Vection during conflicting multisensory information about the axis, magnitude, and direction of self-motion

We examined the vection induced by consistent and conflicting multisensory information about self-motion. Observers viewed displays simulating constant-velocity self-motion in depth while physically oscillating their heads left-right or back-forth in time with a metronome. Their tracked head movements were either ignored or incorporated directly into the self-motion display (as an added simulated self-acceleration). When this head oscillation was updated into displays, sensory conflict was generated by simulating oscillation along: (i) an orthogonal axis to the head movement; or (ii) the same axis, but in a non-ecological direction. Simulated head oscillation always produced stronger vection than 'no display oscillation'--even when the axis/direction of this display motion was inconsistent with the physical head motion. When head-and-display oscillation occurred along the same axis: (i) consistent (in-phase) horizontal display oscillation produced stronger vection than conflicting (out-of-phase) horizontal display oscillation; however, (ii) consistent and conflicting depth oscillation conditions did not induce significantly different vection. Overall, orthogonal-axis oscillation was found to produce very similar vection to same-axis oscillation. Thus, we conclude that while vection appears to be very robust to sensory conflict, there are situations where sensory consistency improves vection.     

Depression in Inner City African American Youth: A Phenomenological Study

Depression can at times be under-identified, and misdiagnosed, especially in youth from under-represented ethnic and racial groups who live in urban environments. This study employed a qualitative phenomenological methodology to examine the subjective experience of depression among clinically diagnosed inner city African American adolescents, aged 13–17 years. Five super-ordinate themes emerged from the study analysis including, (a) the depth of depression, (b) life events and experiences as “root base”, (c) the emotional sense of self, (d) the survival self, and (e) the healing self. Findings also demonstrated the essence of the lived experience of being depressed as including both externalizing and internalizing strategies for coping. The adolescents described depression as a part of life and did not describe suicide as a solution, suggesting the need to consider that these constructs may lead to a more informed understanding and identification of depression among African American youths. Methodological limitations and recommendations for future research are addressed.     

Assessment and treatment of foot-shoe fetish displayed by a man with autism

Results of a functional analysis indicated that a man diagnosed with autism engaged in bizarre sexual behavior in the presence of women wearing sandals. Several treatments proved to be ineffective or impractical. By contrast, a response-interruption/time-out procedure quickly eliminated the problem behavior in multiple settings.     

But I'm No Bigot: How Prejudiced White Americans Maintain Unprejudiced Self‐Images

Four experiments investigate a modern paradox: White Americans harbor racial prejudice, but view themselves as unprejudiced. We hypothesized that social representations of prejudice available in American culture lead many Whites to conclude that they are relatively unprejudiced. In Experiment 1, participants primed with the bigot stereotype viewed themselves as less prejudiced. In Experiments 2 and 3, participants exposed to media representations of racists viewed themselves as less prejudiced. In Experiment 4, participants sought exposure to media representations of prejudice after a threat to their unprejudiced self‐image. These experiments suggest that representations of prejudice in American culture lead prejudiced individuals to view themselves as unprejudiced, and the effect of these representations on people's unprejudiced self‐images can be passive or intentional.     

The Developmental Impact of Child Abuse on Adulthood: Implications for Counselors

Many adults are exposed to maltreatment during their childhood. As a result, they may experience long‐term negative outcomes in a range of developmental areas. The purpose of this article was to examine the social, physical, and mental health consequences of child abuse in adulthood. Implications for counseling practice are provided.     

Indignation or insecurity: The influence of mate value on distress in response to infidelity

Two studies examined the influence of mate value on responses to infidelity from an evolutionary perspective. Couples were recruited for Study 1, allowing an examination of both participants' self-perceived mate value and their partners' mate value on reactions to hypothetical scenarios describing an incidence of infidelity. As predicted, higher levels of perceived mate value were associated with greater levels of indignation while lower levels of mate value were associated with increased levels of insecurity and anxiety in response to infidelity. In Study 2, participants who had been the victim of infidelity in the past recounted their experiences and reported how they actually responded. Consistent with Study 1, higher levels of mate value were associated with greater levels of indignation in response to infidelity whereas lower levels of mate value were associated with greater levels of insecurity. Taken together, these two studies provide compelling support for the hypothesis that the nature of the distress experienced in response to infidelity is influenced by an individual's perceived mate value.     

The relation between spatial and mathematical abilities: Potential factors underlying suppression

Two experiments examined possible factors underlying the finding that grades in mathematics act as a suppressor variable in the relation between spatial abilities and gender. Specifically, the role of reading abilities was investigated in Experiment 1 by using English grades as a measure of these abilities. Experiment 2 was based on the notion that time pressures are involved at some level in both spatial performance and mathematics grades. The influence of this factor was examined by administering a spatial task with or without time limit and examining the suppression effect in both conditions. In both experiments, participants completed the Mental Rotations Test (MRT) as a measure of spatial ability. In Experiment 1, all participants were tested with limited time to complete the MRT and they were required to report their high school course grades in mathematics and English. Results revealed that both grades in high school mathematics and English produced significant suppression. However, the amount of suppression produced by each measure was similar. Therefore, the prediction that suppression would be greater with English than with mathematics grades was not supported. Experiment 2 involved testing in groups or individually with or without time limits on the MRT, whereas the Water Level Test was administered untimed, and only grades in mathematics were obtained from participants. Results supported the prediction that the suppression effect is greater when time limits are applied than when they are not. Implications of the results for an explanation of the observed suppression are discussed. Emphasis is placed on the difficulties inherent to the identification of factors underlying suppression.     

Imageability ratings for 3,000 monosyllabic words

Imageability ratings made on a 1–7 scale and reaction times for 3,000 monosyllabic words were obtained from 31 participants. Analyses comparing these ratings to 1,153 common words from Toglia and Battig (1978) indicate that these ratings are valid. Reliability was assessed (α = .95). The information obtained in this study adds to that of other normative studies and is useful to researchers interested in manipulating or controlling imageability in word recognition and memory studies. These norms can be downloaded fromwww.psychonomic.org/archive/.     

Deviations from Prescribed Prompting Procedures: Implications for Treatment Integrity

The acquisition of new skills may be hindered when teaching procedures vary from previously validated approaches or contain errors. In the present study, we compared the acquisition and maintenance of response chains taught using a perfectly implemented system of least prompts and a multiple verbal prompts procedure (i.e., addition of multiple verbal prompts and failure to follow through with more intrusive prompts). Four children, aged 6–9, participated in the study. An adapted alternating treatments design was used to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of learning during the system of least prompts and the alternative system of least prompts. Results were consistent with those obtained in previous studies in that the perfectly implemented and alternative prompting procedures were effective in teaching new skills for all participants. However, the perfectly implemented treatment required fewer trials to mastery for 4 of the 5 evaluations. Response chains taught under the multiple verbal prompts condition had poorer maintenance for 2 of the 5 evaluations. The results of the current study suggest that deviations from empirically identified teaching procedures may reduce the speed with which new skills are acquired.