An X Windows tool for synthesizing face images from eigenvectors

An X Windows software tool for the construction of faces with a weighted combination of eigenvectors is described. The eigenvectors were extracted from an autoassociative matrix that comprised 100 face images. The program input consists of eigenvectors and sets of weights that describe individual faces and combines these to create face images. The tool creates a panel of buttons that permits the display of individual eigenvectors and the display of an average face as well. Facilities for on-line changes to the intensity of individual eigenvectors can be used to change the appearance of a face. Previously, O’Toole, Abdi, Deffenbacher, and Bartlett (1991) have shown that the intensity of certain individual eigenvectors contains reliable information for determining the sex and race of the face.     

Linking qualitative and quantitative methods in cross-cultural survey research: Techniques from cognitive science

Survey research with diverse cultural and ethnic minority groups is a complex and challenging endeavor that confronts the researcher with problems related to linguistic and conceptual equivalence and measurement as well as problems related to difficulties that respondents have with the sociocultural dimensions of the survey/interview process. One way to improve the quality of cross-cultural surveys and to insure that the findings are culturally relevant and accurate is to combine qualitative and quantitative methods. This paper proposes that certain qualitative techniques from cognitive science, specifically cognitive anthropology and cognitive psychology, are particularly well suited to being combined with survey research. These techniques provide information corresponding to the underlying thought processes of respondents and enable researchers to better understand how different cultural and ethnic groups construe the world. The information obtained can be used improve the formulation of survey questions, design and structure questionnaire formats to coincide with the way particular groups organize concepts, and help researchers understand difficulties respondents may have with the survey/interview process. In addition, the techniques produce data that are easily codifiable and more manageable than traditional qualitative techniques including participant observation and in-depth interviews.     

Rules in relevant logic — II: Formula representation

This paper surveys the various forms of Deduction Theorem for a broad range of relevant logics. The logics range from the basic system B of Routley-Meyer through to the system R of relevant implication, and the forms of Deduction Theorem are characterized by the various formula representations of rules that are either unrestricted or restricted in certain ways. The formula representations cover the iterated form,A ₁ .A ₂ . ... .A _n B, the conjunctive form,A ₁&A ₂ & ...A _n B, the combined conjunctive and iterated form, enthymematic version of these three forms, and the classical implicational form,A ₁&A ₂& ...A _n B. The concept of general enthymeme is introduced and the Deduction Theorem is shown to apply for rules essentially derived using Modus Ponens and Adjunction only, with logics containing either (A B)&(B C) .A C orA B .B C .A C.I acknowledge help from anonymous referees for guidance in preparing Part II, and especially for the suggestion that Theorem 9 could be expanded to fully contraction-less logics.     

The predictive validity of teacher nominations: A five-year followup of at-risk youth

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive validity of a teacher nomination procedure for identifying at- risk children. Two hundred and twenty-five children were nominated by their teachers as well- adjusted (n= 75), socially withdrawn (n=76), or socially aggressive (n=74) during the fourth grade. Five years later, 198 of these children (88%) were located and their adjustment evaluated. Significant differences among the nominated children were found on a variety of measures, including academic grades, sociometric status, and social behavior. In addition, differences in school dropout and delinquent offenses were noted. Results are discussed in terms of the validity of teacher nomination procedures and their utility in identifying at- risk youth.     

Retraction of Ross and LoLordo findings concerning blocking in serial feature-positive discriminations.

Findings concerning the effectiveness of stimuli from various conditioning procedures in blocking conditioned excitation and occasion-setting functions of an added stimulus in a serial feature-postive discrimination training procedure (LoLordo & Ross, 1987; Ross & LoLordo, 1986, 1987) are retracted. Videotapes on which the published data were based were rescored by 2-5 people, most of whom were uninformed about group memberships of the subjects. In no case did the rescoring confirm any of the orginal findings of blocking. Possible factors contributing to the discrepancies are discussed. The experiments should be repeated with feature stimuli that are less similar to each other and with several scorers, at least one of whom is unaware of the group assignment of the subjects.     

Glucose and physostigmine effects on morphine- and amphetamine-induced increases in locomotor activity in mice

Recent findings indicate that glucose antagonizes several behavioral effects of cholinergic antagonists and augments those of cholinergic agonists. For example, scopolamine elicits increased locomotor activity, an action which is attenuated by glucose and by combined treatment with glucose and physostigmine at doses which are individually without effect. Opiate and catecholamine agonists, such as morphine and amphetamine, also elicit hyperactivity. The present study examined interactions of glucose and physostigmine with morphine- and amphetamine-induced hyperactivity. Mice received saline, morphine (10 mg/kg), or amphetamine (1 mg/kg) 50 min prior to testing, followed by saline, physostigmine (0.01, 0.05, 0.1, or 0.2 mg/kg), or glucose (10, 50, 100, or 500 mg/kg) administered 20 min prior to activity testing in an open field. Physostigmine significantly attenuated both morphine- and amphetamine-induced increases in activity, but higher doses were required to attenuate the effects of amphetamine. Like physostigmine, glucose significantly attenuated morphine-induced activity levels, but unlike physostigmine, glucose did not attenuate amphetamine-induced activity. Thus, the behavioral effects of morphine were more susceptible to modification by physostigmine and glucose than were the effects of amphetamine. The attenuation of morphine-induced hyperactivity demonstrates a similarity between glucose and cholinergic agonists, and also indicates that glucose may inhibit, directly or indirectly, opiate functions. More generally, these findings add to the evidence that circulating glucose levels selectively influence a growing list of behavioral and neurobiological functions.