Cross-task cross talk in memory and perception

The application of the additive factors method depends on finding factors that selectively influence processing stages. When all the processes for a task are in series, a factor directly influencing a process might change its output and thereby have indirect influence on succeeding processes. We investigate whether such indirect influence is possible between processes associated with different tasks being performed together. In two dual-task memory scanning and arithmetic experiments with digits as the stimuli for both tasks, information relevant for only one of the tasks nonetheless affected performance of the other. When the same digit was relevant for the two tasks, cross-task facilitation and interference were observed in some cases. Displaying the same digit for both tasks led to relatively fast response times, paralleling the effect of flankers in the response competition paradigm. But repetition of digits in memory slowed responses. It is suggested that the need for control processes to keep task information segregated is responsible for the pattern of effects.     

Individual Differences in Attitude-Behavior Consistency: The Prediction of Contraceptive Behavior

A model of individual differences that moderate attitude-behavior consistency was developed and tested in the context of predicting use consistency of the diaphragm. Variables hypothesized to moderate the attitude-behavior relationship included reactions to major life changes, the attitudes and opinions of others, sexual interest, locus of control, and the perceived susceptibility to pregnancy. Attitudes were conceptualized in terms of a Relative Contraceptive Utility (RCU), which was defined as the difference between the attitude toward the diaphragm and the attitude toward becoming pregnant. Women (N = 110) who attended family planning clinics in the New York Qty area and who used the diaphragm for an 8-month period were interviewed in the context of a 3-wave panel design. A threshold function between RCU and behavior was observed, such that when RCU was above an empirically derived cutoff, women tended to use the diaphragm consistently over an 8-month period. For women with RCUs below the cutoff, attitudes were unrelated to behavior. Inconsistency of diaphragm use for these latter women was best predicted by negative reactions to close friends' experiences with the diaphragm, low levels of perceived susceptibility to pregnancy, alcohol consumption, concern about becoming too old to have children, a preference for nonromantic sex, and the partner's unwillingness to refrain from sex if the women was not prepared.     

Intrinsic Finks and Dispositional/Categorical Distinction

The central theme of this paper is the dispositional/categorical distinction that has been one of the top agendas in contemporary metaphysics. I will first develop from my semantic account of dispositions what I think the correct formulation of the dispositional/categorical distinction in terms of counterfactual conditionals. It will be argued that my formulation does not have the shortcomings that have plagued previously proposed ones. Then I will turn my attention to one of its consequences, the thesis that dispositional properties are not susceptible to intrinsic finks. This thesis was first advanced by me and has ever since stirred up a big controversy, endorsed by some philosophers like Handfield, Bird, and Cohen but rejected by others like Clarke and Fara. Against this background, I will remedy my defense of the impossibility of intrinsically finkable dispositions and then refute some of apparently powerful criticisms of it. And so the upshot is that it is much more reasonable to hold on to the thesis that dispositions are intrinsically unfinkable. This will have the effect of putting the dispositional/categorical distinction on firmer and more secure ground.     

Impulsivity in internet addiction: a comparison with pathological gambling

Internet addiction has been considered to be associated with poor impulse control. The aim of this study is to compare the trait impulsivity of those suffering from Internet addiction with that of individuals suffering from pathological gambling. Twenty-seven patients diagnosed with Internet addiction (age: 24.78±4.37 years), 27 patients diagnosed with pathological gambling (age: 25.67±3.97 years), and 27 healthy controls (age: 25.33±2.79 years) were enrolled in this study. All patients were men seeking treatment. Trait impulsivity and the severity of the Internet addiction and pathological gambling were measured by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11, the Young's Internet Addiction Test, and the South Oaks Gambling Screen, respectively. The Beck Depression Inventory and the Beck Anxiety Inventory were also administered to all subjects. Our results show that those suffering from Internet addiction showed increased levels of trait impulsivity which were comparable to those of patients diagnosed with pathological gambling. Additionally, the severity of Internet addiction was positively correlated with the level of trait impulsivity in patients with Internet addiction. These results state that Internet addiction can be conceptualized as an impulse control disorder and that trait impulsivity is a marker for vulnerability to Internet addiction.     

