bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Measurement of Range of Motion in Individuals with Mental Retardation and with or without down Syndrome
Authors: Angelopoulou Nickoletta , Tsimaras Vassilis , Christoulas Kosmas , Mandroukas Konstantinos
Published: August 2011

The purpose of this study was to assess differences in variability of three joints' range of motion in the lower extremity among individuals with Down syndrome, mentally retarded individuals without Down syndrome, and sedentary subjects without mental retardation ( ns = 13, 25, and 30, respectively). Range of motion for hip and knee flexion was obtained using a Myrin goniometer. For hip abduction the range of motion was obtained using a double protractor goniometer (Brodin type). Three test repetitions were carried out, and the greatest value was recorded. As no significant differences were found between left and right sides for each motion, the average was used to represent the range of motion. The Down syndrome group had significantly higher mean range of motion in hip flexion than the mentally retarded group. No significant differences in mean range of motion were found between Down syndrome and sedentary groups, but a significant difference was observed between the control and mentally retarded groups. In hip abduction, the Down syndrome group showed significantly higher mean range of motion than the control and mentally retarded groups. The control group had significantly a higher mean range of motion than the mentally retarded group. No significant differences were found in knee flexion between the two mentally disabled groups, but significant differences in mean range of motion were found between each of the two groups of mentally retarded individuals and the control group. Because differences exist in mean range of motion between the two mentally disabled groups, individualized and differentiated training programs to improve flexibility must be designed based on the type of handicap.
Who is President of the United States?
Authors: Ryan Joseph J. , Paul Christina A.
Published: August 2011

Of 191 patients referred for memory evaluation and asked to name the current and past presidents of the United States, 5% failed to identify the president and 37% were unable to name the previous office holder. Significant cognitive and adaptive deficits were associated with failure on either item.
Conceptualizing a Better Understanding of Diagnosing and Treating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Review of Two Case Studies
Authors: Brooker Alan E. , O'Brien Andrew M. , Koch Todd R.
Published: August 2011

Clinical and epidemiological studies have supported the belief that human beings exposed to stressful life events are vulnerable to the symptomatology consistent with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, early detection of symptoms consistent with PTSD often times does not occur within the medicolegal arena. The importance of an early and accurate diagnosis is emphasized. Fortunately, the diagnosis of PTSD has become more clearly conceptualized in the DSM-IV criteria. Many of the characteristics consistent with this diagnosis are measured through the use of relatively recently developed and refined psychometric measures including the Posttraumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale, the Trauma Symptom Inventory, and the Personality Assessment Inventory-2. Additional measures including the Computerized Response Bias Test, the Word Memory Test, and the Validity Indicator Profile can detect exaggeration of symptoms without using specific tests for symptom validity. These measures, as well as biochemical determinations, are reviewed and presented along with the over-all structured clinical interviews and mental status examinations of two patients for a better understanding of the multimethod approach which establishes the reliability of the PTSD diagnosis.
Climatic Data and National Suicide and Homicide Rates
Authors: Lester David
Published: August 2011

Both suicide and homicide rates (per 100,000 population) were higher in nations with greater rainfall. Suicide rates were higher in the more northern nations while homicide rates were higher in the nations with more elevated terrain.
Locus of Control and Suicidality
Authors: Lester David
Published: August 2011

In a sample of 152 college students, only depression scores predicted current and past suicidality. Scores on locus of control, hopelessness, masculinity, and femininity did not add any significant components to the multiple regressions.
Locus of Semantic Satiation Examined with a Serial Matching Task
Authors: Sekiguchi Takahiro
Published: August 2011

Semantic satiation is the apparent loss of the meaning of a word following continuous exposure to that word. An experiment using a serial-matching task was conducted to assess whether the locus of semantic satiation is the level of letter processing or that of word processing. 20 participants gazed at a prime (word or nonword) for 3 sec. or 30 sec. and then judged whether the subsequently presented target was identical to the prime or not. In the word matching in which the prime and target were identical, the matching times were longer after the 30-sec. inspection than after the 3-sec inspection, whereas in the nonword matching, the matching times were not changed by the prolonged inspection. This result suggests that semantic satiation for visual words occurs at a level of word processing.
Absence of Habituation to Repeated Exposures to a Rotating Optokinetic Drum with Brief Intersession Intervals
Authors: Zhao Luhua , Stern R. M.
Published: August 2011

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether participants would habituate to repeated exposures to a rotating drum with brief intersession intervals. Participants were 41 college students, divided into a High Susceptibility group and a Low Susceptibility group based on their subjective symptoms of motion sickness during the first exposure to the rotating drum. The study consisted of three 16-min. exposures to a rotating drum with intersession intervals of 30 min. Contrary to expectation, for the High Susceptibility group, the symptom score mean of the first session was significantly less than that of the second and third sessions; and the drum viewing time of the first session was longer than that of the second and third sessions. In the Low Susceptibility group, the symptom score and drum viewing time were not significantly different among the three sessions. In conclusion, participants did not habituate to three repeated exposures to a rotating drum with intersession intervals of 30 min. Instead, a sensitization response occurred for the participants high in susceptibility.
Decoding of Emotional Expressions in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Lenti C. , Lenti-Boero D. , Giacobbe A.
Published: August 2011

