Effects of context on eye movements when reading about possible and impossible events

Plausibility violations resulting in impossible scenarios lead to earlier and longer lasting eye movement disruption than violations resulting in highly unlikely scenarios (K. Rayner, T. Warren, B. J. Juhasz, & S. P. Liversedge, 2004; T. Warren & K. McConnell, 2007). This could reflect either differences in the timing of availability of different kinds of information (e.g., selectional restrictions, world knowledge, and context) or differences in their relative power to guide semantic interpretation. The authors investigated eye movements to possible and impossible events in real-world and fantasy contexts to determine when contextual information influences detection of impossibility cued by a semantic mismatch between a verb and an argument. Gaze durations on a target word were longer to impossible events independent of context. However, a measure of the time elapsed from first fixating the target word to moving past it showed disruption only in the real-world context. These results suggest that contextual information did not eliminate initial disruption but moderated it quickly thereafter.     

Pragmatic Narratives of Hysterectomy Among Australian Women

Drawing on a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with 30 rural and urban Australian women, we analyze their experiences of a hysterectomy for conditions other than cancer. Women were recruited via advertisements in community newspapers and the network sampling technique. The study aimed to identify the personal, social and medical factors that influenced their decision to undergo surgery and on their understandings of self following this procedure. Three common themes emerged: a negative response to a hysterectomy, ambivalence about it and a perceiving it as having a positive impact on the woman’s self. The latter pattern predominated, indicating that contrary to the medical rhetoric, women’s own accounts are different and relevant when counseling women about a hysterectomy.     

Sustaining Male Dominance in Interscholastic Athletics: A Case of Homologous Reproduction…or Not?

To establish if male hegemony continued to exist in high school athletics within the USA and to determine the extent that homologous reproduction (hiring people of the same gender) might be a contributing factor, the administrative structures of 480 high school athletic departments were analyzed. The gender of each school’s principal, athletic director, and coaches were collected from The National Directory of High School Coaches. Male hegemony was found to exist since men dominated both principal (76%) and athletic director (85%) positions, however evidence of homologous reproduction was only evident at the coaching level. The culture of hegemonic masculinity within athletics might be sustained more as a result of sex-role theory or gender-based schematic processing, rather than homologous reproduction.     

Employability of Genetic Counselors with a PhD in Genetic Counseling

The development of a PhD in genetic counseling has been discussed for more than 20 years, yet the perspectives of employers have not been assessed. The goal of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the employability of genetic counselors with a PhD in genetic counseling by conducting interviews with United States employers of genetic counselors. Study participants were categorized according to one of the following practice areas: academic, clinical, government, industry, laboratory, or research. All participants were responsible for hiring genetic counselors in their institutions. Of the 30 employers interviewed, 23 envisioned opportunities for individuals with a PhD degree in genetic counseling, particularly in academic and research settings. Performing research and having the ability to be a principal investigator on a grant was the primary role envisioned for these individuals by 22/30 participants. Employers expect individuals with a PhD in genetic counseling to perform different roles than MS genetic counselors with a master's degree. This study suggests there is an employment niche for individuals who have a PhD in genetic counseling that complements, and does not compete with, master's prepared genetic counselors.     

The effects of testosterone on cognition in elderly men: a review

In this article, the literature examining the relationship between testosterone and various cognitive domains in elderly men is reviewed. The review focuses on the role of endogenous testosterone levels and the effects of androgen depletion and replacement. The cognitive domains most commonly linked to testosterone include memory and visuospatial function. Indeed, the literature suggests that in certain conditions (ie, hypogonadism, cognitive impairment) testosterone levels may be significantly associated with memory and visuospatial function, but not other cognitive functions. Studies with larger sample sizes and more sensitive cognitive measures are indicated, as questions remain about the potential role of testosterone as a cognitive enhancer.     

Cross-validation of the Mood Disorders Questionnaire, the Internal State Scale, and the Hypomanic Personality Scale

Previous research indicates that the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), the Internal State Scale (ISS), and the Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS) have the capacity to assess symptoms of bipolar spectrum disorders. The present study cross-validates these scales in a sample of 167 undergraduate students. Individuals were divided into high, medium and low likelihood of caseness (HLC, MLC and LLC) groups based on operationalised cut-off criteria on the MDQ. Scores on the ISS Perceived Conflict subscales were positively and proportionately associated with elevated likelihood of caseness. The HLC group was distinguished from the other two groups by high levels of ISS Depression, whereas the LLC group was distinguished from the other two groups by low levels of ISS Activation and hypomanic personality traits. The majority of individuals reported a history of isolated (hypo)manic experiences, and a quarter of the sample reached screening criteria for a bipolar spectrum disorder (Isometsae et al., 2003). The results are discussed in the context of the role of activation, depression, and interpersonal conflict in bipolar spectrum disorders.     

The visual discrimination of bending

The sensitivity of observers to nonrigid bending was evaluated in two experiments. In both experiments, observers were required to discriminate on any given trial which of two bending rods was more elastic. In experiment 1, both rods bent within the same oriented plane, and bent either in a frontoparallel plane or bent in depth. In experiment 2, the two rods within any given trial bent in different, randomly chosen orientations in depth. The results of both experiments revealed that human observers are sensitive to, and can reliably detect, relatively small differences in bending (the average Weber fraction across experiments 1 and 2 was 9.0%). The performance of the human observers was compared to that of models that based their elasticity judgments upon either static projected curvature or mean and maximal projected speed. Despite the fact that all of the observers reported compelling 3-D perceptions of bending in depth, their judgments were both qualitatively and quantitatively consistent with the performance of the models. This similarity suggests that relatively straightforward information about the elasticity of simple bending objects is available in projected retinal images.     

Relationship between psychopathy and indirect aggression use in a noncriminal population

Psychopathy has long been associated with increased use of direct aggression and violence, especially among male inmates. Little research has, of yet, considered the relation between psychopathy and indirect forms of aggression. The current research sought to investigate the relationship between psychopathy and indirect aggression in a noncriminal sample. The results indicated that there was a strong relationship between psychopathic traits and indirect aggression, with strong correlations between indirect aggression and both factor 1 (coldheartedness) and factor 3 (impulsive antisociality). This association remained significant even after the effects of direct aggression had been controlled for. Path analysis indicated that both direct and indirect aggression was underpinned by the same psychopathy factors. This suggests that high psychopathy scorers will utilize direct and indirect aggression equally and, as such, the choice of one type of aggression over the other may be dependant on either situational factors or external moderators. Aggr. Behav. 35:408–421, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.