Short-term memory for spatial and temporal information

Two experiments examined the probed recall of visually presented letter sequences in which the items appeared at different spatial locations. Three types of probe were compared: (1) spatial position; (2) temporal association; and (3) combined position and association. In the first experiment, in which the spatial locations of the items were correlated with their temporal order, spatial probes were more effective than temporal association probes. In the second experiment spatial location was uncorrelated with temporal order, and spatial probes were less effective than temporal association probes. Regardless of the probe, errors tended to be items presented close in time to correct responses: spatial proximity was far less important. The results are discussed in terms of a storage system in which items and their spatial locations are organized within a temporal format. Both experiments showed superior combined probe performance, demonstrating that short-term retrieval is not limited to the use of one type of cue at a time. Secondary aspects of the results showed additionally that subjects can “edit” their responses to avoid making obvious mistakes, and that spatial location can be partially forgotten rather than being completely lost.     

Occurrence of theoretically correct responses during rotation of the Ames window

It has been hypothesized (Graham, 1963) that reversals in the Ames window are the outcome of a resolution of ambiguous differential angular velocity cues by linear perspective cues. This theory was tested. A parallel projection of the window on an opal glass screen was used as the stimulus. Ss almost always reported two apparent reversals per rotation. The long vertical side of the figure was always apparently in front of the short vertical side. These results were interpreted to be in line with theoretical expectations.     

A dark talent: silence in analysis

This paper is presented jointly by two analysts who have worked with patients whose silence stretched over years. They taxed our professional selves and our therapeutic repertoire of responses and techniques to the limit. Partly in response to these experiences, each analyst found herself needing to talk with another who could verify disturbing countertransference reactions from the standpoint of similar experience. The patients' (largely silent) attacks on analysis and their inability to use it conventionally constellated the need in us to talk, in an effort to relieve projected anxiety. Our conversations provided some containment of the destructive fantasies which we found developing in response to lack of verbal interaction with our patients. Unlike patients who project into an analyst in the unconscious hope of finding containment, silent patients project the need for containment, which they then disavow, leaving the analyst carrying the need, and feeling helpless, baffled and undermined in their therapeutic identity (Colman, private communication). In keeping with the theme of this conference, we found that our collaboration about what chronic analytic silence may mean helped to counteract its destructive effect on the analyst-patient relationship     

The life events scale for students: Validation for use with British samples

The life events scale for students is a checklist measure of life events intended for use with undergraduate populations. The report describes the validation of the scale for use with British undergraduates. Ratings for the events on the scale were obtained from a sample of 191 undergraduates. A second analysis using a sample of 40 undergraduates showed that scores on the scale were predictive of elevated levels of psychopathology. Furthermore, this relationship was largely independent of negative affectivity or repression-sensitization. The Life Events Scale for Students provides a suitable measure for use in stress research using undergraduate populations.     

Short-term stability of aggression,peer rejection,and depressive symptoms in middle childhood

This study investigated the short-term stability of teacher-rated aggression, peer-rated rejection, and peer-rated depressive symptoms in 478 elementary school children from 25 classrooms (first to third grades) in two geographical areas. Children who presented specific combinations of aggression, rejection, and depressive symptoms were tracked to determine the stability of these combinations from the beginning (Time 1) to the end (Time 2) of the school year. In addition, aggression, rejection, and depressive symptoms were treated as risk factors, and children were classified as displaying zero, one, two, or three risk factors at Times 1 and 2. Of the three risk factors, aggression appeared to be the most stable. Three-quarters of children who presented aggression at Time 1 (either alone or in combination with the other risk factors) were found to continue to have elevated levels of aggression at Time 2. Although specific combinations of aggression, rejection, and depressive symptoms were not very stable over time, the number of risk factors a child displayed at Time 1 was a good predictor of the number of risk factors the child displayed at Time 2. Stability of risk factors was comparable as a function of child gender and ethnicity.This study was supported by National Institute of Mental Health grant MH48018.     

Alcohol and Other Drug Use Among African-American Students in a Southern University

This analysis of the circumstances of alcohol and other drug use among African-American students at a predominantly White university indicated that the majority of these students drank in a responsible manner. Other drug use was almost nonexistent. Strong peer disapproval was exhibited toward drug users and alcohol abusers. Counselors dealing with such problems must be cognizant of the multicultural aspects of these behaviors.