The aim of this study was to assess whether different kinds of emotions are decoded in different ways during ontogeny. 151 normal subjects (80 boys; 71 girls) aged 8 to 16 were recruited in primary, secondary (middle), and high schools and 46 slides (3 male; 3 female) from Picture of Facial Affect showing six basic emotions were stimuli. Analysis showed that boys and girls in all age groups did not differ in decoding facial expression; happiness and disgust had the highest percentage scores in all age groups, 99% and 94%, respectively, while sadness and fear had the lowest percentage scores, 69% and 55%, respectively. This was possibly due to the intrinsic unpleasantness of those emotions for children. Competence in discrimination of sadness, fear, and surprise changed across age groups, but this growing competence did not show a linear trend and was not similar for all emotions.
Wisconsin Card Sorting Test Variables in Relation to Motor Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Alevriadou A. , Katsarou Z. , Bostantjopoulou S. , Kiosseoclou G. , Mentenopoulos G.
Published: August 2011

The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, a standard test for the assessment of executive function and free of a motor component, was employed for the assessment of 37 nondemented patients with idiopathic Parkinson's Disease and 37 matched normal controls. The symptoms of the patients were clinically assessed by means of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, which yielded scores for the cardinal symptoms of the disease as well as a total motor score. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test was administered in all subjects in its original form (128 cards), and it was scored to yield 16 measures according to the instruction of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test revised manual. Patients with Parkinson's Disease had significantly lower scores on the following test variables: number of trials administered, perseverative responses, percent perseverative responses, and failure to maintain set. The correlations between the last three variables and total motor score were statistically significant. Of the four cardinal symptoms of the disease, only rigidity correlated significantly with the number of perseverative responses and percent perseverative responses. These findings provide a clue that the lower performance of these patients on certain variables of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test may be related to the process of the disease.
Sport Injuries in Right- and Left-Handers
Authors: Dane Şenol , Can Süleyman , Karsan Orhan
Published: August 2011

The incidences of sport injuries in right- and left-handed subject was investigated. Of 40 left-handed athletes, 33 (83.0%) had sport injuries; of 279 right-handed athletes, 189 (68.0%) had sport injuries. These findings suggest left-handers may be more susceptible to accident-related injuries.
Effect of Goal-Setting on Reaction Time
Authors: Goudas Marios , Ardamerinos Nikos , Vasilliou Stylianos , Zanou Sotiria
Published: August 2011

To examine the effect of goal-setting on reaction time 40 physical education students were tested on a reaction-time test and were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: personal goals, difficult assigned goals, easy assigned goals, and no goals. Analysis showed that goal-setting enhanced performance, and participants in the difficult assigned goals condition showed the biggest improvement.
Reading Ability and Differential Cognitive Profiles of Girls and Boys
Authors: Kirchner-Nebot Teresa , Amador-Campos Juan Antonio
Published: August 2011

To compare the differential cognitive and stylistic profiles of Spanish-speaking girls and boys and the relation between these profiles with subjects' reading scores 50 girls and 50 boys, 8 years old, were assessed on a reading test, the Children's Embedded Figures Test, and the Intellectual Test (Escala Diferencial del Rendimiento Intelectual). Analysis showed differential cognitive profiles for the two sexes. While girls used single, essentially verbal strategies for the reading activity, boys with high reading scores used verbal and perceptual strategies. In general, for girls verbal intelligence scores had correlated the highest with reading scores and lowest with independence on the Children's Embedded Figures Test. For boys the two tests contribute to the explained variance of reading scores. Curiously for scores in reading letters, reading strategies of the two groups seemed inverted.
Standards for Judgments of Unilateral Impairments in Muscle Strength
Authors: Bohannon Richard W. , Andrews A Williams
Published: August 2011

A secondary analysis of a data base of isometric strength measures from 136 asymptomatic adults (50–79 years) was conducted to estimate the normal difference between dominant and nondominant side strengths. Measures of strength obtained by hand-held dynamometry from 13 muscle actions were expressed as a ratio, dominant side strength:nondominant side strength. The ratios indicated that the dominant side was stronger on average but that the normal range of differences between sides could reach 23.2 to 40.2%, depending on the action. The findings do not provide much support for the convention of using a 10% difference in strength between sides to designate impairment.
Relationship of Age and Education with Anxiety, Depression, and Hopelessness in a South African Community Sample
Authors: Pillay Anthony L. , Sargent Carol-Ann
Published: August 2011

