An analysis of spatial orientation test performance

Spatial Orientation ability correlates with important criteria such as achievement in calculus and physics, but this ability has not been investigated systematically. Performance on individual items adapted from a standard test of Spatial Orientation was studied. Subjects judged whether aerial views would be seen by an observer oriented in various ways. For practiced subjects, the time to answer items was an approximately linear function of the number of abstract spatial dimensions on which the aerial view and the observer's orientation were consistent. Practice led to lower error rates and lower intercepts for the response-time functions. Subject's ability correlated with the linearity of their response-time functions suggesting that lower ability subjects fail to code one or more spatial dimensions. A model specifying serial, self-terminating comparison of abstract spatial dimensions is proposed as an ideal which subjects approach after practice.     

The effect of self- vs. external-monitoring and locus of control upon the pacing and general adjustment of psychiatric inpatients

Ninety-six psychiatric inpatients with a history of problematic pacing were identified as internal or external (Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale) and assigned to one of four monitoring categories: (1) self-monitoring, in which participants recorded their pacing on wrist counters, (2) external-monitoring, in which ward staff informed participants of their pacing, (3) social demand, in which participants were pressured not to pace, but without specific feedback concerning their pacing and (4) no treatment. Dependent measures included the number of cycles paced, distance paced, and staff rated general social adjustment (MACC scale). As hypothesized, internals showed greater reductions in pacing and increases in general adjustment scores in the self-monitoring condition and externals reducing pacing and improved general adjustment on the external monitoring condition. Both of the treatment conditions created greater positive change than the social demand condition.     

When experiences of failure promote expectations of success: The impact of attribution failure to ineffective strategies1

This experiment examined the effects of attributing initial failure to ineffective strategies on performance expectancies. Subjects were induced to attribute performance at a persuasion task to either their strategies (a controllable factor) or abilities (an uncontrollable factor). Subjects then failed at their initial persuasion attempt. Following failure, strategy subjects expected more successes in future attempts than did ability subjects. Strategy subjects also expected to improve with practice, while ability subjects did not. Comparisons to control subjects, who received no attribution manipulation prior to success or failure, clarify these results. Findings suggest that subjects attributing task outcomes to strategies monitored the effectiveness of their strategies and concluded that by modifying their strategies they would become more successful. In contrast, subjects attributing task outcome to abilities failed to attend to strategic features and concluded that they could not improve. Implications of this overlooked factor for attribution theory and learned helplessness are discussed.     

Predicting state anxiety: A comparison of multidimensional and unidimensional trait approaches

Endler has proposed that trait anxiety is multidimensional, with individual differences varying across several dimensions of stressing situations. Despite empirical support for the independence of some dimensions, some researchers have employed a single score on a multidimensional measure of trait anxiety, summed from the dimension scale scores, as a singular measure of generalized trait anxiety. This violates the theoretical underpinnings of the approach. This study examined whether a total score on a multidimensional measure of trait anxiety could supplement the ability of individual dimension scale scores in predicting state anxiety responses to dimension-congruent stress. Thirty-two female college students who scored at differing levels of dimensional and general anxiety were required to perform two laboratory stress tasks under conditions of stress representing different dimensions of trait anxiety. The results provide support for a multidimensional approach to general trait anxiety but indicate some value of a total score in supplementing predictions based on individual scale scores. The data provide a cautionary note that a total score on a multidimensional measure is of little value unless full consideration is given to the profile of dimension scale scores.     

Effects of Alprazolam on Complex Human Functioning1

Benzodiazepines can reduce anxiety, can have favorable effects upon sleep, and may diminish problems that interfere with patients' quality of life. On the other hand, these drugs can generate transient anterograde amnesia and may diminish aspects of task performance. Research on the impact of alprazolam and other “tranquilizing” drugs has generally focused on tasks that remain below the complex efforts of managerial or professional personnel. Alprazolam-induced reduction of anxiety under challenging conditions might aid complex task performance, yet anterograde amnesia might interfere. In the present research, managers participated in validated complex simulation tasks. In a double-blind, dual crossover design, placebo, 0.5 mg, or 1.0 mg alprazolam was administered on 2 occasions during the task day. Drug treatment diminished performance on measures that require sequential actions but improved performance on measures less subject to short term memory but more determined by long-term style of functioning. Thus, depending on task requirements, positive or negative alteration of performance might occur.     

Cross-Cultural Testing of Three Social Cognitive Theories: An Application to Condom Use1

The aim of this study was to test the cross-cultural validity of Fishbein and Ajzen's theory of reasoned action, Ajzen's theory of planned behavior, and Triandis' theory of interpersonal behavior and to apply them to understanding the intention to use a condom with a new partner in three ethnocultural communities: Latin American, English-speaking Caribbean, and South Asian. All respondents were recruited from multiple ethnocultural-venues using predetermined sampling frames and quotas for each community. The results indicated that the three theories have cross-cultural validity, but the theories of Ajzen and Triandis performed better than the theory of Fishbein and Ajzen. It is recommended that role beliefs and moral norm (personal normative belief) be added to Ajzen's model to maximize its predictive and explanatory ability.     

Self-reported levels of psychopathology of drug abusers not currently in treatment

This study assessed levels of psychopathology, as measured by the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, of drug users not in treatment. These levels were then compared with levels of psychopathology reported previously in the literature of drug users in treatment, the general population, psychiatric inpatients, and psychiatric outpatients. Results suggest that drug users not in treatment endorse significantly lower levels of psychopathology than drug users in treatment, psychiatric inpatients, and psychiatric outpatients. However, they endorse significantly higher levels of pathology than adult nonpatients and they appear most similar to adolescent nonpatients. Implications for clinical work (prevention and intervention) as well as for future research are discussed. The study also established preliminary cultural validity of SCL-90-R with Alaska Natives.     

Effects of training in rapid decoding on the reading comprehension of adult ESL learners

We report an experimental investigation of the effects on comprehension of increasing the decoding speed of three adult learners of English as a Second Language (ESL). Participants were taught to read lists of 25 difficult words in isolation until they could read the entire list at a mean rate of not more than 1.5 secs per word. They were then asked to read passages containing these words. Decoding speed and accuracy measures, for both the word lists and passages, and passage comprehension measures, were obtained. In a temporally contiguous within-subjects repeated trials reversal design, decoding training on isolated words was shown to be associated with significant increases in decoding speed and accuracy both in isolation and context, and improvements in the participants' comprehension. With all participants rate and accuracy gains in context were maintained in the final reversal phase, though the comprehension score gains did not. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for a decoding sufficiency hypothesis.