The effects of experimental variables on the perception of American English /r/ and /l/ by Japanese listeners

The effects of variations in response categories, subjects’ perception of natural speech, and stimulus range on the identification of American English /r/ and /l/ by native speakers of Japanese were investigated. Three experiments using a synthesized /rait/-/lait/ series showed that all these variables affected identification and discrimination performance by Japanese-subjects. Furthermore, some of the perceptual characteristics of /r/ and /l/ for Japanese listeners were clarified: (1) Japanese listeners identified some of the stimuli of the series-as/w/.(2). Apositive correlation between the perception of synthesized stimuli and naturally-spoken stimuli was found. Japanese listeners who were able to easily identify naturally spoken stimuli perceived the synthetic series categorically but still perceived a /w/ category on the series. (3) The stimulus range showed a striking effect on identification consistency; identification of /r/ and /l/ was strongly affected by the stimulus range, the /w/ identification less so. This indicates that Japanese listeners tend to make relative judgments between /r/ and /l/.     

The influence of processing objectives on the perception of faces: An ERP study of race and gender perception

In two experiments, event-related potentials were used to examine the effects of attentional focus on the processing of race and gender cues from faces. When faces were still the focal stimuli, the processing of the faces at a level deeper than the social category by requiring a personality judgment resulted in early attention to race and gender, with race effects as early as 120 msec. This time course corresponds closely to those in past studies in which participants explicitly attended to target race and gender (Ito &Urland, 2003). However, a similar processing goal, coupled with a more complex stimulus array, delayed social category effects until 190 msec, in accord with the effects of complexity on visual attention. In addition, the N170 typically linked with structural face encoding was modulated by target race, but not by gender, when faces were perceived in a homogenous context consisting only of faces. This suggests that when basic-level distinctions between faces and nonfaces are irrelevant, the mechanism previously associated only with structural encoding can also be sensitive to features used to differentiate among faces.     

The effects of experimental variables on the perception of American English /r/ and /l/ by Japanese listeners.

The effects of variations in response categories, subjects' perception of natural speech, and stimulus range on the identification of American English /r/ and /l/ by native speakers of Japanese were investigated. Three experiments using a synthesized /rait/-/lait/ series showed that all these variables affected identification and discrimination performance by Japanese subjects. Furthermore, some of the perceptual characteristics of /r/ and /l/ for Japanese listeners were clarified: (1) Japanese listeners identified some of the stimuli of the series as /w/. (2) A positive correlation between the perception of synthesized stimuli and naturally spoken stimuli was found. Japanese listeners who were able to easily identify naturally spoken stimuli perceived the synthetic series categorically but still perceived a /w/ category on the series. (3) The stimulus range showed a striking effect on identification consistency; identification of /r/ and /l/ was strongly affected by the stimulus range, the /w/ identification less so. This indicates that Japanese listeners tend to make relative judgments between /r/ and /l/.     

A goal-striving life event and the onset of hypomanic and depressive episodes and symptoms: perspective from the behavioral approach system (BAS) dysregulation theory

On the basis of the behavioral approach system (BAS) dysregulation theory of bipolar disorder, this study examined the relation between occurrence of a BAS activation-relevant life event--goal striving--and onset of hypomanic and depressive episodes and symptoms. In particular, the authors examined the relation between preparing for and completing final exams (a goal-striving event) and onset of bipolar spectrum episodes and symptoms in college students with bipolar II disorder or cyclothymia (i.e., "soft" bipolar spectrum conditions). One hundred fifty-nine individuals with either a bipolar spectrum disorder (n=68) or no major affective psychopathology (controls; n=91) were further classified on the basis of whether they were college students (i.e., completed final exams). Consistent with the BAS dysregulation theory, preparing for and completing final exams was associated with an increase in hypomanic but not depressive episodes and symptoms in individuals with a soft bipolar spectrum diagnosis. Furthermore, self-reported BAS sensitivity moderated the presence of certain hypomanic symptoms during final exams.     

The Theory of Event Coding (TEC): a framework for perception and action planning

Traditional approaches to human information processing tend to deal with perception and action planning in isolation, so that an adequate account of the perception-action interface is still missing. On the perceptual side, the dominant cognitive view largely underestimates, and thus fails to account for, the impact of action-related processes on both the processing of perceptual information and on perceptual learning. On the action side, most approaches conceive of action planning as a mere continuation of stimulus processing, thus failing to account for the goal-directedness of even the simplest reaction in an experimental task. We propose a new framework for a more adequate theoretical treatment of perception and action planning, in which perceptual contents and action plans are coded in a common representational medium by feature codes with distal reference. Perceived events (perceptions) and to-be-produced events (actions) are equally represented by integrated, task-tuned networks of feature codes--cognitive structures we call event codes. We give an overview of evidence from a wide variety of empirical domains, such as spatial stimulus-response compatibility, sensorimotor synchronization, and ideomotor action, showing that our main assumptions are well supported by the data.     

