bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Role of Adolescent Female Volleyball Players' Psychophysiological Properties and Body Build in Performance of Different Elements of the Game
Authors: Stamm Raini , Stamm Meelis , Thomson Kaivo
Published: September 2010

Body-build peculiarities (49 body measurements) and psychophysiological properties (21 computerized tests) of 32 adolescent female volleyballers were studied to assess their significance in performance at competitions. Games were recorded by the original computer program Game, and an index of proficiency representative elements of the game was calculated for each player. Regression analysis was applied to predict the best psychophysiological and anthropometric models for serve, reception, block, feint, and attack. Seven tests of psychophysiological indices and 14 anthropometric variables explained 38–98% and 32–83% of skill performance, respectively. Consequently, to improve young volleyball players' performance, everyday coaching should be complemented by detailed assessment of their body build and psychophysiological characteristics.
Visual Behavior and Perception of Trajectories of Moving Objects with Visual Occlusion
Authors: Moreno Francisco J. , Luis Vicente , Salgado Francisco , García Juan A. , Reina Raúl
Published: September 2010

Experienced athletes in sports with moving objects have shown greater skill when using visual information to anticipate the direction of a moving object than nonexperienced athletes of those sports. Studies have shown that expert athletes are more effective than novices in occlusion situations in the first stages of the sports sequence. In this study, 12 athletes with different competitive experience in sports with moving objects viewed a sequence of tennis ball launches with and without visual occlusion, launched by a ball-shooting machine toward different areas with respect to the participant's position. The relation among visual behavior, occlusion time, and the precision of the task is reviewed. The spot where the balls bounced was analysed by a digital camera and visual behavior by an Eye Tracking System. Analysis showed that the nonexperienced athletes made significantly more errors and were more variable in visual occlusion conditions. Participants had a stable visual search strategy.
Spatial- versus Object-Oriented Architectural Environments: Preference and Perception
Authors: Shepley Mardelle McCuskey
Published: September 2010

This study examined changes in perceptual response and preference for a specific category of architectural environment by age groups. Understanding relationships among age, perception, and preference is important in creating more appropriate environments. The hypothesis was that individuals who score field-dependent on an Embedded Figures Test would prefer architectural environments which support spatial orientation, while individuals who are field-independent would prefer environments without information on spatial organization or an object-oriented space. It was also hypothesized that children and elderly persons would score more field-dependent and prefer spatially orienting spaces. 64 subjects ages 4 to 85 years were recruited from local schools, various organizations for seniors and adults, given the Embedded Figures Test to measure field dependence, and were compared. Their scores were compared by preference for one of the two environments. Hypotheses were not supported for the spaces overall, however, clear patterns regarding seating preference were identified. Children and seniors had significantly more field-dependent preferences.
Measuring Men's Response to an Imagined Negative Body Image
Authors: Campbell Marcella E.
Published: September 2010

To investigate response to an imagined negative body image, a sample of 29 men from an undergraduate university were given the Body Image Affect Scale of Campbell and Chow. Analysis showed more men, if they are experiencing a poor appearance, would try to cover up physical flaws and avoid approaching an individual in whom they were interested.
Rethinking of the Heuristic-Analytic Dual Process Theory: A Comment on Wada and Nittono (2004) and the Reasoning Process in the Wason Selection Task
Authors: Cardaci Maurizio , Misuraca Raffaella
Published: September 2010

This paper raises some methodological problems in the dual process explanation provided by Wada and Nittono for their 2004 results using the Wason selection task. We maintain that the Nittono rethinking approach is weak and that it should be refined to grasp better the evidence of analytic processes.
Mental Imagery Combined with Physical Practice of Approach Shots for Golf Beginners
Authors: Brouziyne M. , Molinaro C.
Published: September 2010

Recent research on motor skills of golf have pointed to the usefulness of mental imagery. In golf, such training is rarely used as a teaching technique for beginners on the grounds that only top professionals stand to gain from mental imagery. This study tested whether mental imagery combined with physical practice can improve golf performance for the approach shot. 23 volunteer beginners, 8 women and 15 men, M age 23.4 yr. ( SD = 3.7), enrolled in the University Physical and Sporting Activities Department, were divided into three groups, using a combination of physical practice of the approach shot plus mental imagery, physical practice only, and a third group engaging in various sporting activities instead of either mental or physical practice of the chip shot. Analysis showed that the beginners' approach shot performance improved most in the group combining physical practice and mental imagery when compared with the group just physically practising the approach shot. It seems mental training can be used effectively to improve performance even with beginners.
Role of Orientation in Perception of Emotions
Authors: Nagy Emese , Loveland Katherine A. , Molnar Peter
Published: September 2010