In this pilot study approximately one-quarter of a nonrandom community sample of 16 men and 34 women of lower socioeconomic status reported scores implicating moderate to severe depression and anxiety. Higher age and lower education were associated with higher scores on distress.
Relationships between Self-Regulation and Self-Efficacy of Japanese School Children
Authors: Nakata Sakae , Shiomi Kunio , Joireman Jeffrey A.
Published: August 2011

The present study examined the relationship between a new measure of self-efficacy and a recently developed measure of self-regulation by Nakata and Shiomi within a sample of 1,312 Japanese elementary school children in Grades 3 to 6. Factor analysis indicated two factors, Self-recognized Self-efficacy and Consciousness of Potentiality. In general, relationships also were positive among the two self-efficacy factors and three forms of self-regulation.
A Ratio Model of Perceptual Transparency
Authors: Tommasi Marco
Published: August 2011

A ratio model of the achromatic transparency of a phenomenal surface on a bipartite background is proposed. The model asserts that transparency corresponds to the evaluation of the ratio of the lightness difference inside the transparent surface to the difference in reference lightness inside the background. It applies to both balanced and unbalanced transparency. The ratio model was compared experimentally with the previous perceptual model of achromatic transparency proposed by Metelli. Each model was tested by comparing the rated with the predicted transparency. Analysis shows that the ratio model provides better predictions of transparency than those provided by Metelli's model.
An Update on Relations of Body Image and Body Size with Eating Disordered Behaviors
Authors: Ignacek Jaime J. , Bonds-Raacke Jennifer M. , Villa A. Yancy , Nicks Sandra D.
Published: August 2011

The present study examined body image and body size with eating disordered behaviors in a sample of 130 female college students to see if these problems still occur despite the publicity that this issue has received. Students ( n = 35) who reported engaging in eating disordered behaviors reported being less satisfied with their bodies than students who did not report engaging in eating disordered behaviors. Also students who engaged in eating disordered behaviors perceived their body size as larger than that for students who did not report engaging in such behaviors. There was, however, no significant difference found in preference for body size between groups.
Double-Blind Study of Possible Proximity Effect of Sucrose on Skeletal Muscle Strength
Authors: Arnett Mark G. , Friedenberg Jay , Kendler Barry S.
Published: August 2011

The hypotheses that close physical proximity to sucrose, without its ingestion, affects skeletal muscle strength and time between meals influences the direction of this effect, were tested. 28 college students performed 10 one-arm curls using the dominant arm, while either holding a bottle containing sucrose or sand in the free hand, without knowledge of which bottle was held. Data were first collected following an overnight fast. A week later, data were collected 1 hr. after these students had each consumed a bagel. During the fasting state, the mean maximal isometric strength while holding the bottle of sucrose was significantly greater than when holding a bottle of sand; however, no significant difference was found for the group tested after having consumed a bagel. Some possible explanations for these results are discussed, recognizing limitations imposed by lack of control for order of conditions and amount of experience.
Development and Validation of Two New Scales for Assessment of Body-Image
Authors: Gardner Rick M. , Stark Kim , Jackson Natalie A. , Friedman Brenda N.
Published: August 2011

This study reports the development and validation of two new and improved tools for assessment of body-image. Two schematic contour scales were created using a frontal view photograph of an adult male and female with height and weight of the median American. A 2-figure analogue scale was created by distorting this drawing by ± 30%. A 13-card scale was created by generating 13 drawings distorted between ± 30% by increments of 5%. Evidence is presented for the reliability and validity of both scales. The advantages of these new scales over existing figural and silhouette scales are discussed.
Re-Examining the Temporal Locus of Knowledge of Results (Kr): A Self-Paced Approach to Learning
Authors: Travlos Antonios K.
Published: August 2011

Using a self-paced procedure, the effects of unconfounded temporal locus of KR in the acquisition of a simple linear-positioning task was examined. Changes in the chronological profile of KR delivery were evaluated when participants manipulated the time course of the experiment at their own discretion. 29 participants (18 to 32 years) practiced finding an 8-in. line with no fixed starting and ending points. One-way repeated-measures analyses of variance, simple regression analyses across blocks of practice (30), and Pearson product-moment correlations between the KR-time intervals and the performance scores indicated that (a) under self-paced procedures both the KR-delay and post-KR interval decreased congruently with performance error scores, while the temporal component of the task (movement time) and the ratio between the KR-delay and the post-KR interval remained unchanged, (b) any effect on intertrial interval and interstimulus interval in motor skill acquisition should be examined in terms of the KR-delay and post-KR interval, and (c) the relationship between the performance scores and post-KR interval may be used to indicate the point at which KR is no longer required.
The Running Horse Stops: The Hypothetical Role of the Eyes in Imagery of Movement
Authors: Ruggieri Vezio
Published: August 2011

