Intellectual styles: A comparison of factor structures in gifted and average children and adolescents.

Describes and compares structures of intellectual activity in gifted and average children, as found in 2 studies. In Study 1, 307 gifted and 192 average children in Grades 5–10 gave self-reports about their curiosity and about their frequency of and attitudes toward daydreaming. Demographic information and IQ scores were obtained from school records. The intercorrelations of these variables were factor analyzed for the gifted and average groups separately. Results indicated the presence of independent intellectual power (general intelligence) and intellectual style (daydreaming and curiosity) factors in each group. Comparisons of the analyses indicate considerable similarity in the structures of intellectual style in the gifted and average groups. These results were cross-validated in Study 2, dealing with self-reported daydreaming in 98 gifted and 105 average children in Grades 9–12. (13 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anterior thalamic lesions and neuronal activity in the cingulate and retrosplenial cortices during discriminative avoidance behavior in rabbits.

Bilateral electrolytic lesions of the anteroventral nucleus of the thalamus given after training impaired retention performance (extinction and reacquisition) of 12 male New Zealand White rabbits in a differential avoidance conditioning task. In addition, the lesions abolished the excitatory, discriminative multiple-unit discharges that had developed in the cingulate and retrosplenial cortices to the auditory CSs during the course of behavioral acquisition, prior to the induction of the lesions. The excitatory discharges were supplanted in the Ss with lesions by CS-elicited reduction of neuronal firing to levels below the prestimulus baseline. Lesions given to 8 Ss before training did not disrupt behavioral acquisition, but they did eliminate the excitatory tone-elicited neuronal discharges that normally occur in the cortex before and during training. The CS-elicited reduction of neuronal firing did not occur at the beginning of training in the Ss given lesions before training, but it developed during the course of training. The lesions did not eliminate the excitatory and discriminative neuronal activity of the prefrontal cortex. Results demonstrate the excitatory and discriminative neuronal discharges in the cingulate and retrosplenial cortices are critically dependent on the connections of these areas with the anterior thalamic nuclei. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Third-party payment and national health insurance: An update on psychology's efforts toward inclusion.

The interprofessional rivalry between psychologists and psychiatrists is currently focused on the inclusion of psychologists as primary service providers in existing third-party reimbursement programs and national health insurance. Included is an examination of both sides' basic arguments regarding training and competence and of clinical psychology's progress in its quest for parity under the national health insurance umbrella. Stumbling blocks contributing to the current malaise are discussed. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Importance of contrast effects in employment interviews.

Examined contrast effects by having 80 students watch 3 videotaped interviews of job applicants and rate them in terms of their job qualifications. 2 videotapes were used to establish a frame of reference; ratings of the 3rd were evaluated for contrast effects. It was found that contrast effects were statistically significant, but they accounted for a small part of the total variance in ratings when high- or low-suitability applicants were seen in the 3rd position. When an average applicant was preceded by 2 high- or 2 low-suitability applicants, however, contrast effects accounted for a substantial part (80%) of the total variance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental changes in knowledge about different retrieval problems.

Conducted 2 experiments to examine developmental changes from middle childhood to adolescence in metaretrieval plans offered to solve different retrieval problems. In each experiment, 80 children in Grades 3, 5, 7, and 9 made judgments about 2 problems that were more or less external or internal . The spontaneous responses from Exp I revealed an age increase in the number of different ideas generated for the internal problem and an age increase in the number of children who recommended the highly general strategy of retracing one's steps for retrieval. The forced-choice judgments in Exp II revealed the perception that the internal problem is more difficult than the external one and some discrepancy between the "best" strategy most often chosen for each retrieval problem (Exp II) and the strategy most frequently mentioned (Exp I). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Scotopic sensitivity in coyotes (Canis latrans).

