The effect of pattern and texture gradient on slant and shape judgments

The experiment reported was designed to explore the relationship between gradient of texture and monocular slantshape perception. The effects of instructional set and order of slant and shape judgments were studied in interaction with four patterns differing in regularity of texture. Judgments of slant and shape were made by the same Ss for all patterns at 20°, 45°, 60°slant for slant judgments and 0°, 20°, 45°, 60° for width judgments. There were three instructional groups. Within each group one half of the Ss made slant judgments first, the other half shape judgments first. For all patterns, accurate perception of the slant of patterned material resulted in increased compensation in width judgments. Apparent width was found to be a function of pattern and also subject to instructional manipulation.     

Interrelationships among students' study activities,self-concept of academic ability,and achievement as a function of characteristics of high-school biology courses

This investigation focused on the interrelationships among students' study activities, students' self-concept of academic ability ratings, students' academic achievement, and instructional practices in 12 high school biology courses. Using a framework derived from a previous investigation, course features were classified into those that appear to (a) place demands on, (b) support, or (c) compensate for student engagement in particular study activities. Students' study activities, self-concept of academic ability ratings, and achievement were measured with experimenter-developed instruments. Results are reported for (a) characteristics of instruments and course features, (b) relationships between central factors of the investigation, and (c) multi-level relationships between course features and student variables. Results at the student level indicated that self-concept of academic ability and, to a lesser extent, students' study activities were positively associated with student achievement. Students' self-concept of academic ability ratings were also linked to students' engagement in generative, proactive study activities. At the course level the supportive practices of providing challenging homework assignments and extensive feedback on student coursework were associated with student engagement in effortful, generative, proactive study activities. The provision of extensive feedback was also associated with high student achievement. Multi-level relationships were analysed using hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) analyses. These analyses revealed, for example, that in courses in which little or no feedback is given on homework assignments, the relationship between achievement and student engagement in diligent effort management activities was enhanced. Other HLM analyses were conducted to examine the mediating role of course features on the relationship between students' self-concept of academic ability and their study activities and achievement. For example, the presence of challenging course demands was associated with an enhancement of the relationship between self-concept of academic ability and achievement whereas the presence of instructor provisions (supports and compensations) designed to reduce course demands was associated with a reduction in this relationship.     

Becoming a bartender: The role of external memory cues in a work-directed educational activity

Two kinds of external mnemonic cues are distinguished within the activity of becoming a bartender. Verbal mnemonic symbols (VMS) are materially arbitrary with respect to their referents. Material mnemonic symbols (MMS) bear a direct material relation to their referents. Both sets of cues are socially constituted. Combined ethnographic and experimental analyses indicate that external mnemonic cue use shifts from VMS, to MMS, to the use of neither with increasing experience. These shifts are interpreted within an activity theory framework as they occur in relation to the changing goals of becoming a bartender.     

Potentiation of the pressor response to stress by tolbutamide in dogs

Tolbutamide has previously been shown to amplify the pressor effects of “exogenous” catecholamines in conscious dogs, possibly due to sensitization of the α₁-adrenoreceptor-mediated vasoconstriction. The objective of this study was to examine if tolbutamide also amplifies the pressor effects of “endogenous” catecholamines released during psychological stress (classical Pavlovian aversive conditioning). Experiments were conducted in β-adrenoreceptor-blocked (propranolol, 1 mg/kg, i.v.) conscious dogs (n=4) trained in classical aversive conditioning. Conditioning was accomplished by following a tone (CS+) with a 1/2 second shock; another tone (CS-) was not followed by any shock and served as control. With saline pretreatment, aversive conditioning (i.e., CS+) increased mean arterial pressure (MAP) only by approximately 4.7% when compared to CS-, whereas with tolbutamide (45 mg/kg, i.v.) pretreatment, the increase in MAP induced by CS+ beyond what was induced by the CS- (approximately 6.2%) was significantly (p<0.05) larger than that with saline pretreatment. In isolated canine femoral arterial segments (n=4), the vasoconstrictor effect of phenylephrine (an α₁-agonist) at 5×10^?6M (which was the EC₅₀ value) was amplified by 2×10^?2M of tolbutamide from 54.0±2.0% to 66.9±2.1%. In conclusion, tolbutamide amplifies the pressor effects of “endogenous” catecholamines in conscious dogs, possibly by sensitization of the α₁-adrenoreceptor-mediated vasoconstriction. This mechanism of action is novel and has not been reported with other agents.     

