On the oblique rotation of a factor matrix to a specified pattern

This paper presents a procedure for rotating an arbitrary factor matrix to maximum similarity with a specified factor pattern. The sum of squared distances between specified vectors and rotated vectors in oblique Euclidian space is minimized. An example of the application of the procedure is given.This research was supported in part by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Research Grant 1 PO1 HDO1762.The names of the authors are given in alphabetical order. Their contributions to the paper are equal.     

The effect of object familiarity on the perception of size and distance

The perceived sizes and perceived distances of familiar objects were investigated in two experiments in which images of familiar objects were presented monocularly, one at a time, in an otherwise dark field of view. It was found that the angular size of the objects as well as their familiar size determined reported size. Reported distances were increasingly underestimated as a function of increasing simulated distances of the objects. The results are consistent with the conclusion that, as a function of the retinal size of the objects, the observer perceives the familiar objects as off-sized, and, that as a consequence of these off-sized perceptions, the observer's judgements of the object distances reflect inferential rather than perceptual processes.     

Perception of off-sized objects1

Stimuli simulating familiar objects were viewed monocularly, one at a time, in an otherwise dark visual field. Thirty-two Os indicated the apparent size relative to the familiar size of the objects. Many of the objects appeared to be off-sized, i.e., larger or smaller than normal. The results suggest that the perceived sizes of the objects were strongly influenced by the angular sizes. It is concluded that familiar size only partially determines perceived size when the objects are viewed under otherwise reduced conditions of observation.     

Coronary blood flow in dogs: Effect of person

Experiments on dogs with electromagnetic flow probes implanted around a coronary artery and the ascending aorta indicate that the entry of a person into the experimental chamber can cause a remarkable increase in coronary blood flow. Heart rate usually increases considerably, blood pressure increases only slightly, while aortic blood flow increases at variable times before and after coronary blood flow. It is not yet clear whether these cardiovascular effects are due purely to “effect of person” or to conditioning, with the person as the signal for the momentary coronary occlusion (which the person subsequently accomplishes by manually closing a snare).     

Attrition and the Student Who is Certain

A study of 89 male students at a small liberal arts college tested the hypothesis that a student whose statement about vocational and/or academic goals expressed certainty and whose grade-point average was below a 2.00 at the end of one year would probably not graduate. The hypothesis had both statistical and practical significance since loss from this group was 75 per cent compared to an average loss of 37.1 per cent (Test of Proportions, z = 2.766, P = .0028).     

On the rank of the reduced correlational matrix in multiple-factor analysis

Since the factor problem is reduced mathematically to the expression of the obtained correlational matrix in terms of a matrix of lower rank, criteria for the determination of this lower rank are of first importance. These criteria are investigated by means of certain mathematical deductions, and brought into relation with Spearman's and Thurstone's factor theories.