Identification of disoriented objects: Effects of context of prior presentation.

Half of the Ss in the training phase of Exp 1 named objects shown in a number of orientations, whereas the other half named objects shown upright only. Ss named objects seen in a number of different orientations in the transfer phase. Half of the objects in the transfer phase were the ones seen in the training phase (old objects), whereas the other half were objects they had not seen before (new objects). Mean naming time in the transfer phase increased more as the objects were rotated further from the upright for new objects than for old objects when the old objects had been seen in a variety of orientations. A substantial and equivalent orientation effect on identification time was obtained for old and new objects when the old objects had been seen upright only. Results suggest that the extraction and use of orientation-invariant attributes to identify objects is not a default identification strategy employed by the visual system. In Exp 2, half of the objects named in the training phase were shown upright only; the other half were shown in a number of orientations. Both (upright vs rotated) were presented in a mixed fashion from trial to trial. Results reveal that prior naming of the objects in this context resulted in equivalent reductions in the magnitude of the orientation effect on identification time for both sets of objects. The results of these 2 experiments suggest that different representations of objects are encoded, depending on the context in which objects are seen. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Mental rotation and the identification of disoriented objects": Erratum.

Reports an error in the original article by P. Jolicoeur (Canadian Journal of Psychology, 1988, Vol 42 [4], 461–478). On page 475, footnote 7 should read "Although I prefer to think about the facilitation of the identification process following practice in terms of effects on representations, it may be possible to model the practice effects in terms of effects on identification procedures and priming of procedures." (The following abstract of this article originally appeared as follows in record 1989-21225-001). Compared the effects of stimulus orientation among 30 undergraduates across an object-naming task and a left-right decision task using the same line-drawing stimuli in a within-Ss design… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The specialty of neuropsychology": Errata.

Reports an error in "The specialty of neuropsychology" by Anne L. Hess and Robert P. Hart (Neuropsychology, 1990[Jan], Vol 4[1], 49-52). This article does not represent an attempt by the Division 40 Committee on Professional Affairs to define the specialty of clinical neuropsychology, and was not prepared at the request of the Division 40 Committee on Professional Affairs of the American Psychological Association. The publisher extends its apologies for any confusion this may have caused. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1991-13156-001.) Presents an attempt by the Division 40 Committee on Professional Affairs of the American Psychological Association to define the specialty of clinical neuropsychology. The specialty should be defined for psychologists and consumers of psychological services (e.g., government agencies, insurance companies) so that all concerned can have a clearer sense of expectations of qualifications and standards of practice for this field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental rotation and the identification of disoriented objects.

Compared the effects of stimulus orientation among 30 undergraduates across an object-naming task and a left–right decision task using the same line-drawing stimuli in a within-Ss design. Stimuli were shown at various orientations by rotating the objects in the picture plane. The effects of orientation on object-naming were different from those observed in the left–right task. Results suggest that 2 mechanisms are involved in the naming task, one of which is more sensitive to orientation effects. Results also suggest the possibility that one of the mechanisms underlying the effects of orientation on object-naming time may be mental motion. A list of the objects used in the experiment is appended. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The human context of agency": Comment on Williams.

Comments on the original article, "The human context of agency," by Richard N. Williams (see record 1992-34951-001). In that article, Williams attempted to propose a solution to an old problem in psychology: free will versus determinism. In the current author's opinion, he has not done this successfully. The current author's own solution, which is presented here, is basically deterministic. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identifying objects across saccades: Effects of extrafoveal preview and flanker object context.

Two object-naming experiments explored the influence of extrafoveal preview information and flanker object context on transsaccadic object identification. Both the presence of an extrafoveal preview of the target object and the contextual constraint provided by extrafoveal flanker objects were found to influence the speed of object identification, but the latter effect occurred only when an extrafoveal preview of the target object was not presented prior to fixation. The context effect was found to be due to facilitation from related flankers rather than inhibition from unrelated flankers. No evidence was obtained for the hypothesis that constraining context can increase the usefulness of an extrafoveal preview of a to-be-fixated object. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The role of context in interpreting facial expression:" Reply to Ekman and O'Sullivan.

We are not the extremists Ekman and O'Sullivan (1988) assume. Much, but not all, of the apparent disagreement evaporates once misunderstandings are cleared up. They offer no alternative explanation for our findings, which thus remain a challenge to those who think of the perception of emotion in facial expressions as accurate and absolute rather than as relative to the perceptual context. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Embodied spatial transformations: "Body analogy" for the mental rotation of objects.

