Evidence for an integration theory of visual masking

When letters are superimposed upon a pattern of black and white squares, they are easier to identify when the pattern is regular than when it is random. If backward masking consists of the superimposition of a masking pattern upon the decaying visual trace of a target display, a regular pattern should be less effective as a backward mask than a random pattern. This was found to be so for both multiple-letter and single-letter displays. This result is predicted by an integration theory of visual masking but not by an interruption theory.     

President paragraphs

A collection of 220 paragraphs of graded value about U.S. presidents is given. The collection includes 16 paragraphs about each of nine presidents and 8 paragraphs about each of eight presidents. For each president, the paragraphs have one of four rough values for judgments of statesmanship, H, M⁺, M^-, and L. These paragraphs have proved useful in experimental applications of integration theory to attitude change. Other advantages of U.S. history as a source of issues and material for research on attitudes are also pointed out.     

The quantitative epistemological content of Bohr's Correspondence Principle

The basic dynamical quantities of classical mechanics, such as position, linear momentum, angular momentum and energy, obtain their fundamental epistomological content by means of their intimate relationship to the symmetries of the space-time manifold which is the arena of physics. The program of canonical quantization can be understood as a two stage process. The first stage is Bohr's Correspondence Principle, whereby the basic dynamical quantities of the quantum theory are required to retain precisely the same relationship to the symmetries of the space-time manifold as do their classical counterparts, thereby preserving their epistemological, as well as measurement-theoretic, significance. Having so identified the basic dynamical variables, functions of these may now be used to identify the subtler symmetries of the proper canonical group. The second and determining stage of the quantization program requires the establishment of a correspondence between some of these subtler symmetries of the classical theory and related symmetries of the quantum theory, the relationship being determined by a common algebraic form for their defining functions.Supported in part by the U.S. Air Force under Grant No. AFOSR-816-67.     

Should assessment center dimension ratings be mechanically-derived?

This study examined the relationship between consensusderived and mechanically-derived assessment center ratings using a sample of 110 police candidates. It was determined that the two sets of dimension ratings were highly correlated (medianr=.83). Further, the mechanically-derived and the consensus-derived assessment ratings both correlated with the overall assessment ratings (OAR) at .71. It was estimated that the organization in this study could save $6137.92 a year, and $36.89 per assessee by eliminating the team meeting (consensus decision-making).     

Effects of type of responding on memory/visual search: Responding just “yes” or just “no” can lead to inflexible performance

Interactions of stimulus consistency and type of responding were examined during perceptual learning. Subjects performed hybrid memory-visual search tasks over extended consistent and varied mapping practice. Response conditions required subjects to respond to both the presence and absence of a target, only when a target was present or only when a target was not present. After training, the subjects were transferred to a different response condition. The results indicate that: (1) performance on search tasks with stimuli that are variably mapped show no qualitative changes attributable to manipulation of response format; (2) improvement due to consistent mapping (CM) practice is attenuated in the no-only response condition; (3) yes-only CM training attenuates the subjects ability to transfer to no-only responding; and (4) yes/no CM training leads to the greatest improvement and transfer when compared with other responding conditions. The practice and transfer data support and extend previous research investigating effects of response set in memory/visual search and help to delineate factors that facilitate or inhibit reduction of load effects in memory and visual search.     

The efficacy of rational-emotive group therapy in psychiatric inpatients

The impact of rational-emotive theory and therapy upon the practice of clinical psychology has been profound, and many purportedly objective experimental tests of its efficacy as a mode of treatment have been reported. Yet the great majority of these reports have failed to utilize actual clinical populations. This study evaluated rational-emotive group therapy with psychiatric inpatients. Results supported the claim that irrational beliefs are related to emotional disturbance. It was also shown that patients undergoing rational-emotive group therapy changed their self-reported irrational beliefs more than did a control group. Finally, there was a trend for the experimental subjects to be more likely to have been discharged from the hospital during the 90-day follow-up period than were control subjects. However, this study failed to demonstrate that change in irrational beliefs was related to improvement in psychiatric symptoms or rates of discharge from the hospital. Some of the difficulties in conducting treatment evaluation research in a psychiatric hospital setting are discussed with respect to these results.     

Accurate display timing using an enhanced BASIC for the Tandy Color Computer

The general suitability of the Tandy Color Computer as an inexpensive laboratory microcomputer is discussed. A program is described that adds several useful timing-related functions to the native BASIC in the Tandy Color Computer, thus allowing BASIC to be used for programming experiments involving tachistoscopic displays and reaction times.     

On The Trail of Little Albert

The Psychological Record - In 1920, John Watson and Rosalie Rayner published a study of the emotional conditioning of an 11-month old infant, “Albert B,” which was to become a textbook...