The trait anxiety-perception score: a composite predictor for state anxiety

This article describes the development and initial evaluation of the A-Trait-Perception (ATP) score, a composite predictor for state anxiety. The ATP score is constructed from trait anxiety and situation perception data derived from the Endler Multidimensional Anxiety Scales (EMAS; Endler, Edwards, & Vitelli, 1989). ATP mathematically combines the individual's trait anxiety and situation perception profiles and adjusts these with a multiplier that reflects the individuals' sensitivity to particular types of situational elements in terms of state anxiety inducement. The utility of the resulting composite variable as a predictor of state anxiety was examined in the context of two field studies. Results of both studies indicated that the ATP variable offered a superior prediction of state anxiety, as compared to four individual trait anxiety facets (social evaluation, physical danger, ambiguous and daily routines). The theoretical import of these results is discussed.     

Abbreviated measures of sex role egalitarian attitudes

Alternate 25-item short forms of the Sex-Role Egalitarianism Scale (SRES) were developed and examined for psychometric quality using data from a sample of 608 students. Internal consistency coefficients were .94 and .92 for the two forms, stability coefficients with a three-week test-retest in terval were .88 for each, and the coefficient of equivalence or alternate forms reliability was .87. As expected, females scored significantly more egalitarian than males on both short forms, and results of factor analyses pointed to unidimensional measurement of a single construct for males, females, and the total sample. Additional support for reliability and validity is overviewed. The abbreviated SRES forms appear to provide a psychometrically sound and time-efficient means for assessing egalitarian attitudes.     

Animal research in psychology: declining or thriving?

From Dialog's PsychINFO database the number of studies with 6 species reported in the Psychological Abstracts was calculated for each year from 1967 to 1988. Also, the number of studies with an additional 11 species were calculated for each year from 1973 to 1988. A hand search in the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior and Learning and Motivation was also conducted to explore trends in studies on 12 species from 1970 to 1987. The numbers of studies on many species (e.g., baboons, bats, chimpanzees, dolphins, gerbils, guinea pigs, gorillas, hamsters, lemurs, mice, pigeons, rats, seals, and snakes) have remained stable. There has, however, been a steady decline in the numbers of studies on selected species (e.g., cats, dogs, and rabbits). Possible reasons for changing trends in studies on selected species include: increased costs, the cognitive emphasis in psychology, and arguably, animal rights activism.     

Racial Attitudes and the Death Penalty1

This study investigated the relationship between overt and subtle forms of racism with Whites' recommendations for capital sentencing of Black and White offenders convicted of murder. White participants (n= 104) viewed 5 other “jurors” (all Whites or 4 Whites and 1 Black) on videotape individually presenting their decisions to vote for the death penalty in the case. It was hypothesized that the bias of high prejudice-scoring participants would be overt, but that the pattern for low prejudice-scoring participants would be more complex. As predicted, among high prejudice-scoring participants, Black defendants received stronger recommendations for the death penalty than did White defendants. Among low prejudice-scoring White participants, Black offenders received stronger recommendations for the death penalty only when a Black juror advocated the death penalty.     

An Attributional Analysis of Emotional Reactions to Schizophrenia in Mexican and Anglo American Cultures1

The present study uses attribution theory to identify factors that may lead to unfavorable emotional reactions toward patients with schizophrenia and to highlight factors that may contribute to the observed inverse relationship between industrial status of a country and schizophrenia outcome. University students from Mexico and the U.S., 2 countries differing in industrial status, served as participants. Eighty-eight Mexicans from Guadalajara and 88 Anglo Americans from Los Angeles, California read vignettes of a patient described to meet DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia. In one vignette, the patient's disorder was characterized by predominantly positive symptoms (e.g., hallucinations, delusions), whereas in the other vignette negative symptoms (e.g., social withdrawal, apathy) predominated. In support of an attributional approach, negative symptoms were associated with greater perceived control than were positive symptoms. Correspondingly, negative symptoms were found to provoke more intense negative affect and less intense positive affect than were positive symptoms. Some national and gender differences were also found.     

Diagnosis and Assessment of Depression and Suicidality Using the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC-2.3)

The Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC-2.3) was studied in a sample of 265 adolescent inpatients to determine type and concurrent validity of depressive symptoms and depressive disorder diagnoses for different DISC-2.3 informants (parent, adolescent, both). The Children's Depression Rating Scale — Revised, Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale (RADS), Suicide Ideation Questionnaire — Junior, Spectrum of Suicide Behavior Scale, and clinical consensus diagnoses were used to assess concurrent validity. Results indicated that (1) parents, compared to adolescents, reported a higher prevalence of all depressive symptoms with the exception of weight change; (2) DISC-2.3 depressive and suicidality symptoms were related positively to independent validating criteria for all informant conditions, suggesting good concurrent validity; (3) the DISC-2.3 both informant condition correctly identified the most depressive disorders; and (4) the parent, but not the adolescent, DISC-2.3 Informant condition contributed to the prediction of clinical consensus diagnoses of depression after taking into account RADS scores.