Individual differences in current events knowledge: Contributions of ability,personality, and interests

What accounts for individual differences in the sort of knowledge that people may draw on in everyday cognitive tasks, such as deciding whom to vote for in a presidential election, how to invest money in the stock market, or what team to bet on in a friendly wager? In a large sample of undergraduate students, we investigated correlates of individual differences in recently acquired knowledge of current events in domains such as politics, business, and sports. Structural equation modeling revealed two predictive pathways: one involving cognitive ability factors and the other involving two major nonability factors (personality and interests). The results of this study add to what is known about the sources of individual differences in knowledge and are interpreted in the context of theoretical conceptions of adult intelligence that emphasize the centrality and importance of knowledge (e.g., Ackerman, 1996; Cattell, 1971).     

Recognition of Facial Expressions of Emotion by Children with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Interpreting and responding appropriately to facial expressions of emotion are important aspects of social skills. Some children, adolescents, and adults with various psychological and psychiatric disorders recognize facial expressions less proficiently than their peers in the general population. We wished to determine if such deficits existed in a group of 133 children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). The subjects were receiving in-patient psychiatric services for at least one of substance-related disorders, adjustment disorders, anxiety disorders, mood disorders or disruptive behavior disorders. After being read stories describing various emotional reactions, all subjects were tested for their ability to recognize the 6 basic facial expressions of emotion depicted in Ekman and Friesen's (1976) normed photographs. Overall, they performed well on this task at levels comparable to those occurring in the general population. Accuracy increased with age, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, or clinical diagnosis. After adjusting for age effects, the subjects diagnosed with either adjustment disorders, mood disorders, or disruptive behavior disorders were significantly more accurate at identifying anger than those without those diagnoses. In addition, subjects with mood disorders identified sadness significantly more accurately than those without this diagnosis, although the effect was greatest with younger children.     

What does "touch" mean to young children? An empirical study

This study examined 40 preschool children's understanding of the word touch. 24 drawings were presented one at a time to each child, and the children were instructed to describe each of the drawings and to classify them into drawings portraying touch or drawings showing no touch. 20 undergraduates were also interviewed. The same procedure was used, but in addition the undergraduates were asked to predict how preschool-age children would do on the same task. The results showed several ways in which the children's understanding of the word touch differed from that of an adult.     

Shorter articles and notes: A case of fluctuation of awareness with the pulse

The case is described of a man in whom certain percepts of central origin (after-images of hallucinations) fluctuated rhythmically with the arterial pulse. The phenomenon is explained in terms of contemporary theories of consciousness and the inhibitory effects of baroceptor impulses.

In a previous communication (Oswald, 1957) it was described how some persons may experience visual after-images not only after retinal stimulation but also after the prolonged contemplation of a voluntary vivid image (hallucination). One of those described, Subject Wi, is further discussed below. It is relevant to this case and to the interpretation suggested, to recall that Griffits and Gordon (1924) described the rhythmical increase and decrease of the size, intensity, or apparent distance of vivid images (hallucinations) with rhythmical fluctuations of vasomotor tone, of pulse rate and, by inference, of blood pressure.     

The homogeneity assumption in differential prediction analysis: does it really matter?

In simulation studies, the F test for differences in regression slopes has tended to distort nominal Type I and II error rates when the 2 subgroup error variances exceeded a 1.50:1 ratio. This study examines the frequency and extent that this ratio is violated within data sets relevant to applied psychology. The General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) validity study database contained ability data and overall job performance ratings. The Project A military database contained both ability and personality data, along with job performance factor scores and an overall job performance rating. Results suggest that subgroup (White-Black, male-female) error variances are often homogeneous enough to support F test results from past empirical work. Enough heterogeneity was found, however, to urge applied psychologists investigating differential prediction to explore their data and consider the possibility of alternative statistical tests.     

Disruption of comprehension by the meaning of irrelevant sound

This study investigates the claim that the disruption of comprehension by irrelevant sound is qualitatively different from that of short-term memory for order. Both meaningful and meaningless speech disrupted the comprehensive aspect of the task, but the effect of meaningful speech was significantly greater. Both rehearsal and semantic processing, which are involved in reading comprehension, seem to be susceptible to disruption by irrelevant meaningful speech. The study provides some evidence to suggest that the presence of meaning in the irrelevant sound in creases disruption of performance in cognitive tasks that also call upon processing of meaning.