Mystery and meaning: A reply to Green (2000).

In "George A. Miller, Language, and the Computer Metaphor of Mind" (see record 1999-00168-003), the author sought to explain how and why Miller invested the computer metaphor of mind with such strongly revolutionary, antibehaviorist meanings. In reply, C. Green (see record 2000-07174-004) has argued that the answer to this question has to do with the importance of mental representation to the cognitivists. In response, the author argues that, though mental representation was an important issue to cognitivists, there were several other factors of equal or greater importance: specifically, the fascination of Miller and his cohort with language and communication, their frustration with the narrowness of the disciplinary vision of the behaviorists, and their involvement in a different experimental program than that of mainstream behaviorists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between value and temporal context is an empirical question: A reply to Fantino (2000).

E. Fantino (see record 2000-16324-002) argued that R. C. Grace and H. I. Savastano's (see record 2000-16324-001) experiments fail to elucidate the relationship between stimulus value and temporal context. His reasoning is that predictions for R. C. Grace and H. I. Savatano's probe tests based on delay-reduction theory (DRT) and the contextual choice model (CCM) are indistinguishable. However, his method of applying DRT to the probes ensures that temporal context will have no effect on which stimulus is preferred, contrary to the core principle of that theory. The only basis for differential responding in the probes is baseline training, and R. C. Grace and H. I. Savastano's data clearly show that the terminal-link schedules, independent of temporal context, control choice in the probes, as predicted by CCM. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sex differences in physical aggression to partners: A reply to Frieze (2000), O'Leary (2000), and White, Smith, Koss, and Figueredo (2000).

The following points are made in reply to critical comments on the author's meta-analysis of partner physical aggression (J. Archer, see record 2000-15524-001): (a) The theoretical dichotomy used in the review is one clearly identifiable in published articles, and the distinction between acts (aggression) and consequences (violence) is clearer than alternative definitions involving victims' perceptions; (b) despite the database containing many samples of U.S. students, there were sufficient other samples to draw meaningful conclusions; (c) the Conflict Tactics Scale may be limited, but in contrast to suggested alternatives, it involves clearly defined categories; (d) sexual aggression, although forming an important part of partner violence, cannot legitimately be aggregated with nonsexual physical aggression; and (e) there is a marked contrast between sex differences in physical aggression toward partners and toward same-sex opponents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On psychological identity and training: A reply to Thomas and Chan (2000).

K. R. Thomas and F. Chan (see record 2000-13209-005) raised several concerns about the legitimacy and primacy of the Boulder model in the training of rehabilitation psychologists, particularly with regard to the unique needs and history of rehabilitation psychology. We address several of the issues they raise and maintain that the utility of the Boulder model, although in need of some revision to meet the evolving nature of health care service delivery systems, remains the most appropriate model for the training of professional psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The complexities of suicide prevention and intervention training: A response to Sommers-Flanagan, Rothman, and Schwenkler (2000).

Replies to J. Sommers-Flanagan, M. Rothman, and R. Schwenkler's comments (see record 2000-13579-018) on the article by J. I. Rosenberg (see record 1999-00560-013) in which she describes a suicide assessment and intervention training model, sequenced with respect to expertise and cognitive psychology principles. Rosenberg expands and clarifies certain key points. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The importance of frameworks for directing empirical questions: Reply to Goodie and Fantino (2000).

A. S. Goodie and E. Fantino (see record 2000-16324-004) make two main criticisms of the predictions of M. C. Lovett and C. D. Schunn's (see record 1999-05245-001) RCCL model. (RCCL is pronounced 'ReCyCLe;" it stands for Represent the task, Construct a set of action strategies, Choose from among those strategies according to success rate, Learn new success rates.) In both cases, the authors believe the criticisms reflect a failure to appreciate the difference between broad frameworks and specific mathematical/computational models. In this article, the value of a broad framework, such as RCCL, in directing new empirical analyses and guiding theoretical development is shown. In particular, RCCL expands on existing work to reveal how variability and change in mental representations influence base-rate sensitivity. The authors also address several other issues raised by A. S. Goodie and E. Fantino (2000) and show that qualitative shifts in individuals' choice behavior are present in their original data—a key prediction of RCCL that does not appear in previous accounts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Explicit mechanisms do not account for implicit localization and identification of change: An empirical reply to Mitroff et al. (2002).

Several recent findings support the notion that changes in the environment can be implicitly represented by the visual system. S. R. Mitroff, D. J. Simons, and S. L. Franconeri (see record 2002-15293-003) challenged this view and proposed alternative interpretations based on explicit strategies. Across 4 experiments, the current study finds no empirical support for such alternative proposals. Experiment 1 shows that subjects do not rely on unchanged items when locating an unaware change. Experiments 2 and 3 show that unaware changes affect performance even when they occur at an unpredictable location. Experiment 4 shows that the unaware congruency effect does not depend simply on the pattern of the final display. The authors point to converging evidence from other methodologies and highlight several weaknesses in Mitroff et al's theoretical arguments. It is concluded here that implicit representation of change provides the most parsimonious explanation for both past and present findings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction to Smith, McCarthy, and Anderson (2000).

