Attitude accessibility as a moderator of autonomic reactivity during decision making.

Attitude functionality was assessed in 2 experiments examining attitude accessibility as a moderator of physiological responses during decision making. In Study 1, experimental Ss but not controls rehearsed attitudes toward novel objects (abstract paintings). Subsequently, all Ss made rapid preference judgments for pairs of the paintings. In Study 2, attitudes were rehearsed by all Ss toward 1 of 2 mutually exclusive sets of abstract paintings. During the subsequent decision-making task, half the Ss made rapid pairwise preference judgments for rehearsed abstract paintings and half for pairs from the unrehearsed set. Autonomic measures were recorded continuously throughout both experiments. As predicted, in both experiments less autonomic reactivity was evident during the criterion pairwise preference task for groups for whom attitude rehearsal was relevant to the criterion task. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subject's attitudes toward psychology as a determinant of experimental results.

Proposed attitudes toward psychology and psychological research as the basis of ss' differential willingness to cooperate with the demands of the experiment. To test this proposition, demand characteristics for positive opinion-change were communicated in a pretest-posttest design with 144 undergraduates as ss. The psychology research survey (prs) was developed to measure ss' attitudes toward psychology. Although all ss showed significant opinion-change, it was found, as predicted, that ss with more positive attitudes toward psychology showed significantly greater opinion change than ss with less positive attitudes. In addition, prs scores were significantly positively correlated with posttest and opinion-change scores and nonsignificantly correlated with pretest scores. The potential role of attitudes towards psychology as a determinant of ss' experimental performance is discussed. (french summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social context as a determinant of sex differences in adults' attraction to infants.

70 male and 70 female undergraduates in same- or mixed-sex groups publicly or privately judged pictures of subhuman primate infants and adults for attractiveness. Sex differences were significant but the largest difference between males and females was found when judgments were made in public same-sex groups. Females reported greater attraction to infants relative to their attraction to adults, when judgments were made publicly in all-female groups. Males reported less attraction to infants in all-male public groups than when in private. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The suppression of reflexive visual and auditory orienting when attention is otherwise engaged.

Two experiments were conducted to examine whether abrupt onsets are capable of reflexively capturing attention when they occur outside the current focus of spatial attention, as would be expected if exogenous orienting operates in a truly automatic fashion. The authors established a highly focused attentional state by means of the central presentation of a stream of visual or auditory characters, which participants sometimes had to monitor. No intramodal reflexive cuing effects were observed in either audition or vision when participants performed either an exogenous visual or auditory orthogonal cuing task together with the central focused attention task. These results suggest that reflexive unimodal orienting is not truly automatic. The fact that cuing effects were eliminated under both unimodal and cross-modal conditions is consistent with the view that auditory and visual reflexive spatial orienting are controlled by a common underlying neural substrate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the spatial distribution of visual attention.

A reanalysis of part of P. Podgorny and R. N. Shepard's (see record 1984-03057-001) data shows that reaction times (RTs) to attended and unattended squares are almost identical when the attended areas are nonunitary and that RTs are related to compactness for unitary attended areas but that this relation breaks down when attention is focused on nonunitary areas. The importance of the actual grid location of probes on RTs is also illustrated. The failure of compactness to reflect these aspects of the spatial nature of attention suggests that this metric is deficient when applied to the study of the spatial determinants of attention. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reflexive and voluntary orienting of visual attention: Time course of activation and resistance to interruption.

To study the mechanisms underlying covert orienting of attention in visual space, subjects were given advance cues indicating the probable locations of targets that they had to discriminate and localize. Direct peripheral cues (brightening of one of four boxes in peripheral vision) and symbolic central cues (an arrow at the fixation point indicating a probable peripheral box) were compared. Peripheral and central cues are believed to activate different reflexive and voluntary modes of orienting (J. Jonides, 1981; M. I. Posner; see record 1981-09397-001). Experiment 1 showed that the time courses of facilitation and inhibition from peripheral and central cues were characteristic and different. Experiment 2 showed that voluntary orienting in response to symbolic central cues is interrupted by reflexive orienting to random peripheral flashes. Experiment 3 showed that irrelevant peripheral flashes also compete with relevant peripheral cues. The amount of interference varied systematically with the interval between the onset of the relevant cue and of the distracting flash (cue-flash onset asynchrony) and with the cuing condition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new component of visual orienting: Implicit effects of peripheral information and subthreshold cues on covert attention.

