Sequential effects in time perception

Taylor and Lupker (2001) reported that in a naming task, stimuli were named more rapidly when preceded by an easy-to-name stimulus than when preceded by a difficult-to-name stimulus (sequential effects). The goal of the present research was to investigate whether sequential effects could be explained in terms of time perception processes (within the context of Lupker, Brown, and Colombo’s [1997] time criterion account). Participants were required to name easy and difficult stimuli (high-frequency words and nonwords in Experiment 1; words only in Experiment 2). Each naming trial was followed by a set of asterisks (*****). The participants were required to press a button when they thought the asterisks had been presented for exactly 1 sec. Time intervals produced after naming difficult stimuli were longer than time intervals produced after naming easy stimuli. That is, time perception was affected by the difficulty of word/nonword naming in a way that carried over to the next stimulus, supporting the idea that carryover effects in time perception may be the source of sequential effects in the naming task.     

The role of spatial location in remembering and forgetting peripheral words.

This study examined whether spatial location mediates intentional forgetting of peripherally presented words. Using an item-method directed forgetting paradigm, words were presented in peripheral locations at study. A recognition test presented all words at either the same or a different location relative to study. Results showed that while recognition of Remember words was unaffected by test location, when Forget words were presented in the same location at test as at study, recognition accuracy was significantly greater than when presented in a different location. Experiment 2 showed that the speed to localize a previously studied word was faster when it was presented in the same rather than a different study-test location but that the magnitude of this spatial priming was unaffected by memory instruction. We suggest that the location of peripherally presented words is represented in memory and can aid the retrieval of poorly encoded words.     

Biased Assimilation: Effects of Assumptions and Expectations on the Interpretation of New Evidence

People so readily generalize that they often 'know' in advance what they are going to like and what they are going to dislike. They develop assumptions and expectations, which in part determine their future evaluative responses. Biased assimilation occurs when perceptions of new evidence are interpreted in such a way as to be assimilated into preexisting assumptions and expectations. Because this bias may not be deliberate, people suspect the motives of others who do not share their evaluations, and the bias is difficult to overcome. Biased assimilation most likely occurs, however, because acting as though one's assumptions and expectations are correct is generally more adaptive than acting as though one's assumptions and expectations might be wrong. Therefore, overcoming a general tendency toward biased assimilation is not necessarily desirable.     

Reduction of appeasement‐related affect as a concomitant of diazepam‐induced aggression: evidence for a link between aggression and the expression of self‐conscious emotions

Aggressive responding following benzodiazepine ingestion has been recorded in both experimental and client populations, however, the mechanism responsible for this outcome is unclear. The goal of this study was to identify an affective concomitant linked to diazepam‐induced aggression that might be responsible for this relationship. Thirty males (15 diazepam and 15 placebo) participated in the Taylor Aggression Paradigm while covertly being videotaped. The videotapes were analyzed using the Facial Action Coding System with the goal of identifying facial expression differences between the two groups. Relative to placebo participants, diazepam participants selected significantly higher shock settings for their opponents, consistent with past findings using this paradigm. Diazepam participants also engaged in significantly fewer appeasement expressions (associated with the self‐conscious emotions) during the task, although there were no group differences for other emotion expressions or for movements in general. Aggr. Behav. 35:203–212, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Correlates of Spirituality among African Americans and Caribbean Blacks in the United States: Findings from the National Survey of American Life

The present study examined differences in reports of spirituality among African Americans, Caribbean Blacks (Black Caribbeans), and non-Hispanic whites using data from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). Bivariate analyses indicated that African Americans were most likely to endorse statements regarding the importance of spirituality in their lives ("How important is spirituality in your life?") and self-assessments of spirituality ("How spiritual would you say you are?"), followed by Caribbean Blacks and non-Hispanic whites. Regression analyses indicated that African Americans and Caribbean Blacks had significantly higher levels of spirituality than did non-Hispanic whites. However, there were no significant differences in spirituality between African Americans and Caribbean Blacks. Separate regression analyses for African Americans and Caribbean Blacks indicated distinctive patterns of sociodemographic and denominational correlates of spiritual sentiments. Findings are discussed in relation to available survey and ethnographic data on self-assessments of spirituality.     

Acceptance of cosmetic surgery and celebrity worship: Evidence of associations among female undergraduates

The present study examined the association between acceptance of cosmetic surgery and celebrity worship in a sample of British female undergraduates. A total of 401 women completed the Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale (ACSS; Henderson-King & Henderson-King, 2005), the Celebrity Attitude Scale (McCutcheon, Lange, & Houran, 2002), and provided their demographic details. Results showed that there were highly significant correlations between all subscales of the ACSS and CAS, as well as with participant age, and body mass index (BMI). A series of multiple regressions showed that celebrity worship and participant demographics explained about half of the variance in acceptance of cosmetic surgery, with Intense-personal celebrity worship emerging as the strongest predictor. Limitations of the current study are discussed in conclusion.     

Feasibility of Using Video to Teach a Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skill to Clients With Borderline Personality Disorder

This study tested the feasibility of using a psychoeducational video recording to teach a behavioral skill from the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT; Linehan, 1993a, 1993b) skills training program to individuals meeting criteria for borderline personality disorder. A video presenting a DBT emotion-regulation skill was developed and the extent to which viewers learned the skill material was evaluated via a randomized controlled trial (RCT), utilizing a within-subjects design. Thirty individuals meeting DSM-IV criteria for borderline personality disorder participated. Participants were recruited from mental health treatment settings and were naïve to DBT. Viewing the video was associated with significant increases in knowledge of the skill, relative to viewing a control video, and with increases in participants' expectations of positive outcomes for skill use. In addition, participants rated the video as relevant and helpful. A remarkably high number (80%) utilized the skill taught subsequent to viewing the video when assigned to do so, and overall reported significant decreases in negative affect after using the skill. Video appears to be feasible as a medium for teaching DBT skills material under controlled conditions; future research is needed to examine the effectiveness of video in more naturalistic settings.     

Finding similarity in a model of relational reasoning

Similarity plays a central role in the study of perception and cognition. Previous attempts to model similarity have captured effects of either featural or structural similarity, but typically not both. We simulated both by fitting similarity data with the LISA model of relational reasoning [Hummel, J. E., & Holyoak, K. J. (1997). Distributed representations of structure: A theory of analogical access and mapping. Psychological Review, 104, 427–466, Hummel, J. E., & Holyoak, K. J. (2003a). A symbolic-connectionist theory of relational inference and generalization. Psychological Review, 110, 220–264]. The same mechanisms LISA uses to simulate analogy also provide a natural account of feature-based similarity effects (e.g., violations of symmetry), structural effects (e.g., the advantage of alignable over non-alignable differences), and the combined effects of featural and structured information (i.e., MIPs and MOPs; “Matches In/Out of Place”) on similarity judgments. Our approach differs from most models of similarity in that LISA was not originally designed to simulate similarity judgments, but rather analogical reasoning. LISA’s incidental ability to simulate diverse similarity effects speaks to the plausibility of the model’s account of human knowledge representation.