bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tactile Stimulation and Interhemispheric Communication by Learning Disabled Children: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Berlin Donna F.
Published: September 2011

33 right-handed, learning disabled children aged 8–10 yr., 11–13 yr., and 14–16 yr. were presented a tactile discrimination task. Pairs of fabrics of different or the same texture were presented to the same hand (uncrossed condition) or alternating hands (crossed condition). Analysis indicated that the total number of crossed errors was significantly greater for the youngest children. There were no significant differences between the groups for the uncrossed condition. These results suggest that younger learning disabled children may experience greater difficulty on a task which required interhemispheric transfer.
Attributes Related to Teachers' Attitudes
Authors: Rizzo Terry L.
Published: September 2011

A survey was conducted to determine the relationship between attitudes of 194 physical educators toward teaching handicapped pupils in regular classes and six attributes: (a) sex of teachers, (b) highest degree earned, (c) age, (d) coursework in physical education for handicapped pupils, (e) coursework outside of physical education on handicapped pupils, and (f) teaching experience with handicapped pupils. A simultaneous multiple-regression model was applied to the data to identify and explain the collective and separate contributions of the attributes to the attitudes Courses on handicapped pupils taught outside of physical education and age were significantly correlated with attitudes of the physical educators, but the other four attributes were not correlated.
Tracking Ability of Elementary School-Age Children
Authors: Dunham Paul , Allan Roxanne , Winter Rob
Published: September 2011

140 elementary-school-age children in Grades K to 6 practiced 20-sec. pursuit rotor trials at gradually increasing difficulty until they could not attain a criterion performance of 70% time on target. Analysis indicated significant effect for grades and sex.
Information Processing as a Predictor of Offensive Ability in Baseball
Authors: Nielsen Darhl , McGown Carl
Published: September 2011

It has become very popular to view the human as a processor of information, with reaction time (RT) used in various ways to measure the speed of information processing. In many sports quick decisions are essential to success. It is tempting to study reaction time, infer information-processing ability, and use the results to make predictions about success. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between various RT and movement time (MT) measures [simple RT, simple MT, simple total response time (TRT), choice RT, choice MT, choice TRT, and information-processing ability as determined by the increase in RT from simple to eight-choice conditions] with batting average, slugging percentage, and total average. 40 varsity baseball players from Colorado State University, University of Wyoming, University of Utah, and Brigham Young University were given 24 practice attempts followed by 48 experimental attempts for both simple and choice RT and MT. These scores were then correlated with batting averages, slugging percentages, and total averages. This research demonstrated no relationship between the various measurements of reaction and movement times and offensive ability in baseball.
Teachers' Self-Disclosure Sought by College Students
Authors: Simpson Madeline L. , McCombs Freda , Sedgwick Ellery , Sprague Rosemary
Published: September 2011

Students in Psychology, English, and Natural Science were invited to submit questions for information deemed by them pertinent to success in a course. A 13-category classification of the 1030 items collected from 194 students showed dominance of personal and teacher-related questions. Mean number of questions for upper classmen were consistently lower than those for lower classmen, this being interpreted as a normative and developmental tendency. Types of questions were restricted to cultural norms that centered on personal traits, interests, attitudes, opinions, and work of the target person, rather than on interpersonal relationships, morality, sex, and personal concerns. Analysis of class-size effects indicated that students attending a large class asked significantly more questions than those attending a small class in one of the four categories assessed, grading practices. Lower classmen tended to ask more questions about acceptable classroom behavior than upper classmen.
Compliance with Homework to Employ Self-Instructions in Controlling ICE Water Pain: An Analogue to Counseling
Authors: Martin Glen A. , Worthington Everett L.
Published: September 2011

40 women were taught to use self-statements to cope with pain caused by ice water. The trainer used four different strategies for reassigning a homework task of using self-statements to cope with pain produced by immersing one hand in ice water. The strategies were equally effective in eliciting compliance with the homework assignment.
Interhemispheric Transfer of Visual Information in Schizophrenics
Authors: Fogliani Anna M. , Parisi Riccardo , Fogliani-Messina Teresa M. , Rapisarda Vincenzo
Published: September 2011

Groups of 12 male schizophrenic inpatients and 12 normal controls of the same age, sex, and schooling underwent a tachistoscopic test. Each subject was shown an alphabetical letter which he subsequently had to recognize among various other alphabetical letters also shown tachistoscopically. The visual hemifields of the two displays were ipsilateral and crossed. Relative to the normal group the schizophrenics showed higher perceptual thresholds, lower over-all mean performance, and greater lateralization. The results are discussed in terms of rigidly and poorly integrated systems of analysis of information between one hemisphere and the other for schizophrenic patients.
Audiospatial Integration
Authors: Ruff Ronald M.
Published: September 2011