To examine the hypothetical role of the eyes in visual mental imagery of movement 72 undergraduate women students in psychology were asked to imagine a running horse and then to produce the same mental image without moving the eyes and the head. In 59% of the subjects interesting modifications of the imagined movement appeared: 37% observed an inhibition of the movement and 19% an evident slowing up of the moving figure. The interpretation of this result was made by hypothesizing that the eyes are concretely involved in visual imagery processes.
Changes in Shotokan Karate Black-Belt Heian Kata Performance Times: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Layton Clive , Lawrence Jonathan M. , Moran Philip
Published: August 2011

10 experienced black-belt subjects were individually timed on each of the five Heian kata and then timed again four years later. Performance time increased significantly in four of the kata, and this was interpreted as a positive progression.
Self-Monitoring, and Individual Expectation of Performance-Norms in Sport Teams
Authors: Kim Myung-Soo
Published: August 2011

The main purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between self-monitoring and individuals' expectation of performance-norms, the attitudes shared among team members about how high a performance the group should achieve in team sports. A secondary purpose was to assess whether the relationship between self-monitoring and individual expectation of performance-norms would be moderated by the type of group selected. Analysis suggests that for an elite sport ream there is no difference between the performance-norm for the team and individuals' expectations in terms of self-monitoring. For recreational sport teams, however, those high on self-monitoring had higher individual expectations of performance-norms than the low self-monitors.
Conflicting Activities for Exercise
Authors: Gebhardt Winifred A. , Van Der Doef Margot P. , Maes Stan
Published: August 2011

190 nonexercisers foresaw regular exercise (⩾ 3 times a week) as interfering with day-to-day activities. Most frequently mentioned were various social activities, doing household chores, and watching TV. The impediment of all activities, except watching TV, was expected to be at least rather bothersome. Interventions should focus on these particular barriers to action.
A Follow-Up Study of Seven Siblings with Unusual Sound Preferences
Authors: Radford Nola T.
Published: August 2011

This is a follow-up descriptive study of seven siblings, ranging in age from 6 to 14 years who had never attended school or received speech therapy until these ages. Five of the seven siblings, along with their parents, and paternal grandmother were located in the Spring of 1997. All siblings have achieved normal weight and stature. They also achieved intelligible speech with no idiosyncratic sound patterns.
Synchronization, Anticipation, and Consistency in Motor Timing of Children with Dimensionally Defined Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Behaviour
Authors: Rubia Katya , Taylor Alan , Taylor Eric , Sergeant Joseph A.
Published: August 2011

We tested the hypothesis that children with hyperactive behaviour are impaired in the temporal organization of their motor output. The performance of 11 boys, scoring above a cut-off on standard scales of overactivity and inattention, was compared to that of controls in progressively more complex Motor-timing tasks. The tasks administered required self-paced and externally paced Sensorimotor Synchronization and Sensorimotor Anticipation. Deficits at a perceptual level were investigated with a Time-discrimination task. As hypothesized, we found that hyperactive children had no deficits in their perception of time but were impaired in tuning their motor output. Hyperactive children were more inconsistent than controls in maintaining a freely chosen tapping rhythm, in synchronizing and in anticipating their motor response to external visual stimulation.
Is There More than One Source for the Temporal Binding Factor for Human Consciousness?
Authors: Persinger M. A.
Published: August 2011

If the emergence of higher order consciousness is produced by transcerebral electromagnetic processes recreated every 20 msec, to 25 msec., then any frequency band in addition to the 40-Hz range could serve as a binding factor for this process. Second order differences or “derivatives,” obtained by lagging differences in real time between adjacent frequency integers, indicate that 20 msec, to 25 msec, intervals could be continuously recreated by shifts in frequency within approximately 6.3 and 7.8 Hz. Higher order differences indicate that variations within very narrow band widths between 5 Hz and 6 Hz would generate continuous recreations of 20-msec. to 25-msec. intervals.
Effect of Delay of Reinforcement on Superstitious Inferences
Authors: Rudski Jeffrey M.
Published: August 2011

Temporal contiguity is positively associated with ease of detecting contingencies. When actions and outcomes are not contiguous, intervening responses might be strengthened by adventitious reinforcement. In the current study, participants engaged in a task where pressing 1 of 10 keys was reinforced either immediately or after various delays. Outcomes were scheduled either according to an FR 1 or FR 2 schedule. Participants also answered a question designed to assess their illusion of control. As the latency between the instrumental response and the reinforcer increased, participants attributed less importance to the instrumental response, attributed more importance to other nonessential responses, and began to show stereotyped patterns of responding. The illusion of control was positively related to the intricacy of such patterns. Results are discussed in terms of a contiguity which implies causality heuristic and the relationship of superstition with adventitious reinforcement and illusion of control.
A Broad Range of Forces is Encompassed by the Maximum Manual Muscle Test Grade of Five
Authors: Bohannon Richard W. , Corrigan Darcie
Published: August 2011

