Hemispheric specialization in learning disabled readers' recall as a function of age and level of processing

This study was designed to test the inadequacy of two theoretical accounts of learning disabled readers' memory deficiencies. Two age groups of learning disabled and nondisabled readers were compared on diotic and dichotic listening recall tasks for semantically organized, phonemically organized, and categorically unrelated word lists presented in either the left, right, or both ears. Dependent measures were free recall, serial recall, recall organization, and hierarchical organization. As expected, recall increases were a function of age, group, and level of word processing. However, the results clearly demonstrated that age and group recall differences were an interaction of both mode of presentation and level of processing. The recall differences between reading groups were attributed to word knowledge (superordinate categorization) rather than recall organization within cerebral hemispheres or differences in hemispheric capacity, per se.     

A simple multivariate probabilistic model for preferential and triadic choices

Multidimensional probabilistic models of behavior following similarity and choice judgements have proven to be useful in representing multidimensional percepts in Euclidean and non-Euclidean spaces. With few exceptions, these models are generally computationally intense because they often require numerical work with multiple integrals. This paper focuses attention on a particularly general triad and preferential choice model previously requiring the numerical evaluation of a 2n-fold integral, wheren is the number of elements in the vectors representing the psychological magnitudes. Transforming this model to an indefinite quadratic form leads to a single integral. The significance of this form to multidimensional scaling and computational efficiency is discussed.The authors would like to thank Jean-Claude Falmagne and Norman Johnson for suggestions and advice concerning quadratic forms.     

Self-Serving Attributions for Performance in Naturalistic Settings: A Meta-Analytic Review1

The study of self-serving attributions in sports settings is fertile ground for testing the validity of self-serving attributional phenomena. This paper reports the results of a meta-analytic review of research examining self-serving attributions in the context of sports events. A total of 91 distinct hypothesis tests were located, comprising five dimensions of attribution: ability (N= 21), effort (N= 21), task difficulty (N= 21), luck (N= 21), and a general internal-external dimension (N= 7). The meta-analytic combination of significance levels indicated that the combined results were unlikely to occur if the null hypothesis of no effect were true (for each of the five dimensions of attribution). The internal-external dimension and the ability dimension produced effects of moderate magnitude, whereas effort, difficulty and luck produced effects of small magnitude. Meta-anaiytic focused comparisons revealed that self-serving attributions (ended to be more extreme in the context of larger team sizes, and for attribution measures focused upon the team rather than the individual. Discussion considers the implications of these findings and develops and explanation for the finding that ability is the specific attribution dimension exhibiting the greatest self-serving attribution effects.     

BASIC meta-analysis: Description of a statistical package

Meta-analysis refers to the statistical integration of results of independent studies. Mullen and Rosenthal’s (1985) recent book provides a package of 14 BASIC language computer programs which perform a wide variety of meta-analytic procedures. This paper describes the system requirements, strengths, and limitations of this package.     

Stuttering,Audience Size,and the Other-Total Ratio: A Self-Attention Perspective1

The effect of audience size on verbal disfluences in stutterers is considered from the perspective of self-attention theory. Two secondary analyses conducted using original data from studies (Hahn, 1940; Porter, 1939) which observed the effects of audience size on stuttering, reveal an increase in stuttering as a negatively accelerating function of audience size. These results confirm the utility of the self-attention theory Other-Total Ratio in characterizing the effect of the group on the individual.     

Focus of attention in groups: a self-attention perspective

In three studies, we examined the hypothesis, derived from self-attention theory, that the focus of attention of individuals in groups varies as a function of group composition. In naturally occurring, nonlaboratory settings, Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated a decrease in first-person singular pronoun usage as the proportionate number of discussants in a group increased. In a laboratory setting, Study 3 demonstrated an increase in self-reported self-focus as the number of subjects decreased relative to the number of experimenters. These results support the conceptualization of self-focused attention as a mediator of group composition effects.     

Moral spillovers: The effect of moral violations on deviant behavior

Two experiments investigated whether outcomes that violate people’s moral standards increase their deviant behavior (the moral spillover effect). In Study 1, participants with and without a moral mandate (i.e., a strong attitude rooted in moral conviction) read about a legal trial in which the outcome supported, opposed or was unrelated to their moral mandate. Relative to when outcomes supported moral mandates, when outcomes opposed moral mandates people judged the outcome to be less fair, were more angry, were less willing to accept the outcome, and were more likely to take a borrowed pen. In Study 2, participants who recalled another person’s moral violation were more likely to cheat on an experimental task relative to angry or neutral condition participants. Taken together, results provide evidence for moral spillover: outcomes that violate moral standards increase deviant behavior.