Book reviews

ROBINSON, J. O. The psychology of Visual Illusion. London: Hutchinson University Library. 1972. Pp. 285. £ 3.00.

CARROLL, JOHN B. and FREEDLE, Roy O. (Eds). Language Comprehension and the Acquisition of Knowledge. New York: John Wiley. 1972.

PEARSON, R. The Avian Brain. London: Academic Press. 1972. Pp 624. £ 10.00.

KORNBLUM, S. (Ed.). Attention and Perfomance IV. New York and London: Academic Press. 1973. Pp. xxx+771. $ 18.50.

WASON, P. C. and JOHNSON-LAIRD, P. N. Psychology of Reasoming: Reasosming: Structure and Content. London: B. T. Batsford Limited. 1972. Pp 26.4. £ 3.50.

GILBERT, R. M. and MILLENSON, J. R. (Eds). Reinforcement: Behavioural Analysis. New York: Academic Press. 1972. Pp. xiii+288. £ 6.35.

STRONGMAN, K. T. The Psychology of Emotion. London: Wiley. 1973. Pp. 191. £ 3.50.

MYERS, R. D. (Ed.). Methods in psychobiology. Vol. 2. London and New York: Academic Press. 1972. Pp. xii+398. £ 6.50.

NILSSON, N. J. Problem-Solving Methods in Artificial Intelligence. New York: McGraw-Hill. 1971. Pp. 255. POund 5.40.

SHEEHAN, P. W. (Ed.). The function and Nature of Imagery. New York: Acadmic Press. 1972. Pp. $ 22.50.

CLARKE, E. and DEWHURST, K. An Illustrated of Brain Furction. Oxford: Sandford Publication. 1972. Pp. 154. £ 5.50.

SCHACHTER, S. Emotion, Obesity and Crime. New York: Academic Press. 1971. Pp. 195. £ 3.50.

MCGUIGAN, F. J. and LUMSDEN, D.B. (Eds). Contemporary Appraches to Conditioning and Learning. Washingotn, D. C.: v. H. Winston and Sons. 1973. Pp. xii+231. £ 6.50.

BECK, J. Surface Colour Perception. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press. 1972.Pp. £ 11.50.     

Effects on retroactive of the learned strength of interpolated material

Twelve moderately retarded children were trained on 2-choice visual discrimination problems with interpolation of another item between training and retention tests. The retroactively interfering property of the interpolated items was reduced as it became well-learned. The effect was interpreted to mean that well-learned items are rehearsed less. The results were found to be consistent with predictions from theory.     

The Effect of Similarity Between Donor and Recipient on Recipient's Reactions to Aid1

This study explored the effect of similarity-dissimilarity between the donor and the recipient on the recipient's self-perception and his perception of the donor. A 2 x 2 between-subjects design was employed in which aid versus no aid and similarity versus dissimilarity were the experimental factors. The results indicate that receiving aid from a similar other had a negative effect on the recipient's situational self-esteem and self-confidence, while aid from a dissimilar other had a positive effect on situational self-esteem and self-confidence. Social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954) was suggested as a means of explaining this finding. In addition, it was found that a donor of aid was more favorably rated than a nondonor.     

Stochastic PERT networks as models of cognition: Derivation of the mean,variance, and distribution of reaction time using Order-of-Processing (OP) diagrams

It is frequently assumed that the mental activity which leads to a given response is made up of separable components or processes. One or more of the processes are assumed to contribute to the time required to respond. Computation of the mean, variance, and distribution of the reaction time is relatively straightforward when all processes are arranged in series or parallel. However, such is not the case when the processes have complex arrangements. A solution to a useful special case of the above problem is proposed. Specifically, it is shown that simple computations yield closed form expressions for the mean, variance, and distribution of reaction time when the processes can be arranged in a stochastic PERT network and when the durations of individual processes are sums of mutually independent, exponentially distributed random variables. The method of solution relies on the construction of an Order-of-Processing (OP) diagram from the original PERT network representation of behavior.     

The organization of spontaneous leg movements in newborn infants

Spontaneous, supine kicking in newborn (2- and 4-week-old) infants is described in terms of its temporal structure, interjoint coordination, and muscle activation characteristics as measured by surface electromyography. Phasic kick movements shoed a constrained temporal organization in the movement, but not the pause phases. Hip, knee, and ankle joints moved in temporal and spatial synchrony, and all three joints showed a rhythmical or periodic organization over time. EMGs revealed antagonist coactivation at the initiation of the flexor movement, but little or not extensor activity. The dorsal muscles, the gastrocnemius and hamstrings, showed less activity than the ventral pair, tibialis anterior and quadriceps. Burst and onset-to-peak durations were also constrained. As a result of neural mechanisms and biomechanical forces, newborn leg movements are structured muscle synergies. This organization has implications both for newborn functioning and for later development.     

Situational and Arousal-Based Messages and the Reduction of Crowding Stress

In an anticipatory crowding context, an attempt was made to assess the effects of various control-relevant messages for ameliorating crowding stress. Two informational foci (i.e., situational and emotional) were employed, and it was found that situational information was more effective in relieving discomfort associated with anticipated high-density than emotionally-focused information. In addition, an exploratory attempt was made to evaluate the effectiveness for relieving crowding stress of control-relevant information highlighting different aspects of density (i.e., overload, spatial intrusion, and interference). In general, it was found that such messages were effective in relieving discomfort to the extent that they accurately described the characteristics of the setting that subjects were anticipating.