Luria did not have a PhD in psychology.

Comments on an article by Manfred J. Meier (see record 1992-27334-001) regarding information on noted Russian neuropsychologist Aleksandr Romanovich Luria that needs some clarification. Luria obtained an EdD, not a PhD, in 1936. In addition, Luria, in spite of the fact that he was a world renowned neuropsychologist, was not a full member of the Academy of Science. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Update: microcomputer statistics packages. A personal view

1. There have been a number of recent commercial developments and new versions of microcomputer statistical software packages since the last review in December 1995. 2. New versions for Windows have been released: SPSS 7.0 (Windows 95), SYSTAT 6.0 (Windows 3.11, 95, NT) and MINITAB 11.0 (Windows 3.11, 95, NT). 3. The minimum requirements of microcomputer hardware to run the statistical packages under Windows now include 486 or Pentium processors and 16 Mb of RAM. 4. It is now clear to the reviewer that no package that operates under Windows can be recommended unless it is possible to execute analyses by commands as well as by menus. 5. The Internet is an important medium for disseminating information about forthcoming new versions of statistical software packages and about flaws in recently released versions of such packages.     

Odors and the remembrance of things past.

Three experiments, using ambient odors and incidental learning procedures, examined the effectiveness of odors as memory retrieval cues. Experiment 1 showed that a single ambient odor present on both learning and testing improved recall of a list of words over a no-odor control and a group that received the odor at encoding or retrieval only. Experiment 2 replicated this result and showed that whereas reinstating the odor context improved overall recall, recall of odor-related information was not significantly enhanced by the odor cue. Finally, Experiment 3, employing implicit and explicit retrieval tasks, demonstrated that the same odor must be present on both learning and remembering for the memory benefit to occur. The memory enhancement observed with odors was not due to the effects of semantic mediation. The results are discussed within the framework of encoding specificity of memory (e.g., E. Tulving and D. M. Thomson, 1973), and implications for odor imagery and cuing effects on odor-related material are addressed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The remembrance of times past: Interference in temporal reference memory.

Six experiments examined human performance on a modified temporal generalization task when either 1 or 2 standard durations were encoded. In most conditions, participants were presented with a 1st standard duration (A), then judged whether a number of comparison stimuli had the same duration as A. They were then presented with a 2nd standard (B) and again judged whether other comparison stimuli had the same duration as B. Then, after a delay period of 0-45 s, further comparison stimuli were presented, and participants judged whether those stimuli had the same duration as A, without A being represented. A was either the same length as B or shorter or longer than it, so potential retroactive interference effects of B on A could be examined. After a short delay before retesting of A comparisons, the peak of the temporal generalization gradient shifted toward the shortest of the comparisons when A B. The results suggest that certain combinations of delay and interference might render the memory of A unusable, so that a new standard is constructed on the basis of the remembered relationship between A and B, a kind of "false memory" for duration. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the remembrance of times past: The irregular list technique.

Four experiments were designed to examine the processing of time in human memory. These experiments introduce a new way of testing memory for relative temporal duration that uses a list with uneven temporal spacing between items. In this irregular list technique, people are excused from remembering the items themselves and from remembering their relative positions within the list but must judge which of two adjacent interitem intervals had been longer. Although performance was good in this task, it was comparable for vocalized and silent visual presentation. This finding directly contradicts the hypothesis that temporal coding is better in the auditory modality than in the visual modality. The second experiment replicated this result for word lists under conditions in which people were ignorant, until after list presentation, about whether they were to recall the items or to make temporal judgments. The third experiment investigated the effect of filling, with distraction, the interitem intervals in irregularly spaced lists. In the final experiment, we adapted the irregular list technique to examine long-term or semantic memory. We conclude that memory for the genuinely temporal properties of learned experiences can and should be separated from their sequential ordering. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the "remembrance of things past": A longitudinal evaluation of the retrospective method.

