Updating Situation Models: Reply to Zwaan and Madden (2004).

E. J. O'Brien, M. L. Rizzella, J. E. Albrecht, and J. G. Halleran (1998) demonstrated that, consistent with the memory-based text processing view, outdated or incorrect information can be reactivated through a passive resonance process. Once reactivated, this outdated information can still influence comprehension. R. A. Zwaan and C. J. Madden (2004) suggested that the O'Brien et al. findings resulted from problems with the materials used. The present authors show that the possible "problems" identified by Zwaan and Madden do not adequately explain the findings of O'Brien et al. and that Zwaan and Madden's Experiment 3 lacks sufficient control or power to support their alternative interpretation of O'Brien et al. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Updating Situation Models.

The authors examined how situation models are updated during text comprehension. If comprehenders keep track of the evolving situation, they should update their models such that the most current information, the here and now, is more available than outdated information. Contrary to this updating hypothesis, E. J. O'Brien, M. L. Rizzella, J. E. Albrecht, and J. G. Halleran (1998) obtained results suggesting that outdated or incorrect information may still influence the comprehension process. The authors of the current study demonstrate that the nature of E. J. O'Brien et al.'s materials were the likely cause of this pattern of results. Hence, the current authors constructed materials that circumvent identified confounds and in a reading-time experiment obtained evidence supporting the here-and-now hypothesis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Got a minute? Attentional limits revisited.

Responds to comments by R. C. Tees (see record 1991-03035-001), J. G. Adair (see record 1991-03013-001), J. E. Grusec (see record 1991-03021-001), K. Danziger (see record 1991-03016-001), L. P. Mos (see record 1991-03027-001), H. J. Stam (see record 1991-03033-001), and V. Vikis-Freilbergs (see record 1991-03039-001) on W. Thorngate's (see record 1991-03036-001) contention that the overproduction of psychological literature will lead to fragmentation of the discipline. As the works of psychologists proliterate, their scientific truth may capture less attention than their practical importance or personal interest. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Why models rather than rules give a better account of propositional reasoning: A reply to Bonatti and to O'Brien, Braine, and Yang.

D. P. O'Brien et al (see record 1995-08272-001) argue that the mental model theory of propositional reasoning is easy to refute, and they report 3 experiments that they believe falsify the theory. In contrast, L. Bonatti (see record 1995-08253-001) argues that the model theory is too flexible to be falsified. It is shown that the experiments by O'Brien et al do not refute the model theory and that Bonatti's claims are ill founded. Formal rule theories of propositional reasoning have 3 major weaknesses in comparison with the model theory: (1) They have no decision procedure; (2) they lack predictive power, providing no account of several robust phenomena (e.g., erroneous conclusions tend to be consistent with the premises); and (3) as a class of theories, they are difficult to refute experimentally. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Primate research, family politics, and social policy: Transforming 'cads' into 'dads' ": Reply.

Responds to the comments of S. Sperling (see record 1994-17265-001), J. Belsky (see record 1994-17245-001), V. Phares (see record 1994-17261-001), and M. E. Lamb (see record 1994-17257-001) on the work of L. B. Silverstein (see record 1994-17264-001) on evolutionary biology and human paternal behavior, father involvement, father absence, and biological determinism. Silverstein asserts that her overriding goal was to dramatize how extrascientific factors (e.g., political ideology) shape the construction of scientific knowledge. It is argued that the experience of nurturing and caring for young children has the power to change the cultural construction of masculinity into something less coercive and oppressive. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Elaborative inferencing as an active or passive process.

E. J. O'Brien et al (see record 1988-31689-001) reported that readers generated elaborative inferences only when a text contained characteristics that virtually eliminated the possibility of an inference being disconfirmed. We reanalyzed O'Brien's data and also conducted an experiment in which we varied (a) whether or not there was an anaphoric relation between a target word and its prior mention in the text and (b) the explicitness of the prior mention. Two refinements to O'Brien et al's conclusions are offered. First, the two text characteristics they manipulated (a strong biasing context or a demand sentence) may have produced different types of elaborative inferencing. We argue that a biasing context results in a passive form of elaborative inferencing, involving setting up a context of interpretation, whereas the presence of a demand sentence invites the reader to actively predict a subsequent expression. Second, clear evidence for either type of inference will be apparent only with truly anaphoric materials. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diatribe is not dialogue: On selected attempts to attack and defend behaviorism.

Describes the emotional nature of responses to M. J. Mahoney's (see record 1990-03226-001) discussion of the differences between scientific psychology and radical behaviorism. Responses are offered to comments from R. W. Proctor and D. J. Weeks (see record 1991-06227-001), E. K. Morris (see record 1991-06224-001), C. J. Lonigan (see record 1991-06220-001), and W. J. Wyatt (see record 1991-06231-001). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On matters of knowledge and treatment acceptability: A reaction to Harrison and Soucar.