The cognitive advantage of imagined spatial transformations of the human body over that of more unfamiliar objects (e.g., Shepard-Metzler [S-M] cubes) is an issue for validating motor theories of visual perception. In 6 experiments, the authors show that providing S-M cubes with body characteristics (e.g., by adding a head to S-M cubes to evoke a posture) facilitates the mapping of the cognitive coordinate system of one's body onto the abstract shape. In turn, this spatial embodiment improves object shape matching. Thanks to the increased cohesiveness of human posture in people's body schema, imagined transformations of the body operate in a less piecemeal fashion as compared with objects (S-M cubes or swing-arm desk lamps) under a similar spatial configuration, provided that the pose can be embodied. If the pose cannot be emulated (covert imitation) by the sensorimotor system, the facilitation due to motoric embodiment will also be disrupted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Metasubjective problems of constructive cognition: Forms of knowing and their psychological mechanisms": Errata.

Reports an error in "Metasubjective problems of constructive cognition: Forms of knowing and their psychological mechanism" by Juan Pascual-Leone (Canadian Psychological Review, 1976[Apr], Vol 17[2], 110-125). A variety of formula corrections are provided. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 1976-25265-001.) Modern constructive cognition is defined and characterized by its implicit epistemology and explicit use of simulation models of the psychological organism (here called metasubject). It is argued that metasubject is capable of 3 forms of knowing: rational ("knowing that"), practical ("knowing how"), and experiential ("knowing it"). To explain the existence of these 3 forms of knowledge, a neo-Piagetian Theory of Constructive Operators is discussed in terms of the theory's 3 types of psychological units (i.e., predicates, transformations, and transformation-representing predicates). These units are compared to Piaget's related functional notions of figurative schemes, operative schemes, and executive (i.e., operational) schemes. Two types of structural learning--one involving mental effort and the other overlearning of content--are briefly described and contrasted. The theory's constructive cognitive explications of weak and strong (logical) truth, weak and strong (rational) causation, weak and strong (logical, linguistic) propositional structures, and various types of predication are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Recovered memories in context: Thoughts and elaborations on Bowers and Farvolden (1996)": Correction.

Reports a error in the original article by J.W. Pennebaker and Amina Memon (Psychological Bulletin, 1996 [May], Vol 119 [3], 381–385). On page 384, column 2, lines 27–29, the sentence should read "The first survey (300 U.S. registered psychotherapists, 43% response rate) was conducted in 1992.' (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1996-01402-002.) The recovered memory debate exposes several traditional and recent contradictions within psychology. Building on K. Bowers and P. Farvolden (see record 83-27619), the nature of recovered memories has profoundly different meanings for therapeutic vs legal settings. Whereas memory can be distorted during the process of retrieval, certain techniques—such as nondirective writing—may be helpful in reducing suggestive influences in recall. Ironically, methods have been found to produce the most accurate recollections of the past appear only subtly different from those that yield the greatest distortions. The recovered memory debate must ultimately be viewed within a cultural context, both in terms of the phenomenon and its treatment. The authors discuss parallels to other explanatory and therapeutic fads related to states of nonspecific distress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The time to identify disoriented letters: Effects of practice and font.

Measured the time taken by 32 undergraduates to name letters shown in 4 orientations (0–280°) and presented in a familiar or an unfamiliar font. Naming time increased linearly as the letters were rotated further from the upright from 0 to 120°, but not from 120 to 180°. The orientation effect on the time to identify letters was more pronounced for the less familiar font than for the more familiar font. The orientation effect was larger in the 1st half of the experiment than in the 2nd half, suggesting a practice effect. Results suggest that smaller orientation effects on letter identification time compared with the time to identify other types of visual patterns may be due to the visual familiarity of typical alphanumeric characters. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Behavioral conceptions and applications of acceptability: Issues related to service delivery and research methodology": Errata.

