Time: a speeding train or wind-driven sand? The estimation of fixed temporal intervals as related to images of time

Relationship between Knapp's metaphor scale of attitudes toward time and subjective estimation of fixed time intervals, measured by a modification of Lovett Doust's method, was described. Results were discussed within the framework of studies relating the measurements of cognitive styles and altered consciousness states to the dilated or accelerated perceptions of time.     

Syntactic decoding times of learning disabled children

Syntactic decoding reaction times of 20 learning disabled children comprising two groups of subjects (mean age of 8 and 13 yr., respectively) were compared to the responses of normal controls matched for age and sex. An analysis of variance procedure showed that the learning disabled children and their normal peers did not differ significantly in responses to the experimental stimuli. This held true regardless of linguistic complexity, suggesting that delays in processing elementary syntactic constructions are not a concomitant of learning disabilities.     

Relationship of left-right reversals to academic achievement

The study was designed to investigate the relationship of reversal of letters and numbers to academic achievement to decide if the tendency to reversal might be used to predict achievement. Two groups of 45 predominantly white third-grade students whose chronological ages were 9.0 yr. or above were administered the California Achievement Tests and the Jordan Left-Right Reversal Test. A statistical comparison was made using scaled scores on the California Achievement Tests and raw errors on the Jordan Left-Right Reversal Test. Reversal was significantly correlated with academic achievement. Children who exhibit reversals at 9 yr. of age or older may be expected to perform less well academically than children who do not reverse letters.     

Influence of age, sex, etiology, and hearing loss on balance performance by deaf children

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of age, sex, etiology, and degree of hearing loss on the static and dynamic balance performance of hearing impaired children and youth (N = 132), ages 3 to 14 yr. The subjects were individually assessed on Items 2 and 7 of Subtest 2 of the Short Form of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency. As expected, performance on both tasks improved with chronological age. In comparing the performance of subjects by etiology, only one significant difference emerged; those with genetic deafness were superior on static balance to those whose deafness was idiopathic. However, the mean scores for the genetic group were superior for both balance tasks. The sex of the child as well as extent of hearing loss did not affect performance in either task.     

Vision and academic performance of learning disabled children

The purpose of this study was to assess difference in academic performance among myopic, hyperopic, and emmetropic children who were learning disabled. More specifically, myopic children were expected to perform better on mathematical and spatial tasks than would hyperopic ones and that hyperopic and emmetropic children would perform better on verbal measures than would myopic ones. For 439 learning disabled students visual anomalies were determined via a Generated Retinal Reflex Image Screening System. Test data were obtained from school files. Partial support for the hypothesis was obtained. Myopic learning disabled children outperformed hyperopic and emmetropic children on the Key Math test. Myopic children scored better than hyperopic children on the WRAT Reading subtest and on the Durrell Analysis of Reading Difficulty Oral Reading Comprehension, Oral Rate, Flashword, and Spelling subtests, and on the Key Math Measurement and Total Scores. Severity of refractive error significantly affected the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised Full Scale, Performance Scale, Verbal Scale, and Digit Span scores but did not affect any academic test scores. Several other findings were also reported. Those with nonametropic problems scored higher than those without problems on the Key Math Time subtest. Implications supportive of the theories of Benbow and Benbow and Geschwind and Behan were stated.     

Real and virtual features in texture perception

The texton theory of preattentive texture perception was recently adopted over a prior model based on the global computation of dipole statistics. It is shown here that the dipole model remains a necessary adjunct unless the texton theory is modified to distinguish real from virtual features of texture perception.     

INFLUENCE OF ASSESSMENT CENTER METHODS ON ASSESSORS'RATINGS

Recently a number of authors have argued persuasively that performance ratings are influenced to a large extent by the way the rater selects, organizes, stores, and recalls information. Although the influence of the rater's cognitive processes on the obtained ratings has been considered in the job-performance evaluation literature, this issue has not been considered in the assessment center literature. The purpose of the present study was to examine how assessment center methods affect the way assessors organize and process assessment center information and affect the ratings they make. Independent groups of assessors underwent one of two methods for evaluating candidates in an assessment center. Data indicated differences in the convergent and discriminant validities and differences in the factor structures of the ratings for the two methods. The pattern of results suggested that the two methods for evaluating assessment center candidates affected the way the assessors organized the assessment center information and affected the obtained ratings. Future research should consider assessment center methods and assessors as sources of variation in assessment center ratings.     

THE BIASING EFFECTS OF SUBORDINATE LIKEABLENESS ON LEADERS' RESPONSES TO POOR PERFORMERS: A LABORATORY AND A FIELD STUDY

A laboratory and a field study investigated the biasing effects of subordinate likableness on leaders' attributions for subordinate poor performance and their corrective actions toward subordinates. In the laboratory study, 96 undergraduate students served as leaders and were presented with a vignette describing an incident of poor performance committed by either a liked or a disliked subordinate. Leaders made attributions for the poor performance and then rated the appropriateness of a series of corrective actions. Analyses revealed that leaders made similar attributions for the poor performance of liked and disliked subordinates, but were more inclined to punish a disliked subordinate than a liked subordinate. A second study replicated these findings with 98 leaders in an actual organization. Implications of the results for disciplinary policies are discussed.     

Study instrument for psychopathology in computer-assisted analysis of findings (Structured Psychopathologic Detection System)

With the Structured Psychopathological Evaluation-System (SPES) an instrument existed for employment of objective criteria. This study was designed to present an evaluation system based on new scientific results, that is applying on the strength of a reduced catalogue of symptoms (94 compared with 198 Items at SPES-A) to clinical routine. Additional findings differentiated by this system be able to classify by the help of an operational decision system.