Addresses concerns raised by J. B. Harrison and E. Soucar's (see record 1990-32084-001) criticisms of L. Clark and S. N. Elliott's (see record 1989-24134-001) study testing the influence of treatment strength information on knowledgeable teachers' evaluations of 2 social skills training methods. Elliott reinforces cautionary notes about the sample, provides previously unpublished information about 2 instruments, and challenges concerns about the design of the study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dimensional information facilitates the utilization of configural information: A test of the Castellan-Edgell and the Gluck-Bower models.

In 4 experiments involving learning in a probabilistic environment (a nonmetric multiple-cue probability learning environment) the authors found that utilization of relevant configural information was facilitated when any relevant dimensions were part of the relevant pattern. Relevant configural information in an environment with no relevant dimensions was as highly utilized as when the pattern contained the relevant dimension. With 2 relevant dimensions, the dimension within the relevant pattern was more highly utilized than the dimension not in the relevant pattern. Both N. J. Castellan and S. E. Edgell's (see record 1974-10165-001) hypothesis testing model and M. A. Gluck and G. H. Bower's (see record 1989-07449-001) connectionist model were unable to fit several aspects of the findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of order of presentation, primacy, and physical attractiveness on attributions of ability.

Conducted 4 experiments with 720 undergraduates to determine if physical attractiveness interacts with or negates the primacy effect found by E. E. Jones et al (see record 1969-06853-001). Results demonstrate that attractive Ss received uniformly high attributions regardless of performance. Unattractive Ss, however, received attributions similar to those received by Ss who had no physical-attractiveness stimuli presented. Physical attractiveness had an effect only when presented before performance. When presented after performance, attributions received by attractive-stimulus Ss were not significantly different from attributions received by unattractive-stimulus Ss, as had been the case when attractiveness was presented before performance. Results support D. Newston (see record 1974-11048-001) and Newston and R. J. Rindner's (1979) hypothesis that perceivers may stop processing information once a point of sufficient subjective information is reached. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disgust and spider phobia.

Twenty-four women with spider phobia and 45 nonphobic women completed the Disgust Questionnaire (DQ; R Rozin, A. E. Fallon, & R. Mandell; see record 1984-14781-001) and the Spider Phobia Questionnaire (SPQ; R. Klorman, T. C. Weerts, J. E. Hastings, B. G. Melamed, & R J. Lang; see record 1974-30308-001). Participants also underwent behavioral tests concerning disgust sensitivity and fear of spiders. Spider phobic women showed stronger disgust sensitivity than nonphobic women, and spiders were found to have a disgust evoking status that was related to participants' fear of spiders. The relationship between DQ and SPQ was independent of neuroticism and introversion. DQ scores were not associated with a global measure of phobic complaints (i.e., Fear Questionnaire; I. M. Marks & A. Mathews; see record 1980-26848-001). Results are consistent with a disease-avoidance model of spider phobia (G. Matchett & G. C. L. Davey; see record 1991-18606-001), which emphasizes the role of disgust in spider phobia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Scientific deduction—evidence is not necessarily informative: A reply to Wells and Harvey.

G. L. Wells and J. H. Harvey (1977) have questioned the cogency of R. E. Nisbett and E. Borgida's (see record 1976-04569-001) argument that people ignore consensus information when making predictions and attributions. It is argued that Wells and Harvey have misinterpreted the meaning of D. Kahneman and A. Tversky's (see record 1976-02325-001) work on the psychology of prediction. It is also argued that Wells and Harvey's own data actually show a dramatic underutilization of consensus information in prediction and much less than optimal utilization for attribution. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ideology and crime control.

Replies to comments by T. P. O'Brien and D. J. Jones (see record 1999-11125-011) and C. B. Clements (see record 1999-11125-012) regarding the Haney and P. Zimbardo (see record 1998-04417-001) discussion of changing trends in US prison policy. The author applauds O'Brien and Jones's willingness to join in the political discussion regarding prison policies, but he disagrees with their historical account of decreases in crime rates resulting from increased punitiveness. Haney also expresses concerns about the authors' insistence that research should be conducted and presented in ways that are accepted by all sides of the political community. Haney also agrees with Clements that elective officials exploit crime issues for political purposes. Haney believes that psychological informed perspectives, based on data and professional experiences and not anecdotes of ideology, are needed to break an irrational cycle, regardless of whether "all sides" of the political community agree with their implications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The referents of trait inferences: The impact of trait concepts versus actor–trait links on subsequent judgments.

The authors investigated the hypothesis that when trait inferences refer to abstract behavior labels they act as a general interpretation frame and lead to assimilation in subsequent judgments of an ambiguous target, whereas when they refer to a specific actor–trait link they will be used as a scale anchor and lead to contrast. Similar to G. B. Moskowitz and R. J. Roman's (see record 1992-31124-001) study, participants who were instructed to memorize trait-implying sentences showed assimilation, and participants who were instructed to form an impression of the actors in these sentences showed contrast. However, exposure to trait-implying sentences that described actors with real names and were accompanied with photos of the actors resulted in contrast under both memorization and impression instructions (Experiment 1). Furthermore, contrast ensued when trait-implying sentences were accompanied with information that suggested a person attribution, whereas assimilation ensued when that information suggested a situation attribution, independent of processing goals (Experiment 2). These findings are interpreted as support for referent-based explanations of the consequences of trait inferences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An impression management interpretation of the self-handicapping strategy.

