An inexpensive digital millisecond timer and event counter

A simple circuit for a digital millisecond timer and event counter is described. The total cost of the unit including all components, a power supply, and an enclosure is less than $30. Daily use in simple reaction time experiments has demonstrated the reliability of the design.     

A technique for converting from intravenous drug self-administration to liquid reinforcement

A rapid inexpensive technique for changing from intravenous drug self-administration (DSA) to liquid reinforcement is described. Utilizing a standard peristaltic-type infusion pump typically used in DSA experiments and a specially designed drinking cup, the changeover from intravenous DSA to liquid reinforcement can be accomplished in a few minutes at a cost of less than $10.     

Is knowledge base development a necessary and sufficient condition for memory development?

The hypothesis that knowledge base development is an important condition for memory development was tested in two experiments. In Experiment 1 subjects from grades K, 6, and college participated in an incidental learning task where they analyzed words according to one of four featural systems: physical, acoustic, semantic, and imagery. Large developmental differences in recall were found in the imagery and semantic conditions, small differences were observed in the acoustic conditions, and no developmental differences were found in the physical condition. Experiment 2 involved presenting college students and third graders words either from categories highly salient to third graders, e.g., cartoons, games, etc., or from corresponding Battig and Montague categories generated by college students. Free recall and clustering performances showed significant interactions, with third graders superior on the third-grade salient items, and college students superior on Battig and Montague items.     

A set-theoretic random utility model of choice behavior

A random utility model of choice was developed by combining the basic ideas of the well-known theories of Thurstone and Restle. The new model has exactly the same number of free parameters as Tversky's Elimination-by-Aspects model. Furthermore, both models were found to fit, with equal accuracy, the data reported by Rumelhart and Greeno, and Tversky. It was concluded that although the two theories are not identical, they may be difficult to discriminate empirically.     

A voice-operated method for administering the MMPI

Paper/pencil psychological tests such as the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) are difficult to complete independently by patients with limited hand function. This paper describes a voice recognition system developed to allow patients with no hand function to take the MMPI independently. Profiles generated by this system are not statistically different from those generated by standard MMPI booklet format. Limitations and possible extensions of the system as it currently exists are discussed.     

Psychofamilial correlates of school disorders

A model for understanding relationships between family functioning and children's school disorders is presented. The model is based upon the work of Minuchin, Rosman, and Baker (1979) with psychosomatic children and on the author's experience as clinical coordinator of a center for children and adolescents with academic and behavioral disorders. Five transactional patterns are identified as supporting the presence of a school disturbance: enmeshment, overprotectiveness, rigidity, lack of conflict resolution, and child intrusion in marital conflict. Each of these patterns is illustrated with case examples in order to highlight how the child's school symptoms often have an important impact on the family's organization. Some treatment suggestions are provided, with special emphasis made for those practitioners working with Hispanic families.     

Dimensions of metaphor

Two rating studies examined several dimensions of metaphorical sentences. A pool of 260 metaphors was constructed, all in the form “(noun phrase) is/are (noun phrase).” In Study 1 all of the items, and in Study 2, 98 of the items were evaluated on ten scales presumed to be important to the comprehension or interpretation of metaphors: semantic relatedness of the subject and predicate, comprehensibility, imageability, imageability of the subject (topic), imageability of the predicate (vehicle), degree of metaphoricity, metaphor goodness, ease of interpretation, number of alternative interpretations, and felt familiarity of the metaphoric ground. Both experiments revealed the rated dimensions to be highly interrelated, but some analyses allowed evaluation of alternative predictions based on current theoretical approaches to metaphor quality and interpretation. The results indicated consistent but mixed support for the general poisitions under consideration as each appeared to have strong and weak areas of applicability. The interrelationships among the scales are discussed, together with implications of the findings for current theories and future metaphor research.