A computer program for automated scoring of exteroceptive suppression periods

Exteroceptive suppression (ES) of temporalis muscle activity has received recent attention as a method of investigating central mechanisms in the pathogenesis of chronic headache disorders. Unfortunately, the resolution of conflicting findings has been hampered by the use of different assessment and scoring methodologies across laboratories, which has limited the direct comparison of findings across studies. A computer program was developed with the goal of providing an automated and reliable method of scoring ES responses. Processing an ES response with this software provides both visual and quantitative information relating to various response parameters. Multiple levels of smoothing the raw waveform data are available, and the software offers scoring on the basis of multiple depth-of-suppression criteria. The program also generates values for a variety of ES parameters: latency, duration, area, maximum level of suppression with its corresponding time (msec), and baseline level of muscle activity. It is likely that a reliable and standardized scoring protocol would enhance comparability of ES data generated across different settings.     

Relationship between intrinsic-extrinsic religious orientation and depressive symptoms in Korean Americans

This study investigates the relationship between intrinsic-extrinsic relgious orientation and depressive symptoms of 95 Korean Americans who are members of four Korean churches in a southeastern state. The subjects are Korean immigrants between the ages of 30 and 53 who have resided in the United States for 29 years or less. They completed the Korean version of the Allport-Ross Religious Orientation Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory. The results of the correlational analysis showed that depressive symptoms were negatively related to intrinsic religious orientation and positively related to extrinsic religious orientation. A hierachiacal strategy in the multiple regression showed that education, marital status and employments status were also significant indicators of depressive symptoms. Based on the findings, suggestions for multicultural counselling and future research are offered.     

Tone perception in Cantonese and Mandarin: A cross-linguistic comparison

This study investigated the effects of linguistic experience on tone perception. Both Cantonese (in Experiment 1) and Mandarin (in Experiment 2) tones, including both lexical and nonlexical tones, were presented to three groups of subjects: Cantonese, Mandarin, and English native speakers. Subjects were asked to determine whether two auditorily presented tones were the same or different. The interval between the presentation of the two tones, and the level of interference during this interval, were manipulated. Native speakers did better at discriminating tones from their own languages than the other two groups of subjects, for both lexical and nonlexical tones. Subjects did worst when they were required to count backward during the interstimulus interval. Cantonese speakers were better than both Mandarin and English speakers at discriminating Cantonese tones, and there was no difference between Mandarin and English speakers, except in one condition. Mandarin speakers did better than both Cantonese and English speakers, and Cantonese speakers did better than English speakers, at discriminating Mandarin tones. Results are discussed in terms of the effects of language background, differences between Cantonese and Mandarin tones, and the nature of encoding in short-term memory.We thank Chung, Hon Yan, for writing programs for the experiment, and Yang, MuJang, for her assistance in testing the Mandarin subjects. This research was supported by a Summer Research Grant from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.     

The role of causal attributions in competitive situations

Previous data have shown that successful women are judged to have masculine characteristics [J. A. Doyle (1989), The Male Experience(2nd ed.), Dubuque, IA: Wm. C. Brown; D. L. Gill (1986), Psychological Dynamics of Sport,Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics; D. J. Murphy (1988), “Sport and Gender,” in W. M. Leonard II (Ed.), A Sociological Perspective of Sport(3rd ed.), New York: Macmillan; P. Willis (1994), “Women in Sport in Ideology,” in S. Birrell and C. L. Cole (Eds.), Women, Sport, and Culture,Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics]. Two experiments were conducted to test two different explanations for this effect, the appraisal and attribution hypotheses. In Experiment 1, male participants who lost to a female confederate on a masculine-relevant task rated her as having more masculine and fewer feminine characteristics than when the task was described as feminine-relevant. However, heart rate and blood pressure data failed to support the appraisal hypothesis that these reactions were due to the stress of losing to the female, or defensiveness. The alternative hypothesis that these ratings were due to standard attributional processes was more consistent with the data. Consequently, this hypothesis was tested in Experiment 2 using an attributional paradigm. Consistent with Experiment 1, the attribution hypothesis fared better than did the appraisal hypothesis.     

