Group Learning Curves: The Effects of Turnover and Task Complexity on Group Performance1

This study examined the effects of turnover and task complexity on group performance. Two hundred and forty subjects arranged into three-person groups performed a production-type task for six experimental periods. The design was a 2 (Turnover vs. No Turnover) × 2 (Simple vs. Complex Task) × 2 (Male vs. Female) × 6 (Periods) factorial with repeated measures on the last factor. The analysis revealed that group performance improved markedly as groups gained experience with the task. Groups which did not experience turnover (closed groups) produced significantly more products than did groups which experienced turnover (open groups). The superior performance of closed over open groups was amplified over periods. Groups produced more of the simple than of the complex product, and this difference was also amplified over periods. The gap in the performance of closed versus open groups increased over periods, and the increase in the gap was greater for the simple than for the complex task. The lesser impact of turnover on the complex task is consistent with an innovation hypothesis, according to which increases in the production of complex tasks are due more to innovation than to repetition. Supportive analyses of innovation data are reported.     

Visual and phonological pathways to the lexicon: Evidence from Chinese readers

In this study, we investigated the role of visual and phonological information in lexical access of Chinese characters. Homophonic English words have been the main source of stimuli for word recognition research. However, since these stimuli also often look alike, visual and phonological information may be confounded in reported experiments. In contrast, many homophonic Chinese characters are visually distinct. In addition, visually similar characters often have very different pronunciations. These characteristics allow a more controlled investigation of the roles of visual and phonological information in activation of meaning. In the present study, two types of Chinese characters were used in a semantic categorization paradigm: integrated characters, which contain strokes that are not separable; and compound characters, which contain at least two clearly identifiable components. The results show that the recognition of a Chinese integrated character depends primarily on visual information, whereas the recognition of a Chinese compound character relies on visual, phonological, and semantic information. It is concluded that visual information plays a greater role in Chinese character recognition than has previously been documented.     

Household family structure and children's aggressive behavior: A longitudinal study of urban elementary school children

The relationship between contemporary household family structures at fourth-grade and sixth-grade parent- and teacher-rated aggression was examined in an epidemiologically defined population of urban school children. The relationship between family structure and aggression varied by child gender and by parent and teacher ratings in the home and school, respectively. After taking into account family income, urban area, and fourth-grade aggressive behavior, boys in both mother—father and mother—male partner families were significantly less likely than boys in mother-alone families to be rated as aggressive by teachers. No significant relations between family structure and teacher- or parent-rated aggression were found for girls.This work was supported by the following National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) grants: Epidemiologic Prevention Center for Early Risk Behavior P50 MH38725; Periodic Outcome of Two Preventive Trials RO1 MH42968; and a Postdoctoral Training Program 2T32MH18834-06A1. The authors would like to thank the Baltimore Public City School System and the children and parents who participated. The views expressed here are those of the authors; no official endorsement by NIMH is intended or should be inferred.Address all correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Ialongo, Department of Mental Hygiene, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 624 North Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland 21205.     

Group counseling in a different cultural context: Several primary issues in dealing with Chinese clients

To apply group therapy or counseling, a branch of helping methodology rooted in modern Western psychology, to a culturally different context, such as the Chinese cultural environment, group counselors need to increase their awareness, knowledge, and skills that are compatible with the group climate they encounter. A group counselor needs to understand the general characteristics of the culture. The counselor should use his or her leadership quality to deal appropriately with group clients' psychological dynamics, which bear unique cultural preferences with respect to thinking, feeling, and doing. While many group counseling communication skills from a Western theoretical framework can be helpful and applicable to the Chinese group clientele, some of these skills need to be contextually modified. The counseling goal is to properly integrate Chinese cultural and therapeutic norms into the group process.He also teaches as a Sessional-Instructor in the same department.     

应激对大鼠行为和部分脑区谷氨酸含量的影响

以旷场试验法测定动物在急、慢性躯体性和心理性应激时的行为变化,以快速断头冷冻匀浆法,用ＨＩＴＡＣＨＩ－８３５氨基酸分析仪测定应激各期视皮层、海马、下丘脑、小脑谷氨酸含量。并对正常动物经侧脑室微量注射Ｌ－ＡＰ４后观察行为变化。结果显示,急性应激期动物行为活动增加,慢性应激期减少：应激时,大鼠部分脑区的谷氨酸含量与对照组相比在不同时期呈显著性差异;侧脑室微量注射Ｌ－ＡＰ４提示行为活动减弱可能与脑内Ｇｌｕ系统的活动有关。     

The Severed Head and Existential Dread: The Classroom as Epistemic Community and Student Survivors of Incest

I discuss pedagogical issues that concern incest survivors. As teachers, we need to understand the ways in which the legacy of incest variously affects survivors' educational experiences and to be aware that the interplay of trust, knowledge, and power may be particularly complex for survivors. I emphasize the responsibility teachers have to create classrooms that are inclusive of survivors, while raising concerns about the practice of personal disclosure and assumptions about trust and safety in the classroom.     

小学优等生与学习不良学生智力特征的比较研究

本研究运用 WISC-CR研究了小学阶段一、三、五年级优生与学习不良儿童在智力水平与智力结构上的异同。研究结果表明 :1优生与学习不良儿童在智力水平上有十分显著的差异 ,优生的平均智商为 1 2 0 .1 ,学习不良儿童的平均智商为 97.4;2优生在操作分量表与语言分量表上的得分比较均匀 ,但学习不良儿童的操作智商显著地优于语言智商 ;3优生与学习不良儿童在智力结构上也不尽相同 ,优生在词汇、积木、类同等分测验上的得分高 ,在算术、背数、排列等分测验上的得分较低 ;学习不良儿童在拼图、译码、填图、词汇等分测验上的得分较高 ,在常识、算术、背数等上的得分较低。     

Nonerotic dual relationships between therapists and clients: the effects of sex, theoretical orientation, and interpersonal boundaries

We surveyed 223 APA members to investigate the roles of therapists' sex, theoretical orientation, interpersonal boundaries, and clients' sex in predicting therapists' assessments of the ethicality of nonerotic dual relationships with their clients. Results indicated that therapists' sex, interpersonal boundaries, and theoretical orientation influenced ethical judgments of these relationships. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.     

Domestic violence in primary care: The psychologist's role

This paper highlights the difficulties facing medical and mental health professionals in helping families in which there is violence. Emphasis is placed on how domestic violence presents in primary care medical settings. Physician and patient characteristics that interfere with domestic violence detection are reviewed. A role is outlined for psychologists in primary care settings to facilitate detection and treatment. Facilitative efforts include educating physicians through collaboration and serving as an on-site resource for information and consultation.     

Are Machines Gender Neutral? Gender-Stereotypic Responses to Computers With Voices

This study tested whether computers embedded with the most minimal gender cues will evoke gender-based stereotypic responses. Using an experimental paradigm (N = 40) that involved computers with voice output, the study tested 3 gender-based stereotypes under conditions in which all suggestions of gender were removed, with the sole exception of vocal cues. In all 3 cases, gender-stereotypic responses were obtained. Because the experimental manipulation involved no deception regarding the source of the voices. this study presents evidence that the tendency to gender stereotype is extremely powerful, extending even to stereotyping of machines.