significantly between 30 Vietnamese Americans whose first language was Vietnamese ( M age 34.3 yr.) vs 30 American-born individuals whose first language was English ( M age 31.2 yr.). Expected performance decrements with aging were observed in English-language Stroop performance but not in Vietnamese-language Stroop performance, which instead exhibited a trend towards the opposite pattern. Unexpected group differences associated with age in Stroop performance may reflect subtle differences in task demands, not evident in simple category performance scores, or alternatively, cultural or neuropsychological differences in the study groups.
Characteristics of Children in Homes with Guns in a Southern State
Authors: Smith Billy L. , Bramlett Ronald K. , Smith Teresa D.
Published: August 2011

This study surveyed parents of second-grade children in a rural area of a southern stare with respect to gun ownership, safety practices, and ratings of social skills and adjustment of their children. Analysis indicated that 60 of the 106 families owned a gun. Twelve (20%) of the gun owners did not safely secure guns and ammunition. On measures of social skills and adjustment, no differences were found between the children of gun owners and nonowners. These data suggest that gun owners in this sample needed more emphasis on safely securing guns and ammunition although incidence of problems was not examined.
Relearning Movements: Modification of an Incorrectly Timed Reversal Movement
Authors: Vanvenckenray Jan , Buekers Martinus J. , Mendes Rui S. , Helsen Werner F.
Published: August 2011

The main purpose of this study was to examine if an inaccurately acquired motor response can be relearned through the provision of a limited number of correct KR trials. 26 subjects were assigned to one of three experimental groups: a no-KR group, an erroneous KR group, and a relearning group who were given correct KR after 125 trials of erroneous KR. Analysis showed a significant temporal correction of the reversal movement when the erroneous KR was replaced by valid verbal information during acquisition. This adaptation, however, was attenuated during retention, indicating that the limited number of correct KR trials did not wash out the effect of the invalid information provided during the first phase of acquisition.
Effects of Two Types of Activity on the Performance of Second-, Third-, and Fourth-Grade Students on a Test of Concentration
Authors: Caterino Maria C. , Polak Emanuel D.
Published: August 2011

The appropriateness of recess in the elementary program continues to be questioned although generally it is believed to be useful by elementary principals despite a dearth of supportive data. This study was a developmental study of the effects of physical activity on concentration. Comparison of passive and directed physical education activities on the concentration of second-, third-, and fourth-grade children was made. The Woodcock-Johnson Test of Concentration showed better performance by the fourth graders and within Grade 4 in favor of the physical activity group. A structured physical activity or a classroom activity immediately prior to a concentration task was not detrimental to children in Grades 2 and 3. Fourth-grade children performed significantly better on a test of concentration after engaging in a physical activity.
Criteria for Psychological Adaptation to High-Altitude Hypoxia
Authors: Bonnon M. , Noël-Jorand M-C. , Therme P.
Published: August 2011

The purpose of this study was to test an ascent program for ideal psychological adaptation to high altitudes. A psychological approach was used to test a model describing a gradual step-by-step ascent. Seven subjects spent nine days between 3,500 m and 4,400 m altitude, followed by eight days climbing 500 m each day from 3,500 m to 5,400 m. They performed a cognitive-motor task three times, once under normoxia, once under acute hypoxia, and once under chronic hypoxic conditions. Durations for these subjects were compared with those obtained by a control group tested under normoxia. Subjects' emotional state was assessed by analyzing their remarks during an interview conducted at 5,400 m and by calculating from the answers given to the three questions, a mood index for each subject. Analysis showed that the performances of both groups improved on the second and third administrations of the test. There was, however, no interaction between the group and the time of administration. Mood indexes indicated that the majority of the subjects had no trouble in adapting to the situation and few cognitive or emotional disturbances were observed. These findings may be attributed to the ascent being well designed and planned thereby preventing various possible forms of mountain sickness and other pathologies from developing in the subjects.
Sex Differences in Asymmetrically Perceiving the Intensity of Facial Expressions
Authors: Killgore William D. Scott , Gangestad Steven W.
Published: August 2011

Emotional facial expressions are often asymmetrical, with the left half of the face typically displaying the stronger affective intensity cues. During facial perception, however, most right-handed individuals are biased toward facial affect cues projecting to their own left visual hemifield. Consequently, mirror-reversed faces are typically rated as more emotionally intense than when presented normally. Mirror-reversal permits the most intense side of the expresser's face to project to the visual hemifield biased for processing facial affect cues. This study replicated the mirror-reversal effect in 21 men and 49 women (aged 18–52 yr.) using a videotaped free viewing presentation but also showed the effect of facial orientation is moderated by the sex of the perceiver. The mirror-reversal effect was significant only for men but not for women, suggesting possible sex differences in cerebral organization of systems for facial perception.
Prediction of Boston Naming Test Performance from Vocabulary Scores: Preliminary Guidelines for Interpretation
Authors: Killgore William D. Scott , Adams Russell L.
Published: August 2011

