Lateral asymmetries in electrodermal responses to nonattended stimuli: a response to Dawson and Schell

Recently, Dawson and Schell (1982) provided convincing evidence that words presented to the nonattended ear during a dichotic-listening task undergo automatic semantic analysis in the absence of intention or awareness. Because of its methodological rigor, this finding is important in the context of the long-standing controversy surrounding the preattentive processing phenomenon. However, we challenge the authors' suggestion of a right-hemisphere locus for this phenomenon. We offer a methodological basis for the findings and propose a countersuggestion of a left hemisphere, or at least bilateral, processing locus.     

The role of articulation in the parsing and retention of letter strings in tachistoscopic free recall

In Mewhort and Campbell's (1981) model of visual word recognition, a scan-parse mechanism transfer information from a character buffer to a short-term store and is largely responsible for the familiarity effects observed in tachistoscopic free recall. Although Mewhort and Campbell do not elaborate on the role of articulation in this task, they do suggest that the scan-parse mechanism acts prior to any involvement of articulatory processes (see Mewhort & Campbell, 1980). However, proponents of working memory (see Baddeley, 1986) are clear that articulation is necessary for the transfer of visual information to a phonological short-term store. In order to clarify the role of articulation in the parsing and retention of letter string, we asked subjects to undertake a tachistoscopic free-recall task, involving first- and fourth-order letter strings, with and without articulatory suppression and/or unattended speech. Unattended speech was observed to interfere with recall, but only when subjects were free to articulate the strings. This implies that subjects were retrieving information from the phonological store and that articulation is necessary for the registration of visual information in this store. The lack of interaction between order-of-approximation and suppression supports the view that the scan-parse mechanism acts independently of articulation. It appears, therefore, that letter strings are parsed at a stage preceding their transfer of the pharmacological store. Finally, the results indicate that subjects are able to draw directly on a representation of the parsed components of a letter string and may do so when phonological storage is difficult.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Strategies in the recall of clusterable lists

The present study assessed the effectiveness of a multi-session training aproach intended to teach mildly retarded adolescents to discover and utilize categorical list structure. The performance of a group of trained retarded individuals was compared with that of another group of retarded individuals who had simply received practice with the training materials. The performance of both retarded groups was evaluated relative to that of a group of equivalent-CA normal adolescents. Recall transfer with a new word list was indicated by the finding that trained retarded subjects achieved a criterion of perfect recall in fewer trials than untrained retarded subjects. Differences in the use of categorization strategies by normal and retarded subjects were interpreted in the light of the automatic-controlled processing distinction of Schneider and Shiffrin (1977).     

Interpersonal problem solving: An intervention program for preschool children

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention program designed to train preschool children in interpersonal problem solving skills. Forty preschool age children were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. Experimental subjects were trained in interpersonal problem solving skills for ten weeks, four days per week, for a total of 10–13 hours. Problem-solving skills were assessed at pretest, posttest, and three months after training was completed. Seventy-eight percent of the children who participated in pretest and posttest were tested at follow-up. Results indicated that the experimental group, compared to the control group, showed a significant increase in both cognitive—verbal and behavioral interpersonal problem-solving skills from pretest to posttest and that these changes were maintained at follow-up testing. Discussion focuses on suggestions for future research and implications for applied settings.     

MULTIVARIATE ASSESSMENT OF CONFLICT IN DISTRESSED AND NONDISTRESSED MOTHER-ADOLESCENT DYADS

A battery of measures was used to assess conflict between mothers and young adolescents (females and males, 11 to 15 years of age). Two groups of families, one composed of a distressed clinical sample (N = 38), the other a nondistressed normative sample (N = 40), participated. The assessment battery included retrospective judgments, frequency estimates, self-monitored home recording, and tape-recorded discussion of a home problem. Content of assessment measures tapped aspects of parental control, decisionmaking, self-reported interaction behavior, arguments, interaction behavior rated by independent “blind” observers, frequency and anger-intensity of specific problematic issues, and perceptions of positive and negative behaviors of the other family member. Based on univariate analyses, 21 of the 26 defined variables discriminated significantly in the predicted direction. Maternal and adolescent reports of behavior and independent ratings of tape-recorded interaction emerged as strong and consistent discriminators. Stepwise multivariate discriminant analysis provided successful classification of 100% of the families based on the inclusion of nine variables. In a cross-validation sample, 84% of the families were correctly classified. Implications for systematic outcome research as well as clinical application are discussed.     

Standardized classroom management program: Social validation and replication studies in Utah and Oregon

A comprehensive validation study was conducted of the Program for Academic Survival Skills (PASS), a consultant-based, teacher-mediated program for student classroom behavior. The study addressed questions related to: (a) brief consultant training, (b) subsequent teacher training by consultants using PASS manuals, (c) contrasts between PASS experimental teachers and students and equivalent controls on measures of teacher management skills, student classroom behavior, teacher ratings of student problem behaviors, and academic achievement, (d) reported satisfaction of participants, and (e) replication of effects across two separate school sites. Results indicated that in both sites significant effects were noted in favor of the PASS experimental group for (a) teacher approval, (b) student appropriate classroom behavior, and (c) four categories of student inappropriate behavior. Program satisfaction ratings of students, teachers, and consultants were uniformly positive, and continued use of the program was reported a year later. Discussion focused upon issues of cost-effectiveness, differential site effects, and the relationship between appropriate classroom behavior and academic achievement.     

Remarriage after divorce: dissolution and reconstruction of family boundaries.

Remarriage is analyzed from the perspective of family boundaries and roles. The nuclear and remarriage family models are compared, and the process that begins with the formation of the first-marriage nuclear family and ends with the formation of a second-marriage family is conceptualized in terms of changing family boundaries and roles. Discussions with remarriage group members provide concrete illustrations of this process and suggest solutions to some of the problems confronting remarriage family members.