The organization of human abilities.

There are "two unfortunate tendencies in recent work on human abilities: the proliferation of factors and the tendency to think of only the first-order factors as the primary ones. An alternative model is to place factors in hierarchical order as advocated by the British psychometricians, especially Vernon. The application of the hierarchical model to a logical hierarchy of possible tests of mechanical information is presented, some hypothetical correlations are factored in several orders, and the Schmid-Leiman transformation is used to convert the factors back into a single orthogonal matrix manifesting the hierarchical principle. Facet analysis would enable one to define a population of tests… [and] helps restate the need for homogeneity in a test." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The psychological and perceptual-motor aspects of Huntington's disease.

Reviews research regarding the psychological and perceptual-motor aspects of Huntington's disease (HD), arguing that (1) more effort should be taken to explore and understand the nature of the underlying psychological processes contributing to the motor disorder, an aspect of the disease neglected by researchers, and (2) a more positive strategy should be used when research is designed to enhance psychomotor performance. A model describing the perceptual-motor mechanisms that may be operating in persons with HD is proposed. The model is based on the notion that rehabilitative methods designed to improve the quality of the internal kinesthetic (i.e., proprioceptive) feedback signals generated from movements may improve motor control and thereby reduce the extent and/or the rate of the decline in motor skills. It is contended that such a program of research may provide a broader understanding of the underlying processes that affect motor behavior and yield methods designed to improve the control of movement. Implications of the model for stress and anxiety, short-term memory deficits, and motor learning are discussed. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of intermittent illumination on perceptual-motor performance.

The experiment was designed to determine whether under conditions of intermittent illumination there is a significant impairment in performance as measured by perceptual-motor tasks. Performance on 5 such tasks under 5 conditions of flickering light was compared with performance under steady light. Time and error scores were considered. No gross detrimental effects of intermittent illumination were detected. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reaching while calculating: Scheduling of cognitive and perceptual-motor processes.

To address the neglected question of how cognitive and perceptual-motor processes are coordinated, the authors asked participants to move a cursor from one target to another to reveal operators and operands for a running arithmetic task. In Experiment 1 performance on this task was compared with performance on tasks requiring only aiming or only arithmetic. Aiming was faster in the aiming-only task than in the combined task. More importantly, times for steps requiring calculation were equivalent in the combined and arithmetic-only tasks. The results from this and a second experiment suggest that participants slowed their aiming to allow calculations to be completed before subsequent targets were entered. As a whole, the results suggest that cognitive and perceptual-motor processes are coordinated through scheduling. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Role of elaborative and perceptual integrative processes in perceptual-motor performance.

Three experiments address the dependence of both explicit and implicit memory performance on elaborative processes for a perceptual-motor task, pursuit rotor. Explicit memory performance was reflected by recognition of previously encountered pursuit rotor stimuli. Implicit memory performance (priming) was identified in Exp 1 as an advantage in pursuit rotor performance for old stimuli that Ss failed to explicitly recognize. In Exps 2 and 3, the types of strategies that Ss engaged in during training and test phases were manipulated. Results indicated that explicit memory performance depended on elaborative processes that emphasized which specific stimuli were encountered, whereas reliable implicit memory performance appeared only under a control no-instruction condition. Discussion focuses on attention to perceptual-integrative processes for priming. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transcendental Meditation and fine perceptual-motor skill

30 college male meditators had a 20-min. meditation followed by a 6-min. waking phase prior to 5-min. continuous practice on the pursuit rotor task. This was followed by a 4-min. rest then a further 2-min. of pursuit rotor practice. A similar group of college males who were non-meditators (N = 30) followed the same procedures except that instead of meditating they sat quietly for the initial 20-min. period. The expectations that Transcendental Meditation would (a) facilitate learning and performance; (b) cause less within-subject variability; and (C) cause less reactive inhibition, (c) cause less reactive inhinition, were not upheld by the results. With the exception of performance, which was significantly lower for the meditators, the two groups were no different. Thus, it appears that certain reported physiological and psychological benefits that are attributed to the practice of Transcendental Meditation (such as less anxiety, greater consistency, more awareness, altertness, and attention) are not manifested in the present behavioral test of perceptural-motor function. In fact, in terms of performance, the meditators seemed to be at a disadvantage.     

