On browne's solution for oblique procrustes rotation

Browne [1967] has given a method of solving the problem (originally stated by Mosier, [1939]) of finding a least squares fit to a specified factor structure. The problem is one of minimizing the sum of squared residuals of —FT with Diag (T'T)=I. Browne's solution involves the eigenvectors and values ofF'F and leads to an iterative solution.This paper gives a form of the solution which does not involve solution of an eigenvalue problem but does require an iteration similar to Browne's. It suggests the possible existence of a singularity, and a simple modification of Browne's computational procedure is proposed which deals with this case. A better starting value for the iteration is also proposed for which convergence is guaranteed using the ordinary Newton iteration.Part of this work was presented at the April 1969 meetings of the Psychometric Society. The anthor is indebted to Dr. Ledyard Tucker for some helpful discussions. This work was supported in part by a PHS Research Grant No. MH-10006 from the National Institute of Mental Health, and Grant No. GM-12868 from the Institute of General Medical Sciences, Public Health Service.     

Continuous opportunity for reinforcing brain stimulation

The performance of a rat provided with continuous opportunity to obtain reinforcing brain stimulation over a 20-day period is described in detail. The animal averaged 29.2 responses per min during the entire time. Testing session was terminated by experimenters, but a day-by-day analysis of behavior provided no evidence that the animal would have stopped responding.     

“It Is Not Wit,It Is Truth:” Transcending the Narrative Bounds of Professional and Personal Identity in Life and in Art

Taking inspiration from the film Wit (2001), adapted from Margaret Edson’s (1999) Pulitzer Prize-winning play, this article explores the particularities of witnessing a cinematic cancer narrative juxtaposed with the author’s own cancer narrative. The analysis reveals the tenuous line between death and dying, illness and wellness, life and living and the resulting identities shaped in the process of understanding both from a personal and professional lens. By framing these representations of illness experience within the narrative constructions of drama, time, metaphor and morality, the personal stories of intellectual knowledge converging with intimate and embodied knowing are revealed.     

Multiple cue use and integration in pigeons (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Columba livia</Emphasis>)

Encoding multiple cues can improve the accuracy and reliability of navigation and goal localization. Problems may arise, however, if one cue is displaced and provides information which conflicts with other cues. Here we investigated how pigeons cope with cue conflict by training them to locate a goal relative to two landmarks and then varying the amount of conflict between the landmarks. When the amount of conflict was small, pigeons tended to integrate both cues in their search patterns. When the amount of conflict was large, however, pigeons used information from both cues independently. This context-dependent strategy for resolving spatial cue conflict agrees with Bayes optimal calculations for using information from multiple sources.     

Ethnicity-Related Sources of Stress and Their Effects on Well-Being

Early research on ethnicity focused on the stereotyped thinking, prejudiced attitudes, and discriminatory actions of Euro-Americans. Minority-group members were viewed largely as passive targets of these negative reactions, with low self-esteem studied as the main psychological outcome. By contrast, recent research has increasingly made explicit use of stress theory in emphasizing the perspectives and experiences of minority-group members. Several ethnicity-related stressors have been identified, and it has been found that individuals cope with these threats in an active, purposeful manner. In this article, we focus on ethnicity-related stress stemming from discrimination, from stereotypes, and from conformity pressure arising from one's own ethnic group. We discuss theory and review research in which examination of ethnicity-related outcomes has extended beyond self-esteem to include psychological and physical well-being.     

Affordance Types and Affordance Tokens: Are Gibson’s Affordances Trustworthy?†

Late in their paper on hypersets, Chemero and Turvey characterize affordances as “quicksilvery,” prone to rapid appearance and disappearance. We contrast this view with Gibson’s emphasis on the stability of affordances. We argue that this apparent discrepancy can be resolved by appeal to the distinction between affordances as indefinite abstract types and definite affordance tokens (instances of the type that share the resemblance relation). These issues will be discussed in the context of their consistency with ecological realism, where Platonic idealism is eschewed in favor of a more Aristotelian process theory. These ideas will be examined in the broader context of the domain ontology to ensure that Gibson's seminal affordance concept has its greatest theoretical utility. Finally, we develop a process theory of ontological descent by which indefinite affordance possibilities become more definite affordance potentialities and these eventuate in the most definite affordance actualizing actions.     

The Effect of External and Internal Focus of Attention on Gait Variability in Older Adults

Internal focus of attention on a movement or focusing on an external target are both strategies that can affect motor performance. The authors explored whether manipulating subjects' focus of attention while walking would alter gait variability, a measure reflecting consistency of gait and associated with the risk of falling in older adults. Twenty community-living older adults participated in the study and were tested while focusing their attention on (a) gait consistency (internal focus) or (b) metronome beats (external focus). In both conditions gait variability increased (i.e., worsened p < .05) or did not change. No benefit was found in instructing subjects to focus on gait consistency or metronome beats. Such instructions may actually have distracted and interfered with the execution of gait.