Visual Marking of Locations and Feature Maps: Evidence from Within-dimension Defined Conjunctions

Recently, Watson and Humphreys (1997, 1998) proposed that the selection of new visual events can be aided by the top-down inhibition of old information-visual marking (VM) and that the mechanisms of marking differ for static and moving stimuli. Stationary stimuli are marked by location-based inhibition, whereas moving stimuli are marked by inhibition applied at the level of whole-feature maps. Here we provide a test of this 'two-mechanism' account. We show that static items can be marked even when old and new stimuli contain the same features and so cannot be distinguished by activation within a unique feature map. However, moving old items could not be marked unless they possessed a unique feature (colour). Manipulations of grouping strength, both within and between distractor sets, did not affect the basic findings. The results support the existence of two mechanisms for VM and counter an object-based inhibition explanation of performance.     

Predicting personality disorder traits with the Defense Style Questionnaire in a normal sample.

This research examined the efficacy of the 40-item Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40), measuring mature, neurotic and immature defense styles, to predict DSM-III-R personality disorders. The Coolidge Axis II Inventory, the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II, and the MMPI personality disorder scales were used to measure 11 personality disorders in a nonclinical sample. The results show that most personality disorders are positively associated with the highly maladaptive immature defense style, and negatively associated with the mature defense style. Multiple regression analyses reveal that the combined variance accounted for by the defense styles range from 12% to 42% on the CATI, 3% to 42% on the MCMI-II, and 2% to 32% on the MMPI-PD. However, specific personality disorders cannot be predicted with the defense styles on any measure.     

On The Dimensional and Hierarchical Structure of Affect

Green, Goldman, and Salovey (1993) challenged the view that "positive affect" and "negative affect" are largely uncorrelated dimensions. On the basis of factor analytic studies of happiness and sadness, and of positive and negative emotional activation (PA and NA), they claimed that a "largely bipolar structure of affect" (p. 1029) emerges when random and nonrandom error are taken into account. A reappraisal of their own findings and confirmatory analysis of additional data do not support this claim. Happiness and sadness form a largely unidimensional bipolar structure, but PA and NA are relatively independent. However, exploratory analyses yield a three-level hierarchy incorporating in one structure a general bipolar Happiness-Versus-Unhappiness dimension, the relatively independent PA and NA dimensions at the level below it, and discrete emotions at the base. We emphasize the heuristic value of a hierarchical perspective.     

A Cross-Cultural Comparison of the Brief Symptom Inventory

A cross-cultural study of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) was conducted with a sample of university students from India and Canada. The results indicated much higher rates of symptom reporting in the Indian sample. Canadian students also had higher reported symptom scales when compared to a similar size USA sample. A small sample of older respondents was also compared with a British sample. Examination of the structure of the BSI scale was investigated using a multidimensional scaling analysis. The Indian data had a somatization—paranoid ideation dimension and a psychoticism—interpersonal sensitivity dimension. With the Canadian sample, there was a hostility—phobic anxiety dimension along with a somatization—paranoid ideation dimension.     

Soft Libertarianism and Hard Compatibilism

In this paper I discuss two kinds of attempts to qualify incompatibilist and compatibilist conceptions of freedom to avoid what have been thought to be incredible commitments of these rival accounts. One attempt -- which I call soft libertarianism -- is represented by Robert Kane's work. It hopes to defend an incompatibilist conception of freedom without the apparently difficult metaphysical costs traditionally incurred by these views. On the other hand, in response to what I call the robot objection (that if compatibilism is true, human beings could be the products of design), some compatibilists are tempted to soften their position by placing restrictions on the origins of agency. I argue that both of these attempts are misguided. Hard libertarianism and hard compatibilism are the only theoretical options.     

The effects of prolonged exposure to phobic situations upon agoraphobic patients treated in groups

Nineteen female agoraphobic patients were treated by exposure to imaginal and real phobic stimulation in groups. There were three groups, including 7, 5 and 6 patients respectively, and each group received 9 hr of treatment spread over three sessions. The first two treatment hours of the first two sessions were arranged as a crossover design, patients being randomly allocated at the first session to imaginal or reality treatment for an hour followed by the other treatment for an hour, and receiving the treatments in reverse order at the second session. On both occasions there was a third hour of treatment after 1 hr unstructured group discussion over lunch. Psychological and behavioural measures were made before and after each part of treatment, and at follow-up 5 months after treatment.

Patients were significantly helped by this procedure. Practice sessions were associated with much more improvement than imaginal ones, and there was also an order effect, the first treatment received on each treatment day being more effective than the second. Group discussion over lunch did not improve the patient's phobias. The implications of these findings are discussed.     

Extraversion and reactions to cognitive inconsistency

Two studies are reported which test the hypothesis that extraverts are more tolerant of cognitive inconsistency than are introverts. The first study tested this prediction in the context of Heider's balance model. While degree of extraversion did not moderate reactions to imbalance, extraverts did show less aversion to interpersonal disagreement than introverts. When coupled with other recently published data this suggests that extraverts find arousing social situations less aversive than introverts. In support of the main hypothesis, the second experiment showed that extraverts changed their attitudes less than introverts as a result of writing an essay which was counter to their own attitude under conditions where they had high perceived freedom of choice.     

Defects of immediate memory in Broca's and conduction aphasia

It has been suggested that the repetition defect seen in conduction aphasia is caused by an auditory immediate memory defect. The purposes of this study were the following: to ascertain whether the finding of an auditory immediate memory defect in conduction aphasia could be replicated, to ascertain whether Broca's aphasics have a similar type of immediate memory defect, and to ascertain whether a relationship exists between immediate memory and comprehension of spoken language. Digits were either spoken or presented visually to Broca's and conduction aphasics. An analysis of span scores reveals that within each group there were no significant differences between the modes of presentation or the response modes. There were no significant differences between the aphasic groups. Comprehension of spoken language significantly correlated with digit span scores.     

First in,first out: Word learning age and spoken word frequency as predictors of word familiarity and word naming latency

This study is concerned with recent claims that subjective measures of word frequency are more suitable than are standard word frequency counts as indices of actual frequency of word encounter. A multiple regression study is reported, which shows that the major predictor of familiarity ratings is word learning age. Objective measures of spoken and written word frequency made independent contributions to the variance. It is concluded that rated familiarity is not an appropriate substitute for objective frequency measures. A multiple regression study of word naming latency is reported, and shows that rated word learning age is a better predictor of word naming latency than are spoken word frequency, written word frequency, rated familiarity, and other variables. Possible theoretical explanations for age-of-acquisition effects are discussed and it is concluded that early-learned words have a more complete representation in a phonological output lexicon. This conclusion is related to relevant developmental literature.