Drive level effects on tasks of narrow and broad attention

Easterbrook (1959) has predicted that (a) performance on tasks involving the use of a wide range of cues will be impaired under high-drive conditions and that (b) performance on tasks requiring the use of only a narrow range of cues will be facilitated under such conditions.

Using the Porteus Maze Test, relatively clear evidence was obtained to support the first prediction. Using the Stroop Colour Word Interference Test some evidence was obtained in support of the second prediction.     

Latency of the blink reflex and stimulus intensity J

The latency of the eyeblink reflex is inversely related to the intensity of the auditory or visual stimuli used to evoke it. This is true for both mechanical and muscle action potential methods for recording the response.     

F-test bias for experimental designs of the Latin square type

In an earlier paper, a method of analysis, due to Neyman and now known generally as variance component analysis, was used to examineF-test bias for experimental designs in education of the randomized block type. The same method is now applied to studyF-test bias for designs of the Latin square type. The results, in general, disprove the view that, for a valid application of Latin square techniques, it is necessary that all interactions are zero.     

The Effects of Limited and Conflicting Stereotypic information on Group Categorization in Northern Ireland1

The process of group categorization, as suggested by Tajfel and Turner's (1979) theory of intergroup comparison, was examined under conditions of intergroup conflict in Northern Ireland. The theory predicts that under “normal” conditions groups have a need to distinguish themselves from others. The present study investigates how individuals in Northern Ireland under extreme environmental pressures to identify both their own and other groups, can use learned stereotypic cues in making such categorizations. Results suggested that such limited information was highly effective in the process of categorization, with both Protestant and Catholic subjects exhibiting significant agreement and confidence in identifying unknown persons on the basis of stereotypic cues Conflicting information was found to reduce subject's confidence levels, with conflicting Catholic cues being more disruptive than Protestant ones     

Advantages of Propositionalism

Propositionalism is the view that the contents of intentional attitudes have a propositional structure. Objectualism opposes propositionalism in allowing the contents of these attitudes to be ordinary objects or properties. Philosophers including Talbot Brewer, Paul Thagard, Michelle Montague, and Alex Grzankowski attack propositionalism about such attitudes as desire, liking, and fearing. This article defends propositionalism, mainly on grounds that it better supports psychological explanations.     

Transition to success on the model room task: the importance of improvements in working memory

Previous work has shown that children under age 3 often perform very poorly on the model room task, in which they are asked to find a hidden toy based on its location in a scale model. One prominent theory for their failure is that they lack the ability to understand the model as both a physical object and as a symbolic representation of the larger room. A hypothesized additional component is that they need to overcome weak, competing representations of where the object was on a previous trial, and where it is in the present trial, in order to succeed in their search. Children aged 33–39 months were tested on the model room task, as well as on measures of cognitive inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and working memory. Results showed that performance on the model room task was not predicted by measures of inhibitory control or cognitive flexibility, but was predicted by performance on the Delayed Recognition Span Test (DRST), a measure of working memory. These findings lend support to the theory of competing representations and demonstrate the necessity of updating and maintaining strong representations in working memory to succeed in the search task.