Uncertainty about the rest of the sentence

A word-by-word human sentence processing complexity metric is presented. This metric formalizes the intuition that comprehenders have more trouble on words contributing larger amounts of information about the syntactic structure of the sentence as a whole. The formalization is in terms of the conditional entropy of grammatical continuations, given the words that have been heard so far. To calculate the predictions of this metric, Wilson and Carroll's (1954) original entropy reduction idea is extended to infinite languages. This is demonstrated with a mildly context-sensitive language that includes relative clauses formed on a variety of grammatical relations across the Accessibility Hierarchy of Keenan and Comrie (1977). Predictions are derived that correlate significantly with repetition accuracy results obtained in a sentence-memory experiment (Keenan & Hawkins, 1987).     

Visual arguments

Three experiments investigated the use of verb argument structure by tracking participants' eye movements across a set of related pictures as they listened to sentences. The assumption was that listeners would naturally look at relevant pictures as they were mentioned or implied. The primary hypothesis was that a verb would implicitly introduce relevant entities (linguistic arguments) that had not yet been mentioned, and thus a picture corresponding to such an entity would draw anticipatory looks. For example, upon hearing ...mother suggested..., participants would look at a potential recipient of the suggestion. The only explicit task was responding to comprehension questions. Experiments 1 and 2 manipulated both the argument structure of the verb and the typicality/co-occurrence frequency of the target argument/adjunct, in order to distinguish between anticipatory looks to arguments specifically and anticipatory looks to pictures that were strongly associated with the verb, but did not have the linguistic status of argument. Experiment 3 manipulated argument status alone. In Experiments 1 and 3, there were more anticipatory looks to potential arguments than to potential adjuncts, beginning about 500 ms after the acoustic onset of the verb. Experiment 2 revealed a main effect of typicality. These findings indicate that both real world knowledge and argument structure guide visual attention within this paradigm, but that argument structure has a privileged status in focusing listener attention on relevant aspects of a visual scene.     

Occupational violence: Armed holdup—A risk management approach

Workplace violence covers a wide spectrum of incidents of aggression that may occur at work. One area of particular concern relates to holdups. This study reviewed all incidents of robbery (holdups and bag snatches) occurring in a quasi-government wagering organization throughout Queensland, Australia between 1990 and August 1993. The study covered 30 robberies, at 28 sites with 34 subjects, 22 of whom consented to complete a questionnaire related to the stressfulness and impact of the event. Most robberies occurred at opening or closing time, at sites situated on a main thoroughfare, predominantly on a Monday. Single males (n =15) or a pair (n =15) mostly carrying a gun were the perpetrators. Nineteen of the 22 victims attended critical incident debriefing and most found this valuable. Only one subject interviewed lost time for stress (and this was the fourth time she had been robbed). One subject not interviewed was hospitalized. Other subjects had minor physical injuries, but suffered emotionally for up to a year after the incident. Recommendations focused on the hierarchy of control (environmental and engineering controls in preference to people-focused change). Additionally training in the normal processes of grief and trauma was recommended.     

Identification and modification of a response-class hierarchy

We evaluated the effects of extinction and negative reinforcement on the latency of response-class members following requests made to a 15-year-old female with moderate mental retardation and autism. A functional analysis showed that the class members (screams, aggression, and self-injury) were escape maintained. Informal observations suggested that these topographies generally occurred in the sequence listed above and therefore may have been hierarchically related. A therapist provided escape from demands contingent on a specific member of the class to determine the effects on the latency of the members' occurrence. Results showed that the latencies occurred in a predictable order. In addition, we expanded the response class to include a vocal response that was functionally equivalent to other members. Findings are discussed regarding the covariation and sequence of response-class members and treatment development.     