This retrospective study summarizes the range of knee extension forces associated with the manual muscle test grade of 5. The range of the forces (>560 Newtons) was large and encompassing of more than 86% of measurable forces. These findings help to explain the insensitivity of manual muscle testing and why it has such a profound ceiling effect.
Normative and Validation Studies of the Nine-Hole Peg Test with Children
Authors: Smith Yvonne A. , Hong Eunsook , Presson Christine
Published: August 2011

This study evaluated norms for fine motor dexterity skills on elementary school children of ages 5 through 10 and conducted reliability and validity studies utilizing the Nine-hole Peg Test. The sample included 826 students in 10 elementary schools. Moderately high test-retest reliability ( rs = .81 and .79) and high interrater agreement ( rs >.99) were obtained. Older students had shorter completion time that measured fine motor dexterity than younger students. Significant sex differences were found in completion time, but only for the dominant hand. Correlations of – 80 and –.74 between the scores on the Nine-hole Peg Test and Purdue Pegboard Test at all tested ages indicated adequate concurrent validity of the measures and a significant difference in test scores between regular and special education groups provided further evidence of construct validity. The findings supported the Nine-hole Peg Test as an effective screening tool for fine motor dexterity of school-age children.
Predicting Anxiety in Competitive Sports
Authors: Williams David M. , Frank Michael L. , Lester David
Published: August 2011

The relationship between attitudes toward winning and competitive anxiety was explored in 59 undergraduate students competing on four different New Jersey-based, NCAA Division III sports teams. In a backward multiple regression analysis, cognitive anxiety was predicted significantly only by self-confidence, while somatic anxiety was predicted significantly by self-confidence and the rated importance of the competition.
Analysis of Body Esteem in Female College Athletes and Nonathletes
Authors: Wiggins Matthew S. , Moode F. Michael
Published: August 2011

This research compared the scores on the three subscales of the Body Esteem Scale of 67 female intercollegiate athletes from various sports, and 57 female nonathlete college students enrolled in regular college classes. Analysis indicated no significant differences between the groups on the Sexual Attractiveness and Weight Concern subscales, but only on the Physical Condition subscale, with athletes reporting higher scores and more positive perceptions of body esteem than nonathletes.
Angles of Shadows as Cues for Judging the Distance of Shadow Casting Objects
Authors: Allen Bem P.
Published: August 2011

40 participants were presented the six possible comparisons of four pictures of cylinders and their shadows. For each comparison, each participant was to decide which cylinder was most distant from a reference point. Overall 15 of the participants got all six judgments correct, an outcome that is exceedingly unlikely by chance.
Perceived Electrosensitivity and Magical Ideation
Authors: Stöckenius Sandra , Brugger Peter
Published: August 2011

We report, in 40 healthy right-handed men, an association between perceived sensitivity to weak electromagnetic fields and scores on the Magical Ideation scale, assessing experience of and beliefs in forms of causation that are nonexistent according to current scientific standards ( r = .48, p=.002). Based on our previous research, we interpret this finding as reflecting human subjects' propensity to assume connections between own organismic state and (objectively unrelated) environmental variables. We emphasize, however, the need for studies which directly assess accuracy in detection of electromagnetic fields as a function of self-rated electrosensitivity.
Consistency of Hand Use and Frequency of Colds among College Students
Authors: McNamee-Cole Carol , Hicks Robert A.
Published: August 2011

The self reported annual frequencies of colds were assessed for two groups of 37 students each who were either consistent or inconsistent in the use of their hands. These data indicated that the inconsistent hand use group reported significantly more colds than their consistent hand use peers.
Comprehension and Production of Gestures by Children with Normal and Impaired Language at Ages 4,5, and 6
Authors: Jacks Melanie , Davis Priscilla , Dancer Jess
Published: August 2011

12 children with normal verbal language, ages 4, 5, and 6, were matched with 12 children with impaired verbal language. When the two groups were compared for comprehension and production of nonverbal gestures as well as verbal language, the latter group scored more poorly in both areas. Implications for speech-language pathologists and other professionals in the assessment and remediation of language in language-impaired children are mentioned.
Measuring Development of a Child's Early Walking: Implications for Clinical Assessment of Gait
Authors: Marques-Bruna Pascual , Grimshaw Paul
Published: August 2011

This study examined the three-dimensional kinematics and motor development patterns in early walking gait longitudinally over 8 mo. and presents an example of walking development of one normal child which might be used for comparative purposes in the clinical assessment of gait.
Relationship among Body Image, Sex, and Popularity of High School Students
Authors: Graham Melody A. , Eich Carla , Kephart Becky , Peterson Dawn
Published: August 2011