Patients with limited education or underdeveloped vocabulary skills may perform below the normal range on the Boston Naming Test when compared to the original published norms, even in the absence of brain damage. To reduce the frequency of false positive dysnomic classifications of patients with limited vocabulary skills, we developed a score adjustment to account for the significant shared variance between scores on this test and the WAIS–R Vocabulary subtest, Vocabulary significantly predicted performance on the Boston Naming Test ( r = .65, p<.0001) in a sample of 62 outpatients who had no objective evidence of brain damage. Linear regression was used to derive expected performance on the Boston Naming Test from Vocabulary scaled scores. Relative to the original published norms, scores based on the Vocabulary subtest cut-offs produced fewer false positives and more accurately classified group membership for patients with and without objectively verified brain damage. These performance predictions are offered as tentative guidelines to assist clinicians in evaluating the presence of naming deficits by controlling for the variance associated with knowledge of vocabulary.
Consistency of Hand Use and Sleep Problems
Authors: Hicks Robert A. , Deharo Dolores , Inman Genevieve , Hicks Gregory J.
Published: August 2011

In this study, we measured the relationship between the consistency of hand use and three symptoms of insomnia, i.e., delayed sleep onset, frequent awakenings during sleep, and trouble returning to sleep after an awakening. For each of these insomnia-related symptoms, university students who were classified as inconsistent in the use of their hands ( n = 30) were significantly more likely to report problems than their consistent hand-use peers ( n = 30). These data were discussed both in relation to the literature on handedness classification and sleep problems and the emerging literature on consistency of hand use and health-related problems.
Scotopic Sensitivity/Irlen Syndrome and the Use of Coloured Filters: A Long-Term Placebo Controlled and Masked Study of Reading Achievement and Perception of Ability
Authors: Robinson G. L. , Foreman P. J.
Published: August 2011

This study investigated the effects of using coloured filters on reading speed, accuracy, and comprehension as well as on perception of academic ability. A double-masked, placebo-controlled crossover design was used, with subjects being assessed over a period of 20 mo. There were three treatment groups (Placebo filters, Blue filters, and Optimal filters) involving 113 subjects with “reading difficulties”, ranging in age from 9.2 yr. to 13.1 yr. and with an average discrepancy between chronological age and reading age of 1.8 yr. The 35 controls (who did not use coloured filters) ranged in age from 9.4 yr. to 12 9 yr., with an average discrepancy between chronological age and reading age of 21 yr The treatment groups increased at a significantly greater rate than the control group in reading accuracy and reading comprehension but not for speed of reading. For self-reported perception of academic ability, two of the three treatment groups showed significantly greater increases than the control group. The larger improvements for treatment groups in reading comprehension may be related to a reduction in print and background distortions allowing attention to be directed to the processing of continuous text rather than to the identification of individual words. A reduction in print distortion, however, may not be sufficient to generate improved word-identification skills without additional remedial support, and this may be indicated by the nonsignificant increase in rate of reading.
Geophysical Variables and Behavior: LXXXVII. Effects of Synthetic and Natural Geomagnetic Patterns on Maze Learning
Authors: McKay B. E. , Persinger M. A.
Published: August 2011

12 normal male albino rats were exposed or not exposed in their home cages for 5 min. and 50 sec. once every hour 8 times penight to a 7-Hz square-wave magnetic field whose amplitudes were shifted by about 50 nT approximately every 10 sec. Although there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups for numbers of working errors, numbers of reference errors, or speed during the acquisition of an Olton (8-arm) maze, the strength of the group differences ( F ratios) for daily working errors was reduced ( rho = .70) if there had been enhanced geomagnetic activity during the time of the night when the experimental fields were present.
Sustained Attention on a Continuous Performance Test
Authors: Weinstein Martin , Nader Todd , Silverstein Marshall L. , Finelli Lillian
Published: August 2011

The present study compared means of 54 nonpatients on two Continuous Performance Test measures in five administration conditions. Both response measures differentiated performance among the conditions, certain of which may have an alerting function that facilitates deployment of attention. Appreciable attentional demand or effort, however, may limit this facultative effect.
Ability to Discriminate Movements at the Ankle and Knee is Joint Specific
Authors: Waddington Gordon , Adams Roger
Published: August 2011

