The role of spatial location in remembering and forgetting peripheral words.

This study examined whether spatial location mediates intentional forgetting of peripherally presented words. Using an item-method directed forgetting paradigm, words were presented in peripheral locations at study. A recognition test presented all words at either the same or a different location relative to study. Results showed that while recognition of Remember words was unaffected by test location, when Forget words were presented in the same location at test as at study, recognition accuracy was significantly greater than when presented in a different location. Experiment 2 showed that the speed to localize a previously studied word was faster when it was presented in the same rather than a different study-test location but that the magnitude of this spatial priming was unaffected by memory instruction. We suggest that the location of peripherally presented words is represented in memory and can aid the retrieval of poorly encoded words. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of MMPI--2 measures of psychopathic deviance in a forensic setting.

We examined the convergent and discriminant validity of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory--2 (MMPI--2) measures of psychopathy, including the Clinical Scale 4, Restructured Clinical Scale 4 (RC4), Content Scale Antisocial Practices (ASP), and Personality Psychopathology Five Scale Disconstraint (DISC). Comparisons of the empirical correlates of these scales were conducted with 2 samples of participants evaluated at a criminal court clinic. The 2 samples included 59 men and 19 women and 913 men and 327 women, respectively. Two types of criteria (clinician ratings and archival record review) were utilized in the analyses. Relative to Clinical Scale 4, RC4 had significantly greater convergent validity in predicting psychopathy as measured by the Psychopathy Checklist--Screening Version (S. D. Hart, D. N. Cox, & R. D. Hare, 1995) and behavioral criteria associated with this construct. RC4 also showed substantially improved discriminant validity when compared with its Clinical Scale counterpart. Among all the MMPI-2 scales studied, RC4 was the best measure of the social deviance traits of psychopathy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of sex, estrous cycle, and drug-onset age on cocaine self-administration in rats (Rattus norvegicus).

The influence of sex, phase of the estrous cycle, and age of drug onset on cocaine self-administration was examined. Adult male, adult female, and adolescent male rats (Rattus norvegicus) were evaluated using low fixed-ratio (FR) schedules of drug delivery with a single fixed cocaine unit dose or a range of cocaine unit doses with a single FR schedule. Sex differences in adults were observed for mg/kg consumption of the 3.0-mg/kg unit dose, with consumption being significantly less in estrus females than in males. Over the estrous cycle, mg/kg consumption of this unit dose was significantly less during estrus than during metestrus-diestrus. Differences due to age of drug onset were also observed, with mg/kg consumption of the 3.0-mg/kg unit dose being significantly less in adolescent males than adult males or adult females during metestrus-diestrus. In contrast, these various groups did not have significantly different mg/kg intakes of cocaine unit doses     

An operational tool to quality control 2D radar reflectivity data for assimilation in COSMO-DE

An operational tool has been designed to enhance the quality of 2D radar reflectivity data for assimilation in COSMO-DE within the German Weather Service (DWD). This article describes the operational algorithms including their testing, the creation of local and composite quality-index fields and their application to improve data assimilation. In the first step, algorithms have been developed and tested to define and identify some of the most severe errors in radar data: corrupt images, low-reflectivity phenomena, which occur under special meteorological conditions, spokes, rings and clutter remnants/speckles. The algorithms use simple but effective tests based on statistical and textural characteristics of spurious signals. The results are stored in an 8-bit quality-index field created concurrently with the radar data at each radar station. It contains quality flags for each individual range bin plus some header information on the overall quality of the underlying data set. The independent coding of error bits enables a differentiated a posteriori decision on whether a range bin is to be used for a given application. These local quality index fields are then used to create a radar precipitation composite, accompanied by a quality-index composite, covering Germany. This tool has now been applied operationally throughout the German radar network. As a result, the radar data quality in data assimilation could be increased.     

Lexical and nonlexical phonological priming in reading aloud.

Five homophone priming experiments were reported in which the lexicality of primes and targets were varied, so that primes and targets were either nonword homophones (keff-keph), word homophones (brake-break), pseudohomophones (brayk-braik), or of mixed lexicality (brake-brayk and brayk-break). Results showed that naming of targets was facilitated by a phonologically identical prime only when a word was in the prime-target pairing. Simulations of these data using the dual-route cascaded model of reading (e.g., M. Coltheart, B. Curtis, P. Atkins, & M. Haller, 1993) were also reported. These results are evidence against the view that there is a critical early stage in the process of visual word recognition in which words are represented in purely phonological form, and they are evidence for the view that knowledge of orthography and phonology is represented locally in the reading system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Voces abriendo caminos (voices foraging paths): A qualitative study of the career development of notable Latinas.

