Time course of priming for associate and inference words in a discourse context

The construction of word meanings in a discourse context was conceptualized as a process of sense activation, sense selection, and sense elaboration. In three experiments, subjects read texts presented by a rapid serial visual procedure and performed a lexical decision on visually presented targets that followed ambiguous prime words. When the target was a word, it was either an associate of the prime word, a probable inference suggested by the discourse, or an unrelated word. For associates, lexical decisions that related to either the appropriate or the inappropriate sense of the ambiguous word were generally facilitated at short (200-400 msec) prime-target stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs). At longer SOAs, responses were faster to appropriate than to inappropriate associates. For the thematic inferences, there was no difference between these (appropriate) inferences and (inappropriate) control words at short SOAs. At long SOAs (1,000 and 1,500 msec), however, inference words were facilitated. The results are interpreted as consistent with a model of lexical processing in which sense activation functions independently of context. Discourse context effects, whether on sense selection (suppression of inappropriate associates) or on sense elaboration (creation of inferences), are seen as postlexical.     

Sex roles and social support as moderators of life stress adjustment

In this study we used a longitudinal design to test the stress-buffering effects of sex role orientation in combination with perceived social support on measures of trait anxiety and depression. College undergraduates served as subjects. The cross-sectional analyses provided strong support for the hypothesis that masculinity would function as a life stress buffer. The hypothesis that social support would serve as a stress buffer when coupled with high masculinity was supported by one of the cross-sectional analyses as well as the longitudinal analysis. This pattern was found primarily for perceptions of tangible social support. The longitudinal analysis also revealed a significant interaction involving negative life events and masculinity and femininity. This interaction effect provided unexpected support for a balance model of androgyny, in that non-sex-typed subjects showed greater resilience to recent life stress than did sex-typed subjects. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the study of life stress adjustment.     

Optimum split-half reliabilities for the Rorschach: projective techniques are more reliable than we think

A new technique for optimizing split-half reliability estimates yielded substantial and comparable increases in indexes of internal reliability for some major Rorschach variables across two diverse samples. Practical suggestions for applying this method to other projective tests were advanced. The inadvisability of computing odd-even reliability coefficients without regard to split-half distributional anomalies is addressed.     

Attitudes toward the division of child-rearing responsibility

Though the theoretical and clinical ramifications of attribution of primary responsibility to mothers for child rearing have been discussed extensively, there is little empirical data in this area. In the present study a sample of parents rated several child-rearing behaviors in terms of ideal maternal and paternal responsibility. Mothers were attributed primary responsibility for the largest proportion of behaviors, fathers for the smallest, and an intermediate number of items were rated as parentally shared. In addition, item analysis indicated a relationship between the directionality of responsibility attribution and traditional sex-role stereotypes. Implications for patterns of intrafamilial blame and clinical intervention are discussed.     

Factor analysis of the McCarthy scales of children's abilities on preschool children

The McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) was administered to 200 children, 100 males and 100 females, with a mean chronological age of 3–9. The results were subjected to factor analysis to determine the validity of MSCA alignment into six distinct indexes, or factors, and to determine if there were sex differences in factors produced by the MSCA. A general (“g”) factor was derived for both females and males. Specific factors (Abstract Verbal Reasoning and Remote Verbal Memory) were derived for the female sample. Two specific factors (Sequential Memory and Nonverbal Cognition) were derived for the male sample. Only the “g” factors derived for male, female, and total samples corresponded to the General Cognitive Index (GCI) used in the MSCA. The results suggested that clinical interpretation of the MSCA should be made cautiously for both normal and exceptional children until further exploration of the construct validity and sex differences in the MSCA can be conducted.     

Do rotation coordinates provide the substrate for a mental protractor?

In previous studies, we have found that the accuracy in judging collinearity of lines or dots varies considerably from one subject to another as a function of the relative angle of the stimulus elements. A model of errors generally shows large excursions across several subranges of angular position. These do not appear to be motor errors, at least not ones that are well separated from perceptual mechanisms. The errors are most likely generated at primary visual cortex, or beyond. We examined and modeled accuracy in judging collinearity of dot pairs, varying the angular position of the dots through 360 degrees, the distance between the dots (stimulus span), and the distance at which the subject was required to respond (response span). Subjects manifested idiosyncratic profiles of error across angular positions, as reported previously. But across the tested range of spans, from 4 to 8 deg, the errors tended to be the same, irrespective of stimulus or response span. This suggests that the judgments are based on a radial (angular) measure of spatial position. We discuss these results in the context of proposals that the brain maps spatial position using rotation coordinates. These new data are consistent with the hypothesis that subjects use the z-axis coordinates as a mental protractor for judging angular position and collinearity.     

Similarity Bias and Ratings of Applicants: Fact or Artifact?

The present study investigated the relationship between similarity of self-reported biodata and recruiter ratings of applicant job preparedness. Subjects included 108 dyads, each composed of a corporate recruiter and a university student applying for a position posted by the recruiter's company. Because no effect of similarity bias was found, the results challenged the generalizability of previous laboratory study findings. The question of possible experimental design artifacts in prior field studies was also raised.     

The minister and the discharged mental patient

Pastoral Psychology -     

Maximizing split-half reliability estimates for projective techniques

Hand Test data from comparable sets of clinical samples were analyzed for reliability using the usual odd-even split and then also calculating all possible (126) split-half combinations. Maximum stable reliabilities were obtained which were substantially superior to the odd-even method. It was concluded that projective tests are probably more internally reliable than has heretofore been reported.