Self-actualization and cognitive processes.

Investigated the hypotheses that (a) the creation of new experience in cognitive functioning involves increased differentiation and integration of meaning and (b) self-actualization involves the tendency to engage in a mode of cognitive processing that creates new experience. Using protocols of 61 undergraduates describing their experiencing of emotions, it was found that differentiation and integration of meaning were related to the degree that vocal style indicated the creation of new experience. Also as predicted, both meaning and stylistic perspectives for assessing the creation of new experience were related to a separate measure of self-actualization (the Personal Orientation Inventory). Discussion includes possible implications for conceiving of client participation in psychotherapy in terms of the differentiation and integration of meaning and for understanding self-actualization in terms of differences in cognitive functioning. (27 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Researching cognitive processes.

Comments on the work of T. O. Nelson (see record 83-26608) on consciousness and metacognition. A. D. Kornfeld contends that Nelson failed to take into account the scope exhibited by the work of Wilhelm Wundt and that he substantially overstated the extent to which Dunlap rejected mental processes. Kornfeld argues that the metacognition model's synthesis of verbal reports of consciousness and objective measures of behavior is most accurately seen as an evolutionary development rather than as a radical break with older research traditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unpacking the cognitive architecture of emotion processes.

The results of 2 electroencephalographic studies confirm Component Process Model (CPM) predictions that different appraisal checks have specific brain state correlates, occur rapidly in a brief time window after stimulation, and produce results that occur in sequential rather than parallel fashion. The data are compatible with the assumption that early checks (novelty and intrinsic pleasantness) occur in an automatic, unconscious mode of processing, whereas later checks, specifically goal conduciveness, require more extensive, effortful, and controlled processing. Overall, this work, combined with growing evidence for the CPM's response patterning predictions concerning autonomic physiological signatures, facial muscle movements, and vocalization changes, suggests that this model provides an appropriate basis for the unpacking of the cognitive architecture of emotion and its computational modeling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Latent variable modeling of cognitive processes in true and false recognition of words: A developmental perspective.

The present study aimed at testing theoretical predictions of the fuzzy-trace theory about true and false recognition. The effects of semantic relatedness and study opportunity on true and false recognition of words from Deese, Roediger, McDermott lists (J. Deese, 1959; D. R. Read, 1996; H. L. Roediger & K. B. McDermott, 1995) were evaluated in 7- to 12-year-old children (N = 151). Instead of a traditional analysis of variance, the authors used a relatively novel statistical analysis technique, latent class factor analysis, to test the hypotheses pertaining to the effect of semantic relatedness and study opportunity on children's true and false recognition given their low or high verbatim-trace and gist-trace level. The results showed that variation in true recognition of target words from semantically related and unrelated word lists that were either studied once or repeated could be explained well by variation in verbatim-trace and gist-trace level. Variation in false recognition of semantically related distractors also could be explained by variation in gist-trace level, but the recollection-rejection hypothesis was not confirmed. The variable age was positively but weakly related to gist-trace level, but no significant relationship was found between age and verbatim-trace level. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual differences in cognitive processes.

Studied the effects of verbal ability and sex on performance in a simultaneous matching task. The 537 undergraduates who participated were administered the verbal battery of the Lorge-Thorndike Intelligence Test. Ss with high-verbal ability (high verbals) were much faster than Ss with low-verbal ability (low verbals) in making taxonomic category identity matches and homophone identity matches. Results suggest that verbal ability is related to the speed of retrieval from long-term memory. In addition, high verbals were faster in making physical identity word matches, suggesting that either lexicographically coded information stored in long-term memory is used in such a task or that verbal ability is also related to the speed of retrieval from short-term memory. As expected, males did not differ from females in the time they required to perform any of the matching tasks, although males made slightly more errors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Problems in the measurement of cognitive deficits.

Considers that artifacts cloud the findings in a majority of the studies on differential cognitive deficit because of differences in discriminating power of tasks coupled with generalized deficit of patients. With 2 tests of differing reliability, the test with the higher reliability will yield greater performance deficit for the less able Ss. The advisability, in studies of differential cognitive deficit, is discussed of matching tasks on reliability, shape of the distribution of scores, and mean, variance, and shape of the distribution of item difficulty, using normal Ss alone as a standardization group. Data from a study with 49 severely disturbed schizophrenics and 206 normals is presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Semantic habits and cognitive style processes in the deaf.

