A developmental study of decay rate in long-term memory

The decay rate of the long-term memory trace was studied in children and adolescents of different ages, for different degrees of learning, using visual material which was not easily verbalized and a recognition procedure which permitted the application of decision theory.Groups of children and adolescents were tested, the ages being 5–6, 7–8, 10–11, and 15–16 years. Each subject was shown 280 pictures in divided sessions. During the learning sessions, some pictures were shown only once; others, two or four times. All Ss were tested for successive retention sessions 2, 5, 10, 20 and 49 weeks after the last learning session. Different portions of the originally learned material, with new material interspersed, were used in each retention sessions.The results suggest that when degree of learning is controlled, the rate at which items are lost from memory is invariant across ages, even though recognition was better the older the children.     

Evidence for all-or-none preperceptual processing in perceptual set

“Set” is known to improve the accuracy of report of the stimulus attributes for which Ss are set to respond. The set may produce this effect by acting on either preperceptual or postperceptual processes, or both. To elucidate the manner by which set produces its effect, this paper explores the consequences of two assumptions concerning set (1) On any given trial, a S is either “set” or “not set”: (2) if “set” by the stimulus information. S’s perception of the stimulus actually improves, whereas, if “not set” by the stimulus reformation, the S’s report correctness is improved by an independent interaction of stimulus and set information on a response process. Evidence is provided for both these assumptions. In addition. It is argued that only set given before stimulation can affect a perceptual process.     

Being female and athletic: A cause for conflict?

This study examined the interrelationships among role conflict, gender role orientation, and female sport participation. One hundred six female high school athletes and nonathletes were administered the Personal Attributes Questionnaire and a role conflict inventory. Multivariate analyses revealed that athletes experienced significantly higher levels of role conflict than nonathletes, but a nonsignificant relationship was found between role conflict and gender role orientation. Role conflict was also unrelated to type of sport, although team athletes high in feminine orientation perceived higher role conflict than low feminine oriented athletes. Overall, levels of perceived and experienced role conflict were low. In sum, role conflict does not appear a major concern for adolescent female athletes nor was gender role orientation a factor related to conflict between the roles of female and athlete.     

DOMINANCE AND INEQUALITY IN X-RATED VIDEOCASSETTES

Feminists have been concerned about the debasement of women in sexually explicit material. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of domination and sexual inequality in x-rated videocassettes through a content analysis of 45 widely available x-rated videocassettes. The sample was randomly drawn from a list of 121 adult movie titles widely available in family videocassette rental stores in southern California. Over half of the explicitly sexual scenes were coded as predominantly concerned with domination or exploitation. Most of the domination and exploitation was directed by men toward women. Specific indicators of domination and sexual inequality, including physical violence, occurred frequently. The growth of the videocassette rental industry and the popularity of x-rated films, coupled with the messages these films convey, is a cause for concern.     

The influence of the minority on perception: A note on a possible alternative explanation

This research note raises some concerns about possible alternative explanations to studies using perceptual change as indicative of minority vs majority influence. Having failed to replicate the original study (S. Moscovici & B. Personnaz, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 1980, 16, 270–282), using the same and an alternate measuring procedure, inspection of additional data introduces the role of suspiciousness in explaining this and previous findings. An informal study adds further credence to this explanation.     

Spelling-sound effects in reading: Time-course and decision criteria

In these studies, we examined predictions of the time-course model of word recognition (Seidenberg, 1985b; Seidenberg, Waters, Barnes, & Tanenhaus, 1984). The model suggests that effects of irregular spelling or pronunciation should be specific to more slowly recognized words, such as lower frequency items, as shown in previous studies and replicated here. The model also explains why effects of irregular pronunciation are more robust in naming than in lexical decisions: Only the effects in lexical decisions depend on subjects’ response criteria. We show that these criteria are affected by the composition of the stimuli in an experiment (i.e., whether irregularly spelled words are present) and by pressure to respond quickly. In contrast to the dual-route model of word recognition, the time-course model accounts for these task differences without assuming that subjects strategically control access to phonology.