Sex differences in impulsivity and intellectual ability

Literature on sex differences in impulsivity has tended to focus on differences between groups, while ignoring relationships beyond zero order correlations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate Maccoby's hypothesis (1966) of opposite-direction correlations where the relationship between a set of variables (e.g., impulsivity and intellectual ability) is curvilinear, with males and females being systematically distributed on opposite sides of the curve. The Primary Mental Abilities (PMA) and Matching Familiar Figures tests were administered to 44 males and 49 females. The relationship between all of the PMA subtests and impulsivity was curvilinear for males, but linear for females on all but one of the subtests. The importance and implications of examining distribution differences rather than group differences are discussed.Support for this study has come from the Office of Research Administration, University of Kansas, Grant Number 3581-5038. This paper was presented in part at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Chicago, August 1975, Division 7.     

Comment on internal feedback as a theory of judgment: a reply to Levin

Levin's suggestion that internal feedback strategies be employed in judgmental and learning tasks is discussed. The predictions of an internal feedback notion are seen as inconsistent with Veit's ratio and difference task data. Scale-free frameworks and scale-convergence criteria used in previous research are described as useful techniques for separating integration from judgmental processes in information-integration as well as learning-task situations.     

The effects of individual differences in test anxiety and type of orienting task on levels of organization in free recall

In Experiment 1, high and low test-anxious subjects recalled a list composed of words that could be organized either by taxonomic categories or first letters. High-anxiety subjects showed less recall and conceptual clustering. There was no anxiety difference in alphabetic clustering, but low-anxiety subjects used alphabetic clusters to bridge transitions between conceptual categories more often than did high-anxiety subjects. An initial orienting task which required semantic processing reduced the recall deficit for high-anxiety subjects but not the clustering deficit. Low-anxiety subjects seemed minimally affected by a nonsemantic-orienting task. Experiment 2 used a list that could be organized by associates or rhymes. High-anxiety subjects recalled less and exhibited less clustering of both types. The nonsemantic-orienting task depressed performance for both anxiety levels, though the effect was somewhat greater for high-anxiety subjects. Overall, these results provide little evidence to support the hypothesis that high-anxiety subjects process differently only for semantic content, but methodological limitations preclude unequivocally rejecting that view.     

Visual field differences in verbal tasks: Effects of task familiarity and sex of subject

Four experiments using normal subjects investigated differences in magnitude of the right visual field (RVF) superiority as a function of word material (frequency and concreteness/imageability status), nonword letter strings (some of which were homophonic with nonpresented real words), and type of task (overt naming or lexical decision with discriminatory manual responses) as well as sex of the subject and the subject's familiarity with the material. Both latency and error measures showed that RVF superiority was more consistent when overt naming was required and with male subjects. For female subjects engaged in lexical decisions, a left visual field (LVF) superiority was often apparent, especially in the first half of an experimental sequence; when actually naming the items aloud, they showed field asymmetries similar to males. Except from an analysis of errors, there was little evidence to support differential right hemisphere mediation of high frequency concrete/imageable materials. It is suggested that in females, right hemisphere space normally reserved for visuospatial processing may have been invaded by secondary speech mechanisms. These mechanisms appear to operate at an essentially lexical level and may act in a supportive or auxiliary capacity for difficult or unfamiliar material; they seem to be equally concerned with both phonological and graphological processing and may account for the well-known female superiority in verbal tasks and inferiority in visuospatial tasks. Other findings are discussed such as the degree of consistency of the field differences, both for the same subjects and for the same stimulus materials under different task requirements and experimental conditions.     

Field articulation and working memory

This experiment assessed the proposal that performance differences associated with field independence/field articulation reflect differential efficiency in the use of a limited capacity information-processing system termed working memory. Extreme scores on a group-administered version of the embedded figures test were used to identify subjects “high” and “low” in degree of field articulation. The task required that a subject retain a series of digits for subsequent report while performing a semantic modification of a target phrase. Concurrent information load on working memory was varied in two ways: by increasing memory load from 3 to 6 digits, and by increasing the complexity of the semantic processing required. In low information load conditions no differences were found between high FA and low FA groups. In high information load conditions low FA subjects made more errors in digit recall and took longer to perform the difficult semantic modification.     

Factors affecting judgements of how much another likes us: A signal detection approach

Investigated the effects of subjects' self-concept and the attractiveness of the other on subjects' estimates of how much the other liked them. The use of a signal detection paradigm allowed the measurement of both the criteria and discriminability of subjects' decisions. Eighty mule and 80 female subjects participated in a computer match where they received either somewhat positive or somewhat negative feedback from their match. Besides sex and type of feedback, the factorial design included dating self-concept (high vs. low) and other-attractiveness (high vs. low). Results indicate that high dating self-concept subjects had a lower criterion than low dating self-concept subjects for saying that another liked them (p < .0l), and that the former group was superior to the latter at discriminating between the two types of feedback (p < .03). Also, males were more willing to say that the attractive match liked them than that the unattractive match liked them, while among females the direction of these differences reversed (p < .03). fie results were explained in terms of differential attention to pay-off matrices and prior odds.     

Preparing Individuals for job Interviews: Suggestions From More Than 60 Years of Research

After a review of the existing literature on employment interviews, the findings are organized into a four-phase model for implementing training programs that prepare clients to interview more effectively. The four phases include developing realistic expectations, developing successful interviewing skills, using effective training procedures, and preparing clients to cope with rejection shock. The importance of active preparation for job interviews and the counselor's potential role in this process are emphasized.     

PLE: A high-level multiprogramming language for psychology

This paper describes a software system called PLE that is designed to turn a Data General Corporation computer system into a sophisticated infinite-channel tachistoscope. We describe hardware and software characteristics of the PLE system and evaluate its performance in comparison to a typical tachistoscope. Additionally, we describe two example experiments that have been implemented in the PLE system.     

Interfacing the microcomputer: A component-level approach

A method is described for interfacing relatively inexpensive component- and chip-level devices to a standard Intel microcomputer board for providing an on-line physological monitoring system. The system demonstrates basic interfacing techniques and a highly simplified approach for integrating various state-of-the-art peripheral circuit components to a standard microcomputer configuration.     

A technique for converting from intravenous drug self-administration to liquid reinforcement

A rapid inexpensive technique for changing from intravenous drug self-administration (DSA) to liquid reinforcement is described. Utilizing a standard peristaltic-type infusion pump typically used in DSA experiments and a specially designed drinking cup, the changeover from intravenous DSA to liquid reinforcement can be accomplished in a few minutes at a cost of less than $10.