Constraints on priming in spatial memory: Naturally learned versus experimentally learned environments

In four experiments, we explored constraints on priming in spatial memory. In Experiments 1 and 2, subjects who were familiar with the locations of buildings on the Vanderbilt campus participated in a recognition test. The subjects' task was to decide whether or not named buildings were on the campus. Foils in this recognition test were realistic but fictional names of buildings. In principle, the subjects could have performed this task without using spatial knowledge; in fact, they must not have used spatial knowledge, because there was no evidence of priming in recognition as a function of the spatial relations between buildings on the campus. This result differs from those obtained in earlier experiments that have examined memory of spatial layouts learned in laboratory settings. In Experiment 3, the fictional foils were replaced by names of buildings in an area of the campus separated geographically from the main campus. Evidently, this change induced subjects to retrieve spatial knowledge, because the spatial priming effect materialized. A fourth experiment replicated the above findings in a single experiment and demonstrated that spatial priming could be obtained when the configuration of buildings was learned experimentally. These results are explained by appealing to the "decontextualization" that takes place in memory over time.     

Remedies for discrimination: Race,sex and affirmative action

Discrimination, and its intended remedy in affirmative action, are often discussed as if they operate equivalently for all target groups. However, the specific nature of inter-group relations between racial groups and between gender groups leads to differences both in the experience of racism and sexism and in the requirements for affirmative action programs. This article describes some of the legal differences between race and sex as social constructs, and explores the implications for workplace policies designed to remedy racial and gender-based discrimination. Research results have shown that, among Whites, there is more support for preference toward women than toward ethnic and racial minorities. Such attitudinal differences both reflect the different nature of intergroup relations and point to the different needs for affirmative action policies toward each group.     

On Holisms: Insular, Inclusivist, and Postmodern

Nancey Murphy's offer to take us “beyond liberalism and fundamentalism” is an exciting one: Who wants to be caught in the clutches of a fruitless theological dispute? She argues that the key to our escape is “Anglo-American postmodernity.” I analyze what Murphy means by this term and why it may turn out to be a more precarious escape route than one might think. Holism or “post-foundationalism” is indeed inescapable for science/religion discussions today, but an inclusivist holism is preferable to Murphy's insular holism     

Contours of equal perceived amplitude and equal perceived frequency for electrocutaneous stimuli

Previous measurements of equal-sensation contours for electrocutaneous stimuli consisting of repeated bursts of biphasic pulses have shown that stimulus frequency has little effect on perceived amplitude, and that stimulus amplitude has no effect on perceived frequency. These earlier contours, however, were measured over a very restricted range of amplitude and frequency or for a single perceived amplitude or perceived frequency. Contours of equal perceived amplitude and equal perceived frequency were measured in the present study for stimuli covering most of the useable range of amplitudes and frequencies: 3–12 dB SL and 4–64 Hz. Eight naive subjects generated contours of equal perceived amplitude at four reference amplitudes via Békésy tracking, and 8 additional subjects generated contours of equal perceived frequency at three reference frequencies. The contours of equal perceived amplitude declined slightly but significantly with increases in stimulus frequency, consistent with previous results. The shape of the contours was also slightly dependent on the amplitude of the reference stimulus. Contours of equal perceived frequency were unaffected by stimulus amplitude on the average, but the contour shape did vary modestly, though erratically, with reference frequency.     

Philosophy of Science: What One Needs to Know

This introduction to the philosophy of science offers an overview of the major concepts and developments in contemporary theories of science. Strengths and weaknesses of deductive, inductive, and falsificationist models of science are considered. The "Received View" in the theory of science is contrasted with Kuhn's paradigms and Feyerabend's "anything goes," leading to an examination of the merits of a research program–based approach. After touching on the sociology of science, postmodernism, and the feminist critique, the article concludes with a summary, in six theses, of the implications for religion/science.     

Methodological problems with the use of the retroactive interference design to infer what is stored

The retroactive interference paradigm has been used in a variety of settings to investigate the nature of the representation of memory. Much of the research using this paradigm is methodologically flawed because it involves treatment comparisons which are inappropriate. It is argued that comparisons must be made between presentation conditions having the same interpolated activity and that, in addition, evidence is required that the differences are not confounded by acquisition level differences if one is to infer mode-specific interference and representation. The methodological issues are discussed in detail and the utility of the retroactive interference design is questioned. Studies employing the design are reviewed, and several conclusions are drawn: (1) there has been no unambiguous demonstration of visual mode-specific interference, (2) there has been no clear demonstration that imagery instructions produce memories that are more susceptible to visual than to auditory interpolation, and (3)no clear demonstrations are yet available that memory for spatial location is more susceptible to visual interference than memory for letters.     

Bounding of letter sequences and the integration of visually presented words

Ss wrote down letters that were presented briefly in various temporal and geometric arrangements. Results reveal marked impairment in processing more than one temporally extended word in parallel. The impairment cannot be attributed to spatial separation of letters by itself, to sequence, or to inability to discriminate the letters. The concept of ‘bounding’ is introduced to account for the perception of familiar words in a continuing flow of information; the results suggest that only one object can be bounded at a time. They also suggest that the information that guides the eyes' movements in reading is qualitatively different from the information extracted from the printed text.     

A dimensional approach to the circular ordering of the emotions

A circular ordering of eight primary emotional categories was derived from the postulated underlying dimensions of hedonic and autonomic arousal. The model was contrasted with other approaches in the literature and then compared with a similar model proposed by Plutchik (1980) in postdicting the pattern of results in several studies in the literature. The results of two empirical studies based upon the present model were then presented. It was concluded that sufficient empirical support and advantage, compared with other models, was found to warrant further research.     

The effectiveness of various treatment techniques on different degrees and durations of sleep-onset insomnia

Mild and moderate insomniacs were randomly assigned to one of five group therapy conditions: relaxation without muscle-tension, stimulus control plus relaxation without muscletension, placebo, self-monitoring, and waiting list. Mild insomniacs were differentiated according to the duration of their sleep disturbance. Insomniacs were told that improvement would not be noticeable until after the final therapy session. During this counterdemand period, the two relaxation groups showed significantly greater decreases in sleep onset latency than the control conditions. In addition, it appeared that duration affected treated outcome. The effectiveness of treatment packages and self-monitoring in alleviating insomnia is briefly discussed.