Absolute identification is relative: a reply to Brown, Marley, and Lacouture (2007)

N. Stewart, G. D. A. Brown, and N. Chater presented a relative judgment model (RJM) of absolute identification, in which the current stimulus is judged relative to the preceding stimulus. S. Brown, A. A. J. Marley, and Y. Lacouture found that the RJM does not predict their finding of increased accuracy after large stimulus jumps, except at the expense of other effects. In fact, the RJM does predict both the core effects and increased accuracy after large jumps (although it underestimates this effect) when better constrained parameters are estimated from the trial-by-trial raw data rather than from summary plots. Further, a modified RJM, in which the stimulus from two trials ago is sometimes used as a referent, provides a better fit.     

Why g is not an adaptation: a comment on Kanazawa (2004)

In S. Kanazawa's evolutionary theory of general intelligence (g), g is presented as a species-typical information-processing mechanism. This conceptualization of g departs radically from the accepted conceptualization of g as a source of individual differences that is manifest in the positive manifold. Kanazawa's theory is thus problematic in the sense that it concerns a purely hypothetical, and empirically unsupported, conceptualization of g. The authors argue that an evolutionary account of g should address it as a source of individual differences--that is, in a manner that is consistent with the empirical support for g.     

Individual differences and the use of nonspecifying variables in learning to perceive distance and size: Comments on McConnell, Muchisky, and Bingham (1998)

McConnell, Muchisky, and Bingham (1998) showed that observers are able to judge the distance and size of falling, rolling, and swinging balls and that performance improves after practice with feedback. They concluded that observers use information that specifies the spatial scales of the different event types—namely, event duration in combination with event-specific constants. The improvement was interpreted as the calibration of the event-specific constants. We argue that their analyses should have considered the use of optical variables that do not specify the to-be-perceived metrics and individual differences in variable use. Furthermore, we propose convergence on the more useful variables as an alternative explanation for the observed improvement. The viability of these arguments is demonstrated with an experiment in which participants are trained with feedback to judge the distance and size of freely falling balls.     

Interpretational confounding is due to misspecification, not to type of indicator: comment on Howell, Breivik, and Wilcox (2007)

R. D. Howell, E. Breivik, and J. B. Wilcox (2007) have argued that causal (formative) indicators are inherently subject to interpretational confounding. That is, they have argued that using causal (formative) indicators leads the empirical meaning of a latent variable to be other than that assigned to it by a researcher. Their critique of causal (formative) indicators rests on several claims: (a) A latent variable exists apart from the model when there are effect (reflective) indicators but not when there are causal (formative) indicators, (b) causal (formative) indicators need not have the same consequences, (c) causal (formative) indicators are inherently subject to interpretational confounding, and (d) a researcher cannot detect interpretational confounding when using causal (formative) indicators. This article shows that each claim is false. Rather, interpretational confounding is more a problem of structural misspecification of a model combined with an underidentified model that leaves these misspecifications undetected. Interpretational confounding does not occur if the model is correctly specified whether a researcher has causal (formative) or effect (reflective) indicators. It is the validity of a model not the type of indicator that determines the potential for interpretational confounding.     

陈铎散曲点评(之十五、之十六、之十七)

(十五)外三章(其一):北中品·朝天子·卜(注一) 睁着眼莽诌(注二),闭着眼瞎诌,那一个知休咎(注三)?流年月令费钻求(注四),就里多虚谬.四课三传(注五),张八李九(注六),一桩桩不应口.百中经枕头(注七),卦盒儿在手,花打算胡将就(注八).     

Performance of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) on a quantity discrimination task is similar to that of African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana)

Animal Cognition - Using an object-choice task, we measured the relative quantity discrimination ability of Asian elephants. Two zoo-housed elephants were given auditory cues of food being dropped...     