Examined the extent of agreement between retrospective and prospective measures of variables in 7 different content domains: residence changes, anthropometrics, injuries, reading ability, family characteristics, behavior problems, and delinquency. Retrospective reports using data from a large sample of 18-yr-old youth who have been studied prospectively since their births were evaluated. The findings suggest that (1) psychosocial variables (e.g., reports about subjective psychological states and family processes) revealed the lowest level of agreement between prospective and retrospective measures and (2) even when retrospective reports correlated significantly with prospective data, the absolute level of agreement between the 2 data sources was quite poor. It appears that reliance on retrospective reports about psychosocial variables should be approached with caution. Moreover, it is suggested that the use of retrospective reports should be limited to testing hypotheses about the relative standing of individuals in a distribution and should not be used to test hypotheses that demand precision in estimating event frequencies and event dates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A personal adjustment television program.

"This article describes some of our experiences in presenting a television program on personal adjustment on a commercial station over a period of one year. It is also an announcement of the availability of 13 half-hour kinescope recordings of these programs through the Educational TV and Radio Center." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social isolation and personal space: A field study.

Investigated relative social isolation in relation to personal space (or interpersonal distance) in an occupational setting. Extensions of immediacy and stimulation theories predict smaller interpersonal distances for more isolated individuals, but adaptation-level theory predicts larger distances. Naturalistic and stop-distance measures of personal space were obtained from 60 female employees of a government agency, half of whom worked at computer terminals in relative social isolation and half of whom worked primarily with other people. The 2 groups were equivalent in age, job level, and person–thing orientation. Results indicated that, by the naturalistic measure, larger interpersonal distances were found for Ss who worked in relative isolation, thus supporting the adaptation-level approach. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The shaping of a profession: A personal view.

Describes key events in the author's 35-yr career in psychology that radicalized him and helped him to develop a stance as a strong advocate for professional psychology. Included are discussions of the encouragement of state associations to enact licensing and freedom-of-choice laws and of the creation of the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University in New Jersey—none of which could have occurred without political activity. The author's strong conviction is that for psychology to be an important voice in the mental health world, the professional must be organizationally and politically sophisticated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rehabilitation planned in accordance with the Luria neuropsychological investigation: A case history of a patient with left sided aneurysm.

After suffering a rupture of a left-sided aneurysm on the middle cerebral artery with prolonged arterial spasms, the prognosis for recovery of speech and motor functions of a 27-yr-old male patient was considered to be poor. Based on a Luria neuropsychological investigation that revealed many areas of preserved brain functions, rehabilitation efforts were directed toward training of specific abilities as well as compensatory skills using intact functions. This case demonstrates the interaction between the training program and the levels of motivation and persistence of the S and his family necessary to produce optimal rehabilitation outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Paternal influences and the father's role: A personal perspective.

Briefly reviews research and theory concerning the role of the father in child development and presents a personal perspective that sees some long-established attitudes toward child care changing. Traditionally, major responsibility for childrearing has been assumed by women. Studies show, however, that most infants become attached to both their parents, although most turn to their mothers when distressed. With older children, fathers appear to have their greatest influence on sex role development. The type and extent of their impact varies depending on the quality of the father–child relationships. Recent trends indicate an increasing involvement of fathers in child care. These trends will increase paternal contributions to the socialization process. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychotherapy as a personal relationship: A social psychological perspective.

Shows how theory and research on personal relationships can increase understanding of the therapy relationship. The article focuses on a social exchange approach to satisfaction and commitment to therapy, responsiveness in the therapy relationship, and the development of the therapy relationship (gradual or accelerated). By examining how therapy is a professional relationship and how it is similar to other personal relationships, therapists and clients may be encouraged to acknowledge the personal elements in the therapy relationship. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A personal encounter with scientific deviance.

Describes a situation in which a research assistant of the author had falsified the results of word association tests consisting of 2 categories of stimulus words. It was only when efforts were made to replicate the assistant's results by independent observers that the invalidity of the data was exposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Androgyny and sex role measurement: A personal construct approach.

Reported the results of 2 studies using a new sex-role instrument, the Sex-Rep, which uses ideographically elicited sex role constructs, rather than stereotypes, to determine classification. Results from the 1st study with 40 females (mean age 31 yrs) indicate that personal feminine constructs may be healthier than feminine stereotypes in some contexts. The 2nd study, with 208 undergraduates, showed that the Sex-Rep discriminates gender as well as does the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) and that these 2 instruments are nonredundant. Results also indicate that the apparent positive relation between masculinity and adjustment may be a measurement artifact. The different purposes of the Sex-Rep and the BSRI are discussed. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)