The Reality and Myth of Rape: Implications for theCriminal Justice System

This article sets out to evaluate the researchevidence for rape myths and the extent to which theyare causally related to rape proclivity; negativeattitudes towards rape victims; and the reporting ofsexual assault incidents to the police. In reviewingthis literature, we provide an evaluation of theimpact of this research on the criminal justice systemand possible future developments. We argue that thisresearch, while failing to provide conclusive evidenceof a causal relationship, has nevertheless played animportant part in shaping more sympathetic approachestowards rape victims in the criminal justice system.However, we also argue that the current research fallsshort of the level of proof required for it to beadmitted as evidence in criminal trials. We considera number of alternative uses including AmicusCuriae briefs, and the training of juries and judgesprior to hearing rape cases.     

Volume completion.

The visual system completes image fragments into larger regions when those fragments are taken to be the visible portions of an occluded object. Kellman and Shipley (1991) argued that this "amodal" completion is based on the way that the contours of image fragments "relate." Contours relate when their imaginary extensions intersect at an obtuse or right angle. However, it is shown here that contour relatability is neither necessary nor sufficient for completion to take place. Demonstrations that go beyond traditional examples of overlapping flat surfaces reveal that "mergeable" volumes, rather than relatable contours, are the critical elements in completion phenomena. A volume is defined as a 3-D enclosure. Typically, this refers to a surface plus the inside that it encloses. Two volumes are mergeable when their unbounded visible surfaces are relatable or the insides enclosed by those surfaces can completely merge. Two surfaces are relatable when their visible portions can be extended into occluded space along the trajectories defined by their respective curvatures so that they merge into a common surface. A volume-based account of amodal completion subsumes surface completion as a special case and explains examples that neither a contour- nor a surface-based account can explain.     

Effects and timing of developmental peer appraisals in self-managing work groups

This study used a repeated measures time-series design to examine the immediate and longer term impact of a structured, face-to-face developmental peer appraisal on 294 undergraduates in 44 self-managing work groups (SMWGs) and 217 MBA students in 36 SMWGs. Results revealed an immediate positive impact on perceptions of open communication, task motivation, social loafing, group viability, cohesion, and satisfaction. Also, the effects of the peer appraisal were not dependent on the perceived ratio of positive to negative feedback, and the enduring impact of the appraisal was influenced by its timing relative to task deadline. Overall, results emphasized that peer appraisals can have a positive effect on relationships and task focus, are influenced by temporal context, and have great potential for work teams.     

The Buros Institute of Mental Measurements: Commitment to the Tradition of Excellence

This article reviews briefly the history of the Buros Institute of Mental Measurements and then provides an overview of the expanded mission of the Buros Institute. The origins of the Mental Measurements Yearbook series are highlighted, along with discussions of goals and the evolving structure of the Yearbook series. In addition, the bibliographic reference series, Tests in Print, and the specialized monograph series are placed in historic perspective. Goals of the “new” Buros Institute of Mental Measurements, located at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln, are also presented.     

Why anamorphoses look as they do: an experimental study

The aim of this research was to understand why anamorphic images break up until they are unrecognizable when the observer's eye moves away from the regularization point. An experimental device was set up allowing the anamorphic deformation of images, consisting of a rotating screen on which figures were projected. The point from which subjects observed the screen was far from the projecting point. The projected figures lengthened equally when the screen rotated either clockwise or counterclockwise. On the other hand, the perceptual result was the opposite: in the former case, a rigid figure was seen rotating around its own vertical axis; in the latter case, the same figure was seen elongating or shortening in a non-rigid manner, without rotating. Since we were in a projective condition, the invariance of the cross-ratio was maintained. Therefore, we were in a situation of non-rigidity, in spite of the invariance of the cross-ratio. Three stimuli, white on a black background, were used in experiment 1. They were a segment, three aligned points, and four aligned points. Subjects had to rotate the screen at will and stop it at the point when they saw the transformation of movement from rigid rotation to non-rigid elongation. The results showed that: (i) in spite of being a projective invariant, the cross-ratio is not always a perceptual invariant too; (ii) the threshold screen position between the two motions was located at the position where the modifications of the solid angle subtended to the stimulus assumed a different trend from that of a sinusoid. Two stimuli were used in experiment 2: a continuous segment and one intersected by four vertical lines. The aim was the same as for experiment 1, but subjects had to repeat it from five different points of observation. The results showed that: (1) there was no significant difference depending on type of stimulus, indicating that the computability of the cross-ratio is not a necessary condition for the execution of the task; (2) the more the observer moved away from the projection axis, the more evident the distortion of the stimulus appeared, in accordance with what happens when observing an anamorphosis; (3) when the metamorphosis from rigid motion to elastic motion was seen the visual angle subtended to the stimulus was constant for all distances from the projection axis, in accordance with the hypothesis of rigidity.     

Psychology of computer use: XXIV. Computer-related stress among technical college students.

Hudiburg's Computer Technology Hassles Scale, along with a measure of global stress and a scale on attitudes toward computers, were administered to 186 students in a two-year technical college. Hudiburg's work with the hassles scale as a measure of "technostress" was affirmed. Moderate, but statistically significant, correlations among the three scales are reported. No relationship between the hassles scale and achievement as measured by GPA was detected.     

Speech-related body movement in aphasia: period analysis of upper arms and head movement.

The effects of aphasia on coverbal body movement have important implications for the understanding of both normal and pathological speech processes. The related findings were often inconsistent, partly due to inherent methodological difficulties which could be reduced by the use of advanced techniques of movement monitoring (Hadar, 1991). The present study employed a new computerized system, CODA-3, which locates small prismatic markers and computes by triangulation their three-dimensional position at 100 Hz. Movement of the head and the upper arms was monitored in 15 aphasic and normal subjects engaged in speech during a naturalistic interview. Movement analysis was based on automatized identification of successive movement extrema ("period analysis") and the computation of amplitude, duration, and velocity of each period. The results showed higher incidence and amplitude of all body movement in the aphasic population. Fluent aphasics showed this particularly with "symbolic," content-bearing movements, while nonfluent aphasics were higher than controls in both symbolic and "motor" (simple and small) movements. No deficit in the internal organization of movement was seen in the aphasic population. These results indicate that aphasics increase their coverbal movement in compensation for their speech impairment: fluent aphasics compensate primarily for a symbolic impairment, while nonfluent aphasics compensate more for a motor impairment.