Subjective familiarity of English word/name homophones

The subjective familiarity of 40 homophone pairs was examined. The homophones consisted of monosyllabic English words (on one reading) and male first names (on the other)—for example,art andArt. Subjects heard these homophones embedded in two kinds of lists, one with 40 unambiguous words and one with 40 unambiguous names. Ratings were made for familiarity as words and as names. These correlated significantly with the log of printed frequency (.63 for words, .53 for names). In a final task, just the homophones were presented, and the subjects were asked for a comparative rating of whether the word usage or the name usage was more familiar. This direct comparison correlated well (.91) with the difference between the ratings for the name and word familiarities, but less well (.55) with the differences between the printed frequencies of the word and name meanings. This indicates either consistent biases in the judgments or true differences between printed frequencies and subjective familiarity.     

The impact of career exploration and interview readiness on interview performance and outcomes

In a longitudinal study of 78 graduate business students, three aspects of career exploration—environment exploration, self-exploration, and the amount of information acquired—were examined as predictors of interview performance (interview rating and self-rating) and outcomes (call-back interviews and job offers). Environment exploration and the amount of information acquired related significantly with the recruiter's rating of interview performance and interview outcomes; self-exploration correlated with the recruiter's rating of interview performance. Interview readiness variables (perceived past performance, verbal persuasion, and feelings of self-efficacy) correlated modestly with career exploration variables, interview performance ratings, and interview outcomes.     

The Effect of Mood and Social Outlook on Hypothetical Juridic Decisions1

Data are reported for a laboratory experiment which examines both the impact of information about remote social events on judgments of defendants' guilt or innocence in two court cases and the roles of cognitive and affective elements in mediating these judgments. Subjects were exposed to one of four pretested news bulletins which covaried cognitive factors (positive or negative social information) and affective ones (positive or negative mood stimuli). In accord with previous findings, the results indicate that social information and the changes in social outlook that it caused were of primary importance in altering subjects' judgments about defendants. Subjects who heard positive social information in radio newscasts were more lenient in their judgments of defendants than were those who heard negative social information. Additional findings pertaining to the mediators of this effect suggest that positive mood amplified the impact of social information whatever its direction, while negative mood attenuated it.     

Learning about water by hungry rats

In Experiments 1 and 2 hungry rats were trained in a straight alley with consistent food reward (FF), food and nonreward trials intermixed (FN), or food and water trials intermixed (FW). In Experiment 1 rats were tested with nonrewarded trials (extinction) and Groups FN and FW did not differ, both running faster then Group FF. In Experiment 2 rats were tested with consistent water reward, and Group FW ran faster then Group FN, which was superior to Group FF. In Experiment 3, one group of hungry rats was trained on a single alternating schedule of food and water in Phase 1 and was shifted to a single alternating schedule of food and nonreward in Phase 2 (Group FW); the second group (Group FN) received a single alternating schedule of food and nonreward in both phases. When Group FW was shifted to nonreward from water, performance to nonreward was temporarily disrupted. These results indicate that, contrary to previous conclusions, hungry rats can learn about water when drive is strong and food is received in the situation.     

Multiple-probe technique: a variation on the multiple baseline

Multiple-baseline and probe procedures are combined into a “multiple-probe” technique. The technique is designed to provide a thorough analysis of the relationship between an independent variable and the acquisition of a successive-approximation or chain sequence. It provides answers to the following questions: (1) What is the initial level of performance on each step in the training sequence? (2) What happens if sequential opportunities to perform each next step in the sequence are provided before training on that step? (3) What happens when training is applied? (4) What happens to the performance of remaining steps in the sequence as criterion is reached in the course of training each prior step? The technique features: (1) one initial probe of each step in the training sequence, (2) an additional probe of every step after criterion is reached on any training step, and (3) a series of “true” baseline sessions conducted just before the introduction of the independent variable to each training step. Intermittent probes also provide an alternative to continuous baseline measurement, when such measurement during extended multiple baselines (1) may prove reactive, (2) is impractical, and/or (3) a strong a priori assumption of stability can be made.     

Decision versus policy in crises intervention

The paper describes procedures for contrasting actions taken by crises intervention outreach workers and consumers with administrative policies. The data used to exemplify the procedures came from the outreach projects of six county MH/MR programs in Central Pennsylvania during the year following the flood caused by Hurricane Agnes, in 1972. The procedure identifies and counts the ways through which consumers entered the outreach process; the major outreach worker decision; and the immediate disposition of each consumer's case. The six county MH/MR program administrators were asked to consider program policies and show how they would ideally expect 1,000 hypothetical consumers to come into, to be processed through, and to be referred out of their respective outreach programs. Contrasts of the ideal and actual consumer data, along with consumer follow-up questionnaires, provided the basis for evaluating the six county MH/MR program outreach projects. These experiences provided the basis for a generalized model of evaluating crises intervention activities.     

Improving Self-Concept and Learning Skills of Marginal Black Students: A Seminar Approach

In this article, an eight-session seminar model is presented. This seminar is designed to increase participants' study skills and to redefine participants' self-concepts from those characterized by feelings of inadequacy and frustration to concepts of selves as competent and capable. Specific study skills content covers learning strategies, two-way communication, learning styles, note making, test taking, vocational planning, and academic coping strategies. This seminar model has been used to meet the above goals with considerable success; relevant data from the evaluation of a class taught using this model is included.     

A prospective naturalistic study of the impact of an intensive medical treatment on the social behavior of child and adolescent cancer patients

The impact of intensive chemotherapy and prolonged hospitalization on the social behavior of child and adolescent cancer patients was assessed. Twenty-three patients, aged 18 months to 21 years, were observed while they received chemotherapy in a protected environment or in a regular hospital room. Single-subject analyses were used to examine changes on six behaviors in relation to changes in physiological status. Fourteen patients showed significant change in the frequency of at least one behavior. Play and sleep were the behaviors most likely to change. The changes began to occur as patients experienced the systemic toxic effects of the drugs, although a dissipation of drug toxicity generally was not accompanied by a corresponding behavior change. The findings are discussed in relation to age-developmental and interindividual heterogeneity in response to treatment.     

Additional evidence from a paradigm for inferring discriminative processes in children and adults

A previously developed paradigm which incorporates a correlational methodology into an experimental context was used in the present study to specify more definitely the attribute(s) underlying verbal discrimination learning under normal conditions. In the case of fifth- and sixth-grade children, it was found that frequency theory is sufficient to account for performance on the task. However, older subjects were less homogeneously reliant on the frequency attribute. While many older subjects appeared to utilize frequency cues, others adopted strategies that resulted in the utilization of attributes other than frequency.