Conducting and comprehending cross-cultural comparisons: Reply to Stigler and Miller (1993).

J. W. Stigler and K. F. Miller (see record 1994-07531-001) critiqued the matching methodology and theoretical interpretation reported in the R. E. Mayer et al (see record 1991-19796-001) study of mathematical problem solving in Japan and the US. In this reply, the authors explain why they disagree with Stigler and Miller's comments concerning (1) the reliability of the matching methodology used, (2) the correctness of hypotheses concerning the relative effectiveness of US and Japanese schools, (3) reporting of the relative problem-solving performances of US and Japanese students, (4) whether Mayer et al are guilty of drawing causal conclusions from correlational data, and (5) whether the results are best explained by differences in intelligence. Finally, the authors call for recognizing the legitimacy of multiple research perspectives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of order of presentation, primacy, and physical attractiveness on attributions of ability.

Conducted 4 experiments with 720 undergraduates to determine if physical attractiveness interacts with or negates the primacy effect found by E. E. Jones et al (see record 1969-06853-001). Results demonstrate that attractive Ss received uniformly high attributions regardless of performance. Unattractive Ss, however, received attributions similar to those received by Ss who had no physical-attractiveness stimuli presented. Physical attractiveness had an effect only when presented before performance. When presented after performance, attributions received by attractive-stimulus Ss were not significantly different from attributions received by unattractive-stimulus Ss, as had been the case when attractiveness was presented before performance. Results support D. Newston (see record 1974-11048-001) and Newston and R. J. Rindner's (1979) hypothesis that perceivers may stop processing information once a point of sufficient subjective information is reached. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Completed suicide in the gifted: A late comment on "Suicide among gifted women."

A recent study by C. Tomlinson-Keasey et al (see record 1986-24809-001) found differences between completed suicides in L. M. Terman's sample of gifted children and comparison Ss. The present article suggests that the differences identified in Tomlinson-Keasey et al may have been confounded by the fact that completed suicides are typically found to have higher levels of psychiatric disturbance than nonsuicides. Data are presented to illustrate that when the completed suicides in Terman's sample are matched for psychiatric disturbance with the comparison Ss, few differences are found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Insufficient evidence.

Comments on the article by F. Rothbaum et al (see record 2000-02781-001), which highlighted evidence of cultural variations in, and noted ways in which attachment theory is laden with Western values and meaning in comparisons of the US and Japan. According to the present author, the Rothbaum et al study is particularly important to Japanese investigators, as the validity of attachment theory has sometimes been taken for granted too easily in Japan. Unfortunately, however, Rothbaum et al overlooked important empirical results that clarify the validity of attachment theory in Japanese samples. The present author contends that Rothbaum et al misunderstood or distorted the meanings of measures that are usually applied in attachment studies, and thus the arguments offered by Rothbaum et al resulted in a superficial critique of the cross-cultural validity of attachment theory. As a result of their failure to present empirical evidence to refute cross-cultural validity in attachment theory, Rothbaum et al did not provide any important challenge to researchers in Japan. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Naturally occurring mood and learning: Comment on Hasher, Rose, Zacks, Sanft, and Doren.

Comments on the failure of L. Hasher et al (see record 1986-03061-001) to find mood-congruent learning (MCL), which occurs when Ss learn more about materials that are congruent with their moods (e.g., depressed Ss learn more sad material). Hasher et al argued that moderately depressed college students may be qualitatively different from clinically depressed patients and mood-induced Ss, in whom MCL has been observed. Although the present authors accept the findings of Hasher et al, they suggest that MCL may be a general though small effect that is present among normal college students as well. (54 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Associative versus contingency accounts of category learning: Reply to Melz, Cheng, Holyoak, and Waldmann (1993).

