Words, music, and other measures: Predicting the repertoire popularity of 597 Schubert lieder.

To address the venerable aesthetic question of the relative importance of music and words, musical and textual characteristics were used to predict recording counts of 597 Franz Schubert lieder. Predictors included career variables (age and concurrent productivity), "whole song" variables (e.g., performance duration, structural complexity, major vs. minor key), thematic measures of the first six notes of the vocal incipit (e.g., melodic and rhythmic originality), poet variables (Goethe, Schiller, etc.), and text variables (computer content analysis measures of primordial and conceptual thought and positive and negative emotions). Many correlations between predictors were small but reliable; career variables accounted for most strong correlations. A 45-predictor regression model was highly significant (R2 = .63), with 13 reliable (p     

Consensus information, prediction, and causal attribution: A review of the literature and issues.

Suggests that it is useful to distinguish between 2 types of consensus information—normative expectancies (e.g., E. E. Jones and D. McGillis's 1976 prior probability concept) and explicit base rates (e.g., H. H. Kelley's 1967 conception of observed covariation across actors). Normative expectancies, which may be derived from a knowledge of one's own behavior (i.e., the false-consensus effect) or the behavior of others, provide a basis for prediction and causal inference. Explicit, sample-based consensus may also be employed, but under somewhat restrictive conditions: (a) when prior expectations are neutralized and/or (b) when the consensus manipulation is particularly strong, salient, easily translatable, representative of the criterial population, and causally relevant. Additional issues are reviewed (e.g., the cognitive strategies by which observers reject base rates), and recommendations for research (e.g., how normative expectancies develop) are noted. (62 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

To apply or not to apply: That is the intern applicant's first question.

What are the variables influencing intern applicants' decisions to apply to particular internship training programs? This single-site study investigated the decision-making process of 106 potential intern applicants who decided not to apply to an internship program. Results indicate that a variety of factors (e.g., postponing internship training, sense of limited fit with the program or location, financial or partner concerns) influenced the potential applicants' decisions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use of statistical heuristics in everyday inductive reasoning.

In reasoning about everyday problems, people use statistical heuristics (i.e., judgmental tools that are rough intuitive equivalents of statistical principles). Statistical heuristics have improved historically and they improve ontogenetically. Use of statistical heuristics is more likely when (a) the sample space and the sampling process are clear, (b) the role of chance in producing events is clear, or (c) the culture specifies statistical reasoning as normative for the events. Perhaps because statistical procedures are part of people's intuitive equipment, training in statistics has a marked impact on reasoning. Training increases both the likelihood that people will take a statistical approach to a given problem and the quality of the statistical solutions. These empirical findings have important normative implications. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The generation and resemblance heuristics in face recognition: Cooperation and competition.

Like all probabilistic decisions, recognition memory judgments are based on inferences about the strength and quality of stimulus familiarity. In recent articles, B. W. A. Whittlesea and J. Leboe (2000; J. Leboe & B. W. A. Whittlesea, 2002) proposed that such memory decisions entail various heuristics, similar to well-known heuristics in overt decision making. Using verbal stimulus materials, Whittlesea and Leboe illustrated 3 separate memory heuristics: fluency, generation, and resemblance. In the present investigation, the authors examined the generation and resemblance heuristics in face recognition. In 12 experiments, people memorized faces and later performed exclusion (source memory) tasks. Every experiment contained natural groups of facial photographs (e.g., Caucasian vs. Asian faces), but such groups were not always valid source-memory predictors. Instead, across experiments, the potential utility of generation and resemblance strategies was systematically varied. People were quite sensitive to such variations, changing from one heuristic to another as needed. However, they also combined heuristics, both improving and damaging performance across conditions. The relevance of recognition decision heuristics to eyewitness memory is considered. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Membership status and subjective group dynamics: Who triggers the black sheep effect?

In 3 experiments, participants (Ns = 50, 95, and 75, respectively) judged 2 ingroup or outgroup members who occupied 1 of 3 statuses—new members, full members, or marginal members. In each case, 1 of these members adopted a normative position and another supported a deviant position regarding a relevant issue. Participants upgraded normative ingroup full members and derogated deviant ingroup full members compared with all other members. In addition, derogation of deviant ingroup members was associated with a socializing and a punishing intention toward new members and full members, respectively. These results are discussed in terms of the group socialization model (e.g., Levine & Moreland, 1994) and the subjective group dynamics model (e.g., Marques, Paez, & Abrams, 1998). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relational properties and memory-based category construction.