Our study examined whether perception of novel emotions, as with perception of novel objects, elicits a cardiac orientation reaction. Using a habituation-dishabituation paradigm, data from 11 adult subjects showed that orientation to both novel emotions and novel objects elicited a heart-rate deceleration. Results suggest that the orientation reaction may be an integral part of perception of emotion. Perception of emotions, therefore, is a complex, multistep process that includes an early orientation reaction.
Effect of a Novel Motion Desensitization Training Regime and Controlled Breathing on Habituation to Motion Sickness
Authors: Sang Fleur Yen Pik , Billar Jessica , Gresty Michael A. , Golding John F.
Published: September 2010

To study whether controlled breathing, known to ameliorate motion sickness, speeds habituation to nauseogenic motion when used in a novel accelerated training regime, 30 participants (13 men, 17 women, ages 18–51 years) were randomized to either a Breathing group or a Control group. Randomization was balanced for rotation tolerance measured during a first exposure to off-vertical axis rotation (OVAR 72°sec.−1). Participants subsequently received four exposures to OVAR in 1-hr. (accelerated training). The Breathing group followed taped instructions to control their breathing during training and when retested the next day. There was overall habituation with stimulus repetition, shown by an increase in tolerance for motion, a reduction in symptoms, and speeded recovery times on retesting. There was a tendency for greater habituation with controlled breathing.
Psychometric Testing and Applications of the Body Attitudes Questionnaire Translated into Portuguese
Authors: Scagliusi Fernanda Baeza , Polacow Viviane Ozores , Coelho Desire , Philippi Sonia Tucunduva , Cordás Táki Athanássios , Alvarenga Marle , Lancha Antonio Herbert
Published: September 2010

Although many body attitudes scales have been developed, none have been translated into Portuguese. This study aimed to translate the Ben-Tovim and Walker Body Attitudes Questionnaire and assess validity and reliability for a Brazilian sample. Women with ( n = 39) and without ( n = 57) eating disorders completed the scale, to assess discriminant validity. Convergent validity was assessed by the correlations between the scores and a measure of body dissatisfaction. The questionnaire was applied twice to controls after 1 mo. to evaluate reliability. Eating-disordered women had significantly higher mean scores on Feeling Fat, Disparagement, Salience and Lower Body Fatness, and lower scores on Attractiveness. No mean difference on Strength and Fitness was found. Most subscales were significantly correlated with the body-dissatisfaction measure. Test-retest coefficients ranged from .57 to .85. The translated version of the Body Attitudes Questionnaire seems to be a valid and reliable measure of body attitudes.
Preferred Body Type of Fitness Instructors among University Students in Exercise Classes
Authors: Evans Retta R. , Cotter Ellen M. , Roy Jane L. P.
Published: September 2010

This study examined the relationship between participants' physique anxiety, eating behaviors, somatotype, and the preferred qualifications and body type of a fitness instructor. Subjects were 171 students attending fitness classes at a university. Analysis indicated that the women preferred a thinner fitness instructor than men and that enthusiasm, motivation, and being physically fit were considered the most important characteristics overall. No significant racial differences in key variables were found.
Explanation for Neon Color Effect in Achromatic Line Segments on Chromatic Inducers Based on the Multiple Interpretation Hypothesis
Authors: Sohmiya Seiyu
Published: September 2010

In van Tuijl's neon configurations, an achromatic line segment on a blue inducer produces yellowish illusory color in the illusory area. This illusion has been explained based on the idea of the complementary color induced by the blue inducer. However, it is proposed here that this illusion can be also explained by introducing the assumption that the visual system unconsciously interprets an achromatic color as information that is constituted by transparent and nontransparent colors. If this explanation is correct, not only this illusion, but also the simultaneous color contrast illusion can be explained without using the idea of the complementary color induction.
Elongation and Enclosure
Authors: Stamps Arthur E.
Published: September 2010

Previous work suggested that elongation, horizontal area, and the boundary material might influence impressions of enclosure. This article describes an experiment in which these three factors were crossed. Ratings of open/enclosed by 15 respondents on 16 plazas indicated that the elongation ratio (range: 1:1 up to 1:1.8) had the strongest effect on impressions of enclosure (18% of variance). Horizontal area (12.25 m2 vs 49 m2) area accounted for 3% of variance. The amount of variance attributable to boundary material (plants vs walls) was an order of magnitude smaller (0.3%).
Exact and Resampling Probability Values for Measures of Categorical Variation and Consensus
Authors: Johnston Janis E. , Berry Kenneth J. , Mielke Paul W.
Published: September 2010

When analyzing categorical data, it is often important to assess the magnitude of variation, or consensus, among observations in unordered categories. Utilizing the theory of partitions, exact solutions for five commonly used measures of categorical variation are presented. When the number of partitions is very large, resampling methods provide close approximations to exact probability values.
Israelis' Attitudes toward the Disengagement Plan, Perceived Risk, and Knowledge of Biblical Events
Authors: Birnbaum Aiton
Published: September 2010

