Psychometric analysis of the Visual Form Discrimination Test

The Visual Form Discrimination Test is a matching-to-sample test involving visual discrimination. Although normative information has been presented, limited psychometric data have been available. The current study estimated the internal consistency and additional psychometric properties of the test in a sample of 66 persons with acute traumatic brain injury. Internal consistency as measured by alpha was .66. A homogeneous sample and a restricted range of scores likely attenuated this estimate. Using the standard cutoff score, only 32% of the sample showed impaired performance. Visual form discrimination as measured by this test may be affected less by traumatic brain injury than other cognitive processes such as attention and memory.     

Is speech perception modular or interactive?

Norris et al. recently reported experimental evidence that listeners learn phoneme categories in response to lexical feedback. To reconcile these findings with their modular account of speech perception, the authors argue that top-down feedback can be used to support phoneme learning, but not to influence on-line phonemic processing. We suggest that these findings have broader implications than the authors assume, and we discuss potential challenges for integrating a modular theory with top-down learning.     

An animal model of fetishism

An animal model of sexual fetishism was developed with male Japanese quail based on persistence of conditioned sexual responding during extinction to an inanimate object made of terrycloth (Experiments 1 and 3). This persistent responding occurred only in subjects that came to copulate with the terrycloth object, suggesting that the copulatory behavior served to maintain the fetishistic behavior. Sexual conditioning was carried out by pairing a conditioned stimulus (CS) with the opportunity to copulate with a female (the unconditioned stimulus or US). Copulation with the CS object and persistent responding did not develop if the CS was a light (Experiment 1) or if conditioning was carried out with a food US (Experiment 2). In addition, subjects that showed persistence in responding to the terrycloth CS did not persist in their responding to a light CS (Experiment 3). The results are consistent with the hypothesis that conditioned copulatory behavior creates a form of self-maintenance that leads to persistent responding to an inanimate object. The development of an animal model of such fetishistic behavior should facilitate experimental analysis of the phenomenon.     

Locus of semantic interference in picture-word interference tasks

Picture#x2014;word interference studies typically show that semantically related distractor words embedded within a picture slow picture-naming responses, relative to unrelated ones. This semantic interference effect is commonly interpreted as arising from the competition of lexical#x2014;semantic (e.g., Schriefers, Meyer, & Levelt, 1990) or lexical#x2014;phonological (e.g., Starreveld & La Heij, 1996) codes. The experiment reported here tests a crucial assumption shared by these accounts#x2014;namely, that the effect reflects a lexical, rather than a nonverbal, conceptual conflict. Pictures were named while participants attempted to ignore embedded distractors that were in either verbal or pictorial format. The presence of both words and pictures substantially interfered with naming responses, but only words, not pictures, were found to induce semantic interference. These findings support the claim that for semantic interference to arise, both target picture and distractor have to be lexicalized. Consequently, a general conceptual locus of the effect can be excluded, and the claim that semantic interference is based on a lexical conflict is confirmed.     

Decision making in dual-task environments: analysis of hemispheric competition effects

Performance degradations in multitasking situations have been reported frequently as a predictable effect of competition that arises from different processing demands whose hemispheric locations are too proximal. This model might be useful in explaining performance deficits in complex workplaces. To test this assertion, a laboratory study was designed to create an analogue of the processing demands required by a tactical decision-making task performed by 24 right-handed men. Vocalization, dichotic listening and decision-making performance were assessed under single- and dual-task conditions. The results were consistent with the predictions from hemispheric competition in the case of dichotic listening but not with vocalization. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for both research and systems design.     

Using positive peer reporting to improve the social interactions and acceptance of socially isolated adolescents in residential care: a systematic replication

We studied how rewarding youth in residential care for publicly reporting positive social behavior influenced the social interactions and acceptance of their most socially isolated peers. Results showed that the intervention resulted in substantial improvements in social interactions by the previously isolated peers. Peer acceptance ratings also improved for 2 of the target youths.     

Implicit memory and test awareness

In three experiments we examined whether normal subjects can perform an implicit test without becoming aware that the test items were previously encountered in the study phase of the experiment. Experiment 1 assessed single word priming with the stem completion task, and subjects who reported awareness/unawareness that the test items were previously encoded in the study task showed equivalent priming. Experiments 2a-c and 3 assessed associative priming with the stem completion task, and in this case, only subjects who were aware that the test items were previously encountered showed associative priming effects. These findings suggest that single word priming and associative priming reflect different memory processes because the former and not the latter effect can be observed in unaware subjects.     

The visual system supports online translation invariance for object identification

The ability to recognize the same image projected to different retinal locations is critical for visual object recognition in natural contexts. According to many theories, the translation invariance for objects extends only to trained retinal locations, so that a familiar object projected to a nontrained location should not be identified. In another approach, invariance is achieved “online,” such that learning to identify an object in one location immediately affords generalization to other locations. We trained participants to name novel objects at one retinal location using eyetracking technology and then tested their ability to name the same images presented at novel retinal locations. Across three experiments, we found robust generalization. These findings provide a strong constraint for theories of vision.     

Social Learning,Self-Control,Gender, and Variety of Violent Delinquency

This study tested the role of social learning and self-control theories in the variety of violent delinquent behaviors engaged in by male and female adolescents (N = 833). Results of Tobit analyses indicated that neither theory was able to account for the gender gap. Low self-control was significantly associated with an increase in the variety of violent delinquency among females. Among male respondents, those who were more susceptible to peer pressure engaged in fewer types of violent delinquency. We conclude that theories must actively recognize the role of gender to better account for the differences in violent delinquent behavior.     

Gender Role Identity and the Caregiving Experience of Widowed Men

The relationship between gender role identityand caregiving experience was explored in a sample ofelderly widowed men. A total of 200 males (82.5%Caucasian) were interviewed 12 to 16 months after the death of their wives. Results indicated thatmen who had served as caregivers scored higher on themasculine dimension of the Bem Sex Role Inventory, andmasculinity was a significant predictor of well-being for both caregivers and noncaregivers.Following a cognitive dissonance model (Hirsch, 1996),the results do not support the adoption of feminine orandrogynous ideals as a way of coping with this life demand. Instead, the results add to the growingbody of work in support of a masculine model ofwell-being.