A method to examine audiospatial integration was developed through studies of normal and brain-injured patients. The method used a sound source sequentially outlining a spatial pattern within an array of 100 loudspeakers. For 48 subjects tested with this method, the presence or absence of visual cues had no effect in audiospatial processing. Eye movements also did not match the perceived sound patterns. Significantly higher hit rates were obtained by placing the panel of loudspeakers in front, behind or above the subject rather than on the left or right. These differences were observed with involuntary but not with voluntary head-fixation. Theoretical concepts of audiospatial processing are discussed.
Effect of Night Exercise during 27-Hr. Total Sleep Deprivation on the Subsequent Sleep
Authors: Matsumoto Kazuya , Saito Yoshio , Furumi Kouichi , Abe Masao
Published: September 2011

This study was designed to determine the effects from loading and nonloading of night physical exercise during 27-hr. total sleep deprivation on the subsequent sleep. Subjects were 6 healthy male students. They cycled on the bicycle ergometer at 50% of VO2 max for 10 min., and then rested for 20 min.; repeated this schedule 14 times during the night (00:00 to 08:00). The standard polysomnograms were recorded during day sleep after exercise and during the following recovery-night sleep. When night exercise was not imposed, the sleep recordings were made during the day sleep (day sleep after no exercise), after the 27-hr. total sleep deprivation and following recovery night sleep. Stage 3 and Stage 4 sleep latencies were significantly shortened in the exercise condition as compared with those on baseline night and the no-exercise condition. The mean amount of slow-wave sleep was in the order of baseline < no exercise < exercise, each increase being significant. Stage 2 sleep, however, significantly decreased. The rectal temperature during sleep was significantly higher in the early half of day sleep after exercise than in that without exercise. The self-rating of the sleep depth and rapidness of sleep onset were only significantly better for both conditions compared with that for baseline night. There were no significant differences on any sleep parameters between the exercise conditions after recovery sleep. Results suggest that the increase in slow-wave sleep during day sleep after night exercise may be ascribed to the effects of both the exercise and the total sleep deprivation. The results support the hypothesis that increase in slow-wave sleep was part of recovery from fatigue.
Hyperlexia and a Variant of Hypergraphia
Authors: Burd Larry , Kerbeshian Jacob
Published: September 2011

A patient with hyperlexia and hypergraphia is described. The unusual co-occurence of these two abilities is discussed. Hyperlexia may provide a useful marker to guide educational programming.
Development and Validation of a Questionnaire for Course Evaluation
Authors: Wolfe Mary L.
Published: September 2011

A 16-item questionnaire was developed for pre- and postinstructional use in evaluating a semester course in nursing research methods. Factor analysis of the responses from 54 undergraduates yielded the following dimensions: Fear of Failure, Challenge and Relevance, Lack of Interest, and Intrinsic Value. Pre- to postinstructional shifts in the direction of more favorable ratings were found on all factors. The utility of preinstructional evaluation as a baseline measure was addressed.
Developmental Trends in Dichhaptic Lateralization
Authors: Van Blerkom Malcolm L.
Published: September 2011

Two studies on developmental trends in dichhaptic lateralization for nonlinguistic stimuli were conducted on school-aged children. Study 1 included 60 students in Grades 1, 5, and 9. Study 2 included 200 students from Grades 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. Both studies showed significant age-related increases in over-all dichhaptic accuracy. In Study 2 a significant left-hand advantage for all subjects as well as an over-all advantage for boys were noted. Significant interactions indicated different developmental trends for boys and girls but did not show clear patterns in the development of lateralization.
Perceptual, Motor, and Verbal Skills of Monolingual and Bilingual Hispanic Children: A Discriminant Analysis
Authors: Powers Stephen , Lopez Richard L.
Published: September 2011

A total of 50 monolingual and 50 bilingual preschool children were compared on the motor response subscales of the Cooperative Preschool Inventory (knowledge of body parts, the ability to follow simple instructions or complex directions, general knowledge, quantitative knowledge, and perceptual-motor coordination). The inventory was administered in English. Possible confounding variables of cultural differences, age, socioeconomic status and total ability were controlled. A discriminant analysis followed by univariate F tests indicated monolingual pupils were superior to bilingual pupils in knowledge of body parts, whereas bilingual pupils were superior to monolingual pupils in the ability to follow complex directions and in perceptual-motor coordination.
College Mathematics Achievement and Logical Reasoning
Authors: Webb June
Published: September 2011

The Burney logical Reasoning test was administered to 297 college students in a wide range of college mathematics courses. By comparing the mean scores on the Logical Reasoning Test for A, B, C, D, and F students, the analysis of variance showed a significant difference. Further post hoc analysis showed that students who receive lower Logical Reasoning Test scores are more likely to receive lower grades in a wide range of mathematics classes than students who receive A and B grades. A second related question of how much of the variance in students' mathematics grades could be accounted for by their Logical Reasoning Test scores was addressed. Given that grades in mathematics courses are a function of multiple factors, the study confirmed that students' levels of logical reasoning could account for a small but significant 13% of the variance. When students were divided into five clusters based on the level of the mathematics classes, logical reasoning ability predicted course grades in some subsets of mathematics classes more than in others.
Visual Memory in a Spelling Matching Task: Comparison of Good and Poor Spellers
Authors: Ormrod Jeanne Ellis
Published: September 2011

