Speech production: Evidence for syntactically and phonologically determined units

The durational accuracy with which subjects can speak syntactically structured strings of words was compared with their accuracy in speaking word lists. These measurements underscored the great temporal precision of the human articulatory mechanism which appears to be the most precisely controlled movement system of the human body. Evidence is presented that when a syntactically structured message is being spoken, the centrally programmed innervational units involved in its articulatory implementation are greater in size and complexity than when a word list is being spoken.

     

Interpreting inconsistent response patterns: A reaction to William's estimate of “true hypothesis behavior”

Williams (1974) has proposed a model that attempts to estimate true hypothesis behavior from inconsistent response patterns during sets of blank trials. This model includes an assumption of random responding during such blank-trial sets. Several kinds of data, however, suggest that inconsistent response patterns are produced by systematic processes. These patterns, therefore, may not contribute to a simple estimate of true hypothesis behavior.     

Effects of set, setting, and sedatives, on reaction time.

The effects of sessions, individual characteristics, group behavior, sedative medications, and pharmacological anticipation, on simple visual and auditory reaction time were evaluated with a randomized block design. The project involved 4 separate small groups of 5 to 9 healthy young adults who met 4 times for 9 hr. over 4 mo. and received 4 drug regimens under controlled conditions. Attitudes toward the experiment, which were mainly related to an early fear of potent drugs and late feelings of weariness, markedly affected reaction time. This effect decreased the test-retest reliability of the instrument, hence its sensitivity. Group behavior, subjective feelings attributable to the medications, and pharmacological anticipation, on the other hand, did not seem to have affected psychomotor performance. The effects of sedatives were much more marked and consistent with reaction time than with subjective responses, which primarily represented the influence of anticipation. This dissociation between objective and subjective behavior indicates that the subjects acted according to the drugs which they had taken but felt according to what they believed they had received.     

The case records of the Psychological Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania (1896-1961).

The case records of the Psychological Clinic of the University of Pennsylvania the first established in this country, have been transferred to microfilm to save them from desctruction. A survey of the records indicate that they may be valuable in both historical and follow-up research. The microfilms can be made available to qualified investigators with worthy projects.     

Assumed Similarity of Attitudes About AIDS Among Gay and Heterosexual Physicians

Heterosexual and gay physicians indicated their own attitudes on several issues related to the AIDS epidemic and attributed a position on each issue to the target group "most people." The heterosexual physicians' attitudes were more negative than the gay physicians' attitudes. Both groups judged that "most people" hold attitudes more negative than their own. The distance between own and attributed position as much greater for the gay individuals. This distance effect was due primarily to differences in self-ratings between the two groups. Own and attributed position correlated positively for each group of physiaans. Additionally, the tendency to assume similarity was marginally stronger for heterosexuals with high than low homophobia. Theoretical interpretation is presented.     

Exemplary job analysis systems in selected organizations: A description of process and outcomes

Job analysis is an important aspect of human resource management. This study was conceived to further our understanding of how job analysis may best be used to enhance the variety of human resource management activities that rely on it. Nine geographically dispersed organizations, carefully selected on the basis of their exemplary job analysis functions, were each visited and their job analysis functions studied for a period ranging from one to three days. These organizations represented a wide range of industries. We found that job analysis functions are typically highly centralized and part or all of these functions are often housed in a unit dealing with compensation. The idea of a fully integrated personnel system based on a comprehensive job analysis data base is not quite ready for widespread adoption. However, a multipurpose approach, designed to serve several applications, is feasible to develop. Little progress has been made in estimating the costs of job analysis functions. Rudimentary cost estimates prepared by us on anad hoc basis revealed that the annual costs for job analysis functions ranged from $150,000 to $4,000,000 with a median of$280,000.     

A case study of mental imagery deficit

We describe a patient with a deficit in imagery ability, following a left posterior cerebral artery infarction and possible anoxic episode. This deficit was inferred from the patient's performance on several tasks, including one in which normal adults are known to rely on imagery and two that tested imagery nonverbally, allowing us to examine the possibility of a language-imagery disconnection. In addition, we queried the patient on some cognitive capacities related to visual imagery: dreaming, geographical knowledge, and introspection regarding visual and auditory imagery. Hypotheses concerning the critical lesion site and underlying cognitive mechanism of image generation deficits are discussed in relation to this and other recent cases of impaired imagery ability with intact recognition ability, and the relevance of this deficit to the "imagery debate" is discussed.     

Behavioral stress impairs long-term potentiation in rodent hippocampus

A number of hormones secreted from the pituitary-adrenal system during stress affect learning and memory processes. The phenomenon of hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) is viewed by many as a putative mechanism of memory storage and has proved a most valuable model for study of neuronal plasticity at the cellular level. The present study was conducted to investigate the possibility that stressful events which occur prior (in vivo) to the preparation of brain slices may influence the electrophysiology of the in vitro hippocampal explant when tested for LTP. Adult male rats (Long-Evans male X Sprague-Dawley female) were pair-housed 1 week prior to testing. One animal in each pair was either placed in a restraining tube for 30 min and received no tail shocks (Restraint) or placed in a restraining tube and received tail shocks (1 microA, 1 s) every minute for 30 min (Restraint + Shock). The other animal in each pair was taken directly from the home cage and received no restraint or tail shock (Control). In vitro hippocampal slices were then prepared immediately from these animals according to standard methods. Our results demonstrate a marked impairment of LTP in hippocampal explants taken from rats exposed to stress. The significance of this result with respect to cellular mechanisms underlying the relationship between stress, cognition, and learning is discussed.