The impact of contextual priors and anxiety on performance effectiveness and processing efficiency in anticipation

It is proposed that experts are able to integrate prior contextual knowledge with emergent visual information to make complex predictive judgments about the world around them, often under heightened levels of uncertainty and extreme time constraints. However, limited knowledge exists about the impact of anxiety on the use of such contextual priors when forming our decisions. We provide a novel insight into the combined impact of contextual priors and anxiety on anticipation in soccer. Altogether, 12 expert soccer players were required to predict the actions of an oncoming opponent while viewing life-sized video simulations of 2-versus-2 defensive scenarios. Performance effectiveness and processing efficiency were measured under four conditions: no contextual priors (CP) about the action tendencies of the opponent and low anxiety (LA); no CP and high anxiety (HA); CP and LA; CP and HA. The provision of contextual priors did not affect processing efficiency, but it improved performance effectiveness on congruent trials. Anxiety negatively affected processing efficiency, but this did not affect the use of contextual priors or influence performance effectiveness. It appears that anxiety and prior contextual information impact attentional resources independent of each other. Findings are discussed with reference to current models of anticipation and anxiety.     

The evolution of epistemology and concepts in an iterative-generative reflective practice: the importance of small differences

Using a contextualist epistemology, it would be expected that regional differences in community psychology would develop over time. It is argued that the epistemology and theory of Western Australian community psychology, while largely based on North American approaches, has developed its own idiosyncracies. These developed through the integration of practice and theory in an iterative-generative fashion. The process of development is conceptualized in terms of Schön's and Altman's distinctions between foundational knowledge, and professional and socially responsive knowledge (I. Altman, 1996; D. A. Schön, 1983). It has also been characterized as an incremental development based on the reflection on tacit and conceptual knowledge. From the small differences that have developed between regions, a dialogue can emerge that will better allow understanding of how social forces shape people's actions.     

Examining a model of the relation between religiosity and suicidal ideation in a sample of African American and White college students

In this study, a model of certain aspects of religiosity, social support, and depressive symptomatology that would examine how African Americans may be, differentially, protected from suicide was proposed. Intrinsic religiosity was found to be negatively related to depressive symptoms which were positively related to suicide ideation in a sample of 459 college students. Though the model was expected to produce more robust results for African American compared to White students, we did not find this. Further investigation of religiosity and related phenomena (e.g., spirituality) are warranted across age, socioeconomic, and ethnic groups.     

Prejudiced or not? Hidden sectarianism among students in Northern Ireland

The authors developed a new measure of implicit prejudices of students in Northern Ireland, which they derived from a study by G. Haddock, M. Zanna, and V. M. Esses (1993). Using two student surveys, the authors modified and tested the new implicit prejudice measure, which was based on a "Budget Survey." The present study's results indicate that the measure is valid and useful in the student context. Investigators can easily adapt the measure to groups other than students in Northern Ireland, and it may hence be useful for the future investigation of hidden prejudice in a society that experiences low-level ethnopolitical conflict.     

Comparison of muscle functions during three contrasting abdominal exercises

That different amplitudes of muscle activities during various abdominal exercises not only reflect the inherent differences in motor control but movement speed as well was hypothesized. 20 healthy adults (M age = 23 yr.) performed three exercises that involved varying amounts of trunk control: the partial sit-up, full sit-up, and AbSlide roll. Covariate analyses indicated that the amplitude of muscle activities could be partitioned into three categories: motor control and scaling (speed and amplitude), scaling only, and motor control only. Overall, the AbSlide exercise activated the most amount of muscular activity, followed by the full and partial sit-up exercises. Results are discussed in terms of how the various muscles contribute to motor control and velocity scaling.     

Do video sounds interfere with auditory event-related potentials?

To make the electroencephalogram (EEG) recording procedure more tolerable, listeners have been allowed in some experiments to watch an audible video while their auditory P1, NI, P2, and mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related potentials (ERPs) to experimental sounds have been measured. However, video sounds may degrade auditory ERPs to experimental sounds. This concern was tested with 19 adults who were instructed to ignore standard and deviant tones presented through headphones while they watched a video with the soundtrack audible in one condition and silent in the other. Video sound impaired the size, latency, and split-half reliability of the MMN, and it decreased the size of the P2. However, it had little effect on the P1 or N1 or on the split-half reliability of the P1—N1—P2 waveform, which was significantly more reliable than the MMN waveform regardless of whether the video sound was on or off. The impressive reliability of the P1 and N1 components allows for the use of video sound during EEG recording, and they may prove useful for assessing auditory processing in listeners who cannot tolerate long testing sessions.     

Levels of personal agency among academic majors

Action identification theory presented by Vallacher and Wegner characterizes individual differences in identification level in terms of a personality dimension known as "level of personal agency." Levels of personal agency, as measured by the Behavior Identification Form, were examined in a sample of 237 college "seniors" representing eight academic majors. The mean levels of personal agency among individuals in several of these majors were significantly different.