Visual recognition memory for large and small binary pictures.

Recognition memory for pictures was tested using matrices of 0s and 1s as stimuli in two experiments. In the first experiment dimensionality of matrices was varied (5 X 5 and 10 X 10 matrices). The results showed better recognition memory for 10 X 10 matrices. The second experiment investigated the importance of certain areas, such as center or surround, using 10 X 10 matrices only. The results suggested that neither center nor surround is given unusual weight.     

Serial learning in rats: A test of three hypotheses

Findings obtained by providing rats with a single fixed series of events, A-B-C-…, often are equally compatible with three alternative serial learning interpretations: that the signal for items is (A) their position in the series (position view), (B) the prior item of the series (chaining view), and (C) one, two, or more prior items of the series (sequential view). By employing a novel procedure of supplying rats with two different series, rather than a single series, it was possible to choose between the three alternatives. Employing 10 and 0, 0.045 g, Noyes pellets as items, rats in both runway experiments reported here received a three trial series, either a 10-0-10 series or a 0-0-10 series. In Experiment 1, the other series was a single 0 pellet trial (along with 10-0-10) or a single 10 pellet trial (along with 0-0-10). In Experiment 2, the other series was either 0-0 (along with 10-0-10) or 10-0 (along with 0-0-10). Considering both experiments, findings were consistent with the sequential view but not with either the position view or the chaining view. The possibility was suggested that, under some other experimental conditions, particularly those not employing reward events as items, greater control over discriminative responding might be exercised by position cues than by item cues.     

Coenzyme Q10: a review of its promise as a neuroprotectant

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a powerful antioxidant that buffers the potential adverse consequences of free radicals produced during oxidative phosphorylation in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Oxidative stress, resulting in glutathione loss and oxidative DNA and protein damage, has been implicated in many neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease. Experimental studies in animal models suggest that CoQ10 may protect against neuronal damage that is produced by ischemia, atherosclerosis and toxic injury. Though most have tended to be pilot studies, there are published preliminary clinical trials showing that CoQ10 may offer promise in many brain disorders. For example, a 16-month randomized, placebo-controlled pilot trial in 80 subjects with mild Parkinson's disease found significant benefits for oral CoQ10 1,200 mg/day to slow functional deterioration. However, to date, there are no published clinical trials of CoQ10 in Alzheimer's disease. Available data suggests that oral CoQ10 seems to be relatively safe and tolerated across the range of 300-2,400 mg/day. Randomized controlled trials are warranted to confirm CoQ10's safety and promise as a clinically effective neuroprotectant.     

Pause relationships in multiple and chained fixed-ratio schedules

On a multiple fixed-ratio 10 fixed-ratio 100 schedule, pigeons pause for relatively long periods of time before the fixed-ratio 100 schedule. Only a short pause occurs before the fixed-ratio 10 schedule. A chain fixed-ratio 10 fixed-ratio 100 schedule produces the reverse pattern, i.e., a short pause before the fixed-ratio 100 schedule and a long pause before the fixed-ratio 10 schedule. Procedurally, the only difference between the two schedules is that the fixed-ratio 10 component is always terminated by some unconditioned reinforcer in the multiple schedule but never in the chained schedule. In the present experiment, the percentage of fixed-ratio 10 components which included reinforcement was gradually decreased for birds on the multiple schedule and gradually increased for birds on the chained schedule. It was found that percentage reinforcement within the fixed-ratio 10 component was inversely related to the duration of the pause before the fixed-ratio 10 component and directly related to the duration of the pause before the fixed-ratio 100 component. Thus, the relative rate of reinforcement paired with a particular stimulus was seen to be an important factor in determining response latency to that stimulus.     

Distributed and massed practice effects on motor performance and learning of autistic children

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of massed and distributed practice upon the learning by 8 autistic children of rotary pursuit tracking at 20 rpm. The massed practice group of four completed 10 30-sec. trials with 5-sec. rests for 10 consecutive days on the Photoelectric Pursuit Rotor. The distributed practice group completed 10 30-sec. trials with 30-sec. rests for 10 consecutive days on the same device. The results of a 2 x 10 x 10 (group x practice days x trials) analysis of variance with repeated measures on the last two factors indicated that learning occurred for both groups but no differences between groups were significant. It is suggested that further investigations into the applicability of motor learning principles to special populations be conducted using larger groups.     