The role of visual memory in learning to spell words was investigated through a matching task on which one nonsense word was presented, then a second word identical in spelling or differing in one letter was presented. Ten pairs of 9th and 10th-grade students, matched for intelligence and sex but of different spelling ability, were asked to indicate whether word pairs were spelled the same or differently. The two words of a pair were either the same or different in print size or letter case. Significant effects were obtained for spelling ability, print size (same or different), and letter case (same or different), and the interaction of size × case, providing evidence for the use of visual memory by both good and poor spellers in learning to spell words. Good spellers were equally able to identify matched and mismatched pairs, while poor spellers showed greater difficulty in identifying mismatches than matches, supporting Frith's (1980) “partial cues” explanation of poor spelling performance.
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised IQ Equivalents of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised Scores for Adults
Authors: Feingold Alan
Published: September 2011

It was argued that the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R) is an inadequate instrument for the clinical assessment of adults low in intellectual ability and that the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised (WISC—R) is a more appropriate scale. Because the WAIS—R and WISC—R IQs are equivalent at age 16, a brief procedure was outlined for determining WAIS—R IQ equivalents of WISC—R performance.
Spiral Aftereffect in Assessment of Brain Damage
Authors: McFarland Patricia A.
Published: September 2011

The potential role of the Archimedes spiral aftereffect, an illusory negative aftereffect of apparent movement, in the assessment of brain damage has been the subject of investigation by clinicians for over thirty years. The results beating on its utility have been highly equivocal. This paper reviews the more important studies, identifies salient issues, and suggests directions for research into brain damage using this intriguing procedure
Processing of Form: Further Evidence for the Necessity of Attention
Authors: Butler Lillian , Kelvie Stuart J. Mc
Published: September 2011

Using the materials and general procedure described by Rock and Gutman (1981), 160 subjects were required to attend selectively to a series of 10 red or green outlines of two overlapping contours. Immediately afterwards, six groups of 20 subjects were administered various kinds of recognition tests involving attended, unattended, or new figures, and two groups of 20 were asked to provide affect ratings of the test stimuli. Consistent with the findings of Rock and Gutman in 1981, attended outlines were selected as old more often than unattended or new ones. Although some data in a single-stimulus condition suggested that the unattended forms were “discriminated negatively,” this effect was not replicated with forced-choice testing. Over-all, there was little evidence that, on unattended forms, subjects were significantly more accurate, differentially confident or displayed more liking than on new ones. These results are interpreted as supporting the view that attention is required for the cognitive representation of form.
Ice Cream Preference: The Relationship of Cost and Quality
Authors: Kunz Phillip R.
Published: September 2011

Junior high students showed a preference for inexpensive ice cream while adults preferred more expensive ice cream; university students were in a middle position. It appears that taste for more expensive ice cream is associated with age, but it is not clear whether this is learned although it appears to be inasmuch as it is not universal across the various groups.
Geophysical Variables and Behavior: XXIX. Impact of Atmospheric Conditions on Occurrences of Individual Violence among Canadian Penitentiary Populations
Authors: Ganjavi Ozhand , Schell Bernadette , Cachon Jean-Charles , Porporino Frank
Published: September 2011

This project studied the effects of weather variables and size of the population on minor and major violence rates within six prisons in the Kingston, Ontario, Canada area from January, 1980 through December, 1983. While weather variables have been studied in relation to mood changes within the general population, this study was the first to analyze the impact of weather variables on rates of violence within the prison setting using forward inclusion multiple regression. Analysis showed that (1) population size consistently appeared positively correlated with assaults on other inmates among the male medium-security prisoners during the summer months. (2) In the summer months, temperature tended to be positively related to some minor kinds of offenses, but in the winter months the relationship was negative. (3) Humidity, rain, sunshine hours, snow, and snow on the ground were not consistently related to incidences of minor and major violence. (4) Indices of geomagnetic disturbances had statistically significant inverse relationships with attempted suicide/self-inflicted injury rates among the male prisoners during the summer months. (5) Over 12 months, wind was generally negatively correlated with incidences of major and minor violence among the male inmates. For 6-mo. periods, wind was generally positively correlated with violence rates during the winter months and negatively correlated during the summer months among the male inmates. (6) The findings relating weather variables to violence rates is the women's prison were consistently in opposition to those found for male prisoners during the 4-yr. period.
Effects of Stimulus Characteristics and Sex of Subject on Perceived Emotion
Authors: Cutler Gregory H. , Gilgen Albert R. , Gilpin Andrew R.
Published: September 2011