Body dissatisfaction and attempts to lose weight are increasingly common among adolescents. Research has identified a number of factors significantly associated with body image, including sex, media, parental relationship, and puberty as well as weight and popularity. It was hypothesized that popular adolescents would have greater body dissatisfaction, more body distortion, and lower body esteem. From a rural high school 116 10th and 12th grade students were surveyed. Two teachers from the school also completed a Body Image Figure scale for each student. Subjects rated each grade member on a 5-point Likert-type scale, indicating how much they liked the classmate. A Social Preference rating (Popularity) was calculated for each subject from these ratings. Each subject also completed a Body Image Figure scale and Body Esteem scale. Body distortion was calculated by comparing the teachers' and a student's responses. Significant sex differences were found for scores on body satisfaction, distortion, and esteem, but none for popularity with distortion and body esteem. A relationship between popularity and body satisfaction was found, with the most popular adolescents reporting the least discrepancy between their ideal body image and their current body image. Popular adolescents are most satisfied with their body type.
Images of a Familiar Face Do not Capture Attention under Conditions of Inattention
Authors: Laarni J. , Koljonen M. , Kuistio A-M. , Kyröläinen S. , Lempiäinen J. , Lepistö T.
Published: August 2011

Personally and emotionally meaningful information (e.g., one's own name) has shown to capture attention. The question we studied was whether an image of a familiar face draws attention even though it is not expected, and it appears when the focus of attention is directed to other stimuli. Observers' task was to compare two faces and report whether they were identical or left-right reversed. In addition to these faces, a matrix of ‘background’ faces was displayed. On noncritical trials, the matrix consisted of unfamiliar faces. On critical trials (in about every eighth trial) either an observer's own face or President Ahtisaari's face was displayed. Reaction time was nearly identical on the critical and uncritical trials. On the recognition test about half of the observers were certain that they had seen their own faces in the first part of the experiment. When explicitly asked, however, only three of 26 observers reported that they had recognized their own faces during the comparison task.
Language Performance in Three Groups of Children with Sickle Cell Disease: Those with Stroke, without Stroke, and at Risk for Stroke
Authors: Martin-Jackson Vivian , Gentry Betholyn , Dancer Jess
Published: August 2011

Language performance was assessed in three groups of children (16 boys and 14 girls) with sickle cell disease: those with stroke, without stroke, and at risk for stroke. Scores of the three groups did not differ significantly on language comprehension, language expression, spatial orientation, or on overall combined performance scores. Such results have positive medical implications.
Relationships between Physical Education Classes and the Enhancement of Fifth Grade Pupils' Self-Concept
Authors: Goñi Alfredo , Zulaika Luis
Published: August 2011

Physical education classes given to a group of 46 pupils (27 boys and 19 girls) over a 6-mo. term differed from the usual program (control group of 29 pupils) in identifying individual goals, promoting participative and noncompetitive games, and praising students every chance possible during the classes. The enhancement of self-concept, particularly the physical self-concept, was significant for the experimental group as measured by the Self-description Questionnaire and the Child and Youth Physical Self-perception Profile.
Differences in Reactions to Paintings by Male and Female College Students
Authors: Pulzella Donald J.
Published: August 2011

38 male and 55 female college students rated digitized color facsimiles of 40 paintings that varied in artistic period (Renaissance, Rococo, Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, 20th Century) and subject matter (portrait, landscape, still life, behavior depiction) on 12 7-point semantic differential scales, e.g., simple–complex. Women judged the content of Rococo and Impressionist paintings as more pleasing than did men and Impressionist paintings evoked greater feelings of pleasure and relaxation among women than among men. In addition, paintings that depicted behaviors evoked more pleasure and alertness among women than among men. The results were interpreted in terms of underlying differences between men and women in perceptual style and emotional sensitivity.
Effects of Minimal Exercise and Cognitive Behavior Modification on Adherence, Emotion Change, Self-Image, and Physical Change in Obese Women
Authors: Annesi James J.
Published: August 2011

The present investigation tested a 12-wk. treatment protocol which employed low intensity cardiovascular and resistance exercise as well as cognitive-behavior modification on 13 obese, previously sedentary women. Separate analyses were conducted on program maintenance, emotional change, and physiological change. Although self-motivation was lower in the treatment group than in the control group ( n = 35), measures of exercise maintenance were significantly higher. Analyses within the treatment group only indicated significant improvements in measures of State Anxiety, Depression, Anger, Fatigue, Tension, and Vigor, also Health Evaluation, Body Area Satisfaction, and heightened Overweight Preoccupation, over the 12 weeks. Their feelings alter individual bouts of exercise indicated significantly increased Positive Engagement, Revitalization, and Tranquility, and reduced Physical Exhaustion. Maximum volume of oxygen uptake (VO2max) significantly increased (2nd to 10th percentile), but not resting heart rate. No significant correlation was found between cardiorespiratory change and change in scores on depression and anxiety. No significant association was found between physiological change and change in body image Preliminary evaluation of the minimal exercise treatment was given. The need to replicate findings with larger and different samples was emphasized.
Illusory Correlation: A Function of Availability or Representativeness Heuristics?
Authors: MacDonald Michael G.
Published: August 2011

