Intensity and number of alternatives in hue identification: Piéron’s law and choice reaction time

Two experiments investigated the effects of intensity and the number of response alternatives in hue identification. Three questions were addressed. First, what is the relationship between these effects? If intensity and number of alternatives affect different processes in series, these factors would have additive effects on reaction time (RT). Other models predict a multiplicative interaction. These models assume that when a stimulus is presented, evidence accrues over time for each response alternative, and that when the evidence for a particular alternative exceeds its criterion, the response is made. A natural auxiliary assumption is that intensity affects the rate of evidence accrual, while the number of alternatives affects the criterion. The second question addressed is, how does choice RT change as a function of intensity? Piéron used a power function to describe the effect of intensity on simple RT. This paper considers three candidates for intensity’s effect on choice RT: the power, logistic, and Michaelis functions. Each candidate function was tested in an additive model and a multiplicative model. The best account was given by the power function in an additive model. The last question is, does each process produce an output that can be classified as correct or incorrect? Schweickert (1985) proposed that factors that selectively influenced such processes would have additive effects on log percent correct. Instead, an interaction was found. Perhaps the assumption that the process affected by intensity produces a single output is wrong.     

Parental Attributions of the Causes of Their Children's Behavior

We investigated causal attributions parents made regarding their children's best and worst behavior while the children were taking methylphenidate (MPH) for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Twenty-six parents were surveyed each week for six weeks using the Parent Attribution Scale-Revised. This scale measures parents' attributions of the causes for their children's behavior when taking MPH to treat symptoms of ADHD. When attributing causes for best behavior, the parents rated their children's effort most often followed by their own effort and the positive medication effects. When attributing causes for worst behavior, the parents rated their children's lack of effort most often followed by inadequate medication effects and their own lack of effort. Our study suggests that parents rate effort most often when making attributions for their children's best and worst behavior. When making attributions for best behavior only, parents saw no difference between their own efforts and the effects of medication. When making attributions for worst behavior only, parents were more likely to blame their children's lack of effort and the ineffectiveness of medication more often than their own lack of effort.     

Book reviews

Religion in Europe: Contemporary Perspectives SEAN GILL, GAVIN D'COSTA & URSULA KING, eds, 1994 Kampen: Kok Pharos 213 pp., £22.50 ISBN 90–390–0508–7

Religion in Contemporary Europe JOHN FULTON & PETER GEE, eds, 1994 Lewiston, Queenston, Lampeter: Edwin Meilen Press 181 pp., £39.95 ISBN 0–7734–9028–0

Pluralisme religieux et Laïcités dans l'Union européenne ALAIN DIERKENS, ed., 1994 Brussels: Editions de l'Université de Bruxelles (Problèmes d'histoire des religions, No. 5) 176 pp., 700 Belgian francs, 129 French francs ISBN 2–8004–1097–3

Religion and the Transformations of Capitalism: Comparative Approaches RICHARD H. ROBERTS, ed., 1995 London: Routledge xi + 347 pp., £60.00 ISBN 0–415–11917–0

The Sociology of Religion: Theoretical and Comparative Perspectives MALCOLM B. HAMILTON, 1994 London: Routledge 238 pp., £13.99 ISBN 0–415–02187–1 (hb), 0–415–10659–1 (pb)

American Congregations Volume 1: Portraits of Twelve Religious Communities JAMES P. WIND & LAMES W. LEWIS, eds, 1994 Chicago/London: University of Chicago Press xi + 712 pp., US$34.95 ISBN 0–226–90188–6

Volume 2: New Perspectives in the Study of Congregations ix + 292 pp., US$22.50 ISBN 0–222–90188–20

A History of the Quaker Movement in Africa ANE MARIE BAK RASMUSSEN, 1995 London: British Academic Press 190 pp., £34.50 (hb) ISBN 1–85043–904–4

Ceremony and Ritual in Japan: Religious Practices in an Industrialized Society JAN VAN BREMEN & D. P. MARTINEZ, eds, 1995 London: Routledge 286 pp., £40.00 ISBN 0–415–11663–5

Choose Peace: A Dialogue between Johan Galtung and Daisaku Ikeda J. GALTUNG & D. IKEDA, 1995 London: Pluto Press 172 pp., £40.00 (hb), £13.95 (pb) ISBN 0–7453–1039–7 (pb), 07453–1040–0 (hb)

The Toronto Blessing—Or Is It? STANLEY PORTER & PHILIP RICHTER, eds, 1995 London: Darton, Longman & Todd 130 pp., £6.95 ISBN 0–232–52130–1

Sex, Slander, and Salvation. Investigating the Family/Children of God JAMES R. LEWIS & J. GORDON MELTON, eds, 1994 Stanford, CA: Center for Academic Publications xi + 288 pp., £5.99 ISBN 0–9639501–2–6

Christians in the Holy Land MICHAEL PRIOR & WILLIAM TAYLOR, eds, 1994 London: World of Islam Festival Trust 235 pp., £10.00 ISBN 0–905–035–32–1

City of Wrong: a Friday in Jerusalem M. KAMEL HUSSEIN, translated by KENNETH CRAGG, 1994 Oxford: Oneworld Publications 234 pp., £7.95 ISBN 1–85168–072–1

