Perceptions of conflict and support in romantic relationships: the role of attachment anxiety

Guided by attachment theory, a 2-part study was conducted to test how perceptions of relationship-based conflict and support are associated with relationship satisfaction/closeness and future quality. Dating partners completed diaries for 14 days (Part 1) and then were videotaped while discussing a major problem that occurred during the diary study (Part 2). Part 1 reveals that more anxiously attached individuals perceived more conflict with their dating partners and reported a tendency for conflicts to escalate in severity. Perceptions of daily relationship-based conflicts negatively impacted the perceived satisfaction/closeness and relationship futures of highly anxious individuals, whereas perceptions of greater daily support had positive effects. Part 2 reveals that highly anxious individuals appeared more distressed and escalated the severity of conflicts (rated by observers) and reported feeling more distressed. The authors discuss the unique features of attachment anxiety and how changing perceptions of relationship satisfaction/closeness and stability could erode commitment over time.     

Spousal agreement regarding relationship aggression on the Conflict Tactics Scale-2

The current study assessed agreement within 273 treatment-seeking couples that reported on aggression in their relationship using the Conflict Tactics Scale-2 (CTS-2; M. A. Straus, S. L. Hamby, S. Boney-McCoy, & D. B. Sugarman, 1996), the dominant instrument for assessing violence among couples. Results revealed low-to-moderate levels of agreement, consistent with previous studies using earlier versions of the CTS. Both husbands and wives reported a lower level of aggression for themselves than their partners attributed to them, though this discrepancy was generally stronger for husbands. In addition, both husbands and wives showed higher agreement on items rated as more objective and specific. The implications of these findings for researchers and clinicians are discussed.     

Factors responsible for performance on the day–night task: response set or semantics?

In a recent study Diamond, Kirkham and Amso (2002) obtained evidence consistent with the claim that the day-night task requires inhibition because the picture and its corresponding conflicting response are semantically related. In their study children responded more accurately in a dog-pig condition (see /day picture/ say "dog"; see /night picture/ say "pig") than the standard day-night condition (see /day picture/ say "night"; see /night picture/ say "day"). However, there is another effect that may have made the day-night condition harder than the dog-pig condition: the response set effect. In the day-night condition the names of the two stimuli ("day" and "night") and the two corresponding conflicting responses ("night" and "day") are from the same response set: both "day" and "night". In the dog-pig condition the names of the stimuli ("day", "night") and the corresponding responses ("dog", "pig") are from a different response set. In two experiments (Experiment 1 with 4-year-olds (n = 25); Experiment 2 with , 4-, 5-, 7- and 11-year-olds (n = 81)) children were tested on four experimental conditions that enabled the effects of semantics and response set to be separated. Overall, our data suggest that response set is a major factor in creating the inhibitory demands of the day-night task in children of all ages. Results are discussed in relation to other inhibitory tasks.     

A comparison of six methods to estimate thresholds from psychometric functions

There are many ways in which to estimate thresholds from psychometric functions. However, almost nothing is known about the relationships between these estimates. In the present experiment, Monte Carlo techniques were used to compare psychometric thresholds obtained using six methods. Three psychometric functions were simulated using Naka-Rushton and Weibull functions and a probit/logit function combination. Thresholds were estimated using probit, logit, and normit analyses and least-squares regressions of untransformed orz-score and logit-transformed probabilities versus stimulus strength. Histograms were derived from 100 thresholds using each of the six methods for various sampling strategies of each psychometric function. Thresholds from probit, logit, and normit analyses were remarkably similar. Thresholds fromz-score- and logit-transformed regressions were more variable, and linear regression produced biased threshold estimates under some circumstances. Considering the similarity of thresholds, the speed of computation, and the ease of implementation, logit and normit analyses provide effective alternatives to the current “gold standard”—probit analysis—for the estimation of psychometric thresholds.     

Effects on pupil size of manual and verbal indicators of cognitive task fulfillment

A total of20 Ss attempted to generate images to concrete and abstract stimulus words while pupillary activity was continuously photographed. One group (N =5) was required to press a key when an image occurred, a second to describe the image, and a third to press a key as well as describe the image. No overt indicator was required of a fourth group. Results showed that greater dilation occurred during the imagery task than during a control period only in those conditions in which an overt response indicated task fulfillment. Consistent with earlier findings significantly greater dilation occurred to abstract than concrete stimulus words in the key press condition.     

The step method: a new adaptive psychophysical procedure

A new adaptive psychophysical method, the step method, is introduced. Simulations show the method to be less biased and more efficient than constant stimuli or Pentland's adaptive method for fewer than 40 trials. An experiment using discrimination of dot number, however, failed to find any differences among the three methods in either bias or efficiency.     

Reliability of a Measure of Temporal Discounting

The Psychological Record - Participants (N = 17) chose between smaller, immediate and larger, delayed hypothetical money amounts in two laboratory sessions separated by 1 week. The choice procedure...