Reaction times of severe Broca's aphasics to monaural verbal stimuli

Reaction times of nine subjects with severe Broca's aphasia were measured to verbal stimuli presented monaurally to their left or right ears. The aphasic subjects showed left-ear advantages in reaction times to verbal stimuli, paralleling dichotic findings among aphasic patients. The results are interpreted as consistent with right-hemisphere language processing.     

The multiple roles of Broca's discovery in the development of the modern neurosciences

Using the classical clinico-anatomical correlation method of the French clinical school, Paul Broca confirmed the localization of "language" in the frontal lobe. He actually discovered the lateralization of language in the left hemisphere. These contributions eventually led to the demise of the older concept of the "sensorium commune," because Broca's ideas implied the presence of motor functions in the hemispheres. Although Broca worked within the theoretical motif of the "faculty" psychology, the reflex-oriented "associationist" psychology soon became the predominant theoretical framework of localization, because it accommodated the motor aspect of hemispheric function. Since Broca's time, the study of the biology of language has proceeded along two parallel but sometimes separate lines in the experimental and clinical traditions.     

Applications of self-efficacy theory to the understanding and treatment of career indecision

The present study was designed to investigate the utility of Bandura's self-efficacy theory to the understanding and treatment of career indecision. More specifically, the study involved the development of a measure of self-efficacy expectations with regard to 50 tasks or behaviors required in career decision making and the examination of the relationships of career decision-making self-efficacy to several components of vocational indecision. A total of 346 subjects, 154 students attending a private liberal arts college and 193 students attending a large state university, were administered the measure of career decision-making self-efficacy expectations and the Career Decision Scale (Osipow, Carney, Winer, Yanico, & Koschier, Columbus, Ohio: Marathon Consulting and Press, 1980). In addition, Scholastic Aptitude Test verbal and math scores were obtained for the liberal arts students, and American College Test math and English subtest scores were obtained for the state university students. Results indicated first that college students in general express considerable confidence in their ability to complete the tasks necessary to make career decisions. In addition, however, the strength of students' career decision-making self-efficacy expectations was strongly and negatively related to overall levels of career indecision and was, in particular, related to the component of indecision described as a lack of structure and confidence with respect to career decisions. Relationships of career decision-making self-efficacy expectations to ability level were negligible. Based on the findings of this study it is suggested that the concept of career-related self-efficacy expectations provides a useful framework for the understanding, assessment, and treatment of at least some of the antecedents to vocational indecision.     

On the inconclusiveness of “crucial” cognitive tests of dissonance versus self-perception theories

Several recent experiments are claimed to have tested conflicting predictions of cognitive dissonance and self-perception theories. It is argued that these claims fail to take into account the capacity of each formulation to account adequately for results “predicted” by the other. This argument is then continued, at a metatheoretical level, to reach the conclusion that the two theories are not capable of producing unequivocally contradictory predictions of cognitive consequences of experimental procedures.     

Anomie and vocational-technical education

Graduates from a public, postsecondary vocational-technical school are compared with a control group of individuals without such education in order to assess differences in level of anomie (via Srole Scale).While differences in some cases were minimal, vocational-technical graduates generally revealed a more positive attitude about the present and future. It is suggested that since their education is more job-centered, and they have already experienced some occupational “success”, they are more likely to have internalized and reflect traditional societal norms. The control group, while possessing similar demographic backgrounds, still are in transition-attending college, looking for work, etc.     

A scale of educational-vocational undecidedness: A typological approach

A scale designed to measure and identify antecedents of educational-vocational indecision was administered to a variety of college student groups expected to differ in career-decidedness. Results indicate that the scale is reliable, appears to discriminate career-decided from career-undecided students, and is responsive to interventions designed to alleviate educational-vocational indecision. A factor analysis of the scale yielded four factors: need for structure, perceived external barriers, positive choice conflict, and personal conflict. The instrument has potential for diagnostic, criterion, and conceptual purposes related to career indecision.