Complexity of IQ: Comment on Ceci and Liker (1986).

Ceci and Liker (1986) reported statistical independence of IQ and cognitive complexity as evidenced by horse-race handicapping. However, they dismissed too easily a potentially important finding contrary to their hypothesis: a negative correlation between IQ and years of horse-race experience among horse-race experts. Furthermore, F values for the relation between level of handicapping expertise and either level of education or occupational prestige (each of which correlates highly with IQ) are statistically too small and therefore suggest selectional biases. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What is false memory development the development of? Comment on Brainerd, Reyna, and Ceci (2008).

In this commentary, assumptions about the nature and development of children's false memories as described in a recent article by C. J. Brainerd, V. F. Reyna, and S. J. Ceci (2008; see record 2008-04614-001) are reviewed. Specifically, questions are raised about what drives the development of false memories in fuzzy-trace theory (FTT). Recent studies that challenge a core assumption of FTT, that false memory illusions increase across development as children learn to establish meaningful connections across items (i.e., establish gist), are discussed. An alternative conceptualization of the development of false memory illusions, associative-activation theory (AAT), is presented. AAT provides as viable an account of the development of false memory illusions as does FTT and anticipates a unique set of outcomes that have recently appeared in the developmental literature on false memory illusions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Processes underlying developmental reversals in false-memory formation: Comment on Brainerd, Reyna, and Ceci (2008).

C. J. Brainerd, V. F. Reyna, and S. J. Ceci (2008; see record 2008-04614-001) reviewed compelling evidence of developmental reversals in false-memory formation (i.e., younger children exhibit lower false-memory rates than do older children and adults) and proposed that this phenomenon depends on the development of gist processing (i.e., the ability to identify and process the semantic theme of word lists, events, etc.). A full understanding of development reversals, however, cannot be achieved without further characterizing the role played by complementary or opposing processes. Suggestions for future research are made from this perspective. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Testing the invariance of relative timing: Comment on Gentner (1987).

D. R. Gentner (see record 1987-20878-001) rejected the notion of invariant relative timing on the basis of a comprehensive review. It is argued that this conclusion cannot be generalized in a straightforward manner to the hypothesis that central processes of motor control exhibit the characteristic of invariant relative timing. Invariant relative timing on a central level is not necessarily accompanied by invariant relative timing on a peripheral level, where the observations are made; this occurs only if the expected delays between central commands and peripheral effects (motor delays) are constant throughout the movement. A model is proposed that explicitly distinguishes between a central level of control and a peripheral level of observation. The procedures used to test the invariance of relative timing are examined, and new procedures are suggested that do not rely on the unjustified assumption of constant motor delays. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comment on Ornstein, Ceci, and Loftus (1998): Adult recollections of childhood abuse.

Comments on the article by P. A. Ornstein et al (see record 2000-13581-005) on adult recollections of childhood abuse, which is part of the report by the American Psychological Association Working Group on Investigation of Memories of Childhood Abuse (see record 2000-13581-002). Points on which they agree with Ornstein et al include the following: (1) Real occurrences and false allegations of sexual abuse are serious and potentially life-shattering for victims. (2) Memory is not perfect. (3) Remembering is facilitated by retrieval cues, contextual support, and the reexperiencing of affect similar to that which occurred at the time of an event. (4) Some people are suggestible under certain conditions. (5) Psychotherapy can be substandard, as can research. (6) When a report of memory of sexual abuse first arises in therapy, a neutral and exploratory stance by the therapist should be maintained. Points of disagreement include (1) the selective review of the memory literature, (2) the lack of attention to methodological issues, (3) the selective interpretation of the literature and the resultant drawing of implications, and (4) a serious misunderstanding of some of the concepts under discussion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Culture, development, and theory of mind: Comment on Lillard (1998).

In response to A. Lillard's (see record 1997-42548-001) suggestion that research on theory of mind does not adequately examine the cultural context of this thinking, the author proposes an extension of this view that emphasizes the development of theory of mind in sociocultural context. Questions about the study of theory of mind both across and within cultural communities are also raised. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The masquerade of mental health reform: Comment on Bagby, Silverman, Ryan, and Dickens (1987).

In a valuable paper, Bagby, Silverman, Ryan, and Dickens (see record 1987-32403-001) analyzed rates of involuntary admissions to Ontario psychiatric facilities for several years before and after Ontario's civil commitment law was changed in November, 1978. Bagby et al.'s paper is timely and important because it is relevant to North America generally, as yet another instance of disparity between change in the semantic formulation of the law and the subsequent behaviour of the psychiatric establishment. It still remains entirely a separate ethical question as to what extent commitment criteria, if the notion is meaningful and enforceable at all, should in fact be as restrictive as Ontario appeared to have intended a decade ago. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Socialization, personality development, and the child's environments: Comment on Vandell (2000).

