Why does placing the question before an arithmetic word problem improve performance? A situation model account

The aim of this paper is to investigate the controversial issue of the nature of the representation constructed by individuals to solve arithmetic word problems. More precisely, we consider the relevance of two different theories: the situation or mental model theory (Johnson-Laird, 1983; Reusser, 1989) and the schema theory (Kintsch & Greeno, 1985; Riley, Greeno, & Heller, 1983). Fourth-graders who differed in their mathematical skills were presented with problems that varied in difficulty and with the question either before or after the text. We obtained the classic effect of the position of the question, with better performance when the question was presented prior to the text. In addition, this effect was more marked in the case of children who had poorer mathematical skills and in the case of more difficult problems. We argue that this pattern of results is compatible only with the situation or mental model theory, and not with the schema theory.     

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy for Reduction of Persistent Anger

Although persistent anger is not represented in DSM-IV as a psychiatric disorder, it is nevertheless a significant clinical problem. Based on our experience with both research and clinic patients from a diverse urban population, and drawing on methods utilized by others, we have refined and elaborated several treatment strategies that appear useful for anger reduction. The strategies derive from a counterconditioning treatment model: patients are exposed (either naturally or by design) to situations that may evoke anger, while they apply physiological, cognitive, and/or behavioral methods that can dampen the habitually angry response. The specific anger-reduction methods include: applied muscle relaxation, cognitive reappraisal, inhibition of overresponding, and reversal of underresponding (through acquisition of effective communication and problem-solving skills). Preliminary evidence is presented indicating that anger patients experience significant reduction in the intensity, duration, and frequency of anger reactions after completing 12 sessions of therapy utilizing these anger-reduction methods.     

The assessment of gender role stress for Chinese

The present study aimed to extend the generality of the construct of gender role stress (GRS) to Chinese samples. Specific objectives included (1) devising Chinese versions of the Masculine Gender Role Stress Scale (MGRS) and Feminine Gender Role Stress Scale (FGRS) developed by Eisler and his colleagues (2) examining the relationship between GRS and gender role orientation, and (3) evaluating the concurrent validity of GRS by correlating it with a measure of health adjustment. Fifty-one male and 58 female Chinese college students in Hong Kong participated in Study 1, which aimed to develop Chinese versions of the two GRS scales. Similar to Americans, Chinese male students scored higher on the MGRS scale, but lower on the FGRS scale than Chinese female students. Students' scores on the two GRS scales were independent from their global ratings of stereotypic masculinity and femininity. A second sample, consisting of 46 male and 73 female Chinese nurses, was recruited for Study 2, which evaluated the association between GRS and health adjustment. As hypothesized, a high level of MGRS or FGRS was positively related to a high level of health and mental health disturbances for both male and female nurses.This study was funded in part by the Asia Scholarship for Research on Women 1992/93 of the United Board for Christian Higher Education. The authors would like to thank Professor Richard M. Eisler for his permission to translate the MGRS and FGRS scales into Chinese, and the Association of Hong Kong Nurses for their assistance in data collection.     

The listening heart and the chi square: clinical and empirical perceptions in the family therapy of anorexia nervosa

Clinical and empirical methods are commonly considered to be complementary activities. However, many people in the fields of mental health and social welfare espouse a strong adherence to experimental, scientific methods for the evolution of theory and practice and consider only that which has been experimentally tested as‘really true”. Others would propose the clinical method as the main source of useful knowledge and are suspicious of enumeration and quantification as sources of useful information. Formal, empirical methodology is well and extensively described whilst there is less systematic exposition of the clinical method. Family therapy evolved in a context in which activity was visible and the emerging discipline was propelled by a theoretical framework with strongly scientific origins that was critical of the exclusive clinical method of pre-existing psychotherapies. This paper describes some of the clinically based contributions to the family therapy of anorexia nervosa and compares this information with that which comes out of the Maudsley trials of psychotherapies in anorexia nervosa.     

The Effects of Clothing and Dyad Sex Composition on Perceptions of Sexual Intent: Do Women and Men Evaluate These Cues Differently1

The effects of clothing revealingness and dyad-sex composition on perceptions of male- and female-stimulus persons' sexuality were examined. Based on Abbey's (1982) findings, we hypothesized that men would attribute more sexuality to both male and female targets than women would. Furthermore, we predicted that the difference between men's and women's sexuality ratings would be most divergent when a male-female dyad was presented and when the female stimulus person wore revealing clothing. A laboratory study was conducted in which subjects viewed a photograph of two students in a classroom. As predicted, male subjects rated female targets as more sexy and seductive than did female subjects. Also as predicted, female targets who wore revealing clothing were rated as more sexy and seductive than those wearing nonrevealing clothing. Female targets were rated higher on sexual traits regardless of the gender of their partner. Men did not consistently perceive male stimulus persons more sexually than women did. Finally, both female and male targets were perceived as more kind and warm when they wore nonrevealing clothing. The implications of these findings for person perception and date rape research are described.     

Journal Reviews

B ash , K. (Berne). 'Ein Verglich dreierlei Messmethoden für die Extraversion/Introversion'
C ahen , R. (Paris). 'Inquiétez-vous, c'est psychique'
C ahen , R. (Paris). Prefface to the 'nth' edition of L' Homme à la Decouverte de son Ame
G oldenberg , N. (Ottawa). 'A feminist critique of Jung'
M aduro , R. (San Francisco). 'working with Lations and the use of dream analysis'
M asse -R ouquette , J. (Le Mesnil-St Denis). 'Femme et surréalisme'
M c C ully ,R. (Charleston). 'Parapsychology and symbol formation'
P ignatelli , M. (Rome). 'Un incognita chiamata amore'
Pegnatelli, M. (Rome). 'Il fantasma del terzo'
P ignatielli , M. (Rome). 'Psiche e realta del fenomeno umano'
P ontius , A. (New York). 'Stimuli triggering violence in psychoses'.
P ontius , A. (New York). 'Geometric figure-rotation task and face representation in dyslexia: role fo spatial relations and orientation'.
P ontius , A. (New York). 'Face representation linked with literacy with literacy level in colonial American tombstone engravings and Third World pre-literates'
T aylor , C. (New York). 'Sexual intimacy between patient and analyst'.
Z iegler , A. (Zürich). 'Die schattern von olympia—über Veitstanz und Zitterkrankheiten'     

Speech‐perception‐in‐noise deficits in dyslexia

Speech perception deficits in developmental dyslexia were investigated in quiet and various noise conditions. Dyslexics exhibited clear speech perception deficits in noise but not in silence. Place‐of‐articulation was more affected than voicing or manner‐of‐articulation. Speech‐perception‐in‐noise deficits persisted when performance of dyslexics was compared to that of much younger children matched on reading age, underscoring the fundamental nature of speech‐perception‐in‐noise deficits. The deficits were not due to poor spectral or temporal resolution because dyslexics exhibited normal ‘masking release’ effects (i.e. better performance in fluctuating than in stationary noise). Moreover, speech‐perception‐in‐noise predicted significant unique variance in reading even after controlling for low‐level auditory, attentional, speech output, short‐term memory and phonological awareness processes. Finally, the presence of external noise did not seem to be a necessary condition for speech perception deficits to occur because similar deficits were obtained when speech was degraded by eliminating temporal fine‐structure cues without using external noise. In conclusion, the core deficit of dyslexics seems to be a lack of speech robustness in the presence of external or internal noise.