The present study sought to investigate the illusory correlation phenomenon by experimentally manipulating the availability of information through the use of the “lag” effect (Madigan, 1969). Seventy-four university students voluntarily participated in this study. Similar to Starr and Katkin's (1969) methodology, subjects were visually presented with each possible combination of four experimental problem descriptions and four sentence completions that were paired and shown twice at each of four lags (i.e., with 0, 2, 8 and 20 intervening variables). Subjects were required to make judgements concerning the frequency with which sentence completions and problem descriptions co-occurred. In agreement with previous research (Starr & Katkin, 1969), the illusory correlation effect was found for specific descriptions and sentence completions. Results also yielded a significant effect of lag for mean ratings between 0 and 2 lags; however, there was no reliable increase in judged co-occurrence at lags 8 and 20. Evidence failed to support the hypothesis that greater availability, through the experimental manipulation of lag, would result in increased frequency of co-occurrence judgements. Findings indicate that, in the present study, the illusory correlation effect is probably due to a situational bias based on the representativeness heuristic.
Coincidence Timing of a Soccer Pass: Effects of Stimulus Velocity and Movement Distance
Authors: Williams L. R. T.
Published: August 2011

The effect of stimulus velocity and movement extent on coincidence timing and spatial accuracy of a soccer pass was investigated. A Bassin anticipation timer provided light stimulus velocities of 1.79 or 2.68 m/sec. (designated as “Low” and “High”, respectively), and subjects were required to kick a stationary soccer ball so that it struck a target in coincidence with the arrival of the light stimulus at the end of the runway. Two kick types were used. The “Short” condition began with the subject 70 cm from the ball and required a single forward step with the nonkicking leg before making the kick. The “Long” condition began 140 cm from the ball and required two steps before the kick. Twenty male subjects were given 16 trials under each of the four combinations of stimulus velocity and kick type. The expectation that the faster stimulus velocity would be associated with lower coincidence timing scores for both absolute error (AE) and variable error (VE) and with late responding for constant error (CE) was upheld with the exception that for the Long Kick-High Velocity condition, AE was highest. The index of preprogramming (IP) was used to test the hypothesis that a two-stage control process would characterise coincidence anticipation performance involving whole-body movements. Results showed that the preparatory phase of responding produced zero-order IPs signifying reliance on feedback control. Also, while the striking phase produced high IP and suggested reliance on preprogrammed control, the possibility that the High Velocity conditions may have limited the responses was recognised. As a consequence, the role of open-loop processes remained equivocal. The findings are, however, in agreement with the view that the sensorimotor and movement-execution phases of responding require a process that is characterised by adaptability to regulatory features of the environment via closed-loop mechanisms involving perception-action coupling.
Relationship between Semantic Paraphasias and Related Nonverbal Factors
Authors: Lewis Frederick C. , Soares Lygia
Published: August 2011

Word-finding deficits are a common problem in aphasic patients. One hypothesis suggests that the difficulty that patients experience in naming objects or pictures is related to a disruption in the ability to access the lexicon. Another hypothesis suggests that these problems are caused by a disruption of the mental dictionary and the semantic representations contained in it. The main purpose of this study is to assess whether nonverbal factors such as the ability to distinguish between similar attributes of objects is related to word-use problems in aphasia. 14 adults with left hemisphere cerebrovascular accidents and some word-use deficit were administered the first 30 items of the Boston Naming Test and the Conceptual Matching subtest of the Detroit Test of Learning Aptitude. Errors on the Conceptual Matching subtest correlated significantly with the number of semantic paraphasias.
Factors Affecting Metamotivational Reversals during Motor Task Performance
Authors: Hudson Joanne , Bates M. Dennis
Published: August 2011

Reversal theory proposes that the individual's psychological state constantly switches between metamotivational state pairs (such as Apter's 1982 telic–paratelic pair). Three factors are thought to affect reversals: frustration, contingent event, and satiation. Only a few studies have directly investigated these factors in sports contexts, and evidence is needed to assess support for these factors. In a laboratory setting, 24 participants performed a relic and a paratelic version of a dart-throwing task for 10 min. Participants were free to change from one task version to another as they wished, and reasons for any task changes were solicited. Task changes, indicative of reversals, were observed in 11 participants, and these were reported as due to satiation or frustration but not to contingent events. These findings may inform the structure of sessions on skill development but require confirmation in actual sports contexts.
Changes in the Semantic Constraint of Spreading Activation of Memory across Three Age Groups
Authors: Toyota Hiroshi
Published: August 2011

28 undergraduate, 34 sixth-grade, and 36 second-grade students studied target words embedded in interchangeable or noninterchangeable sentences, and then performed free recall tests. In an interchangeable sentence the word which was to be remembered and its associated word fitted sensibly, whereas in a noninterchangeable sentence the target word fitted sensibly but its word associate did not. Undergraduates recalled the target words in noninterchangeable sentences better than sixth or second graders for whom a difference was not observed (undergraduates > sixth graders = second graders). In interchangeable sentences undergraduates recalled more targets than sixth or second graders, and sixth graders recalled more than second graders (undergraduates > sixth graders > second graders). The results were interpreted as indicating changes across age groups in the semantic constraint of spreading activation of target words in memory.
Effect of An Audience on Learning a Novel Motor Skill
Authors: Sawyer Donald T. , Noel Frederic J.
Published: August 2011

