Factors modulating the effect of divided attention during retrieval of words

In this study, we examined variables modulating interference effects on episodic memory under divided attention conditions during retrieval for a list of unrelated words. In Experiment 1, we found that distracting tasks that required animacy or syllable decisions to visually presented words, without a memory load, produced large interference on free recall performance. In Experiment 2, a distracting task requiring phonemic decisions about nonsense words produced a far larger interference effect than one that required semantic decisions about pictures. In Experiment 3, we replicated the effect of the nonsense-word distracting task on memory and showed that an equally resource-demanding picture-based task produced significant interference with memory retrieval, although the effect was smaller in magnitude. Taken together, the results suggest that free recall is disrupted by competition for phonological or word-form representations during retrieval and, to a lesser extent, by competition for semantic representations.     

Factor structure of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-III in schizophrenia

This report examines and compares the factor structure of the new edition of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III) in a sample of chronic schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder outpatients (n = 120) and an age-matched sample of individuals drawn from the WAIS-III standardization sample (n = 200). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses similar to those reported by the developers of the scale suggested that a model of WAIS-III performance with correlated factors for verbal comprehension, perceptual organization, working memory, and processing speed fit the data from the schizophrenia sample as well as it fit the nonclinical comparison sample and fit the data from both samples better than alternative models.     

Linking sight and sound: fMRI evidence of primary auditory cortex activation during visual word recognition

We describe two studies that used repetition priming paradigms to investigate brain activity during the reading of single words. Functional magnetic resonance images were collected during a visual lexical decision task in which nonword stimuli were manipulated with regard to phonological properties and compared to genuine English words. We observed a region in left-hemisphere primary auditory cortex linked to a repetition priming effect. The priming effect activity was observed only for stimuli that sound like known words; moreover, this region was sensitive to strategic task differences. Thus, a brain region involved in the most basic aspects of auditory processing appears to be engaged in reading even when there is no environmental oral or auditory component.     

Illusory words created by repetition blindness: a technique for probing sublexical representations

When two orthographically similar words are displayed using rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP), the repeated letters in the second critical word (W2) are not detected, leading to a deficit in reporting this word, a phenomenon known as repetition blindness (RB). The unrepeated letters in W2 do appear to be detected and available to feed activation to words compatible with them (Morris & Harris, 1999). When a fragment was strategically placed in the RSVP stream, as in GROW throw ank, observers reported seeing thank more often than in the control condition BEAT throw ank. Illusory words were facilitated by repetition blindness only when the recombining letters maintained their position in the words. Illusory word report was insensitive to the phonological similarity of the recombining letters; equal quantities of illusory words were created by sequences like china CHEAT THR (-->threat) and swung SWEAT THR (-->threat). In addition to being an interesting phenomenon in its own right, the illusory words paradigm may have considerable use as a tool for probing the perceptual units underlying visual word recognition.     

Neural computations that underlie decisions about sensory stimuli

Decision-making behavior has been studied extensively, but the neurophysiological mechanisms responsible for this remarkable cognitive ability are just beginning to be understood. Here we propose neural computations that can account for the formation of categorical decisions about sensory stimuli by accumulating information over time into a single quantity: the logarithm of the likelihood ratio favoring one alternative over another. We also review electrophysio-logical studies that have identified brain structures that may be involved in computing this sort of decision variable. The ideas presented constitute a framework for understanding how and where perceptual decisions are formed in the brain.     

Testing Hypotheses Distilled from Four Models of the Effects of Health-Related Social Control

This study distilled and tested hypotheses derived from four models of the effects of social control on affect and health behavior among 401 college students involved in heterosexual dating relationships. Each model received at least some support. Consistent with the dual effects model, social control strategies predicted both health behavior change and negative affect. In accord with the domain-specific model, positive social control was related to positive affect and negative social control was related to negative affect. In partial support of the mediational model, positive social control exerted both a direct and an indirect effect via positive affect on health behavior change and negative social control exerted both a direct and an indirect effect via negative affect on hiding unhealthy behavior. As predicted by the contextual model, quality of dating relationship moderated the influence of positive and negative social control on hiding unhealthy behavior.     

Development and Validation of the Couple Communication Satisfaction Scale

Abstract

The study presents the development and validation of a new Couples Communication Satisfaction Scale (CCSS). The CCSS observes each partner’s level of satisfaction with various aspects of their communication. An exploratory factor analysis revealed five factors that addressed their own communication presence, own emotional experience, their partner’s responsiveness, their partner’s contribution, and communication characteristics. A confirmatory factor analysis was also conducted to validate the five-factor structure. Findings revealed high levels of reliability in the sample and across genders. Measuring couple communication satisfaction may be helpful in providing a more complete picture of couple communication processes.     

Using Generalizability Theory to Disattenuate Correlation Coefficients for Multiple Sources of Measurement Error

Over the years, research in the social sciences has been dominated by reporting of reliability coefficients that fail to account for key sources of measurement error. Use of these coefficients, in turn, to correct for measurement error can hinder scientific progress by misrepresenting true relationships among the underlying constructs being investigated. In the research reported here, we addressed these issues using generalizability theory (G-theory) in both traditional and new ways to account for the three key sources of measurement error (random-response, specific-factor, and transient) that affect scores from objectively scored measures. Results from 20 widely used measures of personality, self-concept, and socially desirable responding showed that conventional indices consistently misrepresented reliability and relationships among psychological constructs by failing to account for key sources of measurement error and correlated transient errors within occasions. The results further revealed that G-theory served as an effective framework for remedying these problems. We discuss possible extensions in future research and provide code from the computer package R in an online supplement to enable readers to apply the procedures we demonstrate to their own research.