This study used qualitative methodology to investigate the career development of 20 notable Latinas. The emergent theory proposed that Latina career development is influenced by sociopolitical, cultural, contextual, and personal variables. Results suggested that (a) career paths tended to be unplanned and nonlinear; (b) background variables, socioeconornic status, and educational experiences influenced the participants' sense of self and career motivation; (c) family, culture, and cultural identity werr influential; (d) relational support systems, particularly those that involved extended family, spouses, and mentors, were important; and (e) the participants' optimism, persistence, passion, and capacity for cognitive reframing helped them cope with challenges and remain true to their values, beliefs, and sense of self. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Menstrual cycle, beta-endorphins, and pain sensitivity in premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

This study examined pain sensitivity and pain modularity mechanisms (e.g., beta-endorphin levels, blood pressure) in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD; n=27) and healthy controls (n=27) during the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. Physiological measures were taken during rest and ischemic pain testing. In both cycle phases, PMDD women (a) displayed lower resting cortisol and beta-endorphin levels and (b) exhibited shorter pain threshold and tolerance times and greater pain unpleasantness ratings during pain. PMDD women also reported greater pain unpleasantness and intensity and had lower beta-endorphin levels in their luteal phase and tended to display higher blood pressure levels at rest and during pain testing. Results suggest that endogenous opioids may be pathophysiologically relevant to PMDD and that the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis may modulate pain sensitivity in PMDD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

School psychology graduate training: A comprehensive analysis.

Describes a comprehensive study of the nature of graduate training in school psychology. A historical perspective is presented. Demographic information on current trends in school psychology training at the master's, specialist, and doctoral levels is provided. A discriminant analysis of the curriculum for doctoral, master's, and specialist programs at 211 institutions is examined, and conclusions are drawn with regard to the relation between the content at these 2 levels of training. It is concluded that school psychology training has advanced significantly in the past 10 yrs and is moving gradually to the doctoral level. A discussion of the implications of these data for professional psychology is provided. Suggestions are made for organizational changes that will facilitate the accreditation of school psychology programs and ameliorate the historical concern regarding the appropriate entry level for practice. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effortful control in early childhood: Continuity and change, antecedents, and implications for social development.

The course, antecedents, and implications for social development of effortful control were examined in this comprehensive longitudinal study. Behavioral multitask batteries and parental ratings assessed effortful control at 22 and 33 months (N?=?106). Effortful control functions encompassed delaying, slowing down motor activity, suppressing/initiating activity to signal, effortful attention, and lowering voice. Between 22 and 33 months, effortful control improved considerably, its coherence increased, it was stable, and it was higher for girls. Behavioral and parent-rated measures converged. Children"s focused attention at 9 months, mothers" responsiveness at 22 months, and mothers" self-reported socialization level all predicted children"s greater effortful control. Effortful control had implications for concurrent social development. Greater effortful control at 22 months was linked to more regulated anger, and at 33 months, to more regulated anger and joy and to stronger restraint. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Context and spoken word recognition in a novel lexicon.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 35(1) of Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition (see record 2008-18581-022). Figure 9 was inadvertently duplicated as Figure 10. Figure 9 in the original article was correct. The correct Figure 10 is provided.] Three eye movement studies with novel lexicons investigated the role of semantic context in spoken word recognition, contrasting 3 models: restrictive access, access-selection, and continuous integration. Actions directed at novel shapes caused changes in motion (e.g., looming, spinning) or state (e.g., color, texture). Across the experiments, novel names for the actions and the shapes varied in frequency, cohort density, and whether the cohorts referred to actions (Experiment 1) or shapes with action-congruent or action-incongruent affordances (Experiments 2 and 3). Experiment 1 demonstrated effects of frequency and cohort competition from both displayed and non-displayed competitors. In Experiment 2, a biasing context induced an increase in anticipatory eye movements to congruent referents and reduced the probability of looks to incongruent cohorts, without the delay predicted by access-selection models. In Experiment 3, context did not reduce competition from non-displayed incompatible neighbors as predicted by restrictive access models. The authors conclude that the results are most consistent with continuous integration models. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)