An analysis of public posting in reducing speeding behavior on an urban highway

The effects of public posting on speeding behavior on an urban highway were assessed using a reversal design. During baseline the percentage of drivers speeding was measured with a concealed radar unit. During the daily posting condition a highway sign was installed which provided feedback on the percentage of drivers not speeding yesterday and the best record to date. This sign was then covered and reintroduced. Results indicated that the sign was effective in reducing speeding behavior. Furthermore, the effects were most pronounced in reducing the speeds of the faster drivers. Next, daily and weekly postings were compared with the sign alone without numerical feedback: results revealed that the weekly posting condition was as effective as the daily posting condition, but that the sign had no influence when numbers were not posted. Finally, the weekly posting procedure remained effective during a 6-month follow-up condition.     

EVALUATING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE CAREPROVIDER PERFORMANCE ON HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENTAL TASKS IN AN INFANT CARE FACILITY

Responding to administrative staff and parental concerns, using modified reversal and withdrawal designs, two experiments evaluated a staff-managed feedback system to improve the hygiene and developmental skills of children in an infant/toddler center. Experiment 1 examined feedback designed to increase staff performance in checking and changing diapers, and recording those changes. A chart plus supervisory feedback produced increases in and maintenance of staff performance. Experiment 2 compared an existing staff management system with a “playchart” plus feedback in increasing careprovider-infant stimulation. The data (with follow-up on a new staff) supported the use of the new feedback system. Questionnaire data further supported the utility of the playchart system.     

The interaction of rate and complexity of stimulus on the performance of adult aphasic subjects.

A need for increased processing of auditory stimuli has been emphasized as a characteristic of aphasic patients. Clinical test performance of aphasics on tasks requiring various levels of communicative abilities was affected by rate of stimulus presentation. Stimuli were subtests of the Minnesota Test for Differential Diagnosis of Aphasia (MTDDA) presented at normal and slowed rates to aphasics grouped according to performance on the Porch Index of Communicative Abilities (PICA). Effect of rate on performance was influenced by severity of the disorder and complexity of the task required. Implications involve the clinician's attention to rate, presentation, and control of complexity of material.     

On the specification of input units in speech perception.

The first part of this paper considers the experimental evidence concerning a primary recognition unit in speech decoding. Considerations of general human information processing abilities lead to the suggestion that this primary unit must be a fairly long, but clearly identifiable, stretch of speech. Further evidence for the need of a primary recognition unit arises from a consideration of human abilities to identify the order of sounds in a repeated sequence of nonspeech sounds. In spite of the obvious ease with which the order of elements is perceived in speech, listeners have a great deal of difficulty determining the order of sounds in a repeated sequence of nonspeech sounds. Yet there is quite compelling evidence that speech and the perception of order are functions of the same cerebral hemisphere, and, further, that aphasic deficits are accompanied by deficits in the perception of temporal order. The data in the literature suggest that syllables, and phrases defined by suprasegmentals, might function as primary recognition units.In the second part of the paper, the results of an experiment are reported, showing that if a sequence of nonspeech sounds is provided with organization analogous to the organization provided by suprasegmentals in speech then normal subjects' performance on the task of determining the temporal order of the sequence is improved. Aphasic patients, however, appear to be unable to take advantage of such organizing parameters since their performance is not significantly affected by providing organization of the stimulus.     

THE EFFECTS OF REALISTIC PREVIEWS: A STUDY AND DISCUSSION OF THE LITERATURE

The effects of realistic job previews (RJPs) were studied with a sample of 842 candidates for telephone service representative. Two types of preview, a film and job visit, were used. Results showed no significant differences between RJP candidates and control candidates with respect to job acceptance, met expectations, job commitment and turnover. Because the findings were at variance with the conclusions of previous RJP research the data from previous studies were reexamined. Based on pooled data from eleven studies the average effect of RJPs on turnover rate was estimated as six percentage points overall. Neither the type of media used nor the length of time turnover is studied appears to interact with RJP effectiveness. RJPs appear to be more effective with more complex jobs, however. Explanations of RJP effects on turnover have not been consistently supported. Though data are limited, self-selection, met expectations and coping ability do not appear to be impacted by RJPs. There is some evidence that RJPs result in more positive job related attitudes, but the explanation for this is not clear. Difficulties in interpreting job preview research are noted, including insufficient statistical power, differences in organizational roles and the lack of a clear operational definition of realism.     

A method for studying the analysis of aspects of the patient's experience of the relationship in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy

We have described a coding scheme for obtaining an objective account of the analysis of resisted aspects of the patient's experience of the relationship with the therapist in single, audio-recorded sessions of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. The focus is on what is often regarded as an important first step in the analysis of transference: the identification and exploration of the preconscious points of attachment of transference ideas in the here-and-now. Related to the scheme is the view that there is generally a plausible basis in the here-and-now for the patient's ideas about the therapist. The implications of that view for the concept of transference are discussed. Future directions for research are noted, including improving the reliability of the scheme and testing various hypotheses regarding how the particular step in technique assessed by the method affects other aspects of the process and outcome.