Comparisons of the Shamans and Pseudoshamans of the Apaches of the Mescalero Indian Reservation: A Rorschach Study

Psychoanalytical oriented interviews and quantitative Rorschach findings were used to investigate personality structure of the Mescalero Indian Reservation Apache. From 250 Rorschachs, 72 protocols were divided into three groups: (1) a control group of 52 Apaches, 50 years and over; (2) 12 shamans, defined as native medicine men arrogating to themselves supernatural powers and accorded shamanistic status by their culture mates; and (3) 7 pseudoshamans, claiming to possess power but not believed by societal co-members or accorded the position of shaman but denying power-possession. The shamans possessed more hysterical features than the pseudoshamans, were mentally able to approach ambiguous material similarly to the control group, showed a high degree of reality testing potential, keener awareness of peculiarities, more theoretical interest, and the capacity to regress in the ego's service. The pseudoshamans possessed neither the prominent shaman characteristics nor hysterical features; they appeared to be impoverished personalities floating between the shaman and Apache norm groups.     

The Metamorphosis of Projective Methods

Early approaches to projective methods emphasized the use of unstructured materials as stimuli designed to elicit symbolic material within a psychoanalytic framework. Current theorizing concerning projective methods emphasizes the multi-level nature of test behavior and the unique role that projective methods play in the assessment armamentarium.     

Apparent reversals of a rotating mask: A new demonstration of cognition in perception

A mask of a face rotated about its vertical axis of symmetry can appear to oscillate rather than rotate. Do stimulus features (e.g., shape) or cognitive factors (e.g., differential familiarity with convex and concave views of faces) explain this new illusion? In Experiment 1, differential familiarity was varied across stimuli by using familiar and unfamiliar objects rotating at 4 rpm and within stimuli by showing the objects upright and inverted. True motion was seen more with unfamiliar objects than with familiar objects and more with an inverted mask than with an upright mask. The results of Experiment 2, which was done with static views, suggest that the upright and inverted masks present similar structure to the visual system. In Experiment 3, the objects were shown rotating at 8 rpm; the results are similar to those of Experiment 1. These experiments favor a differential familiarity account of this illusory motion. Cognitive constraints on perceived motion and perceived rigidity are discussed.     

The perception of scatterplots

Four experiments investigated the perception of correlations from scatterplots. All graphic properties, other than error variance, that have been shown to affect subjective but not objective correlation (r) were held constant. Participants in Experiment 1 ranked 21 scatterplots according to the magnitude of r. In Experiments 2 and 3, participants made yes/no judgments to indicate whether a scatterplot was high (signal) or low (noise). Values of r for signal and noise scatterplots varied across participants. Differences between correlations for signal and for noise scatterplots were constant in r in Experiment 2, and constant in r2 in Experiment 3. Standard deviations of the ranks in Experiment 1 and d' values in Experiments 2 and 3 showed that discriminability increased with the magnitude of r. In Experiment 4, faculty and graduate students in psychology and sociology made point estimates of r for single scatterplots. Estimates were negatively accelerated functions of objective correlation.     

Influences of sex composition,decision rule,and decision consequences in small group policy making

Previous research has indicated sex differences in style of interaction for members in small groups. It was assumed that some of these sex differences could be attributed to demand characteristics in relation to specific topics discussed by group members in earlier investigations. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relative importance of two such demand characteristics, decision rule (consensus rule vs. majority rule), and decision consequence (high vs. low consequences), in addition to the sex composition of the group membership. Adherence to the group decision was also studied. On a topic previously rated as important, 16 four-person groups of males and the same number of female groups met and deliberated on a decision regarding an academic policy. Later these undergraduate students indicated their preference on the decision topic. The results showed male—female differences not accounted for by decision rule, decision consequence, or group decision post-test change. Explanation of the sex differences was offered in terms of varying academic aspiration levels and incongruency with attained academic achievement. The results also lend partial support for the importance of some operating demand characteristics, as yet unidentified.     

Using technology to explore social networks and mechanisms underlying peer effects in classrooms

Peer interactions among children have long interested social scientists. Identifying causal peer effects is difficult, and a number of studies have used random assignment to produce evidence that peers affect each other's outcomes. This focus by sociologists and economists on whether peers affect each other has not been matched by direct evidence on how these effects operate. The authors argue that one reason for the small number of studies in sociology and economics on the mechanisms underlying peer effects is the difficulty of collecting data on microinteractions. They argue technology reduces data collection costs relative to direct observation and allows for realistic school activities with randomly assigned peers. The authors describe a novel strategy for collecting data on peer interactions and discuss how this approach might shed light on mechanisms underlying peer influence. The centerpiece of this strategy is the use of handheld computers by middle and high school students as part of interactive math and science lessons called the Discussion Game. The handhelds collect data on interactions between students and track how students' answers evolve as they interact with different peers.