Fluorescent lighting: A purported source of hyperactive behavior

Seven first-grade children with conduct disorders and/or hyperactivity attended full-day sessions at a laboratory school classroom. During an 8- week period, the classroom lighting conditions alternated at the end of each week. During oddnumbered weeks, the classroom was illuminated by a standard coolwhite fluorescent system. On even-numbered weeks, illumination was a daylightsimulating fluorescent system of equal footcandles with controls for purported soft X rays and radio frequency (RF). There were no effects of lighting conditions on hyperactive behavior as assessed by (a) independent observations of task orientation or (b) ratings of activity level. A Critical Flicker Fusion (CFF) measure, a reported indicator of visual-sensory fatigue, indicated that the daylight-simulating condition was associated with a decreasing CFF across weeks.This research was a joint endeavor initiated by Alan Rosenbaum and directed by Dr. Daniel O'Leary. Dr. Philip Hughes and Mr. Frank LaGuisa and their associates at the General Electric Lighting Development Section consulted with us in all phases regarding lighting and electromagnetic radiation. We are very grateful to Dr. Susan O'Leary, director, and Marlene Schneider, head teacher, of the University Laboratory School, where this study was conducted. Special thanks go to Mark Durand, Ruth Shepard, and Michael Mignone, who contributed to variousphases of this study. The observers were Wilma Meyers and Frank Tucci. This research was supported in part by General Electric and in part by the State University of New York, Stony Brook. Detailed technical information concerning the lighting and measurement is available in a full text from the authors.     

Stimulus congruity,irrelevant spatial SR correspondence,and display-control arrangement correspondence: A reply to O'Leary,Barber, and Simon (1994)

Summary We recall how Hasbroucq and Guiard (1991) defined stimulus (S) congruity, the SS-correspondence factor they demonstrated to account for both the Simon effect and the Hedge and Marsh effect, and how they explained the mechanisms that bring S congruity into play in the verbal and nonverbal versions of the Simon task and in the Hedge and Marsh task. We show that, contrary to O'Leary, Barber, and Simon's claim, Hasbroucq and Guiard used a consistent definition of S congruity across the various tasks of interest. Finally, we recognize that Hasbroucq and Guiard's experiments produced no direct falsification of the display control arrangement correspondence (DCC) hypothesis — the special-purpose hypothesis put forward by Simon and his group as an attempt to reconcile the Hedge and Marsh effect with their interpretation of the Simon effect in terms of irrelevant spatial SR correspondence —, but we argue that the DCC account is unnecessary and implausible.     

Attributional biases in the service of stereotype maintenance: a schema-maintenance through compensation analysis

Six experiments were conducted to test assumptions of a schema-maintenance through compensation analysis. The results of these experiments indicated that perceivers can compensate for the inconsistent action of one individual (the target) by altering their attribution concerning the action of a fellow group member. When the target performed an inconsistent behavior, perceivers compensated by making especially extreme stereotypically consistent attributions concerning a fellow group member's subsequent action. In addition, in Experiment 5, perceivers compensated via a fellow group member for a target's inconsistent action while maintaining their general view of group members. Experiments also provided tests of the capability and motivation assumptions of the schema-maintenance through compensation analyses.     

Differential allocation of study time: Incomplete compensation for the difficulty of the materials

The results of many experiments have shown that although people distribute their study time depending on the perceived difficulty of the materials, they do not succeed in compensating for this difficulty (e.g., Mazzoni & Cornoldi, 1993). The purpose of this paper was to explore possible ways to induce compensation. The objective difficulty of the items was varied by manipulating their concreteness. In Experiment 1, we explored whether compensation could be increased through practice. In Experiment 2, predictive memory judgements were obtained to determine to what extent participants were sensitive to the characteristics of the material that made it difficult. Finally, in Experiment 3, participants were given instructions designed to achieve complete compensation. Results showed that although participants' judgements of learning and their allocation of time were sensitive to the objective difficulty of the materials, this knowledge was not spontaneously used to compensate. Thus, even with practice participants recalled more easy items than difficult ones. Only instructions that induced greater awareness of the nature of the material were able to produce complete compensation.     

