A programmable relay and amplifier I/O interface for the PDP-8/E computer

Use of the Digital Equipment Corporation DR8 digital input/output buffer for the PDP-8/E computer is common. However, by itself the DR8 has inadequate output-driving capability for even the smallest laboratory device. A flexible low-cost control network designed to enable a DR8 interface to control any of 12 pico-reed relays for output driving or 8 programmable amplifiers for auditory signal presentation is described.     

Feature analyzers for the phonetic dimensionstop vs. continuant

Perception of sounds along the phonetic dimensionstop vs. continuant was studied by means of a selective adaptation procedure. Subjects first identified a series of synthetic consonant-vowel syllables whose formant transitions varied in duration, slope, and amplitude characteristics. They were perceived as either [ba] or [wa]. After the initial identification test, an adapting stimulus was presented repeatedly, and then the subjects again identified the original test series. Adapting with a stop (either [ba] or [da]) led to a decrease in the number of test stimuli identified as [ba], whereas adapting with the continuant sound [wa] led to an increase in the number of [ba] identification responses. Removing the vowel portion of an adapting stimulus greatly reduced the identification shift only when the resulting stimulus was no longer perceived as speech-like. A reduction in the number of [ba] identifications occurred even when a nonspeech “stop” (the sound of a plucked string) was used as the adapting stimulus, suggesting that phonetic processing is not a necessary condition for an adaptation effect.     

The influence of gender on children's ratings of fear in self and same-aged peers

In the present study, gender differences in children's fear were examined. Nine-year-old children were asked to rate their own fears, the fears of their peers of the opposite gender, and the fears of their peers of the same gender, using the Fear Survey Schedule for Children--Revised (Ollendick, 1983). Consistent with previous investigations, the results revealed that boys rated themselves as less fearful than girls. In addition, both male and female judges rated "other boys" as less afraid than "other girls." These findings emerged whether fear was examined in terms of intensity or prevalence. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

On the partitioning of squared Euclidean distance and its applications in cluster analysis

The partitioning of squared Eucliean distance between two vectors in M-dimensional space into the sum of squared lengths of vectors in mutually orthogonal subspaces is discussed and applications given to specific cluster analysis problems. Examples of how the partitioning idea can be used to help describe and interpret derived clusters, derive similarity measures for use in cluster analysis, and to design Monte Carlo studies with carefully specified types and magnitudes of differences between the underlying population mean vectors are presented. Most of the example applications presented in this paper involve the clustering of longitudinal data, but their use in cluster analysis need not be limited to this arena.     

Development and psychometric properties of the Children's Assertive Behavior Scale

The purpose of this paper is to present the psychometric properties and individual items comprising the Children's Assertive Behavior Scale (CABS). The CABS is a behaviorally designed self-report instrument for children which measures general and specific social skills and covers many socially relevant situations which are problematic for children. Acceptable psychometric properties of the 27-item test were obtained in several independent investigations across both geographical regions and grade levels. The CABS showed significant concurrent validity with peer, parent, and teacher measures of social competency. The CABS also discriminated trained versus untrained children participating in social skills versus a placebo discussion group. The instrument is presented, along with recommendations for future applications and research.Both authors share equal responsibility for the development and evaluation of the Children's Assertive Behavior Scale.     

Individual differences in circadian activity rhythm and personality

Individual differences in circadian activity rhythms were assessed in terms of peak activity time, rising time and retiring time reported every day for 84 consecutive days. A 19-item Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) was found to significantly correlate with time-of-day effects on these three circadian activity measures, as well as with parental report of the S's peak activity time. Several measures of extraversion were also found to correlate significantly with the MEQ, as well as with rising and retiring time, suggesting that extraverts are evening types. However, when the differential effects of sociability and impulsivity were examined it was found that the sociability component of extraversion was most responsible for the time-of-day differences. This result diverges somewhat from previous findings that suggest impulsivity is the component responsible for time-of-day effects. This apparent contradiction is discussed in terms of arousal being a non-urinary construct, with different indices of circadian arousal allowing for differential correlates with specific personality components.