Effects of altering task components on perceptual-motor task learning.

In training operators of man-machine systems, how will altering the task influence learning progress at various stages in this sequence? After trying it out in a pilot study, the main experiment involved 108 male soldiers. "The apparatus consisted of an electronic compensatory tracking device which required S to maintain a target indicator in the center of a 5-in. oscilloscope… . Time on target was the primary measure of performance." A temporary decrement in performance was produced from altering task components later in learning. Greater effect followed from changes taking place earlier. 16 refs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adaptive spatial alignment and strategic perceptual-motor control

When starting limb and target locations were simultaneously visible in a visuomotor task, performance during prism exposure was nearly perfect, but aftereffects were absent. When starting limb location was not visible, accurate exposure performance was slow to develop, but aftereffects were substantial. Adaptive spatial alignment of sensorimotor spaces and strategic perceptual-motor control to coordinate sensorimotor systems are distinct processes. However, realignment is dependent on whether the exposure task evokes control strategies that enable detection of misalignment. If the task can be performed solely by coding the visible difference between limb and target locations, misalignment detection is disabled. If movement is initiated by target location and then the limb is controlled by the visible difference between target and limb, the discordance between initialized and terminal locations enables misalignment detection and realignment.     

Pancultural aspects of the human conceptual organization of emotions.

Investigated whether certain elementary properties of the human conceptual system for categorizing emotions are pancultural or are specific to particular languages and cultures. From similarity judgments provided by 147 native speakers (mostly middle-aged and elderly) of 5 languages, multidimensional scalings of emotion-related words in Gujarati, Croatian, Japanese, Chinese, and English provided evidence of several pancultural properties. In all 5 languages, emotion-related words fell in roughly a circular order in a space definable by 2 dimensions: pleasure–displeasure and arousal–sleep. Similar results were obtained from unilingual and bilingual Ss. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The recalibration of rotational locomotion.

Rotational locomotion (i.e., turning in place) can be recalibrated by arranging a situation in which one steps around at 1 speed but turns through the world at a different speed. After exposure to such a situation, people will show predictable changes if asked to look at a target, close their eyes, and turn to face it. In 5 experiments, this recalibration was shown to be attributable to 2 different mechanisms, one a sensory adaptation-like component from simply turning in place for several minutes and the other a perceptual-learning-like component related to the discrepancy created by the rearrangement of optical flow and action. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of camera arrangement on perceptual-motor performance in minimally invasive surgery.

Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is performed for a growing number of treatments. Whereas open surgery requires large incisions, MIS relies on small incisions through which instruments are inserted and tissues are visualized with a camera. MIS results in benefits for patients compared with open surgery, but degrades the surgeon's perceptual-motor performance. We used a laparoscopic simulator to measure effects of type (top, front, side) and number (1, 3) of camera views on manual manipulation and manual aiming tasks. These experimental manipulations had implications for perceptual and cognitive processing including frame of reference, movement compatibility, compression, task-information specificity, information integration, attentional demands, and information extraction. Camera views generally degraded performance compared with direct viewing, but learning occurred. Generally, a top view resulted in the best performance, followed by front and side views. Benefits of multiple views depended on practice and the direction of grasper movement. Mappings between movement direction and camera view, the consistency of those mappings, and task difficulty affected performance. The benefits and costs for perceptual and cognitive processing that were introduced by a given camera view were not necessarily weighted equally. Costs and benefits must be considered specifically for each task and for each combination of camera view and movement direction. Surgeons may consider using a top view, using side views only when necessary, and using a consistent view when performing repetitive movements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of kinesthetic training on perceptual-motor skills in persons with Huntington's disease.