Measures of discrimination for movements of different extent at the ankle (inversion) and knee (flexion) were obtained for the right and left legs from 59 male footballers. The finding of significant association between discriminability scores at common joints was interpreted in terms of the motor program.
Boundaries and Level of Experience with Six Types of Dreams
Authors: Hicks Robert A. , Bautista Jose , Hicks Gregory J.
Published: August 2011

The self-reported levels of experience to six types of dreams were compared for groups of students who classified as having either thin ( n = 30) or thick ( n = 86) boundaries. Consistent with predictions drawn from the literature, the thin-boundary group scored significantly higher on level of experience for each dream type than the thick-boundary group. These data provide additional validation for Hart-mann's Boundary Questionnaire.
Impressions Formed by Timing of Utterance of Japanese Monosyllables
Authors: Hieda Ichiro , Kuchinomachi Yasuo
Published: August 2011

The authors previously reported a subjective evaluation and analysis using natural voices as stimuli pronounced by Japanese native speakers as nonsense syllables. The relationships between the physical pitches of the voices and their psychological indices were confirmed. In this paper, to examine the relationship between the psychological indices and another physical parameter, the timing of utterance, voices used in the previous report as stimuli were analyzed. The voices were digitized, and the moving average powers were subsequently calculated. Three standards were defined to measure the tempo of utterance from the power waveforms, and relationships between the tempo of utterance and psychological indices extracted as principal components in the previous report were examined. One of the three kinds of timing indices correlated with a different psychological index from the index with which the other two correlated. The results suggest that voices with various impressions can be composed by controlling the timings of the utterance independently.
Correlations for the Rorschach with the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking
Authors: Ferracuti Stefano , Cannoni Eleonora , Burla Franco , Lazzari Renato
Published: August 2011

The present study examined the correlations between some variables of the Rorschach test and scores on the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking which were administered to 40 normal volunteers. The Rorschach protocols were scored using Exner System. All the variables of the Figural Form of the Torrance tests showed clear association with the Developmental Quality, Synthesised Responses of the Rorschach, except for the Figural Elaboration scores. The group of Verbal variables of the Torrance tests correlated with the scores on Space and Unusual Form Quality Responses of the Rorschach. The results are discussed in terms of the cognitive operations involved in creative aspects of thinking.
New Zealand Adolescents' Perceptions of Self and others
Authors: Payne Monica A.
Published: August 2011

As part of a larger study of adolescents' stress, 1,799 12- to 18-yr.-olds in New Zealand compared themselves with other young people of their age on five general issues. Girls were significantly more likely than boys to say they think they worry more and have more health problems than most people of their age; younger adolescents were more likely than older ones to say they think they are under more peer pressure than most people of their age. On all items, however, most participants rated themselves physically and psychologically healthier than most of their peers.
Hemispheric Laterality and Self-Rated Personality Traits
Authors: Killgore William D. Scott , Dellapietra Lynn , Casasanto Daniel J.
Published: August 2011

Cerebral hemispheric lateralization and personality traits were evaluated in 154 undergraduate and nonclinical volunteers. Personality ratings did not differ significantly between groups defined on the basis of hand, eye, or ear preference.
Factors to Consider When Designing Phase III Clinical Trials Involving Economic Evaluations
Authors: Van Enckevort Petra J. , TenVergert Elisabeth M. , Kingma Johannes , Koëter Gerard H. , Rutten Frans F. H.
Published: August 2011

Given the recognized need to examine cost-effectiveness data in addition to clinical data when making decisions relating to choice of clinical interventions, there is a growing interest and experience in undertaking economic evaluations alongside clinical trials. It has been argued, when an economic evaluation is necessary for assessing the cost-effectiveness of a medical intervention, the integration of both the medical and clinical issues need to be included at the start of designing a clinical trial. A proposal has been made for how clinical researchers and health economists may cooperate successfully at the successive phases in designing a clinical trial. Therefore, discussion points for clinical researchers and health economists are given, and the possible methodological consequences of adding an economic evaluation to a trial are addressed.
Time Taken as a Determinant of Advancement in Shotokan Karate Black-Belt Tekki Kata Performance
Authors: Layton Clive
Published: August 2011

18 experienced black-belt subjects were individually timed on the kata Tekki Shodan. A significant relationship was found between years training and increased performance time and also between increased performance time and grade, both independent of age.
Stop Sign Dissenters: An Informal Look
Authors: Trinkaus John
Published: August 2011