To determine the influence of pupil size, eye size, sex of stimulus face, and sex of subject on perceived emotion, 308 college students filled in missing features on stimulus faces. Each face was independently rated by two male judges on a continuum of negative to positive emotion. Analysis indicated that sex of subject was the only variable to affect perceived emotion. Women ( n = 175) tended to draw faces that were judged to be more positive than faces drawn by men ( n = 133).
Wechsler Performance IQ Deficit in Depressed Children
Authors: Brumback Roger A.
Published: September 2011

The original analysis of data on 100 consecutive school age children referred for evaluation of school difficulties showed no differences in IQ among the children with depression and those without depression. Reanalysis of those data shows that a significant number of the depressed children (but not the nondepressed children) have a 15-IQ point Wechsler Performance IQ deficit. This supports the contention that a major subgroup of depressed individuals have right cerebral-hemisphere dysfunction.
A Dictionary of Affect in Language: II. Word Inclusion and Additional Validation
Authors: Whissell Cynthia , Charuk Kerry
Published: September 2011

Validation for the bipolar two-dimensional ratings of the “Dictionary of Affect in Language” word list of Sweeney and Whissell is deduced on the basis of 7 single-word descriptors of potential emotional reactions to imaginary situations produced by 27 subjects for each of 9 situations. Mean scores for Pleasantness and Activation in each situation, based on ratings from the list, showed significant differences associated with situations. Results for Pleasantness completely mirrored a priori predictions, while those for Activation were somewhat less systematic. Of the 2676 words produced by subjects, only 14% (173 distinct words) were not included in the original list.
Effects of Mood Manipulation on Personality and Task Performance
Authors: Cappelli Mario , Cacciotti Carla
Published: September 2011

The study examined the interaction of mood and personality on task performance. The subjects were 123 volunteer undergraduate students who were randomly assigned to one of three mood conditions: control, “depressing,” or “elating.” Prior to completing an inverted-alphabet task, subjects in the “depressing” condition viewed a film and read a short article on the subject of death, while subjects in the “elating” condition viewed a film and read an article on success. The “elating” condition enhanced performance and the “depressing” condition adversely affected performance. There were, however, no differences between groups varying in extraversion, neuroticism, or psychoticism.
Some Effects of Congenital Spasticity on Fundamental Frequency
Authors: Jacques Richard D. , Rastatter Michael , Sullivan James
Published: September 2011

5 normal speakers and 5 speakers with congenital upper motor-neuron damage repeatedly spoke a three-word sentence stressing the first, second, or third words. Fundamental frequency was measured for each word and over each sentence. Analysis showed that the spastics' mean fundamental frequency was significantly higher than the normals', regardless of utterance. Also, spastics were more restricted in their prosodic maneuvering above this average fundamental frequency. Despite this finding, the spastics were capable of producing consistent stress patterns with normal variability.
Sex Differences in Perceiving Analgesic Drug Effects as Measured by Subjective Pain Ratings: A Concealed Signal Detection Theory Analysis
Authors: Classen Wilhelm , Netter P.
Published: September 2011

In a study using metamizole and placebo as equivalents of a strong and a weak stimulus in a signal detection device female headache patients show better ability to discriminate the two drug stimuli than males, whereas there is no significant effect with respect to response bias.
Timing and Rate of Development of Tension Produced by the Fast Voluntary Contraction of the Rectus Femoris Muscle
Authors: Nagasaki Hiroshi , Nakamura Ryuichi
Published: September 2011

Tension produced by isometric contraction of the rectus femoris muscle for rapid knee extension was examined at different levels of force with five normal subjects, using an on-line method to measure the timing and the rate of development of tension. Tension began to rise about 50 msec, after onset of electromyographic activity of the rectus femoris muscle, increased most sharply at about 60 msec, after its rise, and attained maximum at about 100 msec. The rate of tension development was determined solely by the maximum tension from first 20 msec, up to 100 msec., while timing remained approximately constant regardless of the force. The result confirmed well a force-control hypothesis of maximal speed ballistic movement of a body segment that the motor centre controls the amplitude of force output when time to develop tension is invariant.
Utility of the Group Coefficient of Variation in Predicting Speech-Motor Equivalence in Normal and Articulatory Disordered Speakers
Authors: Rastatter Michael , Sullivan James
Published: September 2011

Coefficients of variation of EMG signals from the orbicularis oris superior, orbicularis oris inferior, and masseter muscles of normal 4- and 8-yr.-olds and adults and of articulatory disordered 8-yr.-olds suggests that development of speech motor equivalence is individualized, muscle-dependent, and affects all children. Age-related differences were noted. Group data did not predict individual values.
Other Race Recognition: A Comparison of Black American and African Subjects
Authors: Carroo Agatha White
Published: September 2011

The ability of black American and black African men to recognize previously seen white male faces was assessed. Relationships between recognition, performance scores and quality of interracial experience were also examined. Black American participants ( n = 10) performed significantly better and made fewer false responses than the Nigerian participants ( n = 10). Significant positive relationships were found between performance scores and interracial experience. Differential use of cues for discriminatng white male faces by both groups was also found.
Effects of an Observer on Conformity to Handwashing Norm
Authors: Pedersen Darhl M. , Keithly Sheila , Brady Karie
Published: September 2011

