Within-category discrimination of musical chords: Perceptual magnet or anchor?

Recent speech research has begun to evaluate the internal structure of categories. In one such study, Kuhl (1991) found that discrimination was poorer for vowel stimuli that were more representative of the category (prototype, or P, set) than it was for less representative stimuli (nonprototype, or NP, set). This finding was interpreted as indicating that a category prototype may function as a “perceptual magnet,” effectively decreasing perceptual distance, and thus discriminability, between stimuli. The present study examines the function of prototypes in a musical category—another natural, but nonspeech category. Paralleling the Kuhl study, representative (P) and less representative (NP) sets of major triad stimuli were constructed, based on equal temperament. Musically experienced subjects rated the stimuli in each set for goodness as a major triad, with the highest rated stimulus serving as a prototype standard for a subsequent discrimination task. Results from the discrimination task demonstrated better performance in the P context than in the NP context. The current nonspeech results indicate that a prototype functions as an anchor rather than a magnet. In addition to providing a natural, nonspeech standard for comparison with speech findings, the results provide some important insights into the nature of musical categories.     

Book reviews

Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science -     

Enhancing possible selves in Mexican American students

This project assessed the modifiability of possible selves in young Mexican American children. Three intervention conditions were compared in a pre- and posttest design: child-only intervention, parent and child intervention, and a no-intervention control. Following eight intervention sessions, children in the two intervention groups showed significant gains in understanding the characteristics associated with becoming a good student and in recognizing the value of education in bringing about future occupational goals. Children in the intervention conditions also reported greater interest in becoming a physician, judge, or pilot — occupations they had directly experienced during training. The parent intervention phase contributed little to augmenting the positive results attributable to the child intervention component.This research was conducted under the auspices of NIH Grant HD-24003. We wish to thank Maritza Robles and the staff of the Bilingual program of the South Bend, IN, Corporation for their support.     

The new qualification in careers guidance in higher education: A collaborative partnership

The raison d'être for the new Certificate and Diploma in Careers Guidance in Higher Education is outlined. The different perspectives of the partners in this enterprise–the Department of Community Studies at the University of Reading and the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS)–are discussed. The initial difficulties and successes are explored and a suggested strategy is offered for other such collaborative ventures.     

Group therapists and AIDS groups: An exploration of traumatic stress reactions

As the AIDS epidemic continues unabated, there is growing clinical evidence that the catastrophic nature of this disease is creating a second category of trauma casualties. They are the health care practitioners who witness the narratives of those who are living with and dying from AIDS. This article examines how multiple AIDS-related deaths of group members exert a traumatizing effect on group therapists, creating vicarious traumatization. Vignettes are presented that illustrate reactions associated with traumatic stress, including death images, survivors' guilt, psychic numbing, suspicion of counterfeit nurturance, and struggle for meaning. Possible therapeutic interventions for group therapists coping with multiple deaths are also explored.The author wishes to acknowledge the endeavors of the volunteer group therapists and the Clinical Group Services staff of the Gay Men's Health Crisis of New York City, who provide group therapy to over 900 clients a week. This article is written in admiration of their extraordinary effort and dedication.     

Gender identity and bulimic eating behavior

From a social-psychological perspective, the disproportionate number of women compared to men affected by bulimia nervosa implies that gender (i.e., the social construction of sex) plays an important part in the etiology of this disorder. From this perspective it was hypothesized that the risk of developing bulimia depends, in part, on the composition of a woman's gender identity. Three questionnaire studies conducted in the United States and former West Germany tested competing hypotheses on the relationship between gender identity and bulimia. Respondents were predominantly middle class and Caucasian. Study 1 was conducted in West Germany and tested the hypothesis that bulimia is related to a hyperfeminine gender identity [M. Boskind-Lodahl (1976) Cinderella's stepsisters: A feminist perspective on anorexia nervosa and bulimia, Signs, Vol. 2, pp. 342–356]. Twenty-six bulimic women were compared to 26 nonbulimic women. Results from Study 1 indicated that bulimic women typically had a gender-typed identity, whereas nonbulimic controls tended to be androgynous. However, between-group differences were based on hypomasculinity rather than hyperfemininity on part of bulimic women. Study 2 and Study 3 explored the idea that masculinity positively contributes to general esteem and reduces the risk of bulimia nervosa. In Study 2, three competing theories of the optimal relationship between mental health and gender identity (congruence, androgyny, and masculinity) were related to bulimia and tested with structural equation modeling in a sample of 301 North American undergraduates. In Study 3, the findings of Study 2 were cross-validated in a sample of 464 West German high school students. The results indicate that masculinity had significant positive effects on eating behavior via esteem, whereas the effects of femininity were negligible.The research and preparation of this article were supported in part by a Fulbright scholarship, a predoctoral stipend from the University of Heidelberg, and a postdoctoral stipend from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Education.I thank the women who volunteered to participate in this research project as subjects. I gratefully acknowledge the support of the principals, especially Frau Ute Vater, and teachers of the Bunsen-, Feudenheim-, and Lessing-Gymnasium, who enabled Study 3.Thanks to Michael Marsiske, Ulrich Mayr, John R. Nesselroade, Kai Schnabel, Anna Stetsenko, and two anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier draft of this paper, and to Bettina Franzke for technical support. I also extend my thanks to Frank Faulbaum and Norbert Schwarz, without whom this research could not have been completed.     

Organizational and extraorganizational factors affecting stress,employee well-being,and absenteeism for males and females

The purpose of this research is to examine separately for males and females, the effects of different sources of job and life stress on the emotional and physical well-being of those individuals, and in turn on absenteeism. Results using a sample of 170 males and 204 females indicated that females experienced higher levels of job stress, absenteeism, and poorer emotional well-being. Patterns of relationships for males and females were similar, however, the data suggest that sex moderates the effects of different sources of stress on emotional and physical well-being and absenteeism. The model developed as a part of this research was more complicated for females than for males.