Data for 8 90-min. observations suggest an over-all compliance rate of about 6% with stop signs in a residential community. Women driving vans were the least compliant—approximately 1%.
Implicit Memory for Auditorily Presented Threatening Stimuli: A Process-Dissociation Approach
Authors: Ott Ralf , Curio Immo , Scholz O. Berndt
Published: August 2011

The investigation of unconscious cognition involves especially problems with the methodology of measuring implicit and explicit proportions of different task performances. In this study the process dissociation procedure of Jacoby and its modification within the multinomial modelling framework for an indirect word-nonword-discrimination task is applied to a sample of 45 healthy students. The paradigm includes acoustically presented stimuli. During a learning phase, subjects listened to a series of neutral and threatening words. Performance was tested by letting subjects decide whether a presented stimulus (masked with white noise at signal-noise ratio of −17dB or unmasked) had been a word or a nonword. Within this paradigm, implicit cognition occurs when (a) a word is more probably correctly recognized as “word” after presentation during the learning phase (typical priming effect) or when (b) a nonword derived from a word is more probably falsely recognized as “word” after its corresponding word had been presented during the learning phase (effect of implicit cognition given perceptual fluency). Frequencies for hits and false alarms were analyzed within the multinomial model which allows estimating parameters for the correct discrimination of words (c), the response bias (b), the classical priming effect ( u1), and the parameter for the priming effect of “old” nonwords (u2). Under masked stimuli the multinomial model showed implicit cognition, an effect not equally found for neutral and threatening words. Threatening words exhibited a significantly higher portion of implicit cognition than neutral ones. Given the statistical complexity of multinomial models, the application of this method was explained in detail.
Happiness and Self-Actualization under Conditions of Strain: A Sample of Homeless Men
Authors: Sumerlin John R. , Bundrick Charles M.
Published: August 2011

Maslow's contention that happiness includes striving and is more than a hedonistic construct was tested in a sample of 146 homeless men. Since all participants were homeless, environmental experiences can be considered as largely held constant, allowing an examination of personality and happiness under conditions of strain. Principal axis factor analysis with promax and oblique rotations placed scores from the measures Unhappy–Happy and the Brief Index of Self-actualization on the same factor which supported Maslow's idea. Humanistic-existential psychology has interest in the happiness construct particularly regarding the development of human potential.
Positive and Negative Stimuli in Relation to Tennis Players' Reaction Time
Authors: Mead Tim P. , Drowatzky John N. , Hardin-Crosby Lisa
Published: August 2011

Research has indicated that negative and positive thoughts may affect sport performance. The purpose of this analogue study was to assess whether negative and positive stimuli influenced tennis performance similar to positive and negative thought. The reaction time (RT) of 40 competitive tennis players was measured during a timed response to a tennis ball rotating in a topspin, sidespin, or backspin direction on the computer screen. Immediately prior to the ball presentation, a phrase (accessory stimulus) was presented visually or aurally. The accessory stimulus provided either positive (e.g., ‘nice shot’) or negative information (e.g., ‘bad shot’) followed by the subject's name. Analysis showed a main effect only for the type of spin. The slowest RT occurred when responding to a tennis ball rotating in a backspin direction. A significant interaction was found for the sensory modality (audition vs vision) and polarity (positive vs negative) of the accessory stimulus. RT to negative stimuli was slowest when the accessory stimulus was presented aurally. The quickest RT to positive stimuli occurred when the accessory stimulus was presented aurally. These results indicated that negative and positive stimuli, when presented aurally, affected performance as positive and negative thoughts measured in other studies. Not measured was whether negative and positive stimuli actually produce the negative and positive thoughts, respectively, that have been reported to affect performance.
Discrimination of Rotation from Linear Motion: Influence of Interference Gratings and Dichoptic Viewing
Authors: Petersik J. Timothy , Richardson Roy V.
Published: August 2011

Observers viewed a screen on which a number of patches containing horizontally moving pixels were presented. Target patches consisted of pixels whose motion simulated the rotation of a cylinder around its Y-axis; distractors, of pixels whose motion was linear. The task was to assess whether a display contained a target patch. Exp. 1 showed that the superposition of the displays with drifting sine-wave gratings interfered with rotation detection in a spatial- and temporal-frequency specific manner. In Exp. 2, dichoptic presentation greatly reduced the interference of the drifting gratings. It is argued on various grounds that the process(es) responsible for the detection and discrimination of rotating structure in depth exists at a low level of the visual system.
Local Muscular Fatigue and Attentional Processes in a Fencing Task
Authors: Devienne Marie-Françoise , Ripoll Hubert , Audiffren Michel , Stein Jean-François
Published: August 2011