A Longitudinal Factor Model For Studying Change In Ability Structure

Models of the Longitudinal Factor Analysis type were designed to describe the development of ability structure between the ages 10 and 13. The parameters of the models were estimated by the LISREL program (Jöreskog & van Thillo, 1973). The sample comprised 375 girls and 353 boys who were tested at age 10 and retested at age 13 with six ability tests and two achievement tests. The results indicate that verbal, inductive, and spatial abilities can be described as developing fairly independently of each other between the ages 10 and 13. At age 13, but not at age 10, two subfactors of the inductive factor could be differentiated. The unique variances show a marked decrease between age 10 and age 13. Consequently the factors, and the relationships between factors, explain more of the variance of the response variates at age 13 than at age 10.     

Relative alpha desynchronization and synchronization during perception of music

Relative desynchronization (ERD) and synchronization (ERS) of the 8–10 Hz and 10–12 Hz alpha freqency bands elicited by music were studied in ten musically untrained right-handed subjects. The subjects listened to two five-minute musical excerpts representing two different musical genres, popular and classical, presented both foward and backward. ERD/ERS of the two alpha frequency bands was examined during the first four minutes of stimulus presentation using one-minute time windows. The results demonstrated that both the 8–10 Hz and the 10–12Hz frequency band exhibited reactivity to musical stimuli. The responses of the 8–10Hz and 10–12 Hz alpha frequency bands were dissimilar, dymanic and dependent on both time and stimulation type. The dynamics of these changes over time may explain some discrepancies in earlier EEG studies during listening to music.     

The validity of psychomotor vigilance tasks of less than 10-minute duration.

The 10-min psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) has often been used to assess the impact of sleep loss on performance. Due to time constraints, however, regular testing may not be practical in field studies. The aim of the present study was to examine the suitability of tests shorter than 10 min. in duration. Changes in performance across a night of sustained wakefulness were compared during a standard 10-min PVT, the first 5 min of the PVT, and the first 2 min of the PVT. Four performance metrics were assessed: (1) mean reaction time (RT), (2) fastest 10% of RT, (3) lapse percentage, and (4) slowest 10% of RT. Performance during the 10-min PVT significantly deteriorated with increasing wakefulness for all metrics. Performance during the first 5 min and the first 2 min of the PVT deteriorated in a manner similar to that observed for the whole 10-min task, with all metrics except lapse percentage displaying significant impairment across the night. However, the shorter the task sampling time, the less sensitive the test is to sleepiness. Nevertheless, the 5-min PVT may provide a viable alternative to the 10-min PVT for some performance metrics.     

The validity of psychomotor vigilance tasks of less than 10-minute duration

The 10-min psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) has often been used to assess the impact of sleep loss on performance. Due to time constraints, however, regular testing may not be practical in field studies. The aim of the present study was to examine the suitability of tests shorter than 10 min. in duration. Changes in performance across a night of sustained wakefulness were compared during a standard 10-min PVT, the first 5 min of the PVT, and the first 2 min of the PVT. Four performance metrics were assessed: (1) mean reaction time (RT), (2) fastest 10% of RT, (3) lapse percentage, and (4) slowest 10% of RT. Performance during the 10-min PVT significantly deteriorated with increasing wakefulness for all metrics. Performance during the first 5 min and the first 2 min of the PVT deteriorated in a manner similar to that observed for the whole 10-min task, with all metrics except lapse percentage displaying significant impairment across the night. However, the shorter the task sampling time, the less sensitive the test is to sleepiness. Nevertheless, the 5-min PVT may provide a viable alternative to the 10-min PVT for some performance metrics.     

Seating position and length of utterance of preschoolers with cerebral palsy

This study investigated the effects of semireclining and upright positions on production of utterances of increasing length by 10 physically typical preschoolers and 10 children with cerebral palsy. Sentences of 3, 7, and 10 syllables were imitated on one breath using the Respitrace to gather kinematic data of chest wall use. Analysis indicated that the reclining position led to 83% productions on one breath, while 95% could be produced on one breath in the upright position. During the longer 7- and 10-syllable utterances, children with cerebral palsy successfully imitated 48% and 18% of these utterances, while the control group performed 83% and 35% correctly for the 7- and 10-syllable tasks, respectively.     

