Ethnic preference and identification among Canadian Indian and White children: Replication and extension.

Examined 3 hypotheses regarding ethnic preference and identification among White and Native Indian children who were asked by either a White or Native experimenter (E) to indicate their preference for either a White or Native doll, a white or brown rabbit, and a white or brown cup. The escape hypothesis suggests that both types of Ss would choose the White doll and that the Natives would show ethnic misidentification. J. E. Williams's (Williams and J. K. Morland, 1976) notion of a pro-light/anti-dark bias suggests that Ss of both races would choose the lighter of 2 objects. A 3rd hypothesis suggests that Ss of both races would choose a doll of the same race as the E; there would be no pattern regarding rabbits or cups. 30 White 5–7 yr olds and 35 Native 5–6 yr olds served as Ss. Results show that Ss of both races chose the lighter of 2 objects, consistent with Williams's hypothesis. Such responses, however, were influenced by both S's race and race of the E. Results also indicate that when choosing the doll that looked more like themselves, Ss of both races chose the White doll more frequently with a White than a Native E, a finding consistent with the E bias hypothesis. The notion that minority group Ss were attempting to escape a minority group label by identifying with objects associated with the majority group was not supported. (French abstract) (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethnic identity among Chinese Canadian youth: A review of the Canadian literature.

The process of identity development for Chinese youth growing up in a multicultural Canadian context is complex. These youth, who represent one of the largest groups of immigrants and ethnic minorities in the country, must negotiate Chinese and Canadian cultures during a developmental period marked by significant identity exploration. The authors review qualitative and quantitative investigations of the multiple components of ethnic identity, as well as quantitative studies of the relations between Chinese and Canadian identities, the acculturative and familial factors that may promote a strong sense of ethnic identity, and the psychological correlates of ethnic identity. Overall, the ethnic identity of Chinese youth residing in Canada appears strong. In comparison, greater variability is evident in the extent and ease in which Chinese youth integrated a Canadian identity. The reviewed literature supports a bidimensional conceptualization of acculturation, emphasises the important role that parents play in the formation of their children’s ethnic identity, and highlights the potential psychological advantages of strong feelings of ethnic identity. Implications of the findings for future research, policy, and practise are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Success and preference: A replication and extension.

Results of 2 experiments with a total of 180 undergraduates indicate that preferences for less preferred tasks may be increased as a result of high success ratios in dealing with those tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Curriculum-based measurement and the identification of mildly handicapped students: A research review.

Presents and summarizes the extensive research that has been conducted regarding the technical adequacy of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) and its use as a method for making 2 norm-referenced decisions: (a) screening, and (b) determination of eligibility for special education services. Two applications of CBM procedures within school systems are presented with respect to utility and outcomes. Needs for future research and the implications for the development of a continuous and consistent database for decision making and for the practice of school psychology are discussed. It is contended that although numerous CBM approaches have been identified, only S. Deno's (see record 1986-10522-001) CBM model has been investigated empirically with respect to technical adequacy and efficacy in identifying students as mildly handicapped. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dimensions of the Rorschach: A matter of preference.

Obtained similarity judgments among all possible pairs of the 10 Rorschach inkblots from a normative group of 15 psychiatric patients. A multidimensional scaling analysis was then performed for 2 groups of Ss: 20 clinical psychologists, and 49 state hospital psychiatric patients. 4 dimensions emerged for each group, and these were related to independently obtained preferences for the 10 inkblots by various S groups (psychotics, neurotics, normals) and to various stimulus calibrations (e.g., evaluation and meaningfulness) of the blots. Both S groups perceived a dimension that correlated with preference ratings made by both a psychotic and neurotic group; the patients split this dimension into psychotic and neurotic preference. The psychologists' judgments reflected a dimension not present in the patient group involving the difficulty of an inkblot in eliciting a response. It is argued that a multidimensional scaling analysis of the Rorschach provides a possible alternative method for the development of new scoring categories that would be based on Ss' own psychophysical perceptions of the blots. (33 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethnic identification and personality adjustments of Canadian adolescents of mixed English-French parentage.

Compared 191 Canadian adolescent boys, with either mixed French-English parentage or a homogeneous background (French or English) on selected measures of ethnic and parental identification, personality characteristics, attitudes, and values. The measures were chosen to test 2 theoretical positions about the effects of interethnic marriages: (a) that cultural mixture is harmful because of divided loyalties and unclear identifications, or (b) that a bicultural background is broadening and enriching. It was found that the mixed ethnic boys showed no signs of personality disturbance, anomie, or feelings of alienation relative to the comparison groups, and perceived their parents as relatively more attentive and interested in them as family members. They were no less ethnocentric or authoritarian, although their attitudes suggest a process of cultural fusion rather than a clear-cut preference for 1 or the other system of values. Results were clearer for the mixed ethnic boys attending French rather than English schools, revealing the importance of the peer group influence in the adjustments made. (French summary) (26 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethnic minority issues in psychology: A reexamination.

