PROSS: A process control programming language

PROSS, a programming language for small- and medium-scale process control computers, is presented. The PROSS language, whose structure and syntax were expressly designed for ease of use by psychologists, is summarized and exemplified in a sample procedure. The structure of an existing PROSS compiler is briefly summarized.     

REDISCOVERING THE PAST:

The origins of experimental psychology are found in the theory of discrimination created by Gustav Fechner The theory advanced by Fechner was the first theory of mental judgment that applied the ideas of Gaussian error to human discrimination Despite Its powerful theoretical and empirical results, the theory vanished Later embellishments, such as the addition of response bias found in signal detection theory, gave such theories new life, but Fechner never received the credit due to the founder of psychological detection theory     

INTELLIGENCE: PAST AND FUTURE

In this paper it is argued that enquiry concerning intelligence in the 20th century has been dominated by a particular theory which we call the ‘strength’ model of intelligence. After briefly considering the history of the strength model we argue that this dominance has severely distorted the logic of research programmes in the area of intelligence, resulting in the crisis of professional uncertainty and public confidence which we currently find ourselves in. Various illustrations of this distortion of logic are considered in three areas of research, (i) the construction of intelligence tests; (ii) enquiry into the ‘structure’ of intelligence; (iii) nature-nurture research. We go on to examine alternatives to the strength model, and then make a plea for a wider and deeper consideration of concept formation, and concept usage, as the basis of a ‘polyphenic’ cognitive system. Some of the implications of this consideration for the nature of future research programmes are also discussed.     

CHANGING THE PAST: RETROCAUSALITY AND NARRATIVE CONSTRUCTION

Abstract: This article is a reply to Jeanne Peijnenburg's argument for retrocausality in “Shaping Your Own Life.” Although it is perfectly possible to make sense of the way Peijnenburg deals with the subject of changing the past, there is no need to think this implies retrocausality.     

Viewing behavior: Ocular and attentional disengagement

In five experiments, we examined the role of the ocular and attentional systems in determining saccadic latencies. Prior to making a saccade to a target stimulus, subjects were required to direct their attention to a foveal stimulus or to an eccentric stimulus. Either stimulus could be extinguished before the onset of the target. Saccadic latencies were shortest when the foveal stimulus was extinguished, regardless of whether it was attended or not. Control experiments showed that subjects were able to attend properly and that warning, arising from turning off a stimulus before target onset, could not completely account for the results. The results were discussed in terms of ocular disengagement, attentional disengagement, and joint ocular-attentional disengagement. It was concluded that an explanation emphasizing ocular disengagement provided the best account of the data.     

TELEOLOGY PAST AND PRESENT

Abstract. Current teleology in Western biology, philosophy, and theology draws on resources from four main Western philosophers. (1) Plato's Timaeus shows how to interpret the universe as the handiwork of a purposive Creator who subordinates secondary, necessary, causes to primary, intelligent, causes. (2) Aristotle's Physics sets forth purpose as implicit in the nature of things. Purposes of different sorts inhere in different types of being, and everything has a natural function. Living things grow to actualize the potentials of the goal whose principle they bear within themselves. (3) Kant's Critique of Judgment denies that purpose is anything that human beings can know, strictly speaking. Nevertheless, purpose is a concept we must use to make sense of biological systems. (4) Hegel's Philosophy of Nature articulates organic systems as dialectically including and transcending mechanical and chemical systems. Teleological themes persist, in different ways, in contemporary discussions; I consider two lines of criticism of traditional teleology—by Richard Dawkins and Stephen Jay Gould—and one line that continues traditional teleology in an updated way—by Holmes Rolston, III.     

Motor programming is not the only process which can influence RT: some thoughts on the Marteniuk and MacKenzie analysis

The current status of research on the memory drum theory is evaluated with emphasis on the issues raised by Marteniuk and MacKenzie (1981). A general theme emerging from this review is that response programming is not the only process which can influence RT and that distinguishing programming from non-programming effects clarifies rather than "clouds" the issues.     

SYNTHETIC VALIDITY: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE

Practitioners in the area of personnel selection can be confronted with situations in which the use of traditional validation strategies is not feasible. This situation can result from small numbers of incumbents, rapidly changing jobs, insufficient resources, or the lack of high-quality criterion data. Although traditional strategies are not possible, a set of techniques falling under the rubric of synthetic validity can be used to estimate predictor validity in these situations. Synthetic validity is a logical process of inferring validity on the basis of the relationships between components of a job and tests of the attributes that are needed to perform the job components. Unfortunately, synthetic validity is infrequently used and not well understood. This article provides an overview and conceptualization of synthetic validity, reviews the historical approaches to synthetic validity, describes the recent developments and trends, and suggests future directions for synthetic validity application and research. The relationship of synthetic validity with other validity concepts, the advantages, the limitations, and the legal issues are considered throughout.     

Implicit ambivalence from attitude change: an exploration of the PAST model

Traditional models of attitude change have assumed that when people appear to have changed their attitudes in response to new information, their old attitudes disappear and no longer have any impact. The present research suggests that when attitudes change, the old attitude can remain in memory and influence subsequent behavior. Four experiments are reported in which initial attitudes were created and then changed (or not) with new information. In each study, the authors demonstrate that when people undergo attitude change, their old and new attitudes can interact to produce evaluative responses consistent with a state of implicit ambivalence. In Study 1, individuals whose attitudes changed were more neutral on a measure of automatic evaluation. In Study 2, attitude change led people to show less confidence on an implicit but not an explicit measure. In Studies 3 and 4, people whose attitudes changed engaged in greater processing of attitude-relevant information than did individuals whose attitudes were not changed.     

STRUGGLING WITH A NONTRADITIONAL PAST

This article reports findings from a qualitative study that explored the educational experiences of women who were academic high achievers and who were disadvantaged as children. An interesting result was that most participants, if not all, believed that one reason they were successful was because they never revealed their personal histories to education professionals. This article describes the participants' relationship to the concept of disadvantage and the process they went through to have a voice in a system that rewarded them for their silence. It also addresses the question of when it is appropriate to disclose personal information in educational settings. Some believe there should be a separation between the personal and the professional. Others argue that women and disadvantaged students need education that is connected to their life experiences. If this is true, we must ask how this connection can be made when people from disadvantaged backgrounds believe they must hide who they are to succeed.     

Viewing injustice: greater emotion heterogeneity with age

The present study examined age differences in emotion heterogeneity, defined as the experience of co-occurring negative emotions. Younger and older European American and Mexican American participants (N=183) viewed film clips depicting scenes of injustice. Younger adults were more likely to report a single primary negative emotion, whereas older adults reported greater emotion heterogeneity, a finding consistent across gender and ethnicity. In addition, greater emotion heterogeneity was related to a greater number of life experiences. Future directions concerning the meaning of and possible implications for this age difference are discussed.