Category label and response location shifts in category learning

The category shift literature suggests that rule-based classification, an important form of explicit learning, is mediated by two separate learned associations: a stimulus-to-label association that associates stimuli and category labels, and a label-to-response association that associates category labels and responses. Three experiments investigate whether information–integration classification, an important form of implicit learning, is also mediated by two separate learned associations. Participants were trained on a rule-based or an information–integration categorization task and then the association between stimulus and category label, or between category label and response location was altered. For rule-based categories, and in line with previous research, breaking the association between stimulus and category label caused more interference than breaking the association between category label and response location. However, no differences in recovery rate emerged. For information–integration categories, breaking the association between stimulus and category label caused more interference and led to greater recovery than breaking the association between category label and response location. These results provide evidence that information–integration category learning is mediated by separate stimulus-to-label and label-to-response associations. Implications for the neurobiological basis of these two learned associations are discussed.     

Socializing Undergraduates to the MFT Field

In this article we outline the facilitation of a marriage and family therapy (MFT) course that introduces undergraduates to MFT theory, research, and professional development. We also examine students’ reports on the influence of the course relative to their development of graduate training aspirations and desired pursuit of MFT as a potential career. Additionally, students offered reflections about what most inspired their learning and attention towards MFT as a potential profession. Results indicate that the course aided students in career path discernment, preparation for MFT graduate program entrance, and socialization to develop future professional relationships with MFTs.     

Self–Observer Rating Discrepancies of Managers in Asia: A study of derailment characteristics and behaviors in Southern and Confucian Asia

Antecedents to self–observer rating discrepancies in multisource instruments have been established at the individual and organizational level. However, research examining cultural antecedents is limited, which is particularly relevant as multisource instruments gain popularity around the world. We investigated multisource ratings of 860 Asian managers from the regions of Southern Asia (n=261) and Confucian Asia (n=599) and analyzed cultural differences in self–observer rating discrepancies. Multivariate regression procedures revealed that the self–observer rating discrepancy was wider for managers from Southern Asia as compared with Confucian Asia. The reason for the discrepancy was driven by managers' self‐ratings being different across cultures than by observer ratings from managers' bosses, direct reports, or peers; the predictor is related to self‐ratings not observer ratings, producing differential self–observer ratings due to self‐ratings. We discuss cultural differences in self‐ and observer ratings within Asia and provide implications for the practice of multisource assessments.     

Not self-focused attention but negative beliefs affect poor social performance in social anxiety: An investigation of pathways in the social anxiety-social rejection relationship

Patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) not only fear negative evaluation but are indeed less likeable than people without SAD. Previous research shows social performance to mediate this social anxiety-social rejection relationship. This study studied two pathways hypothesized to lead to poor social performance in social anxiety: increased self-focused attention and negative beliefs. State social anxiety was experimentally manipulated in high and low-blushing-fearful individuals by letting half of the participants believe that they blushed intensely during a 5 min getting-acquainted interaction with two confederates. Participants rated their state social anxiety, self-focused attention, and level of negative beliefs. Two confederates and two video-observers rated subsequently likeability (i.e., social rejection) and social performance of the participants. In both groups, the social anxiety-social rejection relationship was present. Although state social anxiety was related to heightened self-focused attention and negative beliefs, only negative beliefs were associated with relatively poor social performance. In contrast to current SAD models, self-focused attention did not play a key-role in poor social performance but seemed to function as a by-product of state social anxiety. Beliefs of being negatively evaluated seem to elicit changes in behavioral repertoire resulting in a poor social performance and subsequent rejection.     

PROBLEM BEHAVIOR DURING PREFERENCE ASSESSMENTS: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS AND PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Preferences of 2 children with developmental disabilities, whose functional analyses indicated that their problem behavior was maintained by access to tangible items, were assessed using three formats (i.e., paired stimulus [PS], multiple‐stimulus without replacement [MSWO], and free operant [FO]). The experimenter administered each format five times and compared levels of problem behavior across formats in a multielement design. Both participants exhibited problem behavior in PS and MSWO formats but not in the FO format. Results are discussed in terms of recommendations for practitioners.     

An evaluation of the value of choice-making opportunities in single-operant arrangements: simple fixed- and progressive-ratio schedules

The current study compared the effects of choice and no-choice reinforcement conditions on the task responding of 3 children with autism across 2 single-operant paradigm reinforcer assessments. The first assessment employed simple fixed-ratio (FR) schedules; the second used progressive-ratio (PR) schedules. The latter assessment identified the differential strength of choice-making conditions in promoting task responding relative to no-choice conditions for 2 participants; no differential findings were obtained during the FR assessment.     

Relationship Between Job Characteristics and Attitudes: A Study of Temporary Employees

We examine the relationship between job characteristics and employee attitudes in the context of temporary employees who are assigned to work at the client organizations but are formally employed by a temporary agency. Based on the rationale provided by social exchange and social identity theories, we hypothesized that job characteristics would be related to job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intention in regard to both the client organization and the temporary agency. Results based on data collected from a large temporary agency supported all hypothesized relationships in regard to the client organization, and most hypothesized relationships in regard to the temporary agency. We discuss implications of these findings for research and the practice of managing temporary employee attitudes.     

Causal discounting in the presence of a stronger cue is due to bias

People use information about the covariation between a putative cause and an outcome to determine whether a causal relationship obtains. When there are two candidate causes and one is more strongly related to the effect than is the other, the influence of the second is underestimated. This phenomenon is called causal discounting. In two experiments, we adapted paradigms for studying causal learning in order to apply signal detection analysis to this phenomenon. We investigated whether the presence of a stronger alternative makes the task more difficult (indexed by differences in d′) or whether people change the standard by which they assess causality (measured by β). Our results indicate that the effect is due to bias.     

Directional learning,but no spatial mapping by rats performing a navigational task in an inverted orientation

Previous studies have identified neurons throughout the rat limbic system that fire as a function of the animal’s head direction (HD). This HD signal is particularly robust when rats locomote in the horizontal and vertical planes, but is severely attenuated when locomoting upside-down (Calton & Taube, 2005). Given the hypothesis that the HD signal represents an animal’s sense of directional heading, we evaluated whether rats could accurately navigate in an inverted (upside-down) orientation. The task required the animals to find an escape hole while locomoting inverted on a circular platform suspended from the ceiling. In Experiment 1, Long-Evans rats were trained to navigate to the escape hole by locomoting from either one or four start points. Interestingly, no animals from the 4-start point group reached criterion, even after 29 days of training. Animals in the 1-start point group reached criterion after about six training sessions. In Experiment 2, probe tests revealed that animals navigating from either 1- or 2-start points utilized distal visual landmarks for accurate orientation. However, subsequent probe tests revealed that their performance was markedly attenuated when navigating to the escape hole from a novel start point. This absence of flexibility while navigating upside-down was confirmed in Experiment 3 where we show that the rats do not learn to reach a place, but instead learn separate trajectories to the target hole(s). Based on these results we argue that inverted navigation primarily involves a simple directional strategy based on visual landmarks.