The absolute scotopic limen for light intensity was measured for three 10-mo-old female coyotes. The methodology was similar to that used by Blough in determining psychophysical thresholds in pigeons. Three coyotes were operantly conditioned to depress one of two foot treadles, left or right, depending on the condition of the stimulus light. Scotopic adaptation curves for each coyote were generated. Nonlinear regression curves were then fitted to the raw data. The mean scotopic thresholds did not differ significantly. However, time to the curves' asymptotes did differ significantly for one of the coyotes. The adaptation curves showed a distinct rod-cone "break," and retinal histology confirmed that the coyote has a duplex retina with a preponderance of rods. In addition, electroretinographic analysis showed the relative contributions of rods and cones at various light intensities and indicated a rod-cone break at approximately 15 min. Scotopic spectral sensitivity curves were also generated. The coyotes' scotopic visual threshold is exceeded by the natural illumination available under many nocturnal conditions. The results are discussed in relation to the ecology of the species. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dissociation of long-term analgesia and the shuttle box escape deficit caused by inescapable shock.

Previous studies indicate that inescapably shocked rats perform poorly on a 2-way shuttlebox escape task 24 hrs after shock. Because inescapably shocked rats become analgesic upon reexposure to a small amount of shock 24 hrs after inescapable shock (IS), they are likely to be analgesic during the shuttlebox escape task. Ss receiving an equivalent amount of escapable shock display neither the escape deficit nor the analgesia. Both the analgesia and the escape deficit respond in a similar fashion to the manipulation of a variety of other variables. These findings have led to the suggestion that the analgesia (long-term analgesia) may cause the IS-produced escape deficit. However, the present 2 experiments with 72 male albino rats demonstrated that 2 pituitary manipulations that completely eliminate the analgesia have no effect on the escape deficit. Both hypophysectomy and dexamethasone administration blocked the analgesic consequences of IS but did not reduce the magnitude of the escape deficit. Therefore, the long-term analgesia produced by IS does not cause the deficit in shuttlebox escape performance displayed by inescapably shocked rats. Results indicate that the pituitary is not essential in the production of this escape deficit. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Vector performance estimation for Cray X-MP/Y-MP supercomputers,part 2

The conventional method of assessing supercomputer performance by measuring the execution time of software has many shortcomings. First, effort is required to write and debug the software. Second, time on the machine is required, and additional effort is needed to verify the validity of the test. Third, alterations to the algorithm require changing the code and retiming. Fourth, a black box approach to determining machine performance leaves the user with little confidence in how well the software was optimized. We present a pencil and paper methodology for computing the execution time of vectorized loops on a Cray Research X-MP/Y-MP. With this methodology a user can accurately compute the processing rate of an algorithm before the software is actually written. When several implementations of an algorithm are designed, this methodology can be used to select the best one for development, preventing wasted coding effort on less efficient implementations. Since this methodology computes optimal machine performance, it can be used to verify the efficiency of compiler translation. Changes to algorithms are easily appraised to determine their effect on performance. While the purpose of the methodology is to compute an algorithm's execution time, a side benefit is that this technique induces the user to think in terms of optimization. Bottlenecks in the code are pinpointed, and possible options for increased performance become obvious. At E-Systems, this methodology has become an integral part of the software development of vector-intensive code. This article is written specifically for Cray Research X-MP/Y-MP supercomputers, but many of the general concepts are applicable to other machines and therefore should benefit a number of supercomputer users.     

Secondary debris impact damage and environment study

All long-duration spacecraft, such as Space Station Freedom (SSF), are subject to impacts by micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MM/OD) particles in low Earth orbit. The secondary effects of such impacts on SSF was the subject of the Secondary Debris Impact Damage and Environment Study. The primary objective was the assessment of possible damage to SSF hardware in the vicinity of large surface areas impacted by typical MM/OD particles. Several SSF components were evaluated that showed varying degrees of damage due to secondary ejecta. A comparison of the results from 45° and 60° MM/OD impacts revealed that penetration ejecta had greater damage potential at 45° and ricochet ejecta had greater damage potential at 60°. The significant ricochet damage was concentrated within an angle of 15° with respect to the primary target. The impact distribution data was evaluated further using a previous math model. The comparison was inconclusive due to insufficient data within the bounds of the model. Preliminary results of the study showed that secondary debris has the potential to penetrate and induce some damage to SSF hardware. The failure of hardware due to the damage is unknown. Further testing with larger MM/OD particle sizes and varying impact angles is recommended.