Differential allocation of study time: incomplete compensation for the difficulty of the materials

The results of many experiments have shown that although people distribute their study time depending on the perceived difficulty of the materials, they do not succeed in compensating for this difficulty (e.g., Mazzoni & Cornoldi, 1993). The purpose of this paper was to explore possible ways to induce compensation. The objective difficulty of the items was varied by manipulating their concreteness. In Experiment 1, we explored whether compensation could be increased through practice. In Experiment 2, predictive memory judgements were obtained to determine to what extent participants were sensitive to the characteristics of the material that made it difficult. Finally, in Experiment 3, participants were given instructions designed to achieve complete compensation. Results showed that although participants' judgements of learning and their allocation of time were sensitive to the objective difficulty of the materials, this knowledge was not spontaneously used to compensate. Thus, even with practice participants recalled more easy items than difficult ones. Only instructions that induced greater awareness of the nature of the material were able to produce complete compensation.     

Religious Homogamy, Marital Conflict, and Stability in Same-Faith and Interfaith Jewish Marriages

This study examined the relationship between a couple's similarity in religious beliefs and practices and their level of marital conflict and stability. One-hundred-fifty-five adult children of same-faith and interfaith Jewish marriages reported on each of their parents' religious beliefs and behaviors. Religious homogamy was defined as similar attitudes and beliefs about specific religious practices. The parents' level of marital conflict was obtained by having their adult children fill out the Children's Perception Questionnaire (Emery and O'Leary 1982). The major hypotheses tested were that a positive correlation would exist between religious homogamy and marital stability and this relationship would be mediated by the level of marital conflict. That is to say, as marital conflict increases, marital stability should decrease. It was expected that these correlations would still hold after controlling for religious denomination (same-faith and interfaith). Partial support for the model was found: more disagreement on Jewish issues predicted higher levels of marital conflict. Higher conflict, in turn, predicted less marital stability.     

Replication and extension analyzing the factor structure of Locus of Control scales for substance-abusing behaviors

Two research questions were addressed in this study. First, what are the dimensions of the concept of control orientation with respect to substance-abusing behaviors as measured by Keyson and Janda's 1972 Drinking-related Locus of Control Scale and by an adaptation of that scale developed for users of other drugs. Second, utilizing a large sample of both male and female clients who abused both alcohol and other drugs, how does that dimensional structure differ from the one presented by Donovan and O'Leary in 1978 for male alcoholics at a VA hospital. Since the present sample was a large (N = 542) representative sample of publicly subsidized clients in Missouri, it provided an opportunity to extend earlier work across type of drug abused and sex. Like Donovan and O'Leary we used a principal components analysis with a varimax rotation to examine the dimensions of the 25-item locus of control scales. Like those authors, the analysis for male alcohol users produced a three-factor solution with interpretations resembling their "intrapersonal" and "interpersonal" factors but with a more fully developed third factor interpretable as a fate or luck dimension. These dimensions were apparent for the other groups as well, although the first two factors were reversed for male users of other drugs and the analysis for female alcohol abusers showed a more consistent sociability dimension than for males. While the derived structures are therefore similar to Donovan and O'Leary's results and consistent with the theoretical uses of control orientation in discussion of alcohol and other drug abuse, they also show some differences for type of drug abused and by sex. These are necessary but not sufficient conditions for including such measures in more specific models relating clients' motivation and propensity for change to outcomes.     

The Effects of Salesperson Compensation on Perceptions of Salesperson Honesty1

A reputation for honesty and trustworthiness is important to success in sales. In this article, we report 2 experiments examining the effects on perceived salesperson honesty of information about how the salesperson is compensated (commissions vs. straight salary). In both experiments, commissioned salesmen were perceived as less honest than were noncommissioned salesmen, but compensation method had no effect on the perceived honesty of saleswomen. The discussion of these findings focuses on their implications for sales management.     

The relative energy of fcc and hcp foams

The energies of face-centred cubic (fcc) and hexagonal close-packed (hcp) monodisperse foams, associated with their total surface area, are equal in the wet and dry limits, in the usual model. We prove that for all intermediate values of liquid fraction, hcp has lower energy. Energy considerations are thus not sufficient to explain the observed preference for crystallization into fcc over hcp in experiments using monodisperse bubbles.     