Four experiments examined effects of peripheral cue stimuli on covert spatial attention. In Experiment 1 target stimuli were preceded by a pair of bilaterally presented cue letters. The relative location of the cues predicted target location (left or right), but participants were not informed of this. After a brief practice period, visual orienting was influenced by the letter cues. This implicit peripheral cuing effect was unrelated to participants' awareness of the cue-target relationship. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that visual orienting may occur independently of both perceptual awareness of the peripheral cue event itself and contingency awareness concerning the cue–target relation. Experiment 4 demonstrated that implicit peripheral cuing is qualitatively distinct from voluntary orienting. These findings are discussed in relation to work on spatial attention, implicit learning, and perception without awareness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Habituation of the orienting response: a gating mechanism subserving selective attention

Possibilities of involution of changes in lesser circulation after closure of experimental aortopulmonary anastomosis were studied. 37 observations at various intervals after closure of anastomosis (several minutes to 13.5 months) in 25 dogs were analyzed. Before closure the anastomosis had functioned for 1-7 months. The results of histological examinations of lungs, pressure measurements in lesser circulation, heart weight, electrocardiographic and spirographic examinations were analyzed. It was found that complete involution of changes in lesser circulation was possible only in first month of existence of anastomosis, in this case with changes of both "early" and "late" types. "Late"-type changes after four months function of anastomosis had both reversible and irreversible character, whereas "early"-type changes became irreversible already after three-month duration of anastomosis. With the "late"-type changes, the operation itself (closure of anastomosis) was accompanied by symptoms of pulmonary vasomotor paresis and heart failure, whereas in the presence of "early"-type changes the operation elicited no morphological or functional changes.     

On the locus of visual selection: Evidence from focused attention tasks.

Early and late selection models of attention disagree about whether visual objects are identified before or after selection, with recent evidence of interference from to-be-ignored stimuli favoring late selection over early selection accounts. However, these tests may not have permitted optimal attentional focusing. In 4 experiments subjects identified an attentionally cued target letter embedded among distractors. Only minimal effects of information appearing in to-be-ignored locations were observed. This striking efficiency of selection provides support for early selection theories and calls into question some late selection theories holding that stimuli throughout the display are immediately and fully identified prior to attentional selection. In order to explain the larger pattern of results across a variety of focused- and divided-attention paradigms, a hybrid model is advanced with a flexible locus for visual selection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reinforcing value of physical activity as a determinant of child activity level.

This study examined whether the relative reinforcing value of physical activity (RRVPA) measured in the laboratory predicted physical activity measured in the natural environment in 32 6–11-year-old children. RRVPA correlated with physical activity level (r?=?.42, p?r?=?.35, p?     

Allocating visual attention: Tests of a two-process model.

Observers require less time to identify a visual target when its location is cued in advance than when it is not cued, and the magnitude of the improvement depends on the validity of the cue. According to J. Jonides's (1983) 2-process model, there exist 2 possible modes of attentional readiness: a focused-attention mode and a diffuse-attention mode. Observers are assumed to enter the focused-attention mode on a proportion of trials that matches the validity of the cue and to enter the diffuse-attention mode on the remaining trials. The present experiment tested and rejected the response time mixture prediction of the 2-process model. An instance of the class of 1-process models in which perceptual objects are sampled in parallel according to the validity of the cue was evaluated. A stochastic simulation of the model yielded results that paralleled those of the experiment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Masked fearful faces modulate the orienting of covert spatial attention.

