Detection of counter-changing contrast: second-order apparent motion without postrectification motion-energy analysis or salience mapping/feature tracking

The perception of 2nd-order, texture-contrast-defined motion was studied for apparent-motion stimuli composed of a pair of spatially displaced, simultaneously visible checkerboards. It was found that background-relative, counter-changing contrast provided the informational basis for the perception of 2nd-order apparent motion; motion began where contrast changed toward the contrast value of the background checkerboard and ended where contrast changed away from the background value. The perceived apparent motion was not attributable to either postrectification motion-energy analysis or salience-mapping/feature-tracking mechanisms. Parallel results for 1st-order, luminance-defined motion (H. S. Hock, L. A. Gilroy, & G. Harnett, 2002) suggest that counter-changing activation provides a common basis for the perception of both luminance- and texture-contrast-defined apparent motion.     

Challenge point: a framework for conceptualizing the effects of various practice conditions in motor learning

The authors describe the effects of practice conditions in motor learning (e.g., contextual interference, knowledge of results) within the constraints of 2 experimental variables: skill level and task difficulty. They use a research framework to conceptualize the interaction of those variables on the basis of concepts from information theory and information processing. The fundamental idea is that motor tasks represent different challenges for performers of different abilities. The authors propose that learning is related to the information arising from performance, which should be optimized along functions relating the difficulty of the task to the skill level of the performer. Specific testable hypotheses arising from the framework are also described.     

A six-factor structure of personality-descriptive adjectives: solutions from psycholexical studies in seven languages

Standard psycholexical studies of personality structure have produced a similar 6-factor solution in 7 languages (Dutch, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Polish). The authors report the content of these personality dimensions and interpret them as follows: (a) a variant of Extraversion, defined by sociability and liveliness (though not by bravery and toughness); (b) a variant of Agreeableness, defined by gentleness, patience, and agreeableness (but also including anger and ill temper at its negative pole); (c) Conscientiousness (emphasizing organization and discipline rather than moral conscience); (d) Emotionality (containing anxiety, vulnerability, sentimentality, lack of bravery, and lack of toughness, but not anger or ill temper); (e) Honesty-Humility; (f) Intellect/Imagination/Unconventionality. A potential reorganization of the Big Five factor structure is discussed.     

Silent thoughts,spoken wishes: when candidate experience of the supervisor converges with patient fantasies

How and why a candidate's private experience of two supervisors emerged in patients' fantasies about them is explored. Four issues are examined in light of two control cases: (1) Patients divide, rather than split, the transference between supervisor and candidate, experiencing both ambivalently. (2) Even a patient with no knowledge of the supervisor's identity may have a fantasy of the supervisor that is congruent with the candidate's experience of the supervisor. (3) When new professional traits emerge in the candidate as he or she identifies with his or her mentor, the patient may attribute them to the invisible person in the room--the supervisor; the patient may intuit and be influenced by the candidate's feelings about the supervisor as well. (4) A patient's fantasies about the supervisor may reflect parallel process in reverse, whereby the patient discerns what is going on between supervisor and candidate through his or her treatment, just as the supervisor reads what is going on between patient and candidate through the candidate's reporting of the treatment. Because the trio is the truth of the training case, it seems fitting and empowering to acknowledge and analyze the role of the supervisor in the patient's mind.     

Personality and the goal-striving process: the influence of achievement goal patterns,goal level,and mental focus on performance and enjoyment

The purpose of this study is to examine the mechanisms by which personality traits influence performance and satisfaction. Specifically, the authors examined how 3 personality characteristics derived from self-determination theory (autonomy, control, and amotivated orientations) influence performance and enjoyment through achievement goal patterns, goal level, and mental focus. Data were collected from 284 students at 5 points in time. In particular, mental focus emerged as an important aspect of the self-regulation process. The results suggest that global personality traits can help researchers to understand and predict the motivational strategies that people use while working toward goals in achievement settings.     

How are social identities linked to self-conception and intergroup orientation? The moderating effect of implicit theories

Social identity approaches assume that social identification affects both self-conception and intergroup orientation. The authors contend that such social identification effects are accentuated when people hold a fixed view of human character and attribute immutable dispositions to social groups. To these individuals, social identities are immutable, concrete entities capable of guiding self-conception and intergroup orientation. Social identification effects are attenuated when people hold a malleable view of human character and thus do not view social identities as fixed, concrete entities. The authors tested and found support for this contention in three studies that were conducted in the context of the Hong Kong 1997 political transition, and discussed the findings in terms of their implications for self-conceptions and the meaning of social identification.     

Development and validation of an altruism scale for adults

A new self-report scale, the Altruism Scale for Adults, of 28 items was developed. 14 items were from the Altruism subscale of Wrightsman's Philosophies of Human Nature Scale, and the other 14 items were newly constructed. The scale, anchored by 1: true or 2: false, was administered to 592 Korean men and women in eight subgroups. Cronbach alpha internal consistency was .89, and test-retest reliabilities (n = 52) over 1 and 5 wk. were .90 and .80, respectively. Campbell and Fiske's 1959 multitrait-multimethod analysis showed satisfactory convergent and discriminant validities. Overall results were promising for use of the scale in research and for practical purposes.     

Cognitive Testing Battery: differences among groups with dementia, Huntington's disease, and controls

This study evaluated a new test for dementia, the Cognitive Testing Battery, used for over six years in outpatient clinics for aging-related disorders. This battery was developed to be brief, easy to administer, and to provide useful feedback as a cognitive profile for clinicians, patients, and caregivers. 489 participants were tested during a 5-yr. period. Multidisicplinary teams diagnosed these patients with dementia, depression, or Huntington's Disease. A control group was also included. Groups were then compared on the 10 key subscales that subserve dementia populations. Analysis showed there were significant differences among the groups on all measures and that selected scales differentiated the groups. The total score maximally differentiated the groups, and the dementia group was most different from the other groups.