Women were observed after elimination in a public restroom to determine the effects of the presence or absence of an observer upon the likelihood of handwashing. 18 of 20 subjects in the presence of another and 3 of 19 who were not observed washed. The difference in frequency of handwashing between the two groups was clearly significant.
Effects of Music Education on Development of Holistic Empathy
Authors: Kalliopuska Mirja , Ruókonen Inkeri
Published: September 2011

To survey the empathy of 6-yr.-old children and the role of music education in developing empathy from two day-care centers 15 children took part for 3 mo. in music activities once a week; the remaining 15 were controls. Children were tested before and after a period of musical activities. The children's empathy was measured with the Feshbach and Roe Empathy Test and the Ikonen-Nylund Test on Sociability. The teachers completed Weir and Duveen's Prosociability Scale and the Kalliopuska Prosociability Scale. In the trained group empathy increased significantly relative to that of the control group. The holistic view of empathy stresses that an optimal empathy campaign should develop affective, cognitive, and kinaesthetic aspects of empathy.
Relationship of Left-Right Reversals to Academic Achievement
Authors: Boone Helon C.
Published: September 2011

The study was designed to investigate the relationship of reversal of letters and numbers to academic achievement to decide if the tendency to reversal might be used to predict achievement. Two groups of 45 predominantly white third-grade students whose chronological ages were 9.0 yr. or above were administered the California Achievement Tests and the Jordan Left-Right Reversal Test. A statistical comparison was made using scaled scores on the California Achievement Tests and raw errors on the Jordan Left-Right Reversal Test. Reversal was significantly correlated with academic achievement. Children who exhibit reversals at 9 yr. of age or older may be expected to perform less well academically than children who do not reverse letters.
Pupillometric Assessment of the Readability of Two Video Screen Fonts
Authors: Metalis Spero A. , Hess Eckhard H.
Published: September 2011

A passage of text was presented in either a normal type font or one of two unusual type fronts. While each of the 10 subjects was reading this passage, a phrase at a time, his pupil size was determined using a computer-based procedure that generated averaged response waveforms. Pupil size varied as a direct function of the cognitive load imposed by reading unusual type fonts. The average evoked waveforms showed that the pupil was consistently larger during reading in the more cognitively demanding type font.
Effects of Structured Preshot Behaviors on Beginning Golf Performance
Authors: Crews Debra J. , Boutcher Stephen H.
Published: September 2011

Male and female students of beginning golf participated in a “preshot routine” study. 8 men and 7 women learned and practiced a specific routine of actions prior to performing a full swing while 9 men and 6 women (controls) practiced only the swing. Subjective and objective performance measures were completed before and after the 8-wk. training session. Trained men had higher posttraining scores than controls and trained women, but no significant differences were found between trained women and other groups on either measure. As trained men had superior skill before and after training, perhaps a certain level of skill must be established before the preshot routine is effective.
Vision and Academic Performance of Learning Disabled Children
Authors: Wharry Rhoda E. , Kirkpatrick Sue W.
Published: September 2011

The purpose of this study was to assess differences in academic performance among myopic, hyperopic, and emmetropic children who were learning disabled. More specifically, myopic children were expected to perform better on mathematical and spatial tasks than would hyperopic ones and that hyperopic and emmetropic children would perform better on verbal measures than would myopic ones. For 439 learning disabled students visual anomalies were determined via a Generated Retinal Reflex Image Screening System. Test data were obtained from school files. Partial support for the hypothesis was obtained. Myopic learning disabled children outperformed hyperopic and emmetropic children on the Key Math test. Myopic children scored better than hyperopic children on the WRAT Reading subtest and on the Durrell Analysis of Reading Difficulty Oral Reading Comprehension, Oral Rate, Flashword, and Spelling subtests, and on the Key Math Measurement and Total Scores. Severity of refractive error significantly affected the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Revised Full Scale, Performance Scale, Verbal Scale, and Digit Span scores but did not affect any academic test scores. Several other findings were also reported. Those with nonametropic problems scored higher than those without problems on the Key Math Time subtest. Implications supportive of the theories of Benbow and Benbow and Geschwind and Behan were stated.
Effect of Context on Perception of Emotion among Psychiatric Patients
Authors: Muzekari Louis H. , Knudsen Harold , Evans Terry
Published: September 2011

The purpose of this research was to examine the extent to which verbal statements of context influence psychiatric patients' perception of photographs of emotion (fear, anger, sadness, and happiness). The major findings showed that, when photographs were paired congruently with context statements, there were significant changes in agreement among subjects on two of the four emotion stimuli. There was significantly less agreement on the meaning of facial expressions when the stimuli for fear, anger, and happiness were accompanied by incongruent verbal statements than when they were viewed alone. These data appear to have implications for practitioners working with this population.
Effects of Presentation Speed on Comprehension of Computer-Presented Text
Authors: Pevey Mark E. , Allred Thomas R. , Palya William L.
Published: September 2011

