Some determinants of remote behavioral history effects in humans

Undergraduates were exposed to a series of reinforcement schedules: first, to a fixed-ratio (FR) schedule in the presence of one stimulus and to a differential-reinforcement-of-low-rate (DRL) schedule in the presence of another (multiple FR DRL training), then to a fixed-interval (FI) schedule in the presence of a third stimulus (FI baseline), next to the FI schedule under the stimuli previously correlated with the FR and DRL schedules (multiple FI FI testing), and, finally, to a single session of the multiple FR DRL schedule again (multiple FR DRL testing). Response rates during the multiple FI FI schedule were higher under the former FR stimulus than under the former DRL stimulus. This effect of remote histories was prolonged when either the number of FI-baseline sessions was small or zero, or the time interval between the multiple FR DRL training and the multiple FI FI testing was short. Response rates under these two stimuli converged with continued exposure to the multiple FI FI schedule in most cases, but quickly differentiated when the schedule returned to the multiple FR DRL.     

A sixth personality domain that is independent of the Big Five domains: The psychometric properties of the HEXACO Personality Inventory in a Japanese sample

We investigated the reliability of the HEXACO‐Personality Inventory (HEXACO‐PI) using the NEO Five‐Factor Inventory (NEO‐FFI) and the International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) Big Five scales in a Japanese sample of 492 respondents (mean age = 20.4 years). The psychometric properties of the HEXACO‐PI were examined and found to be satisfactory. The results of the factor analysis showed that the six hypothesized personality domains were found independently. A total of 307 participants responded to the NEO‐FFI and the IPIP Big Five scales. The results showed that the five domains of the HEXACO model corresponded to the Five‐Factor domains and were relative to the Big Five personality domains as a whole, but the sixth domain, Honesty‐Humility, showed weak to moderate correlations with some factors of the NEO‐FFI and the IPIP Big Five scales. These results suggest that the Honesty‐Humility domain is independent of the five fundamental personality factors and that the HEXACO‐PI is a useful and reliable questionnaire for investigating personality structure in cross‐cultural and other context.     

Effector identity and orthogonal stimulus–response compatibility in blindness to response-compatible stimuli

Perceiving a visual stimulus is hampered when the stimulus is compatible with simultaneously prepared or executed action (blindness effect). We explored the roles of the effector identity of the responding hand and of orthogonal compatibility (above-right/below-left correspondence) in the blindness effect. In Experiment 1, participants conducted bimanual key presses with vertically arranged responses while perceiving a brief presentation of rightward or leftward arrowheads. A blindness effect based on the effector identity did emerge, but only with the above-right/below-left key-hand arrangement. An orthogonal blindness effect was not found in Experiment 2 with a horizontal key-press action task and a vertical arrowhead perception task. We concluded that the anatomical identity of the responding hand was not integrated into the action plan with an orthogonally incompatible key-hand arrangement. The findings are discussed in terms of the generality and limits of the blindness effect, and hierarchical response coding.     

Is anyone looking at me? Direct gaze detection in children with and without autism

Atypical processing of eye contact is one of the significant characteristics of individuals with autism, but the mechanism underlying atypical direct gaze processing is still unclear. This study used a visual search paradigm to examine whether the facial context would affect direct gaze detection in children with autism. Participants were asked to detect target gazes presented among distracters with different gaze directions. The target gazes were either direct gaze or averted gaze, which were either presented alone (Experiment 1) or within facial context (Experiment 2). As with the typically developing children, the children with autism, were faster and more efficient to detect direct gaze than averted gaze, whether or not the eyes were presented alone or within faces. In addition, face inversion distorted efficient direct gaze detection in typically developing children, but not in children with autism. These results suggest that children with autism use featural information to detect direct gaze, whereas typically developing children use configural information to detect direct gaze.     

JAPANESE AND AMERICAN PERSONAL VALUES SOME CROSS-CULTURAL FINDINGS

Comparaison d'échantillons appariés d'étudiants japonais et américains (niveau lycée et collège universitaire) relativement aux six valeurs que mesure L'inventaire Survey of Personal Values. On a d'abord testé la comparabilité des “valeurs” dans la langue originale de L'inventaire et dans la traduction japonaise: L'analyse factorielle des items traduits et les corrélations calculées entre L'inventaire en japonais et un choix d'échelles japonaises de personnalité donnent des garanties à cet égard. Chez les étudiants japonais des deux sexes et des deux niveaux scolaires, on trouve des moyennes plus faibles pour ce qui est de L'orientation pratique de L'esprit, la réussite et la variété, et des moyennes plus élevées pour L'ordre et L'orientation vers un but. Ainsi, les Japonais accordent moins d'importance aux considérations matérialistes (réussite individuelle, changement ou diversité) mais ils donnent plus de valeur à un mode de vie organisé et routinier et au fait de chercher systématiquement à réaliser des buts bien définis. Les résul-tats de la présente recherche recoupant des recherches antérieures, font apparaître une grande ressemblance entre les deux pays, dans la structure de la personnalité.     

