The Effects of an Anti-Nuclear War Film on Attitudes toward Nuclear Issues

This study tested the effects of an anti-nuclear war film on students' attitudes toward nuclear issues. Twenty-six male and female Canadian undergraduates were shown the film “If You Love This Planet”; another 26 were shown a neutral film. Students shown the anti-nuclear war film showed more support for activism and protest against nuclear war. The study provided evidence that a film can influence activist attitudes toward nuclear issues and that such attitudes are based more on self-concern than on altruistic concern about one's country. The study also found that males tended to be more optimistic than females about the future of the human race and more willing than females to sacrifice themselves for their country.     

Thermopreferendum of the rat: inter- and intra-subject variabilities

The thermopreferendum of male hooded rats was studied in a temporal thermal gradient. The preferred ambient temperature was found to be approximately 19 degrees C. In addition to the thermopreferendum, three other physiological functions (resting body temperature, daily food intake, and daily ambulatory activity) were each measured in eight rats for 8 days. Overall variability of the thermopreferendum data was higher than that of body temperature and food intake data but lower than the variability of ambulatory activity data. Coefficients of inter- and intrasubject variabilities were computed for each of the four variables. Inter-subject variability was equivalent in all variables, but intrasubject variability was smaller for thermopreferendum and activity than for food intake and core temperature. The thermopreferendum of 19 degrees C is consistent with previously published results but inconsistent with the available data on the thermoneutral zone of the rat (27-28 degrees C). The cause of this inconsistency remains to be determined.     

Accuracy and precision of matching inspired lung volume

Institute of Environmental Stress, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106 Three questions were asked: How accurately can lung volumes be reproduced? Do the underlying sensory continua of inspired lung volume subscribe to Weber’s law? Are planned inspirations more accurately reproduced than constrained inspirations? The ability to match inspired lung volume was investigated utilizing the psychophysical method of average error. Fourteen subjects participated in two different conditions in order to answer these questions. The results indicated that inspired lung volumes were reproduced much more accurately than had been previously reported. The sensitivity of change for planned inspirations was identical to that of constrained inspirations (k = 018). However, the absolute threshold was significantly greater for the constrained group. The underlying sensory continua subscribed to a generalized version of Weber’s law. These results are discussed within the context of our present knowledge of receptor information of movement.     

A microcomputer-controlled complex reaction time instrument

An inexpensive microcomputer system that measures complex reaction time to a visual stimulus is described. This system can determine the rate of gain of information by utilizing a two-, four-, or eight-choice reaction time task encompassed within the same unit. The system turns on randomly chosen lights and monitors the time required for the subject to depress a corresponding switch. Information describing the stimulus and the subject’s response are printed on a Teletype after each response.     

Greek Cypriot attitudes toward Turkish Cypriots and Turkish immigrants

The authors examined the attitudes of 106 Greek Cypriots toward Turkish Cypriots and Turkish immigrants on Cyprus. The authors examined Greek Cypriot attitudes, willingness to cohabit with Turkish Cypriots and Turkish immigrants, and the reasons behind their attitudes in terms of their social-identity perceptions, victimization experiences, and human-rights concerns. A series of repeated measures analyses of variance showed that Greek Cypriots were more willing to cohabit with and had less negative attitudes toward Turkish Cypriots than they were with and toward Turkish immigrants. Women felt more victimized by Turkish Cypriots and Turkish immigrants than did men. Perceived differences in social identity predicted unwillingness to cohabit with Turkish Cypriots. Feelings of victimization predicted negative attitudes toward Turkish Cypriots. Differences in social identity and victimization experiences predicted unwillingness to cohabit with Turkish immigrants. Differences in social identity predicted negative attitudes toward Turkish immigrants. The authors discussed the findings in terms of support for realistic group conflict theories of attitudes and their implications for the coexistence of these ethnic groups in Cyprus and of other ethnic groups in multicultural societies.