An experimental psychology laboratory system for the Apple II microcomputer

A system for on-line control of experiments is described that uses the Apple II microcomputer and requires no knowledge of programming. This system, APT, is used to construct test files, randomize stimulus order, and conduct experiments. Construction of an experiment is very easy through use of an interactive program. APT provides powerful options for controlling stimulus duration, feedback, and response type. Programs are available to conduct either a sequence of tests without any experimenter present or a single experiment. Over 200 subjects, ranging from 18 to 86 years of age, have completed a battery of cognitive and abilities tests using the system.     

BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT FOR PEDIATRIC INTENSIVE CARE UNITS1

Two studies were conducted to analyze behaviors of staff and patients on a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). In the first study, behavioral observation procedures were employed to assess patient state, physical position, affect, verbal behaviors, visual attention and activity engagement, and staff verbal behavior. On the average, one-third of the patients were judged to be conscious and alert but markedly nonengaged with their environment. In the second study, a member of the hospital staff provided alert patients with individual activities to determine whether a simple environmental manipulation could positively affect behavior of children in intensive care. Employing a reversal design, the activity intervention was found to increase attention and engagement and positive affect, and to decrease inappropriate behavior. Both studies demonstrate that behavioral assessment procedures can provide an empirical basis for designing PICU routines affecting children's psychosocial status, and, thus, complement current procedures designed to provide quality medical care.     

Menstrual cycle affects kinesthetic aftereffect, an index of personality and perceptual style

Research suggests that kinesthetic aftereffect (KAE) scores reflect status on a postulated stimulus intensity modulation (SIM) mechanism that damps down subjective stimulus intensity for some (reducing) and increases it for others (augmenting). Such a mechanism would help account for empirically observed individual differences in such behaviors as pain tolerance, sensory deprivation reactivity, and stimulation seeking. It was hypothesized and confirmed in three adult female samples that KAE varies curvilinearly over the menstrual cycle: Greater KAE reduction occurs at the cycle's beginning and end. Neither tiredness, oral contraception, medication, attention, nor social expectations can explain this finding. Of the behaviors studied in the KAE literature, only five are also encompassed by the menstrual cycle literature. Four of these (antisocial behavior, acute schizophrenic episodes, accidents, and activity level) show similar curvilinearity over the cycle. We hypothesize that cyclical variation in the SIM mechanism mediates the curvilinear pattern observed for both these four behaviors and KAE.     

Manipulating the word frequency effect in free recall

A recall advantage for common words was not evidenced when subjects generated or rated the list words on the basis of commonness and on a semantic, phonological, or orthographic basis prior to recall. Recall of the same set of words following only structural judgments of the words resulted in the usual recall advantage for common words. Results were not consistent with interpretations based only on the associative strengths of the recalled items. A process based on categorization of the words to be recalled was suggested as an alternative explanation.     

The effects of alcohol and extreme provocation on the use of a highly noxious electric shock

Intoxicated and nonintoxicated subjects were given the opportunity to administer a potentially injurious level of shock to an opponent who behaved in either a provocative or an extremely provocative manner. The provocative opponent attempted to administer high-intensity shocks to the subject. The extremely provocative opponent attempted to administer high-intensity shocks and the potentially injurious level of shock. The intoxicated subjects in the extreme provocation condition evidenced the greatest increase in the use of the potentially injurious shock. It was concluded that aggression is a function of the interaction of alcohol consumption and level of provocation.     

Free recall of abstract and concrete words by American and Ghanaian college students

This investigation compared the free recall of concrete and abstract words in American and Ghanaian college students. There were no differences in the total number of words recalled as a function of concreteness or culture. However, recall of concrete words showed a greater improvement across trials for both cultures. Although there was no difference in the amounts of subjective organization exhibited by Ghanaian and American students, there was evidence for a greater serializing tendency among American students. It appears that the major cultural differences typically observed in African-American comparisons of free recall may be overshadowed by increases in the educational level of the subjects.     

Perceived objectivity and the effects of evaluative reinforcement upon compliance and self-evaluation in blacks

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of positive and negative reinforcements upon black college students. In the first experiment subjects received either positive or negative reinforcement from a black or a white Evaluator. Behavioral change (compliance) was greater in response to negative reinforcement from a black Evaluator than in response to negative reinforcement from a white Evaluator, while there were no divergent effects of Evaluator's Race upon compliance with positive reinforcement. The same pattern obtained in subjects' self-evaluations. The second experiment offered a test of the hypothesis that the objectivity of black Evaluators was perceived as greater than that of white Evaluators, and that a manipulation aimed at equating the Evaluators on objectivity would attenuate the effects of Evaluator's Race upon compliance and self-evaluation in response to negative reinforcement. These hypotheses were generally supported by the results.     

The relationship between auditory recall and dysfluency in young stutterers

This study examined the relationship between auditory recall and dysfluent behavior in children. Subjects were 11 stutterers and 11 nonstutterers, ages 4.9–11.10. The Auditory Sequential Memory subtest of the ITPA and the Auditory Attention Span for Related Syllables subtest of the Detroit Test of Learning Aptitudes were administered to both groups. Results indicated that scores on the ITPA were not significantly different. Comparison of the group's scores on the DTLA were highly significant with the control group's scoring 35 months higher. After 6 months of therapy, six children in the experimental group were fluent. Posttests revealed no significant differences on the ITPA. On the DTLA, the experimental group's mean scores significantly increased by 13.9 months. The gain in auditory recall of meaningful material substantiated the hypothesized relationship between auditory recall and dysfluency. This relationship was not viewed as causative of stuttering; data were interpreted as evidence that increased fluency allows children to use previously suppressed linguistic data.