Syllabic pitch perception in 2- to 3-month-old infants

The pitch patterns present in speech addressed to infants may play an important role in perceptual processing by infants. In this study, the high-amplitude sucking procedure was used to assess discrimination by 2- to 3-month-old infants of rising versus falling pitch patterns in 400-msec synthetic [ra] and [la] tokens. The syllables’ intonation contour was modeled on infant-directed speech, and covered a range characteristic of an adult female speaker (180–300 Hz). Group data indicated that the 2- to 3-month-old infants discriminated the pitch contour for both stimuli. Results are discussed with reference to previous studies of syllabic pitch perception.     

Variables affecting subjective organization during posthypnotic amnesia

Subjects learned a list of unrelated words to a criterion of either two successive correct trials (standard criterion), or two successive correct trials plus five additional recall trials (extra criterion). The extra recall trials significantly increased the subjective organization of recall. In the extra criterion group, a posthypnotic amnesia suggestion and a nonhypnotic distraction task produced equivalent decrements both in the amount recalled and in the subjective organization of recall. In the standard criterion group, suggestion and distraction reduced the amount recalled, but not the subjective organization of recall. The implications of these findings for understanding the contradictory results of earlier studies of recall organization during amnesia are discussed. Implications for theories of hypnotic amnesia are also discussed.     

Responsiveness of Western adults to pitch-distributional information in melodic sequences

Responsiveness of musically trained and untrained adults to pitch-distributional information in melodic contexts was assessed. In Experiment 1, melodic contexts were pure-tone sequences, generated from either a diatonic or one of four nondiatonic tonesets, in which pitch-distributional information was manipulated by variation of the relative frequency of occurrence of tones from the toneset. Both the assignment of relative frequency of occurrence to tones and the construction of the (fixed) temporal order of tones within the sequences contravened the conventions of western tonal music. A probe-tone technique was employed. Each presentation of a sequence was followed by a probe tone, one of the 12 chromatic notes within the octave. Listeners rated the goodness of musical fit of the probe tone to the sequence. Probe-tone ratings were significantly related to frequency of occurrence of the probe tone in the sequence for both trained and untrained listeners. In addition, probe-tone ratings decreased as the pitch distance between the probe tone and the final tone of the sequence increased. For musically trained listeners, probe-tone ratings for diatonic sequences tended also to reflect the influence of an internalized tonal schema. Experiment 2 demonstrated that the temporal location of tones in the sequences could not alone account for the effect of frequency of occurrence in Experiment 1. Experiment 3 tested musically untrained listeners under the conditions of Experiment 1, with the exception that the temporal order of tones in each sequence was randomized across trials. The effect of frequency of occurrence found in Experiment 1 was replicated and strengthened.     

Racism in higher education in South Africa: A challenge to student counsellors

The repeal of apartheid legislation applied to education presents new challenges to student counsellors. Given the history of racial conflict that accompanied limited desegregation on campuses in South Africa, one can expect that conflict ivill increase now that any student may freely study at any university. Of necessity, counsellors will need to develop new expertise to deal with conflict arising from racism on campus. Counselling centres will also have to reflect the diversity of the student population, which will require changed university employment policies.     

THE VOCABULARIES OF ACADEMIA

Abstract— It has been demonstrated that humanists are far more likely to use filled pauses ("uh,""ah," or "um") during their lectures than are social or natural scientists This finding has been interpreted in terms of the hypothesis that filled pauses indicate time out while the speaker searches for the next word or phrase Based on the assumption that the more options at a choice point, the more likely a speaker will say "uh," it is hypothesized that the humanities are characterized by richer vocabularies (i e, more synonyms) than are the sciences An analysis of the number of different words used in lectures and in professional publications indicates that this is indeed the case Scientists consistently use fewer different words than do humanists Further, the number of different words correlates positively with the frequency of saying "uh" during lectures These findings are not restricted to academics, for in newspaper accounts, journalists use fewer different words in stories about science than in stories about the arts     

The Use of Structured Clinical Interviews for Assessment in Counseling

The purpose of this article is twofold: to summarize some of the major issues concerning structured clinical interviews and to review data available on some of the most widely used interview schedules. One of the key challenges with the practitioner—scientist approach to counseling is the ability to compare information from a variety of clients and counselors. A structured clinical interview can be considered an empirically driven instrument that has preestablished questions and scoring procedures that make it a useful assessment tool. Through its use, comparisons can be made among clients, and the reliability of assessment and diagnosis can be increased.     

At-Risk Urban High School Students' Commitment to Career Choices

The purpose of this study was to examine the commitment to career choices process for at-risk urban high school students. Data from 189 at-risk urban high school students were sampled. Results indicated that students' level of commitment to their career choices was related to their vocational identity, their need for occupational information, their perceived barriers to occupational goals, and the number of occupations they considered. The tendency to foreclose was related to the adherence to career myths. Implications and limitations for career theory, research, and practice are addressed.     

Case vignette: the vicissitudes of managed care

Lee Wilson, age 26, was referred to Dr. Jackson for psychotherapy 5 weeks ago by a friend. Lee has been feeling increasingly depressed about longstanding family issues and the recent breakup of a 2-year relationship with a live-in companion. Over the course of the once-per-week sessions, Dr. Jackson notes persistent suicidal ideation, with vague plans to act if, as Lee puts it, "things get any worse." Just before the sixth session, Dr. Jackson is contacted by a reviewer for the managed care health insurance program covering Lee's therapy. The reviewer informs Dr. Jackson that the company will not authorize payment for further psychotherapeutic care. Dr. Jackson knows that Lee is in need of continued treatment and fears that terminating therapy at this time could result in increased suicide risk. Lee's income could cover only a small portion of Dr. Jackson's usual fee. Dr. Jackson does not wish to abandon Lee, but he already provides a significant amount of reduced-fee service to other clients. Is the health insurance carrier's stance ethical? Should Dr. Jackson be expected to treat Lee for the foreseeable future at a greatly reduced fee? How should Dr. Jackson handle this situation?