Imagery and sentence mediators in verbal discrimination learning

The effect of instructions to use imagery and sentence strategies in verbal discrimination learning (VDL) was investigated in two experiments. In Experiment I, both imaging to and constructing a sentence for the correct item of each pair facilitated VDL relative to an uninstructed control condition. Incorporating both words of the pair into a compound image or compound sentence had no effect, a result that was replicated in Experiment It. Of the two compound instructions, only compound sentences consistently facilitated associative recall of the VDL pairs, suggesting that compound imagery instructions were not always adhered to by the Ss.     

Facing Up to Hopelessness: A Dialogal Phenomenological Study

Hopelessness is a fundamental human experience, and yet is often considered evidence either of sin or of illness. This dialogal phenomenological study, based on in-depth interviews, takes a fresh look at despair as experienced by people across a variety of ages and contexts, and at the consequences and outcomes of these feelings. At the heart of despair is a sense of isolation, impotence, and an immutable future, and yet it may give rise to new purpose or a new understanding and acceptance of life with its possibilities and limitations. The therapeutic implications of this understanding of despair are discussed with a focus on how presence can be healing.     

Herrnstein''s syllogism: genetic and shared environmental influences on IQ, education, and income

Genotypes may influence the phenotypic associations among IQ, education, and income. To investigate this hypothesis, we believe that the appropriate methodology requires estimation of genetic and environmental influences using data able to separate these influences. The National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) is a nationally representative sample that contains genetically-informative full- and half-siblings (28–35 years old in 1992; Ns=1943 full-siblings, 129 half-siblings). A biometric genetic model was fit that estimated the shared environmental and genetic variance components of IQ, years of education, and hourly income. The total heritabilities were 0.64 for IQ, 0.68 for education, and 0.42 for income. Heritabilities due to a common genetic factor were 0.35 for IQ, 0.52 for education, and 0.12 for income. Environmental influences due to a common shared environmental factor were 0.23 for IQ, 0.18 for education, and 0.08 for income. The model predicted a correlation of 0.63 between IQ and education and 0.34 between IQ and income. Sixty-eight percent of the former and 59% of the latter was genetically mediated; the remainder was mediated by common shared environment. These findings suggest that social inequality in the United States has its origin in both genetically-based traits and in different environmental backgrounds.     

Are you looking at me? Eye gaze and person perception

Previous research has highlighted the pivotal role played by gaze detection and interpretation in the development of social cognition. Extending work of this kind, the present research investigated the effects of eye gaze on basic aspects of the person–perception process, namely, person construal and the extraction of category–related knowledge from semantic memory. It was anticipated that gaze direction would moderate the efficiency of the mental operations through which these social–cognitive products are generated. Specifically, eye gaze was expected to influence both the speed with which targets could be categorized as men and women and the rate at which associated stereotypic material could be accessed from semantic memory. The results of two experiments supported these predictions: Targets with nondeviated (i.e., direct) eye gaze elicited facilitated categorical responses. The implications of these findings for recent treatments of person perception are considered.     

Parent Involvement in Secondary Special Education and Transition: An Exploratory Psychometric Study

An increased level of parent involvement in education has been identified as a predictor of positive postschool outcomes for students with disabilities who have traditionally experienced lower rates of employment and postsecondary education than their peers without disabilities. The purpose of this study was to explore the factor structure of scales adapted from the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler Model of Parent Involvement that might be used to predict parent involvement in secondary special education. An iterative adaption process included adding and revising scale items to reflect parent beliefs and involvement activities related to transition planning and secondary education for parents of high school students with disabilities. Participants were 149 parents of students with disabilities, ages 16–21. Two exploratory factor analyses (EFA) were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the scales. Results of the EFA for involvement activities suggested a three-factor solution including: Future Planning; Home-based Involvement; and Agency/School-based Involvement. Results of the EFA for Motivators for Involvement suggested a seven-factor solution including: Parent Expectations for the Future; General School Invitations; Role Construction; Perceptions of Time and Energy; Knowledge, Skills, and Self-efficacy; Specific Child Invitations, and Specific Teacher Invitations. Implications and future research directions are discussed.