An automated sound-localization chamber

A completely automated free-field sound-localization apparatus is described along with a behavioral technique that provides several advantages over previously available methods. With the apparatus, the ability to localize the source of a sound has been tested in a wide variety of mammals including cats, rats, squirrel monkeys, hedgehogs, and tree shews.     

A scale for the psychological magnitude of number

A scale of the “psychological magnitude” of number was constructed from similarity ratings of the 45 number pairs that can be obtained from a set of 10 integers. A nonmetric analysis of these similarity ratings showed that “psychological number” was a power function of number.     

Discriminability of differences in line slope and in line arrangement as a function of mask delay

Position uncertainty was used to guarantee that an S’s attention was distributed equally over a visual display. Diminishing discriminability through a masking flash, which controlled the time available to attend selectively to the individual figures in the display, increased the relative discriminability of figures differing in their line slope as compared to figures differing in their line arrangement. Diminishing discriminability through decreasing the clarity of a visual trace by reducing exposure duration did not increase the relative discriminability of figures differing in their line slopes. It is suggested that the discriminability of differences in line slope and in line arrangement varies with the distribution of attention. The results are interpreted as supporting the hypothesis that, under distributed attention in peripheral vision, the visual system is more sensitive to differences in line slope than to differences in line arrangement.     

Coding modality vs. input modality in hypermnesia: Is a rose a rose a rose?

Recent experiments indicate that recall of pictures, unlike recall of words, may increase (hypermnesia) with time and effort. This study demonstrates that by recoding word inputs into ‘mental pictures’, i.e., images, subjects can transform inert word lists into hypermnesic ones. Thus, when word inputs are recoded into images, recall increases over time, and resembles in other respects the recall of pictures.     

A modest proposal: A family therapist's response to pathogenic relatedness in mental health agencies or what to do about “the santa claus factor”

Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy -     

Development of an on-line management information system for community mental health centers

An on-line computerized management information system has been developed at the Salt Lake City VA Hospital and is currently being implemented at Salt Lake Community Mental Health Center. An introduction to this system, including systems design and procedures for development, are presented. The advantages of on-line technology as compared to batch processing technology are also discussed.     

Arms races and the opportunity for peace

We model the evolution of international conflict as a game of sequential decisions and show that arms races are neither necessary nor sufficient for peace or war. Peaceful intentions are not adequate to insure peace, even when both rivals wish to avoid violence. Peaceful intentions together with complete information are sufficient for peace. A preference for forcefully pursuing foreign policy goals also is not sufficient to preclude the peaceful resolution of disputes, and this is true even if there is complete information. In some circumstances, the absence of an arms race can precipitate violence, even giving the military advantage to a nation that unilaterally stopped getting ready for a war it would initiate. Finally, we also show that empirical research is likely to be biased in favor of the hypothesis that deterrence leads to peace. Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.Vegetius,Artes Latinae