Span of attention,backward masking,and reaction time

A test pattern consisting of 0 to 15 dots and a following random dot masking pattern were presented for 5 msec each with SOAs varying between 30 and 200 msec. The subject was asked to report the perceived number of dots in the test pattern as soon as possible and to assign a confidence rating to each report. The span of attention (upper limit for 50% correct numerosity judgments) increased from 2.4 to 9.5 as the SOA increased. Backward masking reduced the reported number of dots from the actual number in the test pattern, especially with small SOAs. Reaction time increased linearly at a low rate (approximately 40 msec/dot) up to 4 dots in the test pattern and then increased linearly at a high rate (approximately 370 msec/dot) as thereported, orperceived, number of dots increased. The two different branches of the reaction time curve were considered to represent two separate processes,subitizing andcounting, as suggested by Klahr (1973), who found similar dual increase rates as a function of the actual number of dots. These findings, as well as causal inference based on partial correlations and path analysis, indicated that the reported (perceived) number of dots and confidence rating were both determined by the number of stimulus dots and the SOA and that the reaction time was determined by the so-determined perceived number of dots and level of confidence. A multistage model is proposed.     

Developmental order driving the relationship between executive functions and theory of mind: a case study

Several studies have suggested there is a developmental link between executive functions and theory of mind. However, the developmental order driving the relationship is not well understood. The main reason is that the development of executive function parallels the development of theory of mind in normally developing children. In this paper, a case (H.Y.) is reported. H.Y. had lived in a persistent vegetative state for 6 years after encephalitis at the age of 10. He showed a developmental order driving the relationship between executive functions and theory of mind. These findings are consistent with recent suggestions that development of executive function might be important as a predecessor of either the ability to understand false beliefs or the ability to express that understanding.     

Influence of Deteriorating Ability of Emotional Comprehension on Interpersonal Behavior in Alzheimer-Type Dementia

This study investigated the relationship between the ability to recognize emotion and interpersonal behavior in dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT). After examining the validity and reliability of the Emotion Recognition Test (ERT), an improved version of the tasks used by Shimokawa et al. (2000), 100 patients with DAT underwent evaluation for general cognition using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and emotion recognition using the ERT. Within a week of these tests being administered, ward staff rated the patients using the Interpersonal Behavior Checklist (IBC), composed of two behavior scales: indifference to interpersonal relationships and difficulties with patient treatment/management. After investigating the validity and reliability of the scales, the correlations between the MMSE, the ERT, and the two scales of the IBC were calculated. The results suggested that the MMSE did not correlate with either of the two behavior scales, while the ERT correlated significantly with both of the scales. The study results lead to the conclusion that deteriorating emotion recognition ability, rather than deterioration of general cognition, influences the indifferent and awkward interpersonal behaviors of DAT patients.     

Preparation for horizontal or vertical dimensions affects the right-left prevalence effect

When stimulus and response simultaneously vary in both horizontal and vertical dimensions, the stimulus-response compatibility effect is often larger for the horizontal dimension. We investigated the role of preparation for each dimension in this right-left prevalence. In Experiment 1, tasks based on horizontal and vertical dimensions were mixed in random order, and the relevant dimension in each trial was cued with a variable cue-target stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA). A right-left prevalence effect was observed only when participants prepared for the upcoming task. Experiment 2 replicated the absence of the prevalence effect for the simultaneous presentation of cue and target using a fixed SOA of 0 msec. In Experiment 3, the right-left prevalence emerged with a 0-msec SOA when participants prepared for e achdimension basedon its frequency. These resultssuggest that participants' internal set can be greater for the horizontal dimension, leading to the right-left prevalence effect.     

Emergence of response‐response relations

The present study examined whether bidirectional response‐response relations could be established without direct reinforcement. In AB training for 12 undergraduates, higher rates of touches to a white circle on the monitor screen (A1) produced two stimuli (B1 and B2) on half of the trials, whereas lower rates (A2) produced the same effect on the other half. Choosing one of the two stimuli was reinforced according to the preceding responding (A1B1 and A2B2). In BC training, touching a stimulus (B1 or B2) produced three white circles lined up horizontally on the screen, after which one of two different response sequences to the circles (left‐center‐right, C1 or C2, and right‐center‐left, C2 or C1) were reinforced, depending on the stimulus presented (B1C1 and B2C2). After AB and BC relations were established, 11 of 12 participants showed the emergence of untrained relations (BA, CB, AC, and CA) throughout five test sessions, and the remaining participant showed it in the first four test sessions. These response‐response relations were replicated with five other undergraduates and different trained relations.