Some implications of computer networks for psychology

Computer networking as a subject of psychological research has varied facets, including the social psychology of scientists, the role of group “labeling” practices, and the paradigm development process, as well as the definitions of software, hardware, and communication systems and interfaces that fit the research styles, aspirations, and work habits specific to psychologists.     

The measurement of self-esteem for program evaluation

The purpose of this paper is to examine the area of self-esteem in the professional literature, its relationship to educational programs, its measurement problems, and one approach to program evaluation in terms of students' self-esteem. Self-esteem has been an important topic in the educational literature in recent years. There have been many important contributions by investigators on the relationship between self-esteem and educational achievement. Until recently, the results of self-esteem investigations have yielded a somewhat negative appraisal from reviewers, but there is optimism for the future possibilities of assessing this elusive construct. The investigator focusing upon program evaluation has advantages over his predecessors. He can utilize different measurement strategies. The strengths and criticisms of Q methodology are discussed. The L-L Q-Sort is presented as one approach to the evaluation of self-esteem in educational program evaluation.     

On a statistic arising in testing correlation

This paper is devoted to the study of a certain statistic,u, defined on samples from a bivariate population with variances ₁₁, ₂₂ and correlation . Let the parameter corresponding tou be . Under binormality assumptions the following is demonstrated. (i) If ₁₁ = ₂₂, then the distribution ofu can be obtained rapidly from theF distribution. Statistical inferences about = may be based onF. (ii) In the general case, allowing for _{11 22}, a certain quantity involvingu,r (sample correlation between the variables) and follows at distribution. Statistical inferences about may be based ont. (iii) In the general case a quantityt may be constructed which involves only the statisticu and only the parameter . If treated like at distributed magnitude,t admits conservative statistical inferences. (iv) TheF distributed quantity mentioned in (i) is equivalent to a certaint distributed quantity as follows from an appropriate transformation of the variable. (v) Three test statistics are given which can be utilized in making statistical inferences about = in the case ₁₁ = ₂₂. A comparison of expected lengths of confidence intervals for obtained from the three test statistics is made. (vi) The use of the formulas derived is illustrated by means of an application to coefficient alpha.This research was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, under Research Grant 1 PO1 HD01762.     

The Sander illusion as a function of relative space and component lines

Magnitude of the Sander illusion was measured as a function of two variables: (1) the orientation of the line normally separating the two smaller parallelograms and (2) the presence or absence of the horizontal lines and of the diagonal test lines. The results showed that, as the angle of the dividing line varied so as to shift the relative sizes of the two parts of the figure toward equality, the illusion effect decreased, approaching zero when the two areas were equal. The illusory effect was enhanced by the removal of the two test lines. Results were discussed in relation to the problem of assimilation vs contrast effects.     

The effect of perceived distance on induced movement

The magnitude of induced movement was measured as a function of the perceived depth between the test object and the plane of the induction object, with this perceived depth produced by stereoscopic cues. Three experiments were conducted. In each experiment, the induction object (a frame of constant physical size) was positioned at one of three distances with the test object (a point of light) placed successively at each of the three distances. Predictions of the magnitude of induction as a function of the depth separation of the test and induction object were made from the subject-relative and object-relative hypotheses of induced motion. It was expected, however, that neither of these hypotheses would predict the results independently of a factor described in the adjacency principle. This principle states that the effectiveness of whatever cues or processes determine the induced movement will decrease with increased depth between the test and induction object. The data indicate that the adjacency principle must be considered in explaining the results. The subject-relative rather than object-relative hypothesis as modified by the adjacency principle was most successful in predicting the results. Control conditions in which the frame was stationary and the point of light was physically moving were also used. Despite the fact that the relative displacement of the objects on the eye in the experimental and control conditions were the same, the results indicate that O could distinguish between these two kinds of conditions. Although the apparent movement was greater in the control conditions than in the experimental conditions, the reverse is true if the total perceived movement of the test and induction object are considered together.     

Effects of short-term counseling on Career Maturity of tenth-grade students

The effectiveness of short-term counseling on Career Maturity of tenth-grade students as measured by the Career Maturity Inventory was studied. The Career Maturity Attitude Scale and the Self Appraisal subscale of the Competence Test were administered to a random sample (87 subjects) of tenth-grade students. The subjects whose scores fell below the mean were assigned randomly to experimental and control groups. The experimental group (17 subjects) received special counseling during a short term of 6 wk. Using repeated measures of analysis of variance, a statistically significant interaction was found with both the Self Appraisal subscale scores and the Total scale scores. Results indicate that career maturity as a developmental process can be measured and facilitated through counseling.     

Letter versus dot stimuli as tools for “splitting the normal brain with reaction time”

Filbey and Gazzaniga (1969) found simple dot-present or -absent reports averaged 35 ms slower for the left than for the right visual field. Other data suggests that verbal processing efficiency differences between the cerebral hemispheres, rather than transcallosal transfer time alone, must be tapped to obtain half-field differences as large as 35 ms. Three experiments were conducted. The first failed to show any half-field differences in vocal RT for dot detection; the second replicated previous reports of significant right field superiority of vocal RT to letter stimuli for right handers, and also showed a substantially smaller half-field difference for left handers; the third experiment, utilizing the fixation control procedure of the second experiment, again failed to show half-field differences for the dot detection paradigm. Differences between the Filbey and Gazzaniga and present results probably reflect important procedural differences. We conclude that transcallosal transfer time for simple dot information is much smaller than assumed by Filbey and Gazzaniga and that the letter report-time task taps hemispheric asymmetries of verbal processing efficiency.