Preschoolers' sensitivity to speaker action constraints to infer referential intent

We investigated how preschoolers use their understanding of the actions available to a speaker to resolve referential ambiguity. In this study, 58 3- and 4-year-olds were presented with arrays of eight objects in a toy house and were instructed to retrieve various objects from the display. The trials varied in terms of whether the speaker's hands were empty or full when she requested an object as well as whether the request was ambiguous (i.e., more than one potential referent) or unambiguous (i.e., only one potential referent). Results demonstrated that both 3- and 4-year-olds were sensitive to speaker action constraints and used this information to guide on-line processing (as indexed by eye gaze measures) and to make explicit referential decisions.     

Changes in spinal excitability during dual task performance

ABSTRACT The authors investigated how the nervous system responds to dual task performance. Because dual tasking is associated with greater postural challenges, it was hypothesized that spinal excitability would be reduced when simultaneously performing 2 tasks. For this experiment, participants maintained a lying or standing posture with or without performing a concurrent cognitive task (i.e., reacting to an auditory tone). Spinal excitability was assessed by eliciting the soleus Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex). Results indicated that the H-reflex was 6.4 ± 2.3% smaller (p = .011) when dual compared to single tasking. The reduced H-reflex amplitude, indicating a depressed spinal excitability, when dual tasking is suggested to reflect a neural strategy that individuals adopt to maintain postural stability when cognitive resources are divided between 2 concurrent tasks.     

Emotions in context: Anger causes ethnic bias but not gender bias in men but not women

Emotions influence information processing because they are assumed to carry valuable information. We predict that induced anger will increase ethnic but not gender intergroup bias because anger is related to conflicts for resources, and ethnic groups typically compete for resources, whereas gender groups typically engage in relations of positive interdependence. Furthermore, we also predict that this increased ethnic intergroup bias should only be observed among men because men show more group‐based reactions to intergroup conflict than women do. Two studies, with 65 and 120 participants, respectively, indeed show that anger induction increases ethnic but not gender intergroup bias and only for men. Intergroup bias was measured with an implicit measure. In Study 2, we additionally predict (and find) that fear induction does not change ethnic or gender intergroup bias because intergroup bias is a psychological preparation for collective action and fear is not associated with taking action against out‐groups. We conclude that the effect of anger depends on its specific informational potential in a particular intergroup context. These results highlight that gender groups differ on a crucial point from ethnic groups and call for more attention to the effect of people's gender in intergroup relations research. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Working well with a disability: Health promotion as a means to employment

Purpose/Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the utility of the Working Well with a Disability health-promotion program with vocational rehabilitation (VR) clients. Health-promotion interventions have been shown to reduce limitation from secondary conditions, which can be a significant barrier to labor force participation among people with disabilities. The state and federal VR system represents a potential access point for delivery of health-promotion activities. Research Method/Design: A total of 297 VR clients participated in a randomized trial of the Working Well health promotion program. Control and intervention participants provided baseline and four waves of quarterly follow-up data. Data were analyzed with repeated-measures ANOVA. Results: Intervention-group participants who attended over half of the Working Well sessions reported significantly lower rates of limitation from secondary conditions over the 1-year study span, F(1, 124) = 4.11, p = .004. Control-group participants also experienced significantly lower rates of limitation, but pre- to postdifferences were less dramatic, F(1, 308) = 4.19, p = .006. Conclusions/Implications: Overall, health data indicated that the Working Well program may be particularly helpful to VR clients with higher rates of secondary health conditions and may represent one strategy for overcoming barriers to employment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

Who we were and who we will be: the temporal context of women's in-group stereotype content

Research has elaborated considerably on the dimensions of out-group stereotype content and on the origins and functions of different content combinations. Less attention has been given to the origins and functions of in-group stereotype content. We argue that in-group stereotypes are likely to serve different social identity functions, and thus attract different content, dependent on individual differences in in-group identification and on the temporal perspective of the perceiver. Two studies (Ns = 43 and 93) found that women's in-group stereotype content varied as a function of gender group identification and temporal perspective. When the past was primed, highly identified women generated stereotypes that emphasized the warmth (but not competence) of their group. When the future was primed, highly identified women generated stereotypes that emphasized the competence (as well as warmth) of their group. These results are discussed in terms of the use of stereotypes for social creativity versus social change.     

Behavioral and neuroanatomical investigation of Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM)

A single case study recently documented one woman's ability to recall accurately vast amounts of autobiographical information, spanning most of her lifetime, without the use of practiced mnemonics (Parker, Cahill, & McGaugh, 2006). The current study reports findings based on eleven participants expressing this same memory ability, now referred to as Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM). Participants were identified and subsequently characterized based on screening for memory of public events. They were then tested for personal autobiographical memories as well as for memory assessed by laboratory memory tests. Additionally, whole-brain structural MRI scans were obtained. Results indicated that HSAM participants performed significantly better at recalling public as well as personal autobiographical events as well as the days and dates on which these events occurred. However, their performance was comparable to age- and sex-matched controls on most standard laboratory memory tests. Neuroanatomical results identified nine structures as being morphologically different from those of control participants. The study of HSAM may provide new insights into the neurobiology of autobiographical memory.     

Identifying careless responses in survey data

When data are collected via anonymous Internet surveys, particularly under conditions of obligatory participation (such as with student samples), data quality can be a concern. However, little guidance exists in the published literature regarding techniques for detecting careless responses. Previously several potential approaches have been suggested for identifying careless respondents via indices computed from the data, yet almost no prior work has examined the relationships among these indicators or the types of data patterns identified by each. In 2 studies, we examined several methods for identifying careless responses, including (a) special items designed to detect careless response, (b) response consistency indices formed from responses to typical survey items, (c) multivariate outlier analysis, (d) response time, and (e) self-reported diligence. Results indicated that there are two distinct patterns of careless response (random and nonrandom) and that different indices are needed to identify these different response patterns. We also found that approximately 10%-12% of undergraduates completing a lengthy survey for course credit were identified as careless responders. In Study 2, we simulated data with known random response patterns to determine the efficacy of several indicators of careless response. We found that the nature of the data strongly influenced the efficacy of the indices to identify careless responses. Recommendations include using identified rather than anonymous responses, incorporating instructed response items before data collection, as well as computing consistency indices and multivariate outlier analysis to ensure high-quality data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).