Left-view sequences of faces are superior to right-view ones for view generalization

Faces learned from multiple viewpoints are recognized better with left than right three-quarter views. This left-view superiority could be explained by perceptual experience, facial asymmetry, or hemispheric specialization. In the present study, we investigated whether left-view sequences are also more effective in recognizing same and novel views of a face. In a sequential matching task, a view sequence showing a face rotating around a left (?30°) or a right (+30°) angle, with an amplitude of 30°, was followed by a static test view with the same viewpoint as the sequence (?30° or +30°) or with a novel one (0°, +30°, or ?30°). We found a superiority of left-view sequences independently of the test viewpoint, but no superiority of left over right test views. These results do not seem compatible with the perceptual experience hypothesis, which predicts superiority only for left-side test views (?30°). Also, a facial asymmetry judgement task showed no correlation between the asymmetry of individual faces and the left-view sequence superiority. A superiority of left-view sequences for novel as well as same test views argues in favour of an explanation by hemispheric specialization, because of the possible role of the right hemisphere in extracting facial identity information.     

Executive Functioning and Gambling: Performance on the Trail Making Test is Associated with Gambling Problems in Older Adult Gamblers

ABSTRACT

Rates of gambling problems in older adults have risen with increased accessibility of gambling venues. One possible contributor to problem gambling among older adults is decreased self-control brought about by diminished executive functioning. Consistent with this possibility, Study 1 revealed that older adults recruited from gambling venues reported greater gambling problems if they also experienced deficits in executive functioning, measured via the Trail Making Test. Study 2 replicated this finding and demonstrated that problem gambling is associated with increased depression among older adults, mediated by increased financial distress. These studies provide support for the hypothesis that older adult gamblers who have executive functioning problems are also likely to have gambling problems.     

Measuring Response Styles Across the Big Five: A Multiscale Extension of an Approach Using Multinomial Processing Trees

This study shows how to address the problem of trait-unrelated response styles (RS) in rating scales using multidimensional item response theory. The aim is to test and correct data for RS in order to provide fair assessments of personality. Expanding on an approach presented by Böckenholt (2012), observed rating data are decomposed into multiple response processes based on a multinomial processing tree. The data come from a questionnaire consisting of 50 items of the International Personality Item Pool measuring the Big Five dimensions administered to 2,026 U.S. students with a 5-point rating scale. It is shown that this approach can be used to test if RS exist in the data and that RS can be differentiated from trait-related responses. Although the extreme RS appear to be unidimensional after exclusion of only 1 item, a unidimensional measure for the midpoint RS is obtained only after exclusion of 10 items. Both RS measurements show high cross-scale correlations and item response theory-based (marginal) reliabilities. Cultural differences could be found in giving extreme responses. Moreover, it is shown how to score rating data to correct for RS after being proved to exist in the data.     

Monitoring Scale Scores over Time via Quality Control Charts, Model-Based Approaches, and Time Series Techniques

Maintaining a stable score scale over time is critical for all standardized educational assessments. Traditional quality control tools and approaches for assessing scale drift either require special equating designs, or may be too time-consuming to be considered on a regular basis with an operational test that has a short time window between an administration and its score reporting. Thus, the traditional methods are not sufficient to catch unusual testing outcomes in a timely manner. This paper presents a new approach for score monitoring and assessment of scale drift. It involves quality control charts, model-based approaches, and time series techniques to accommodate the following needs of monitoring scale scores: continuous monitoring, adjustment of customary variations, identification of abrupt shifts, and assessment of autocorrelation. Performance of the methodologies is evaluated using manipulated data based on real responses from 71 administrations of a large-scale high-stakes language assessment.     