Dot probe studies indicate that masked fearful faces modulate spatial attention. However, without a baseline to compare congruent and incongruent reaction times, it is unclear which aspect(s) of attention (orienting or disengagement) is affected. Additionally, backward masking studies commonly use a neutral face as the mask stimulus. This method results in greater perceptual inconsistencies for fearful as opposed to neutral faces. Therefore, it is currently unclear whether the effects of backward masked fearful faces are due to the fearful nature of the face or perceptual inconsistencies. Equally unclear, is whether this spatial attention effect is due to orienting or disengagement. Two modified dot probe experiments with neutral (closed mouth in Experiment 1) and smiling (open mouth in Experiment 2) masks were used to determine the role of perceptual inconsistencies in mediating the spatial attention effects elicited by masked fearful faces. The results indicate that masked fearful faces modulate the orienting of spatial attention, and it appears that this effect is due to the fearful nature of the face rather than perceptual inconsistencies between the initial faces and masks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Heart-rate change as a component of the orienting response.

Both Sokolov and the Laceys have proposed that autonomic feedback to central neural structures amplifies or reduces the effects of stimulation. Lacey and Lacey distinguished between the effects of feedback from the cardiovascular system and from other autonomic systems and suggested, specifically, that heart-rate (HR) acceleration should be associated with stimulus "rejection" and HR deceleration with stimulus enhancement. This appeared to be contradicted by evidence that HR increased with the orienting reflex whose function, according to Sokolov, is the enhancement of stimulus reception. However, when studies using simple "nonsignal" stimuli were reviewed, it was found that the criteria identifying an orienting reflex were satisfied by responses of HR deceleration and that instances of HR acceleration probably reflected a "defense," "startle," or "acoustic-cardiac" response. (2 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitude accessibility as a moderator of the attitude–perception and attitude–behavior relations: An investigation of the 1984 presidential election.

Conducted a field investigation concerning the 1984 presidential election to test the hypothesis that the extent to which individuals' attitudes guide their subsequent perceptions of and behavior toward the attitude object is a function of the accessibility of those attitudes from memory. Attitudes toward each of the 2 candidates, Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale, and the accessibility of those attitudes, as indicated by the latency of response to the attitudinal inquiry, were measured for 245 townspeople months before the election. Judgments of the performance of the candidates during the televised debates served as the measure of subsequent perceptions, and voting served as the measure of subsequent behavior. As predicted, both the attitude-perception and the attitude-behavior relations were moderated by attitude accessibility. The implications of these findings for theoretical models of the processes by which attitudes guide behavior, along with their practical implications for survey research, are discussed. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of visual experience on the habituation of orienting behavior.

Three experiments studied the orienting behavior (OB) at 30, 60, 90, or 120 days old of male Long-Evans rats, of whom 88 were light-reared (LR) and 84 dark-reared (DR). OB was assessed by examining S's ability to interrupt ongoing licking and perform appropriate head and postural adjustments when presented with apparently moving or stationary light displays or tones. When the lights were first presented to the LR and DR Ss, their OB did not differ at any of the ages. However, age and visual experience did influence habituation and recovery of orienting with changes in the light display. The older DR Ss habituated with fewer repeated presentations of the light displays than the LR Ss and did not recover orienting as effectively to all the subsequent changes of the light displays. The younger LR and DR Ss did not differ reliably. Results are discussed with regard to the nature of the habituation process for rodents and the relation between visual experience and habituation of attentional responses. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impaired orienting of attention in left unilateral neglect: A componential analysis.

Twenty-six patients suffering from damage to the right side of the brain, 19 of whom exhibited signs of left neglect, as well as 32 matched controls, ran 3 spatial cuing tasks. Patients were also tested with 2 cancellation tests, a line-bisection test, the copy of a complex drawing, and a visual extinction procedure. Results first showed correlations between extinction and cancellation tests performance on one hand, and between line bisection and copy on the other hand. Second, results demonstrated that an engagement deficit toward contralesional targets appeared to be the most striking feature of neglect, and the engagement score was correlated with the cancellation score and extinction. Most patients with neglect also presented a deficit in disengagement, a deficit of inhibition of return, and probably a deficit of alertness. Deficits in engagement and in disengagement, as well as poor scores in cancellation tests, seemed to be related with posterior cortical and subcortical lesions. Most important, even if an endogenous deficit (frequently related with a thalamic lesion) could aggravate the neglect behavior, neglect syndrome was mainly explained by a deficit of exogenous attention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive controls of attention deployment as determinants of visual illusions.

