The relationship between cognitive ability and positive and negative priming in identity and spatial priming tasks

The authors examined whether stimulus activation and inhibition in the identity priming task are related to the temporal lobe, and whether these processes in the spatial priming task are related to the parietal lobe. Forty participants performed spatial and identity positive and negative priming tasks, the Vandenberg Mental Rotation task, and the Digit Span task. Both men and women showed significant positive and negative priming in the identity and spatial tasks with no gender difference. The magnitude of identity positive priming was predicted by the Digit Span task, and the magnitude of spatial positive priming was predicted by the mental rotation task. Only women showed a correlation between spatial ability and spatial negative priming. The results are partially consistent with the dorsal-ventral model of cognitive inhibition.     

Attributional Retraining: A Motivation Treatment With Differential Psychosocial and Performance Benefits for Failure Prone Individuals in Competitive Achievement Settings

Our quasi-experimental, longitudinal treatment study examined whether Attributional Retraining (AR) facilitated adjustment among young adults (n = 324) making the challenging school-to-university transition. An AR by performance orientation group 2 × 4 design showed AR primarily benefited high-risk students: Failure-ruminators (high failure preoccupation, low perceived control) receiving AR reported higher intrinsic motivation and more adaptive attribution-related emotions than their no-AR peers. Failure-acceptors (low failure preoccupation, low perceived control) receiving AR had higher intrinsic motivation, higher grade point averages, and fewer course withdrawals than their no-AR counterparts. Thus, AR had differential benefits (emotions, achievement) for vulnerable students who were psychologically distinct.     

The locus of semantic interference in the “Stroop” color-naming task

In two experiments, introductory psychology students responded in two ways to three lists of 60 words printed in different colors. The lists consisted of color words and two sets of words associated with the colors (e.g., SKY, BLOOD, etc.). When the subjects responded by naming the color in which each word was printed, it took longer for the color word list than for either list of associates, i.e., the classical Stroop interference effect. The other response required the subjects to say words from one of the association lists which corresponded to the color in which each word was printed, e.g., they saw the word BLACK (or NIGHT, or COAL) printed inred ink, and had to respond by saying “blood.” Using this response, it took longest for the subjects to complete the list of words which were the same as those required as responses. Color words were somewhat less difficult, and the other association words were completed most quickly. The results do not pinpoint the locus of interference, but clarify additional assumptions which must be accepted to maintain alternative hypotheses.     

The Relationship Between Cognitive Ability and Positive and Negative Priming in Identity and Spatial Priming Tasks

The authors examined whether stimulus activation and inhibition in the identity priming task are related to the temporal lobe, and whether these processes in the spatial priming task are related to the parietal lobe. Forty participants performed spatial and identity positive and negative priming tasks, the Vandenberg Mental Rotation task, and the Digit Span task. Both men and women showed significant positive and negative priming in the identity and spatial tasks with no gender difference. The magnitude of identity positive priming was predicted by the Digit Span task, and the magnitude of spatial positive priming was predicted by the mental rotation task. Only women showed a correlation between spatial ability and spatial negative priming. The results are partially consistent with the dorsal-ventral model of cognitive inhibition.