On the pretense theory of irony.

Comments on the mention theory of irony developed by D. Sperber and D. Wilson (1981) and further elaborated and tested by J. Jorgenson et al (see record 1984-30875-001). The present authors offer their own pretense theory of irony based on the ideas of H. P. Grice (1975, 1978) and H. W. Fowler (1965). According to this theory, in using irony, the speaker is pretending to be an injudicious person speaking to an uninitiated audience; the speaker intends the persons to whom the irony is addressed to discover the pretense and thereby their attitude toward the speaker, the audience, and the utterance. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Framing the question: Psychoanalytic process, the unconscious, and home offices--An alternate perspective.

This essay is a personal reflection on articles by Karen Maroda (see record 2007-00135-012) and Robert Langs (see record 2007-00135-013) that concluded that home offices were an example of a self-serving and possibly unethical frame violation on the part of the therapist. In contradistinction to Maroda and Langs, I argue that such an approach misconceives the essence of psychoanalysis in both its practice and in its theory, particularly at issue is Langs' understanding of the unconscious. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Equity and the performance of major league baseball players: An extension of Lord and Hohenfeld.

Extended R. G. Lord and J. G. Hohenfeld's (see record 1980-13102-001) assessment of equity effects on the performance of major league baseball players. The sample is expanded to include 30 (average age 30.6 yrs) players in the 1st 3 free-agent reentry drafts and to include comparisons with teammates and a sample of 30 (average age 29.5 yrs) traded players. Equity theory predictions of decrements in performance during a year of undercompensation were not supported. Performance of free agents was also found to be not significantly different from that of either teammates or traded players. Sample differences are identified, and results are interpreted within an expectancy theory, as well as an equity theory, framework. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Signal probability and the slope of the ROC: A comment on Treisman.

Argues that there is an error in the derivation by M. Treisman (see record 1977-26741-001) of a theory to explain the finding of a positive association between the probability of signal presentation and the slope of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC). An alternative suggestion is proposed. Like Treisman's, it is based on changes in the variance of the threshold criteria. (2 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the form of the retention function: Comment on Rubin and Wenzel (1996): A quantitative description of retention.

D. C. Rubin and A. E. Wenzel (see record 1996-06397-006) fitted many simple functions to a large collection of retention data sets. Their search for the mathematical form of the retention function can be simplified by (a) attending to the failures of simple functions, (b) considering the constraints and process assumptions that any psychological theory must obey, and (c) drawing on results from survival theory. Three sets of psychologically plausible assumptions to interpret the form of a retention function are described. These representations converge on a single functional form, demonstrating the impossibility of determining process purely from empirical fits. A candidate form for an empirical retention function whose parameters separate the various aspects of retention is proposed. These parameters can be used to compare results from different studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Does mention (or pretense) exhaust the concept of irony?

Argues that neither mention theory, developed by D. Sperber and D. Wilson (1981) and J. Jorgensen et al (see record 1984-30875-001), nor pretense theory, developed by H. H. Clark and R. J. Gerrig (see record 1984-30869-001), can serve as a general explanation of irony. Consideration of a wider range of ironic utterances provides the basis for what may be a more useful category for psychological theory, and a display theory of verbal irony is proposed that focuses on the ironist's illustration of the situation for the listener. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A note on the alleged nonexistence of individual differences in reminiscence.

Reviews the evidence regarding E. N. Peters's (see record 1973-05884-001) suggestion that there are no individual differences in reminiscence. His attempt to explain the observed differences as due to statistical artifacts is shown to be incorrect. It is concluded that such differences are real, that they correlate with extraversion, and that the data support a consolidation theory rather than an inhibition theory of reminiscence. (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)     

Chaos theory, sensitive dependence, and the logistic equation.

Comments on S. Barton's (see record 1994-27839-001) discussion of nonlinear dynamical systems theory (chaos theory) and argues that it is premature to claim that chaos theory offers a new paradigm for psychology. For most psychologists, who lack the mathematical sophistication to fully apply chaos theory to problems in psychology, this theory will only offer some new conceptual insights. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implications of emotion regulation for the shift from normative fear-relevant learning to anxiety-related psychopathology.

Replies to the article by Mineka and Zinbarg (see record 2006-00920-002), which illustrated how a contemporary learning theory informs the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders. In our view, the challenge facing contemporary learning theory is to explain how and why potentiated fear conditioning is problematic and capable of yielding an anxiety disorder. Neither potentiated fear and fear learning itself, nor individual differences that potentiate both, explain how an anxiety disorder develops. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Tuning out irrelevancy? Comments on Solomon's temporal mapping view of the hippocampus.

In his analysis of the present author's series of studies on the role of the hippocampus in spatial information processing (A. H. Black, L. Nadel, and J. O'Keefe; 1974, 1975, 1976, 1979), P. R. Solomon (see record 1980-04864-001) proposed an extension to the cognitive map theory of hippocampal function. He cites evidence drawn mainly from the literature on the classical conditioning of the rabbit's nictitating membrane response, which he claims can not be satisfactorily explained within the framework of the present theory. The present article shows that the deficits following hippocampal lesions can be predicted from understanding the role of place learning in each paradigm and shows that electrophysiological data are open to different interpretation. It is concluded that the data cited by Solomon do not require any modification of the theory. (2 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Rescuing the Hyperventilation Theory of Panic: Reply to Ley (2005).