The purpose of this study was to assess effects of an audience on learning a novel motor skill. Subjects ( N = 64) were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions and administered 15 30-sec. trials with 30-sec. intertrial periods on a pursuit rotor task on two different days. Comparison of Time-on-Targer performance between conditions indicated that the No Audience condition had significantly higher performance than the Audience condition in Session 1. Comparison of Absolute Retention and Final Retention scores among the four experimental conditions in Session 2 after 48 hr. yielded no significant differences attributable to the presence of an audience, thus supporting the hypothesis that an audience would have no effect on learning.
Performance of a Psychomotor Skill following Rest, Exercise at the Plasma Epinephrine Threshold and Maximal Intensity Exercise
Authors: Mc Morris Terry , Sproule John , Draper Steve , Child Rob
Published: August 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of exercising at the epinephrine threshold and at Maximum Power Output on the performance of a skill that requires both decision-making and motor performance. Participants ( N=12) undertook an incremental test to exhaustion from which their epinephrine threshold and Maximum Power Output were calculated. They were then examined on a soccer skill test following rest and exercise that was previously determined to elicit their epinephrine threshold and Maximum Power Output. The soccer test examined the participants' speed and accuracy of response. Speed of response was measured by voice reaction time and whole body reaction time. No significant effects of exercise were shown for any of the variables. The need for further research using more complex skill tests and the use of discontinuous exercise protocols, rather than continuous ones, is recommended.
An Automated Administration of Corsi's Block-Tapping Test
Authors: Nelson Roy E. , Dickson Andrew L. , Baños James H.
Published: August 2011

Corsi's Block-tapping Test has been a clinically useful test of visuo-spatial memory. Participants (15 men, 15 women) completed an automated and a manual version of the Block-tapping Test, the findings for which suggest that the automated and manual versions gave very similar scores.
A Revised Spatial Serial Learning and Memory Procedure Using Corsi's Block-Tapping Apparatus
Authors: Crawford Scott M. , Dickson Andrew L. , Baños James H.
Published: August 2011

The purpose of this study was to use Corsi's Block Tapping Test as a spatial analog of Benton's Serial Digit Learning Test, using the cognitive neuroscience approach utilized in the California Verbal Learning Test. 60 normal participants, ages 19–52 years, were included and administered an 8-block sequence for 9 trials or until they recalled the entire sequence for 3 consecutive errorless trials. The score was the number of blocks tapped in the correct serial order. An interference trial was administered. Following a 10-min. delay, free recall of the original sequence, cued recall, and recognition measures were obtained. Retroactive interference was significant, but no proactive interference emerged. Scores showed a strong primacy effect. Most participants who learned the sequence to the criterion of three successive errorless trials recalled the sequence after the 10-min. delay. Scores on the cued recall and recognition trials tended to support their validity as less demanding retrieval tasks. The use of this spatial learning and memory procedure allows finer discriminations among nonverbal memory deficits and may facilitate direct comparisons with scores on verbal memory tasks such as Serial Digit Learning and the California Verbal Learning Test.
Predictors of Physical Fitness in a College Sample
Authors: Smith Teresa , Smith Billy , Davis Michael , Howell Deborah , Servedio Frank J.
Published: August 2011

The present study examined the relationships among self-reported amounts of exercise, body composition, age, weight, blood pressure, and physical fitness. Participants reported their duration and frequency of exercise, which were combined to obtain individual indexes of exercise. V̇O2 max predicted from a 1-mi. walk test, percent body fat via sum of skinfolds, blood pressure, and flexibility of the lower back and posterior thigh were measured. Findings indicated that age and exercise index were significant predictors of fitness for women, and percent body fat was a significant predictor for men. Results suggest individuals' exercise index moderately correlates with fitness, although it is not the only contributing factor.
Perception of Visual Illusions by Novice and Longer-Term Meditators
Authors: Tloczynski Joseph , Santucci Aimee , Astor-Stetson Eileen
Published: August 2011

Undergraduate volunteers were divided into Control ( n = 18) and Novice Meditators ( n = 8). Residents of an American Zen monastery who volunteered as subjects, having 1 year or more experience in meditation, formed a Longer-term Meditation group. All subjects were tested over five trials on the Poggendorff and Müller-Lyer illusions and completed the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. Significant mean differences were found only for algebraic errors on the Poggendorff illusion, and significant decrement in illusion was noted for all subjects. A significant interaction was also found as the Longer-term Meditators showed less initial illusion and less dramatic decrement over five trials than the other groups. Finally, Longer-term Meditators exhibited significantly less anxiety and depression than the other two groups.