A sample of 73 Israeli students perceived current risks related to the disengagement plan but showed low awareness of Biblical civil wars and political assassinations. Attitude toward disengagement did not correlate with current perceived risks or awareness of Biblical violence. Left-leaning subjects were more supportive of disengagement and perceived greater risk of political assassination in its wake.
The Sport Motivation Scale for Children: Preliminary Analysis in Physical Education Classes
Authors: Zahariadis Panayotis N. , Tsorbatzoudis Haralambos , Grouios George
Published: September 2010

This study was done to test the psychometric properties of the modified version of the Sport Motivation Scale adapted for children in physical education. Participants were elementary school students ( N = 452, Mage = 13.9 ± 1.04) who responded to the Sport Motivation Scale for Children. The scale assesses three types of motivation at the contextual level, namely, Intrinsic Motivation, Extrinsic Motivation, and Amotivation. Results supported the construct validity ( CFI = .95), and internal consistency of the scale (Cronbach α>.65). Correlations indicated Sport Motivation Scale for Children simplex pattern exhibiting higher correlations among adjacent subscales than subscales farther apart. The concurrent validity, examined through correlations with scores on the Physical Self-description Questionnaire was satisfactory. Sex differences were examined to assess the discriminant validity. Boys were more intrinsically motivated than girls. Overall, the scale seems a useful one for assessment of motivation in physical education.
Relationship between Directionality and Orientation in Drawings by Young Children and Adults
Authors: Taguchi Masanori , Noma Yutaka
Published: September 2010

The present study examined the relationship between directionality of drawing movements and the orientation of drawn products in right-handed adults and young children for 27 Japanese kindergartners and 29 Japanese university students who were asked to draw with each hand fishes in side view and circles from several starting points. Significant values of χ2 for distributions of frequencies of orientation of the fish drawings and the direction of circular drawing movement indicated that adult right-handers drawing the fish facing to the left tended to draw a circle clockwise when they drew with the dominant hand, while there was no such significant relationship in young children's drawings. This result may suggest that the reading and writing habits may be implicated in the direction of drawing movements with the dominant hand, and this directional bias of drawing movement in the dominant hand can appear in the orientation of finished drawings.
Accuracy and Speed of Orthographic Processing in Persons with Developmental Dyslexia
Authors: King Wayne M. , Lombardino Linda L. , Ahmed Sarah
Published: September 2010

A group of 39 persons (20 male and 19 female, 11.0 to 32.5 yr.) with developmental dyslexia and 42 controls (21 male and 21 female, 11.2 to 32.3 years) were compared on computerized tests of sight word reading, nonword decoding, and spelling recognition. The subjects with developmental dyslexia performed significantly slower and less accurately than controls on all tasks. Further, the effect size of the group differences was larger for the older group. Within-group analyses showed a significant difference by age group on accuracy. Only the control group showed a significant age difference between groups on response time. Mean accuracy and response times for the reading-disabled subjects resembled shifted versions of the control group means. These results agree with previous reports that phonological deficits persist for reading-disabled adults and suggest a test of whether the discrepancy between reading-disabled and typically achieving readers may actually increase across age groups.
Evaluating Current Deficit Theories of Poor Reading: Role of Phonological Processing, Naming Speed, Balance Automaticity, Rapid Verbal Perception and Working Memory
Authors: Savage Robert , Patni Ulla , Frederickson Norah , Goodwin Roz , Smith Nicola , Tuersley Louise
Published: September 2010

To clarify the nature of cognitive deficits experienced by poor readers, 9 10-yr.-old poor readers were matched against 9 chronological age and 9 younger reading age-matched controls screened and selected from regular classrooms. Poor readers performed significantly more poorly than chronological age-matched peers on digit naming speed, spoonerisms, and nonsense word reading. Poor readers were also significantly poorer than reading age-matched controls on nonword reading but were significantly better than reading age-matched controls on postural stability. Analyses of effect sizes were consistent with these findings, showing strong effects for digit naming speed, spoonerisms, and nonword reading. However, effect size analysis also suggested that poor readers experienced moderate difficulties with balance automatisation but did not show verbal speech perception deficits relative to either control group.
An Analysis of Players' Consistency among Professional Golfers: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Clark Russell D.
Published: September 2010

This study followed the performance of individual professional golfers who played from 1997 to 2000 on the Professional Golfers Association Tour (PGA Tour, N = 35), Ladies Professional Golfers Association Tour (LPGA Tour, N = 25), and Senior Professional Golfers Association Tour (SPGA Tour, N = 31) and investigated individual players' consistency in round-to-round performance within tournaments. Although the number of players showing consistency for most years exceeded chance expectations, evidence for round-to-round consistency from one year to the next for any player was small. Such evidence suggests that variability in player performance is more the rule than the exception for players on the three American professional tours.
Changes in Recovery-Stress State and Performance in Elite Rowers during Preparation for Major Competitions
Authors: Purge Priit , Jürimäe Jaak , Jürimäe Toivo
Published: September 2010

