The empirical violation of conservation laws and its relation to structural change

Concrete operational Ss were provided empirical evidence of nonconservation of discontinuous quantity and weight. The findings were that few Ss accepted this evidence. This was interpreted as supporting the organismic-developmental claim that lower forms of reasoning are transformed into structurally more advanced forms. It was also found that (1) probing provides a more accurate assessment of Ss' operational levels, (2) one can empirically distinguish between logicomathematical and physical knowledge, and (3) the former is understood by Ss to be nomically necessary and the latter, in the case of weight, may not be.     

Effects of felt adequacy and opportunity to reciprocate on help seeking

This experiment was prompted by the belief that felt inadequacy and lack of opportunity to reciprocate act as deterrents to help seeking when help is needed. The experiment was conducted on 56 freshmen by modifying Greenberg and Shapiro's physical disability paradigm. Subjects were told that they could not meet the quota on a manual task but had done well (poorly) for persons similarly handicapped (by arm in sling). Later they learned that the electricity would be shut off in 2 hr (15 min), making it possible (impossible) to help the visually handicapped fellow worker later on a visual task. The hypothesis that felt inadequacy inhibits help seeking was fully supported, while the corresponding hypothesis regarding lack of opportunity to reciprocate received only partial support. There were no sex differences. The relevance of these data for embarrassment theory is discussed.     

The relationship between binocular brightness matches and luminance difference discriminability of successively presented light flashes1

Measurements of monocular ΔI and PSE as a function of the ISI between two 2-deg foveal fields successively presented to the same retinal area were obtained for two Standard durations, using the method of constant stimuli. Binocular brightness matches of the stimuli revealed that detection of a difference occurred whenever a constant difference (in log mL) in matching luminance existed. The implication of the results was that ΔI is related to the rate of change of brightness with changes in test-field luminance.     

BIRTH ORDER OF MEDICAL STUDENTS AND THE OCCUPATIONAL AMBITIONS OF THEIR PARENTS

Une étude antérieure, faite aux Etats-Unis, a montré que les étudiants en médecine sont en général les aînés de leur famille; cette tendance est spécialement marquée lorsque le père souffre d'un certain déséquilibre dans son statut professionnel, en ce sens que celui-ci est inférieur à ce à quoi il pouvait aspirer de par sa formation. Cette étude a été refaite et étendue en Suède; les conclusions sont les suivantes: (1) Les étudiants en médecine, filies et garçons sont en général les aînés de leur famille. (2) Cette tendance est plus marquée chez les filies dont le père a un statut déséquilibré. (3) Pour les étudiants des deux sexes, la proportion d'aînés est spécialement forte chez ceux qui relatent que leur père a été frustré dans ses aspirations professionnelles. On pourrait done penser que le fils ainé prend son père comme modèle de rôle professionnel quand le père est satisfait de son travail, tandis que, lorsque le père est frustré, le fils prend pour modèle le rôle que le pére n'a pas réussi à atteindre. (4) Conformément aux prédictions basées sur la primogéniture, les effets du rang de naissance, pour les sujets masculins, sont plus marqués dans les zones rurales que dans les villes, mais cette différence ne joue pas pour les filies. Plusieurs problèmes méthodologiques afférant aux recherches sur le rang de naissance sont discutés ici.     

Error-related electrocortical responses in 10-year-old children and young adults

Recent anatomical and electrophysiological evidence suggests that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is relatively late to mature. This brain region appears to be critical for monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting ongoing behaviors. This monitoring elicits characteristic ERP components including the error-related negativity (ERN), error positivity (Pe) and correct-related negativity (CRN), with the ERN clearly relating to activation of the ACC; however, little attention has been paid to the examination of these ERP components in children. The present study examined developmental differences in the ERN, Pe, and CRN in normal 10-year-old children and young adults in a standard visual flanker task. We found that children had smaller ERNs than adults, with no between-group differences on the Pe, and some ambiguity concerning the CRN. Results provide electrophysiological support either for late maturation of the ACC or late involvement of the ACC in response monitoring. Results also suggest that there is some functional independence of response-monitoring ERP components. Error-related ERPs may be a useful tool in studying the development of this brain region and its role in behavior in normal and atypical development.     

The intelligence community and the war on terror: the role of behavioral science

The United States intelligence community has been under intense scrutiny from both inside and outside in the aftermath of September 11. Post mortem assessments of intelligence breakdowns may judge the events as more predictable than was in fact the actual reality. In a troubled world, when threats to national security can materialize very quickly, the intelligence community must be able to effectively and swiftly develop and implement plans to prevent further terrorist attacks on the homeland. Numerous scenarios need to be considered for the management of crisis situations. Intelligence actions must make it more difficult for terrorists to strike at their targets. The war on terror must confront a new generation of enemies who threaten to attack the United States with weapons of mass destruction. This essay will focus on the role of behavioral science and how related reforms within the intelligence community could improve its capability to respond to a huge challenge.