Explored the impression-management underpinnings of the self-handicapping strategy of S. Berglas and E. E. Jones (see record 1979-05889-001). 64 male undergraduates were given success feedback after completing soluble or insoluble analogies. While anticipating a 2nd test, Ss were allowed to choose between drugs that would enhance or encumber their performance. Ss who had worked on insoluble problems chose the debilitating drug, but only when the experimenter (E) witnessed the choice. They were most likely to choose the debilitating drug when the E was present and when they believed that the E would have access to their score on the anticipated 2nd test. The data are cautiously interpreted as consistent with an impression management view of self-handicapping. The authors suggest that although it appears that self-handicapping is an impression management strategy at least under some circumstances, the exact nature of the strategy needs further specification. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Accessibility of outdated information.

In 2 previous studies (O'Brien, Rizzella, Albrecht, & Halleran, 1998; Zwaan & Madden, 2004), researchers have provided conflicting accounts about whether outdated information continues to influence the comprehension of subsequent text. The current set of experiments was designed to explore further the impact of outdated information on comprehension. First, we examined factors that may have contributed to Zwaan and Madden's (2004) finding that outdated information did not influence comprehension. Experiments 1a and 1b demonstrated that when Zwaan and Madden's target sentences were rewritten to move the targeted anaphor away from the end of the sentence, the impact of outdated information emerged with their materials. With a new set of materials, Experiment 2 demonstrated that outdated information continued to disrupt comprehension, even when the updating information created an irreversible change-in-state of a primary object in the story. The results of all 3 experiments are consistent with a passive reactivation process in which outdated information can influence comprehension processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Simultaneous and successive processing: An attempt at replication.

J. P. Das et al (see record 1975-08765-001) claim that A. R. Luria's (1966) distinction between simultaneous and successive modes of information processing provides a more fruitful way of classifying cognitive processes than (a) the hierarchical models of C. Burt (see record 1973-10531-001) and P. E. Vernon (see record 1963-03855-001), A. R. Jensen's (see record 1969-09740-001) Levels 1 and 2, or A. Paivio's (see record 1976-01839-001) dual coding system of imagery and verbal mediation. Their published factor analyses are surveyed, and shown to yield only partial support for their views. A broader battery of 14 tests was given to 91 university students, and responses were factor analyzed. Two of the obtained factors involved various kinds of rote memorizing, and thus could be regarded as successive processing. Four other factors did not yield a general simultaneous factor, but classified the tests under Number-Spatial, Verbal-Spatial, Perceptual Reasoning, and a specific Digit Memory factor. Overall, the 6 factors tend to follow a multiple-factor, or a hierarchical model, rather than a dichotomous classification. (French summary) (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Antecedents and consequences of satisfaction and commitment in turnover models: A reanalysis using latent variable structural equation methods.

A review of recent models of organizational commitment (e.g., J. H. Morris and J. D. Sherman; see record 1981-33773-001) and turnover (e.g., W. H. Mobley et al; see record 1979-29973-001) indicates that the causal relation between job satisfaction and organizational commitment had been overlooked and that attempts to identify the antecedents of these variables had suffered from conceptual and methodological limitations. To examine these 2 issues, structural equation methodology was used to reanalyze path analysis data from C. E. Michaels and P. E. Spector (see record 1982-10938-001) and A. C. Bluedorn (see record 1982-22265-001). Four causal models were examined. Across both samples, support was obtained for relations between personal/organizational characteristics and job satisfaction and between satisfaction and commitment. Commitment was also an important determinant of turnover intentions. Results suggest that the path analysis technique does not allow for the simultaneous examination of the effects of exogenous variables on 2 or more endogenous variables. (44 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Husserl revisited: The forgotten distinction between psychology and phenomenology": Comment on Jennings.

Comments on J. L. Jennings' (see record 1987-05956-001) discussion of E. Husserl's (1931) concept of phenomenological investigation, suggesting a distinction between Husserl's goal of absolute knowledge and the psychological researcher's goal of relativistic knowledge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Structures of psychological distress: Testing confirmatory hierarchical models.

Tested the contention of C. T. Veit and J. E. Ware (see record 1984-02935-001) that the structure of the Mental Health Inventory (MHI) proposed by B. P. Dohrenwend et al (see record 1981-25946-001) is underlaid with the factors of Psychological Distress and Psychological Well-Being. Data from intercorrelations of 5 MHI scales from 5,089 Ss were used. Results show that the theoretical formulation of the MHI is consistent with the data. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)