GLOBAL PROCESSING-TIME COEFFICIENTS CHARACTERIZE INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP DIFFERENCES IN COGNITIVE SPEED

Abstract— Forty participants performed seven different information processing tasks (choice reaction time, letter classification, visual search, abstract matching, line-length discrimination, mental rotation, and mental paper-folding) Slow (top quartile) and fast (bottom quartile) processors were selected based on their mean z scores Response times (RTs) of the slow and fast groups in the 21 conditions of the seven tasks were linear functions of the mean RTs of the entire group (both r²s = 99) In addition, individuals' RTs were well described by linear functions (median r²= 93) When tasks were ranked in order of complexity, the odd-even reliability of the ratio of an individual's RT to the average RT was 80, indicating that such ratios remain relatively stable across tasks Taken together, these findings indicate that the performance of an individual on diverse tasks can be predicted on the basis of a single processing-time coefficient Such coefficients may provide useful indices of the efficiency with which different individuals process information     

Effect on numerosity judgment of grouping of tones by auditory channels

Previous research suggests that numerosity judgments for sequences of tones improve when the sequence is structured such that equal and small groups of tones alternate between the ears. The present. study systematically investigates the effects of the structure of tone sequences on number judgment. Tone frequency is chosen as the grouping principle instead of spatial location. In the first experiment, sequences with equal groups of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 tones (groups alternating between 800 and 1, 250 Hz) were compared with monotonous sequences. At a slow repetition rate of the tones (280 msec onset to onset), grouping the sequence deteriorated the numerosity judgment. At II fast repetition rate of the tones (100 msec onset to onset) grouping improved numerosity judgment, but only if the group size did not exceed 4 to 5 tones. In the second experiment, the equality of group size in the sequence as a necessary condition for the improvement was investigated. It was found that tone sequences comprised of equal groups were judged more accurately in number than sequences comprised of unequal groups. These results seem to give support for the existence of an auditory subitizing process. The results of this study are also compared with the results of studies in which sequences of tones, alternating one by om! between locations or frequencies, had to be judged in number.     

Negotiating inclusion: Revealing the dynamic interplay between individual and group inclusion goals

We aim to improve our understanding of how perceptions of social inclusion come about, unfold over time, and relate to individual and group outcomes. To do so, we draw on the MARGINI model, which offers a novel theoretical account of inclusion by delineating that inclusion is the result of a dynamic interplay between the individual's motivation to be included in the group (individual inclusion goal) and the group's willingness to include the individual (group inclusion goal). In a longitudinal field study (3 waves) following project teams (n = 304, divided into 46 teams) working on an eight-week consultancy project, we found that individual and group inclusion goals (a) mutually influenced each other over time and (b) in conjunction determined group members' individual outcomes as well as overall group performance. Together, this research sheds new light on the dynamics and effects of inclusion on individuals and groups.     

PACHIQ-R: the Parent-Child Interaction Questionnaire--revised

The PACHIQ (Parent-Child Interaction Questionnaire) is designed to help clinicians and researchers assess how parents view relationship with their children (PACHIQ-Parent version), and how children evaluate their relationship with their parents (PACHIQ-Child version). The items in this questionnaire refer to both interpersonal behavior and feelings. Conceptually, the PACHIQ is based on learning theory and structural systems theory. The development of the PACHIQ was described by Lange, Blonk and Wiers (1998). The present article reports additional psychometric data obtained in the development and validation of a revised, shorter version of the questionnaire (PACHIQ-R). We present norm tables for families with children who are referred for psychological treatment, and norm tables for families in the normal Dutch population. The PACHIQ-R displays a two-factor structure with factors interpreted as Conflict Resolution and Acceptance. The parent version of the PACHIQ-R contains 21 items, the child version 25 items.     

The Impact of the Big Five Personality Traits on Reports of Child Behavior Problems by Different Informants

The present study compared ratings of a standardized sample of child behavior problems across informants and examined the effects of informant personality traits on child behavior ratings by mothers, teachers, and group-care workers. Participants were 55 clinic-referred children, aged 6–12 years. All informants watched and rated the same 17-min videotaped behavior sample of a familiar target child. Independent trained observers rated the same videotapes to provide criterion ratings. Informants personality traits were assessed using the NEO Five Factor Personality Inventory. Results showed that mothers reported fewer behavior problems than did the professionals, that the informants who were familiar with the child reported more behavior problems than did the independent observers, and that higher levels of informant neuroticism were related to higher ratings of child behavior problems in the case of the professionals, but not in the case of the mothers. In addition, group-care workers who were less extraverted and open were likely to report more child behavior problems than group-care workers with normal levels of extraversion and openness. Finally, no relations were found between agreeableness or conscientiousness and ratings of child behavior. Findings suggest that professionals who work with children are not immune to distortions based on their own personality.     

Linear separability in superordinate natural language concepts

Two experiments are reported in which linear separability was investigated in superordinate natural language concept pairs (e.g., toiletry-sewing gear). Representations of the exemplars of semantically related concept pairs were derived in two to five dimensions using multidimensional scaling (MDS) of similarities based on possession of the concept features. Next, category membership, obtained from an exemplar generation study (in Experiment 1) and from a forced-choice classification task (in Experiment 2) was predicted from the coordinates of the MDS representation using log linear analysis. The results showed that all natural kind concept pairs were perfectly linearly separable, whereas artifact concept pairs showed several violations. Clear linear separability of natural language concept pairs is in line with independent cue models. The violations in the artifact pairs, however, yield clear evidence against the independent cue models.     

The force of symmetry revisited: symmetry-to-noise ratios regulate (a)symmetry effects

Freyd and Tversky's [Am. J. Psychol. 97 (1984) 109] data suggested that human observers tend to overestimate relatively high levels of symmetry (symmetry effect), and tend to underestimate relatively low levels of symmetry (asymmetry effect). However, on the basis of their holographic approach to visual regularity, van der Helm and Leeuwenberg [Psychol. Rev. 103(3) (1996) 429] predicted that, at any level of symmetry, both symmetry and asymmetry effects may occur as a consequence of correct estimates of symmetry-to-noise ratios. This prediction was tested in two experiments, with tasks and stimuli similar to those in Freyd and Tversky's study. First, subjects had to judge whether a noisy symmetry is more similar to a slightly more symmetrical variant or to a slightly less symmetrical variant. Second, for every pair of stimuli in such a triadic comparison, subjects had to judge which stimulus is the more symmetrical one. The results from both experiments show that the occurrence of (a)symmetry effects indeed depends on symmetry-to-noise ratios.     

What response times tell of children's behavior on the balance scale task

Analysis of accuracy of responses to balance scale problems gives a global idea of the cognitive processes that underlie problem-solving behavior on this task. We show that response times (RTs) provide additional detailed information about the kind and duration of these processes. We derive predictions about the RTs from Siegler's (1981) model for the balance scale task, including the counterintuitive prediction that young adults are slower than children in solving particular balance scale problems. The predictions were tested in a study in which 191 6- to 22-year-old participants were presented with a computerized balance scale task. RTs were analyzed with regression models. In addition to qualitative differences between items, we also modeled quantitative differences between items in the regression models. Analyses supported the predictions and provided additional knowledge on the rules. Rule II was reformulated as a rule that always involves the encoding, but not always the correct application of the distance cue. RTs provided evidence for the use of a buggy-rule and not an addition-rule. Finally, a relation between rule inconsistency and increased RT was found.