The psychometric properties of The Religious Status Inventory—‘Being Ethical’ subscale among Northern Irish adolescents

There are few self‐report measures of morality. The Religious Status Inventory—‘Being Ethical’ subscale represents one approach. However, at present there is limited information on the psychometric properties of either the original 20‐item version (RSInv‐20) or the shortened embedded 10‐item version (RSInv‐S10). The aim of the present study was to provide psychometric data on the internal reliability of these two versions of the ‘Being Ethical’ subscale. As part of a larger study, 595 Northern Irish adolescents, drawn from both Grammar and Secondary schools, completed the RSInv‐20. An unsatisfactory level of internal reliability was found for the RSInv‐20 (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.42), but a satisfactory level of internal reliability was found for the RSInv‐S10 (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.70). Subsequent item analysis produced an alternative 10‐item version (RSInv‐A10) that provided the optimum level of internal reliability for a 10‐item measure in the present sample (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.74). In addition, on all three versions of the measure (RSInv‐20, RSInv‐S10, and RSInv‐A10), differences were found in levels of internal reliability among Grammar and Secondary school respondents, with the former producing higher levels of internal reliability.     

Autokinetic movement as a function of symbolic meaning of target shape.

The autokinetic movement responses of 10 American, 10 Chinese, and 10 Iranian students to religious symbols and control stimuli were measured. The hypothesis of differential direction response as a function of the target shapes was supported. Iranian students did show a pattern of responding significantly different from the American and Chinese.     

Methamphetamine effects on cognitive processing during extended wakefulness

We examined the effects of both 5- and 10-mg/7O kg body weight of d-methamphetamine HCl on high event rate vigilance and tracking performance in a 13.5-hr sustained-performance session during one night of sleep loss. At 0116 hours participants were administered either a 5 mg/70 kg oral dose of d-methamphetamine (n=10), 10 mg/70 kg d-methamphetamine (n=10), or a placebo (n=10) using standard double-blind procedures. Performance on all measures degraded markedly during the night in the placebo group. Both the 5- and 10-mg methamphetamines treatment reversed an initial decline in d', and reversed increases in nonresponses (lapses) and tracking error within approximately 3 hr of administration. No evidence that amphetamine treatment increased impulsive responding (fast guesses) was observed. The magnitude of the performance effects of the methamphetamine treatments was similar at 3 hr postadministration. However, the effects of the 5-mg dose were shorter-lived, disappearing by the last testing session (6.5 hr postadministration), whereas effects of the 10-mg dose tended to remain throughout testing. Both amphetamine treatments decreased subjective sleepiness during the night and tended to increase subjective sleep latencies during a post-testing sleep period.     

短式知觉压力量表(PSS-10)在中国大学生中的信效度

考察短式知觉压力量表(PSS-10)在中国大学生中的效度和信度。用PSS-10、一般健康问卷(GHQ-12)、生活取向测验修订版(LOT-R)、一般自我效能量表(GSES)以及Connor-Davidson心理韧性量表(CD-RISC)对1762名大学生进行调查。PSS-10的条目质量良好; 经探索与验证后,量表的潜在结构为稳定的两个因子,与实测数据拟良好; PSS-10的效标关联效度较好。总量表、无助感和自我效能信念的内部一致性系数达到了测量学要求; 两周后其重测信度大于0.6; 它们的问卷辨识系数均大于0.9。短式知觉压力量表在中国大学生中具有良好的信效度,能够作为有效测量大学生领悟或感受到压力的程度。     

