Interhemispheric alpha asymmetry and imagery mode

Interhemispheric alpha activity was measured while subjects were engaged in covertly imaging familiar pictorial material using three imagery modes: “shapes and colors,” “words,” or both. The results showed suppression of alpha activity in the hemisphere which is primarily involved in the cognitive mode being used by the subject.     

Methodological study of form constancy development

Comparison of the results of previous studies of form constancy development is difficult because of differences in experimental paradigms used. The present study tested some aspects of the construction and mode of presentation of the comparison series presented by means of the method of limits. A randomized comparison series produced higher form constancy performance than did a serially-ordered series, and there were differences depending on the location of the point of objective equality with respect to the midpoint of the series. In addition, the ordered series resulted in a large error of anticipation at all ages studied. These results thus demonstrate the influence of the comparison series on apparent developmental trends of form constancy. The general trend of constancy performance was found to increase with age, contradicting the conclusions of most previous studies.     

Dynamic effects of food magnitude on interim-terminal interaction

We tested the assumption of a facilitatory relation between periodic food presentation and schedule-induced drinking by examination of (a) elicited drinking, (b) drinking in anticipation of food delivery, and (c) possible indirect effects of food delivery on drinking. We exposed rats to a fixed-time 60-second schedule in which interfood intervals ended in either one or four food pellets with equal probability. In Phases 1 and 3, a stimulus signaled the magnitude of upcoming food presentation. In Phase 2, the stimulus was eliminated. Changes in drinking and “head-in-feeder” distributions within interfood intervals demonstrated that head-in-feeder was controlled directly by food presentation, but drinking was not. Head-in-feeder increased and drinking was reduced when large meals began or ended an interval. In Phases 4 to 6, meal size was manipulated across sessions yielding a positive relation between meal size and schedule-induced drinking. We conclude: (1) Schedule-induced drinking is determined by distributions of food-related behavior and results from indirect effects of food delivery; and (2) the amount of schedule-induced drinking and the form of the drinking distributions in this experiment can be accurately explained by two assumptions: (a) Food presentation facilitates food-related behavior through elicitation and anticipation; and (b) food-related behavior and drinking are reciprocally, linearly related.     

Locus of control and the ability to tolerate gratification delay: When it is better to be an external

An experiment was conducted to investigate the relationship between the locus of control orientation of fourth-grade children and delay frustration experienced in self-imposed and externally imposed delay situations. Time estimation was used as the index of delay frustration, with greater time estimates being interpreted as indicating greater frustration. In a self-imposed delay situation, external subjects estimated a 5-min delay to be longer than did internal subjects, while in an externally imposed delay situation, internal subjects estimated a 5-min delay to be longer than did external subjects. The implications of the findings for an understanding of both the locus of control dimension and delay behavior are discussed.     

The effects of communication,resource feedback,and identifiability on behavior in a simulated commons

This study examined the effects of communication, feedback, and identifiability on behavior in a simulated commons. To do this, 64 mixed-sex groups of four introductory psychology students participated in a commons dilemma simulation for 50 trials or until the group exhausted the commons pool. Half of the groups played under a free communication condition, while the other half were prohibited from communicating. Half of the groups in both communication conditions received visual feedback about the amount of the commons' resource (money) which remained after each trial while the other half received no feedback. Finally, half of the groups in each of these four conditions were made highly identifiable by the use of the name tags and feedback about the choices of each player. The remaining groups were assigned to a low identifiability condition in which no name tags were used, no feedback given and group members were separated by wooden dividers to prevent visual contact. Results showed that groups having the opportunity for resource feedback or for communication achieved greater total money harvests and maintained the commons for a greater number of trials than groups having neither. As expected, the largest totals and longest commons maintenance were achieved by groups having both. Identifiability had no influence on the length of commons maintenance except when there was neither resource feedback nor communication opportunities. When both were unavailable, groups in the high identifiability condition harvested more money and maintained the commons longer.     

Personal deserving versus justice for others: An exploration of the justice motive

Two expriments were conducted to test implications derived from Lerner's formulation of the “justice motive.” The experimental paradigm provided subjects with an opportunity to earn money in exchange for participation in future experimental sessions. Subjects who were offered “just” pay for their efforts volunteered significantly more of their time when their efforts would help a needy victim than when they would not. Moreover, when subjects were left with just pay, they offered more of their time when a portion of their pay was to go to a victim than when they received the entire wage themselves. When the pay subjects were to receive was less than deserved, however, the opportunity to help a victim did not affect their response level. The importance of these results for understanding helping behavior is considered, as is the compatibility of these results with other theoretical models.     

Design for an on-line computerized system for MMPI interpretation

The development of an on-line MMPI interpretative program is outlined. Profiles interpreted by this program are first examined to determine whether a standard or locally known profile type fits. If so, an appropriate narrative report is printed. If there is no match with a known profile type, statements from several scale-by-scale interpretative sources are organized into a logical report. Methods have been developed to eliminate duplication and contradiction from different sources of information. Examples of output from this program are presented and advantages of the program are discussed.     

Effectiveness of a brief counseling intervention in stimulating vocational exploration

The intervention procedures used in this study, a brief report of vocational interest scores and small group sessions on vocational planning, were designed to encourage girls to consider the full range of occupations, unrestricted by sex-role stereotypes. In each of three schools, ninth-grade girls with average academic ability or above were randomly assigned to an intervention group (N = 195) and a control group (N = 195). Analyses of 1- and 3-month outcome data indicated that the intervention stimulated occupational exploration and increased congruence between occupational preferences and measured interests. Outcomes differed according to interest type, thus suggesting that certain students may need more counselor attention than others.