Argues that 2 tasks need to be addressed in view of psychology's growing commitment to cultural pluralism in research, theory, and professional practice: The 1st is that ethnic minority group issues are analogous to antinomies in which cherished values and principles are pitted against one another and need to be recognized as such. These paradoxes are evident in at least 5 conflicts: emic vs etic studies, mainstreaming vs pluralism, equal opportunity vs equality of outcome, modal personality vs individual differences, and presence vs absence of racism today. Attempts to find a single, permanent solution are fruitless; the resolution of these issues should be an ongoing process requiring divergent reasoning and diverse solutions. The 2nd task involves the acquisition of power and influence, since means for implementing proposed solutions are necessary. A brief history is provided of ethnic minority efforts in the governing structure of the American Psychological Association. It is suggested that the search for diverse solutions and the attainment of institutionalized influence are vital in increasing pluralism. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethnic Identification in Canada: A cross-cultural investigation.

Applied a multidimensional scaling analysis of paired comparisons ratings to the problem of ethnic identity in Canada. 158 French- and English-Canadian high school students rated the similarity between several pairs of stimuli which included, among others, the labels "myself," "French Canadian," "English Canadian," "Canada," etc. Findings reveal a strong regional affiliation on the part of both cultural groups; however, the English-Canadian Ss evidenced strong national affiliations as well. These results are interpreted as possibly due to cultural factors interacting with geographic proximity to produce a pattern of ethnic identity. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reflection-impulsivity: A review.

Studies of reflection-impulsivity (RI) suggest that the tendency is correlated with performance on a variety of similar tests. They predict the quality of problem solving under conditions of response uncertainty, except in the case of preschoolers who have not yet learned to delay and scrutinize alternative hypotheses. It is noted that the response time component of RI is relatively independent of IQ, whereas the error component is moderately related. Shortcomings of the major test (the Matching Familiar Figures Test) used to measure RI are described, and norms to guide the researcher are presented. Studies of scanning behavior show that reflectives gather more information more carefully and systematically than do impulsives. Attempts to relate this variable to personality and social variables have been only partially successful. RI is related to certain clinical syndromes including hyperactivity, brain damage, epilepsy, and mental retardation. It also affects school performance, as evidenced by the greater impulsivity of children with reading difficulties, learning disabilities, and school failure. Impulsivity has been found to be modifiable: The most consistently successful strategy in this regard is to teach impulsives improved scanning strategies by means of appropriate training materials while having them verbalize such strategies aloud. (3 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-deprivation: A review.

Self-deprivation refers to the neglect of substances or conditions necessary for normal biological functioning in some self-stimulating rats. The question of whether this phenomenon is due to a disruption of normal regulatory mechanisms or represents the choice of one particularly powerful reward over others is considered. The characteristics of self-deprivation are discussed in relation to alternative reward, the number and length of testing periods, deprivation level, and the role of the stimulation site. Theories of self-deprivation that focus on hunger reduction/satiety induction, priming, and reward are reviewed. It is concluded that none of the hypotheses can account for all the data, but that the reward hypothesis of self-deprivation is most consistent with the available evidence. The reward hypothesis states that rats choose brain stimulation over food or water because of the greater reward value of the brain stimulation. (56 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognition and olfaction: A review.

Examines research in cognitive psychology, which has in the past paid little attention to the olfactory modality. But there is now a significant body of literature on the role of the olfactory system in memory and cognition. Human beings possess an excellent ability to detect and discriminate odors, but they typically have great difficulty in identifying particular odorants. This results partly from the use of an impoverished and idiosyncratic language to describe olfactory experiences, which are normally encoded either in a rudimentary sensory form or as part of a complex but highly specific biographical episode. Consequently, linguistic processes play only a very limited role in olfactory processing, whereas hedonic factors seem to be of considerable importance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preparedness and phobias: A review.

The preparedness theory of phobia holds that humans are biologically prepared to learn to fear objects and situations that threatened the survival of the species throughout its evolutionary history (Seligman, 1971). Biological preparedness is postulated to be responsible for the rapid acquisition, irrationality, belongingness, and high resistance to extinction considered characteristic of phobias. Psychophysiological experiments testing this theory have involved comparisons between fear-relevant stimuli (e.g., slides of snakes) and fear-irrelevant stimuli (e.g., slides of flowers) as conditioned stimuli in Pavlovian aversive conditioning paradigms. Researchers have predicted that autonomic responses conditioned to fear-relevant stimuli should mimic the aforementioned characteristics of phobias. The evidence most consistent with the theory is the enhanced resistance to extinction of electrodermal responses established to fear-relevant stimuli. Hypotheses regarding ease of acquisition, irrationality, and belongingness have received either only minimal or equivocal support. Alternative explanations are discussed for the resistance to extinction effect, the conceptual basis of preparedness theory, and its clinical implications. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Septum and behavior: A review.