Although many experiments have investigated factors that constrain perceptual category construction, there have been no investigations of factors that constrain memory-based (MB) category construction. Six experiments examined the extent to which perceptual and MB sorting were influenced by correlated dimensions, family resemblance principles, and conceptual knowledge. Sensitivity to many types of relational information (e.g., correlated features, causal relations, interactive properties of objects, and family resemblance relations) was observed with perceptual sorting, but these properties were rarely used to organize information in MB sorting conditions. Instead, there was a clear preference to organize categories around single dimensions. Even when perfectly correlated features were causally related, Ss in memory conditions did not use correlations to construct categories. The strengths and limitations of MB analyses and categorizations are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Illicit substance use among adolescents: a matrix of prospective predictors

This paper reviews findings from 58 prospective studies of illicit substance use (ISU) among adolescents. It arranges 384 findings according to three types of influence (viz., social, attitudinal, and intrapersonal) and four levels of influence (viz., ultimate, distal, proximal, and immediate). The bulk of evidence reconfirms the importance of several predictors of ISU (e.g., intentions and prior substance-related behavior, friendship patterns and peer behaviors, absence of supportive parents, psychological temperament), reveals that a few variables thought to be well-established predictors may not be (e.g., parental behaviors, parental permissiveness, depression, low self-esteem), and uncovers several variables where findings were either sparse or inconsistent (e.g., the role of public policies concerning ISU, mass media depictions of ISU, certain parenting styles, affective states, perceptions of parental disapproval for ISU, and substance-specific refusal skills). Directions for future research are discussed.     

Cornucopia of correlations.

A table provides a compilation of miscellaneous correlations representing relationships in the real world. Included are correlations between IQ and school achievement, school achievement and other variables (e.g., motivation, self-concept, memory), and maternal and child behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Just who favors in in-group? Personality differences in reactions to uncertainty in the minimal group paradigm.

Researchers have proposed that people identify with and discriminate in favor of their groups to reduce subjective uncertainty (e.g., M. A. Hogg & D. Abrams, 1993). The authors examined whether individual differences in uncertainty orientation (R. M. Sorrentino & J. C. Short, 1986) are relevant to this process. Following B. A. Mullin and M. A. Hogg (1998), participants (N?=?147) were either categorized or not categorized under conditions of low or high task uncertainty when allocating resources using a matrix task. As expected, only certainty-oriented people (who gravitate toward certainty, are biased by group processes, and use heuristics under uncertainty) showed in-group bias under conditions of high uncertainty. This was unaccompanied by increased identification, certainty ratings, or self-esteem. The authors suggest that personality variables directly relevant to uncertainty resolution be considered in these processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex role stereotyping of college professors: Bias in students' ratings of instructors.

We investigated the impact of three variables on students' ratings of instruction (SRIs): social contact between instructor and students (present vs. absent), the instructor's facial expression (smiling vs. neutral), and the instructor's sex. Subjects were presented with hypothetical scenarios in which these factors varied while behaviors directly related to teaching were held constant. Results revealed an interaction between instructor sex and both of the other two factors: Behaviors indicative of friendliness toward students elevated SRIs for female instructors but not for male instructors. In addition, subjects rated the male professors as more effective than female professors. These findings are consistent with other reports that students expect female instructors to excel in both stereotypically masculine (e.g., competence) and feminine (e.g., warmth) domains. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Share and Share Alike or Winner Take All?: The Influence of Social Value Orientation upon Choice and Recall of Negotiation Heuristics

Two experiments test the hypothesis that social value orientation influences choice and recall of heuristics in individuals preparing for negotiation. Consistent with predictions, Study 1 shows that in the preparation phase, negotiators with a prosocial value orientation choose more cooperative heuristics (e.g., "equal split is fair") than competitive heuristics (e.g., "your gain is my loss") while negotiators with a competitive social value orientation do the reverse. Negotiators with an individualistic social value orientation do not discriminate in their choice between cooperative and competitive heuristics. Study 2 shows that following preparation, prosocial negotiators recall more cooperative than competitive heuristics while individualists and competitors do the reverse. Additional measures suggest that prosocial negotiators prefer cooperative heuristics because these are seen as morally appropriate, whereas individualists and competitors prefer competitive heuristics because these are seen as effective. Copyright 1998 Academic Press.     

The convergent and discriminant validity of subjective fit perceptions.

