A new strategy for studying spatial aptitude

A new approach to testing for and training in spatial aptitude is described. Figurai analogy problem terms from the cognitive abilities test are photodigitized and arrayed in zones on the computer screen; they can be seen only when selected with the mouse (i.e., one at a time). Viewing patterns and durations can then be analyzed to assess problem encoding and solution strategies. Implications are discussed.     

眼动轨迹匹配法：一种研究决策过程的新方法

眼动轨迹匹配法是近年来新兴的一种眼动数据分析方法, 该方法包括注视数据的预处理、兴趣区划分和编码、形成眼动轨迹字符串、计算相似性得分四个步骤。研究者采用眼动轨迹匹配法对决策过程理论及其影响因素进行的探索性研究, 证实了眼动轨迹匹配法在决策领域的可行性、精确性和高价值性。未来的研究应进一步利用眼动轨迹匹配法加强对各种决策理论及其影响因素的研究, 以揭示决策的认知过程, 构建更加完善的决策理论模型。     

Everyday spatial activities test for studying differential spatial experience and vocational behavior

Described is a four-factor, 20-item Everyday Spatial Activities Test (ESAT) developed for use with college students for studying the contribution of differential spatial experiences to educational and vocational behaviors. Item data are presented based on samples of 158 female and 113 male first-year students. Correlations with objective tests, including a test of space visualization, establishes preliminary validity for the ESAT.     

A technique for quantifying and analyzing evoked responses

Two computer programs are discussed. One is used in the analog-to-digital conversion of and averaging of the responses; the other employs fuil-wave rectification and numerical integration as a method of comparing waveforms.     

A new scaling technique for absolute judgments

The results of an experiment using the method of absolute judgments can be viewed as a matrix of conditional probabilities in which the rows represent stimuli and the columns responses. The cosine of the angle between two row vectors is a measure of the similarity of the corresponding stimuli. This cosine provides the basis for a method of scaling the stimuli. Unlike the method of paired comparisons, this new technique does not require arbitrary fixing of a unit of measurement. A numerical example is given.     

A television technique for quantifying conditioned and unconditioned responses of planarians

A technique tor quantifying responses of the planarian, using television recording, is described. The planarian swims in a watch crystal filled with spring water, with a TV camera directly under the crystal aimed upward. Shock is administered via four electrodes placed 90 deg apart around the perimeter of the crystal. Magnitude of response to shock is expressed in terms of percent reduction in body length. Latency of response onset is also available by counting synchronizing pulses equalling 1/60 sec. Data from two worms which received 20 shocks/day for 5 days indicated that the magnitude and latency measures were similar for the two animals and were reasonably reliable. The average latency of the UR to shock was about 100 msec, similar to that of the human eyeblink. Extension of the technique for studying CRs was also described, indicating that greater sophistication in quantifying URs and CRs in planarians is now available.     

A pointing technique for rapidly collecting localization responses in auditory research

A technique is described for rapidly collecting responses in auditory-localization experiments. Subjects indicate the perceived direction of the sound by pointing at a 20-cm-diam spherical model. In Experiment 1, the subjects judged the direction of a broadband signal, which could originate from any of 239 directions ranging through 360° of azimuth and between ?45° and +90° of elevation. Using this technique, the subjects responded 2–8 times more rapidly than previous subjects who used either a verbal-reporting technique or a head-pointing technique. Localization judgments were as accurate as they had been with verbal reports, but were not as accurate as judgments collected using the head-pointing technique. In Experiment 2, the signal was turned off and the experimenter read the spherical coordinates of the signal location to the subjects. The subjects pointed to these coordinates more accurately than they had judged the direction of the sounds in Experiment 1, suggesting that the response technique had not been the limiting factor in that experiment. Circumstances relevant to the choice of response techniques for auditory-localization experiments are discussed.     

A new technique for investigating the feeling of knowing

Previous investigations of the feeling of knowing (FOK) have relied on absolute FOK judgements rather than on relative FOK judgments. This has resulted in a confounding of (1) the subject's metamemorial knowledge of nonrecalled items with (2) the subject's know/don't-know threshold. The new technique replaces the absolute FOK judgments with relative FOK judgments in which the subject generates (via paired comparisons) a FOK rank order of nonrecalled items in terms of the predicted likelihood of recognition. This new technique eliminates the aforementioned confounding, provides a richer data base, and yields separate estimates of FOK validity and FOK reliability.