Several measures of associative patterns, cognitive styles, and attitudes toward self and others were obtained on 173 deaf adolescents and 178 normal controls. Results show reduced tendencies of the deaf to use evaluational concepts in association, but greater tendencies to devalue self and others. Deaf girls are much like deaf boys in associative and evaluational responses. Several possibilities for the study of implicit language processes in deaf and normal Ss are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Regulation of cognitive processes through perceived self-efficacy.

The articles included in the special series in this issue of Developmental Psychology demonstrate that perceived self-efficacy for memory functioning is an important facet of metamemory. Self-beliefs of efficacy can enhance or impair performance through their effects on cognitive, affective, or motivational intervening processes. This commentary addresses a number of issues concerning the extension of self-efficacy theory to memory functioning. These include the following: the multidimensionality and measurement of perceived memory capabilities; the veridicality of memory self-appraisal; the efficacious exercise of personal control over memory functioning; the psychosocial processes by which people preserve a favorable sense of memory self-efficacy over the life span; and strategies for generalizing the impact of training in memory skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Introduction to the special section on cognitive processes and psychotherapy.

Theoretical models featuring cognitive processes have played a fundamental role in advancing knowledge of psychopathology and its treatment and have emphasized the importance of cognition in psychotherapy. Recognition of the importance of cognition in psychotherapy has led to a number of questions that are addressed by the articles in this special section of the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. Cognitive therapy is well represented in the articles in this special section, but therapeutic procedures that do not represent typical cognitive therapy are also examined. The articles in this special section focus on homework in the modification of cognition, cognition in the treatment of anxiety in adults and in children, change in depressive cognitions in children, cognition and rapid change in the treatment of depression, and the role of cognition in the treatment and prevention of depression that is recurrent. Examination of these types of questions holds the possibility of advances in existing treatments and the possibility of innovations in new treatments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Symbolic role modeling and cognitive learning in the training of counselors.

Investigated the effects of symbolic role modeling on the cognitive learning of counseling techniques. The purpose was to test the relative efficacy of 2 different symbolic role modelings on the desired learning. The posttest-only control group design was used. Ss were 56 master's level counselor education students randomly assigned to the following treatment groups: (a) symbolic role modeling with attentional variables, (b) symbolic role modeling only, (c) control with attentional variables, and (d) control only. Results show statistical significance (p     

Queueing network modeling of elementary mental processes.

This article examines the use of reaction time (RT) to infer the possible configurations of mental systems and presents a class of queueing network models of elementary mental processes. The models consider the temporal issue of discrete versus continuous information transmission in conjunction with the architectural issue of serial versus network arrangement of mental processes. Five elementary but important types of queueing networks are described in detail with regard to their predictions for RT behavior, and they are used to re-examine existing models for psychological processes. As continuous-transmission networks in the general form, queueing network models include the existing discrete and continuous serial models and discrete network models as special cases, cover a broader range of temporal and architectural structures that mental processes might assume, and can be subjected to empirical tests. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Generality and consistency of relations between the alientation syndrome and cognitive processes.

"Twenty male undergraduates were administered an auditory projective technique, a word association technique, and a sentence completion technique, and engaged in two personal interviews with a clinical psychologist. Each of these procedures was designed to provide an independent measure of the Ss' relative standing on a motivational syndrome termed 'alientation'." This syndrome is defined and the results on the auditory projection test are interpreted as indicating that personality is likely to influence selective perception and retention. "These over-all findings of general and consistent relations between motivation and cognitive processes were interpreted as favorable evidence for the development of a general theory of cognition." 34 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Executive control of cognitive processes in task switching.

