Recall of Television Advertisements as a Function of Program Evaluation

The effects of program content and program evaluation on viewers' ability to remember advertisements placed in the middle of a television program were examined. University undergraduates (N = 129) took part in what was described to them as a program evaluation study. Results showed no differences in recall as a function of the content of the program watched, but program evaluation ratings were significantly related to recall of advertisements. Greater program involvement as indicated by measures of liking, perceived credibility, perceived contemporaneity, and affective response was associated with poorer free and cued recall of advertising content.     

The role of left perisylvian cortical regions in spelling

In order to examine the role of left perisylvian cortex in spelling, 13 individuals with lesions in this area were administered a comprehensive spelling battery. Their spelling of regular words, irregular words, and nonwords was compared with that of individuals with extrasylvian damage involving left inferior temporo-occipital cortex and normal controls. Perisylvian patients demonstrated a lexicality effect, with nonwords spelled worse than real words. This pattern contrasts with the deficit in irregular word spelling, or regularity effect, observed in extrasylvian patients. These findings confirm that damage to left perisylvian cortex results in impaired phonological processing required for sublexical spelling. Further, degraded phonological input to orthographic selection typically results in additional deficits in real word spelling.     

Nuance, Complexity, and Context: Qualitative Methods in Genetic Counseling Research

Because of its potential for capturing complexity and process and its focus on communicating the meaning in human action, qualitative research is rapidly gaining acceptance in a wide variety of disciplines. Various qualitative approaches to research support its potential usefulness in genetic counseling research. Formulation of research questions and selection of appropriate qualitative methods are the first step. Interviewing, narrative analysis, focus groups, ethnography/participant observation, and participatory action research are only some of the most popular techniques that may be suitable in various situations. Processes of evaluation, analysis, and even ethical issues often differ somewhat from quantitative research. This article discusses these issues and the potential value of qualitative methods for research related to genetic counseling.     

Pastoral response to marital alienation

Couples who seek pastoral help for their troubled marriages often display great hostility in their marital relationships. These negative feelings are the result of a cumulative process in which alienation builds over time through a series of hostile interactions by the distressed partners. Before assisting couples in solving the basic problems confronting them, the pastor must guide the couples in halting the destructive process of alienation and in establishing a climate of mutual cooperation in their marriages. Conventional marriage counseling techniques require a reasonable amount of positive couple interaction for the methods to be successful.Ch. Lt. Col. Gilbert W. Beeson, Jr., is a member of the United States Air Force Chaplain Resource Board. His address is: USAF Chaplain Board—LMDC/HCX, Bldg 814, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama 36112.     

Letter-by-letter reading: natural recovery and response to treatment

The present investigation provides a longitudinal study of an individual (RB) with acquired alexia following left posterior cerebral artery stroke. At initial testing, RB exhibited acquired alexia characterized by letter-by-letter (LBL) reading, mild anomic aphasia, and acquired agraphia. Repeated measures of reading accuracy and rate were collected for single words and text over the course of one year, along with probes of naming and spelling abilities. Improvements associated with natural recovery (i.e., without treatment) were documented up to the fourth month post onset, when text reading appeared to be relatively stable. Multiple oral reading (MOR) treatment was initiated at 22 weeks post-stroke, and additional improvements in reading rate and accuracy for text were documented that were greater than those expected on the basis of spontaneous recovery alone. Over the course of one year, reading reaction times for single words improved, and the word-length effect that is the hallmark of LBL reading diminished. RB's response to treatment supports the therapeutic value of MOR treatment to in LBL readers. His residual impairment of reading and spelling one-year post stroke raised the question as to whether further progress was impeded by degraded orthographic knowledge.     

Double-Negation Elimination in Some Propositional Logics

This article answers two questions (posed in the literature), each concerning the guaranteed existence of proofs free of double negation. A proof is free of double negation if none of its deduced steps contains a term of the formn(n(t)) for some term t, where n denotes negation. The first question asks for conditions on the hypotheses that, if satisfied, guarantee the existence of a double-negation-free proof when the conclusion is free of double negation. The second question asks about the existence of an axiom system for classical propositional calculus whose use, for theorems with a conclusion free of double negation, guarantees the existence of a double-negation-free proof. After giving conditions that answer the first question, we answer the second question by focusing on the Lukasiewicz three-axiom system. We then extend our studies to infinite-valued sentential calculus and to intuitionistic logic and generalize the notion of being double-negation free. The double-negation proofs of interest rely exclusively on the inference rule condensed detachment, a rule that combines modus ponens with an appropriately general rule of substitution. The automated reasoning program Otter played an indispensable role in this study.     

Comparing parents' perceptions of IVF conceived children's behavior with naturally conceived children

Conception after assisted reproductive methods is associated with considerable emotional as well as physical stress. Parents often have to wait ten years or more before conceiving. As part of an ongoing U.K. study, we assessed 140 intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) conceived children and 101 naturally conceived control children via parental completion of the Eyberg Child Behaviour Inventory when their children were two years old. Parents of children conceived after assisted reproductive methods reported fewer behavioral problems. Implications for long‐term development are discussed. ©2004 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.     

Writing with the right hemisphere

We studied writing abilities in a strongly right-handed man following a massive stroke that resulted in virtually complete destruction of the language-dominant left hemisphere. Writing was characterized by sensitivity to lexical-semantic variables (i.e., word frequency, imageability, and part of speech), semantic errors in writing to dictation and written naming, total inability to use the nonlexical phonological spelling route, and agrammatism in spontaneous writing. The reliance on a lexical-semantic strategy in spelling, semantic errors, and impaired phonology and syntax were all highly consistent with the general characteristics of right hemisphere language, as revealed by studies of split-brain patients and adults with dominant hemispherectomy. In addition, this pattern of writing closely resembled the syndrome of deep agraphia. These observations provide strong support for the hypothesis that deep agraphia reflects right hemisphere writing.     

Evaluating Single-Subject Treatment Research: Lessons Learned from the Aphasia Literature

The mandate for evidence-based practice has prompted careful consideration of the weight of the scientific evidence regarding the therapeutic value of various clinical treatments. In the field of aphasia, a large number of single-subject research studies have been conducted, providing clinical outcome data that are potentially useful for clinicians and researchers; however, it has been difficult to discern the relative potency of these treatments in a standardized manner. In this paper we describe an approach to quantify treatment outcomes for single-subject research studies using effect sizes. These values provide a means to compare treatment outcomes within and between individuals, as well as to compare the relative strength of various treatments. Effect sizes also can be aggregated in order to conduct meta-analyses of specific treatment approaches. Consideration is given to optimizing research designs and providing adequate data so that the value of treatment research is maximized.