This study investigated changes in the perceived recovery-stress state and performance in 6 highly trained Estonian rowers preparing for major competitions and representing Estonia in double sculls (age: M = 23.0, SD = 1.4 yr.; height: M = 198.0, SD = 0.0 cm; body mass: M = 97.1, SD = 6.4 kg), and quadruple sculls (age: M = 21.5, SD = 2.5 yr.; height: M = 189.5, SD = 5.4 cm; body mass: M = 90.9, SD = 4.8 kg). The subjects were training regularly and had been doing so for the last 10.5 yr. (double scullers, SD = 2.1 yr.) and 7.5 yr. (quadruple scullers, SD = 3.1 yr.), respectively. The Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes of Kellmann and Kallus was given two days before World Cup competitions. Standardized Stress and Standardized Recovery scores and RESTQ-Index were computed. In addition, resting Cortisol in blood was measured at the same time. The performance of both boat classes constantly decreased from World Cup 1 to World Cup 3 as indicated by percent losses for winning boats. Resting Cortisol and RESTQ-Index increased and decreased, respectively, at the same time. For double scullers, a decrease in RESTQ-Index mainly reflected the large decrease in the Standardized Recovery score. A decrease in RESTQ-Index was mainly based on a large increase in the Standardized Stress score for rowers performing in a quadruple scull. Present results indicate that the recovery-stress state affects performance of rowers in international competitions. RESTQ-Index could be used as the athletes' resource measure, while the Standardized Stress and Standardized Recovery scores reflect the athletes' extent of stress and recovery separately.
The “Birthday Blues” in a Sample of Major League Baseball Players' Suicides
Authors: Lester David
Published: September 2010

Among 74 major league baseball players known to have committed suicide, 17 occurred within 28 days of the players' birthdays as compared to an expected number of 11.4.
Development of a Portable Psychometric Testing Device for Use in the Field: An Alcohol Investigation
Authors: Degia Andria , Meadows Robert , Johnsen Sigurd , Hindmarch Ian , Boyle Julia
Published: September 2010

Cognitive and psychomotor performance have traditionally been assessed in the laboratory. There is a need for an objective portable assessment tool to assess cognitive and psychomotor performance. This study investigated the viability of a portable psychometric test battery, in a controlled laboratory environment, possibly leading to use in the field. A randomised, double-blind placebo controlled, three-way crossover design was employed. 16 subjects received 50 mg/100 ml and 80 mg/100 ml of alcohol and alcohol placebo. Performance was assessed with a tracking task, and an attention task presented on a small ruggedised handheld computer. The attention task showed no significant training effects; however, an element of the tracking task did. Statistical significance, effect size, and test-retest reliability analyses are presented indicating sensitivity of the portable psychometric test battery to the impairing effects of two separate doses of alcohol. Ability to undertake wide-scale impairment testing in the field with meaningful results in the absence of baseline data collection may have wide reaching implications, particularly in relation to the assessment of drivers impaired by drug use.
Sex Differences in Portuguese Lonely Hearts Advertisements
Authors: Neto Félix
Published: September 2010

Advertisements from “Lonely Hearts” columns in the major daily Portuguese newspaper (Jornal de Notícias) were used to test hypotheses about the mate preferences of men and women. A total of 484 advertisements were coded for demographic descriptors and offers of and appeals for attractiveness, financial security, sincerity, expressiveness, and instrumentality, e.g., intelligence and ambition. Some results supported social exchange and evolutionary predictions: men sought younger women and offered security; women sought older men with status and resources. However, other results challenged such predictions: attractiveness and expressiveness did not differ by sex.
The Domestic Behavior of Northerners and Southerners
Authors: Lester David
Published: September 2010

The northern and southern regions of a sample of 26 nations did not differ in birth, marriage, or divorce rates.
Effects of Modeling and Topic Stimulus on Self-Referent Touching
Authors: Butzen Nathan David , Bissonnette Victor , McBrayer Dan
Published: September 2010

Self-touching is defined as self-directed touches, e.g., scratching or rubbing, that have no apparent conscious motivation. Earlier research on self-touching focused on internal processes associated with self-touching, e.g., mental conflict, while more recent research has considered external motivators, such as an auditory or visual presentation of a provocative stimulus, e.g., leeches. Here, 110 undergraduate psychology students (68 women, 42 men; M age = 18.7 yr., SD = 1.0) were shown a video about chiggers to replicate previous findings, while simultaneously studying the social influence of self-touching modeled by the presenter. A significant interaction was found as modeled self-touching significantly increased participants' self-touching when they were also attending to the video about chiggers. The results are discussed in terms of potential processes underlying this behavior and directions for research.
National Character and Sexual Behavior
Authors: Lester David
Published: September 2010

Citizens of 22 nations which were rated as more extraverted had more sexual partners and had their first sexual encounter at a younger age than those in nations who were rated as less extraverted.
Gesture Production and Text Structure
Authors: Chieffi Sergio , Ricci Mariateresa
Published: September 2010

