An on-line psychology laboratory for teaching and research

This paper describes a PDP-15 timesharing system in which on-line experimentation and an undergraduate laboratory course co-exist with many other users. Design features include precise stimulus and response timing, easy experiment programming, easy system access, and 15 or more simultaneous users. Students can be both experimenters and subjects in realistic, variable course modules.     

An on-line laboratory in cognition and perception

The design of a computer-based laboratory system requires the coordination of pedagogical and technical goals. The development of our on-line laboratory in cognition and perception is described. The laboratory consists of 11 on-line experiments in which the student participates as both experimenter and subject. The software was designed for maximum transportability: Programs were written in a low-level BASIC, with thorough documentation; flexibility is provided both within and across experiments to suit local constraints; and the experiments are supported by a student manual, instructor’s manual, and implementation notes. Criteria for selecting experiments, implementation of the experiments, and preliminary evaluation of the laboratory are discussed.     

An on-line laboratory in sensation and perception

Three components of a teaching laboratory in perception are described that (1) compare several psychophysical methods for measuring visual illusions, (2) simulate experiments on dark adaptation, and (3) allow participation in auditory demonstrations or experiments. Features of special interest include: interactive use of graphics, software for simulating experiments (such as EXPER SIM, University of Michigan), and use of A/D, D/A, and TTL ports to interface special peripherals.     

An automated eye movement laboratory for on-line electrooculography

This paper describes an automated eye movement laboratory that uses electrooculography (EOG) to study people’s eye movements while they read. An on-line minicomputer processes bioelectric potentials that correspond to saccadic eye movements. Horizontal saccades larger than 1.5 deg of visual angle are detected and analyzed in real-time as they occur. The laboratory is designed for prolonged yet unobtrusive observation of human eye movements during sustained reading periods of minutes or hours. All important functions regarding data collection and data reduction are performed automatically, according to simple procedures that can be applied uniformly and without bias to nearly all subjects that we study. Results from three experiments are cited in order to quantify the performance of the laboratory with respect to four criteria: saccade detection accuracy, measurement accuracy, sensitivity, and the uniformity of these measures over different subjects.     

Using on-line and CD-ROM database archives as an adjunct to teaching survey research methods

Many undergraduate courses in research methods include a section on surveys. A number of practical issues can interfere with the design and implementation of student survey research and often preclude the completion of well-designed survey studies. This paper examines the use of on-line and CD-ROM databases as an alternative to student-designed survey instruments. Problems faced by student survey researchers can often be addressed by the use of such databases, rather than by “live” surveys. Data from experimental research collected on line are also available and downloadable for analysis, providing even greater flexibility for analysis. Advantages and problems of using archival databases in the teaching of survey research are considered. A brief list of databases that may be suitable for student research is provided, and a list of URLs, including where and how to obtain archives, is given.     

Effects of teaching an introductory psychology laboratory using a computerized research tool

In the introductory psychology laboratory at Drexel University, we employ courseware modules that transform the computer into various pieces of psychological research equipment. Students enrolled in this course use the courseware modules in a series of experiments that investigate motor learning, perception, memory, and other psychological phenomena. In choosing this form of computerization, we have encountered challenges to our methods of instruction, both in the laboratory and in the lecture hall. Opportunities, in the form of financial and programming assistance, have also resulted from our computerization efforts.     

Automatic syllabication for an on-line reading tutor

To assist limited-proficiency readers, an on-line reading tutor has been developed with a number of word-level aids. One of these, called syllabication, divides printed words into syllables that are then displayed and pronounced one at a time. The algorithm that divides words into syllables takes as input a printed word and its DECtalk-generated pronunciation. Divisions are made first in the pronunciation, using a consonant cluster tree to decide when more than one possible break can be made between two vowels. Rules that consider particular prefixes, suffixes, and stress and vowel patterns then select the most likely division. The resulting system performs above 99% correct for running text, but it fails on certain types of compound words, which can be handled correctly only through exception lists.     