Reports an error in the original article by Gregory T. Smith, Denis M. McCarthy, and Kristen G. Anderson (Psychological Assessment, 2000, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 102-111). Specifically, several formulas throughout the article contained errors. The corrected formulas are presented here. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 2000-07311-012.) The empirical short-form literature has been characterized by overly optimistic views of the transfer of validity from parent form to short form and by the weak application of psychometric principles in validating short forms. Reviewers have thus opposed constructing short forms altogether, implying researchers are succumbing to an inappropriate temptation by trying to abbreviate measures. The authors disagree. The authors do not oppose the development of short forms, but they do assert that the validity standards for short forms should be quite high. The authors identify 2 general and 9 specific methodological sins characterizing short-form construction and offer methodological suggestions for the sound development of short forms. They recommend a set of 6 a priori steps researchers should consider and 9 methodological procedures researchers can use to develop valid abbreviated forms of clinical-assessment procedures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Occlusion, symmetry, and object-based attention: Reply to Saiki (2000).

J. Saiki (see record 2000-13210-027) argued that, because the stimuli used by M. Behrmann, R. S. Zemel, and M. C. Mozer (see record 1998-04674-001) were confounded by symmetry, conclusions about whether amodally completed objects can benefit from object-based attention are unwarranted. Here, the authors, examine J. Saiki's claim further and expand on their view of the mechanisms underlying object-based attention, suggesting that perceptual organization is the process whereby features from a single object are selectively attended. In light of this, they claim that heuristics such as symmetry and collinearity play an important role in the facilitation of features from a single object. In support of this claim, they present data from a further experiment using displays that exploit common fate, another grouping heuristic, and show that, under these conditions, the hallmark of object-based attention, a single-object advantage, is obtained for the occluded (amodally completed) shapes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward persons with a disability: An examination of demographic factors, social context, and specific disability.

Attempted to replicate the findings of S. A. Grand et al (see record 1983-08199-001) concerning the multidimensional nature of attitudes toward persons with a disability, and examined the relationship between attitudes toward persons with a disability and salient demographic and contact variables. 214 university faculty and staff (aged 19–73 yrs) completed a disability social relationship scale that examined attitudes about members of specific disability groups (people with cerebral palsy, epileptics, amputees, and blind people) in various situations (work, dating, marriage), and a demographic data form assessing age, education level, SES, gender, and religion. Results support the multidimensionality hypothesis, and a hierarchical regression analysis revealed that increased contact with persons with a disability, younger age, and higher levels of education were the best predictors of more favorable scores. However, demographic variables accounted for limited variance in attitudes. (30 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gestures and speech, interactions and separations: A reply to McNeill (1985).

Data from aphasiology and from developmental and experimental psychology are reviewed that give evidence for partial separability of the gestural and the verbal systems. According to McNeill (1985), who argued for a shared computational stage at the conceptual level, these cases of dissociation may be accounted for only by assuming separation at the output level. This explanation seems incompatible with other data provided by McNeill that indicate similarities in the surface characteristics of gestures and speech. Thus it is concluded that gestures and speech could also interact on an intermediate level between conceptualization and the output processing or that the shared computational stage must be specified by assuming separate subprocesses that may dissociate. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical knowledge, language, and the unconscious: Reply to Orange (2000).

The author replies to D. Orange's (2000) appreciative response to his article by exploring the notion of dialogical praxis and the relationship between unconsciousness and language. The moral and ethical aspects of analytic theory and practice are suggested to be indispensable in the effort to reconceptualize along practical or pragmatic lines. The author also favors the idea that language enriches and, to an extent, transforms and creates human experience, a view that is based on an encompassing view of language. It is suggested that only by appreciating how analytic theory and practice are embedded within a larger cultural stream of values and meanings will it be possible to sort out the contributions and limitations of psychoanalysis in the search for a more decent society and a more fulfilling way of life. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Substance use and AIDS: A reply to Fisher (1993).

Replies to the comment by D. G. Fisher (see record 1993-39094-001) on the authors' original article (see record 1992-36889-001) concerning the neglect of the substance abuse field by health care practitioners. H. J. Shaffer et al point out that nothing in their original article should be misconstrued as condoning or encouraging the use of psychoactive drugs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A self-presentational view of psychotherapy: Reply to Hill, Gelso and Mohr (2000) and to Arkin and Hermann (2000).

The self-presentational view of psychotherapy challenges current assumptions about the benefits of high levels of clients' openness in therapy (A. E. Kelly, 2000; see record 2000-08364-001). The author responds to questions about whether clients' discretion really is linked to favorable therapy process ratings and outcomes (see record 2000-08364-002 and 2000-08364-003). She also addresses problems that may emerge if readers apply a narrow definition of self-presentation as a form of deliberate manipulation, rather than the intended definition of consciously or unconsciously showing oneself to be a particular kind of person for audiences. A brief review of the evidence on the role of audience feedback in self-concept change is offered, along with suggestions for explaining self-concept change to clients. The author concludes by clarifying and reasserting her suggestion that it is acceptable for clients to reveal the themes as opposed to details of their problems that seem particularly heinous or humiliating. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The crucial importance of empirical evidence in the development of bereavement theory: Reply to Archer (2001).