In the present pilot study, we examined the relationship between gesture and verbal production. Subjects were asked to read a story and then to narrate what they remembered. We analyzed verbal production according to Kintsch's procedure and obtained a list of hierarchically organized propositions that represented the meaning of subject's narration. Propositions were subdivided into High- and Low-level propositions. Further, we analyzed gesture production by identifying hand or arm movement that accompanied subject's narration. Each gesture was associated with the word simultaneously produced, and then with the proposition to which the word belonged. Analysis showed subjects were more likely to produce gestures in association with High- rather than with Low-level propositions. High-level propositions may elicit the production of gestures which, in turn, mark the importance of verbal meaning conveyed simultaneously.
Updated Internal Consistencies and Intercorrelations for the Inventory of Learning Processes
Authors: Clump Michael
Published: September 2010

Present data on the internal consistencies and interrelationships of the subscales of the Inventory of Learning Processes nearly 30 years after its development show these to be similar to the original values. Researchers can continue to use the original version of the inventory in studies investigating learning styles.
Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Auditory and Visual Memory Tasks
Authors: Raidy Desiree J. , Scharff Lauren F. V.
Published: September 2010

Probe recognition tasks have shown the effects of sleep deprivation following a full night of sleep loss. The current study investigated shorter durations of deprivation by testing 11 subjects for accuracy and response time every 2 hr. from 10 p.m. through 8 a.m. We replicated Elkin and Murray's auditory single-probe recognition task using the number triplets and added two visual tasks with number and shape triplets. Series of six stimuli were each followed by a probe, which was presented after 2.5 sec. as a short delay or 20 sec. as a long delay. Accuracy performance showed a significant decrease for the long delay beginning after 4 a.m. for the two visual tasks. Response times were significantly slower for the visual shapes task using the short delay. Visual tasks, especially shapes, may be more prone to disruption by sleep deprivation, given the visual information load and the briefness of iconic memory.
Effect of Color Schemes and Environmental Sensitivity on Job Satisfaction and Perceived Performance
Authors: Kwallek N. , Soon K. , Woodson H. , Alexander J. L.
Published: September 2010

Effects of interior office color and individual stimulus screening ability, i.e., instinctive perceptual filtering of irrelevant stimuli, on perceived performance and job satisfaction were examined on various outcome measures over a 4-day work week in a laboratory setting. Workers performed specific tasks and worked regular hours for 4 consecutive days in the same office. They were separated into three groups according to their ability to ignore irrelevant stimuli in the interior space. Those in the white and predominantly blue-green offices reported higher perceived job performance and satisfaction than those in the predominantly red office regardless of stimulus screening ability. Workers with high to moderate stimulus screening ability indicated greater perceived performance and job satisfaction than did workers with low stimulus screening ability. Results for color schemes are discussed in terms of preference and social expectations.
Controlled Exertion of Force by Developmentally Delayed Young Men and Women
Authors: Nagasawa Yoshinori , Demura Shinichi
Published: September 2010

Present purposes were to examine the characteristics of controlled force exertion in 28 developmentally delayed young people (14 men, 14 women), and sex differences compared to 28 normal young students (14 men, 14 women). The subjects matched their submaximal grip strength to changing demand values displayed in a bar chart on the display of a personal computer. The total sum of the differences between the demand value and grip exertion value for 25 sec. was used as an evaluation parameter for the test. The controlled force exertion was significantly poorer for the developmentally delayed group than for controls, and there were large individual differences. The developmentally delayed men scored poorer than women in coordination. Like the controls, the means between trials did not decrease significantly. For these developmentally delayed subjects, performance did not improve after only a few trials. The controlled force-exertion test is useful as a voluntary movement-function test for developmentally delayed subjects.
One-Sided Nonparametric Tests for Ordinal Data
Authors: Neuhäuser Markus
Published: September 2010

Baumgartner, Weiß, and Schindler (1998) introduced a novel nonparametric test for the two-sample comparison that is superior to commonly used tests such as the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. A modification of the novel test statistic can be used for one-sided comparisons based on ordinal data. Such comparisons frequently occur in psychological research, and the Wilcoxon test is often recommended for their analysis. Here, the two tests were compared in a simulation study. According to this study the tests have a similar type I error rate, but the modified Baumgartner-Weiß-Schindler test is more powerful than the Wilcoxon test.
Anxiety and Burnout in Female Collegiate Ice Hockey and Soccer Athletes
Authors: Wiggins Matthew S. , Lai Christopher , Deiters Jay A.
Published: September 2010

