A comparison of type II operating characteristics derived from confidence ratings and from latencies

On each of a series of trials, S judged two stimuli to be the same or different. S then made a confidence rating of his judgment. The difficulty of discrimination and feedback of response information (latency and correctness) were manipulated. Feedback had no effect. Latencies conditional on confidence rating decreased with increasing confidence and remained relatively constant with changes in discrimination difficulty. Type II operating characteristics were derived from latencies and from confidence ratings; both appropriately reflected differences in task difficulty.     

Visual information processing of sequentially presented inputs: III. Further effects of list length and interstimulus interval values on sub-span storage and retrieval mechanisms

Two experiments were carried out, employing a computer-based cathode-ray tube display system, to study further the effects of sub-span Hst length, i.e., two, three, four, and five decimal digits, and relatively small interstimulus interval (ISI) values, i.e., 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100 msec, on visual information processing, storage, and retrieval mechanisms. The results of the first experiment confirmed the compttcated intenctions found in two earlier studies between Hst length and ISI values, but with much smaller ISI values than employed preriousfy. The results of the second experiment, in which unequal ISI values were employed within the same length input string, showed little effect resulting from this parameter, but it was suggested that a wider distribution of different ISI values within the same length input string would produce very strong effects.     

The semiautomatic Wisconsin general test apparatus

A semiautomatic version of the Wisconsin General Test Apparatus is described along with circuitry. Comparison data are provided for the semiautomatic and manual WGTA obtained under comparable procedures and conditions. Response latencies are given for go/no-go object discrimination problems and subsequent retention tests.     

Book reviews

Encyclopaedia of Linguistics, Information and Control. Edited by A. R. Meetham with the assistance of R. A. Hudson. Oxford: Pergamon Press. 1969. Pp. xiv + 718. 300s.

The Biological Basis of Personality. By H. J. Eysenck. Springfield: Thomas. 1968. Pp. xv + 399. $18.50.

Scientific Basis of Dvug Dependence. Biological Council Symposium. Edited by H. Steinberg. London: Churchill. 1969. Pp. 429. 100s.

Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology, Vol. 2. Edited by John P. Hill. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 1969. Pp. viii + 172.

Memory and Attention: an introduction to human information processes. By Donald A. Norman. Chichester, Sussex: John Wiley. 1969. Pp. ix + 201. 84s. (cloth); 44s. (paper). Verbal Learning and Memory: selected readings. By Leo Postman and Geoffrey Keppel. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. 1969. Pp. 501. 12s.

Handbuch der Kinderheilkunde. Edited by H. Opitz and F. Schmidt. Rand VIII/I: Neurologie-Psychologic-Psychiatrie. Redigiert von F. Schmidt und H. Asperger. Berlin: Springer Verlag. Pp. 1060. Price DM385, S96.25.

Digital Computing. By R. S. Lehman and D. E. Bailey. London: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 1969. Pp. xxiv + 303. 79s.

Real-Time Computers. By W. R. Uttal. New York: Harper & Row. 1968. Pp. xiv + 338. 93s.