The validity of personality,service orientation,and reading comprehension measures as predictors of Flight Attendant training performance

The present study examined the predictive power of Big Five personality dimensions, a situational measure of service orientation and a reading comprehension measure as predictors of Flight Attendant training criteria. The criteria consisted of multiple ratings made by trainers of trainees across a number of training dimensions. At least partial data was collected on 424 Flight Attendant trainees. Results indicated significant correlations between all three predictors and a number of the training criteria.The authors would like to thank the Editor and two anonymous reviewers for their help revising this article.     

Christian‐Muslim theological encounter: The priority of tawhid

Both Islam and Christianity are monotheistic faiths, yet the one God proclaimed and worshipped by each appears to be a different deity by virtue of the different conceptual construct that applies in each case. For Islam the defining motif is the idea of tawhld, for Christianity it is the notion of Trinity. In respect to theological dialogue between these two faiths the onus lies with the side holding the more complex construct to relate that back to the simpler and less complex, especially where the simpler motif is deemed to be contained within ike complex. Thus it behoves the Christian side to examine critically the trinitarian and related doctrines concerning the understanding of God, with a view to a clearer restatement of the essential oneness of deity which, after all, is the undergirding conceptual reference. In attempting this task, the ‘problematic of unity’ inherent in the Christian concept of God is addressed and a theological revision is suggested. The intention is to rethink critically aspects of Christian doctrine so as to further Christian‐Muslim theological dialogue, without in any way diminishing the essential insight of either side, but rather with a view to opening new lines of expression that each might equally affirm.     

Liberal reformers or militant radicals: What are the effects of education in the social sciences?

The assertion by Baer and Lambert (1990) that social science training does not promote radicalism, is tested in two studies. The first, using a sample of politically active students from Montréal (N=68) and measures of radical ideology and political convictions, shows social science students are over-represented among politically active students, and more likely to espouse radical ideology and label themselves members of groups aiming to restructure society, than students from other fields. The second study compares first and third-year social science students from Toronto (N=99) on measures of radical ideology, attitudes toward groups favouring change or the status quo, and causal attributions regarding poverty and unemployment. Results suggest social science training fosters positive evaluations of groups seeking change, espousal of radical ideology, tendency to fault the system for social problems, decrease in tendency to fault individuals, and development of a coherent ideological framework. Implications for academic socialization theories and methodological issues are discussed. Université Blaise Pascal This research was supported in part by grants from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council and from the Academic Research Program of the Department of National Defence of Canada awarded to the first author. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the institutions with which they are affiliated. The authors would like to thank Dr. Stuart Lawson, at the Psychology Department at Queen's University, Kingston, for the use of his program comparing correlation matrices. We would also like to acknowledge the helpful comments of Editor Bruce J. Biddle.     

Fimbria/fornix lesions facilitate the learning of a nonspatial response task

The spatial cognitive map theory of O’Keefe and Nadel (1978) predicts that lesions of the hippocampal system should impair learning on spatial tasks but not learning on nonspatial tasks. However, there is evidence that such lesions can facilitate learning on certain nonspatial tasks. Their theory does not predict such facilitation. Nevertheless, it is reasonable to expect that animals possessing a spatial cognitive map would have an inherent bias to engage a mapping strategy and thus be at a disadvantage on certain nonspatial tasks in comparison with animals without the mapping capacity and bias. In the present study, fimbria/fornix lesions impaired learning on a spatial task, but actually facilitated learning on a nonspatial task of equal difficulty. Thus, brain lesions that interfere with map functioning can facilitate learning on tasks for which a mapping strategy interferes with task solution. The results require a modification of the spatial cognitive map theory.     

LONG-TERM FOLLOW-UP OF A BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT FOR STUTTERING IN CHILDREN

We report 3.5-year follow-up data from children who participated in a study that evaluated a behavioral treatment for stuttering. Six of 7 subjects continued to be at or below the criterion of 3% stuttered words. Stuttering increased for 1 subject, but remained far below his baseline level. Social validity data are also reported.     

The Criterion Validity of Broad Factor Scales versus Specific Facet Scales

We compared the validities of two Big Five personality factor scales with those of two lower-level facet scales that constituted each factor scale, with respect to self-report behavior criteria. Results demonstrated that the factor scales yielded significantly and substantially lower validities than did their constituent facet scales. These findings support our claim that separate scale scores should be reported routinely for the individual personality facets that define a broad factor, particularly when those facets do not correlate highly and when criteria of interest relate substantively to certain facets within the factor scale but not to others.