Communication Between Hispanic Salespeople and Their Customers: A First Look

This paper presents the results of an exploratory investigation into the cultural communication styles of Hispanic salespeople. Depth interviews were conducted with 14 “key informants” who were familiar with issues facing Hispanic salespeople. The analysis suggests that (1) a cultural communication style exists for Hispanic salespeople, (2) Hispanic salespeople alter their communication style when selling to Anglo-American customers, and (3) culture clashes may occur when Hispanic salespeople interact with Hispanic customers of a different national origin and/or a different stage in the acculturation process. These findings have implications for the management of Hispanic salespeople in the U.S.     

Polarity determination of zinc oxide nanorods by defocused convergent-beam electron diffraction

The crystal polarity of wurtzite zinc oxide nanorods grown hydrothermally parallel to the c?=?[0001] direction has been determined by convergent-beam electron diffraction using a defocused probe. The method enables a simple comparison of the diffracted intensities in ±0002 reflections across side-on nanorods, demonstrating growth in this case is in the c?=?[0001] direction. The method is shown to be viable for nanorods down to about 11?nm in diameter.     

A spatial modality effect in serial memory

In 2 experiments, the authors tested whether the classical modality effect-that is, the stronger recency effect for auditory items relative to visual items-can be extended to the spatial domain. An order reconstruction task was undertaken with four types of material: visual-spatial, auditory-spatial, visual-verbal, and auditory-verbal. Similar serial position curves were obtained regardless of the nature of the to-be-remembered sequences, with the exception that a modality effect was found with spatial as well as with verbal materials. The results are discussed with regard to a number of models of short-term memory.     

Is Self-Disclosure Part of the Genetic Counselor's Clinical Role?

The role of genetic counselor self-disclosure in clinical practice is unclear as there are few published investigations of this issue. In the present study, 11 genetic counselors who previously received genetic services were interviewed about their opinions and use of disclosure. Several themes were extracted from their responses. All participants reportedly disclosed to patients; however, not all disclosed their receipt of genetic services. Patient requests for self-disclosure influenced many participants’ disclosure decisions. Opinions regarding potential benefits of disclosure varied. Nearly all participants stressed the importance of self-disclosing judiciously, stating that it may be counterproductive to client goal attainment. Four individuals with expertise in genetic counseling and psychotherapy were invited to react to these themes and to provide their opinions of self-disclosure. Their views are compared to those of the present sample, and practice and research recommendations are given.     

Hemispheric asymmetry in temporal resolution: Contribution of the magnocellular pathway

Right-handed participants performed simple visual judgments on nonverbal stimuli presented either to the left visual field-right hemisphere (LVF-RH) or to the right visual field-left hemisphere (RVF-LH). The stimuli were exposed for 40-120 msec, followed by a backward mask. When the stimuli were presented against a green background, an RVF-LH advantage was observed for the shortest exposure duration. This result supports the notion that the LH has finer temporal resolution than the RH. Imposition of a red background disrupted performance and eliminated the RVF-LH advantage for the shortest exposure duration. Because the red background attenuates functions of the magnocellular pathway, these results suggest that the magnocellular pathway contributes to the LH advantage for fine temporal resolution.     

Gender and psychopathy: an overview of important issues and introduction to the special issue

One of the most important concepts to ever emerge in forensic psychology and law is psychopathy. It would be difficult to exaggerate the profound effect the construct has had on research and practice in correctional psychology, psychiatry, and criminology. Much less pronounced has been an interest in understanding the potential relevance and practical implications that this personality disorder might have for providing insights into antisocial behaviors and crimes committed by girls and women. In this paper we provide an overview of some of the pressing issues confronting clinicians and researchers and provide an introduction to this special issue dedicated to gender and psychopathy.     

Visual distraction and visuo-spatial memory: a sandwich effect

The functional characteristics of visuo-spatial serial memory and its sensitivity to irrelevant visual information are examined in the present study, through the investigation of the sandwich effect (e.g., Hitch, 1975). The memory task was one of serial recall for the position of a sequence of seven spatially and temporally separated dots. The presence of irrelevant dots interpolated with to-be-remembered dots affected performance over most serial positions (Experiment 1) but that effect was significantly reduced when the interpolated dots were distinct from the to-be-remembered dots by colour and shape (Experiment 2). Parallels are made between verbal and spatial serial memory, and the reduction of the sandwich effect is discussed in terms of the contribution of perceptual organisation and attentional factors in short-term memory.     

Spatial awareness, alertness, and ADHD: the re-emergence of unilateral neglect with time-on-task

Studies examining a relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and relative visual inattention towards left space have produced inconsistent results. Here, based on previous studies with adult neurological patients who show very severe inattention to the left, we examine whether any spatial bias in ADHD may be modulated by changes in alertness levels. In a single case, we found that inattention to the left--that was intermittently apparent--dramatically increased as a function of time-on-task. No significant changes were observed on the right. The implications for clinical assessment and research design are discussed.     

Flexible contrast gain control in the right hemisphere

This study investigates whether the right hemisphere has more flexible contrast gain control settings for the identification of spatial frequency. Right-handed participants identified 1 and 9 cycles per degree sinusoidal gratings presented either to the left visual field-right hemisphere (LVF-RH) or the right visual field-left hemisphere (RVF-LH). When luminance contrast was randomized across a wide range (20-60%), performance gradually improved with contrast in the LVF-RH. Conversely, performance in the RVF-LH was disrupted and saturated for 20 and 60% of contrast, respectively, leading to a LVF-RH advantage for these contrast levels. When contrast was blocked or randomized for a smaller range (30-50%), the LVF-RH advantage was diminished. Flexible contrast gain control is needed when contrast is randomized across a wide range, but not when it is blocked or randomized across a smaller range. The results therefore suggest that the right hemisphere is able to process spatial frequency information across a wider range of contrast levels than is the left hemisphere.