Refinement of the MMPI-2 F(p) scale is not necessary: a response to Gass and Luis

Gass and Luis (2001) reported that four MMPI-2 Lie scale items contained on the F(p) scale do not measure symptom exaggeration but measure defensiveness. They hold that elimination of the four Lie scale items improves the utility of the F(p) scale in the identification of exaggeration in VA samples. To directly address the assertion that removal of the L scale items from the F(p) scale enhances the predictive validity of F(p), data derived from a previously published study where 74 psychiatric inpatients were asked to retake the MMPI-2 and either feign psychopathology or respond in an honest manner were reanalyzed. The intact F(p) scale demonstrated a stronger correlation with group membership, increased incremental validity, and superior classification rates compared with the F(p) scale without the 4 Lie scale items. Consequently, the F(p) refinement recommended by Gass and Luis is unnecessary.     

Research on psychological testing supervision using the Holloway (1995) method: a critique of DeCato (2002)

DeCato (2002) conducted a brief quantitative study of the supervision process in psychological testing based on a method developed by Holloway in 1995. The study demonstrated the utility of the method but had many shortcomings limiting generalizability of outcomes. A brief critique of the DeCato research with suggestions to address the use of this method in researching child and adolescent testing supervision is undertaken.     

逻辑哲学研究述评(上)

在英文中 ,与逻辑哲学相关的表达一般有三个 :哲学逻辑 (philosophicallogic)、逻辑哲学 (philosophyoflogic)和逻辑的哲学 (logicalphilosophy)。从文献来看 ,使用较多的是前两个。关于这两个表达 ,人们的看法是不一样的。而且 ,即使是关于其中的某一个表达 ,看法也不一样。这些看法不仅表现出人们对逻辑哲学的不同理解 ,而且也反映出在以逻辑哲学为名的东西上存在的问题。一般认为 ,罗素最早使用了“哲学逻辑”这个概念。但是 ,这个词以及与它相近的词“逻辑哲学”的频繁出现却是在进入 2 0世纪 6 0年代以后。在过去几十年的时间里 ,不仅…     

Assessing the importance of letter pairs in reading-parafoveal processing is not the only view: reply to Inhoff, Radach, Eiter, and Skelly (2003)

D. Briihl and A. W. Inhoff (1995; see record 1995-20036-001) found that exterior letter pairs showed no privileged status in reading when letter pairs were presented as parafoveal primes. However, T. R. Jordan, S. M. Thomas, G. R. Patching, and K. C. Scott-Brown (2003; see record 2003-07955-013) used a paradigm that (a) allowed letter pairs to exert influence at any point in the reading process, (b) overcame problems with the stimulus manipulations used by Briihl and Inhoff (1995), and (c) revealed a privileged status for exterior letter pairs in reading. A. W. Inhoff, R. Radach, B. M. Eiter, and M. Skelly (2003; see record 2003-07955-014) made a number of claims about the Jordan, Thomas, et al. study, most of which focus on parafoveal processing. This article addresses these claims and points out that although studies that use parafoveal previews provide an important contribution, other techniques and paradigms are required to reveal the full role of letter pairs in reading.     

Developing the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) as a Measure of Self-Forgiveness Related to Failing and Succeeding Behaviors

The Psychological Record - This study aimed to develop the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) as a measure of response biases related to emotional reactions and expected outcomes in...     

Counsellors' perspectives on the use of the Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life (SEIQoL) in an alcohol counselling setting

As part of a randomised controlled trial to investigate the feasibility of using the Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life (SEIQoL) within an alcohol counselling setting, counsellors' views of using the tool were sought. Data about the service users' use of SEIQoL were collected during the counselling session, and focus groups and questionnaires were used to collect data on counsellor perceptions and experiences of using the tool. SEIQoL was easy and quick to use and provided users with a graphic, visual and dynamic means to identify important areas that contributed to their quality of life; it appeared to enhance the reflective process early on in counselling. Counsellors reported that service users requested the tool be used more frequently during the counselling process and they felt it could be a useful review tool.     

