Automatic sequential response priming and intentional response preparation in choice reaction tasks: Evidence from response repetition and response cuing

This study examined the interaction of response repetition and response cuing in a finger cuing task with a short and a long cue-stimulus interval (CSI). We observed shorter reaction times (RTs) with increasing CSI and a substantial response repetition benefit. However, this benefit was abolished at the long CSI, suggesting that response cuing neutralized the repetition effect. According to additive-factors logic, the observed interaction suggests that both repetition and cuing exert their influence on a common processing stage, which we identify as the response selection stage. We argue that cuing and repetition effects are expressions of distinct mental operations: cuing is based on intentional response code activation, whereas repetition is based on sequential, automatic response code priming. Cue-based intentional code activation starts slowly and increases with CSI, but sequential response priming is independent of CSI, explaining why cuing abolishes the response repetition benefit at the long CSI.     

Cheating on college examinations

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of contexts on cheating attitudes and behavior among Brazilian undergraduates. Participants were 77 Previous Choice Engineering and 70 Late Choice Engineering students. Previous Choice students enter the desired field chosen by examination, whereas Late Choice students' grades during the two first college years give them preference to choose the field. Their self-reported attitudes and behaviors were compared with those of 82 chemistry undergraduates from two universities (UNI-C and USP-C). The Late Choice students reported significant negative opinion about cheating, whereas Previous Choice students, especially women, reported significant favorable opinion. Furthermore, Previous Choice students reported colleagues more frequently gave them answers on examinations than Late Choice students. The two university groups in chemistry had intermediate scores. Deterrents of cheating strongly embedded in the student culture were found among Late Choice engineering undergraduates which may be explained by social learning theory.     

Estimation of the probability of fighting in fallow deer (Dama dama) during the rut

Fighting between males is a frequent component of the rutting behavior of Cervidae. Frequent conflicts are exhausting; fighting may be risky and can lead to serious injuries or even death. We focused on the process of assessment of the opponent's fighting ability and escalation of the combat, estimating the probability of fighting based on the encounter components such as groaning and parallel walk. In this study, we observed the agonistic behavior of fallow deer bucks (Dama dama) during the rut over four seasons. During this time, we recorded 205 encounters between bucks. Non-contact display, which allows contestants to assess their opponents fighting ability, occurred in 83% of the encounters. The highest predicted probability of a fight was found when both of the males vocalized and turned into the parallel walk. The chance of a clear outcome decreased when the males were fighting in comparison to when they did not fight. The initiator of the competitive encounter won 41% of the cases, while the attacked buck won 23% of the encounters. If the contestants avoided fighting, however, the initiator won 78% of encounters. Therefore, the initiator was more successful when no fight occurred compared to when the encounters escalated into fighting. In most cases where ritualized behavior occurred, one of the opponents left after vocalization or parallel walk occurred. Thus, vocalization and parallel walk increased the probability for a clear outcome. The probability of a fight was lowest in situations where the males displayed asymmetric behavior. Increased symmetry of the contestants' behavior was strongly correlated with a higher probability of a fight. Thus, these results indicate that fallow deer bucks use efficient tactic during the rut, which, in turn, minimizes the chance of injury while fighting during the breeding season.     

Latent timing in human conditioned avoidance

Four experiments explored signal timing in human conditioned avoidance. Participants received discrimination training with different duration signals that announced the outcome (S+) or not (S-). Temporal discrimination and superposition of performance to S+ signals of different length (3, 6, or 9 s) was found both in within-subjects (Experiment 1a) and between-subjects (Experiment 1b) designs. S- signals also produced a temporal discrimination and superposition effect during a single test trial conducted after the meaning of the signals was reversed through instructions. Experiments 2a and 2b replicated these results in a situation in which (a) the durations of the S+ and S- signals were different (4.5 or 9 s) to prevent any temporal generalization between them (Experiment 2a), and (b) only S- signals were presented during training, precluding developing of inhibition to S- (Experiment 2b). These results show that participants time both S+ and S- signals in human conditioned avoidance, and they further suggest that the timing of a cue is independent of reinforcement.     

Validation of the modified version of the Conflict Tactics Scale (M-CTS) in a Spanish population of youths

The modified version of the Conflict Tactics Scale (M-CTS), originally created by Straus in 1979, is one of the most extensively used instruments to detect violent verbal and physical behaviours in youths' and adolescents' dating relations. The aim of the present work was to analyze the psychometric properties of the instrument and to validate its adequacy in the Spanish population. The sample was made up of 5,355 Spanish youths from the Community of Madrid, ages between 16 and 26 years. By means of confirmatory factor analysis, four factors that were consistent with the theory and with previous research were identified: arguments, psychological/verbal aggression, slight physical aggression, and severe physical aggression. It is concluded that the scale assesses the presence of various types of aggression in youths' and adolescents' dating relationships with sufficient psychometric guarantees.     

Psychometric evaluation of the Coach Orientation Questionnaire with a Spanish sample of handball coaches

The purpose of this study was to develop a questionnaire to investigate volleyball coaches' orientations toward the coaching process. The study was preceded by four developmental stages in order to improve user understanding, validate the content, and refine the psychometric properties of the instrument. Participants for the reliability and validity study were 334 Spanish volleyball team coaches, 86.5% men and 13.2% women. The following 6 factors emerged from the exploratory factor analysis: team-work orientation, technological orientation, innovative orientation, dialogue orientation, directive orientation, and social climate orientation. Statistical results indicated that the instrument produced reliable and valid scores in all the obtained factors (a> .70), showing that this questionnaire is a useful tool to examine coaches' orientations towards coaching.     

Picture priming in normal aging and Alzheimer's disease

The present study investigated age invariance for naming pictures and whether implicit memory is spared in Alzheimer's disease (AD). During the study phase, young adults, AD patients, and older controls were shown outlines of familiar pictures. After a distracter task, implicit memory was assessed incidentally. The results showed similar visual priming for the three groups, although young adults responded faster than the two older groups. Moreover, the number of errors was smaller for studied than for non-studied pictures. This pattern of results was repeated across the three groups, although AD patients produced more errors than young adults and older controls, and there were no differences between these latter groups. These results confirmed previous visual and haptic findings showing unimpaired perceptual priming in normal aging and AD patients when implicit memory is assessed using identification tasks. These results are interpreted from a cognitive neuroscience perspective.     

Validation of the University of California,Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (version 3) in Spanish older population: An application of exploratory structural equation modelling

Loneliness is a subjective and unpleasant experience associated to a variety of physical and mental health problems. Older people face an elevated risk of loneliness. It is measured through self-reported questionnaires, among which the most widely used one is the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale. The latest version of this scale is called UCLA-3, and it has not been validated in Spanish elderly population. This article aims to present a validation study of the Spanish version of the UCLA-3 for its use with older people, by establishing its reliability and validity. Data were obtained from the second wave of a longitudinal research conducted with older adults attending Lifelong Learning programs. The sample consisted of 335 people aged 55 years old or older. Sociodemographic data were collected, and loneliness was measured with the UCLA-3 and the de Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale. Results have partially replicated a three factor structure already found in the literature in other populations. The present work provides relevant and innovative evidence, as this is the first time that the UCLA-3 was analysed using ESEM statistical approach in a Spanish elderly sample.     

Safety,sensitivity and differential support

Synthese - The paper argues against Sosa’s claim that sensitivity cannot be differentially supported over safety as the right requirement for knowledge. Its main contention is that, although...