Information processing in imagination using nonverbalizable visual stimuli

In groups of 20 to 25, 146 undergraduates were tested as to their ability to mentally combine two shapes. They were to pick the correct choice from 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, or 15 alternatives. The shapes were previously proven to be effectively unverbalizable but recognizable and discriminable. Contrary to expectation, there was no negative decrement in performance with increasing numbers of incorrect alternatives.     

Intrahemispheric visual-motor information processing and cerebral functional lateralization.

A series of stimuli, words and faces, were presented tachistoscopically to 24 dextrals and 12 sinistrals. The stimuli were presented to one eye at a time and the subjects were instructed to respond to specific words or stimuli with a specific hand. The results indicate that (1) cerebral functional asymmetry is related to handedness; in the dextrals, the left hemisphere is more specialized in verbal recognition, while in the sinistrals, the right hemisphere is more specialized in recognizing non-verbal material. (2) An ipsilateral hand-and-eye combination is a valid method of measuring intrahemispheric information processing, provided that the tachistoscopically presented visual stimuli are capable of inciting specialized hemispheric function. The dominant relationship among the crossed and non-crossed visual pathways is discussed.     

Specificity and differences in three methods of assessing trainable mental retardates' reaction time

The purposes of this study were to determine the specificity and differences in reaction time that exist among three manual methods of measurement. This dependent variable was measured from onset of a light stimulus until activation of a microswitch by one of the following methods: depressing or releasing a panel-mounted button or depressing a hand-held button. A rotational order of testing was implemented with 35 trainable mentally retarded subjects. Data indicated marked specificity among the three methods; reaction times were significantly faster with the depressed and hand-held methods than with the released method.     

Communication patterns in pedodontics.

This investigation examined communication patterns between 16 randomly selected senior dental students and their child patients. Interactions were videotaped during a regular treatment appointment and analyzed according to four Practitioner Communication categories and four Child Cooperation categories. Communication categories included Directive Guidance Behavior, Permissive Behavior, Coercive Behavior, and Other Behavior. Child behavior categories included Cooperation, Resistance, Noncooperation, and Other. The probability that a given category of child's behavior would follow a given category of practitioner's behavior was calculated. Results indicated a .85 probability that Directive Guidance would be followed by Cooperation; a .67 probability that Permissiveness would lead to Noncooperation; and a .97 likelihood that Coerciveness would lead to either Noncooperation or Resistance. Practitioners' confidence was also considered; less confident operators account for 95% of the Coercive behaviors, 86% of Permissive behaviors and 87% of Uncooperative behaviors.     

THE DEVELOPMENT OF BEHAVIORAL OBSERVATION SCALES FOR APPRAISING THE PERFORMANCE OF FOREMEN

Behavioral observation scales (BOS) were developed for first line foremen. BOS are similar to behavioral expectation scales (BES) in that both are based on a job analysis procedure known as the critical incident technique. However, the BOS differ from BES in that, in developing BOS, (a) a group of individuals is observed and rated on a five-point scale as to the frequency with which they engage in the behavior described by each incident/statement, (b) a total score for each individual is determined by summing the observer's responses for each behavioral item, and (c) an item analysis (or factor analysis, depending upon the sample size) is conducted to select the most discriminating items. Those items with the highest correlations with the total score on a scale are retained to form one behavioral criterion or scale (BOS).     

Intraclass correlations: uses in assessing rater reliability

Reliability coefficients often take the form of intraclass correlation coefficients. In this article, guidelines are given for choosing among six different forms of the intraclass correlation for reliability studies in which n target are rated by k judges. Relevant to the choice of the coefficient are the appropriate statistical model for the reliability and the application to be made of the reliability results. Confidence intervals for each of the forms are reviewed.     

A truth-conditional formulation of Karttunen's account of presupposition

Karttunen's seminal 1973 article Presuppositions of compound sentences, lays the groundwork for the elegant and fruitful theory of this subject which he subsequently presented in (1974). In (1973, pp. 185–8), however, he fallaciously argued that the regularities he discovered concerning the behavior of and, or, and if ... then in English cannot be embodied in any three-valued logic giving a truth-functional interpretation to these connectives. The present paper refutes Karttunen's argument by exhibiting an interpretation with the desired properties, and shows further how the full articulation of his 1974 system can be developed naturally within a truth-conditional semantics for English if bivalence is abandoned — contrary to what Karttunen expected.