Examined whether kinesthetic training for persons with Huntington's disease (HD) leads to improved performance in more complex perceptual-motor tasks. 11 persons (aged 31–60 yrs) with HD and 10 normal controls (NCs [aged 19–65 yrs]) performed a horizontal linear positioning task, which required the ability to process kinesthetic information, and the Purdue Pegboard finger dexterity test. Results indicate that HDs experienced a small deficiency in performance of kinesthetic tasks. The size of the deficit was about the same, regardless of whether the task required immediate perception or memory for kinesthetic information. NCs' performance in the kinesthetic training task increased significantly over practice trials, while performance in the HD group did not change as a result of practice. Transfer of training was not found in either group. There was, however, evidence that HDs made significant improvements in finger dexterity through training. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Limitations of quasi-static estimation of human joint loading during locomotion

The forces and moments at the ankle, knee and hip joints of the human lower limbs are divided into static and inertial components. They are calculated for various activities ranging from slow walking to running. The relative roles of these two components in the 'total' joint loads are studied, and the limitations of using a quasi-static analysis approach for joint load approximation are discussed. The results indicate that the static loads only reflect the gravitational and external reactions between the body and the environment, whereas the inertial loads provide dynamic information on each body segment involved. The effect of the inertial forces and moments becomes more important as the speed of locomotion increases; where the more proximal joints in the human lower extremity are concerned; and where the shear components of the force and moment are of interest. On the other hand, it seems that most of the joint moments in the lower extremity during walking and even running could reasonably be approximated by static components.     

Elements of human due diligence: Supporting the nimble organization.

The need for organizations to respond nimbly to change demands is increasing. Because change is necessary but resource intensive, the balance between assimilation capacity and change demand is critical. Strategies for reducing demand and increasing capacity are discussed. Special attention is given to maximizing resilience (at personal, team, and organizational levels) as a strategy that confers competitive advantage; difficulties in implementing this strategy are outlined. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of supportive versus disinterested interviews on perceptual-motor performance in brain-damaged and neurotic patients.

The differential effect of 2 types of interpolated interviews upon the perceptual-motor performance (Stein's Symbol-Gestalt Test) of brain-damaged and neurotic patients was investigated in 2 experiments. Cross-validated results indicate that Ss given disinterested, impersonal, irrelevant information-gathering interviews have a significantly lower rate of improvement over 3 successive administrations of the test than Ss given warm, supportive, anxiety-reducing interviews. Interaction effects were significant in the brain-damaged groups but not in the neurotics. The results support Goldstein's contention that brain damage results in a heightened dependency upon external cues and feedback and emphasize the importance of E variables in the clinical assessment of, and research with, brain-damaged populations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Competition and performance on a computer-based complex perceptual-motor task

Employees of temporary agencies practiced Space Fortress, a complex video game task, for 10 sessions, each consisting of 8 practice and 2 test games of 3 min each. Trainees practiced individually, in dyads, or in tetrads, and they were classified as having high or low aptitude based on computer attitude scores and baseline performance. Competition for monetary prizes was introduced early in training, late in training, or not at all. Competition facilitated high-aptitude trainees but not low-aptitude trainees. Group size and the timing of competition instructions had no main effects or interactions. The results are discussed in terms of social facilitation theory, according to which competition facilitates dominant responses, which helps high-skill trainees but not low-skill trainees.     

Effects of human models on perceived product quality.

Studied the effects of human models in advertisements on the individual's perception of and attitude toward the product. 32 male and 32 female undergraduates were tested under 3 experimental and 1 control conditions for each of 4 different products (car, sofa, TV, and stereo). In the 3 experimental conditions a male, a female, and a male-female pair were used as models. In the control condition the product was presented without any model. Results reveal that the "fittingness" of the models for the product was an important variable in product advertisements. The implications of congruity theories for product advertisements are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)