On the Remote Associates Test (RAT) as an Alternative to Illusory Performance Feedback: A Methodological Note

The Remote Associates Test (RAT) is presented as a viable alternative to tasks involving illusory feedback and heavy deception that are typically used to manipulate performance in psychological research. Data from three studies are offered to support the contention that by manipulating the difficulty of RAT items, subjects can be given performance feedback which is veridical with their actual performance, thus providing a powerful performance manipulation while minimizing deception. In all studies, subjects were given either ten easy (success condition), ten hard (failure condition), or five easy and five hard (control condition) RAT items. For performance feedback, subjects in the success and failure conditions were simply told how many items they had answered correctly. Control condition subjects were given no evaluative feedback. The re, suits were essentially the same in all three studies. There was little or no overlap in subjects' performance across the three feedback conditions. Within conditions, however, subjects' perception of their performance tended to match their actual performance. The performance manipulation was also a very powerful one, accounting for over two-thirds of the variance in both perceived and actual performance. Other advantages and characteristics of the RAT are also discussed.     

The Moderating Effect of Raters’ Opportunities to Observe Ratees' Job Performance on the Validity of an Assessment Centre

Previous research has suggested that the quality of judgmental validation criteria may improve depending on the increase of opportunity for the rater to observe ratees’ job performances. This study investigated whether the validity of an assessment centre increases with opportunity to observe. Subjects were engineers and applied scientists from the Research and Development (R&D) units of seven German high-technology companies. A total of 6 personality scales, 10 cognitive ability tests and 9 work samples was administered to 155 subjects. Performance appraisals were collected from their supervisors. Assessors were trained organizational psychologists who were not members of the participating organizations. A total score (‘assessment centre score’) was computed by averaging the 25 predictors after standardization of each predictor. The (uncorrected) validity of this assessment centre was r = 0.37. In addition, opportunity to observe (i.e. amount of time the performance rater was the ratee’s supervisor) emerged as a moderator: for example validities were r = 0.09 (opportunity to observe ≤ 2 years) and r = 0.50 (opportunity to observe> 2 years).     

The influence of food distribution on the aggressive behaviour of juvenile white-seabream (Diplodus sargus cadenati de la Paz,Bauchot and Daget, 1974)

Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of differences in the spatial distribution of food on the aggressive behaviour of juvenile white-seabream, Diplodus sargus cadenati, both in the presence and in the absence of food. The groups of fish receiving spatially fixed food displayed less aggression than those receiving spatially variable food. The period (before, during, or after feeding) during which aggressiveness is measured also has influence in the results. During the prefeeding and postfeeding periods (absence of food), groups that were fed with food spatially fixed displayed less aggression than those that received spatially variable food. However, when food was present there were no differences in the number of aggressive acts carried out by fish groups in both environments. The aggressiveness shown by the groups of fish was always more pronounced during the postfeeding period than during the prefeeding period. The dominant fish was more aggressive when food was spatially fixed, and especially when food was present. Therefore, the subordinates were more aggressive when food was spatially variable and particularly when food was present and during the postfeeding period. Aggr. Behav. 24:379–384, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

The anticipatory potential (contingent negative variation) as an indicator of neuronal information processing in relation to changes in slow potentials in the EEG

The aim of this study was to investigate the interaction between spontaneous Slow Potential Shifts (SPSs) and the probability effect on CNV amplitudes. Fifteen right-handed volunteers participated in this experiment. The presentation of the stimuli was triggered by spontaneous SPSs (duration: 2 seconds, mean-amplitude: 10 microV) in the EEG signal at Cz. Thus, two different S1s (S1a: 1500 Hz, S1b: 2000 Hz) were presented in a random order with a fixed probability of occurrence of 0.8 for S1a and 0.2 for S1b. Each S1 was followed by a light stimulus (S2) with a constant ISI of 4 seconds. According to the cue, the subjects had to push the left (S1a) or the right (S1b) response button as fast as possible with their right index finger. The order of the 4 experimental conditions (stimulus presentation triggered by negative or positive shifts and recording of negative or positive shifts without any stimuli) in which each subject participated was balanced across subjects. Several significant effects could be found by means of a two-way ANOVA for repeated measures (condition x recording site): Negative shifts were accompanied by smaller CNVs as well as PINVs (resolution deficits) at all recording sites; the probability effect was found to be significant in the positive shift condition at F3, F4, and Cz, but not in the negative shift condition except at Cz for the E-wave. CNVs triggered by negative shifts only showed a significant correlation (-.55) with reaction time. These results together favor a two-component model suggesting that SPSs, spontaneous and evoked, are largely generated by glia depolarization, which is evoked by but outlasts neuronal activity.     

The Effect of Communication Change on Long‐term Reductions in Child Exposure to Conflict: Impact of the Promoting Strong African American Families (ProSAAF) Program

African American couples (n = 331) with children, 89% of whom were married, were assigned to either (a) a culturally sensitive couple‐ and parenting‐enhancement program (ProSAAF) or (b) an information‐only control condition in which couples received self‐help materials. Husbands averaged 41 years of age and wives averaged 39 years. We found significant effects of program participation in the short term on couple communication, which was targeted by the intervention, as well as over the long term, on self‐reported arguing in front of children. Long‐term parenting outcomes were fully mediated by changes in communication for wives, but not for husbands. For husbands, positive change depended on amount of wife reported change. We conclude that wives' changes in communication from baseline to posttest may be more pivotal for the couples' long‐term experience of decreased arguing in front of children than are husbands' changes, with wives' changes leading to changes in both partners' reports of arguments in front of children.