Stimulus-seeking behavior in hyperactive and nonhyperactive children

Auditory and visual stimulus-seeking behavior was measured in hyperactive and nonhyperactive youngsters. The design controlled for motor activity level. The results indicate that hyperactive children preferred auditory stimulation more than the control children. There were no differences in stimulus-seeking preferences in the visual modality. The groups did not differ in motor activity. It was concluded that abnormally high needs for stimulation are important in hyperactivity.The authors would like to express their appreciation to James Fogarty, Superintendent, Walter Galvin, Principal, and the many teachers, students, and parents of the Greene Avenue Learning Center of BOCES II in Sayville, New York for their cooperation and support in this study. We would also like to thank Susan O'Leary, Ph.D. Director of the Point of Woods Laboratory School and the students and parents for participation and support in this study.     

Conflicts between parents and aggressive and delinquent behavior in children

The exposure of children to their parents' conflicts are a factor of substantial risk for the development of behavior problems in children. This study examines the relationship between marital conflicts and children's aggressive and delinquent behavior. The sample consisted of a total of 332 children, aged 7 to 17 years, and their mothers. The children completed the Children's Perceptions of Interparental Conflict Scale, providing information on the dimensions of the marital conflicts: frequency, intensity, no resolution, and content. The mothers completed the O'Leary Porter Scale, providing information about the frequency of conflicts, and the Child Behavior Checklist, about the aggressive and delinquent behavior problems in their children. The results indicate that parental conflicts affect sons and daughters equally, and they affect adolescents more than younger children when they are perceived by the children. However, conflicts affect all groups when the mothers perceive them.     

Book Reviews

Gill Gorrell Barnes, Paul Thompson, Gwyn Daniel and Natasha Burchardt, Growing up in Stepfamilies
Jim Wilson, Child Focused Practice: A Collaborative Systemic Approach
A. Dienhart, Reshaping Fatherhood: The Social Construction of Shared Parenting
Charles J. O'Leary, Counselling Couples and Families. A Person Centred Approach     

Effects of maternal mood on mother-son interaction patterns

This study evaluated the impact of maternal mood on mother-son interaction patterns. Forty boys between the ages of 46 and 72 months and their mothers participated. A within-subject experimental design was employed so that all mothers participated in both a positive and a negative mood induction. Observations of mother-son interactions were conducted immediately following the mood inductions. During the negative mood condition, mothers issued fewer positive statements toward their children and engaged in less general verbal interaction. In addition, children were less compliant with maternal commands during the negative mood condition. Implications of the effects of mood on mother-child interaction patterns are discussed.The authors wish to thank Linda Pfiffner, Susan O'Leary, Everett Waters, Joanne Wood, Norman Goodman, Annette Farris, Diadre Wilbourne, Vicki Endris, David Celiberti, and Thomas Power for their assistance in the completion of this project.     

Hyperactivity from fluorescent lighting — Fact or fancy: A commentary on the report by O'Leary,Rosenbaum, and Hughes

The following commentary is designed to explain the experimental differences between the foregoing negative article by O'Leary, Rosenbaum, and Hughes and the original articles in this field, whose results were positive. These differences fall under the general categories of subjects, lights, measurements, and design.     

REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
Olivier O'Donovan: Resurrection and Moral Order; An outline for Evangelical Ethics.
Alberic Stacpoole, ed. Vatican II by Those Who Were There
Miika Ruokaen: Doctrina Divinitus Inspirata: Martin Luther's Positi in tne Ecumencal Problem of Biblical Inspiration. (Publications of the Luther-Agricola Socirty Series
Joseph Stephen O'Leary: Questioning Back: The Overcoming of Metaphysics in Christian Tradition
Robert Van de Weyer: Wyckwyn: a Vision of the Future     

The recognition of phonologically assimilated words does not depend on specific language experience

In a series of 5 experiments, we investigated whether the processing of phonologically assimilated utterances is influenced by language learning. Previous experiments had shown that phonological assimilations, such as /lean#bacon/ → [leam bacon], are compensated for in perception. In this article, we investigated whether compensation for assimilation can occur without experience with an assimilation rule using automatic event-related potentials. Our first experiment indicated that Dutch listeners compensate for a Hungarian assimilation rule. Two subsequent experiments, however, failed to show compensation for assimilation by both Dutch and Hungarian listeners. Two additional experiments showed that this was due to the acoustic properties of the assimilated utterance, confirming earlier reports that phonetic detail is important in compensation for assimilation. Our data indicate that compensation for assimilation can occur without experience with an assimilation rule, in line with phonetic-phonological theories that assume that speech production is influenced by speech-perception abilities.     