The purpose of this study was to assess whether athletes who perceived their scores on trait anxiety to be debilitative to performance also experienced higher burnout scores. 84 NCAA Division I female ice hockey and soccer athletes, ages 18 to 23 years, volunteered. Participants were given a trait version of the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 with an added direction scale to collect general perceptions of anxiety. They also completed the Burnout Inventory for Athletes. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance for group anxiety yielded an overall significant effect, with the Facilitative group ( n = 40) reporting a lower mean burnout score. Mean intensity of cognitive anxiety was significantly higher for the Debilitative group ( n = 44), while mean self-confidence intensity was significantly higher for the Facilitative group.
Effects of Cooperative Learning Strategy on Undergraduate Kinesiology Students' Learning Styles
Authors: Meeuwsen Harry J. , King George A. , Pederson Rockie
Published: September 2010

A growing body of research supports cooperative learning as an effective teaching strategy. A specific cooperative learning strategy, Team-based Learning, was applied to a convenience sample of four undergraduate sophomore-level motor behavior courses over four semesters from Fall 2002 to Spring 2004 to examine whether this strategy would affect students' learning styles. The data from the Grasha-Reichmann Student Learning Style Scales indicated that this teaching strategy was associated with a significant decrease in the negative Avoidant and Dependent learning styles and an improvement in the positive Participant learning style.
Effects on Reading Performance of Indention Patterns in a Chinese Sign
Authors: Huang Kuo-Chen , Hsu Sheng-Hsiung
Published: September 2010

This study investigated the effects of the use of indention in a public Chinese sign which can provide the reader with cues for the appropriate eye direction for reading a sign which facilitates reading. The between-subjects design had repeated observations on the indention design. The right or left column was indented in a Chinese sign of only two columns. 144 college students in Taiwan who served as subjects were divided into two groups by their reading comprehension and shown stimuli in a tachistoscope. Analysis showed that an indented design significantly reduced reading time but did not change accuracy rate. This result was consistent with the results of Duchnicky and Kolers' 1983 study and indicated that a reader can maintain accuracy while reducing reading time when reading a text designed with different kinds of indention layout. These results might aid designers of Chinese warning signs, especially for readers with lower reading scores.
Note regarding the Word ‘Behavior’ in Glossaries of Introductory Textbooks, Dictionaries, and Encyclopedias Devoted to Psychology
Authors: Abramson Charles I. , Place Aaron J.
Published: September 2010

Glossaries of introductory textbooks in psychology, biology, and animal behavior were surveyed to find whether they included the word ‘behavior’. In addition to texts, encyclopedias and dictionaries devoted to the study of behavior were also surveyed. Of the 138 tests sampled across all three fields, only 38 (27%) included the term ‘behavior’ in their glossaries. Of the 15 encyclopedias and dictionaries surveyed, only 5 defined ‘behavior’. To assess whether the term ‘behavior’ has disappeared from textbook glossaries or whether it has usually been absent, we sampled 23 introductory psychology texts written from 1886 to 1958. Only two texts contained glossaries, and the word ‘behavior’ was defined in both. An informal survey was conducted of students enrolled in introductory classes in psychology, biology, and animal behavior to provide data on the consistency of definitions. Students were asked to “define the word ‘behavior’.” Analysis indicated the definition was dependent upon the course. We suggest that future introductory textbook authors and editors of psychology-based dictionaries and encyclopedias include ‘behavior’ in their glossaries.
Comparing Performance by Parents and Offspring on a Rapid Tapping Task
Authors: Kim Chunggon , Kozar Bill , Vaughn Ross , Button Sherman G.
Published: September 2010

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationships between 42 parents' and their offsprings' performance on a rapid tapping task. It was expected that genetic predispositions would gradually limit children's performance on a tapping task as they matured chronologically. Four different age groups of children and their parents performed the tapping task on different sizes of boards. Repeated-measures analysis of variance indicated that, while parents' mean performance was generally higher than that of their children ( F = 32.89, p < .001), the difference was affected by the children's age, which hand was used, and the board size. Spearman rank correlation scores between parents' and children's overall performances gradually increased across age groups ( p = –.29, –.10, .47, and .40, respectively, from younger to older age groups). This finding suggests that the potential of youngsters' future performance may be predicted with greater certainty by observing their parents' present performance. This may improve the predictive power of planned programs.
Dream Recall and Sleep Duration: State or Trait Factor
Authors: Schredl Michael , Fulda Stephany
Published: September 2010

Previous research regarding the relationship between habitual sleep duration and frequency of dream recall yielded conflicting results, whereas experimental manipulation of sleep duration showed a significant effect on dream recall. In this study analyzing both effects simultaneously, the findings from diaries kept by the 196 participants over 28 to 111 days indicated that intra-individual fluctuations in sleep duration were significantly related to dream recall whereas interindividual differences in dream recall were not associated with differences in sleep duration. Sleep inertia might be an explanation for this finding.
Effects of Participants' Sex and Targets' Perceived Need on Supermarket Helping Behavior
Authors: Regan Pamela C. , Gutierrez Delia M.
Published: September 2010

