Speech intelligibility differences across sound classes with in-the-ear and free-field microphones in quiet

Speech intelligibility performance with an in-the-ear microphone embedded in a custom-molded deep-insertion earplug was compared with results obtained using a free-field microphone. Intelligibility differences between microphones were further analyzed to assess whether reduced intelligibility was specific to certain sound classes. 36 participants completed the Modified Rhyme Test using recordings made with each microphone. While speech intelligibility for both microphones was highly accurate, intelligibility with the free-field microphone was significantly better than with the in-the-ear microphone. There were significant effects of place and manner of sound production. Significant differences in recognition among specific phonemes were also revealed. Implications included modifying the in-the-ear microphone to transmit more high frequency energy. Use of the in-the-ear microphone was limited by significant loss of high-frequency energy of the speech signal which resulted in reduced intelligibility for some sounds; however, the in-the-ear microphone is a promising technology for effective communication in military environments.     

A Tabu-Search Heuristic for Deterministic Two-Mode Blockmodeling of Binary Network Matrices

Two-mode binary data matrices arise in a variety of social network contexts, such as the attendance or non-attendance of individuals at events, the participation or lack of participation of groups in projects, and the votes of judges on cases. A popular method for analyzing such data is two-mode blockmodeling based on structural equivalence, where the goal is to identify partitions for the row and column objects such that the clusters of the row and column objects form blocks that are either complete (all 1s) or null (all 0s) to the greatest extent possible. Multiple restarts of an object relocation heuristic that seeks to minimize the number of inconsistencies (i.e., 1s in null blocks and 0s in complete blocks) with ideal block structure is the predominant approach for tackling this problem. As an alternative, we propose a fast and effective implementation of tabu search. Computational comparisons across a set of 48 large network matrices revealed that the new tabu-search heuristic always provided objective function values that were better than those of the relocation heuristic when the two methods were constrained to the same amount of computation time.     

SIMPLIFYING ALETHIC PLURALISM

What is truth? What precisely is it that truths have that falsehoods lack? Pluralists about truth (or “alethic pluralists”) tend to answer these questions by saying that there is more than one way for a proposition, sentence, belief—or any chosen truth‐bearer—to be true. In this paper, I argue that two of the most influential formations of alethic pluralism, those of Wright (1992, 2003a ) and Lynch (2009 ), are subject to serious problems. I outline a new formulation, which I call “simple determination pluralism,” that I claim offers better prospects for alethic pluralism, with the potential to have applications for pluralist theories beyond truth.     

Relation of intimate partner violence to salivary cortisol among couples expecting a first child

Despite advances in understanding the role that several physiological systems play in the occurrence of general violence, little progress has been made toward understanding biological correlates of intimate partner violence (IPV). We explored involvement of one physiological system, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Among 137 heterosexual couples expecting a first child, baseline level of HPA activity-assessed via salivary cortisol collected before a couple conflict discussion-was linked to both men's and women's violence perpetration. HPA reactivity to the conflict bout did not show an independent association with IPV. However, persisting elevation in men's, and down-regulation in women's, HPA activity during a further recovery period was linked to men's violence perpetration.     

Does it take one to know one? Endorsement of conspiracy theories is influenced by personal willingness to conspire

We advance a new account of why people endorse conspiracy theories, arguing that individuals use the social-cognitive tool of projection when making social judgements about others. In two studies, we found that individuals were more likely to endorse conspiracy theories if they thought they would be willing, personally, to participate in the alleged conspiracies. Study 1 established an association between conspiracy beliefs and personal willingness to conspire, which fully mediated a relationship between Machiavellianism and conspiracy beliefs. In Study 2, participants primed with their own morality were less inclined than controls to endorse conspiracy theories - a finding fully mediated by personal willingness to conspire. These results suggest that some people think 'they conspired' because they think 'I would conspire'.     

Trait Goal Orientation, Self-Regulation, and Performance: A Meta-Analysis

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to meta-analytically examine trait goal orientation constructs and their relationships with the self-regulation variables of self-monitoring, self-evaluations, self-reactions, and self-efficacy as well as task performance across a range of contexts.

Design, Methodology, Approach

Data were gathered from published and unpublished research examining the goal orientation construct and self-regulation and/or task performance. Effect sizes from 102 research reports involving over 16,000 participants were included.

Findings

In general the mastery-approach goal orientation construct was positively related to the self-regulation and performance variables. Conversely, negative relationships were found between the performance-avoid goal orientation and those variables. Relationships between goal orientation and self-regulation tended to be higher compared to those found for goal orientation and performance. Overall, the findings support the discriminant validity of the three factors of goal orientation (mastery-approach, performance-approach, performance-avoid).

Practical Implications

Practitioners and researchers will benefit from learning that mastery-approach goal orientation consistently relates to self-regulation and task performance. The findings indicate that a mastery-approach goal orientation could serve as a meaningful predictor in selection processes or as an explanatory variable of motivation.

Originality/Value

The present study updates and expands upon past research by focusing on relationships of trait goal orientation across a variety of contexts. The results extend meta-analytic results to a wider range of self-regulatory variables.     

Comparing fixed‐amount and progressive‐amount DRO Schedules for tic suppression in youth with chronic tic disorders

Chronic tic disorders (CTDs) involve motor and/or vocal tics that often cause substantial distress and impairment. Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) schedules of reinforcement produce robust, but incomplete, reductions in tic frequency in youth with CTDs; however, a more robust reduction may be needed to affect durable clinical change. Standard, fixed‐amount DRO schedules have not commonly yielded such reductions, so we evaluated a novel, progressive‐amount DRO schedule, based on its ability to facilitate sustained abstinence from functionally similar behaviors. Five youth with CTDs were exposed to periods of baseline, fixed‐amount DRO (DRO‐F), and progressive‐amount DRO (DRO‐P). Both DRO schedules produced decreases in tic rate and increases in intertic interval duration, but no systematic differences were seen between the two schedules on any dimension of tic occurrence. The DRO‐F schedule was generally preferred to the DRO‐P schedule. Possible procedural improvements and other future directions are discussed.     

Capturing the DSM‐5 Alternative Personality Disorder Model Traits in the Five‐Factor Model's Nomological Net

Several studies have shown structural and statistical similarities between the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM‐5) alternative personality disorder model and the Five‐Factor Model (FFM). However, no study to date has evaluated the nomological network similarities between the two models. The relations of the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI‐R) and the Personality Inventory for DSM‐5 (PID‐5) with relevant criterion variables were examined in a sample of 336 undergraduate students (M_age = 19.4; 59.8% female). The resulting profiles for each instrument were statistically compared for similarity. Four of the five domains of the two models have highly similar nomological networks, with the exception being FFM Openness to Experience and PID‐5 Psychoticism. Further probing of that pair suggested that the NEO PI‐R domain scores obscured meaningful similarity between PID‐5 Psychoticism and specific aspects and lower‐order facets of Openness. The results support the notion that the DSM‐5 alternative personality disorder model trait domains represent variants of the FFM domains. Similarities of Openness and Psychoticism domains were supported when the lower‐order aspects and facets of Openness domain were considered. The findings support the view that the DSM‐5 trait model represents an instantiation of the FFM.