An animal model of the hyperactive-child syndrome suitable for the study of the effects of food additives

This report describes the use of an animal model for testing the relationship between the effects of ingesting food additives and hyperactivity. Telomian × beagle hybrid dogs were chosen as subjects because this breed has been observed to exhibit behavior seen as analogous to the hyperactivity of children. Two studies were conducted by adding or deleting butylated hydroxyanisole and Food, Drug, and Cosmetic red dye number 40 to the diet of each dog. A test of sitting was performed to measure the level of activity. While a relationship was not observed between the ingestion of the additive and the level of activity, several issues pertaining to the use of the animal model became apparent. These issues and the use of animals for future research in this area are discussed.     

A spectral-analysis tutorial with examples in FORTRAN

A procedure for performing spectral analysis using a digital computer is described. The relevant analysis parameters and their interaction are reviewed, and the underlying mathematical theory of the analysis is annotated with page references to a standard reference text. A computer program that implements the procedure is presented in a general form of FORTRAN. Examples of the spectra produced by a variety of input time histories are shown.     

Defense mechanisms in minority African-American and Hispanic youths: standardization and scale reliabilities

The Defense Mechanisms Inventory (DMI), which has been standardized for White populations and has been used frequently in a variety of personality and interpersonal interaction studies, was administered to 229 minority noncollege youths. Reliability and sex difference data are presented, and the pattern of defenses is compared to published patterns among the White population. Normative tables are presented as references for future DMI studies with minorities, with comparisons for archival data on 504 college students. Data analyses demonstrate the reliability of the DMI for minorities, with tendencies toward the internalizing polarity of the composite (object relations) measure. Evidence is also presented that the DMI is more salient for the minority population on the composite cluster, rather than for the specific defenses.     

Perceptual degradation due to signal alteration: implications for auditory pattern processing.

When a passage is alternately presented to the right and left ears over headphones, perceptual processing is disrupted under certain conditions: When the signal alternation rate is approximately 3-4 cps, intelligibility is greatly reduced. Experiment 1 demonstrated that contrary to previous theorizing, the effect is not mediated by the disruption of syllabic units. Experiment 2 explored the generality of the perceptual degradation by testing perception of simple piano melodies. The basic effect holds for these complex auditory patterns. The final experiment tested a source-effect explanation of the phenomenon by using 3 signal locations (right, middle, and left) rather than 2. The degree of disruption depends on the likelihood that sounds are assigned to different sources. Together, the experiments help to account for the strikingly selective breakdown in perceptual processing and speak to the issues of perceptual units, domain specificity, and auditory source assignment.     

A study of hyperlexia

Twelve children with early intense reading and superior word recognition skills coupled with disordered language and cognitive behavior are described. Cognitive, linguistic, and reading measures evidenced a generalized cognitive deficit in forming superordinate schemata which was not specific to visual or auditory modalities. Positive family histories for reading problems were present for 11 of the 12 children, suggesting a relationship between hyperlexia and dyslexia.     

The shifting salience of valence and instrumentality in the prediction of perceived effort,satisfaction and turnover

The role of valence and instrumentality was examined in predicting three work-related criteria in a military setting: satisfaction, perceived effort, and turnover. A total of 323 enlisted men responded to desirability and instrumentality scales for each of four categories of performance outcomes: extrinsic rewards, personal fulfillment, recognition, and autonomy. Multiple regression analyses indicated that the different outcome types varied substantially in their relationship to the criteria, ranging from strongly positive to no relationship to strongly negative. Furthermore, the salience of valences and instrumentalities changed as a function of the criterion being predicted in a manner not deducible from current expectancy-valence models. Several implications of the results were discussed in terms of assumptions underlying general expectancy-valence approaches to motivation.This research was supported in part by Grant DAHC19-77-G0017 to New York University (Samuel Shiflett, principal investigator) from the Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences. This work was conducted while the authors were members of the Army Research Institute. The interpretations and opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the Department of the Army or the Department of Defense. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support and assistance of John Turney at various stages of the project.     

Deviation from hierarchical structure in recall: Is there an “optimal” structure?

Past research has suggested that proportionally more superordinate than sub-ordinate propositions are recalled from expository texts, following a hierarchical analysis of the text structure. Since free recall has typically followed this hierarchical pattern, several researchers have assumed that the related memory structures are isomorphic to the text structure. However, few of these studies have examined how individual differences and text structure interact to affect free recall. In two experiments, the assumption of hierarchical patterns of children's recall of expository text was tested. In Experiment 1, high- and average-ability fourth graders (9 years old) were asked to read and recall a passage. Experiment 2 was a replication and extension of Experiment 1. In this experiment, fourth and sixth graders (9 and 11 years old) read and recalled a different passage. The combined results of both experiments support the notion that there is probably no one optimal hierarchical structure for storage and retrieval of expository text.     

Interpersonal touching and orality.

Sixty-five undergraduates were assigned to guide a blindfolded confederate through a floor maze. The frequency of touching the confederate's skin and the length of time required to complete the trip through the maze were recorded. Each subject was also given a self-administered Rorschach test; an independent count was made of the number of oral responses given. Orality was positively related to touching behavior (r=.39, p=.001) and with speed of guiding the confederate through the maze (r=.31, p=.01).     

The Creative Use of Poetry in the Counseling Process

Poetry is an effective, creative tool in counseling. This article enumerates the advantages of using poetry and poetic methods (e.g., such language makes use of a natural system of communication) and mentions techniques for incorporating either the poem as a whole or in part. Ways of creating poetic awareness in counseling are emphasized. Guidelines for when to use poetry in counseling are suggested along with cautions on the incorporation of this method.