Language functioning after bilateral prefrontal leukotomy

Three groups of patients with orbital frontal lesions secondary to leukotomy were compared to psychiatric and normal control groups on a series of tasks involving language. The results indicated that chronic orbital frontal lesions, at least in the patients in this study, do not affect language as defined by the tasks used in the study. The frontal lobes, when implicated in language, appear to require dorsal-lateral or medial cortical involvement.     

Jaynes' chimeric faces: Another look into the mirror

In The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, Jaynes (1976) presented a technique—involving the selection of the happier of two line-drawing chimeric faces—that is theorized to measure hemispheric laterality. Certain imperfections in the published stimuli have led some critics to question the task's validity, while others maintain that even the flawed stimuli are measuring some aspect of laterality. In this study, further data are presented to show that this task, despite its inherent biases, is still sensitive to differences in perception between left-handers and right-handers. The implications of this sensitivity are discussed.     

Effects of topic valence and pictorial distractor valence on verbalizing and evaluating topic-evoked visual imagery

We reasoned that if speakers must decide how long to reflect and how much to say about a topic, they use such guidelines as topic valence and valent situational distractors that compete for attention. We hypothesized that latency and extent of verbalization would be greater if topic valence were relatively negative, in that negative topics are “weightier” and hence deserve longer reflection and verbalization. Similarly, a negative distractor would cast a weightier aura over the task, with parallel effects. While subjects were imagining the visual scene evoked by a certain pleasant or unpleasant topic, a pleasant or unpleasant picture appeared toward the left or right, on a screen. After the picture faded subjects described the topic-evoked image. Topic valence had no effect on speech latency, whereas picture valence had the predicted effect. Negative topics increased latency of visual attention to pictures, though, as expected, subjects then looked sooner at negative pictures. Both topic valence and picture valence had the predicted effects on extent of verbalization. As predicted, too, unpleasant pictures elicited relatively negative evaluations of topic-evoked images.     

Seasonal variations in the birth of left-handers: another look

An attempt was made to replicate a reported seasonal variation in the birth of left-handed females. The observed number of births per month (as well as season) did not depart from the number expected by chance. This is the second failure to observe the reported overrepresentation of November births.     

Computer-aided instruction in a physiological psychology course

A simulation/tutorial sequence was introduced into an undergraduate physiological psychology class (N=32) to provide a laboratory experience. The college computer center managed the IBM-PC-compatible networked facility. The sequence included neuroanatomy, stereotaxic surgery, histology, electrical self-stimulation, and use of the polygraph. All the software was off the shelf except for the stereotaxic surgery/histology/self-stimulation package, which was written by the authors using ToolBook running under Windows.     

Relationships of race and socioeconomic status to classroom behavior,academic achievement,and referral for special education

A study was conducted to identify the relationships of race and socioeconomic status (SES) to observed classroom behavior, academic achievement, and special education referral. A sample of 109 fourth-grade boys from varying racial (Anglo, black, and Hispanic) and SES backgrounds was selected and observed systematically on four occasions for 12 behaviors. Data also were collected on academic achievement and special education referral. Multivariate analyses indicated no race-related differences in observed behavior and only one SES-related difference. Black and Hispanic children did not differ reliably, but both were lower than Anglo children in achievement. A non-stepwise discriminant function analysis utilizing race, SES, and observational data as predictors of referral for special education failed to make statistically reliable predictions. The relative unimportance of race and SES as predictors challenges the validity of alleged “institutional racism” in referrals for special education.