Focused attention on one contextual attribute does not reduce source memory for a different attribute

In three experiments, participants were asked to learn a particular contextual dimension of a study episode for a later memory test. The hypothesis being evaluated was that focused attention towards learning a particular source-specifying attribute would decrease memory for a different attribute dimension. Although source memory for the attribute dimensions in the focus of attention were generally improved, memory was not diminished for contextual attributes ostensibly outside the focus of primary attention. The absence of any decrease in memory appears to be a somewhat general phenomenon because it was found with external-external, internal-external, and internal-internal combinations of attribute dimensions. The results may be most consistent with a model of cognitive processing in which people have separate pools of attentional resources rather than a single pool of general resources.     

Exoneration reduces adult conflict's effects on preschoolers' cognitions, behavioral distress, and physiology

In this experiment, the authors investigated the influence of exoneration from blame on children's overt behavioral distress and physiological reactivity following the presentation of overheard adult conflict. The participants were 48 children (48-71 months of age) and their mothers. Through random assignment, the authors presented 16 children with statements that exonerated them from an overheard disagreement between two adults, did not address 16 during a similar disagreement, and presented 16 with a neutral discussion of difficulties. Exonerated children responded with less distress than did nonaddressed children, but did not differ from children presented the neutral discussion, except for overt behavioral distress. Nonaddressed children most often blamed themselves for the argument. Exonerating statements may protect children from attributional error and resultant physiological arousal during adult conflict.     

The Role of Recollection and Familiarity in the Context Variability Mirror Effect

Context variability refers to the number of preexperimental contexts that are associated with concepts. In four experiments, we investigated the basis for increased recognition memory for low context variability words. Low context variability was associated with greater recollection in the hit rates, and high context variability was associated with greater familiarity in the false alarms. Shortening the study time reduced recollection, but low context variability still influenced recollection in the hit rates. A modality change from study to test also reduced recollection but preserved recollective differences for low versus high context variability items. One interpretation of the results suggests that low context variability evokes more specific and, perhaps, idiosyncratic recollective associations during learning and that these associations support better recognition in the hit rates. By contrast, activating the larger number of associations for high context variability items may be mistaken for familiarity in the false alarm rates.     

Situation models and retrieval interference: pictures and words

Previous studies have found that interference in long-term memory retrieval occurs when information cannot be integrated into a single situation model, but this interference is greatly reduced or absent when the information can be so integrated. The current study looked at the influence of presentation format-sentences or pictures-on this observed pattern. When sentences were used at memorisation and recognition, a spatial organisation was observed. In contrast, when pictures were used, a different pattern of results was observed. Specifically, there was an overall speed-up in response times, and consistent evidence of interference. Possible explanations for this difference were examined in a third experiment using pictures during learning, but sentences during recognition. The results from Experiment 3 were consistent with the organisation of information into situation models in long-term memory, even from pictures. This suggests that people do create situation models when learning pictures, but their recognition memory may be oriented around more "verbatim", surface-form memories of the pictures.     

Fan effects in event-based prospective memory

Three experiments investigated whether event-based prospective memory was affected by the associative fan of the cues to be detected. The associative fan was operationally defined as the number of associates paired with event-based cues in a paired associate learning phase. Subsequent to the paired associate learning, participants were given a lexical decision task in which event-based cues were embedded. The results from Experiments 1 and 2 confirmed that a larger associative fan significantly reduced event-based cue detection. The third experiment confirmed that the absolute strength of an association does not affect performance, rather the number of associations does. As an ancillary issue, the authors tested whether cue detection was affected by the familiarity of the background words used in the lexical decision task. No consistent evidence for a discrepancy plus search model of prospective memory was found.     

An observation on the role of context variability in free recall

The authors conducted 3 experiments investigating the effect of context variability and word frequency on free recall. Context variability refers to the number of pre-experimental contexts in which a given word is experienced. Both between-subjects and within-subjects manipulations of context variability demonstrated a distinct advantage for low context variability words. Standard word frequency effects were obtained in 2 of the 3 experiments, but the common finding of no word frequency differences in mixed lists of high and low word frequency may depend on the level (low vs. high) of context variability. The authors speculate that the advantage for low context variability items may accrue from better item-to-list context associations or better storage of contextual information as a consequence of the smaller pre-experimental contextual fan that these items possess.