Variable-interval reinforcement schedule value influences responding following REM sleep deprivation

The effects of rapid-eye movement sleep deprivation (REMSD) in rats were studied in relation to variable-interval (VI) reinforcement schedule value. Initially, lever pressing was maintained on a VI 30-s schedule of food pellet delivery. After a baseline was established, rats were repeatedly exposed to 96 hr of REMSD and control conditions of an equivalent duration. Responding decreased following REMSD but not after exposure to control conditions. Lever pressing was then maintained on a VI 15-s schedule of food pellet delivery and exposure to the REMSD and control conditions was repeated. Under this condition following repeated REMSD exposures, rates of lever pressing became similar to baseline responding. A VI 30-s schedule of food pellet delivery was then reinstated and REMSD and control conditions were repeated. Lever pressing following exposure to the REMSD condition decreased for 3 of 4 rats. Results suggest that VI schedule value influences the effects of REMSD on responding.     

The effect of signaled reinforcement on rats' fixed-interval responding

Four experiments examined the effect on rats' response rate of presenting a brief (500 ms) stimulus simultaneously with the delivery of food on fixed-interval (FI) schedules. In Experiment 1, reinforcement signals that were spatially diffuse (both tones and lights) elevated rates of responding, but responding was attenuated by localized visual stimuli. The remaining experiments examined the signal-induced potentiation of responding. In Experiment 2, a tone reinforcement signal potentiated response rates on an FI schedule, but attenuated response rates on a variable-interval (VI) schedule. This difference was obtained even though the overall rate of responding was equated on the two schedules before the introduction of the signal. Signal-induced potentiation of responding occurred over a range of FI values employed in Experiment 3. In Experiment 4, presenting a reinforcement signal when high local rates of response had occurred immediately before reinforcement resulted in potentiated rates of responding on an FI schedule. The opposite effect on response rate occurred when the reinforcement signal followed only low local rates of response. These results indicate that a variety of factors influence the effects of a reinforcement signal. They imply, however, that the local rate of response at the time of reinforcement is a key factor in establishing the nature of the signaling effect.     

Testing indirect effect with a complete or incomplete dichotomous mediator

Past methodological research on mediation analysis mainly focused on situations where all variables were complete and continuous. When issues of categorical data occur combined with missing data, more methodological considerations are involved. Specifically, appropriate decisions need to be made on estimation methods of the indirect effects and on confidence intervals for testing the indirect effects with accommodations of missing data. We compare strategies that address these issues based on a model with a dichotomous mediator, aiming to provide guidelines for researchers facing such challenges in practice.     

THE CRY FOR THE OTHER: THE BIOCULTURAL WOMB OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Abstract. The human experience of meaning-making lies at the roots of consciousness, creativity, and religious faith. It arises from the basic experience of separation from a loved object, suffered by all mammals, and, in general terms, from the experienced gap between ourselves and our environment. We fill the gap with transitional objects and symbols that reassure us of basic continuity in ourselves and in the world. These objects and symbols also serve the neurognostic function of demonstrating what the world is like. Thus, humanity lives by faith, as manifested in its pattern-making capacity, and not by literal sight.     

注意对拓扑性质和局部几何性质检测的不同影响──进一步的实验证据

实验研究了中央和外周提示信号对辨别朝向的任务（局部几何性质检测）和辨别有或无的任务（拓扑性质检测）的影响。结果表明,对于两种提示信号,在提示有效和提示无效条件下,辨别有或无比辨别朝向具有较短的反应时和较低的错误报告率;辨别朝向的ＲＴ和错误报告率都受提示信号的影响;而对于辨别有或无的任务,只有ＲＴ受提示信号的影响;提示信号对辨别朝向的影响比辨别有或无的影响大。本实验排除了对Ｈａｎ和Ｃｈｅｎ的实验的可能的光通量解释,并为提示信号对不同几何性质检测的不同影响提供了进一步的实验证据。     

A latent variable model for discrete multivariate psychometric waiting times

A version of the discrete proportional hazards model is developed for psychometrical applications. In such applications, a primary covariate that influences failure times is a latent variable representing a psychological construct. The Metropolis-Hastings algorithm is studied as a method for performing marginal likelihood inference on the item parameters. The model is illustrated with a real data example that relates the age at which teenagers first experience various substances to the latent ability to avoid the onset of such behaviors.We thank Michael Newton and Daode Huang for their helpful comments and suggestions.     

封闭性知觉在大范围优先性中的特殊性

本文研究当封闭性作为被试分辨的图形性质时,空间位置不确定性和视野位置对大范围优先性有何影响。实验发现：（１）无论复合刺激呈现在视野的中央或外周．分辨复合刺激的整体性质的反应时（ＲＴ）比分辨局部性质的ＲＴ短,整体性质对分辨局部性质的反应有较强的干扰作用。相反,局部性质对分辨整体性质的反应的影响较小;（２）刺激位置的不确定对大范围优先性没有显著影响;（３）与周边刺激相比,分辨视野中央的复合刺激的ＲＴ较短,但整体性质的ＲＴ优势和对局部性质的干扰作用,不受刺激在视野中的位置的影响。这些实验结果揭示了封闭性知觉在大范围优先性中的特殊性。     

Distractor selection ratios

A latent variable representation for multiple-choice item and option characteristic curves is presented. Under standard assumptions of conditional independence of item responses and monotonicity of item characteristic curves, a criterion for distractors is proposed based on distractor selection ratios. A connection is made between the proposed criterion and the theory of individual choice behavior, providing new insight. The main results allow for the testing of the criterion from observable data without first specifying a parametric form for the characteristic curves. A series of examples apply the method.     

The nontruncated marginal of a truncated bivariate normal distribution

Inference is considered for the marginal distribution ofX, when (X, Y) has a truncated bivariate normal distribution. TheY variable is truncated, but only theX values are observed. The relationship of this distribution to Azzalini's skew-normal distribution is obtained. Method of moments and maximum likelihood estimation are compared for the three-parameter Azzalini distribution. Samples that are uniformative about the skewness of this distribution may occur, even for largen. Profile likelihood methods are employed to describe the uncertainty involved in parameter estimation. A sample of 87 Otis test scores is shown to be well-described by this model.