A field experiment was focused on whether participants' sex and targets' perceived need influenced helping behavior. Confederates approached 332 (166 women, 166 men) same-sex participants in a supermarket and asked for 25 cents to help purchase one of three randomly assigned food items: milk which was defined as a high-need item, frozen cookie dough which served as a low-need item, or alcohol, which was a low-need item with negative social connotations. The dependent variable was whether a participant provided help. Participants' sex was not associated with helping behavior as equal proportions of men and women provided assistance to the confederate; however, perceived need strongly influenced whether the confederate received help. Specifically, the high-need item produced more helping behavior than did either of the low-need items, and the socially acceptable low-need item of cookie dough produced more helping behavior than the socially unacceptable low-need item of alcohol. This may be interpreted as showing that what one buys and how deserving of help one appears to be influence whether one is helped by others.
Preliminary Report: Psychological Assessment of Greek Women with Diabetes during Pregnancy
Authors: Ilias Ioannis , Papageorgiou Charalambos , Katsadoros Kyriakos , Zapanti Evangelia , Anastasiou Eleni
Published: September 2010

23 Greek pregnant women with type 1 diabetes had a higher mean score on the Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy than 13 women with gestational diabetes. Long-term changes in the lifestyle of the former may apparently lead to this higher mean. For those with gestational diabetes, higher scores of alexithymia were correlated with slightly worse glycemic control.
Treating Parkinsonian Speech: Development of a Feedback Rating Scale Using a Case Study
Authors: Lewis Frederick C.
Published: September 2010

The speech of people with Parkinson's disease is often unintelligible because the speaker has limited volume and imprecisely articulated speech. The Lee Silverman Voice Treatment addresses volume by requiring a patient to exert extreme effort to adduct the vocal folds and increase volume. Little attention, however, is paid to articulation. Such patients often have perceptual difficulties which prevent them from monitoring their own volume and speech. A case study presents a method for improving volume and articulation of speech of a patient with Parkinson's disease by focusing on perceptual aspects of speech.
Comparison of Spectrographic Records of Two Syllables Pronounced from Scripts in Hiragana and Romaji by Students with Different Familiarity with English
Authors: Ototake Harumi , Yamada Jun
Published: September 2010

The same syllables /mu/ and /ra/ written in Japanese hiragana and romaji given on a standard speeded naming task elicited phonetically or acoustically different responses in a syllabic hiragana condition and a romaji condition. The participants were two groups of Japanese college students ( ns = 15 and 16) with different familiarity with English as a second language. The results suggested that the phonetic reality of syllables represented in these scripts can differ, depending on the interaction between the kind of script and speakers' orthographic familiarity.
Stimulus–Response Compatibility and Response Preparation: Effects on Motor Component of Information Processing for Upper and Lower Limb Responses
Authors: Kato Yuichiro , Endo Hiroshi , Kizuka Tomohiro , Asami Takaaki
Published: September 2010

The effects of stimulus-response compatibility and response preparation on the motor component of the information processing system were investigated by analyzing the fractionated reaction time for the upper and lower limbs. The reaction time was divided into two periods with respect to the onset of electromyographic activity, premotor and motor times. The response preparation was manipulated by the probability that the locations of the precue and subsequent imperative stimulus corresponded. On a stimulus-response compatible task, subjects were required to release a key on the same side as an imperative stimulus, irrespective of the precued side. On an incompatible task, subjects were required to act in the reverse manner. The upper and lower limb responses were measured during both tasks. A repeated-measures design was used with 12 male university students. Analysis of the reaction and premotor times indicated that the stimulus-response compatibility effect became larger as response preparation decreased. The analysis of motor time yielded significant interactions between stimulus-response compatibility and limb and between response preparation and limb. These findings indicated that the motor component of information processing for the lower limb response is affected by both stimulus-response compatibility and response preparation.
Instruction in Reliability and Magnitude of Evaluation Parameters at Each Phase of a Sit-to-Stand Movement
Authors: Yamada Takayoshi , Demura Shinichi
Published: September 2010

The sit-to-stand movement strategy of each subject is different depending on whether the subjects perform voluntary movements or have concrete instructions (i.e., stand quickly), which is strongly reflected in the performance of each sit-to-stand movement phase. Thirty young-adult male subjects participated in this study ( M age = 20.7 yr; SD = 2.6). Subjects performed the two movements from a chair height adjusted to the subject's lower thigh length. In the self-administered (SA) condition, subjects voluntarily stood up from the chair without instruction, and in the assigned-ordered (AO) condition subjects stood up from the chair as fast as possible. Vertical floor reaction force and electromyograms of the rectus femoris and tibialis anterior muscles were measured, and 15 parameters were selected. The parameters in the phase between the peak value of the floor reaction force and completion of the movement was highly reliable regardless of instruction. However, other parameters had different reliabilities between the instruction conditions. In particular, the parameters in the phase between starting the movement and the peak value of the floor reaction force under the assigned-order were higher than those of the self-administered condition. Moreover, the sit-to-stand movement was conducted faster in the assigned-order condition during the phase between starting the movement and buttocks-syneresis, and the peak value of the floor reaction force and completion of the movement. From the above, in the assigned-order condition “as fast as possible,” the anteflexion bending movement and extension of knee and trunk joints were faster, and anteflexion movement was repeated more similarly under a concrete instruction such as moving as fast as possible.
Ergonomic Comparison of Operating a Built-in Touch-Pad Pointing Device and a Trackball Mouse on Posture and Muscle Activity
Authors: Lee Tzu-Hsien
Published: September 2010

