Semantic control of selective attention

Summary It is argued that at least three modes of information processing should be distinguished: (1) sensory preprocessing; (2) activation and inhibition of knowledge structures, which run parallel and are unlimited in terms of capacity; (3) activated knowledge structures are used to make behavioral decisions. Decision processes are assumed to be sequentially organized because at any moment only one unit of the activated knowledge can be taken into account. Selective attention mainly refers to the third mode of processing. In this paper, potential rules are investigated that may determine what part of the activated knowledge influences making decisions about behavior. An intuitively plausible speculation about a rule of this kind is that activated knowledge is taken into account in the order of its activation level. Certain phenomena in selective attention are related to the operation of the rule, and some data are presented that seem to favor the validity of the rule's operation in the processing of multi-element visual displays.     

Continuous information processing in conceptual identifications

Summary This investigation was aimed at the analysis of processes of the conceptual object identification. Three experiments were performed which utilized a response preparation paradigm developed by Miller (1982). The results confirm the psychological validity of a distinction between sensorily and categorially represented concepts proposed formerly by the authors. The process of identification of objects as belonging to sensory concepts was analysed in more detail. The experimental results suggest that it may be a sequential feature matching process which is characterized by continuous information processing. Early in the process the figurative features allowing an identification of an object as belonging to a more general sensory concept are processed. In following processing stages this first conceptual identification is more and more specified by an additional checking of more detailed figurative features. More importantly, the results indicate that the information about the general conceptual identity of an object is not only available early in the identification process but can also be used for the preparation of following processes or processing stages even before the object is fully identified. Possible influences of the early information on the control of the conceptual identification itself and on the selection and control of motor behavior are discussed.We wish to thank the following psychology students at the Humboldt University in Berlin for their help in performing the experiments: Kathrin Hänel, Erika Küchler and Christina Matthé. Furthermore, we wish to thank the two anaonymous reviewers and Johannes Engelkamp for their helpful comments on a first draft of our paper     

Ontogenetic differences in conditioning of an aversion to a gustatory CS with a peripheral US

Rats 5, 10, or 15 days postnatal were given six pairings of an infused sucrose solution and footshock. Conditioned aversion to the sucrose solution was confirmed for the 5- and 10-day-old pups, but no conditioning was evident for the 15-day-old pups (Experiments 1 and 1A). In Experiment 2 the ventral portion of the rat's body was insulated from the shock source in order to isolate its effect on the feet and minimize visceral consequences of the shock. The sucrose-shock conditioning occurred as before. These results may have implications for the postnatal development of cue-consequence specificity, suggesting that such specificity may in part be learned. The present results also raise the possibility that sources of discomfort may be relatively undifferentiated in the perinatal rat.     

Psychological correlates of sexual abuse in adolescent girls in chemical dependency treatment

A study involving 597 adolescent girls in treatment for substance abuse between 1984 and 1986 at nine inpatient facilities in five states reveals a strikingly high prevalence of sexual abuse victimization. Over one-third (35.2%) of the girls acknowledged such a history. In an additional 9.7% of the cases, the primary counselor reported such a history for the patient, although she had denied it, at least at intake. Within this multiproblem, highly stressed population, the sexual abuse victim appears to show slightly different and often more serious psychopathology: a greater incidence of suicidal ideation and attempts, symptoms of agitation, and a sense of shame.     

Finger width corrections in Fitts' law: implications for speed-accuracy research

This note points out that using the finger as a test probe in a Fitts task may lead to misleading results, because of the increased target tolerance resulting from the width of the finger pad. An experiment demonstrates the need to use a corrected target width when calculating the index of difficulty; without this correction, information processing rates are overestimated. An example is given of a developmental study in which the finger pad size changes with age. The resulting changes in the calculated rates of information processing are shown to be markedly different for the different age groups.     

Targeted Paced and Unpaced Movements in the Transverse and Sagittal Planes

Five experiments are reported related to control of arm movement in the sagittal and transverse planes when making paced and unpaced movements. A single group of 12 participants and the same equipment were used in the main experiments to allow comparisons across conditions. As well as the 2 different directions of movement, there were movements that were time-constrained (as in the W. D. A. Beggs &; C. I. Howarth, 1971, 1972a,b paradigm) and movements that were constrained by the ending tolerance (as in Fitts' paradigm). Results showed that, for movement times as high as 900 ms, the Schmidt and Beggs and Howarth models appeared to describe the time for movements that had time constraint. Fitts' law (P. M. Fitts, 1954 Fitts, P. M. (1954). The information capacity of the human motor system in controlling the amplitude of movement. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 47, 381–391.[Crossref], [PubMed] , [Google Scholar]; P. M. Fitts &; J. R. Peterson, 1964) applied to movements that were constrained by final accuracy. These results were independent of whether the target was in the aiming or stopping movement direction. A new interpretation of data for movements with time constraint is presented, based on the possible number of accuracy submovements available when near the target. This model suggests that the standard deviation of hits at the target is not dependent on the time spent in reaching the target region, but largely on the time remaining in order to produce final accuracy at the target.