Eliminating the IQ-RT correlation by eliminating an experimental confound

Three experiments investigated the relation between visual scanning demands, reaction time (RT), and psychometrically defined intelligence (IQ). Prior studies have shown reliable correlations between RT and IQ in the range of −.20 to −.80. However, these studies have confounded the number of possible stimuli (stimulus uncertainty) with the size of the area in which the stimuli may appear (visual angle). Experiment 1 replicated these studies retaining this confound. As the number of stimuli increased from one to eight, the visual angle was permitted to increase as well (from 0° to 30°). The results showed that RT varied in accord with Hick's (1952) law, and a median correlation between IQ and six RT parameters (subjects' mean RTs and standard deviations at three levels of stimulus uncertainty) of −.47 was observed. Experiment 2 removed the confound, varying only stimulus uncertainty, and the median IQ-RT correlation declined to −.02. Experiment 3 held stimulus uncertainty constant at 1 bit (two stimuli) and varied visual angle; a median correlation of −.19 was observed. It was concluded that many of the previously reported correlations may not have hinged on speed of information processing alone, but at least in part on subjects' abilities to scan the display across which the stimuli appeared.     

Attention focusing instructions and coordination bias: Implications for learning a novel bimanual task

Four groups learnt a novel bimanual coordination movement pattern under instructions designed to manipulate focus of attention. It was predicted that instructions directing attention onto the effects of the action would facilitate learning. Three groups received demonstrations of the required 90° relative phase movement. Two of the demonstration groups also received instruction directing attention either towards the feedback (EXTERNAL), or the relationship between their arm movements and the feedback (RELATION). The third group received no attention directing instructions (DEMO). A final group was only provided with goal relevant feedback (NO DEMO). A scanning task enabled coordination bias to be assessed pre-practice. This was conducted to ensure task novelty and assign participants equally across groups based on strength of bias to in- and/or anti-phase. Acquisition rate was slower for the DEMO only group, especially compared to the EXTERNAL group. Additionally, participants biased to in-phase (as compared to anti-phase) during the scanning trial also showed high error early in practice. These differences remained in retention. Irrespective of feedback condition the DEMO group evidenced the most error in retention. However, all groups were affected by the removal of on-line feedback, although the attention-directing instructions provided during practice somewhat decreased the negative effects associated with feedback removal. Overall, the in-phase-biased participants were most affected by withdrawal of feedback. It was concluded that movement demonstrations alone do not facilitate learning of a novel coordination task, unless additional goal-directed instruction is provided. Additionally, individual differences in coordination bias pre-practice can be used to predict learning rate and quality.     

The Ethics of Geoengineering: A Literature Review

Science and Engineering Ethics - Geoengineering as a technological intervention to avert the dangerous climate change has been on the table at least since 2006. The global outreach of the...     

Applying a Theory of Change Approach to Interagency Planning in Child Mental Health

This paper describes the use of a theory of change approach to community-based cross-agency service planning for children with serious emotional disturbance and their families. Public agency planners in Contra Costa County, California used the theory of change approach to organize service planning for a population of youth who had been arrested and involved with juvenile probation. The theory of change process described in this paper links community outcomes with planned activities with the assumptions or principles that underlie the community planning efforts. When complete, a theory of change logic model can serve as a guide for implementation, ensuring that community plans for service delivery remain true to their intent. The theory of change development process includes twelve stages and is based on a step-by-step approach. Theory of change logic models establish a context for articulating a community's shared beliefs and prompt local stakeholders to establish logical connections between the population to be served, expected results, and strategies intended to achieve those results.     

Fischer 344 and wistar rats differ in anxiety and habituation but not in water maze performance

The fact that various neuropharmacological substances have anxiolytic as well as amnesic effects suggests that neuronal mechanisms of anxiety and learning/memory closely interact. Hence, we hypothesized that differences in anxiety-related behavior could be accompanied with differences in cognition or habituation. Two rat strains with different levels of anxiety, more anxious Fischer 344 rats by Charles River (FC) and less anxious Wistar rats by Winkelmann (WW), were tested in the Morris water maze task and an open field test for habituation learning. Additionally, we investigated the effect of different light intensities on the performance in the Morris water maze and the elevated plus maze. The results of the water maze task indicate that differences in anxiety-related behavior do not go along with differences in this performance of learning/memory. Moreover, the test was not affected by different light intensities. In contrast, illumination did affect performance in the elevated plus maze test, wherein dim light provoked an anxiolytic effect in both rat strains. The findings that neither different baseline levels of anxiety nor fear modulating light conditions were accompanied by changes in the performance of rats in the Morris water maze led us to the suggestion that there is no connection between anxiety and learning/memory in this task. Contrarily, anxiety might be associated with habituation learning in the open field test, shown by the superior habituation of the anxious FC rats in comparison to the less anxious WW rats. In sum, these results indicate that anxiety and learning/memory seem to be independently regulated behaviors, whereas habituation might be more closely correlated with anxiety. Nevertheless, a general statement about the relation between emotionality and learning/memory mechanisms would be premature and the link between behaviors remains to be clarified.     

Cultural issues in making and using the visual problem appraisal “Kerala’s Coast”

Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) is a complex multi-actor issue. Staff members of Cochin University (CUSAT) from India and colleagues from the Netherlands interpreted this issue as a challenge to initiate and enhance multi-stakeholder dialogue and action and the idea was born to produce a Visual Problem Appraisal (VPA). VPA is a film-based learning system that aims to induce social learning, to increase problem and policy analysis competencies, to reduce self-referentiality, to increase commitment for concerned stakeholders, and to enhance intersubjective consensus. In 2003 Indian and Dutch university staff members and Indian filmmakers produced two documentaries and 23 films portraying the Keralite stakeholders in their natural environment, exposing their engagement with, and different perspectives on, ICZM. Although produced for formal education, the notion emerged that the VPA might as well work in the reality of ICZM in Kerala. It was a fascinating conversion of questioning the nature of some events and frictions that occurred during the production process. As critical incidents were attributed to various cultural disparities such as local/foreign, male/female, higher/lower status, the hypothesis was formulated that if producing the VPA had already set a deep impact; how about using it directly with involved stakeholders? This hypothesis was tested in 2004 in workshops with publics, ranging from CUSAT students to local stakeholders of the Thycattussery Panchayat. The process of producing and testing the VPA Kerala’s Coast was a complex and intriguing multidisciplinary and multicultural project. We wondered what made the project a success. Framing the project as a space of cultural communication gave guidance to the questions that articulated our search to understand the process we had been immersed in. In this article we describe the events and analyze critical incidents that occurred during the production and the use of the VPA. The outcome leads to valuable recommendations for international and intercultural teams working on similar production and research projects.