100 students in introductory psychology served as subjects in an experiment designed to assess the effects of various speeds of presenting text on reading comprehension. A computer was used to present textual material of varying difficulty levels to four groups of students via CRT terminals. Presentation speeds were 110, 300, 600, or 1200 baud (11—120 characters per sec.). A fifth group of students was presented the textual material printed on sheets of paper. An analysis of variance indicated that differences in text difficulty were quite reliable whereas the presentation speed did not have a reliable effect on reading comprehension.
Bilateral Transfer across Ages 7 to 17 Years
Authors: Byrd Ronald , Gibson Melvin , Gleason Memory Hammond
Published: September 2011

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effect of age on bilateral transfer. 96 girls, ages 7 to 17 yr., performed 14 trials on a rotary pursuit tracking task (45 rpm, 30-sec. trials, 10 sec. between trials). Half of the subjects performed the first seven trials with the preferred hand, using the nonpreferred hand on the subsequent seven trials. The order was reversed for the other subjects. There were no significant differences between groups in initial scores or in increases in time on target over the first seven trials, supporting the hypothesis that this was a novel task. There was an increase in time on target across ages and age influenced bilateral transfer, with older girls profiting more from the other-hand practice. Transfer was greater from preferred to nonpreferred than the reverse.
Relationship between Introversion/Extraversion, Values regarding Control over Information, and Perceptions of Invasion of Privacy
Authors: Stone Dianna L.
Published: September 2011

A laboratory study examined the relationship between individual differences in introversion/extraversion, values regarding control over personal information, and perceptions of invasion of privacy. 119 subjects were asked to complete the Eysenck Personality Inventory, a personal data questionnaire, a measure of values regarding control over information, and a measure of perceived invasion of privacy. Regression/correlational analyses indicated that both introversion and values regarding control over personal information were positively related to perceptions of invasion of privacy.
Gifted Children and Visual Aural Digit Span Test Performance
Authors: Knoff Howard M.
Published: September 2011

The performance of 81 gifted elementary students on the Visual Aural Digit Span test is discussed. The students generally showed advanced performance from Grade 1 through Grade 5 and from age 7–0 yr. through 11–11 yr. Performance at Grade 6 and the 12–0 to 12–11-yr.-old levels were generally at age-expected levels and were probably restricted due to the test's limited ceiling. Tables of means across grade and age and needs for further research are also presented.
Alpha Enhancement: A Comparison Study of Biofeedback, Open Focus Training, and Control Procedures
Authors: Drennen William T. , O'Reilly Brenda Kennedy
Published: September 2011

Alpha wave production has been related to affective and physiological arousal states since Berger's (1929) initial research. More recently, the possibility of subjects' control of alpha production has been investigated via the innovation of biofeedback procedures. Research conducted by Kamiya in the 1960s and others led to the early conclusion that alpha-wave production could be controlled and that such control could faclitate enhancement of a person's state of physical and psychological well-being. Subsequent research data have questioned these conclusions. The present study focused upon alpha-wave production with or without a procedure for relaxation called “open-focus training.” Twenty subjects were divided into four equal groups and seen for three 20-min. sessions. Results suggested a deterioration of alpha production with all groups combined, no significant differences between the biofeedback and no biofeedback control groups (without “open-focus training”), and greater decrease in alpha production during each session in the “open-focus” groups (with or without biofeedback). These unusual results and their implications are discussed.
Effects of Endurance Training on Body-Consciousness in Women
Authors: Skrinar Gary S. , Bullen Beverly A. , Cheek Jonathan M. , McArthur Janet W. , Vaughan Linda K.
Published: September 2011

The Body Consciousness Questionnaire by Miller, Murphy, and Buss in 1981 was employed to assess the effects of intensive endurance training on changes in self-perception in 13 women volunteers aged 20 to 30 yr. The participants engaged in an intensive progressive running program for 6 to 8 wk. Additional moderate exercise (softball or volleyball) was engaged in for 3 ½ hr. per day. Before and after the training subjects completed the questionnaire on self-perceived attributes of internal body consciousness, public body consciousness, and body competence. Aerobic fitness, measured pre- and posttraining, significantly increased while body fat and weight significantly decreased. In consonance with these physiological changes, rated self-perception of internal body consciousness and body competence increased significantly while public body consciousness remained unchanged. Self-report of internal body consciousness tended to increase in proportion to changes in fitness ( r = 0.53). These results suggest that endurance and moderate exercise training contribute to increased self-perception specifically with regard to perceived internal and body competence.
Relationship between Perceptual Style and Ability to Reproduce a Standard Work Task
Authors: Mangum Michael , Hall Evelyn , Pargman David , Sylva Michael
Published: September 2011