Study of the effects of brief exercise on mental processes by Tomporowski and Ellis (1986) has shown that moderate muscular tension improves cognitive performance while low or high tension does not. Improvements in performance induced by exercise are commonly associated with increase in arousal, while impairments are generally attributed to the effects of muscular or central fatigue. To test two hypotheses, that (1) submaximal muscular exercise would decrease premotor time and increase motor time in a subsequent choice-RT task and (2) that submaximal muscular exercise would increase the attentional and preparatory effects observed in premotor time 9 men, aged 20 to 30 years, performed an isometric test at 50% of their maximum voluntary contraction between blocks of a 3-choice reaction-time fencing task. Analysis showed (1) physical exercise did not improve postexercise premotor time, (2) muscular fatigue induced by isometric contractions did not increase motor time, (3) there was no effect of exercise on attentional and preparatory processes involved in the postexercise choice-RT task. The invalidation of hypotheses was mainly explained by disparity in directional effects across subjects and by use of an exercise that was not really fatiguing.
Injuries Due to School Sports Accidents in 4 to 13-Yr.-Old Children
Authors: Kingma Johannes , Duis Henk-Jan Ten
Published: August 2011

505 kindergarten and primary school children from 4 to 13 years of age were treated for school sports injuries during the period 1990–1997. The incidence of injuries increased statistically significantly from .5 per 1,000 children 4- to 5-yr.-old to 4.8 injured children per 1,000 in 12- to 13-yr.-old. 59% of the injuries involved upper extremities; 35% of these were in the wrist region. 33.5% of the injuries were of the lower extremities, with 50% being of the feet and 36.4% of the ankle. Accidental falls were the main situation (53%) in which school sport accidents occurred. Nearly 65% of these accidental falls occurred at the ground level; the remaining accidents (35%) occurred when the child was working on an apparatus, e.g., parallel bars, balancing beam, side horse. The 4- to 5-yr.-old children were the most vulnerable to accidental fall (67%). A statistically significant increase in injuries in ball sports was observed from 4- to 5-yr.-olds (0%) to the 12- to 13-yr.-olds (28%).
Evaluation of Physical Activity Measured via Accelerometry in Rural Fourth-Grade Children
Authors: Lemura Linda M. , Andreacci Joseph , Carlonas Richelle , Klebez Jodi M. , Chelland Sara
Published: August 2011

Interest in the benefits of exercise has prompted increased research examining the relationship between physical activity and health status in adults. More recently, considerable research effort has been directed toward the role of physical activity in young children as a precursor to adult physical fitness. The purpose of this study was to estimate the relationship between physical activity measured via accelerometry and body mass index, body mass, body composition, and physical fitness in fourth-grade boys and girls during physical education lessons. 54 fourth-grade students in rural Pennsylvania (28 girls, M age 9.6, SD = .56; 26 boys, M age 9.5, SD = .51) were subjects. Girls were significantly less active during all lessons measured ( p<.001). The results of linear regression analyses indicated that physical activity was negatively associated with body mass index, body mass, and body fat percentage ( p< .05), and positively associated with physical fitness (V̇O2max) ( p<.01). These data indicate the need for curricular intervention to motívate girls to increase their activity during structured physical education lessons and demonstrate the efficacy of the body mass index as a screening tool within the schools.
Relationship between Years of Training and Judged Performance in Shotokan Karate Black-Belts
Authors: Layton Clive
Published: August 2011

The relation between length of training and Dan rank was significant for 110 male black-belts, although the complication of tied ranks was noted.
Effects of Types of Featural Information on Interpretation by Young Children of Novel Words at the Superordinate Level
Authors: Tamura Takahiro
Published: August 2011

In this experiment with a Novel Label Task, 48 children ages 5 to 6 years were given a novel word for a target item, e.g., a dog. They were also given one of two types of featural information for the target item, a feature naturally common to animals, i.e., “This has a heart inside,” or an accidental feature uncommon to animals, i.e., “This gets a splinter.” As a result, the number of children who interpreted the novel word at the superordinate level (animal) increased significantly when they were given the feature naturally common to animals. On the other hand, there was no significant increase for an accidental feature. Further, the children were given the instruction that all animal items in this task had the same featutes as the target item. As a result, although the number of children who interpreted the novel word at the superordinate level (animal) increased significantly when they were given both the feature naturally common to animals and also the accidental feature, there were more when the instruction was with the feature naturally common to animals than with the accidental feature. The findings were discussed in relation to the factors corresponding to young children's interpretation of a novel word at the superordinate level.