The real meaning of constructivism

Personal construct theory has a focus on constructs rather than elements, as can be clearly seen in the corollaries proposed by George Kelly. Yet, in the operationalization of his fundamental postulate, namely the repertory grid technique, there is an equal focus on both constructs and elements. Here we examine the relative contributions to variation in the grid data of both elements and constructs and use the intraclass correlation to examine this in several data sets. It is shown that in many instances, elements contribute more to the variation in grid data, irrespective of whether elements and constructs are supplied or elicited, or whether the ratings are made construct by construct or element by element. Implications of this for both the theory and practice are discussed.     

ON TESTING THE COMMONALITY OF CONSTRUCTS IN SUPPLIED GRIDS

The repertory grid technique has long been the empirical tool of choice for research based on personal construct theory (Kelly, 1955). In some situations, respondents are asked to evaluate a set of elements with respect to a fixed or supplied repertoire of constructs, and an assumption is made that respondents will employ these constructs similarly. This situation is thus equivalent to the semantic differential technique. In the repertory grid context it is justified through the commonality of construing corollary of personal construct theory. This is an assumption that can be tested, although it seems to have attracted little attention in the past. Here a criterion for commonality of a construct is proposed, namely that of the data conforming to a unidimensional scaling model, and a simple method of testing this is illustrated.     

Rhythm and Semiotic Structures of Long-Term Ambivalence in the Dialogical Self: Eating Disorder and Recovery Voices

Ambivalence in the dialogical self is conceptualized as resistance to change. The cyclic processes that characterize ambivalence are seen to maintain a balance between opposing voices, producing dynamic stability in the self-system. What has not been incorporated in the study of ambivalence so far is consideration of structural levels from which the opposing voices are speaking. This prompted the present case study of long-term eating disorder ambivalence, which joins a consideration of semiotic system structure with process. In interviews with a young woman conducted over a three-year period, cyclic processes of eating disorder and recovery voices were pervasive, yet structural analysis of the subsystems and their transactions suggested that change was actually occurring in this presumably change-resistant system, pointing to a need for reconceptualizing ambivalent systems in relation to development.     

Theory-Appropriate Analysis of Repertory Grid Data

Abstract

This paper reviews the relationship between personal construct theory and methods of repertory grid analysis. Traditional methods, such as factor or cluster analysis, are shown to relate to the fundamental postulate or construction corollary, while new hierarchical approaches relate to the structural corollaries of organization and range.     

Visual distraction increases the detection of an unexpected object in inattentional blindness

Distraction is typically thought to be detrimental to performance and concentration, and stimuli are classified as “distractions” if they take attention away from a primary task. However it has been shown that, under certain circumstances, distractors can also improve task performance. The current study extends this literature by exploring the role of a single discrete transient visual distracting event in increasing attention to an unexpected visual object in an inattentional blindness (IB) paradigm. Experiment 1 investigated the impact of a 48 ms visual distraction stimulus on rates of IB; a second experiment used a shortened, 16 ms visual distracting event. Both the long 48 ms and brief 16 ms distractors significantly reduced overall IB rates, by approximately 50% compared to a no distractor condition. Moreover, this reduction in IB is obtained independent of whether the visual distracting event was noted by the observer. Our findings demonstrate that a single discrete visual distraction can improve the detectability of an unexpected object in an IB task. Implications for theories of distributed attention in such tasks are discussed.     

Time and temperature a reply to Green and Simpson

The arguments are examined that reanalysis of the data in Bell (1975) leads to a rejection of his conclusions. The author maintains that the specific hypothesis that a metabolic pacemaker controls time estimation is not supported by his data.     

Home advantage in the Six Nations Rugby Union tournament

This study examined whether home advantage occurred in the Six Nations Rugby Union tournament. Data were gathered using the final championship standings from the tournament's inception in 2000 to the recently completed 2007 season. Home advantage for each championship season was defined as the number of points won by teams playing at home, expressed as a percentage of all points gained either at home or away. An analysis of home advantage for each of eight seasons of competition ranged from 53% (2005) to 70% (2006). There was an overall statistically significant home advantage of 61% for 120 matches played in the Six Nations tournament between 2000 and 2007. Also analysed were the percentage of points won at home by each country. Again, evidence supported home advantage amongst all competing nations regardless of the team's quality.