Social psychological models of choice behavior and drivers' left turns

ABSTRACT. The authors reanalyzed data from a simulated left-turn experiment (P. A. Hancock, J. K. Caird, S. Shekhar, & M. Vercruyssen, 1991) to test the adequacy of the nonlinear Gray-Tallman satisfaction balance model of choice behavior (L. N. Gray & I. Tallman, 1984) in predicting left turns. Participants (Hancock et al., 1991) were 40 experienced U.S. drivers who were exposed to simulated oncoming traffic; the size of the vehicle (motorcycle, compact vehicle, full-sized vehicle, delivery truck), its speed (10-70 mph, or 16-112 kmph), and the intervehicle time gap (3-9 s) varied. Hancock et al. (1991) measured (a) the likelihood of a left turn and (b) the occurrence of a collision. The probability of a left turn was greater for larger intervehicle time gaps and for oncoming smaller vehicles traveling at higher speeds. The Gray-Tallman (1984) model explained 69% of the variation in turning versus 57% for a linear regression model. In making decisions people tend to treat the values and costs affecting choices in a multiplicative, rather than linear, fashion. The Gray-Tallman model also has the potential for incorporating, both theoretically and mathematically, an unlimited range of potential values and costs that may influence left turn decisions.     

Lifeguards' vigilance: effects of child-adult ratio and lifeguard positioning on scanning by lifeguards

Observers recorded visual scanning by four lifeguards at three indoor public swimming pools. Scanning increased as a positive function of the ratio of children to adult swimmers, i.e., scanning was greater when the ratio was high, suggesting that lifeguards became more concerned about the risks to children and the ability of nearby adult swimmers to monitor these children when the number of children significantly exceeded the number of adults. Absolute numbers of children, however, decreased number of scans, possibly because of greater number of incidents and rule violations requiring lifeguards' attention which competed with watching the pool. Lifeguards were more likely to scan a pool area when they were in elevated towers versus standing on the pool decks. Lifeguards' scanning declined later in the day, possibly due to fatigue or because of competing activities of pool maintenance.     

Anterior Hypothalamic Stimulation Decreases Serum Immunoglobulin G Concentrations

The Psychological Record - Neuroimmunological research has indicated that hypothalamic structures play an important role in the modulation of immunoresponsivity. We report that electrical...     

Individual difference in anticipatory physiological responses to signaled stress: role of locus of control and autonomic balance.

Anticipatory cardiac activity to a signaled stressful event was hypothesized to be related to individual differences in locus of control and to autonomic balance. Subjects experienced 5 trials of a 105-db burst of white noise that was signaled by a milder tone. Significant increases in electrodermal as well as heart-rate responses occurred after the stress tone. While anticipating stress, the 10 subjects designated as having high levels of coherence between heart-rate and respiratory activity (high parasympathetic balance) showed reduced heart-rate and respiratory activity (high parasympathetic balance) showed reduced heart-rate variability over the 10 subjects with low coherence. Locus of control was not related to anticipatory activity. Anticipatory cardiac activity is discussed in light of two current psychophysiological models of attention.     

《周易》对中国古代数学的影响

分析中国古代数学史上重要的数学著作可以看出,《周易》往往被古代数学家们视作数学发展最早的源头,而且在一些重要的数学著作中,数学家们运用《周易》中的有关概念表述数学问题,对《周易》中的数学问题及其相关问题进行深入的研究,取得了重要的数学成就。这一切足以表明《周易》对于古代数学发展具有非常重要的影响。     

How Do “Religion” and “Spirituality” Differ? Lay Definitions Among Older Adults

Research and public interest in religion and spirituality is on the rise. Consequently, there is an increasing need for rigorously obtained information on what individuals mean when they use these terms. This study examined how 64 older adults living in three retirement communities (including one Christian‐based community), a relatively understudied population, conceptualize religion and spirituality. Participants defined “religion” and “spirituality,” and their narrative definitions were coded and compared using a framework derived from Hill et al.'s (2000) conceptualization of religion and spirituality. Despite considerable overlap, participants' definitions differed on several dimensions. Participants were more likely to associate religion than spirituality with personal beliefs, community affiliation, and organized practices. Moreover, spirituality appeared to be a more abstract concept than religion, and included nontheistic notions of a higher power.     

Attachment and the investment model: Predictors of relationship commitment,maintenance, and persistence

This research examines adult attachment and the investment model. Study 1 tests anxiety and avoidance predicting romantic relationship commitment, mediated by satisfaction, alternatives, and investments. Additional studies added outcomes of relationship maintenance (Study 2) and persistence (Study 3). In all 3 studies, satisfaction, alternatives, and investments mediated the associations between anxiety and avoidance and relationship commitment. A direct effect of avoidance on commitment remained. The investment model variables mediated the effect of anxiety and avoidance on accommodation and willingness to sacrifice (Study 2) and relationship persistence (Study 3). Direct effects remained for avoidance on accommodation and anxiety on persistence. The mediated model was supported for men and women, proximal and long‐distance relationships, and college student and community samples.     

Loss of Financial Capacity in Alzheimer's Disease: The Role of Working Memory

Recent research has demonstrated that loss of financial capacity is a common consequence of Alzheimer's disease (AD). While progressive cognitive decline is a defining feature of AD, the relationship between such decline and loss of financial capacity in AD remains unclear. Working memory may be strongly associated with financial abilities, as many financial tasks require temporary storage and manipulation of numerical and other data. The present study examined the relationship between financial capacity and working memory in AD patients. Participants included 20 AD patients and 23 cognitively intact older controls. Working memory was conceptualized using Baddeley and colleagues' model, which posits that the three components of the working memory system are the visuospatial sketchpad, phonological loop, and central executive system. The present study examined only the latter two components of working memory. Each participant was administered the Financial Capacity Instrument (FCI), an instrument that directly assesses eight domains of financial activity, and the WAIS-III Working Memory subtests (Digit Span, Arithmetic, Letter–Number Sequencing). AD patients as a group performed significantly below controls on the FCI Total Score and on each of the eight FCI domains and working memory subtests. Within the AD group, measures of the central executive component of working memory (WAIS-III Digits Backward, Arithmetic, and Letter-Number Sequencing tests) showed strong correlations with the FCI domains of basic monetary skills, checkbook management, bank statement management, and bill payment and FCI total score, while a measure of the phonological loop component of working memory (WAIS-III Digits Forward) was not significantly correlated with any FCI domains or with the FCI total score. The results suggest that the multiple domains of financial capacity are primarily correlated with the central executive component of working memory.