Development of a simple pressure and heat stimulator for intra- and interdigit functional magnetic resonance imaging

For this study, we developed a simple pressure and heat stimulator that can quantitatively control pressure and provide heat stimulation to intra- and interdigit areas. The developed stimulator consists of a control unit, drive units, and tactors. The control unit controls the stimulation parameters, such as stimulation types, intensity, time, and channel, and transmits a created signal of stimulation to the drive units. The drive units operate pressure and heat tactors in response to commands from the control unit. The pressure and heat tactors can display various stimulation intensities quantitatively, apply stimulation continuously, and adjust the stimulation areas. Additionally, they can easily be attached to and detached from the digits. The developed pressure and heat stimulator is small in total size, easy to install, and inexpensive to manufacture. The new stimulator operated stably in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) environment without affecting the obtained images. A preliminary functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment confirmed that differences in activation of somatosensory areas were induced from the pressure and heat stimulation. The developed pressure and heat stimulator is expected to be utilized for future intra- and interdigit fMRI studies on pressure and heat stimulation.     

Contagious leaders and followers: Exploring multi-stage mood contagion in a leader activation and member propagation (LAMP) model

A theoretical framework is offered to explain mood contagion processes in groups. Specifically, we describe and test a two-stage leader activation and member propagation (LAMP) model that starts with the activation of the contagion process by leaders (Stage 1), followed by the mutual propagation of the mood among members (Stage 2). Results from 102 self-managing groups provide support for the LAMP model. Group mood convergence was negatively related to attribute diversity (in extroversion and neuroticism) between the leader and group members (Stage 1) and among group members (Stage 2). In both stages, group members’ susceptibility to emotional contagion and interpersonal attraction had positive main effects on group mood convergence, and moderated the relationship between attribute diversity and mood convergence in groups. The findings offer new insights into group mood convergence, as it unfolds over time.     

The Interactive Effect of Conscientiousness and Agreeableness on Job Performance Dimensions in South Korea

While much is known about the effects of personality traits on performance, there is still limited empirical evidence that examines how personality traits may interact with each other to impact dimensions of performance. This study examined how conscientiousness and agreeableness interact to predict both task performance and organizational citizenship behavior using a sample of 113 bank employees in South Korea. The interaction between the two personality traits was significantly related to both dimensions of performance.     

The Profession of Family Therapy in South Korea: Current Status and Future Directions

The authors present a brief overview of the family therapy field in South Korea. Since its introduction in the late 1970s, family therapy has been developing into a professional field with education and training institutions, practice settings, credentials, and practitioners holding memberships in various professional organizations. While such issues as family values and types, filial piety, violence, interethnic marriage, and social polarization have resulted in an increased demand for family therapy, such services are not readily accessible to Korean families in need. Efforts should be made in increasing number of competent family therapists by strengthening both academic and clinical requirements for credentialing. Efforts are also needed in increasing accessibility of family therapy services by making them more available within a variety of human service contexts.     

Word recognition during reading: The interaction between lexical repetition and frequency

Memory studies utilizing long-term repetition priming have generally demonstrated that priming is greater for low-frequency than for high-frequency words and that this effect persists if words intervene between the prime and the target. In contrast, word-recognition studies utilizing masked short-term repetition priming have typically shown that the magnitude of repetition priming does not differ as a function of word frequency and does not persist across intervening words. We conducted an eyetracking-while-reading experiment to determine which of these patterns more closely resembles the relationship between frequency and repetition during the natural reading of a text. Frequency was manipulated using proper names that were either high-frequency (e.g., Stephen) or low-frequency (e.g., Dominic). The critical name was later repeated in the sentence, or a new name was introduced. First-pass reading times and skipping rates on the critical name revealed robust repetition-by-frequency interactions, such that the magnitude of the repetition-priming effect was greater for low-frequency than for high-frequency names. In contrast, measures of later processing showed effects of repetition that did not depend on lexical frequency. These results are interpreted within a framework that conceptualizes eye-movement control as being influenced in different ways by lexical- and discourse-level factors.