The production and perception of long calls by cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus): acoustic analyses and playback experiments

The authors' goal was to provide a better understanding of the relationship between vocal production and perception in nonhuman primate communication. To this end, the authors examined the cotton-top tamarin's (Saguinus oedipus) combination long call (CLC). In Part 1 of this study, the authors carried out a series of acoustic analyses designed to determine the kind of information potentially encoded in the tamarin's CLC. Using factorial analyses of variance and multiple discriminant analyses, the authors explored whether the CLC encodes 3 types of identity information: individual, sex, and social group. Results revealed that exemplars could be reliably assigned to these 3 functional classes on the basis of a suite of spectrotemporal features. In Part 2 of this study, the authors used a series of habituation-dishabituation playback experiments to test whether tamarins attend to the encoded information about individual identity. The authors 1st tested for individual discrimination when tamarins were habituated to a series of calls from 1 tamarin and then played back a test call from a novel tamarin; both opposite- and same-sex pairings were tested. Results showed that tamarins dishabituated when caller identity changed but transferred habituation when caller identity was held constant and a new exemplar was played (control condition). Follow-up playback experiments revealed an asymmetry between the authors' acoustic analyses of individual identity and the tamarins' capacity to discriminate among vocal signatures; whereas all colony members have distinctive vocal signatures, we found that not all tamarins were equally discriminable based on the habituation-dishabituation paradigm.     

Psychological and sexual functioning among outpatient sexual offenders against children: A Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) cluster analytic study

Multivariate clustering procedures were used to identify homogeneous subgroups of outpatient sex offenders against children (n=110)on the basis of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Results indicated a five-subgroup solution. Two within-normal-limits and two clinically elevated profile subgroups replicated subtypes found in previous cluster analytic studies of child sex offenders. The fifth subgroup appeared similar in MMPI profile pattern and elevation to a previously identified subtype of rapists. Discriminant analyses showed that subgroups differed along dimensions of cognitive disturbance and sexual functioning. Furthermore, levels of psychopathology corresponded with levels of sexual pathology. Results are discussed with reference to previous MMPI cluster analytic studies of sex offenders and theories of sexual aggression.Portions of this paper were presented at the meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association, 1992, Chicago, Illinois.     

Performance in a computerized self-control task by rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): The combined influence of effort and delay

The variables of delay and effort have been found to influence self-control predictably and in similar fashion when tested independently, but it is unclear how they influence self-control interactively. In the present study, I tested these two variables simultaneously to gain better understanding of their combined influence on self-control. A computerized task was employed in which monkey participants could sequence 1 or more digital images before “cashing-out,” after which they would receive their accumulated rewards. Delay was manipulated by adjusting the speed of the cursor used to select images. Cognitive effort was manipulated by presenting image sets that appeared in either a constant or a randomized configuration. For most monkeys, an interaction was found between the effects of delay and effort on the number of images selected before cashing-out. The results suggest that, when combined, these two variables have a complex influence on self-control.     

The differential aptitude test (language usage and spelling): A clinical study of a computerized form

As part of the Leicester/DHSS project on microcomputer-aided assessment, 103 subjects were tested and retested on standard and computerized versions of the Differential Aptitude Tests for Language Usage and Spelling (Forms S and T). Subjects were generally faster on the computerized versions than on the standard versions. On the Language Usage test, subjects scored significantly higher on the computerized than on the standard test. The correlations found between the standard and computerized versions were modest in comparison to the original test-retest reliabilities. It is concluded that these data argue against the claim that the current computerized versions of the tests are psychometrically parallel to the standard versions. This research, which was carried out when the authors were at the Department of Psychology, University of Leicester, was supported by the United Kingdom Department of Health and Social Security.     

The influence of personality and theoretical models on applicants to a counselling psychology course: A preliminary study

We examined whether personality variables in prospective condidates for a postgraduate program in counselling psychology were associated with an interest in models of counselling or therapy. The models were classified as directive models or non-deiective models of counselling. Using the Millon Index of Personality Styles we found that subjects who expressed an interest in the directive models of counselling (e.g. cognitive behavioural therapy) scored higher on scales measuring interpersonal boldness, systematizing and conforming in comparison to subjects who expressed an interest in non-dieective counselling (e.g. psychodynamic) who scored greater on intuitiveness (a perference for intangible, unstructured and symbolic). Implication for training and future research in this area are discussed.     

Problem perception,optimism, and related states as a function of time of day (diurnal rhythm) and moderate exercise: Two arousal systems in interaction

Two experiments are described in which perceptions of personal problems, optimism, and associated feelings were studied as a function of time of day and moderate exercise (walking). Over multiweek periods, participants completed self-ratings at fixed times of day representing high and low periods of energetic arousal. While ratings on individual days varied, means across all rating days indicated that problems were perceived as more serious at mid-to late afternoon, a period of low energetic arousal, than they were at late morning and after the walk, periods of high energetic arousal. Separate analyses of rated high energy and low tension states, compared to their opposites, indicated that problems were perceived as least serious in the former states. Ratings of optimism and associated feelings were consistent with the problem ratings. Also discussed are theoretical implications regarding moods as predispositional variables, state-dependent memory, and research involving naturalistic settings and aggregated measurements.     