E. R. Melz et al (see record 1994-24205-001) argue that the partial blocking of cue A that was previously reported (D. R. Shanks; see record 1991-26433-001) when Ss were presented with intermixed AB?→?1, B?→?1 category learning trials is not consistent with the associative Rescorla-Wagner (R-W; 1972) theory analysis that was offered, given that the theory predicts complete blocking at asymptote. However, this claim assumes that Ss were trained to asymptote in these experiments, and there is no reason to believe this was the case. Melz et al further argue that there has been no reported evidence of complete blocking in associative learning tasks, which is incorrect. It is shown that, on the contrary, there is abundant evidence of it. The R-W theory analysis of the results is therefore sound. The results reported were inconsistent with contingency theories as they are normally formulated. Melz et al propose a revised contingency theory which, they argue, can account for data from a range of learning tasks. In particular, they claim that their theory can accommodate the results. It is shown that the theory can be refuted… (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mindlessness or mindfulness: A partial replication and extension of Langer, Blank, and Chanowitz.

Four studies examined whether verbal behavior is mindful (cognitive) or mindless (automatic). All studies used the experimental paradigm developed by E. J. Langer et al (see record 1979-23568-001). In Studies 1–3, experimenters approached Ss at copying machines and asked to use it first. Their requests varied in the amount and kind of information given. Study 1 (82 Ss) found less compliance when experimenters gave a controllable reason ("… because I don't want to wait") than an uncontrollable reason ("… because I feel really sick"). In Studies 2 and 3 (42 and 96 Ss, respectively) requests for controllable reasons elicited less compliance than requests used in the Langer et al study. Neither study replicated the results of Langer et al. Furthermore, the controllable condition's lower compliance supports a cognitive approach to social interaction. In Study 4, 69 undergraduates were given instructions intended to increase cognitive processing of the requests, and the pattern of compliance indicated in-depth processing of the request. Results provide evidence for cognitive processing rather than mindlessness in social interaction. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sexual responsibility as a function of test administrator's gender.

Discusses the finding of T. Schill, et al. (see record 1970-20959-001) on the effect of E gender on the sexual responsivity of Ss. 40 male and female undergraduates were assigned to groups with either a male or female E. Ss were given a word association test with 20 neutral and 30 double-entendre words (e.g., cherry). No significant differences were found between the frequency and flagrancy of male and female sexual responses when the E was of the same gender. Males showed significant inhibition when tested by a female E (p     

Attachment, culture, and amae.

Comments on the article by F. Rothbaum et al (see record 2000-02781-001), which highlighted evidence of cultural variations in, and noted ways in which attachment theory is laden with Western values and meaning in comparisons of the US and Japan. According to the present author, the evidence and conclusions of Rothbaum et al are flawed. The main critique of the universality of attachment theory offered by Rothbaum et al pertained to cultural differences in how Western and Japanese children use the secure base. In the West, secure attachment is commonly believed to promote exploration. However, the present author points out that Rothbaum et al argued that for Japanese children "the major link is with dependence, and adaptation primarily refers to accommodation, avoidance of loss, fitting in with others, and ultimately loyalty and interdependence". According to the present author, this argument is unsupported by empirical studies, and while being advanced as a challenge to the universalistic core of attachment theory, Rothbaum et al subsequently argued that in Japan, secure attachment leads not to exploration but to amae (dependence). Much empirical work needs to be conducted before Rothbaum et al's proposed link between secure attachment and dependency can be evaluated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluating the MSCEIT V2.0 via CFA: Comment on Mayer et al. (2003).

This investigation uncovered several substantial errors in the confirmatory factor analysis results reported by J. D. Mayer, P. Salovey, D. R. Caruso, and G. Sitarenios (see record 2003-02341-015). Specifically, the values associated with the close-fit indices (normed fit index, Tucker-Lewis Index, and root-mean-square error of approximation) are inaccurate. A reanalysis of the Mayer et al. subscale intercorrelation matrix provided accurate values of the close-fit indices, which resulted in different evaluations of the models tested by J. D. Mayer et al. Contrary to J. D. Mayer et al., the 1-factor model and the 2-factor model did not provide good fit. Although the 4-factor model was still considered good fitting, the nonconstrained 4-factor model yielded a nonpositive definite matrix, which was interpreted to be due to the fact that two of the branch-level factors (Perceiving and Facilitating) were collinear, suggesting that a model with 4 factors was implausible. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hypnotic age regression and eidetic imagery: A failure to replicate.

