The time course of competition for attention: attention is initially labile

Competition for attention between 2 written words was investigated by presenting the words briefly in a single stream of distractors (Experiment 1) or in different streams (Experiment 2-6), using rapid serial visual presentation at 53 ms/item. Stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) was varied from 0 to 213 ms. At all SOAs there was strong competition, but which word was more likely to be reported shifted markedly with SOA. At SOAs in the range of 13-53 ms the second word was more likely to be reported, but at 213 ms, the advantage switched to the first word, as in the attentional blink. A 2-stage competition model of attention is proposed in which attention to a detected target is labile in Stage 1. Stage 1 ends when one target is identified, initiating a serial Stage 2 process of consolidation of that target.     

Patterns of emotion-specific appraisal,coping, and cardiovascular reactivity during an ongoing emotional episode

The authors examined emotion-specific patterns of appraisal, coping, and cardiovascular reactivity during real ongoing emotional episodes. In this study, 109 participants performed a neutral opinion-expression task, where a confederate elicited anger, shame, or pride using verbal and nonverbal behavior. The authors assessed cognitive appraisals, emotional reactions, coping, outcomes (state self-esteem and outcome satisfaction), and cardiovascular reactivity. Results indicated substantial and theoretically consistent differences between the 3 emotions (and differences from a nonemotion condition) for cognitive appraisals, self-reported coping, behavioral coping, self-esteem, and cardiovascular reactivity. The results are discussed in relation to their implications for emotion theory and for psychological and physical health. Overall, the results suggest that researchers can study emotion-related issues using authentic emotional reactions.     

Perception and production of rise-fall intonation in American English

At the segmental level, the rate of speaking affects the degree of physical undershoot of articulatory targets and the resulting perception. Little is known regarding evidence of these effects at the suprasegmental level, particularly in intonation. In this study, the effect of rate of speaking on fundamental frequency and on perceptual judgments of peak pitch in a rise-fall intonation pattern was investigated. First, speakers produced rise-fall intonations in sentence contexts at slow, normal, and fast speaking rates. Peak fundamental frequencies (F0) of the slow productions were significantly lower than those of the normal or fast productions. The mean normal rate production of the word Miami was used as a model for the target word in a series of subsequent perceptual experiments. Altering the duration of the target word to represent slow, normal, and fast rates of speaking did not affect listener judgment of peak pitch. Finally, the pitch of the target word was measured in a sentence context. No differences between peak pitch in isolation or in sentence context were found. It was concluded that the production and perception of this form of intonation was not subject to the effects of rate that are seen at the segmental level.     

Exposure to violence and suicide risk in adolescents: a community study

The prevalence of violence exposure is relatively unexplored in adolescents in European communities, and reports on the association between exposure to community violence and suicidal behavior are rare. The aim of this study was to investigate (1) the prevalence of community violence in a European urban adolescent sample, (2) the relationship between exposure to community violence and suicidal ideation/deliberate self-harm, and (3) the influence of depressive symptoms and aggressive behavior on this relationship. Self-report surveys were administered to a representative school-based sample of 1509 adolescents in Antwerp (Belgium). The prevalence rate of violence exposure was still high but lower than that reported in U.S. communities. Suicidal ideation and deliberate self-harm were both related to violence exposure. The gender-specific influence of depressive symptomatology and aggressive behavior on the association between exposure to violence and suicidal behavior suggests the need for further research.     

Inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the Revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines

The baseline inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability, follow-up inter-rater reliability, and follow-up longitudinal reliability (interrater reliability between generations of raters) of borderline symptoms and the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD) were assessed using the Revised Diagnostic Interview for Borderlines (DIB-R). Excellent kappa s (> .75) were found in each of these reliability substudies for the diagnosis of BPD itself. Excellent kappa s were also found in each of the three inter-rater reliability substudies for the vast majority of borderline symptoms assessed by the DIB-R. Test-retest reliability for these symptoms was somewhat lower but still very good. More specifically, one-third of the BPD symptoms assessed had a kappa in the excellent range and the remaining two-thirds had a kappa in the fair-good range (.57-.73). The dimensional reliability of BPD symptom areas was somewhat higher than for categorical measures of the subsyndromal phenomenology of BPD. More specifically, all five dimensional measures of borderline psychopathology had intraclass correlation coefficients in the excellent range for all four reliability substudies. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that both the borderline diagnosis and the symptoms of BPD can be diagnosed reliably when using the DIB-R. They also suggest that excellent reliability, once achieved, can be maintained over time for both the syndromal and subsyndromal phenomenology of BPD.     

