Measuring misinformation in repeat trial pick 1 of 2 tests

An extension is described to a product testing model to account for misinformation among subjects. A misinformed subject is one who associates the taste of product A with product B and vice-versa; thus, the subject would tend to perform incorrectly on pick 1 of 2 tests. A likelihood ratio test for the presence of misinformation is described. The model is applied to a data set, and misinformation is found to exist. Biases due to model misspecificationand other implications for product testing are discussed.The first author is currently on leave from Carnegie Mellon University.     

Brand character as a function of brand loyalty

This study investigated the relationship between self-image, brand image, and brand loyalty by asking whether people use products to enhance self-image. Subjects described themselves on an adjective checklist, then listed product brands to which they consider themselves loyal or not loyal. One month later, using the same adjective checklist, subjects described the type of person who would buy a particular brand to which they are loyal and a brand to which they are not loyal for both gender and non-gender related products. Significant differences between the two groups and a high correlation between self and product user ratings, were found.     

Performance of british university psychology departments as measured by number of publications in BPS journals

The aim of this investigation was to gauge the comparative research performance of university departments of psychology in Britain. The performance indicator was the number of publications per departmental staff member in the journals of the British Psychological Society (BPS) during the seven-year period 1983–1989. The contents of these journals were thoroughly searched, and articles written by members of university psychology departments in Britain were counted. The number of publications of each psychology department was divided by the size of the department in the corresponding year and the resulting annual figures were summed to determine the number of publications in BPS journals per departmental staff member over the seven-year period. These research performance figures correlated significantly with an earlier measure of departmental research performance based on publications in the seven European psychological journals with the highest citations per published article and with recent performance indicators based on other criteria     

Relationship between religion-related factors and obsessive compulsive disorder

This exploratory study sought to determine whether selected religion-related factors differentiated between 86 patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), 73 patients with panic disorder, and 292 patients with other psychiatric (non-anxiety) disorders. A standard history questionnaire was used to obtain information from patients concerning religion of origin, involvement in religious activities, religious conflict, and perceived religiousness of parents. It was found that the percentage of patients who reported experiencing religious conflict was significantly higher for the OCD group than for the other two groups. Other findings suggested associations between Catholicism and OCD and between Protestantism and panic disorder, but further research is needed to clarify these relationships. This article is based on a paper presented at the 98th annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Boston, August 1990.     

Moderating influences of hypnotic susceptibility on signal-detection task performance

This study investigated the differential influence of hypnotic susceptibility level on signal detection task (SDT) performance in waking and hypnotic conditions. As assessed by the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A (HGSHS: A) and the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale, Form C (SHSS: C), 20 high (9–12), 20 medium (4–8), and 20 low (0–3) hypnotizables participated. In counterbalanced conditions of waking and hypnosis, Ss (Subjects) were given 36 signal detection trials, consisting of 12 strong signals, 12 weak signals, and 12 “no” signals. No differences were observed in the waking condition between low, medium, and high hypnotizables on strong and weak signal trials. In hypnosis, high hypnotizables exhibited significantly superior performance on the strong signal trials in comparison with low hypotizables, and performed significantly better on the weak signal trials than did the low and medium hypnotizables. Low and medium hypnotizables performed similarly in waking and hypnotic conditions, while high hypnotizables showed significant enhancements in performance for strong and weak signal trials during hypnosis. This research was supported, in part, by a grant from Fort Hays State University.     

Apparent duration and spatial structure

In three experiments, we investigated the relative perceived duration of a full bandwidth iniage and a set of high- and lowpass filtered images of a scene, briefly presented on a visual display unit. In Experiment 1, the various images were compared with each other, using a paired comparison method. All images were presented for 40 msec, and observers were asked to judge which of each pair of images had the longest duration. The results showed that images containing a wide spatial frequency bandwidth were judged to be of longer duration than were images of a narrower bandwidth, regardless of whether the latter were high- or lowpass filtered. In Experiment 2, a 40-msec presentation of each of the images was compared with a presentation of a probe that was 20,40, 60, or 80 msec in duration. Observers again judged which of each pair of images had the longest duration. The results were very similar to those of Experiment 1, with wide bandwidth images being judged to be of longer duration than were narrow bandwidth images. In Experiment 3, instead of comparing the various filtered versions of the image with each other, we attempted to obtain a direct measure of perceived duration by comparing a flashing LED to a 40-msec flash of a subset of the images used in the previous experiments. The observers’ task was to adjust the duration of the LED flash to match the perceived duration of each image. The results confirmed the results of the previous experiments, again indicating that wide bandwidth images are perceived to have longer phenomenal durations than narrow bandwidth images are perceived to have. These results could be predicted from previous research in the literature on the effects of spatial frequency on perceptual lag but not from research on visual persistence. It is argued that the effects described here can probably be explained best by postulating a link between perceived duration and the integration of separately processed spatial frequency information.     

The effects of choice-making on the problem behaviors of high school students with intellectual disabilities

This investigation was conducted in an effort to systematically extend the emerging data base having to do with choice-making opportunities and the behavior of students with disabilities. In particular, the current analyses examined the effects of choice-making on the problem behavior and task engagement of three high school students with intellectual disabilities as the students performed domestic and vocational activities. Multiple baseline and reversal designs demonstrated that the choice conditions reduced problem behaviors and increased task engagement for all participants. Data having to do with student affect and task productivity were less consistent. The findings on the relationship between choice making and problem behavior replicate and extend a growing literature on the desirable effects of choice-making for individuals with disabilities. The results are discussed in terms of recent developments in behavioral support, as well as the need for ongoing conceptual and applied research.