Sensitivity to conversational deviance in right-hemisphere-damaged patients.

To participate meaningfully in conversation, speakers must be sensitive to statements which advance and those which block the direction of a discourse. The effect of right-hemisphere damage (RHD) on sensitivity to conversational advancers and blockers was investigated by asking subjects to interpret normal conversations and conversations which were blocked by violations of Gricean maxims: specifically, tangential and redundant statements. Results indicate that RHD patients function normally in canonical, directed conversation. However, they have difficulty interpreting and judging the effect of blocking statements, particularly with regard to tangentiality. The results are discussed in terms of a mental model of directed conversation which incorporates both structural and affective components.     

Emergent Control of Manual and Vocal-Motor Activity in Relation to the Development of Speech

Babbling typically precedes, resembles, and conceivably facilitates development of speech, and yet there is no accepted neurobiological characterization of babbling. Here we report a study of infants′ developing control of vocal behavior in relation to manual activity performed under differing conditions of audibility. We hypothesized that babbling is associated with the onset of left-lateralized motor control, as expressed in repetitive right-handed activity, and that audibility facilitates such activity, Sixty-one normally developing infants were seen before (N = 21) or at various intervals following (N = 40) the onset of babbling. In experimental trials, audible or inaudible rattles were placed in left or right hands equally often. Analysis of manual activity revealed little shaking movement in the youngest and vocally least differentiated infants, and a sharp increase in shaking in slightly older infants who had recently begun to babble. Surprisingly, audibility only marginally enhanced shaking activity. A dextral bias was evident in the shaking of infants who had recently begun to babble, but not in younger or older infants. These and other findings suggest that the left cerebral hemisphere may be disproportionately involved in the production of repetitive vocal-motor activity as occurs in babbling.     

Somatization tendencies and ability to detect internal body cues

39 subjects performed a task in which they were required to detect the presence of a resistive load during the inhalation phase of breathing. Subjects were also measured on somatization tendencies, using the SCL-90-R test. A signal-detection analysis indicated an inverse relationship between ability to detect the resistive load during breathing and somatization score. Results are discussed relative to possible ramifications for somatoform disorders.     

Factor analyses of two 'attitude toward gender role' questionnaire

Two questionnaires which purport to assess attitudes toward gender role, the Maferr Inventory of Feminine Values and the Sex Stereotype Questionnaire, were submitted to a factor analysis. While each analysis of the five response set items yielded interpretable factors with unequivocal item scores, the obtained factors are not consistent with the a priori assignment of items to "groupings" suggested by the manuals for these instruments. The implications of using questionnaires with questionable psychometric properties is discussed.     

Table of criterion values (β) used in signal detection theory

A table of criterion values for use with the theory of signal detection (TSD) is presented. Criterion values (β) are presented for varying proportions of hits and false alarms. A brief explanation of signal detection theory is given, and the measures for sensory sensitivity (d′) and response criterion (β) are described.     

MANIPULATION OF POTENTIAL PUNISHMENT PARAMETERS IN THE TREATMENT OF SELF-INJURY1

The self-injurious behavior (SIB) of a blind, profoundly retarded male was observed within a field setting as multiple forms of punishment were applied. The effects of hair-tug punishment were first systematically examined, then hair-tug and electric shock punishment were administered in varing ratios (of punishment deliveries per SIB response) supplemented by continuous restraint contingencies and made contingent on recurrent antecedents of SIB cycles. Treatments were applied over six months of consecutive daily sessions ranging from 30 min to 8 hr duration. Posttreatment followup observations were taken 12, 24, and 34 months after treatment. Partial suppression was produced as a direct function of hair-tug punishment in the initial phase. A generally progressive decrement was produced on already lowered SIB rates with the succeeding components of the treatment package. Extended periods of total SIB suppression occurred as punishment was rendered contingent on antecedent components of each SIB response cycle. Followup observations of nearly 3 yr duration indicated total suppression generalized over all settings in which the subject functioned. The findings were related to the contrasting limits prevailing in most reports of punishment-based SIB suppression.     

But can she command a ship? Acceptance of women by peers at the coast guard academy

The integration of women into the military, mandated by legislation in 1976, was problematic at first; several studies suggested that women were not welcomed by their colleagues. Peer acceptance is an important issue for the Coast Guard, since female officers are not officially discriminated against in duty assignments. Results of this current study, which assessed whether or not male Coast Guard cadets' attitudes have changed over time, suggest that males have become more tolerant of the idea of women in the military, and especially, that male cadets' perception of their female peers becomes more positive over time. The results are discussed in terms of Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory.This article is a revision of a paper presented at the 92nd annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Toronto, Canada, August 1985.