肿瘤是限铁机制的体现,其功能是防卫细菌——解读肿瘤之谜

通过哲学思辨质疑肿瘤是异己的判断.列举肿瘤的特征,探索肿瘤的实质.通过对限铁机制和铁致癌机理的研究,对铁致癌以及铁是癌细胞营养素的假设提出质疑.经过辩证思考推断,肿瘤是对坏血酸遗传缺陷的代偿性补救措施,是限铁机制的体现,是进化适应的特征,它的功能是聚集游离铁,不让细菌获得铁,以降低细菌感染的风险.同时提供证据,证明肿瘤确有降低细菌感染风险的功效.继而提出细胞癌变的可能机理,并据此解释肿瘤何以转移,何以避免免疫摧毁.最后提出对肿瘤发病机制的定义,并提出预防肿瘤的关键措施.     

From the devil one is not even protected in heaven. Remarks on E. Reinke's report, Sociotherapy with prisoners, (Psyche 10/1987)

According to the author's critique, Reinke's article about the Frankfurt project for criminal offenders omits any genuine psychoanalytic reflection on the attributions of subject and object, culprit and victim, therapist and patient. Given this omission, these attributions cannot be incorporated or resolved within the intended process of change.     

Bottom-up attention capture with distractor and target singletons defined in the same (color) dimension is not a matter of feature uncertainty

In visual search, attention capture by an irrelevant color-singleton distractor in another feature dimension than the target is dependent on whether or not the distractor changes its feature: Capture is present if the irrelevant color distractor can take on different features across trials, but absent if the distractor takes on only one feature throughout all trials. This influence could be due to down-weighting of the entire color map. Here we tested whether a similar effect could also be brought about by down-weighting of specific color channels within the same maps. We investigated whether a similar dependence of capture on color certainty might hold true if the distractor were defined in the same (color) dimension as the target. At odds with this possibility, in the first and third blocks—in which feature uncertainty was absent—an irrelevant distractor of a certain color captured attention. In addition, in a second block, varying the distractor color created feature uncertainty, but this did not increase capture. Repeating the exact same procedure with the same participants after one week confirmed the stability of the results. The present study showed that a color distractor presented in the same (color) dimension as the target captures attention independent of feature uncertainty. Thus, the down-weighting of single irrelevant color channels within the same feature map used for target search is not a matter of feature uncertainty.     

When believing in the union is (not) enough: The role of threat and norms in intentions to act on union legitimacy and efficacy beliefs

Three field studies conducted with academics and students examined the dynamic role of threat and normative support for a union in qualifying the relationship between union‐related legitimacy and efficacy beliefs, and union intentions. There was evidence for interplay between threat and norms in facilitating people acting in accordance with their union beliefs, and in providing the conditions where those with weaker beliefs may be mobilised. In Study 1, students' perception of threat to group interests facilitated their preparedness to act on pro‐union legitimacy and efficacy beliefs. In Study 2, among academics who perceived low threat, acting on union legitimacy and efficacy beliefs was contingent on a pro‐union norm, while those who perceived high threat were prepared to act on their union legitimacy beliefs regardless of the normative environment. Finally, in Study 3, a pro‐union norm again facilitated acting on union beliefs in a low threat condition and overcame the importance of legitimacy and efficacy beliefs in a high threat condition. In sum, this research makes a case for the importance of union strategies attending to both the framing of intergroup threat and the communication of in‐group normative support for the union.     

How (not) to evaluate the comparability of MMPI and MMPI-2 profile configurations: a reply to Humphrey and Dahlstrom

Humphrey and Dahlstrom (1995) presented a study on the comparability of MMPI/MMPI-2 (Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989) profiles in which they concluded that "the bases for clinical interpretation derived from the MMPI and MMPI-2 profiles were sufficiently at variance to require different conclusions" [sic] (p. 2). In this brief critique, we identify procedural and data-analytical deficiencies that invalidate Humphrey and Dahlstrom's argument. Their blanket recommendation based on this argument, namely, that clinicians routinely plot both MMPI and MMPI-2 profiles, is unwarranted.