Conditions on rate normalization in speech perception

Recent work by Summerfield (1975) and others indicates that a listener’s phonemic judgments may vary with the utterance rate of prior context. In particular, if a phonemic distinction is signaled by a temporal cue such as voice onset time (VOT), faster utterance rates tend to shift the phoneme boundary toward smaller values of that cue. The listener thus appears to “normalize” temporal cues according to utterance rate. In the present experiment, subjects identified syllables varying in VOT ([ga]-[k^ha]) following either a slow or a fast version of the phrase “Teddy hears_ _ _ _ .” Typical normalization effects were observed when the precursor phrase and target syllable had formant frequencies corresponding to an adult male vocal tract. However, a reversal of the typical pattern (i.e., a shift in the perceived voicing boundary towardlarger values of VOT with an increased utterance rate) occurred when the precursor and target had formant frequencies corresponding to an adult female vocal tract. Both normalization and “reverse” normalization effects were reduced or eliminated under several conditions of source change between precursor and target. These conditions included a change in fundamental frequency, a change in implied vocal-tract size (as reflected in an upward or downward scaling of formant frequencies), or both.     

Occupational expectations and the hypothesis of increasing realism of choice

A two-wave analysis of the dynamics of occupational expectations in a rural youth panel generally failed to support the hypothesis of ‘increasing realism of choice.’ An analysis of four multiple regression equations indicated (1) that Black youth tended to lower their levels of occupational expectations over time and (2) that occupational expectations tended to vary with changes in occupational aspirations and educational expectations. However, family SEI, perception of occupational goal blockage, three measures of self image and change in perception of occupational goal blockage, were not found to be associated with the dynamics of occupational expectation. Two alternate explanations for the findings were presented.     

The Validity of Construction Workers' and Students' Perceptions of Each Other: A Research Note

Following the spring 1970 confrontations between undergraduate college students and construction workers in lower Manhattan, a study of attitudes of a sample of undergraduates and construction workers was conducted. One hunderd Columbia University undergraduates and 100 apprentice construction workers were asked to indicate their level of agreement with 10 statements which were intended to embody "basic American tenets". The respondents within each group were also asked to predict the attitude that a member of the other group would hold. A "liberal/conservative" dichotomy was developed for the instrument by having independent judges categorize each of the 10 items as representing a "liberal" or a "conservative" attitude.
The expectations that student responses would be more liberal than construction worker responses and that each group would perceive this difference were tested and supported. The expectation that students perceive construction workers to be even more conservative than the workers report themselves to be was also supported. But the construction workers did not demonstrate the expected exaggeration of the students' liberalism.     

Another wrinkle on the dual-task SRT experiment: It’s probably not dual task

In the standard serial reaction time (SRT) experiment, subjects are required to respond rapidly to a structured sequence of visual targets. Evidence that subjects have acquired knowledge of the structure is obtained by modifying the structured nature of the sequence and noting whether reaction times increase. In the dual-task SRT experiment, a “secondary” tone-counting task is introduced, and the extent to which learning of the “primary” target sequence is compromised is noted. Here we present data that strongly imply that while the psychologists who designed this “dual-task” experiment may have viewed it this way, this may not be the best way to characterize it. The suggestion is that this “duality” is illusory and that we should probably be treating the tone-counting task as a potential source of additional patterns of covariation in a complex, multicomponent display and not as a “secondary,” attention-diverting factor.     

Bribery and extortion: Can restaurants help?

Examples of tipping suggest that the distinction between tipping, bribery and extortion can be questioned. Some well known ideas about bribery will not work if extended to tipping and, indeed, these analyses may founder whether or not tipping, bribery and extortion merge. I suggest that more case study analysis as well as a discussion of the relationship between character and actions are needed.     

The testing environment as an explanation for unproctored internet‐based testing device‐type effects

Device‐type effects on cognitive tests appear to covary with whether unproctored internet‐based test (UIT) scores were obtained operationally or nonoperationally. The present study examined whether the testing environment and distractions therein—one of three contextual factors identified as plausible explanations—accounts for this covariation. Four‐hundred and twenty‐five college students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions which differed by the testing environment and device used to complete a cognitive test. Test scores did not differ between conditions despite greater distractions reported by those who tested in the distracting environment. Results were replicated within‐study, and suggest that the self‐selection and testing‐stakes hypotheses warrant subsequent empirical examination as explanations for the differences in device‐type effects observed in operational and nonoperational settings.     

Adolescent Gang Membership and Differences in Ethnic Identity,Esteem, and Efficacy

Scholars have long recognized the impacts of gang membership on adolescents. While some have focused primarily on the negative effects, this seeks to understand the nuanced reasoning and results of joining a gang explicitly on the youth’s perceptions of self-esteem, efficacy, and identity. Using the longitudinal assessment of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program, propensity score matching was conducted on four attitudinal measures to determine whether positive outcomes were seen among adolescents reporting one-time gang involvement. Results indicate a positive effect on self-identity measures. Discussion of these findings illustrates the need for future research and policy implications.