Notes that N. S. Walker et al (see record 1976-23467-001) reported the restoration of eidetic imagery in hypnotically age-regressed Ss. In an attempted replication of that study, 60 Ss who previously scored high on hypnotic susceptibility were "hypnotically regressed" to age 7. Before administration of the hypnotic procedures and again after age regression, Ss were tested for eidetic imagery using the random-dot stereograms employed by Walker et al. None of the Ss, including those who were age regressed according to standard criteria and who reported having been eidetikers as children, were successful at the stereogram tasks. Although these results fail to replicate those of Walker et al, they are consistent with the available evidence concerning the performance of children on stereogram tasks. Contrary to the impression conveyed by Walker et al, children tested to date, including those classified as eidetikers by R. N. Haber and R. B. Haber's (1964) criteria, have been unsuccessful at stereogram tasks. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hypnotically induced limb anesthesia and adaptation to displacing prisms: Replication requires adherence to critical procedures.

N. P. Spanos et al (see record 1981-27289-001) reported a failure to confirm the results of an experiment on prism adaptation reported by the present authors (see record 1981-06956-001) that required Ss to adapt to a prismatically displaced environment when their adapting limb was hypnotically anesthetized. The present authors argue that the failure of Spanos et al to replicate their findings is due to their failure to duplicate the critical conditions of the experiment. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Informed consent and bias in samples of schizophrenic subjects at risk for drug withdrawal.

Cautions withdrawal-minded investigators that putatively identified factors in recruitment, in informed consent screening, and in loss of drug-withdrawn Ss due to relapse may bias the consenting sample, as well as the testable withdrawal-surviving sample. Background data from a study by H. E. Spohn et al (see record 1978-06198-001) were available for comparative analysis for 558 research-eligible schizophrenics. 420 patients were screened for informed consent to being placed at risk for drug withdrawal by both ward personnel and themselves, and 115 consented. Multivariate ANOVAs involving a multivariate vector on which 12 demographic, organismic, and course-of-illness variables were massed indicated that the final consenting sample differed significantly from the reference population from which it was drawn. Multiple regression analysis indicated that early relapsing, drug-withdrawn Ss differed significantly in prewithdrawal characteristics from later relapsing Ss. Implications for generalization from data derived from biased consenting samples and for interpretation of data derived from withdrawal-surviving Ss are discussed. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Scanning and form-contingent color aftereffects.

G. K. Humphrey et al (see record 1994-28172-001) and J. Broerse and P. Grimbeek (see record 1994-28160-001) suggested that the form-contingent color aftereffect reported by S. Siegel et al (see record 1992-22207-001) would not be obtained if Ss were instructed to scan the induction and assessment forms. The authors present data from 10 adult Ss who were instructed to scan the forms. These scanning Ss displayed aftereffects that were no different from those described earlier by Siegel et al. Scanning Ss do display spatiotopic contingent color aftereffects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural blindness or selective inattention?

Comments on the article by F. Rothbaum et al (see record 2000-02781-001), which highlighted evidence of cultural variations in, and noted ways in which attachment theory is laden with Western values and meaning in comparisons of the US and Japan. According to the present authors, any claim to cross-cultural validity of a theory can only be considered a bold but tentative hypothesis. It is shown here that Rothbaum et al cited existing empirical studies on attachment in Japan only selectively, and, in so doing, Rothbaum et al neglected important evidence in favor of the validity of attachment theory in the Japanese context. The Japanese case is not yet a falsification of the nomological network that constitutes attachment theory's claim to cross-cultural validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Another look at sex stereotypes and social judgments: An analysis of the social perceiver's use of subjective probabilities.

