Looking forward to looking backward: the misprediction of regret

Decisions are powerfully affected by anticipated regret, and people anticipate feeling more regret when they lose by a narrow margin than when they lose by a wide margin. But research suggests that people are remarkably good at avoiding self-blame, and hence they may be better at avoiding regret than they realize. Four studies measured people's anticipations and experiences of regret and self-blame. In Study 1, students overestimated how much more regret they would feel when they "nearly won" than when they "clearly lost" a contest. In Studies 2, 3a, and 3b, subway riders overestimated how much more regret and self-blame they would feel if they "nearly caught" their trains than if they "clearly missed" their trains. These results suggest that people are less susceptible to regret than they imagine, and that decision makers who pay to avoid future regrets may be buying emotional insurance that they do not actually need.     

Memory for objects and their locations: the role of the hippocampus in retention of object-place associations

Computational models of hippocampal function have suggested that the hippocampus is involved in the formation and storage of arbitrary associations. Previous studies have shown that rats with hippocampal lesions are impaired in object-place associative learning. However, few studies have examined the role of the hippocampus in the retention of previously learned arbitrary associations. In the present study, male Long-Evans rats with either cortical control or hippocampal lesions were tested on a task measuring the retention of previously learned arbitrary associations using an object-place paired-associate task. To assess retention, each animal was trained on the paired-associate task for 360 trials, then received a lesion, and was retested to examine retention of the previously learned associations. The results indicate that all rats learned the task prior to surgery. Following surgery, rats with cortical control lesions were not impaired in the retention of object-place associations. In contrast, hippocampal lesions resulted in an initial deficit in retention of the paired-associate task followed by recovery. Therefore, the hippocampus may play a role in the retrieval of previously learned arbitrary association.     

Generating fixed-length sequences satisfying any givennth-order transition probability matrix

An experimental design involving sequences ofm distinct events can be conceptualized as annthorder transition probability matrix specifying the probabilities with which each of themdistinct events is to follow certainn-grams. This paper describes a general method for constructing sequences of shortest possible length that satisfy any such matrix and presents a computer program that randomly generates such sequences.     

Multilevel modeling in industrial and personnel psychology

Many of the topics of interest in the social and behavior sciences are often hierarchical or multilevel in nature. These multiple levels (e.g., individual versus group) create problems for researchers related to the choice of measurement and analysis. Recent innovations in statistical analysis have made it possible to account for the hierarchical nature of observations. Therefore, in this article we begin with a review of multilevel analysis techniques and discuss advances that have been made in the social sciences using multilevel models. Next, we summarize contemporary research specific to the organizational psychology literature that uses multilevel analysis. Possible applications for industrial and personnel psychology are then discussed. Guidelines for determining if multilevel analysis is appropriate for a given applied research project are provided. We conclude with a summary and call for increased use of multilevel analysis in industrial and personnel psychology.     

Type a personality: Correlations with personality variables and nonverbal emotional expressions during interpersonal competition

Facial and other nonverbal behaviors of 52 male and female participants in an interpersonal anagrams competition were correlated with a variety of self-report personality measures. Facial expressions suggestive of negative affect were significantly positively correlated with the Framingham Type A scale and the Job Involvement and Hard-Driving subscales of the Jenkins Activity Survey. A composite nonverbal index correlated significantly with Framingham Type A, Jenkins Job Involvement and the Extraversion scale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. The pattern of correlations between the nonverbal and personality measures supported the view that Type A individuals are characterized by both self-reports of and facial expression of more anger/hostility than are Type B individuals.     

NOVA SKED: A behavioral notation language for Data General minicomputers

A state notation language (NOVA SKED) for the experimental control and collection of data from operant behavior experiments by Data General NOVA series minicomputers is described. NOVA SKED is based on the SKED system written for the Digital Equipment Corporation PDP8 series of minicomputers. The NOVA SKED state notation syntax enables diagramming experimental procedures directly and precisely by the operant experimenter, who need not be familiar with computers. This syntax can then be compiled by the computer into programs that operate under the SKED run-time system (RTS). The SKED RTS operates in a timesharing mode that allows up to 16 experimental stations to function simultaneously and independently from each other. NOVA SKED is a “stand-alone” system that collects and stores data on digital magnetic tape.     

Physiological and nonverbal correlates of extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism during active and passive coping

Correlations of extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism with state anxiety, physiological arousal, and facial expressivity were assessed in 45 adolescents during a passive task (venipuncture) and an active coping task (speech). Task was a major determiner of the relationship between these variables. During venipuncture heart-rate increase was positively correlated with state anxiety, neuroticism, and anxiety expression and negatively correlated with extraversion. However, during the speech, HR change was negatively correlated with state anxiety and nonverbal indices of anxiety, but was positively correlated with extraversion and positive nonverbal expression. Skin conductance change findings were weaker but, when occurring, were in the same direction as the HR findings. Extraversion was highly associated with all nonverbal expressivity measures: inversely correlating with venipuncture and speech anxiety expression and positively correlating with venipuncture and speech positive expression. Neuroticism was positively correlated with nonverbal expression of anxiety during venipuncture but not speech. Psychoticism correlated positively with nonverbal positive expression during both venipuncture and speech.