Although many socialization agents influence children"s behavior (D. L. Vandell; see record 2000-00919-001), the evidence (e.g., from intervention studies) indicates that each exerts its influence only within its own domain. Context effects and genetic effects are among the confounding factors that make it impossible, given current data, to reject the null hypothesis of zero long-term effects of parenting on child outcomes. Problems with the prevailing view of development cannot be solved by invoking within-home environmental differences or gene-environment interactions. Group socialization theory can account for findings that do not fit the prevailing view. The theory attributes outside-the-home socialization to identification with a peer group and assimilation of group norms, but attributes nongenetic variation in personality to differentiation within the group. The latter proposition is still largely untested but other aspects of the theory are well supported by evidence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Working Memory and Intelligence--Their Correlation and Their Relation: Comment on Ackerman, Beier, and Boyle (2005).

On the basis of a meta-analysis of pairwise correlations between working memory tasks and cognitive ability measures, P. L. Ackerman, M. E. Beier, and M. O. Boyle (2005; see record 2004-22408-002) claimed that working memory capacity (WMC) shares less than 25% of its variance with general intelligence (g) and with reasoning ability. In this comment, the authors argue that this is an underestimation because of several methodological shortcomings and biases. A reanalysis of the data reported in Ackerman et al. using the correct statistical procedures demonstrates that g and WMC are very highly correlated. On a conceptual level, the authors point out that WMC should be regarded as an explanatory construct for intellectual abilities. Theories of working memory do not claim that WMC is isomorphic with intelligence factors but that it is a very strong predictor of reasoning ability and also predicts general fluid intelligence and g. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of context in interpreting facial expression: Comment on Russell and Fehr (1987).

In their article, "Relativity in the Perception of Emotion in Facial Expressions," Russell and Fehr (1987) argued that context is the principle determinant in interpreting facial expressions of emotion. They questioned the biological bases for emotion suggested by Darwin and supported by many cross-cultural studies. We suggest that their results occurred because the target faces they used were emotionally neutral or ambiguous. We also argue that their findings can be interpreted as supporting the communicative importance of the face. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Memory Reconsolidation Hypothesis Revived but Restrained: Theoretical Comment on Biedenkapp and Rudy (2004).

J. C. Biedenkapp and J. W. Rudy (2004; see record 2004-19432-009) reported that the protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin administered into the hippocampus after context preexposure or contextual fear conditioning impaired subsequent retention performance. In contrast, anisomycin administered after context memory retrieval did not impair subsequent contextual fear conditioning. Their findings challenge the hypothesis that memory retrieval induces memory reconsolidation and suggest that the hypothesis needs to be constrained to account for negative findings. However, their evidence does not suggest compelling clues to how the hypothesis might be constrained to accommodate the findings. Thus, it is not yet clear whether their findings can be explained by a revised reconsolidation hypothesis, or whether some other hypothesis is required to account for postretrieval memory impairment, when it is observed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Working Memory Capacity and Fluid Intelligence Are Strongly Related Constructs: Comment on Ackerman, Beier, and Boyle (2005).

The authors agree with P. L. Ackerman, M. E. Beier, and M. O. Boyle (2005; see record 2004-22408-002) that working memory capacity (WMC) is not isomorphic with general fluid intelligence (Gf) or reasoning ability. However, the WMC and Gf/reasoning constructs are more strongly associated than Ackerman et al. (2005) indicate, particularly when considering the outcomes of latent-variable studies. The authors' reanalysis of 14 such data sets from 10 published studies, representing more than 3,100 young-adult subjects, suggests a strong correlation between WMC and Gf/reasoning factors (median r = .72), indicating that the WMC and Gf constructs share approximately 50% of their variance. This comment also clarifies the authors' "executive attention" view of WMC, it demonstrates that WMC has greater discriminant validity than Ackerman et al. (2005) implied, and it suggests some future directions and challenges for the scientific study of the convergence of WMC, attention control, and intelligence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Context Noise and Item Noise Jointly Determine Recognition Memory: A Comment on Dennis and Humphreys (2001).

S. Dennis and M. S. Humphreys (see record 2001-17194-007) proposed a model with the strict assumption that recognition memory is not affected by interference from other items. Instead, confusions are due to noise generated by prior contexts in which the test item appeared. This model seems disparate from existing models of recognition memory but is similar in many ways that are not superficially obvious. One difference is the order in which item and context information are used as retrieval cues. A more critical difference is the assertion that only an item's history, and not other items, affects recognition memory. Conceptual arguments along with the results of 2 experiments make a persuasive case that both types of noise affect recognition. To illustrate the approach, the authors fit experimental data with a version of the retrieving effectively from memory model (R. M. Shiffrin & M. Steyvers, 1997) incorporating both sources of noise. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Alphabetic search: Comment on Klahr, Chase, and Lovelace (1983).