More than the Terrible Twos: The Nature and Severity of Behavior Problems in Clinic-Referred Preschool Children

The primary goals of this study are to describe the nature and severity of disruptive behavior problems in clinic-referred preschoolers from low-income environments and to explore the validity of DSM-IV disruptive disorders for young children. We examine the relation between DSM-IV symptoms, standardized behavior checklists, and observational ratings as a means of exploring measurement validity in this age group. Seventy-nine clinic-referred preschoolers (ages 2 through 5 years) from low-income environments were assessed. To examine whether clinic-referred preschool children have symptoms that are consistent with DSM-IV disruptive behavior disorders, parents were administered a semistructured diagnostic interview, modified for developmentally appropriate usage. In addition, parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and children's behavior problems were assessed with observational ratings during parent–child interaction. Nearly half of the sample met criteria for conduct disorder, and three quarters met criteria for oppositional defiant disorder. Preliminary evidence for the validity of DSM-IV disruptive disorders in preschool children was demonstrated through association with CBCL scores, behavior ratings, and significant levels of impairment. Future efforts aimed at validating these diagnoses in preschoolers and implications for prevention are discussed.     

A short duration group treatment of smoking behavior by stimulus saturation

Two saturation procedures of different lengths were administered to Ss who desired to quit smoking. Ss chain-smoked for either 20 hr (group E₁) or 10 hr (E₂). Total abstinence was the main dependent measure. Both groups experienced relatively equal success on a short-term basis. Long-term abstinence was noted for group E₁ only. Sixty per cent of the E₁ Ss were not smoking 4 months after treatment.     

The relation between children's reading comprehension level and their comprehension of idioms

We report an investigation of 9-year-olds' ability to interpret idioms in relation to their reading comprehension level. We manipulated whether the idioms were transparent or opaque, whether they were real or novel, whether they were presented in isolation or in a supportive narrative context. As predicted, children were better able to explain the meanings of idioms in context than in isolation. The good and poor comprehenders did not differ in their abilities to interpret transparent idioms in context, but the poor comprehenders were significantly worse at using context to work out the meanings of opaque idioms. The explanation task revealed the source of information used by the children to derive nontarget interpretations. We discuss these findings in relation to idiom processing strategies and Levorato and Cacciari's global elaboration model.     

Concurrent second-order schedules: some effects of variations in response number and duration

To examine the effects on concurrent performance of independent manipulations of response-unit duration and number, 6 hens were exposed to concurrent second-order schedules of reinforcement. Each first-order operant unit required completion of a fixed-ratio schedule within the time specified by a fixed-interval schedule, with one further response completing the fixed-interval schedule. The fixed-ratio and fixed-interval requirements comprising the first-order operant units were systematically and independently varied under three pairs of concurrent variable-interval schedules to produce differences in the first-order response and duration requirements (response and duration differentials). These manipulations produced consistent changes in response, time, and operant-unit biases. A 1:4 response differential biased the time and operant-unit measures towards the smaller fixed ratio, but to a degree less than the imposed response differential. The response-based biases favored the larger fixed ratio. Duration differentials of 4:1 and 8:1 biased the response and operant-unit measures towards the shorter fixed interval, again less than the imposed duration differential, but the time biases remained close to zero. Both sorts of differentials acted to bias operant-unit completions more systematically than the other measures, but undermatching to the differentials occurred. The undermatching appears to have arisen from a pattern of fix and sample (in which visits to the less preferred alternative involved only a single completed operant unit) under combinations of unequal operant-unit requirements and reinforcer rates. The response and time bias measures appeared to arise as by-products of the changes in operant-unit completions.