In his commentary, J. Archer (2001a) argued that G. A. Bonanno and S. Kaltman's (1999) review and integration of the bereavement literature failed to consider evolutionary theory or other approaches to the origins of grief. Archer also argued that Bonanno and Kaltman had merely replaced the traditional grief work perspective with cognitive restructuring, thereby ignoring the processes related to avoidance and distancing from the loss. In this reply, the author first explains that although it was compelling to do so, Bonanno and Kaltman did not emphasize an evolutionary approach to the origins of grief reactions because in their current form these theories lack empirical and theoretical clarity. Second, the author shows that, contrary to Archer's reading, Bonanno and Kaltman's article viewed cognitive restructuring as a mechanism used primarily by extremely grieved persons and only in some cognitive domains. Last, the author shows that Bonanno and Kaltman have championed rather than ignored avoidant or distancing processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Illusory conjunctions die hard: A reply to Prinzmetal, Diedrichsen, and Irvy (2001).

M. Donk (see record 1999-11444-003) showed that various data patterns that have been considered as evidence for the existence of illusory conjunctions may be due to errors of target-nontarget confusion, an account that challenges the mere, existence of illusory conjunction. In a reply, W. Prinzmetal, J. Diedrichsen, and R. B. Ivry (see record 2001-06699-002) argued against this conclusion, claiming that some earlier findings can be explained only when one assumes that illusory conjunctions exist. The current article shows that Prinzmetal et al.'s claims cannot refute any of Donk's earlier conclusions, suggesting indeed that one can only conclude that illusory conjunctions are an illusion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Testing response generation rules: A reply to Miller, Schachtman, and Matzel (1988).

In a series of autoshaping studies, Robbins (1988) demonstrated that performance after random presentations of a conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus is not altered by later changes in the value of the training context. These results appear inconsistent with predictions made by the comparator hypothesis of conditioned performance advanced by Miller and Schachtman (1985a). Miller, Schachtman, and Matzel (1988) argue, however, that Robbins's procedures did not provide an appropriate test of the comparator model. They further claim that abundant evidence currently exists to support other predictions of the comparator hypothesis. I argue here that my procedures were particularly well suited to testing unique predictions of the model. Moreover, my results add to body of literature which suggests that the generality of the comparator mechanism as a determinant of performance may be severely limited. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Executive functioning and alcohol-related aggression: Reply to Weingartner (2000), Bates (2000), Lyvers (2000), Cherek (2000), and Berman (2000).

H. Weingartner (see record 2000-02949-018), M. E. Bates (see record 2000-02949-014), M. Lyvers (see record 2000-02949-017), D. R. Cherek (see record 2000-02949-016), and M. E. Berman (see record 2000-02949-015) put forth some very interesting and thought-provoking commentaries on the author's executive functioning framework for alcohol-related aggression (P. R. Giancola; see record 2000-02949-013). Many of their comments raised very important questions such as how executive functioning should be defined and conceptualized. Specifically, they asked whether executive functioning is better conceptualized as a unidimensional macroconstruct or as a set of related, yet independent, cognitive processes. Another key question was what other factors does executive functioning interact with to facilitate intoxicated aggression. Although these issues are far from being resolved, the author hopes that his article, their commentaries, and his responses will generate new research that will ultimately help to better predict and prevent alcohol-related aggression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Additivity, subadditivity, and the use of visual information: A reply to Massaro (1988).

Previously we (N. Bruno and J. E. Cutting [see PA, Vol 75:28455]) explored the perception of spatial relations among objects laid out in a computer-generated environment. In his commentary on our article, D. W. Massaro (see record 1989-14292-001) raised several issues. The most important is from his reanalysis, which indicated that—because of a subadditive trend in the results—additive and multiplicative strategies fit our data in Experiment 1 about equally well. In reply, we performed a different analysis. Results corroborate subadditivity—and hence multiplicative information combination—in Experiment 1 but provide no evidence for it in Experiments 2 and 3. On the whole, then, the results still support additivity more strongly than any other combination rule and thus support our notion of minimodularity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

In defense of reasoning: A reply to Greene (1992).

Responds to S. B. Greene's (see record 1992-15270-001) argument that assertions of the form "None of the A are in the same place as some of the C" are difficult for Ss to generate and that this explains the results of multiply quantified reasoning without having to invoke mental models or deductive reasoning by P. N. Johnson-Laird et al (see record 1990-03501-001). This article shows (1) that the phenomenon fails to explain most of the principal results; (2) that, far from undermining the theory of mental models, it can actually be explained by the theory; and (3) that the best available account of the results is that Ss both reason and rely on mental models to do so. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)