Duplex perception with musical stimuli

Duplex perception, a phenomenon previously demonstrated for speech stimuli, is demonstrated here for musical stimuli. In the first experiment, major and minor chords are produced by dichotic fusion of two simultaneous piano notes presented to one ear (perfect fifth) with a “natural” or “flat” single note presented to the opposite ear. Musically trained subjects perceive simultaneously both the single tone and a fused (major or minor) chord. The chords are labeled more consistently than the single notes, even though the fused chords differ solely in terms of the contralateral notes. In a second experiment, using pure tones in place of piano notes, other musically trained subjects individually exhibited categorical perception for either the fused chord or the single tones, but never for both types of stimuli. The duplex phenomenon is discussed in terms of its implications for its specific component modes of perception.     

Light source position in the perception of object shape

The apparent relief of monocularly viewed surfaces reversed when the order of light and shade was reversed relative to the position of a lamp observed the moment earlier. The pattern of shading was reversed either by illuminating from a direction opposite to that of the apparent direction of illumination or by inverting the illuminating image relative to the light source. The combination of both of these manipulations restores the original juxtaposition of light source and shading and reestablished accurate perception of relief. These results demonstrate that the perception of the relief of physical surfaces depends upon the remembered position of an apparent light source.     

A critical evaluation of some commonly-employed methods for the assessment of type a coronary-prone behaviour

Type A coronary-prone behaviour has been repeatedly associated with an increased incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) amongst middle-aged men and women. This association appears to be independent of other standard CHD risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure and elevated serum cholesterol levels. This paper presents normative and correlational data for a number of commonly-employed self-report measures of Type A behaviour and the structured interview. These data replicate U.S. findings that self-report measures tend to correlate only moderately with the Structured-Interview method of assessment of Type A behaviour. The implications of these data for researchers attempting to assess Type A behaviour, especially with limited resources, are discussed.     

A low-stress restraint procedure for EEG acquisition in awake rats

A restraint procedure was developed to reduce movement-related artifacts during the acquisition of EEG data from unanesthetized, unparalyzed rats. It combines the low-stress properties of a cloth restraint bag with the improved immobility of a rigid restraint device. The spontaneous behavior of the rat facilitates both the induction of and the subsequent release from restraint.     

Automatic stimulus presentation for the proboscis extension reflex in diptera

An apparatus is described that automates the elicitation of the proboscis extension reflex (PER) in dipterans. The PER has been used as a measure of both classical conditioning and central excitation. Most studies of PER have employed manual stimulation, which adds inter- and intraexperimenter differences in technique as another source of variance. The advantages of this apparatus are (1) elimination of individual differences in manual techniques of experimenters as a possible source of error variance and (2) capability of stimulating several flies individually during a single session. An experiment is reported comparing the manual and automated methods.     

Self-esteem,need gratification,and work satisfaction: A test of competing explanations from consistency theory and self-enhancement theory

A sample of 112 administrators provided self-report data used to test two hypotheses derived from Korman's consistency model of work behavior. As predicted, those with high self-esteem experienced significantly greater need gratification than did those with low self-esteem, and self-esteem also significantly positively moderated the relationship between n gratification and work satisfaction. Need gratification was assessed for only those needs that were most salient for each person, thus eliminating a rival interpretation of the findings derived from the self-enhancement model of self-esteem. The moderating effect of self-esteem on the n gratification-work satisfaction relationship was limited to those experiencing low levels of n gratification, indicating a possible “boundary condition” of consistency theory. A problem with the use of moderator variables in behavioral science was also discussed.     

Asia-Pacific prevention research. CHallenges, opportunities, and implementation

An effort is underway in the Asia-Pacific region to carry out multidisciplinary prevention research, with an emphasis on understanding health-related behaviors. In partnerships with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the U.S. Public Health Service, international health agencies, governments, and universities in the region, researchers at the University of Hawaii are pursuing a paradigm for international, multicultural prevention research in the field of health promotion and disease prevention. An integrated framework for guiding a program of research is discussed along with several factors that present challenges to the conduct of prevention research in the Asia-Pacific region.     

Prevocational Experience and Postentry Behavior: Occupational Influences on Job Attitudes and Turnover

The effect of prevocational contact on postentry behavior was studied using a sample of staff nurses. The results indicated that those nurses who had prevocational contact with the nursing occupation had different conceptions of the nursing role and more positive work attitudes than those who did not have prevocational contact with the profession. The groups. however, did not differ with respect to turnover.     

FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION TRAINING TO REDUCE CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR: MAINTENANCE AND APPLICATION IN NEW SETTINGS

We evaluated the initial effectiveness, maintenance, and transferability of the results of functional communication training as an intervention for the challenging behaviors exhibited by 3 students. Assessment indicated that escape from academic demands was involved in the maintenance of the challenging behaviors. Social attention was also implicated as controlling the behavior of 1 student. The intervention involved teaching alternative assistance-seeking and attention-getting phrases to the students in an effort to replace challenging behavior with these verbal equivalents. Multiple baseline data collected across the 3 students indicated that not only did the intervention substantially reduce challenging behavior but also that these results transferred across new tasks, environments, and teachers, and were generally maintained from 18 to 24 months following the introduction of functional communication training. These results are discussed in light of recent efforts to develop effective interventions for severe challenging behavior and to understand the processes underlying transfer and maintenance of intervention effects.