Rape: A Trauma of Paralyzing Dehumanization

This study examines the pathogenic role of rape-induced peritraumatic dehumanization, and subsequent humiliation and “freezing.” A theoretical causal model linking these rape-related peritraumatic responses to symptoms is tested while considering the ways in which rape differs from other types of nonsexual trauma in relation to this particular model. Two hundred and fifty-five participants completed self-report questionnaires. Structural path analyses identified dehumanization and humiliation as highly prevalent and almost invariably predictive of a freeze response in rape; and, in turn, of elevated self-blame and post-traumatic stress disorder in its wake while concurrently showing a poor fit for this model in respect to other traumas. In addition, multivariate analysis of variance results indicated that peritraumatic, as well as post-traumatic distress, was considerably more severe among rape survivors as compared to controls.     

Markedness and perspective in the interpretation of the active and passive voice

The subjects were presented with active and passive sentences. For each sentence, they had to choose between two alternative implications. The pattern of choices indicates that in the passive the logical subject was interpreted by the subjects as the focal point of the information asserted by the sentence and as the carrier of overall responsibility for the sentential proposition. In contrast to the passive, there was no clear pattern of preferences for the active. The difference between the two voices was attributed to their markedness asymmetry, the passive being marked and the active unmarked. It is concluded that the active offers a neutral structure for conveying information; a structure available for use when one does not want to superimpose on the information content any stylistic or connotational implications. The passive, on the other hand, suggests special connotations in addition to the basic message.     

Invalid results from the method of constant stimuli

The Method of Constant Stimuli was shown to produce constant errors in the direction expected by E. In an experiment, 89 Ss compared variable lines with a standard, each S producing a psychometric function and Point of Subjective Equality (PSE). Four groups differed in the particular range of variable stimuli used; whether the stimuli averaged longer or shorter than the standard, and whether they had a wide or narrow range. All sets of variable stimuli encompassed the standard. PSE was consistently between the standard and the mean of the variables, as predicted by Adaptation Level Theory. In many experiments, the set of variables is chosen on the basis of theory or pilot studies; the present study shows that PSE will be spuriously drawn toward the center of the variables, hence toward E’s pre-experimental expectations.     

Sex differences in scholastic aptitude: The Israeli scene

The major goal of the present study is two-fold: (a) To assess the direction, magnitude and profile of sex differences in scholastic aptitude test performance among Israeli college student candidates and (b) to test for possible sex bias in the construct validity of aptitude test scores. The analyses are based on the college admissions aptitude test scores of 1088 female and 690 male college candidates, applying for admissions to a major Israeli campus. On the whole, the data are consistent with much previous research, generated mainly from the American scene, showing small but consistent sex differences in favor of male examinees for the test as a whole and for the quantitative subscale, in particular. Also, the sex difference profiles for varying ethnic groups in the sample are surprisingly similar. Furthermore, our data show little evidence for differential construct validity of ability test scores by gender. On the whole, our data lend a greater degree of generality and cross-cultural validity to the bulk of previous research negating the sex bias contention and pointing to negligible gender differences in scholastic aptitude.     

Tell me who you are and I tell you how you feel: expected emotional reactions to success and failure are influenced by knowledge about a person's personality

The present research investigated the influence of knowledge about a person's modesty or arrogance on people's expectations regarding that person's emotional reactions to success and failure. Arrogance and modesty reflect the extent to which someone is likely to publicize their ability. Accordingly, we predicted that observers' expectations regarding a person's tendency to publicize their ability should inform expectations about the person's emotional reactions to success and failure. In two vignette studies, observers predicted the emotional state of a protagonist, as well as the probability that s/he will actually express that emotion and share the experience with others. For success, participants predicted a protagonist's pride, happiness, schadenfreude, and embarrassment if praised for a positive outcome. For failure, participants predicted anger, shame, guilt, sadness, and fear reactions. Across studies, personality information explained more variance than did gender or status. Results showed that the expectations for an arrogant person matched modal expectations for success, whereas for failure the expectations for the modest individual were closest to the modal expectations. Specifically, both modest and arrogant individuals were expected to suppress emotions that do not fit their self-presentational styles rather than to exaggerate expressions that do. This paper adds to our understanding of the information that people use to predict others' emotional reactions.     

Effects of Perceptual and Conceptual Processing on Memory for Words and Voice: Different Patterns for Young and Old

In two experiments younger and older adults listened to a list of words presented auditorily by two speakers. The subjects processed each word either perceptually (voice judgements) or conceptually (pleasantness judgements), and were then given memory tasks for the words and the presenting voice. In the word-recognition task the two age groups benefited equally from conceptual as opposed to perceptual processing. In the voice memory task, however, conceptual processing improved performance relative to perceptual processing in the younger subjects (significantly so in Experiment 1), but conceptual processing was associated with decreased performance in the older group (significantly so in Experiment 2). These results suggest that whereas older subjects exhibit a trade-off in memory for item and attribute information, younger subjects exhibit a pattern of support, in which conceptual processing benefits memory for both items and their attributes.     

GENDER AND CULTURE INTERACTION EFFECTS ON SCHOLASTIC APTITUDE TEST PERFORMANCE: SOME ISRAELI FINDINGS

The major aim of this study was to assess the degree of interaction between gender and cultural group background in determining scholastic aptitude test attainment among college student candidates. The analyses were based on the college entrance aptitude test scores of 1778 Jewish and 1017 Arab student candidates applying for admission to a major Israeli university. A Manova of the subtest scores revealed significant main effects for both culture and gender and a significant gender × culture interaction effect. Separate Anovas for each of the individual subtests show significant gender × culture interaction effects for both the Mathematical and Figural Reasoning subtests, with a larger gender group differential - in favor of the males - among Jews than among Arabs. The interaction effect was attributed, in part, to two complementary culture-specific factors, namely: (a) the positive self-selection of Arab female college candidates of relatively high scholastic ability, thus serving to narrow the gender gap in the Arab group; (b) the varied opportunities for advanced technical training, enrichment and experience available mainly to Jewish males during their period of compulsorly military service, serving to enhance the gender gap in the Jewish group. In sum, the data suggest that culture may serve as an important moderator variable in determining the size of gender group differences in scholastic aptitude test attainment.     

The WISC-V in children and adolescents with epilepsy

Despite its popularity in the neuropsychological evaluation of children, the utility of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – Fifth Edition (WISC-V) has not yet been investigated in children with epilepsy. Eighty clinically referred children and adolescents with epilepsy were administered the WISC-V as part of a comprehensive assessment and scores were compared to matched controls from the WISC-V standardization sample. T tests compared WISC-V indices and subtests between patients and controls and Chi-square analyses compared the rates of low scores. Correlational analyses assessed the relationships between epilepsy severity variables (e.g., age of onset, duration of epilepsy, number of antiepileptic drugs, seizure frequency). All WISC-V composites and subtests were significantly lower in patients versus controls and the rate of low scores was higher in patients than controls for all composites and subtests with the exception of Figure Weights. The Working Memory Index and Processing Speed Index were most sensitive to impairment, while the Verbal Comprehension Index and Fluid Reasoning Index were least sensitive. Of the epilepsy severity variables, age of seizure onset and number of antiepileptic drugs were strong predictors of deficits, whereas seizure frequency was the weakest predictor. Importantly, no significant differences were seen in children with right hemisphere epilepsy versus left on the five WISC-V composites, though a trend was seen towards a lower Visual-Spatial Index in those with right-sided focal seizures.