Probing hemispheric processes in an on-line reading task

Coney (1998) used a priming procedure to obtain evidence that the left and right hemispheres contributed equally to lexical processing of concrete nouns in a continuous reading task. In that study, however, there was no direct validation of the involvement of the right hemisphere in the task, and the possibility of left hemisphere processing of left visual field target stimuli could not be ruled out. The present study was designed to obtain validating evidence by using abstract and concrete noun primes in a similar reading task on the assumption that if the right hemisphere was contributing to the task there would be demonstrable differences between the visual fields in processing targets primed by abstract nouns. The results supported this expectation. While concrete targets projected to each visual field were primed by concrete nouns, there was significant priming by abstract nouns only in respect of targets presented to the right visual field. It is argued that this finding supports the involvement of the right hemisphere in continuous reading and further delimits the scope of its contribution to this process. Somewhat unexpectedly, the results also revealed that absolute response times were faster to left visual field targets when they were preceded by abstract nouns, even when there was no semantic relationship between the two words. It was suggested that this effect derives from the inability of the right hemisphere to process abstract nouns in that the failure of abstract nouns to engage lexical processing mechanisms leaves the right hemisphere relatively unencumbered when required to process a subsequent target.     

Psychological evaluation by means of an on-line computer

The use of an on-line microcomputer-based testing system in a private clinical psychology practice is described. Advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Information about procedures and fees are presented.     

General software for an on-line eye-movement recording system

A general on-line eye-movement recording system is described which consists basically of (a) some on-line instrument capable of displaying a visual scene, (b) a device to measure eye position and output position information in the form of electrical signals (c) an analogue-to-digital converter, and (d) a computer. General software for such a system is discussed with emphasis on subroutines which perform calibration and which continuously monitor eye position.     

Audiovisual Speech Web-Lab: An Internet teaching and research laboratory

Internet resources now enable laboratories to make full-length experiments available on line. A handful of existing web sites offer users the ability to participate in experiments and generate usable data. We have integrated this technology into a web site that also provides full discussion of the theoretical and methodological aspects of the experiments using text and simple interactive demonstrations. The content of the web site (http://www.psych.ucr.edu/avspeech/lab) concerns audiovisual speech perception and its relation to face perception. The site is designed to be useful for users of multiple interests and levels of expertise.     

Design for an on-line computerized system for MMPI interpretation

The development of an on-line MMPI interpretative program is outlined. Profiles interpreted by this program are first examined to determine whether a standard or locally known profile type fits. If so, an appropriate narrative report is printed. If there is no match with a known profile type, statements from several scale-by-scale interpretative sources are organized into a logical report. Methods have been developed to eliminate duplication and contradiction from different sources of information. Examples of output from this program are presented and advantages of the program are discussed.     

Bridging the gap between micros and minis in the teaching laboratory

This paper briefly considers the differences between minicomputers and microcomputers and the implications of these differences for data-generating simulations. The important difference is that between a timesharing and a single-user system. Finally, a hybrid model of survey research is presented. This model has some unusual features and is suitable for either type of computer.     

Representation of on-line questionnaires in an editable,auditable database

A general way of describing multiple-choice questionnaires for on-line presentation is described. Some of the important features supported include random ordering of and sampling among questions, substitution of specific-question text into boilerplate question and response formats, a limited ability to bypass irrelevant questions, experimenter editing of response arrays, and automatic production of hard-copy versions of the questionnaire for use during computer breakdowns and for archival documentation. All editing operations on both questionnaires and response data create audit trails for future reference.     

Getting lost

This paper seeks to explore the process, challenges and journey of setting up counselling within a boys’ public school setting, as an independent practitioner. It looks at the structure and way in which the service was set up and what had to be changed and adapted as time went on. The school had a strong reputation for pastoral care but had come to recognise that there were some issues that it was neither possible nor appropriate for school staff to deal with. So, whilst the school could and did provide containment for many of its pupils, there were those who got lost or were outside of the culture. This seemed to get reflected in my own experience. Setting up counselling in a school is not straightforward, and like the process of therapy itself, it takes time and is not a linear process. Although the service grew steadily, there were factors that led to my finally resigning from the post – I also got lost in the system. There is also a comparison with setting up a service under the auspices of an organisation at the same time.