Reexamined the findings of A. Locksley et al (see record 1981-28048-001) that Ss fall prey to the baserate fallacy when they make stereotype-related trait judgments and that Ss ignore their stereotypes when trait judgments are made in the presence of trait-related behavioral information. A replication of Study 2 by Locksley et al, using 99 undergraduates, was conducted to examine 2 issues: (a) the use of a normative criterion in comparison with Ss' judgments and (b) the level of analysis (group vs individual) of Ss' judgments. Results show no support for the baserate fallacy. When a Bayesian normative criterion was constructed for each S based on the S's own stereotype judgments and was compared with assertiveness judgments made in the presence of individuating information, there was no evidence that Ss ignored or underused their stereotypes as the baserate fallacy predicts. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A further attempt to cross-validate the Russell, Neuringer, and Goldstein neuropsychological keys.

Reanalyzed the attempt by W. Z. Anthony et al (see record 1980-22416-001) to cross-validate the neuropsychological key approach of E. W. Russell et al (1970) for actuarial interpretation of the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery. Present findings suggest that rather than failing to hold up on cross-validation, overall percentage of agreement between localization key predictions and neurological criteria achieved approximately equal accuracy levels in both the original study and the cross-validation. However, the process key did not hold up well. A new cross-validation based on the present authors' data from 390 left-hemisphere, right-hemisphere, and diffuse-brain-damaged Ss is presented, indicating also that the localization key predicted neurological criteria at a better than chance level. However, like the Anthony et al study, the process key was substantially less accurate than in the original research. Examination of the individual key categories revealed that the major difficulty involved the failure of the process key to accurately predict the presence of acute brain damage. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stress-disorder symptoms in Vietnam and Korean war veterans: A commentary on Thienes-Hontos, Watson, and Kucala.

P. Thienes-Hontos et al (see record 1982-28346-001) concluded that stress disorder is neither unique nor particularly frequent among Vietnam veteran patients. However, the present author suggests that a close examination of their Ss and procedures casts serious doubt on the grounds for this conclusion. Although Thienes-Hontos et al note some of the methodological shortcomings in their study, they underemphasize the degree to which the problems prevent a confident interpretation of the results. (11 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sample description, reporting, an analysis of sex in psychological research: A look at APA and APA division journals in 1990.

Extends a study by L. Gannon et al (see record 1992-23274-001) by examining the sex of Ss in American Psychological Association (APA) journals publishing original human studies research and by sampling all APA division journals publishing such research. Two issues of each APA and APA division journal published in 1990 were examined, yielding a sample of 504 articles from 26 journals. 79 cases (9.86%) clearly indicated using Ss of only 1 sex, 440 cases (54.93%) used both male and female Ss and reported sex fully, and 44 cases (5.49%) indicated using Ss of each sex without reporting exact numbers. The evidence suggests that there remains a significant tendency to consider male Ss as "normative," and results obtained from them generally applicable, whereas female Ss are somehow "different," and results obtained from them are specific to female Ss. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Judging the intentionality of action-outcomes.

24 2.8–4.5 yr old, 24 6.8–8.3 yr old, and 24 11.2–12.2 yr old English-speaking Canadian children were given a matching rule (wherein information of the actor"s intentional state was matched against information regarding the outcome of action) and 3 objective rules (discounting, monitoring, and valence). It was expected that Ss would use a matching rule as actor and the objective rules as observer; observers were expected to use the matching rule when information on the intentional state of the actor was made available to them. Results show systematic use of a matching rule by Ss of all age groups. When information on the intention of an actor was available, Ss were able to match that information against an observed outcome. If the intention and outcome matched, they judged the outcome to have been intended; if the intention and outcome did not match, the outcome was judged to be unintentional. Information on the intention of the actor was effectively conveyed either by direct subjective awareness or by objectively available evidence. Findings show that the matching rule emerged before the objective rules and had primacy over them when the rules happened to lead to conflicting conclusions about intentionality. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)