Reports an error in "Behavioral conceptions and applications of acceptability: Issues related to service delivery and research methodology" by Tanya L. Eckert and John M. Hintze (School Psychology Quarterly, 2000[Sum], Vol 15[2], 123-148). In Table 1, the following errors appeared for the Colton and Sheridan (1998) entry: the information should be "3" (case scenarios), "naturalistic" (experimental design), "multiple baseline" (experimental methods), and "postassessment" (assessment interval). (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2000-00107-002.) Reviews conceptual, methodological, and paradigmatic issues related to the acceptability of school-based practices from a behavioral orientation. First, the authors provide an overview of the acceptability construct from a behavioral perspective including (a) the historical development of the construct of acceptability, (b) the behavioral conceptualization and definition of the construct of acceptability, and (c) the prevailing conceptual models of acceptability. Second, the authors illustrate the methodology typically used when examining consumers' acceptability of school-based practices from a behavioral perspective using a cross-source, cross-method approach. A review of empirical studies examining the acceptability of consultation, assessment, and intervention practices using a variety of school-based consumers (e.g., school psychologists, parents, teachers, children) is conducted. The importance of examining the acceptability of school-based practices from this perspective is discussed. Third, the authors discuss important methodological issues that need to be considered in conducting acceptability research. Finally, the advantages and limitations of examining acceptability within a behavioral context are reviewed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Auto-imprinting": Effects of prolonged isolation on domestic cocks.

Studied effects of prolonged deprivation of social experience on social and sexual behavior in 8 Rhode Island?×?Wyandotte cocks reared in visual and physical isolation from hatching until 10 mo old and in 8 others until 18 mo old. They were given choice tests with models of stuffed conspecifics of various color and structure, and also tests with live hens. The results, compared with those of a previous study on cocks reared in isolation until maturity (5 mo) and controls reared socially, suggest that an S deprived of social experience can nevertheless perceive stimuli from its own body and can use this information to establish a kind of "auto-imprinting," which leads it to choose a partner resembling itself, normally a conspecific. The main difference observed was that Ss isolated for a long time are incapable of copulating with the objects offered (models or live hens); this seems to be due to a strengthening of the "auto-imprinting" that the Ss established on themselves. The deficits in copulatory behavior, however, were partially reversible. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivated closing of the mind: "Seizing" and "freezing."

A theoretical framework is outlined in which the key construct is the need for (nonspecific) cognitive closure. The need for closure is a desire for definite knowledge on some issue. It represents a dimension of stable individual differences as well as a situationally evocable state. The need for closure has widely ramifying consequences for social-cognitive phenomena at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and group levels of analysis. Those consequences derive from 2 general tendencies, those of urgency and permanence. The urgency tendency represents an individual's inclination to attain closure as soon as possible, and the permanence tendency represents an individual's inclination to maintain it for as long as possible. Empirical evidence for present theory attests to diverse need for closure effects on fundamental social psychological phenomena, including impression formation, stereotyping, attribution, persuasion, group decision making, and language use in intergroup contexts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comment on "Effects of anxiety and sex on neuropsychological tests."

Discusses difficulties in interpretation of the results of a sex effect on the Finger Tapping Test (FT) found by G. D. King et al (see record 1979-06024-001). Specifically, psychometric considerations for questioning the validity of neuropsychological tests are discussed, and previously published normative data bearing on the interpretation of FT performance are identified. The difficulties of conducting research on human brain–behavior relationships are noted. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Examiner Reliability in Polygraph Chart Analysis: Identification of Physiological Responses": Erratum.

Reports an error in the original article Examiner Reliability in Polygraph Chart Analysis: Identification of Physiological Responses, by Eugene C. Edel, Lane A. Moore, Jr., and Jacob Jacoby (Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 60, No. 5, pp. 632-634). The authorship as presented in the article was incorrect, and is correctly provided here. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1976-01633-001.) Studied the degree of reliability displayed by 10 experienced polygraph examiners when identifying, as opposed to interpreting, physiological responses. Responses to 2,530 questions from 40 polygraph interview cases show a high degree of consistency in the ability of these examiners to identify (a) whether a physiological reaction occurred and, if so, (b) what type of physiological pattern occurred. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The place of facts in a world of values: Subject and object in a postmodern world": Errata.

Reports an error in the original article by R. J. Smith (Journal of Philosophical and Theoretical Psychology, 2001[Fall], 21[2], 153-172). On pages 160, 161, 166, and 167 the subject to object relationship was reported at "S/O". The corrected representation is "S?O". (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 2002-10964-004.) The value-fact or subject-object split (S-O) recently defended by H. H. Kendler (1999) as necessary for a scientific psychology to establish facts, was rejected by Gestalt psychology as reducing the person to object status. The Gestalt solution correlating principles of perceptual organization with corresponding features of the object world (S/O) has however answered poorly to the vast cultural differences found in values. Communal/dialectical psychology in agreement with a postmodern worldview, treats facts as intrinsically value-laden social constructions mediated by a society's particular social relations (S?O) Examples of fact ambiguity are illustrated, and S?O is recommended as ontologically preferable for psychology as social science and for turn-of-the-millenium psycho-ecology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)