This study examined the effects of operating a built-in touch-pad pointing device and a trackball mouse on participants' completion times, hand positions during operation, postural angles, and muscle activities. 8 young men were asked to perform a cursor travel task on a notebook computer using both 60- and 80-cm high table conditions. Analysis showed that the trackball mouse significantly decreased completion times. Participants selected a hand position farther from the table edge and larger elbow angle for the trackball mouse than for the built-in touch-pad pointing device. Participants' neck, thoracic, and arm angles, or splenius capitis, trapezius, deltoid, and erector spinae muscle activities were not significantly affected by the devices, but table height significantly affected participants' completion times, hand positions, and postural angles.
Hand Preference in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Authors: Niederhofer Helmut
Published: September 2010

In our Outpatient Department, we studied 56 subjects (41 males, 15 females; aged 5–16 yr.) with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) with respect to hand use in functional tasks via parental report. Left-hand use was markedly preferred, compared to that of a control group, more for complex than simple and for external (touching food and objects) than internal (scratching, rubbing eyes) tasks, suggesting a deficit in cerebral control of right-hand use. More patients were reported to have a left-hand preference than in the non-ADHD population. Furthermore, extent of laterality was greater for complex than simple external tasks and for external than for internal.
On the Association of Field Dependence-Independence with Personality, Learning Style, and Social-Political Attitudes among Adolescents
Authors: DeBell Matthew , Crystal David S.
Published: September 2010

This study examined the relationship between scores on field dependence and field independence and sensory learning preference, cognitive learning style, personality, interpersonal trust, attributions of responsibility for solving social problems, and attitudes regarding citizenship among youth. Participants were 72 private school students in Grades 6 through 12 (26 girls, 46 boys; M age: 15.2 yr., SD = 1.9). When controlling for grade and sex, field independence (measured by Group Embedded Figures Test scores) was associated with Intuitive Thinking personality, Concrete Global learning style, and rejection of individual responsibility for social problems, relative to governmental and community responsibility. Associations with other aspects of learning style fell short of significance. No association was found with generalized trust or citizenship attitudes. Reassessment of these variables with a larger sample should be undertaken.
Effect of Pedal Rate and Power Output on Rating of Perceived Exertion during Cycle Ergometry Exercise
Authors: Hamer Mark , Boutcher Yati N. , Boutcher Stephen H.
Published: September 2010

This study examined differentiated rating of perceived exertion (RPE), heart rate, and heart-rate variability during light cycle ergometry exercise at two different pedal rates. 30 healthy men (22.6 ± 0.9 yr.) were recruited from a student population and completed a continuous 20-min. cycle ergometry exercise protocol, consisting of a 4-min. warm-up (60 rev./min., 30 Watts), followed by four bouts of 4 min. at different combinations of pedal rate (40 or 80 rev./min.) and power output (40 or 80 Watts). The order of the four combinations was counterbalanced across participants. Heart rate was measured using a polar heart-rate monitor, and parasympathetic balance was assessed through time series analysis of heart-rate variability. Measures were compared using a 2 (pedal rate) × 2 (power output) repeated-measures analysis of variance. RPE was significantly greater ( p < .05) at 80 versus 40 rev./min. at 40 W. For both power outputs heart rate was significantly increased, and the high frequency component of heart-rate variability was significandy reduced at 80 compared with 40 rev./min. These findings indicate the RPE was greater at higher than at lower pedalling rates for a light absolute power output which contrasts with previous findings based on use of higher power output. Also, pedal rate had a significant effect on heart rate and heart-rate variability at constant power output.
Obstacle Avoidance in Novel Visual Environments Improved by Variable Practice Training
Authors: Cohen Helen S. , Bloomberg Jacob J. , Mulavara Ajitkumar P.
Published: September 2010

Motor performance on simple tasks improves after training in variable practice. We asked if locomotor skill during an obstacle-avoidance task in a novel sensorimotor environment improved through training in variable practice on other complex tasks. 40 normal adults practiced gross motor skills while wearing either sham lenses, one of several visual distortion lens (constant practice), or three different visual distortion lenses (variable practice). Posttests on obstacle avoidance with novel lenses showed significantly better scores with variable practice and one of the constant groups vs sham lenses. Constant and variable practice groups did not differ. Thus, performance in a novel environment improves after training on similar type novelty, even when practice and test conditions differ. Constant practice was effective only if the subjects used the lens efficacious in training. Variable practice increases the likelihood of efficacious training when adaptive performance is required in a novel environment.