Response time (RT) curves were obtained from Ss who were instructed to search for following or preceding letters in the alphabet with respect to given stimulus letters. To describe the shape of these curves, D. Klahr et al (see record 1984-05777-001) proposed a search model. It was assumed that the alphabet was internally represented by a number of chunks of a few letters. Klahr et al assumed that serial searches occurred along 2 hierarchical levels: (1) a search for the correct chunk and (2) a search of the letters within the chunk. The Klahr et al model predicted an ascending sawtooth-shaped RT curve. However, according to the authors' analysis of the data, the RT curves did not show the expected sawtooth shapes. In order to find out whether the lack of empirical support for the model was an artifact of averaging the data, the experiment was replicated. It was found that individual RT curves did not show the shape characteristics that were predicted by the Klahr et al model either. The data supported the hypothesis that the access of letters was direct without any hierarchy, and that the retrieval of successive letters was determined by the variable associations between subsequent letters. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bridging the research traditions of task/ego involvement and intrinsic/extrinsic motivation: Comment on Butler (1987).

In an experiment on the effects of different feedback conditions on motivationally relevant variables, R. Butler (see record 1988-21628-001) tested the hypothesis that the effects of feedback on intrinsic motivation would depend on whether that feedback promotes a task-involving or ego-involving orientation. She interpreted the findings as they relate to J. G. Nicholls's (see record 1984-28719-001) theory of task/ego involvement and our cognitive evaluation theory (E. L. Deci and R. M. Ryan, 1985). Although the data were very interesting, Butler failed to review a series of highly relevant studies, she misportrayed cognitive evaluation theory, and she drew conclusions that were not necessarily warranted given her experimental manipulations and data. This article provides a commentary on that research and presents a discussion of the relation between the two theories that Butler claimed to have tested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Narrow assessments misrepresent development and misguide policy: Comment on Steinberg, Cauffman, Woolard, Graham, and Banich (2009).

Intellectual and psychosocial functioning develop along complex learning pathways. Steinberg, Cauffman, Woolard, Graham, and Banich (see record 2009-18110-001) measured these two classes of abilities with narrow, biased assessments that captured only a segment of each pathway and created misleading age patterns based on ceiling and floor effects. It is a simple matter to shift the assessments to produce the opposite pattern, with cognitive abilities appearing to develop well into adulthood and psychosocial abilities appearing to stop developing at age 16. Their measures also lacked a realistic connection to the lived behaviors of adolescents, abstracting too far from messy realities and thus lacking ecological validity and the nuanced portrait that the authors called for. A drastically different approach to assessing development is required that (a) includes the full age-related range of relevant abilities instead of a truncated set and (b) examines the variability and contextual dependence of abilities relevant to the topics of murder and abortion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Similarity, identification, and categorization: Comment on Ashby and Lee (1991).

F. G. Ashby and W. W. Lee (see record 1991-23345-001) tested various models derived from the general recognition theory (GRT; Ashby and N. A. Perrin, 1988; Ashby and J. T. Townsend, 1986) on their ability to predict and interrelate similarity, categorization, and identification performance. This commentary (1) argues that contrary to Ashby and Lee's suggestion, the likelihood-based GRT cannot generally predict categorization from identification without incorporating selective attention, (2) argues that the categorization rule in the likelihood-based GRT is extremely close in spirit to R. M. Nosofsky's (1986) exemplar-based similarity model, (3) reports new model-based analyses that call into question Ashby and Lee's interpretation of their identification-confusion data, (4) raises questions about the identification and similarity models tested by Ashby and Lee, and (5) criticizes Ashby and Lee's methods of fitting and evaluating the various models. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Words, deeds, and motivations: Comment on Maestripieri and Carroll (1998).

A considerable proportion of Old World monkey mothers living in social groups under seemingly benign conditions maltreat their young. This interesting finding is the basis for the suggestion by D. Maestripieri and K. A. Carroll (see record 1998-01884-001) that monkeys might provide an animal model for investigating child abuse and neglect in the human population. This suggestion tacitly assumes that the phenomena of abuse and neglect in monkeys and humans are based on similar processes. This possibility is more plausible for neglect than for abuse. Child abuse shows such great diversity of forms and causes in human societies that it is unlikely to have a natural counterpart among nonhuman primates. The suggestion that it does may inadvertently lend support to attitudes that are unduly restrictive or actively opposed to animal research in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Neuropsychology and malingering: Comment on Faust, Hart, and Guilmette (1988).

D. Faust et al (see record 1989-05633-001) recently reported on the inability of neuropsychologists to detect malingering in children who were asked to "fake bad" on a battery of neuropsychological measures. Because of methodological issues, implications of their research are not generalizable to the actual clinical setting. Limitations of the questionnaire format in detecting factitious results are discussed along with the inherent bias of such a research design to overinterpret pathology. The competency of the clinical neuropsychologist judges and their selection process are questioned. Last, some guidelines are offered for future research dealing with the issue of detection of malingering in neuropsychological practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comment on Natterson (2003).

The author views J. M. Natterson's (2003) article as a return to Freud's emphasis on the centrality of love in psychoanalysis freshly conceptualized within a contemporary intersubjective perspective. Natterson's definition of love is viewed by the author as consisting of 3 independent components (attachment, recognition, and mutuality) that may harmonize or conflict. The author notes the rarity of Natterson's intimate disclosure of the specifics of his own subjectivity to the reader, and their value in advancing the understanding of psychoanalytic process and theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)