This study represents a continuation of efforts to relate hypotheses drawn from psychoanalytic theory to psychological theory and, in particular, ego psychology to cognitive functioning. The capacity to deploy attention selectively was measured on 8 perceptual tasks, including such problems as Embedded figures, rod and frame, and various measures of illusion. Performance on all 8 tasks was intercorrelated and the matrix factor analyzed. The result was 3 factors, viz., a "field articulation factor" involving "individual consistencies in the capacity to achieve differential response to relevant vs, irrelevant cues," a "scanning factor," and a factor which represents "individual differences in proneness to satiation effects." The results are discussed from the pont of view of their contribution towards cognitive function and the individual's "cognitive style," and are related to several theoretical frames of reference. From Psyc Abstracts 36:01:3BD20G. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contact with out-group friends as a predictor of meta-attitudinal strength and accessibility of attitudes toward gay men.

Two studies examined the effects of cross-group friendships on heterosexuals' attitudes toward gay men. In Study 1, the authors tested the effects of cross-group friendships with gay men on out-group attitudes, meta-attitudinal strength, and attitude accessibility. The authors simultaneously explored mediational effects of intergroup anxiety. Path analysis showed that cross-group friendships were associated with meta-attitudinally stronger and more accessible out-group attitudes, and the effects on all 3 criterion variables were mediated by intergroup anxiety. In Study 2, the authors sought to replicate the basic results of Study 1, while additionally exploring mediational effects of closeness of cross-group friendship and moderational effects of perceived group typicality. Structural equation modeling showed that cross-group friendships were associated with meta-attitudinally stronger and more accessible out-group attitudes; friendships had indirect effects on all 3 criterion variables, via closeness of friendship and intergroup anxiety. Closeness of friendship only predicted lower intergroup anxiety, however, when the out-group friend was perceived as highly typical. The authors emphasize the importance of considering the nature of out-group attitudes more completely when evaluating the effectiveness of intergroup contact in reducing prejudice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the psychology of the recognition heuristic: Retrieval primacy as a key determinant of its use.

The recognition heuristic is a prime example of a boundedly rational mind tool that rests on an evolved capacity, recognition, and exploits environmental structures. When originally proposed, it was conjectured that no other probabilistic cue reverses the recognition-based inference (D. G. Goldstein & G. Gigerenzer, 2002). More recent studies challenged this view and gave rise to the argument that recognition enters inferences just like any other probabilistic cue. By linking research on the heuristic with research on recognition memory, the authors argue that the retrieval of recognition information is not tantamount to the retrieval of other probabilistic cues. Specifically, the retrieval of subjective recognition precedes that of an objective probabilistic cue and occurs at little to no cognitive cost. This retrieval primacy gives rise to 2 predictions, both of which have been empirically supported: Inferences in line with the recognition heuristic (a) are made faster than inferences inconsistent with it and (b) are more prevalent under time pressure. Suspension of the heuristic, in contrast, requires additional time, and direct knowledge of the criterion variable, if available, can trigger such suspension. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Feature integration and spatial attention: More evidence of a dissociation between endogenous and exogenous orienting.

Prior research using a visual orienting paradigm has shown that spatial attention appears to play a greater role in detecting a conjunction of features than in detecting simple features (W. Prinzmetal et al, 1986; A. Treisman, 1985). However 1 study using this procedure (K. Briand and R. M. Klein; see record 1987-23943-001) reported that this pattern is obtained only when spatial attention is oriented exogenously (reflexively), not when it is oriented endogenously (voluntarily). Five experiments attempted to replicate and extend this finding of Briand and Klein while including procedures that addressed some of the criticisms directed at these aforementioned studies by Y. Tsal (1989a, 1989b). The data indicate that the findings reported by Briand and Klein were reliable and robust; spatial orienting effects were greater when the task required detection of conjunctions as opposed to features, but only when attention was directed by exogenous cues. A reason for this dissociation is proposed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)