The development of a human resource management (HRM) professional competence model: A pilot study

This study sought to develop and test a diagnostic tool for the measurement of professional human resource management (HRM) competencies in the South African context. Data on HRM competencies were collected from South African human resource (HR) practitioners (N = 189; females = 49.2%, blacks = 91.2%). Exploratory factor analyses resulted in three distinguishable HR competency dimensions: Professional behaviour and leadership (i.e. leadership-personal credibility, organisational capability, solution creation, interpersonal communication, and citizenship); Service orientation and execution (i.e. talent management, HR governance, analytics and measurement, and HR service delivery); and Business intelligence (i.e. strategic contribution, HR business knowledge, and HR technology).     

Word-Level and Sentence-Level Automaticity in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learners: A Comparative Study

The present study aimed to investigate second language (L2) word-level and sentence-level automatic processing among English as a foreign language students through a comparative analysis of students with different proficiency levels. As a multidimensional and dynamic construct, automaticity is conceptualized as processing speed, stability, and accuracy which are indexed by reaction time, coefficient variation and accuracy rate. Sixty students (39 undergraduate students and 21 graduate students) who majored in English participated in this study. They completed the lexical semantic classification task, the sentence construction task, the sentence verification task under two different modalities (visually- and aurally-presented situations). Multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the differences between the students with different proficiency levels pertaining to their L2 performance. The results indicated that the processing speed was not found to be a good indicator of automatic language processing. Moreover, both levels of students appeared to reach a plateau in word-level processing but there were some variations in students’ sentential processing. Finally, the findings showed that automatic language processing seemed to be module-specific and non-sharable across different modalities and skills.     

Toward kuleana (responsibility): A case study of a contextually grounded intervention for Native Hawaiian youth and young adults

As a minority ethnic group, Native Hawaiian youth and young adults face an array of issues associated with colonization, such as persistent structural discrimination and the loss of land and indigenous ways of knowing. They are also at risk for a wide range of negative behaviors, including interpersonal violence, suicide, substance use, and juvenile delinquency. This article explores how community youth development, critical pedagogies, and Hawaiian epistemology can help Native Hawaiian young adults cope with such issues. It begins with a brief discussion of critiques on conventional youth violence prevention programs. To address these critiques, three bodies of literature are introduced: 1) community youth development, 2) critical pedagogy, and 3) community epistemology. Data were derived from a single case study of a community-based youth program. The program, located in an impoverished, rural community in Hawai'i, entailed running an organic farm. Seventeen participants were involved in the study. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Utilizing critical indigenous qualitative research, a content analysis of the interviews was conducted to build a working conceptual model. Preliminary findings suggest that a program with key processes of community youth development, critical pedagogies, and Hawaiian epistemology may serve as a vehicle for health and wellness, thus preventing a host of negative behaviors, such as violence. Based on the findings, a critical contextually based approach to violence prevention that focuses on providing opportunities for Native Hawaiian young adults to take an active participatory role in promoting health is proposed.     

The Attitudes Toward Women Scale for Adolescents (AWSA): A study of reliability and validity

This study describes the development of the Attitudes Toward Women Scale for Adolescents (AWSA), an instrument based on the short form of the Spence-Helmreich Attitudes Toward Women Scale (AWS). The AWSA has been tested in four samples of adolescents. Internal consistency estimates and test-retest stability indicated high reliability. Hypotheses formulated to test the construct validity of the scale were largely supported. AWSA permits the examination of how boys' and girls' attitudes toward women influence the life paths that adolescent girls begin to pursue.This research was supported by grants to A. Petersen from the Spencer Foundation, the National Institute of Mental health (MH 30252/38142), and the Judith Baskin Offer Fund.     

The (HI)Stories We Live by: Power/Knowledge and Family Therapy in Africa

There is a need to Africanise family therapy so as to serve the interest of local communities. Western approaches to family therapy have been accused of being irrelevant to African contexts. They are seen as forming part of a dominant scientific knowledge which invalidates local folk and cultural psychologies and thereby continuing a historical tradition of oppressive colonial power relations. This paper aims at archaeologising and evaluating such criticism by situating family therapy within different fields of knowledge that have emerged historically and are currently co-existing in Africa. The advantages and disadvantages of dominant family therapy approaches in African contexts are explored by focussing on power relations between different knowledges in Africa. It is argued that many global narratives of family therapy offer congenial companionship to many local African narratives, but that family therapists should pay more attention to local spiritual and political narratives so as to attain more legitimacy and validation by local communities.