Using Predictability for Lexical Segmentation

This study investigates a strategy based on predictability of consecutive sub‐lexical units in learning to segment a continuous speech stream into lexical units using computational modeling and simulations. Lexical segmentation is one of the early challenges during language acquisition, and it has been studied extensively through psycholinguistic experiments as well as computational methods. However, despite strong empirical evidence, the explicit use of predictability of basic sub‐lexical units in models of segmentation is underexplored. This paper presents an incremental computational model of lexical segmentation for exploring the usefulness of predictability for lexical segmentation. We show that the predictability cue is a strong cue for segmentation. Contrary to earlier reports in the literature, the strategy yields state‐of‐the‐art segmentation performance with an incremental computational model that uses only this particular cue in a cognitively plausible setting. The paper also reports an in‐depth analysis of the model, investigating the conditions affecting the usefulness of the strategy.     

Defining Compulsive Behavior

Neuropsychology Review - Compulsive tendencies are a central feature of problematic human behavior and thereby are of great interest to the scientific and clinical community. However, no consensus...     

Modeling of variables related to problematic social media usage: Social desirability tendency example

Social media usage has been popular for the last decade. Individuals use their social media environments for various reasons such as to socialize, play games, have fun and share posts. Overuse of these environments may lead to negative psychological and behavioral consequences for individuals. Additionally, it increases the worries about potential addicted/problematic use of social media. In this study, it is aimed to determine the level of problematic social media usage of participants who are active social media users and to analyze the relationships between problematic social media usage and various personal characteristics and social variables. Study in relational screening model is carried out with the participation of 580 volunteers. Partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling is used to analyze the data obtained through various scale according to the research model. The structural equation modeling analysis shows that there is a significant relationship between problematic social media usage and the daily time of social media usage, the use of frequency of social media for recognition, publicity, communication/interaction and education, loneliness, and social anxiety. The variable which shows higher correlation between problematic social media usage is social anxiety.     

An experimental examination of the effects of alcohol consumption and exposure to misleading postevent information on remembering a hypothetical rape scenario

We experimentally examined the effects of alcohol consumption and exposure to misleading postevent information on memory for a hypothetical interactive rape scenario. We used a 2 beverage (alcohol vs. tonic water) × 2 expectancy (told alcohol vs. told tonic) factorial design. Participants (N = 80) were randomly assigned to conditions. They consumed alcohol (mean blood alcohol content = 0.06%) or tonic water before engaging in the scenario. Alcohol expectancy was controlled by telling participants they were consuming alcohol or tonic water alone, irrespective of the actual beverage they were consuming. Approximately a week later, participants were exposed to a misleading postevent narrative and then recalled the scenario and took a recognition test. Participants who were told that they had consumed alcohol rather than tonic reported fewer correct details, but they were no more likely to report incorrect or misleading information. The confidence–accuracy relationship for control and misled items was similar across groups, and there was some evidence that metacognitive discrimination was better for participants who were told that they had consumed alcohol compared with those told they had tonic water. Implications for interviewing rape victims are discussed.     

Revelation effect in metamemory

Test items are more likely to be judged as previously studied if they need to be discovered before the recognition decision. In the present experiments, this revelation effect was extended to metamemory judgments. Participants studied word pairs and then tried to recall the second word of each pair when given the first word as a cue. In Experiment 1, a fragment of the target was either gradually increased in size or held constant, and in Experiment 2, sometimes an anagram of the cue was given instead of the cue itself. Thus, for some items, there was a revelation task before a recall attempt. If recall failed, the participants gave feeling-of-knowing (FOK) ratings. In both experiments, the participants gave higher FOK ratings after a revelation task, even though the items that these FOKs referred to remained unrecalled. Analyses showed a criterion shift but no differences in sensitivity.     

Fluency in L2: Read and Spontaneous Speech Pausing Patterns of Turkish,Swahili, Hausa and Arabic Speakers of English

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research - Language learners’ actual speech performances constitute an essential aspect of studies on second language learning and teaching. Although there is...     

A test of theory of planned behavior in type II diabetes adherence: The leading role of perceived behavioral control

Current Psychology - Diabetes mellitus is a health complication that millions of people suffer from all over the world. Type II (non-insulin dependent) diabetes requires many changes in the daily...     

Perception of homosexuality among Turkish university students: the roles of labels, gender, and prior contact

The author examined three questions: (a) What constitutes participants' causal attributions for the labels "gay," "lesbian," and "homosexual"?; (b) Do participants' attitudes vary by labels?; and (c) Do participants' attitudes vary with previous social contact with homosexuals? Participants were 334 university students (140 women, 194 men). Three labels--"gay," "lesbian," and "homosexual"--served as probes. The author investigated participants' attributions toward causes of homosexuality with Principal-Component Analysis (PCA) and obtained 4 components: disorder, problems, modeling or sensation seeking, and preference. The author found the most negative attitudes toward the label "gay." Finally, participants who had previous contact with homosexual people held more positive attitudes toward homosexuality than did the others. The author also obtained some gender differences. The author discussed the results in the light of the current literature.     

Dimensions of the Turkish version of the Psychological Empowerment Scale

The purpose of the present study was to examine the dimensions of Spreitzer's Psychological Empowerment Scale for Turkish-speaking people. The scale was tested with a group of undergraduate students in Turkey (N = 214; M age = 22.6 yr., SD = 1.5, range = 19-27). Cronbach coefficient alpha was .84. By using maximum likelihood analysis with oblique rotation, three factors emerged and were labeled Influence, Meaning, and Competence.