Victims' Satisfaction With Compensation: Effects of Initial Disadvantage and Third Party Intervention

Two experiments examined the reactions of victims of disadvantage to compensation designed to improve their lot. In Experiment 1, subjects participated in an organizational simulation where they were disadvantaged with respect to their pay. Subsequently, a third party intervened with one of a number of strategies which varied according to whether or not the subjects received compensation and whether or not the person responsible for their disadvantage suffered. The interaction between compensation and suffering was significant on a satisfaction measure and the pattern indicated that subjects were most satisfied when the harmdoer suffered to provide compensation. This interaction was not significant on a measure of perceptions of fairness. Experiment 2 examined the possibility that the intervention of the third party in Experiment 1 may have created feelings of indebtedness. In a similar paradigm, subjects were either disadvantaged by a harmdoer or by external events and received compensation that either was or was not accompanied by a request for repayment. When subjects had been disadvantaged by external events, they were more satisfied and felt more fairly treated when there was an opportunity for reciprocation than when there was not, while the opposite pattern was the case when the harmdoer was responsible for the disadvantage. The results were discussed in the context of the complexity of the receipt of aid phenomenon and possible implications for the design of ameliorative social programs.     

Newborn Screening: Education,Consent, and the Residual Blood Spot. The Position of the National Society of Genetic Counselors

Newborn screening (NBS) is a minimally invasive lifesaving test. There is currently no federal mandate for NBS, thus states determine their own screening panel based on the recommendations of the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborn and Children (SACHDNC), which was recently re-chartered as the Discretionary Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children (DACHDNC). After NBS is completed, a couple of residual blood spots remain. While some states allow these spots to be used for public health and scientific research purposes, parents are not always informed about these additional uses. This paper addresses the National Society of Genetic Counselors’ (NSGC’s) position about NBS and blood spot storage/use and the rationale for these positions. The National Society of Genetic Counselors strongly supports newborn screening for the uniform screening panel of conditions recommended by the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children. NSGC also supports storage and use of blood spot samples by newborn screening laboratories and transparent policies that govern these activities.     

The Effect of Incentive Structure on Heuristic Decision Making: The Proportion Heuristic1

When making judgments, individuals often utilize heuristics to interpret information. This paper reports on a series of experiments designed to test the ways in which incentive mechanisms influence the use of a particular heuristic in decision making. These experiments demonstrate how information regarding the number of available practice problems influences the behaviors of individuals preparing for an exam (the proportion heuristic). More importantly, the extent to which this information influences behavior depends critically on the way in which performance incentives are structured. In particular, relative compensation schemes magnify the influence of this heuristic, while joint compensation schemes dampen its influence. These results are discussed with respect to the literature on effective compensation.     

An examination of the differential relationship of marital discord to parents' discipline strategies for boys and girls

Previous research has tentatively indicated that coercive, ineffective parenting might have a mediating role in the differential impact of marital discord on boys and girls. To further explore this role, we examined the relationship between children's perceptions of marital discord and their evaluations of parental discipline techniques. Ninety-one children aged 8 to 13 years (mean age: 11 years 4 months) were split into high, moderate, and low perceived marital discord on the basis of their responses to the Children's Perceptions Questionnaire (Emery & O'Leary, 1982). The children rated how coercive they believed both mothers and fathers would and should be in three discipline situations. Children with high marital discord indicated that both mothers and fathers would and should use more coercive behavior than did children with low marital discord. The effects of marital discord were stronger for boys than for girls. All children also believed that fathers would and should be more coercive than mothers. Results are discussed in relation to the effects of marital discord on children's social development with regard to sex of the child.Thanks are due to Mike Siegal and Pat Noller for their helpful comments on previous drafts.