A comparison of BASIC language timing loops for the TRS-80 microcomputer

For users who wish to program the TRS-80 microcomputer exclusively in BASIC, the FOR-NEXT timing loop provides almost twice as fine temporal resolution as the incrementing loop. A temporal resolution of 6.62 msec is possible with the FOR-NEXT loop.     

Three-dimensional spatial representation in freely swimming fish

Research on spatial cognition has focused on how animals encode the horizontal component of space. However, most animals travel vertically within their environments, particularly those that fly or swim. Pelagic fish move with six degrees of freedom and must integrate these components to navigate accurately--how do they do this? Using an assay based on associative learning of the vertical and horizontal components of space within a rotating Y-maze, we found that fish (Astyanax fasciatus) learned and remembered information from both horizontal and vertical axes when they were presented either separately or as an integrated three-dimensional unit. When information from the two components conflicted, the fish used the previously learned vertical information in preference to the horizontal. This not only demonstrates that the horizontal and vertical components are stored separately in the fishes' representation of space (simplifying the problem of 3D navigation), but also suggests that the vertical axis contains particularly salient spatial cues--presumably including hydrostatic pressure. To explore this latter possibility, we developed a physical theoretical model that shows how fish could determine their absolute depth using pressure. We next considered full volumetric spatial cognition. Astyanax were trained to swim towards a reward in a Y-maze that could be rotated, before the arms were removed during probe trials. The subjects were tracked in three dimensions as they swam freely through the surrounding cubic tank. The results revealed that fish are able to accurately encode metric information in a volume, and that the error accrued in the horizontal and vertical axes whilst swimming in probe trials was similar. Together, these experiments demonstrate that unlike in surface-bound rats, the vertical component of the representation of space is vitally important to fishes. We hypothesise that the representation of space in the brain of vertebrates could ultimately be shaped by the number of the degrees of freedom of movement that binds the navigating animal.     

The Internal Structure of Responses to the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Short Form: An Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Notwithstanding the wide use of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Short Form (TEIQue–SF) as a brief assessment of trait emotional intelligence (TEI), the psychometric properties of this measure have not been systematically examined. This article reports on research conducted to evaluate the latent structure underlying TEIQue–SF item data and test the gender invariance of scores as critical initial steps in determining the psychometric robustness of the inventory. In doing so, the article demonstrates an application of exploratory structural equation modeling as an alternative to the more restrictive independent clusters model of confirmatory factor analysis for examining factorially complex personality data. On the basis of 476 responses to the TEIQue–SF, evidence was obtained for the multidimensionality of the inventory reflected in a retained correlated traits solution. Tests of gender invariance revealed equivalence of item factor loadings, intercepts, uniquenesses, correlated uniquenesses, and the factor variance–covariance matrix, but not latent means. Men were found to be moderately higher on self-control and sociability than women, whereas women scored marginally higher on emotionality than men. No significant gender differences were found on mean levels of well-being. The benefits of the multidimensionality of the TEIQue–SF, limitations of the study, and directions for future research are discussed.     

An analysis of confusion errors in many-to-one matching with temporal and nontemporal samples

In experiment 1, pigeons were trained to match temporal (2, 8, and 10 s of houselight) and location (feeder light, left key, center key illumination) samples to color comparison stimuli. Red choices were correct following the 2-s and feeder light, orange choices were correct following the 8-s and center key, and green choices were correct following the 10-s and left key. Samples that were harder to discriminate (8- vs 10-s, and left vs center key) were mapped onto comparisons that were easy to discriminate (orange vs green), while samples that were easier to discriminate (2- vs 8-s, and feeder light vs left key) were mapped onto comparisons that were hard to discriminate(red vs orange). The pattern of errors for temporal and location samples indicated that these samples were not represented by a common code even though they were associated with the same comparison stimuli. In experiment 2, the same pigeons were trained with visual samples in which samples that were hard to discriminate (triangle vs circle) were mapped onto comparisons that were easy to discriminate (orange vs green), while samples that were easy to discriminate(plus vs triangle) were mapped onto comparisons that were hard to discriminate (red vs orange). Following acquisition of the visual discrimination, the temporal samples were re-introduced and many-to-one training was continued. During delay testing, the pattern of errors for temporal and visual samples was equivalent and consistent with the hypothesis that visual samples were being coded in terms of the duration appropriate for the temporal sample with which it shared a common comparison response. Data from no-sample test sessions ruled out a simple response bias explanation of the data. The properties of common codes for temporal and nontemporal events can be somewhat flexible and more complicated than previously envisaged. Received: 21 January 1998 / Accepted after revision: 5 April 1998     

Luminance thresholds for the Bezold-Brücke hue shift

This study presents data on the luminance difference at which a hue difference is first perceived between two identical spectral lights. Thresholds were obtained for both luminance increments and decrements from a 2.00 log troland standard for wavelengths between 470 nm and 690 nm. A predicted luminance threshold for each wavelength was calculated based on wavelength discrimination data and the Purdy constant hue contours; i.e. that luminance at which the constant hue contour intersects the wavelength discrimination bound for a given wavelength. A generally good agreement was obtained between observed and predicted values.     

