Sex differences in perceived attributes of computer-mediated communication

Researchers have pointed to the influence of sex with respect to the attributes of the computer medium. The author elaborates upon possible sex differences in reference to perceived attributes of the computer medium, i.e., Richness, Accessibility, Velocity, Interactivity, Plasticity, and Immediacy. Data from both a pilot and main study are reported and interpreted. The pilot study included 78 participants, while the main study involved 211. The independent samples were composed of Communication Studies students enrolled at two Mid-Atlantic universities. Nine items with anchors of 1: strongly disagree and 7: strongly agree were taken from the 2000 Computer Mediated Communication Competence Scale of Spitzberg to assess the attributes of computer-mediated interaction. The results indicate that women scored higher than men on perceptions of Accessibility, Velocity, Interactivity, and Immediacy.     

Psychometric properties of the Wolpe-Lazarus assertiveness scale

The psychometric properties of the Wolpe-Lazarus Assertiveness Scale (WLAS) were evaluated with a sample of 100 male and 157 female psychiatric patients. There were no significant differences with regard to males and females for total WLAS scores. The WLAS seems to be internally consistent and has acceptable split-half and test-retest reliabilities. A factor analysis performed separately for males and females indicates that the 10 most prominent factors account for about 60% of the accumulated variance. The primary factor, shared by males and females, was labeled General Expressiveness. There was little evidence for the external validity of the WLAS when total scores were correlated with performance on a role play test. However, when WLAS factor scores were evaluated in light of role played performance, somewhat better evidence of the external validity of the WLAS was found in two of the factors for the females.     

Temporal constraints on visual learning: a computational model

Given a constant stream of perceptual stimuli, how can the underlying invariances associated with a given input be learned? One approach consists of using generic truths about the spatiotemporal structure of the physical world as constraints on the types of quantities learned. The learning methodology employed here embodies one such truth: that perceptually salient properties (such as stereo disparity) tend to vary smoothly over time. Unfortunately, the units of an artificial neural network tend to encode superficial image properties, such as individual grey-level pixel values, which vary rapidly over time. However, if the states of units are constrained to vary slowly, then the network is forced to learn a smoothly varying function of the training data. We implemented this temporal-smoothness constraint in a backpropagation network which learned stereo disparity from random-dot stereograms. Temporal smoothness was formalized with the use of regularization theory by modifying the standard cost function minimised during training of a network. Temporal smoothness was found to be similar to other techniques for improving generalisation, such as early stopping and weight decay. However, in contrast to these, the theoretical underpinnings of temporal smoothing are intimately related to fundamental characteristics of the physical world. Results are discussed in terms of regularization theory and the physically realistic assumptions upon which temporal smoothing is based.     

Book reviews

Sutherland, S. (1989). Macmillan dictionary of psychology. London: Macmillan Reference Books. ISBN -333-38829-1. £ 29.95

Van Toller, S. & Dodd, G. H. (Eds.). (1988). Perfumery: the psychology and biology of fragrance. London: Chapman and Hall. Pp. 268. ISBN 0-412-30010-9. £ 35.00

Watt, R. J. (1987). Visual processing: Computational, psychophysical and cognitive resedrch. Hove: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Ltd. Pp.160. ISBN 0-86377-081-9. £ 14.95/$ 26.95

Caplan, D. & Hildebrandt, N. (1988). disorders of syntactic comprehension. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press/Bradford Books. Pp. 340. ISBN 0-262-03132-9. £31.50     

School adjustment of children with observable disabilities

This study investigated school behavior and achievement of children with mild degrees of observable physical disability. Children from two different disability types (cleft palate and cerebral palsy) were compared with each other and to a control group in order to determine potential similarities across disability types. Children (N=78) from each of the two disability groups were individually matched to each other and to a normal control group (N=39) by sex, IQ, socioeconomic status, age, and grade. They were compared on the basis of teachers' behavioral ratings and achievement test scores. All children attended regular public school classrooms. The two disability groups displayed significantly greater inhibition of impulse and lower educational achievement than did the controls. The implication of similar school adjustment across mild but observable subtypes is discussed.Parts of this article were presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., September 1976. The study was supported in part by PHS Grant DE-00853, the National Institute of Dental Research.     

Sex differences in perceived outcomes of electronic mail interactions

Researchers have found that sex plays a crucial role in perceptions of usability, graphical accents, and general satisfaction within computer-mediated interactions. 192 students (71 men and 121 women) responded to 12 items taken from the Electronic Mail Outcome Scale related to their perceived Appropriateness, Effectiveness, and Satisfaction obtained through electronic mail interactions. Analysis indicated no significant differences between men and women in reference to either Effectiveness or Satisfaction; however, women were more sensitive to social expectations within electronic mail interactions than men.