The NASA/LRC computerized test system

A new testing package, including apparatus and tasks, is described for the study of behavior of a variety of species in a variety of experiments. The package is described with respect to the kinds of comparative psychological investigations for which it is well suited. The preliminary data generated within this new testing paradigm demonstrate that the NASA/LRC Computerized Test System provides a flexible yet powerful environment for the investigation of behavioral and psychological processes.     

UNDERSTANDING DATA WHEN INTERACTIONS ARE PRESENT OR HYPOTHESIZED

Abstract— The traditional approach to interpreting data when an interaction is present is to interpret cell means as reflecting a difference between differences. An alternative is in interpret any main effects and separately interpret interaction residuals Interpretation of interaction residuals can sometimes lead to nonsensical conclusions. Thus in deciding between the approaches, researchers should consider (a) the conceptual nature of the variables involved, (b) relevant theories and (c) the additional data that might be necessary to distinguish among competing plausible representations. Issues have also arisen regarding how to best test a hypothesis that involves interaction variance. Some researchers have argued that the use of a focused contrast designed to test a specific ordering of cell means (e g., a linear contrast) is often the best strategy. We note potential problems with the use of such contrasts and discourage researchers form blanket use of contrasts that combine main effect and interaction variance.     

Does Teaching Experience Matter?

49 pairs of counselors with and without teaching experience were asked to rate their relationships with others and their ability to perform certain school-related and guidance tasks. The pairs were obtained from throughout the United States. Counselor educators were asked to identify pairs who had graduated from their institution, were of the same sex, and were working in approximately the same situation. Ratings were then obtained using a mailed questionnaire. The major findings were: (1) After counselors had been on the job for 8 weeks or more they perceived no difference in their relationships with others in the school. (a) Counselors with teaching experience had significantly higher ratings of their ability to perform 4 of the 6 routine school tasks listed. (3) No significant differences were found in ratings of their ability to perform guidance tasks with the exception of providing vocational information. Counselors with teaching experience had higher ratings in this area.     

Pastoral consultation through a community Mental Health Center

Conclusion Pastoral consultation through a mental health center in Kansas has been a beneficial experience for participating clergymen and the mental health center staff. This consultation has provided interested clergymen an opportunity to learn effective ways of serving parishioners through the church. The clergymen and mental health center staff have also begun to realize the mental health implications of religious resources, as well as ways in which ministers and the mental health center staff can effectively work together in serving troubled individuals within the local community. Pastoral consultation may become a means through which other community mental health centers and local clergymen can form meaningful professional relationships. The continuance of a pastoral consultation program over a longer period of time is needed to determine its possibilities and liabilities for assistingA report of one aspect of a special study project on Community Clergy and Mental Health, made possible by a grant from W. Clement Stone to the Menninger Foundation.     

Thresholds for conditioned suppression using X-rays as the pre-aversive stimulus

Four male, 12-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were used to determine the threshold for behavioral response to X-irradiation using the conditioned suppression technique. They were maintained at 80 per cent body weight and initially trained to stable performance on a VI 1 min schedule with 16 per cent sucrose solution as reinforcement. After a stable baseline was obtained, animals were placed in the instrumental conditioning box beneath the X-ray machine for a half-hour session each day. While subjects were actively pressing the lever for reinforcement, 15-sec X-ray exposures of 0.5 R/sec were administered, followed immediately by electric shock. After all animals had exhibited conditioned suppression, the dose-rate was decreased in subsequent sessions in an effort to establish threshold. The results indicate that X-rays at a dose-rate as low as 0.004 R/sec can be an effective pre-aversive stimulus for the rat.     

<Emphasis Type="Bold">Assessing priming for prosodic representations: Speaking rate,intonational phrase boundaries,and pitch accenting</Emphasis>

Recent work in the literature on prosody presents a puzzle: Some aspects of prosody can be primed in production (e.g., speech rate), but others cannot (e.g., intonational phrase boundaries, or IPBs). In three experiments we aimed to replicate these effects and identify the source of this dissociation. In Experiment 1 we investigated how speaking rate and the presence of an intonational boundary in a prime sentence presented auditorily affect the production of these aspects of prosody in a target sentence presented visually. Analyses of the targets revealed that participants’ speaking rates, but not their production of boundaries, were affected by the priming manipulation. Experiment 2 verified whether speakers are more sensitive to IPBs when the boundaries provide disambiguating information, and in this different context replicated Experiment 1 in showing no IPB priming. Experiment 3 tested whether speakers are sensitive to another aspect of prosody—pitch accenting—in a similar paradigm. Again, we found no evidence that this manipulation affected pitch accenting in target sentences. These findings are consistent with earlier research and suggest that aspects of prosody that are paralinguistic (like speaking rate) may be more amenable to priming than are linguistic aspects of prosody (such as phrase boundaries and pitch accenting).     

The Best Kept Secret in Counseling: Single‐Case (N = 1) Experimental Designs

Counselor education has been repeatedly faulted for failing to adequately train counselors in research methodology, generally, and practice‐relevant methods, specifically. Continued emphasis and education in the use of group experimental design methodology, which is by definition insensitive to the exigencies of everyday practice, will have little effect on counseling practice. It is ironic that single‐case (N = 1) design developed for use in practice settings continues to be the “best kept secret” in counseling. Single‐case (N = 1) designs offer a scientifically credible means to objectively evaluate practice and conduct clinically relevant research in practice settings. A 7‐component model for establishing the use of single‐case design research methods in counseling programs is presented.