Assault as a function of time and temperature: A moderator-variable time-series analysis.

The authors hypothesized that relations between temperature and assaults are stronger during evening hours than during other hours of the day and tested this hypothesis by obtaining 3-hr measures of assaults, temperature, and other weather variables for a 2-year interval. The hypothesis was confirmed by autoregression analyses that controlled for secular trends, seasonal differences, other weather variables, holidays, and other calendar events. In addition, as predicted by the negative affect escape model, assaults declined after reaching a peak at moderately high temperatures. The inverted U-shaped relation survived tests that controlled for secular trends, seasonality, autocorrelation, outliers, and heteroscedasticity. In addition, consistent with routine activity theory, moderator-variable regression analyses indicated that relations were strongest during evening hours and on weekends. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral effects of chemicals in drinking water.

In Exp I, 42 Ss (mean age 30.4 yrs) tracked a moving target and monitored lights after receiving sublingual drops that contained either water, sodium nitrate (4.5, 45, 450, or 4,500 ppm), or sodium fluoride (.1, 1, 10, or 100 ppm). Dosage levels equaled, exceeded, or fell below those of municipal waters. In Exp II, 20 females performed this task after receiving sublingual drops of the same test substances in a repeated measures design; dosage levels equaled or exceeded levels found in municipal waters by 100 or 500 times. Neither type nor amount of chemical affected primary task performance; however, after receiving sublingual drops in Exp I, Ss paid less attention to lights on their right. In Exp II, Ss made more errors and had longer response latencies after they received moderate and very high concentrations of test substances. It is concluded that challenge testing is a safe but effective technique for provoking and studying reactions to chemicals when combined with a sensitive measure of sensorimotor performance. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Air pollution, weather, and violent crimes: Concomitant time-series analysis of archival data.

Archival data covering a 2-yr period were obtained from 3 sources to assess relations among ozone levels, meteorological conditions, day of the week, holidays, seasonal trends, family disturbances, and assaults against persons. Sources for the data were (1) logged calls to police for assistance in assaults and other family and household disturbances, (2) 1-hr readings for ozone by an environmental protection agency, and (3) meteorological conditions published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which included percentage of sunshine; 24-hr averages for temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, and wind speed; fog; thunderstorms; and smoke/haze. More family disturbances were recorded when ozone levels were high than when they were low. Two-stage regression analyses indicated that disturbances and assaults were also positively correlated with daily temperatures and negatively correlated with wind speed and levels of humidity. Analyses indicated that high temperatures and low winds preceded violent episodes, which occurred more often on dry than humid days. Assaults followed complaints about family disturbances, which suggests that the latter could be used to predict and lessen physical violence. It is concluded that atmospheric conditions and violent episodes are not only correlated but also appear to be linked in a causal fashion. (65 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Much ado about the full moon: A meta-analysis of lunar-lunacy research.

Conducted a meta-analysis of 37 published and unpublished studies to examine relations between phases of the moon; type of lunar cycle; sex; publication practices; geographical features (latitude, population density); and several types of lunacy, including mental hospital admissions, psychiatric disturbances, crisis calls, homicides, and other criminal offenses. Results of effect-size estimates show that phases of the moon accounted for no more than 1% of the variance in activities usually termed lunacy. Alleged relations between phases of the moon and behavior can be traced to inappropriate analyses, a failure to take other (e.g., weekly) cycles into account, and a willingness to accept any departure from chance as evidence of a lunar effect. (3? p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Loud speech, conglomerate noise, and behavioral aftereffects.

On the basis of a recent model of information overload, it was predicted that loud speech, conglomerate noise, and tasks requiring attention would produce behavioral aftereffects in the form of lowered frustration tolerance and reduced cognitive complexity. This prediction was confirmed by the results of a laboratory experiment in which 80 undergraduate females were exposed to varying levels of background noise (43 vs 80 db), the presence or absence of loud (80 db) speech, and tasks requiring recall. Results indicate that loud speech, conglomerate noise, and taxing reduce an individual's ability to tolerate frustration and to differentiate among people occupying different roles. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The curve is still out there: A reply to Bushman, Wang, and Anderson's (2005) "Is the curve relating temperature to aggression linear or curvilinear?"

This article replies to research conducted by B. J. Bushman, M. C. Wang, and C. A. Anderson (2005) and demonstrates that the results of prior research by E. G. Cohn and J. Rotton (1997) do support the existence of a curvilinear relationship between temperature and aggression when time of day is taken into consideration. The shape of the relationship between temperature and aggression also depends on a number of other factors, including season, amount of social interaction, type of violence, and type of setting. It appears that linear relationships between temperature and aggression identified by B. J. Bushman et al. (2005) are less ubiquitous than might be believed and that the curve is still out there. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Citation impact, rejection rates, and journal value.

Comments on L. C. Buffardi and J. A. Nichols's (1981) list of rejection rates for psychological journals and further examines the relation between rejection rates, citation impact, and journal value. It was found that 69% of the variance in rejection rates was explained by area and type of journal. As Buffardi and Nichols reported, rejection rates were higher for APA than for non-APA journals (80.27% vs 65.37%), and citation indices were higher for APA than for non-APA journals (2.63 vs 0.91). Further results suggest that experimental journals have a higher Social Sciences Citation Indices impact than do general journals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Citation impact, rejection rates, and journal value": Correction.

Reports an error in the original article by J. Rotton et al (American Psychologist, 1993[Aug], Vol 48[8], 911–912). Table 1 listed the journal Psychological Research twice, and the journals Cognition and Child Study Journal were omitted. The mean SSCI for applied journals in Table 1 should have been 1.17. Multiple rather than squared multiple correlations were reported for rejection rates. Area and type of journal explained 48% of variance in rejection rates, and the F ratio for predicting citations should have been F(9,28)?=?14.82. On page 912, the mean SSCI for experimental journals should have been 1.51. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1994-03368-001.) Comments on L. C. Buffardi and J. A. Nichols's (1981) list of rejection rates for psychological journals and further examines the relation between rejection rates, citation impact, and journal value. It was found that 69% of the variance in rejection rates was explained by area and type of journal. As Buffardi and Nichols reported, rejection rates were higher for APA than for non-APA journals (80.27% vs 65.37%), and citation indices were higher for APA than for non-APA journals (2.63 vs 0.91)… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trait humor and longevity: Do comics have the last laugh?

Tested the hypothesis that the ability to generate humor is associated with longevity. Four sets of data were collected: the ages of 88 living entertainers, data on 43 deceased comedians and a matched sample of entertainers from other fields, 91 literary humorists and a matched sample of serious authors, and several types of data on 803 entertainers and writers. Analyses provided little support for the idea that individuals with a well-developed sense of humor live longer than serious writers and other entertainers. A subsidiary analysis revealed that those in the business of entertaining others died at an earlier age than those in other lines of endeavor. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Violence is a curvilinear function of temperature in Dallas: A replication.

Data on weather and aggravated assaults were obtained to determine whether the curvilinear relationship between temperature and violence previously observed in Minneapolis, Minnesota (E. G. Cohn & J. Rotton, 1997), could be replicated. The data consisted of calls for services received by police in Dallas between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 1995. Controlling for holidays, school closings, time of day, day of the week, season of the year, and their interactions, moderator-variable autoregression analyses indicated that assaults were an inverted U-shaped function of temperature. Replicating past research, the curvilinear relationship was dominant during daylight hours and spring months, whereas linear relationships were observed during nighttime hours and other seasons. The results are interpreted in terms of routine activity theory and the negative affect escape model of aggression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)