The present study examined the relationship between perceptual style and perception of physical effort. Perceptual style of 10 men and 10 women was assessed by the rod-and-frame apparatus. Perception of physical effort was defined as the difference in heart-rate responses between a standard work task and the subject's self-selected task. Heart-rate response on the preselected standard work task on a cycle ergometer (600 kpm · min.−1) was extremely variable, ranging from 111 to 188 beats per minute ( M = 153 ± 23.5). However, average error between heart rate during the standard work task and the subjects' self-adjusted workload was extremely low (range 0 to 18 beats per minute; M = 5.4 ± 5.5 beats per minute). Pearson correlation of .78 showed a moderate relationship between heart rate and rating of perceived effort, but was nonsignificant (-.12) between perceptual style and perception of physical effort. The data confirm the absence of a significant relationship between perceptual style (i.e., field dependence-independence) and ability to reproduce a standard work task. In addition, these results suggest that there has been possible bias in studies of relationships between heart rate and rating of perceived effort or workload and rating of perceived effort during incremental testing.
Task Performance and Electromyopotential as Functions of Task Difficulty and EMG Feedback
Authors: Connally Roy E. , Dieter John N. , Uliano Kevin
Published: September 2011

The dearth of empirical research in the application of biofeedback is discussed. Exp. 1 assessed relationships among biofeedback EMG training, EMG levels, cognitive task performance, and task difficulty. 72 subjects (male or female college students) were administered 1 trial on an iconic memory task with either EMG audio feedback, sham EMG audio feedback, or no feedback. Three levels of task difficulty were used. One 20-min. training session significantly lowered EMG responses, and task performance was inversely related to task difficulty. No relationship between EMG level and task performance was observed. Exp. 2 investigated the effect of increased EMG responses on cognitive task performance for one level of difficulty. One biofeedback training session did not significantly increase frontalis EMG, and there was no relationship between increased EMG and task performance.
Research on Effects of Color Reversal on the Visual Perceptual and Visuomotor Performances of Spastic Cerebral Palsied and other Exceptional Individuals
Authors: Marozas Donald S. , May Deborah C.
Published: September 2011

Research pertaining to the effects of color-reversal (black and white) on the visual perceptual and visuomotor performances of spastic cerebral-palsied children and other exceptional individuals was examined. In general, evidence to date suggests that spastic cerebral-palsied children show significant improvement in visuomotor and visual perceptual performance with the color-reversal of the standard black-on-white figure-ground relationship in stimulus and response materials of standardized tests.
Test of Reliability of a Componential Analysis of Motion Verbs
Authors: Gallivan Joanne
Published: September 2011

Cluster analysis of data obtained on a sorting task confirmed a componential analysis of motion verbs for 80% of the sample of words used. This indicates that the analysis is reasonable but may need further refinement to describe better how language users understand the words and the relations among their meanings.
Effects of Water and Land in Early Experience Programs on the Motor Development and Movement Comfortableness of Infants Aged 6 to 18 MO
Authors: Plimpton Carol E.
Published: September 2011

29 parent-infant pairs in early motor experience programs were studied to determine whether such programs influence motor development and movement comfortableness of the infant aged 6 to 18 mo. Infants were randomly assigned to one of five groups: Water-Water, Land-Land, Land-Water, Water-Land, or Control. Activity groups met in 20-min. sessions twice per week for 7 wk. Analysis of covariance of pre- and posttest scores on the Bayley Motor Scale assessed effects of the programs on motor development. Movement comfortableness was assessed by live observation by trained coders (four times during the study) who performed interval recording of six selected behaviors. Analysis of variance compared activity groups. Findings of both the analyses and of general descriptive analysis are discussed.
Colour Preference: A New Approach
Authors: Zöld Bálint , Tóth Tibor , Tolna Judit
Published: September 2011

To date the use of the colour preference phenomenon in test studies has been associated with exclusive application of the categorical nature of colour perception. It seems justified to approach the phenomenon also from the angle of the hypothesis of priority of the dimensional coding processes that operate in colour perception. A model-type dimensional colour test involving the method of semantic differential has been devised. Using well-matched groups, the consistency of age, sex, and social dependency of the colour preference phenomenon can be clearly described in the dimensional approach. The test-retest reliability of the model test can be considered satisfactory for four of the six dimensions (0.67 to 0.84). The test is validated by comparison with the parameters of the Maudsley Personality Inventory and averaged personality ratings on a 70-item check list made by 16 or 17 peers. The dimensional model test can give better results than those produced by colour tests adopting the categorical approach.
Meaning Change Miscues across Four Modes of Writing
Authors: Kolczynski Richard G.
Published: September 2011

The Reading Miscue Inventory was used to analyze the miscues of 20 college freshmen generated while reading passages from four modes of writing: narrative, descriptive, expository, and persuasive. Ranked scores showed no significant difference in the total number of miscues among the passages. Findings suggest that the reading process remains stable across the four modes. Teaching readers to “shift” strategies according to mode of writing appears questionable.
Effects of Socioeconomic Differences on the Sophistication of Nigerian Children's Human Figure Drawings
Authors: Pfeffer K. , Olowu A.
Published: September 2011

