Semantic processing and organization in free recall

It was hypothesized that both semantic processing and organizational activity are necessary for optimal free recall performance. In a series of three experiments, subjects were presented with a list of randomly selected nouns and were asked to make up a meaningful sentence for each noun. The subjects also rated the difficulty of using each noun. The subjects were instructed to try to remember words that were labeled "remember" words. For words that were labeled "story" words, the subjects were instructed only to make each sentence, using the word, part of an ongoing story which each subject was to make up. A test of retention for all presented words, using retention intervals of both 1 min and 24 h, showed that the story words were always recalled better than were the remember words. However, the amount of sequential organization was the same for both the story and the remember words. Recognition performance was found to be the same for both types of words. In addition, the story words were rated as being more difficult than the remember words. It was concluded that extensive semantic processing without organization is not sufficient for optimal recall.     

Effects of peer reporting on cooperative play and aggression of kindergarten children

Kindergarten children were given opportunities to report to their class during “sharing time” the cooperative or friendly behaviors of their peers which had occurred during the day. Children whose cooperative behavior was reported by a peer received a happy face badge as a reward. Later, only peer praise served as a reward for those whose friendliness was mentioned by a peer. Cooperative behavior increased and aggressive acts decreased when peers reported prosocial behavior to the class. A reversal phase, in which unfriendly acts were reported, produced a decrease in cooperation and an increase in aggression. Peer reporting was a natural and inexpensive means of increasing prosocial responses of these children. Anecdotal teacher reports suggested a generalized behavioral improvement.     

Digital computer estimation of eye fixations

A method is presented for estimating eye fixations to the degree of accuracy desired. In the process, the quantity of data is greatly reduced so that analysis can be accomplished at the end of each experimental run. The algorithm is particularly suitable for “slow” computers because the analog-to-digital conversion rate can be low and because the data reduction process decreases the number of calculations required to obtain the analytical results.     

Erratum to: A Further Comparison Of Oblique Factor Transformation Methods

Psychometrika - The on-line version of this article has contained mistakes in affiliation part.     

MEMORY WALLET INTERVENTION IN AN ADULT DAY-CARE SETTING

The use of memory wallets to prompt factual information during conversations with day-care center volunteers was evaluated for four subjects with dementia. Memory wallets contained 15–20 pictures and sentences about familiar persons, places, and events that each subject had difficulty remembering. All subjects used the memory wallets to improve their conversations by increasing factual statements and decreasing ambiguous, unintelligible, and perseverative utterances. Volunteers decreased their use of questions and prompts during conversations in which subjects used their memory wallets. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of using volunteers to develop memory wallets and to encourage their use during conversations with day-care clients.     

Neighborhood Stress and Life Satisfaction: Is there a Relationship for African American Adolescents?

Applied Research in Quality of Life - This study identified associations between perceived neighborhood stress and adolescents’ perceptions of life satisfaction. African American adolescents...