>Faith in Dialogue Number One: Faiths in Britain Together CHRISTOPHER LAMB, ed., 1995 61 pp., £2.00

Faith in Dialogue Number Two: Jewish and Christian Mysticism RABBI PROFESSOR DAN COHN SHERBOK, 1995 20 pp., £1.00

Faith in Dialogue Number Three: Jewish Views of Jesus HYAM MACCOBY 20 pp., £1.00 London: Centre For Inter‐Faith Dialogue ISSN 13585045

Jewish & Christian Mysticism: An Introduction DAN COHN‐SHERBOK & LAVINIA COHN‐SHERBOK, 1994 New York: Continuum viii +186 pp., £15.99 ISBN 0–85244–259–9

Sabbath and Synagogue. The Question of Sabbath Worship in Ancient Judaism HEATHER A. MCKAY, 1994 Leiden: E. J. Brill xiii + 279 pp., Nlg. 125,00, US$71.50 ISSN 0927–7633

The Road to Canterbury: A Modern Pilgrimage SHIRLEY DU BOULEY, 1994 London: Harper Collins 245 pp., £15.99 (hb) ISBN 0–00–627693–8     

Failure of instructional set to affect completeness of taste adaptation

The effect of task instructions on taste adaptation was investigated in two experiments. In the first experiment, three groups of subjects received a 3-min flow of salt solution, over the anterior dorsal tongue surface and periodically gave magnitude estimates of its intensity. Each group had previously received different instructions suggesting the appropriate outcome of the adaptation experiment. Not all subjects showed adaptation, and the instructions had no significant differential effects. In the second experiment, subjects who were practiced in judging pulsatile taste stimuli were instructed to rate the intensity of a continuous salt stimulus as it disappeared, but this produced no increased adaptation. Several possible hypotheses are presented to account for this repeatedly observed failure of many subjects to completely adapt to taste stimuli.     

Improving the quality of careers guidance: Towards an understanding of the development of personal models

The process by which careers officers develop personal models of guidance through the interaction of theoretical knowledge with their experiences of training and practice is examined. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 careers officers. Questions were asked about the training and development of careers officers in the practice of careers guidance and counselling with young people. The responses are considered in relation to theories of careers choice, careers counselling and guidance, models of counselling, and the supervisory role in the development of individual practice. Some recommendations are made for improvements to training and supervision for careers guidance.     

A Description of the Continuum of Eating Disorders: Implications for Intervention and Research

Many authors have proposed the notion of an eating disorder continuum to aid in the understanding of similarities and differences among various types of eating disturbances and disorders. The purpose of this article is to present an eating disorders continuum and to describe groups on the continuum by highlighting differences among the groups on behavioral, cognitive-attitudinal, and self-esteem issues. The relationship of the continuum to the developmental course of eating disorders is discussed. Prevention, early intervention, and treatment programs for various groups on the continuum are presented. Recommendations for future research on the continuum of eating disorders are provided.     

Determinants of stability in the perception of subjective contour

The present study constituted an initial experimental effort to examine the fragmentation characteristics of subjective contours within the photopic and upper 5cotopic ranges of illumination. Four stimulus factors known to influence the visibility of subjective contours—target luminance, inducing area size and contrast, and contour orientation—were examined. Results indicated that subjective contours are indeed unstable perceptual phenomena. On the average, fragmentation or fading occurred after only 15 sec of observation, and some farm of stimulus outage was present for 28% of the viewing time of each stimulus. Fragmentation latency was significantly shorter and total time in fragmentation longer for diamond than for square contours, and total time in fragmentation varied inversely with inducing-area size. Fragmentation tendedto occur in whole units rather than in isolated elements, a result reminiscent of the fading of real Contours under impoverished viewing conditions.     

Stereoscopic perception with brief exposures

In this report we describe the results of an experiment in which we demonstrated that a powerful and compelling stereoscopic experience is elicited with very brief (< 1 msec) stimulus durations. The observers were highly successful in recognizing briefly flashed, stereoscopic, random-dot surfaces in the absence of monocular contours. The results are shown to be closely related to the range of depths for any stimulus form; however, the recognition thresholds were nonmonotonic as a function of disparity. Previous investigators have disagreed about the existence of a temporal threshold for stereopsis. We believe that prior findings suggesting that stereopsis cannot occur at short exposure durations are probably due to inadequate control of fixation disparity. Therefore, there is poor dichoptic image registration when a stereoscopic stimulus is presented. The present results also raise difficulties for any theory of stereopsis that requires eye movements.     

Order of Presentation and Verbal Recruitment Strategy Effectiveness1

This study examined the relative effectiveness of three different verbal recruitment strategies (opinion conformity, other enhancement, and self-enhancement) presented in different orders. Sixty undergraduates viewed three recruiters, each of whom used a different recruitment strategy to describe a hypothetical graduate program. Participants rated their impressions of each recruiter and then decided which program to attend. Results indicated that presentation order significantly affected participants' ratings of the opinion conforming and self-enhancing recruiters. Furthermore, although participants generally preferred the other enhancing and opinion conforming recruiters, this preference did not translate into a decision to attend the other enhancer's university. Implications for both the recruitment and impression management literatures are discussed.