In his comment on W. T. Roth, F. H. Wilhelm, and D. Pettit (2005) (see record 2005-01973-002), R. Ley (2005) argued that the authors erred in evaluating the basic, simple hyperventilation theory of panic rather than his theory, which is based on "complex physiological and psychological principles" (p. 197). Indeed, Roth et al. may have overestimated the heuristic value of the basic theory by counting citations to Ley's (1985) article. Furthermore, Roth et al.'s conclusion that the basic theory is falsifiable may not be valid for Ley's theory, which makes categorical distinctions whose application is uncertain. Yet, the authors of the present article maintain the hope that a more nuanced but falsifiable multifactorial respiratory theory can be developed with more explanatory power than that of the basic theory. The relative truth or falsity of such a theory could be expressed in statistical terms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Variations on the theme of feature integration: Reply to Navon (1990).

Feature-integration theory is outlined to clarify its claims and assumptions. The concepts of separated vs. integrated and of latent vs. manifest features are then examined. It is argued that quadratic polynomial search functions would be predicted only if the feature and the location were both latent—an unlikely assumption, against which there is considerable evidence from the efficiency of spatial cues to attention. An experiment on iconic memory suggests that attention can address features through their locations both for a physically present stimulus and for briefly stored sensory information. Finally, a comparison of D. Navon's (see record 1990-27540-001) preferred model to feature-integration theory seems to reveal no substantive differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Theory and measurement of androgyny: A reply to the Pedhazur-Tetenbaum and Locksley-Colten critiques.

Discusses issues raised in the critiques of E. J. Pedhazur and T. J. Tetenbaum (see record 1980-29271-001) and of A. Locksley and M. Colten (see record 1980-30293-001). It is noted that (a) the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) is based on a theory about both the cognitive processing and the motivational dynamics of sex-typed and androgynous individuals; (b) the strategy of item selection for the BSRI followed directly from the theory and utilized established techniques for test construction; (c) a short BSRI has been developed in accordance with the results of various factor analyses; (d) current research is testing the hypothesis that sex-typed and androgynous individuals differ in the extent to which gender serves as a cognitive schema; and (e) the concept of androgyny contains an inner contradiction and hence a built-in obsolescence. (34 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the pursuit of sound science for the betterment of the American Indian community: Reply to Beals et al. (2009).

The authors of this reply argue that ongoing criticism of existing theories, the development of alternative theories, and empirical theory tests offer the best chance for advancing American Indian research. The authors therefore note their appreciation for the comments of J. Beals et al. (see record 2009-02580-012). The authors nevertheless disagree with many of the specific claims of Beals et al., noting that in their original article (see record 2007-06095-002), (a) the characterization of the existing literature on reservation-dwelling American Indian drinking was accurate; (b) no argument made by Beals et al. undermines their theoretical contention that there is a relative lack of contingency between access to basic life reinforcers and sobriety on many reservations; (c) the theory was developed in a responsible manner, specifically by a reservation-tied American Indian, and was reviewed by a reservation leadership team, a cultural consultant, and reviewers for this journal, at least one of whom consulted leaders of other reservations; and (d) the theory was based on previous interdisciplinary theory development. The authors encourage the development and testing of new, alternative theories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the functions of the self: A reply to Hull and Levy.

The alternative to self-awareness theory proposed by J. G. Hull and A. S. Levy (see record 1980-27166-001) is based on an encoding of self-relevant information. This alternative conception, unfortunately, does not appear to have the number of psychological variables or the requisite specificity to deal with the range of phenomena studied under the rubric of self-awareness processes. The contentions that self-focused attention is not a bidirectional phenomenon and that self-focused attention is not a self-evaluative state appear to be unfounded. (43 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Transformative relationships: The control-mastery theory of psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, Transformative relationships: The control-mastery theory of psychotherapy by George Silberschatz (see record 2005-00928-000). This book is an edited text that thoroughly reviews theory, research, and practice on control-mastery theory, a psychodynamic method developed at the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute. Overall, this is an impressive research program summarized in this chapter in a very accessible manner. The research program is a good case study of an effort to build an evidence-based treatment close to clinical reality. In addition, the book as a whole is probably the best way to get a summary of all aspects of control-mastery theory as well as a clear and interesting exposition of different aspects of the theory, research, and practice. One important clinical implication of the testing concepts is that the meaning of a therapist's interventions will vary depending on what specific pathogenic beliefs the client is testing. Control-mastery theory is highly case specific; a technique that is helpful to one client may not be appropriate or helpful to another. How effective the therapy is will be determined not by the technique used but by the extent to which the therapist can disconfirm the client's pathogenic beliefs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vector analysis and process combinations in motion perception: A reply to Wallach, Becklen, and Nitzberg (1985).

Comments on a proposed alternative to the present author's theory of perceptual vector analysis in motion perception, which was advanced by H. Wallach et al (see record 1986-00251-001). It is argued that Wallach et al have not taken the qualitative difference between their theory and vector analysis into account and that they employed an early and outdated vector theory in their study. Therefore, the conclusion by Wallach et al that their theory is superior to vector analysis is unwarranted. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Despotism, democracy, and the evolutionary dynamics of leadership and followership.

Responds to comments made by George B. Graen (see record 2008-19206-015) and Stephen J. Guastello (see record 2008-19206-016) on the current author's article Leadership, followership, and evolution: Some lessons from the past by Van Vugt, Hogan, and Kaiser (see record 2008-03389-004). In the original article my co-authors and I proposed a new way of thinking about leadership, informed by evolutionary (neo-Darwinian) theory. In the first commentary, Graen (see record 2008-19206-015) noted that we ignored a number of recently developed psychological theories of leadership that take into account the leader-follower relationship, most notably LMX theory. LMX theory asserts that leadership effectiveness and team performance are affected by the quality of working relationships between superior and subordinates. Because the original article primarily dealt with questions about the origins of leadership--the phylogenetic and evolutionary causes--we had to be concise in our review of proximate psychological theories of leadership. In the second commentary, Guastello (see record 2008-19206-016) concurred with the importance of an evolutionary game analysis for studying leadership but disagreed with certain details of our analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)