This study examined whether employees develop perceptions about 3 different types of fit: person-organization fit, needs-supplies fit, and demands-abilities fit. Confirmatory factor analyses of data from 2 different samples strongly suggested that employees differentiate between these 3 types of fit. Furthermore, results from a longitudinal design of 187 managers supported both the convergent and discriminant validity of the different types of fit perceptions. Specifically, person-organization fit perceptions were related to organization-focused outcomes (e.g., organizational identification, citizenship behaviors, turnover decisions), whereas needs-supplies fit perceptions were related to job- and career-focused outcomes (e.g., job satisfaction, career satisfaction, occupational commitment). Although demands-abilities fit perceptions emerged as a distinct construct, they were not related to hypothesized outcomes (e.g., job performance, raises). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How the power of MANOVA can both increase and decrease as a function of the intercorrelations among the dependent variables.

This article directly addresses explicit contradictions in the literature regarding the relation between the power of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and the intercorrelations among the dependent variables. Artificial data sets, as well as analytical methods, revealed that (1) power increases as correlations between dependent variables with large consistent effect sizes (that are in the same direction) move from near 1.0 toward –2.0, (2) power increases as correlations become more positive or more negative between dependent variables that have very different effect sizes (i.e., one large and one negligible), and (3) power increases as correlations between dependent variables with negligible effect sizes shift from positive to negative (assuming that there are dependent variables with large effect sizes still in the design). Implications for the reliability of dependent variables and strategies for selecting these variables in MANOVA designs are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the psychology of playing blackjack: Normative and descriptive considerations with implications for decision theory.

Investigated the decision processes of blackjack players by observing 112 players in the natural environment of a casino and by interviewing 149 players. Four questionnaires were administered, 1 each to 11, 28, 33, and 77 Ss. Findings show that the strategies and decisions of players take place at 2 levels: one level, which may be termed rational, is in accordance with normative considerations insofar as normative criteria can be established. The other level contains intuitions, beliefs, and heuristics that are not always adequate and cannot be justified on rational grounds. It is suggested that the decision processes of the observed Ss can best be described by H. Simon's (1957) concept of bounded rationality, but that the irrational or nonrational aspects are also bounded. The final discussion elaborates on some methodological and theoretical issues related to the present study, with particular emphasis on what constitutes appropriate normative considerations. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Risk and maintenance factors for eating pathology: A meta-analytic review.

This meta-analytic review of prospective and experimental studies reveals that several accepted risk factors for eating pathology have not received empirical support (e.g., sexual abuse) or have received contradictory support (e.g., dieting). There was consistent support for less-accepted risk factors (e.g., thin-ideal internalization) as well as emerging evidence for variables that potentiate and mitigate the effects of risk factors (e.g., social support) and factors that predict eating pathology maintenance (e.g., negative affect). In addition, certain multivariate etiologic and maintenance models received preliminary support. However, the predictive power of individual risk and maintenance factors was limited, suggesting it will be important to search for additional risk and maintenance factors, develop more comprehensive multivariate models, and address methodological limitations that attenuate effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Automatic vigilance for negative words in lexical decision and naming: Comment on Larsen, Mercer, and Balota (2006).

An automatic vigilance hypothesis states that humans preferentially attend to negative stimuli, and this attention to negative valence disrupts the processing of other stimulus properties. Thus, negative words typically elicit slower color naming, word naming, and lexical decisions than neutral or positive words. Larsen, Mercer, and Balota (see record 2006-04603-006) analyzed the stimuli from 32 published studies, and they found that word valence was confounded with several lexical factors known to affect word recognition. Indeed, with these lexical factors covaried out, Larsen et al. found no evidence of automatic vigilance. The authors report a more sensitive analysis of 1011 words. Results revealed a small but reliable valence effect, such that negative words (e.g., "shark") elicit slower lexical decisions and naming than positive words (e.g., "beach"). Moreover, the relation between valence and recognition was categorical rather than linear; the extremity of a word's valence did not affect its recognition. This valence effect was not attributable to word length, frequency, orthographic neighborhood size, contextual diversity, first phoneme, or arousal. Thus, the present analysis provides the most powerful demonstration of automatic vigilance to date. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Human cognition in its social context.

Presents a model of how the human cognitive system operates in its natural social context. The model focuses on both input and output variables that have been ignored in the development of most other cognitive theories. On the input end, the model emphasizes the role of prior knowledge and the goal-directed nature of social information processing. On the output end, the model emphasizes various types of social judgments and affective reactions, as well as memory and behavioral decision making. The model is designed to provide a general conceptual framework for integrating much of contemporary social cognition research. As such, it is consistent with, and occasionally subsumes, more molecular theories of specific social phenomena. An indication of the model's applicability to cognitive heuristics, representation of self, and the role of affect in information processing is included. Predictions of the model (e.g., the effects of information on both recall and judgments when the information is processed for different purposes) and the empirical evidence bearing on them are discussed. (4 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)