In 4 experiments, participants alternated between different tasks or performed the same task repeatedly. The tasks for 2 of the experiments required responding to geometric objects in terms of alternative classification rules, and the tasks for the other 2 experiments required solving arithmetic problems in terms of alternative numerical operations. Performance was measured as a function of whether the tasks were familiar or unfamiliar, the rules were simple or complex, and visual cues were present or absent about which tasks should be performed. Task alternation yielded switching-time costs that increased with rule complexity but decreased with task cuing. These factor effects were additive, supporting a model of executive control that has goal-shifting and rule-activation stages for task switching. It appears that rule activation takes more time for switching from familiar to unfamiliar tasks than for switching in the opposite direction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Eye movements in reading: Perceptual and cognitive processes.

This article discusses the variability of eye movement behavior. The variability exists between readers, so that the average fixation duration for sonic readers my be around 200 ms and for other readers it may be closer to 300 ms; the average saccade length for some readers may be 6 letter spaces, while for others it may be closer lo 10 letter spaces; and some readers rarely regress while others regress quite frequently. These eye movement characteristics can also be influenced by text difficulty; more difficult text leads to longer fixation durations, shorter saccades, and more regressions. More important than the between reader variability is the within reader variability that exists with each of these measures. The article also discusses research on eye movement during reading. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

CCK in anxiety and cognitive processes

Extensive studies were carried out on the involvement of the CCKergic system in anxiety-, panic- and stress-related behaviour. The stimulation of CCK-A or CCK-B receptors is implicated in the physical and psychological responses of CCK to stress. Furthermore, several selective CCK-B agonists produce anxiogenic-like effects, while CCK-B antagonists induce anxiolytic-like responses in several models of anxiety. However, BC264 a highly selective CCK-B agonist, does not produce anxiogenic-like effects but increases attention and/or memory. These effects are dependent on the dopaminergic systems. Together with biochemical data, this led to the hypothesis of the existence of two CCK-B binding sites, CCK-B1 and CCK-B2, which could correspond to different activation states of a single molecular entity. Investigations into CCK-B1 and CCK-B2 systems might be of critical interest, since only one site, CCK-B1, appears to be responsible for the effects of anxiety. Furthermore, the improvement of attention and/or memory processes by CCK, through CCK-B2 receptors, could offer a new perspective in the treatment of attention and/or memory disorders.     

Differences in the cognitive processes of academically successful and unsuccessful test-anxious students.

Examined variables not studied by S. D. Brown and T. L. Nelson (see record 1983-31228-001) in their comparison of academically successful and unsuccessful test-anxious college students. Differences in information-processing strategies used to encode course-work information, degree of belief in one's negative self-statements, Type A (coronary prone) behavior, test-taking skills, and unrealistic expectations related to preparing for and taking exams were assessed in 58 undergraduates who met criteria for high/low test anxiety and high/low academic performance. Results show that high performers, regardless of anxiety level, used learning strategies that led to a deep rather then superficial level of encoding and manifested a greater knowledge of effective test-taking skills. Although high performance was associated with Type A behavior, there was no evidence that successful but anxious students were more likely to possess Type A characteristics. A significant interaction was found on the measure of unrealistic expectations that showed that the successful but anxious students were the most likely to hold unrealistic expectations related to test taking. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of the interplay between automatic processes and cognitive resources in reading.

An account was tested of the development of the interplay between automatic processes and cognitive resources in reading. According to compensatory-encoding theory, with advancing skill, readers increasingly keep automatic processes from faltering and provide timely, accurate data to working memory by pausing, looking back, rereading, and compensating in other ways when automatic processes fail. Reading skill profiles (e.g., word naming, semantic access, working memory capacity) were obtained from 71 third graders, 68 fifth graders, and 72 seventh graders from a university lab school or a public school (ages 7 to 15; 146 Caucasians, 61 African Americans, 2 Native Americans, 2 Latino Americans). Children participated in an unrestricted reading task (no time or performance pressure) and were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 levels of 3 experimental manipulations of restriction on reading: time pressure or no pressure, constant reading rate or variable reading rate, read silently or read aloud. Regression analyses revealed that developmental level and restriction moderated the reading skill level-comprehension relationship, and restriction lowered comprehension when it overwhelmed skills, especially for younger readers. Verbally inefficient readers compensated most often, and older readers compensated most efficiently. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)