Life-span development of visual working memory: when is feature binding difficult?

We asked whether the ability to keep in working memory the binding between a visual object and its spatial location changes with development across the life span more than memory for item information. Paired arrays of colored squares were identical or differed in the color of one square, and in the latter case, the changed color was unique on that trial (item change) or was duplicated elsewhere in the array (color-location binding change). Children (8-10 and 11-12 years old) and older adults (65-85 years old) showed deficits relative to young adults. These were only partly simulated by dividing attention in young adults. The older adults had an additional deficiency, specifically in binding information, which was evident only when item- and binding-change trials were mixed together. In that situation, the older adults often overlooked the more subtle, binding-type changes. Some working memory processes related to binding undergo life-span development in an inverted-U shape, whereas other, bias- and salience-related processes that influence the use of binding information seem to develop monotonically.     

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.     

Overcoming modern-postmodern dichotomies: Some possible benefits for the counselling profession

The rhetorical/discursive turn, in its multiple disciplinary masks, is here to stay. Even psychology is giving in to its charm. The Sophists can smile again, the agora is back and the solipsistic self is in retreat. Dialogical, narrative and cultural psychologies, as well as the counselling profession, triumph the return of the social, the contextual, and the historical to the conceptual realm of the autonomous individual. Though we encourage and enjoy critical views of modern perspectives, such as that supported by poststructuralist and postmodern perspectives, we wonder whether orthodoxies might not be more inclined towards relocation than to eviction. Based on our conviction that a positivist/relativist dichotomy is a poor exchange for older modern dichotomies (self/other), the paper critically reviews the poststructuralist turn in therapy and counselling, and discusses the implications for counselling theory and counsellors' work.     

Characterization of memory impairment following closed-head injury in children using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT).

Memory impairment following closed-head injury (CHI) in children is well documented. Characterization of the memory deficits of children with CHI could contribute to the prediction of academic performance and rehabilitation of these children. Twenty-five children who sustained closed-head injury and 25 matched controls were administered the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT). The advantage of this memory test is that a number of memory components are measured simultaneously, thus enabling us to study the relations between different aspects of memory within the same patient sample. The findings indicate that the Rey AVLT is a good test for characterization of impaired verbal memory in children following CHI. Transformation of scores derived from the Rey AVLT to Z-scores enables us to determine the relative effect of CHI in children on different memory scores. Raw scores were more vulnerable than relational ones, derived as the difference between two raw scores (e.g., learning, Trial 5 - 1), to closed-head injury in children, and scores reflecting word span were the least vulnerable. The results are discussed in terms of the possible contribution of the frontal lobes, which are frequently affected in closed-head injuries, to memory performance.     

Israeli adolescents' coping strategies in relation to terrorist attacks

Exposure to terrorism seriously threatens the well-being of children and adolescents. Israeli citizens have witnessed massive ongoing terrorist attacks during the last few years. The present research, conducted among 330 Israeli adolescents, examined coping strategies in relation to terrorist attacks. We found that adolescents utilize more productive than non-productive coping strategies when dealing with terrorist attacks. Moreover, they rarely seek professional help. Male adolescents use more non-productive coping strategies and female adolescents seek more social support as a coping strategy. The impact of exposure to media reports and life satisfaction on adolescents' use of coping strategies is discussed, and potentially effective approaches to coping with terrorist attacks are proposed.     

The effects of divided attention on encoding processes in memory: mapping the locus of interference.

Despite the detrimental effects of divided attention at encoding on later memory performance, results described in the literature do not unequivocally specify which processes are interrupted during encoding by participants' occupation with a concurrent task. Using a processing analysis framework where the encoding process is viewed as a multiphase mental activity, the current research investigated this issue using a new differential temporal interference paradigm where the study phase of single words was interrupted at different temporal segments. In two experiments, we used performance on both memory and online choice reaction time tasks to assess whether such differential interference would produce different degrees of reduction in participants' later memory performance, as well as changes in the attentional resources required to execute each of the encoding phases. Measures of memory and concurrent task performance in the two experiments converged on similar patterns, showing that all phases of encoding are affected by the concurrent task. However, the initial encoding phase, which is tentatively associated with the initial registration of information, seems especially vulnerable to interference.     

The potential impact of counsellors on school prestige

The prestige of a given school is based on the public's perception of the institution. Every school has a reputation that reflects its inherent qualities with at least some degree of accuracy. In this respect, prestige is a dimension that may directly or indirectly affect the success of a school. School counsellors, who usually hold key positions in the Israeli educational system, have the power to affect a school's prestige. Indeed, many of the counsellor's activities, such as student placement and referral and flow of information, have an effect on school prestige. Some implications for counsellor practice, within ethical boundaries, are presented, taking into account recent trends in educational systems.     

LARGE-SCALE REDUCTIONS IN SPEEDING AND ACCIDENTS IN CANADA AND ISRAEL: A BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

We assessed the effects of posted feedback and warning ticket programs on speeding and accidents in two cities. In Experiment 1, speeding feedback signs were effective even when 10 were used in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and reductions in speeding were associated with reductions in accidents. The effectiveness of the signs was correlated with the number of intersections and residences within 0.5 km beyond them, and the signs had no effect on untreated streets. In Experiment 2, posted feedback and a warning program reduced speeding and accidents on 14 streets in Haifa, Israel.