A review of research and discussion related to the behavioral effects of septal dysfunction supports the conclusion that a unitary conceptualization of the role of the septum is inappropriate and simplistic. Discrete lesion and stimulating techniques indicate that the septum cannot be considered equipotential in either its contribution to various types of behavior or in its anatomical relationships with other subcortical structures. Evidence indicates that various nuclei in the septum are important in at least 4 dissociable behavior patterns: (a) damage to the medial septal nucleus impairs the ability to alter a response on the basis of proprioceptive cues, (b) damage to the lateral and posterior regions of the septum increases the magnitude of negative responses to unpalatable solutions, (c) damage to regions of the septum that are anatomically connected to the hypothalamus increases the intake of water, and (d) damage to a variety of septal nuclei results in overresponding to positively-motivating stimuli. This latter finding is interpreted as implicating the septum in a specific type of response-suppressing mechanism. (5 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Affect and memory: A review.

Reviews, critically, the empirical literature on the role of depression and elation in biasing mnemonic processing. Two classes of effects—state dependence and mood congruence—are examined. The latter, which involves the enhanced encoding and/or retrieval of material the affective valence of which is congruent with ongoing mood, is the more extensively researched of the two and is thus the focus of much of the review. Although the support for claims of such a phenomenon is impressive in its size, consistency, and diversity, a number of questions remain. These include whether such effects are linked to mood states per se and the possible role that such effects may play in the development of persistent depression. (3 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cue interactions in flavor preference learning: A configural analysis.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 37(2) of Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavior Processes (see record 2011-08162-003). There was an error in Figure 3, which is described in the correction.] Four experiments showed that the preference normally established to a neutral flavor cue that was paired with maltodextrin was attenuated when that cue was conditioned in compound with another flavor—overshadowing. Furthermore, two experiments showed that the preference for a neutral flavor conditioned as part of a compound was further attenuated if the other element in that compound was separately paired with the reinforcer—blocking. These results stand in contrast to a number of previous compound flavor preference conditioning experiments, which have not revealed reliable cue competition effects. These discrepant findings are discussed in terms of the effects of within-compound associations and a configural perspective on potentiation. Modeling of this configural perspective predicts that a compound of two separately trained cues will elicit a similar response to the individual cues themselves—absence of summation. Two experiments confirmed this prediction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Visual complexity: A review.

The idea of visual complexity, the history of its measurement, and its implications for behavior are reviewed, starting with structuralism and Gestalt psychology at the beginning of the 20th century and ending with visual complexity theory, perceptual learning theory, and neural circuit theory at the beginning of the 21st. Evidence is drawn from research on single forms, form and texture arrays and visual displays. Form complexity and form probability are shown to be linked through their reciprocal relationship in complexity theory, which is in turn shown to be consistent with recent developments in perceptual learning and neural circuit theory. Directions for further research are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nightmare behavior: A review.

Reviews objective reports, surveys, observations, and studies relating to nightmare behavior. Physiological correlates of nightmares including the relationship of homeostatic imbalances and production of nightmares are examined. Investigations are criticized on the basis of inadequate numbers of Ss, absence of controls, excessive reliance on self-reports, poor reliability and validity, and lack of experimental control over independent variable under study. Possible improvements in existing methodology are considered, and suggestions for further research are offered. Psychogenic theories accounting for production of nightmare dreams are reviewed. In addition, recent applications of behavioral methodology to treatment of pathological nightmare behavior are surveyed. (49 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching machines: A review.

The idea of teaching machines goes back to the mid-1920s but within the last 3 years there has been a strong resurgence of interest. There are many points of disagreement among workers which will be best resolved on an empirical basis. The problems involved in the application of teaching machines are briefly discussed. From Psyc Abstracts 36:01:3KC63M. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavior therapy: A review.

The questionable effectiveness of traditional psychodynamic psychotherapies and the development of brief new treatment techniques derived from modern learning theory have stimulated interest in applications of conditioning procedures to behavior disorders. A review of this literature revealed that behavior therapies have been applied to many neurotic and psychotic disorders, and have been most successful with disorders involving specific maladaptive behaviors. Conditioning procedures were highly effective with phobic reactions, anxiety reactions, enuresis, stuttering, and tics, but disappointing with alcoholism and some sexual disorders. Cures seemed long-lasting, with remarkably little evidence of the symptom substitution predicted by psychodynamic depth theories. Behavior therapy offers promising opportunities for the application of well-established psychological principles to the treatment of maladaptive behavior. (4 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)