Illusory contours and stereo depth

A theory for illusory contours, which fill gaps in certain figures, is proposed and subjected to an experimental test. We suggest that nearer masking objects are perceptually postulated to “account” for gaps when these are unlikely. The experiment shows that when stereoscopic depth information incompatible with this “perceptual hypothesis” is presented, the illusory contours are reduced in intensity or disappear.     

On spurious allusions

The criticisms of Walker’ theory by MacLeod, Virsu, and Carpenter are shown to stem from a too simple reading of the text of the theory, a failure to investigate fully the references cited to support their position, and an effort to bolster the theory of lateral inhibition in orientation detectors. The criticisms are shown to misrepresent the experimental data of various reports. Walker’s physiological premises are shown to be sound, and the cases of “contrary evidence” are shown infact to be in agreement with the theory. Lateral inhibition in orientation detectors as an explanation of optical illusions is shown to fail completely to agree with experimental results.     

Effects of peer tutoring and consequences on the math performance of elementary classroom students

The effects of unstructured peer-tutoring procedures on the math performance of fourth- and fifth-grade students were investigated. Students' performances in two daily math sessions, during which they worked problems of the same type and difficulty, were compared. When students tutored each other over the same math problems as they subsequently worked, higher accuracies and rates of performance were associated with the tutored math sessions. The use of consequences for accurate performance seemed to enhance the effects of tutoring on accuracy. The results from an independent-study control condition, which was the same peer-tutoring except that students did not interact with each other, suggested that interactions between students during the tutoring procedure were, in part, responsible for improved accuracy and rate of performance. When students tutored each other over different but related problems to those that they were subsequently asked to solve, accuracies and rates during tutored math sessions were also higher, suggesting the development of generalized skills in solving particular types of math problems.     

Personality of College Under-Achievers Who Improve with Group Psychotherapy

The 16 PF and a rating scale were given to a group of college underachievers and the following subgroups emerged: 38 test responders (TR) who were not interested in group therapy, an experimental (E) group containing 19 subjects who received group therapy, and a control (C) group containing 13 subjects who were interested in but did not receive group therapy. After an interval of about 17 weeks, and following the termination of group therapy for the E group, data on academic improvement were obtained. The results indicate: (a) significantly greater academic improvement in the E group than in the C group; (b) higher correlations between certain adaptive or “healthy” personality variables and academic improvement in the E group than in the TR and C groups.     

Use of mental health services among severely emotionally disturbed children and adolescents in San Francisco

This study examined the mental health services available to severely emotionally disturbed children and adolescents in San Francisco. Social, familial, developmental, and clinical data—as well as service use histories—on 192 youths were collected. Results indicated high levels of family dysfunction, physical and sexual abuse, and neglect in the total study population. The study also identified case history and demographic factors that were associated with repeated psychiatric inpatient hospitalizationand high annual rates of change in residential placement. These factors included being male, older, non-English-speaking, and having a history of physical and sexual abuse. The impact of the service system on the lives and course of illness of these youth is discussed and future directions for research are suggested.     

When Courtesy Fails: Gender Roles and Polite Behaviors1

In order to explore some of the links between gender roles and traditional courteous behaviors, 284 university students responded to a questionnaire in which they evaluated scenarios of cross-sex courteous acts, described their recent experiences with courtesy, and identified courteous behaviors that they commonly performed for and expected from others. As predicted, there was a tendency for courtesies from a woman to a man to be viewed less favorably than courtesies from a man to a woman. Most subjects had directed their most recent act of courtesy toward a female and had received their most recent act from a person of the opposite sex. Some common courtesies tended to be directed toward females more than males, and males were expected to perform certain courtesies such as opening doors and paying for things for women. In general, the results confirmed the theory that courteous behaviors may serve to perpetuate gender role stereotypes and to regulate interactions between the sexes. However, most courteous behaviors were performed and appreciated by people of both genders.     

Morningness versus eveningness arousal patterns in young adults.

The preference for morning versus evening time for activities requiring alertness was investigated. Responses from 9 individuals categorized as "owls" and 7 classed as "larks" based on their scores on the Morningness Versus Eveningness Questionnaire were compared to a group of 11 classified as "neither" on measures of sleep attitude and personality factors of arousal. No statistically significant differences were found; however, an item analysis yielded a statistically significant difference among the groups' responses on questions involving personal choices of sleep/wake schedules. This distinguishing aspect between the groups denotes the utility of subjective measures of preference. Our findings complement those from other subjective and experimental studies of "owls" and "larks" and add the important dimension of inquiring about personal preferences of subjects.