The Role of Trait Emotional Intelligence in Academic Performance: Theoretical Overview and Empirical Update

Considerable debate still exists among scholars over the role of trait emotional intelligence (TEI) in academic performance. The dominant theoretical position is that TEI should be orthogonal or only weakly related to achievement; yet, there are strong theoretical reasons to believe that TEI plays a key role in performance. The purpose of the current article is to provide (a) an overview of the possible theoretical mechanisms linking TEI with achievement and (b) an update on empirical research examining this relationship. To elucidate these theoretical mechanisms, the overview draws on multiple theories of emotion and regulation, including TEI theory, social-functional accounts of emotion, and expectancy-value and psychobiological model of emotion and regulation. Although these theoretical accounts variously emphasize different variables as focal constructs, when taken together, they provide a comprehensive picture of the possible mechanisms linking TEI with achievement. In this regard, the article redresses the problem of vaguely specified theoretical links currently hampering progress in the field. The article closes with a consideration of directions for future research.     

Affective and effective: Military job performance as a function of work‐related emotional intelligence

The military is a highly stressful career that requires one to work closely with others. These features of the military render it plausible that skills related to emotional perception and management—or emotional intelligence—would tend to benefit performance within this setting. Hypotheses of this type were examined in a panel study that presented 152 active duty military personnel with a new scenario‐based measure that specifically focused on emotional occurrences within the workplace. As hypothesized, work‐related emotional intelligence (W‐EI) positively predicted task performance, discipline, organizational citizenship, and employees with higher W‐EI levels received a greater number of performance commendations. Additionally, these relationships tended to remain significant in discriminant multiple regressions. Altogether, the results provide important evidence for the benefits of W‐EI within an occupational context that requires a high degree of coordination as well as stress management.     

Profiles of career adaptivity and their relations with adaptability,adapting, and adaptation

Career adaptivity is the first factor in a chain of putative effects posited in the career construction theory (CCT): Adaptivity → Adaptability → Adapting → Adaptation. Hitherto, research on adaptivity has chiefly used variable-centered strategies to investigate the independent effects of adaptivity-related traits on adaptability, adapting, and adaptation averaged over all individuals constituting a sample. The present research, comprising two studies, seeks to extend this work by using person-centered analytic strategies to identify distinct profiles of adaptivity based on combinations of the Big-Five personality dimensions. We also examine the associations of profile membership with adaptability, adapting, and adaptation from the CCT perspective. Latent profile analyses revealed that a comparable 3-profile solution, comprising so-called “adaptive ready”, “ordinary”, and “rigid” adaptivity profiles, fit best in both studies using distinct measures of the Big-Five. Furthermore, across both studies, the latent subgroups were found to differ on levels of adaptability measured using two distinct instruments. Adaptability was highest in the “adaptive ready” subgroup followed by the “ordinary” and “rigid” subgroups, respectively. Finally, Study 2 showed that the adaptivity profiles differed with respect to indices of adapting (viz., organized study behaviors) and adaptation (viz., academic and career-choice satisfaction) in line with expectations from the CCT. The present findings constitute the first evidence showing that career adaptivity can be adequately represented via trait interactions. The findings also add to the empirical literature underpinning the CCT. Furthermore, this research is an informative demonstration of the utility of finite mixture analyses.     

Age-Related Differences in Locomotor Strategies During Adaptive Walking

Simultaneous control of lower limb stepping movements and trunk motion is important for skilled walking; adapting gait to environmental constraints requires frequent alternations in stepping and trunk motion. These alterations provide a window into the locomotor strategies adopted by the walker. The authors examined gait strategies in young and healthy older adults when manipulating step width. Anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) smoothness (quantified by harmonic ratios) and stepping consistency (quantified by gait variability) were analyzed during narrow and wide walking while controlling cadence to preferred pace. Results indicated older adults preserved ML smoothness at the expense of AP smoothness, shortened their steps, and exhibited reduced stepping consistency. The authors conclude that older adults prioritized ML control over forward progression during adaptive walking challenges.