6～11岁儿童执行功能发展研究

以168名6~11岁儿童为被试,使用9种执行功能任务研究了儿童三种执行功能成分的发展,三种执行功能是,抑制(Inhibition)、转换(Shifting)和刷新(Updating),结果发现:整个儿童阶段,三种执行功能一直表现出随年龄递增而增长的趋势;不同的执行功能表现出不同的发展速率,其中抑制控制大约在6~7岁表现出一个快速的增长期,记忆刷新从7岁到10岁一直呈线性增长,转换表现出两个快速增长期,第一个快速增长则发生在7~8岁之间,第二个快速增长则发生在9-10岁之间,三种执行功能的发展趋势到大约10岁后趋于平缓,10岁和11岁儿童的表现没有显著性差异;所有执行功能任务测量中没有发现性别主效应,年龄和性别的交互作用不显著。     

DETERIORATION OF MENTAL AND MOTOR FUNCTIONS IN HYPERBARIC AIR

The effects of hyperbaric air on manual dexterity and arithmetic calculation capacity were studied in 15 subjects at ambient pressures of 4, 7, 10, and 13 ata at rest, and at 4, 7, and 10 ata during exercise (300 kpm/min). A significant reduction of the performance in both tests was observed at 10 and 13 ata at rest. During exercise in manual dexterity the reduction was significant at 4, 7 and 10 ata and in arithmetic calculation capacity at 7 and 10 ata. At 13 ata (at rest) a number of marked behavioural symptoms were observed, including changes in mood, impairment of consciousness, disturbance of perception, and deterioration of motor functions. These changes were readily reversible as soon as the pressure was lowered.     

The usefulness of the Western Aphasia Battery for differential diagnosis of Alzheimer dementia and focal stroke syndromes: preliminary evidence.

We assessed the usefulness of the Western Aphasia Battery for distinguishing the language disturbances caused by Alzheimer dementia (AD) from those caused by stroke. Using discriminant function analyses, the multiple variable "aphasia quotient--reading quotient--writing quotient" classified 29 (72.5%) of the 40 patients correctly. These 29 patients included 8 of 10 patients with left hemisphere infarction and fluent aphasia; 6 of 10 with AD; 5 of 10 patients with right hemisphere infarction; and all 10 of the neurologically normal control subjects. The patients with AD and those with right hemisphere stroke were the most difficult to classify using the aphasia battery.     

Measuring personality in one minute or less: A 10-item short version of the Big Five Inventory in English and German

To provide a measure of the Big Five for contexts in which participant time is severely limited, we abbreviated the Big Five Inventory (BFI-44) to a 10-item version, the BFI-10. To permit its use in cross-cultural research, the BFI-10 was developed simultaneously in several samples in both English and German. Results focus on the psychometric characteristics of the 2-item scales on the BFI-10, including their part-whole correlations with the BFI-44 scales, retest reliability, structural validity, convergent validity with the NEO-PI-R and its facets, and external validity using peer ratings. Overall, results indicate that the BFI-10 scales retain significant levels of reliability and validity. Thus, reducing the items of the BFI-44 to less than a fourth yielded effect sizes that were lower than those for the full BFI-44 but still sufficient for research settings with truly limited time constraints.     

Finger tapping: effects of trials and sessions

18 normal, self-reported dextral subjects (9 men, 9 women) were assessed with a Halstead Manual Finger Tapping device, with 10 trials per hand for 10 consecutive wk. The test-retest reliability of the 10-trial average between the 10 sessions averaged .94 for men and .86 for women, for both preferred and nonpreferred hands. There were no statistically significant effects of increases in performance over sessions or effects of fatigue over trials for either sex or hand. There were, however, significant increases over trials for men for both preferred and nonpreferred hands.     

Interval recording for duration events: a re‐evaluation

In two experiments, events that were recorded using continuous duration recording (CDR) were rescored using 10‐s partial interval (PIR), 10‐s momentary time sampling (MTS) and 20‐s MTS. Results of Experiment 1 showed that data paths generated by each interval method produced conclusions about functional control that were similar to those based on CDR when using reversal designs; however, for multielement designs, 10‐s PIR was prone to showing differentiation between data paths that was not evident with CDR. Results of Experiment 2 showed that both 10‐s and 20‐s MTS yielded data paths on behavior–behavior relations (e.g., covarying responses) that were consistent with CDR whereas 10‐s PIR produced some behavior–behavior patterns that were not. In both experiments, 10‐s MTS generated data paths that were nearly identical to the respective CDR data paths. The implications of these findings for researchers and clinicians are briefly discussed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.