Drawings of a man and a woman were obtained from 125 Yoruba school children from middle and low income schools. Comparisons based on over-all shape and proportion of figures, inclusion of and position of body parts, and inclusion of clothes and fine details were made between subjects of middle and low income. Middle-income children drew more realistic figures than low-income children based on all the measured criteria. Findings were related to differences in socialization. Implications for education were also discussed.
Four-Year-Old Children's Visual Attention in Direct and Observational Learning
Authors: Ohnogi Hiroaki
Published: September 2011

The study was designed to compare direct learning (learning by performing) with observational learning (learning by observing) on a memory task that assessed 4-year-old children's selective attention. 17 pairs of kindergarteners of the same sex (aged 3 yr., 8 mo. to 4 yr., 4 mo.) participated in a central-incidental memory task. Data from a retention test indicated that (a) the performers' mean central learning score was higher than their mean incidental score, while the observers showed no difference between their central and incidental learning scores, (b) performers had a higher mean central learning score than observers. On the other hand, the frequency of the subjects' overt visual attention to the task in their learning phase was also counted. Both observers and performers showed high frequency of visual attention.
Does Placebo Response Mediate Runner's High?
Authors: Hinton Elizabeth R. , Taylor Steven
Published: September 2011

It is proposed that runner's high is mediated by increased endorphin release as induced by placebo responses arising from subjective expectancies and setting.
Behavioral Thermoregulation with Microwave Radiation of Albino Rats
Authors: Vitulli William F. , Mott Jerry M. , Quinn Joseph M. , Loskamp Kathy L. , Dodson Rebecca S.
Published: September 2011

The objective of this exploratory study was to investigate the extent to which microwave radiation would reinforce operant behavior in a cold environment. A reversal-design with the single subject serving as its own control was used for testing the reinforcing properties of microwaves. Six albino rats were conditioned to produce 6-sec. pulses of microwave radiation within a refrigerated environment. The schedule of reinforcement was continuous (erf). Each lever press produced a 6-sec. output of microwave radiation. The intensity of radiation was varied across blocks of sessions in the reversal design. Microwave values used were as follows: 62.5 W, 125 W, 250 W, and 437.5 W. Sessions lasted from 8 to 9 hr. over an approximate 7-mo. period. Results showed that rates of operant responding varied as a direct function of microwave intensity. Relatively high mean rates were associated with moderate microwave intensity (250 W), whereas lower mean rates of responding were associated with extreme microwave intensities (62.5 W and 437.5 W) in the reversal design. These data are explained in terms of satiation and deprivation of the reinforcing value of microwave radiation.
Self-Concepts of Youth Sport Participants and Nonparticipants in Grades 3 and 6
Authors: Smith Theresa L.
Published: September 2011

Increasing concern has been expressed about the possible detrimental effects of competitive youth sports upon aspects of psychological development, especially concerning aggression, anxiety, and poor self-concept. This study examined the self-concepts of 208 participants and nonparticipants in third and sixth grade youth team spores from urban, middle, and lower middle-class backgrounds. A three-factor (participation × grade × sex) analysis of variance applied to self-concept data yielded a significant main effect with participants higher in self-concept than nonparticipants. Significant interactions indicated that differences were not uniform. Perhaps at different ages (grades) participation and nonparticipation in youth team sports may provide different social reinforcement for boys and girls.
Lateral Dominance and Visual Evoked Potentials in Albinos
Authors: Murdoch B. D. , Reef H. E.
Published: September 2011

Lateral preferences for the use of eye, hand, and foot were assessed in 17 male and female albino subjects, aged 15 to 52 yr. Visual evoked potential (VEP) recordings suggested that optic fibres were abnormally decussated in these subjects, as others have shown. Fewer albino subjects showed the lateral preference for the use of hand/eye and foot/eye similar to that of normals. It is postulated that the abnormal decussation of optic fibres may underlie the reduced preference for the use of the same hand and eye, and foot and eye, in albinos.
Developmental Aspects of Organizational Strategies in Recall of Extent of Movement
Authors: Docherty D. , Van Gyn G. H. , Falkenberg L.
Published: September 2011

Ten boys and 10 girls, each at 6, 9, 12, and 15 yr. of age were presented four movement distances which had to be recalled in specific order. The children were precued for presentation order or for the order in which the distances were to be recalled. As expected, error in recall decreased significantly with age, greatest performance differences occurring between the age groups of 6 and 9 yr. Recalling distances from longest to shortest produced less error than either random order or shortest to longest recall, in all age groups. There was no significant effect for precue condition, so differences in performance could not be accounted for by any organizational strategy made possible by the information available in the precue condition. Development of spatial abilities may have masked other changes.