The scaling of spatial attention in visual search and its modification in healthy aging

A model of visual search (Greenwood & Parasuraman, 1999) postulating that visuospatial attention is composed of two processing components--shifting and scaling of a variable-gradient attentional focus--was tested in three experiments. Whereas young participants are able to dynamically constrict or expand the focus of visuospatial attention on the basis of prior information, in healthy aging individuals visuospatial attention becomes a poorly focused beam, unable to be constricted around one array element. In the present work, we sought to examine predictions of this view in healthy young and older participants. An attentional focus constricted in response to an element-sized precue had the strongest facilitatory effect on visual search. However, this was true only when the precue correctly indicated the location of a target fixed in size. When precues incorrectly indicated target location or when target size varied, the optimal spatial scale of attention for search was larger, encompassing a number of array elements. Healthy aging altered the deployment of attentional scaling: The benefit of valid precues on search initially (in participants 65-74 years of age) was increased but later (in those 75-85 years of age) was reduced. The results also provided evidence that cue size effects are attentional, not strategic. This evidence is consistent with the proposed model of attentional scaling in visual search.     

A Review of Symptoms Commonly Associated with Menopause: Implications for Clinical Neuropsychologists and Other Health Care Providers

Menopause is a process, either naturally or medically induced, that occurs in nearly all women at some point in life. Some of the most commonly reported symptoms associated with menopause are hot flushes/flashes, fatigue, headaches, irritability, insomnia, and depression. These symptoms overlap with symptoms commonly reported in Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) as well as postconcussive syndrome. This overlap between symptoms commonly associated with menopause and neuropsychological conditions makes it necessary to have the base rates of these symptoms and conditions available. The purpose of the present review was to consolidate the clinical literature on the most commonly reported menopausal symptoms and to calculate the base rates associated with these symptoms.     

Evidence against a short-term-store account of long-term recency effects

When subjects perform a distractor task before and after every item on a list, recall of the last itemis much higher than recall of items from the middle of the list. Koppenaal and Glanzer (1990) have shown that this long-term recency effect can be eliminated by using, after the last item, a distractor task different from that used elsewhere on the list. They interpreted this finding as evidence in favor of a short-term-store account of long-term recency effects. This account is challenged by the results reported here. Practice either on the task or on time-sharing between the task and list items had little impact on the recency effect. Also, substantial recency effects were found when a different distractor task occurred after every list position. Thus, it is not true that long-term recency effects are found only when subjects have an opportunity to adapt to the distractor task. Our results are not consistent with a short-term-store account of recency effects.     

Self-transcendent emotions and their influence on organizational effectiveness: A literature review and synthesis

Self-transcendent emotions are positive emotions that arise out of other-focused appraisals. These emotions shift attention from the self to the needs and concerns of others. Limited work, however, focuses on self-transcendent emotions and the underlying cognitive and behavioural mechanisms by which they benefit organizations. We review the disparate streams of research on self-transcendent emotions and detail the thought-action repertoires of four self-transcendent emotions (compassion, gratitude, inspiration, and awe), explaining how each contributes to effective organizational functioning. Central to achieving this aim is the broaden-and-build theory. We show how the four self-transcendent emotions broaden cognitive processes and build the necessary resources leading to specific positive organizational outcomes. We conclude our review with four themes: (a) the importance of delineating levels of analysis in self-transcendent emotion research, (b) acknowledging contextual and cross-cultural differences shaping the experience of self-transcendent emotions, (c) addressing measurement concerns, and (d) the examination of other self-transcendent emotions. In effect, we synthesize the positive psychology and organizational behaviour literature, generating a framework that prompts theoretical and practical considerations for the role of self-transcendent emotions in organizations.     

Physical framework for a counselling environment in India: Thematic analysis of counsellors' perceptions

The influence of the physical environment on the counselling process is an inevitable part of a counselling session. However, there is little insight in Indian research into the desirable elements of the physical environment of the counselling room that helps facilitate a counselling session. Interviews were conducted with 10 professional counsellors in India. Thematic analysis of the data brought out various Basic and Organising themes under the following three Global themes: (a) Elements of the physical framework; (b) Counsellor's perspectives about the physical framework in counselling; and (c) Motivation to build a framework. The findings show how counsellors can systematise the physical framework to help construct the counselling session effectively.     

A preliminary examination of the evocative effects of the establishing operation

We attempted to isolate the evocative effects of the establishing operation for positively reinforced problem behavior with 2 participants. The study consisted of three phases. First, a functional analysis identified tangible items (Participant 1) and attention (Participant 2) as maintaining problem behavior. Second, access to tangible items and attention was systematically controlled (continuous access vs. no access) immediately prior to functional analysis sessions in which these consequences were delivered contingent on problem behavior. Results of this phase indicated that problem behavior occurred at higher levels when access to tangible items and attention was restricted. In the third phase, prior access was again controlled, but problem behavior produced no consequences. Results of this final phase indicated that problem behavior occurred at higher levels during extinction sessions when participants did not have prior access to the reinforcers.     

Application of the diffusion model to two-choice tasks for adults 75-90 years old

The effects of aging on simple 2-choice decision making was investigated with the diffusion model (R. Ratcliff, 1978). Data for 75- to 90-year-olds were collected and compared with previous data from 60- to 75-year-olds and college students for 5 tasks: a signal detection-like task, letter and brightness discrimination with masking, recognition memory, and lexical decision. The model fit the data well and therefore allows components of processing to be examined as a function of age. Compared with decision-making processes in college students, decision criteria and nondecision components of processing increased with participants' age. However, the quality of the evidence on which decisions were based decreased with age only for letter and brightness discrimination.     

A comparative analysis of perceptual and demographic predictors of sense of place dimensions in the State Mosques of Malaysia

The study in this article is part of a more in‐depth research investigating the architectural and physical design influences on sense of place dimensions in the context of contemporary mosques in Malaysia. The focus of this paper is human–place bonding in sacred and religious settings, based on a framework including aspects of sociality, physicality and spirituality, in addition to demographic variables such as ranges of length of experience with, and frequency of presence in, the environment of the studied mosques. The effects of the perceptions of architecture and physical design, social environment, and spiritual atmosphere on dimensions of sense of place were studied using a structural equation modelling analysis based on 302 questionnaires completed in seven state mosques across the Southeast Asian country of Malaysia. Meanwhile the socio‐demographic effects on sense of place dimensions were also tested based on several analyses of variances (ANOVA) in various demographic groups through sense of place dimensions. In doing so, we adopted the multi‐dimensional approach towards sense of place consisting of cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions. As major findings, this research provided empirical evidence for the existence of direct relationships between perceptions of the key environmental factors studied and the sense of place dimensions in contexts with extensive religious and sacred attributes; on the other hand, no interactive relationship was found between most of the socio‐demographic variables and those dimensions. This article discusses in detail each of those approved and rejected relationships.