Eye movement research on the propositional structure of short texts

The present paper describes the application of computer-based programs to the evaluation of eye movements during reading of short texts. These programs operate in background, that is, after an experimental session is completed and the raw data are collected on magnetic tape. The first program reduces the raw data into a sequence of fixation locations and durations, eye movements, and eye blinks. A second program utilizes calibration coordinates and line-of-text information to transform the reduced data into a standard grid format. Fixation order, locations, and durations for each line of text read are output with respect to the line of text. The final program summarizes fixation locations, frequencies, and durations with respect to analyses of the texts into levels within a hierarchy of propositions in the text base (Kintsch, 1974).     

Teachers' norms and teacher-parent agreement on the Missouri children's behavior checklist

Normative data are reported for a 68-item teacher's form of the Missouri Children's Behavior Checklist (MCBC-T). Sex differences comparable to those found in parents' ratings were found but teachers' average ratings were significantly lower than parents' ratings. The correlations between teachers' and parents' ratings are comparable to those found in the literature and provide evidence for convergent and discriminant validity of the MCBC scales.     

Item synonymization: A method for determining the total meaning of pencil-paper reactions

Items have been studied heretofore for their value as elements of particular tests to the neglect of more fundamental research into the multiple potentiality of items. This article proposes a method of grouping items into synonymies comprising all of the items which correlate with a given key item. These synonymies can be used for interpretation of the total meaning of the key item: (1) by inspection of the constituent items and (2) by correlational study of obtained single scores of individual persons. The method is illustrated by four items with inter- and intra-correlations, and characteristics of an ideal background reservoir of items are pointed out.     

A study of the classification capabilities of neural networks using unsupervised learning: A comparison withK-means clustering

Several neural networks have been proposed in the general literature for pattern recognition and clustering, but little empirical comparison with traditional methods has been done. The results reported here compare neural networks using Kohonen learning with a traditional clustering method (K-means) in an experimental design using simulated data with known cluster solutions. Two types of neural networks were examined, both of which used unsupervised learning to perform the clustering. One used Kohonen learning with a conscience and the other used Kohonen learning without a conscience mechanism. The performance of these nets was examined with respect to changes in the number of attributes, the number of clusters, and the amount of error in the data. Generally, theK-means procedure had fewer points misclassified while the classification accuracy of neural networks worsened as the number of clusters in the data increased from two to five.Acknowledgements: Sara Dickson, Vidya Nair, and Beth Means assisted with the neural network analyses.     

Interference in the perceived segregation of equal-luminance element-arrangement texture patterns

Perceived segregation in element-arrangement patterns composed of squares of equal size and luminance, but of two different hues, was investigated in two experiments. Element-arrangement patterns consist of two types of elements, arranged in alternating vertical stripes in the top and bottom regions and in a checkerboard pattern in the center region. Perceived segregation of the striped and checkerboard regions decreased with increasing luminance of the interspaces between the squares, a high-luminance surround, and the increased spacing of the squares. When the luminance of the horizontal interspaces was increased, the decrease in perceived segregation was greater than that when the luminance of the vertical interspaces was increased. Two explanations of the interference of the interspace luminance are discussed. One explanation is in terms of inhibitory interactions among cortical filters tuned to spatial frequency and orientation. A second explanation is in terms of interference with preattentive grouping processes.     

Discomfort with space and motion: A possible marker of vestibular dysfunction assessed by the situational characteristics questionnaire

Space and motion discomfort (SMD) refers to the situational specificity of symptoms occurring in some patients with vestibular dysfunction, such as those with balance disorders and some with panic disorder. SMD occurs in situations characterized by inadequate visual or kinesthetic information for normal spatial orientation. We report the results of two studies of the construct validity of the Situational Characteristics Questionnaire (SitQ), which has two subscales, both of which measure SMD: the SMD-I and SMD-II. In Study 1, the SitQ was administered to members of a self-help group for balance disorders, a psychiatric sample consisting of patients with panic disorder, nonpanic anxiety disorders, depression, and a sample of normals. SMD levels were the highest in the self-help balance group, next to the highest in the panic groups, and lowest in the remaining groups. In Study 2, the SitQ was administered to otolaryngological patients with vestibular dysfunction and to patients with hearing loss. SMD levels were higher in the vestibular patients. Data on internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity are presented. The SitQ, particularly the SMD-II, is recommended for quantifying space and motion discomfort in patients with anxiety and/or balance disorders.Study 1 was funded by MH 40757. Study 2 was funded by a grant from the Upjohn Company and MH 19816.     

An investigation of people's metamemories for naturally occurring events

Three studies investigated the role of event salience in the validity of metamemory reports for naturally occurring events. Two studies investigated metamemory for daily forgetting behaviours as recorded on memory diaries for either 10 days (Study 1) or a month (Study 2). A third study examined metamemory for remembering recent events (consisting of the first day of class, the most recent weekend, and the first experimental session). The results indicated that metamemory validity was higher for the more salient memory events, e. g. rote memory failures and memory of the first day of class.     

Linguistic versus attentional influences on nonlinguistic categorization in 15-month-old infants

Why linguistic input facilitates nonlinguistic categorization is frequently explained in terms of children's attention to uniquely linguistic forms such as words. However, whether this facilitation is rooted in the children's attention to word forms very early in lexical learning has not been examined directly. A previous experiment (Roberts & Cuff, 1989) provided a set of conditions under which 15-month-olds did not successfully categorize in the absence of linguistic input. The two experiments reported here replicate Roberts and Cuff (1989) exactly, with the exception that either language (Experiment 1) or instrumental music (Experiment 2) was provided as accompanying input. Infants in both experiments successfully categorized and significantly increased attention during habituation. Although directly documenting the influence of language on categorization prior to the “vocabulary explosion,” this influence does not appear attributable to the presence of word forms. Instead, factors common to language and music (e.g., attention-getting properties or factors influencing attention) may facilitate nonlinguistic categorization at the beginnings of word learning.