DISCRIMINATION TRAINING FOR PERSONS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES: A COMPARISON OF THE TASK DEMONSTRATION MODEL AND THE STANDARD PROMPTING HIERARCHY

A comparison was made between two procedures for teaching persons with severe handicaps: (a) the task demonstration model, which is based upon a fading procedure and general case programming, and (b) the standard prompting hierarchy, a least-to-most intrusive prompting procedure commonly used to teach these individuals. Five phases were used in comparing the procedures: pretesting, training, two generalization tests, and a 6-month maintenance test. Eight students learned two discrimination tasks by each procedure, with each task involving two- or three-digit numbers. Results showed that under the task demonstration model all 8 subjects had more unprompted correct responses (about 1.5 times as many) in training, all 8 subjects had fewer errors (about 0.6 times as many) in training, all 8 subjects had more correct responding in the generalization test with untrained stimuli in the training room, 6 of 8 subjects had more correct responding with untrained stimuli in another room, a 7th had equivalent amounts, and 7 of 8 subjects had more correct responding on a 6-month maintenance test. Thus, the task demonstration model proved superior to the standard prompting hierarchy in 29 of 32 tests of correct responding. Results are discussed in terms of implications for stimulus control training strategies.     

A COMPARISON OF TIME DELAY AND DECREASING PROMPT HIERARCHY STRATEGIES IN TEACHING BANKING SKILLS TO STUDENTS WITH MODERATE HANDICAPS

Four students with moderate handicaps were taught to cash checks and to use an automatic teller through either a decreasing prompt hierarchy or time delay procedure. The strategies were compared within a multielement design. Results indicated that both strategies led to the acquisition of the target tasks; however, the decreasing prompt hierarchy was more efficient. Four and 8-week follow-up probes indicated that the strategies were equally effective in producing maintenance of performance.     

内隐学习中表征与意识的关系

近年来研究者分别从表征的质量和表征的外显等级两个方面探讨了内隐学习中表征与意识的关系。有关表征质量与意识的研究,清晰地揭示了影响表征进入意识的因素;而有关表征外显等级与意识的研究,则明确地阐明了什么样的表征才是有意识的。但表征与意识的关系是一个十分复杂的问题,目前仍存在着很大的争议,还有待于进一步的探讨     

善恶人格的特质差序

善恶问题是人们在社会生活中的重要话题, 在对他人进行知觉时, 人们首先关心的信息是什么, 是否会对不同类型善恶特质有所权衡?研究基于人格心理学视角, 通过4个研究对该问题进行了探讨。研究首先探究了人格的道德概念激活时善恶的差异, 并以代表性、好恶度、特质度和重要性为衡量指标分别考察了不同类型善恶特质的核心程度差异。结果发现, 善恶人格的特质差序体现在两个方面：(1)善恶人格间的差序, 在人格的道德范畴中, 存在善人格的优先效应; (2)善恶人格内的差序, “善”的核心由内到外为尽责诚信、仁爱友善与包容大度、利他奉献; “恶”的核心由内到外为凶恶残忍、背信弃义与污蔑陷害、虚假伪善。研究有助于进一步理解中国人的善恶观, 为善恶领域的探究提供了新思路。     

Soutien social perçu du supérieur,plafonnement de carrière et engagement affectif dans le secteur public camerounais

This research analyzes relation between the various types of career plateauing (objective, structural, content) and work emotional commitment. It also examines the influence of perceived social support from hierarchy on the different types of career plateauing, most especially its moderating role on the relation between the different types of career plateauing and emotional commitment. The results, which were obtained through data collected from 615 workers highlight that perceived social support from hierarchy limits and almost moderates negative relations between the different types of content plateauing (objective, content) and emotional commitment. Its direct effect on content plateauing is negative whereas the relation is positive with structural plateauing.     

Atmospheres of the other: Building and feeling Stockholm's orthodox synagogue

In this article, I use the concept of atmosphere to analyse disparate sources related to the process of sacralisation of the orthodox synagogue Adass Jisroel in modern Stockholm. Using the synagogue as an entry point, I explore the affective landscapes related to its unofficially sacred places in firstly a Pietist orphanage and secondly a cinema, and how they shaped inner-communal relations. The material components of Adass Jisroel's sites elicited different emotions from different visiting bodies: its orthodox members aimed to create a space of religious continuity and communal integrity, reformed guests othered the members, while poorer orthodox Jews felt alienated. By analysing these multiple affective experiences linked to material changes of set architectural designs, I outline, for the first time, the orthodox minority's unstable position between fragility and stability in Sweden's capital from 1870 until the 1940s. On a greater scale, through this case study, I propose that the concept of atmosphere provides the field of emotional geography with conceptual muscle to both excavate silenced minority voices, and explore the role of the built environment in eliciting emotions that shape, cement, contest and transform the inner-communal hierarchal landscape that unofficially sacred places are irrevocably situated in.