Visual facilitation of auditory localization in schoolchildren: A signal detection analysis

Warren (1970) has claimed that there are visual facilitation effects on auditory localization in adults but not in children. He suggests that a “visual map” organizes spatial information and that considerable experience of correlated auditory and visual events is necessary before normal spatial perception is developed. In the present experiment, children in Grades 1, 4, and 7 had to identify the position, right or left, of a single tone either blindfolded or with their eyes open. Analysis of the proportion of area under the ROC curve (obtained using reaction times) in the respective conditions showed that Ss were more sensitive to auditory position when vision was available. Reaction time was also generally faster in the light. I argue that the increase in sensitivity in the light represents updating of auditory position memory by voluntary eye movement. In the dark, eye movements are subject to involuntary and unperceived drift, which would introduce noise into the eye control mechanism and hence into auditory spatial memory.     

Transfer of signed responses in American Sign Language from vocal English stimuli to physical object stimuli by a chimpanzee (Pan)

A chimpanzee was taught 10 signs of Ameslan (American Sign Language) using only vocal English words as stimuli. The corresponding physical objects were items found in the subject's home environment, and which he frequently encountered during daily activities. Reference was not made to these items during teaching sessions. Each teaching session was followed by a test session in which the objects were silently presented to the subject and the question What that? was signed to him. The subject acquired all 10 signs in response to the English word stimuli and then successfully transferred these signs to their physical object referents during testing.     

Painfulness decreases the discriminability of electric shock

Two experiments were designed to investigate the relation between the reported painfulness and the discriminability of pairs of electric shocks for which the ratio between the higher and the lower intensity was held constant. In both experiments, subjects first gave category ratings of the painfulness of single shocks in the range 40 to 4.8 mA. Then, in a discrimination experiment, they were required to identify the stronger of a pair of intensities presented in succession. The proportion of correct responses (Experiment 1) or the proportion of area under the receiver operating characteristic (Experiment 2) increased between a low-intensity pairing and a medium-intensity pairing and decreased between a medium-intensity pairing and a high-intensity pairing for subjects who rated the highest intensities as strongly painful. Subjects who gave moderate- or weak-pain ratings for the high-intensity shocks showed no significant increase or decrease in accuracy between the medium- and high-intensity pairings. Time-order errors were observed in Experiment 1. The proportion of trials on which the second stimulus of the pair was identified as the stronger increased monotonically as a function of stimulus magnitude. The results are discussed in the context of psychological assessment of analgesic procedures.     

A motor-driven feeder for operant training in song birds

Conventional pigeon feeders can make noise, spill food, and injure birds in applications using small song birds as subjects. We developed a motor-driven feeder based on the principle of the piston to address these concerns.     

Development and validation of the Guided Group Discussion Self-Estimate Inventory (GGD-SEI)

A 19-item self-report measure was designed to promote increased self-awareness of a group leader's perceived ability to facilitate guided small-group discussion. A factor analysis of responses from students about to embark on a micro-training course in guided group discussion(N = 154) yielded four factors that reflected subjects' belief in their ability to utilise specific group management skills. The scale had high internal reliability (a = 0.92). Initial validity estimates show that the instrument is (i) positively associated with an assessment of interpersonal skills, and (ii) minimally related to self-perceptions of locus of control, fear of negative evaluation, and estimates of self-esteem. The instrument, developed for use within education and training settings, provides a useful measure of guided small-group discussion self-efficacy.     

Physical Size Stereotyping as a Mediator of Attributions of Responsibility in an Alleged Date-Rape Situation1

This research focuses on male and female observers' attributions of responsibility to a female accuser and a male accused of rape. Observers read 1 of 2 scenarios in which the accuser was either smaller or larger than the accused and then made judgments concerning each person's responsibility for what happened. The data indicated that the larger accuser was considered more responsible than the smaller accuser and the larger accused was perceived to be more responsible than the smaller accused. Females attributed more responsibility and had less sympathy, respect, and liking for the accused, whereas males attributed more responsibility and reported more negative attitudes toward the accuser. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for legal and health-care professionals.     

The social competence of very-low-birthweight children: Teacher,peer, and self-perceptions

Whether very-low birthweight (VLBW 1500 gm) children differ from normal birthweight (NBW > 2500gm) children with respect to social (as opposed to intellectual) competence has been a relatively neglected issue. The social competence at school age of 183 VLBW children was therefore compared with that of 183 NBW children born at the same hospital matched for age, gender, social class, parity, and maternal age. A multi-informant, multidefinilional approach to social competence was adopted involving teacher, (same-gender) peer, and self-ratings of the 366 children's levels of social maladjustment, social skill, and peer acceptance. VLBW children from the upper, middle, and lower social classes received significantly higher mean sadness/unhappiness scores (even with IQ covaried) than their NEW counterparts. Mean scores for the VLBW group were also higher for social withdrawal, and lower for both social skill and peer acceptance. Possible antecedents and consequences of such group differences in affect and sociability are suggested.This study was supported by grants from the Department of Health and Social Services, the Chest, Heart and Stroke Association, the Perinatal Trust Fund (all of Northern Ireland), and the Medical Research Council (U.K.) for the investigation of The cognitive, social, and behavioral adjustment of very-low-birthweight infants at school age. The resources provided by the Northern Ireland Department of Economic Development ACE scheme arc also gratefully acknowledged. The authors wish to thank all 15 research assistants on the Very Low-Birthweight (VLBW) Team, and especially those parents, children, and school personnel who participated so willingly in the NI VLBW project.     

The role of humor in the interpretation of sexist incidents

This study investigated the role of humor, gender, and sexist attitudes toward women in the interpretation of sexist incidents. Thirty female and thirty male university students rated the humorousness of and the reactions to recent sexist incidents on Canadian university campuses. As predicted, perceiving sexist incidents as humorous was associated with the tendency to see them as less sexist, to understand the actions and attitudes displayed as more acceptable, and to believe one would have shown approval of the latter. Path analysis indicated that gender did not affect the interpretations of and reactions to these incidents, and that the influence of sexist attitudes toward women was mainly indirect—that is, via their impact on the perception of humorousness.     

Personality through metaphor: Optimism, pessimism, locus of control, and sensation seeking

In two experiments, several personality attributes evident in metaphors people use to describe everyday experiences were examined. Subjects either generated (Experiment 1) or endorsed (Experiment 2) a metaphor that represented their views about six facets of their lives (e.g., work, relationships, graduating). In self-generated metaphors, content analyses of the metaphors revealed that attributes of optimism (e.g., looking forward to the future) and pessimism (e.g., cynicism) were significant components of metaphor content. Also, modest relationships were found between the themes of optimism contained within their metaphors and scores on an optimism scale of a questionnaire designed to evaluate the optimistic and pessimistic orientations. In a second study, subjects endorsed how strongly preselected metaphors represented important aspects of their lives. These preferences were significantly related to their scores on an optimism/pessimism instrument and a locus of control inventory. These results support the notion that metaphors, like other creative productions, may prove a useful vehicle for studying personality characteristics. They also provide evidence for the construct validity of the optimism and pessimism questionnaire.