Perceived parental characteristics, locus of control orientation, and behavioral correlates of locus of control.

Attempted to ascertain perceived parental behavior associated with locus of control orientation. 112 high school seniors (58 males and 54 females) completed the Nowicki-Strickland Personal Reaction Survey and the Parent-Child Interaction Rating Scale. Generally, perceived paternal nurturance was associated with female internality, and perceived maternal nurturance was associated with male internality. All Ss perceived parents as having a similar locus of control orientation. In Phase 2 of the study, behavior associated with Ss' locus of control and perceived parental locus of control orientation was investigated. Ss' expressed internality was associated with higher achievement for males and with greater social involvement for females. Perceived paternal internality was significantly associated with greater female achievement. Results are discussed in terms of social learning and cultural role-expectancy theory. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Surveying psychology's public image.

Psychologists have been interested in their public image since the organization of the American Psychological Association nearly 100 yrs ago. Yet formal surveys of the public's opinions about and understanding of psychology are more recent, dating from the 1940's. The published and unpublished surveys of psychology's public image to date are reviewed, and data from a recent telephone survey of 201 respondents (aged 18+ yrs) in 4 metropolitan areas are presented. Like earlier surveys, results of the present survey show that most people hold generally favorable attitudes toward psychology but are only marginally sophisticated in their understanding of the field. Specifically, the public is somewhat aware of both the scientific and clinical endeavors of psychologists. However, the public has virtually no understanding of the impact of psychology on their lives. These findings are compared with earlier findings. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Microbiological deterioration of rubbers and plastics

The effects of micro-organisms on rubbers and plastics are reviewed, with reference to the chemical nature of the polymers and their possible additives. The confused and sometimes contradictory nature of the evidence is indicated, and it is concluded that both synthetic and naturally-occurring polymers are attacked but it is not possible at this stage to say which chemical groups in each polymer are susceptible.     

Locus of control for affiliation and behavior in social interactions.

In 2 studies, 106 undergraduates completed the Multidimensional–Multiattributional Causality Scale and were observed as they discussed their experiences with each other after having viewed a stressful film. In the 1st study, listening behavior was used as an indication of social skill and responsiveness. As had been found in earlier studies, internals for affiliation (Ss who attribute social consequences to internal characteristics) were more attentive listeners than were externals for affiliation (those who attribute social outcomes to external characteristics). In the 2nd study, several interaction variables were observed and a composite index of social skill was created from them. Again, those who were internal for affiliation proved to be the more skilled social interactors. In contrast, locus of control for achievement proved to be less strongly related to the social criteria in both studies. Results support the hypothesized connection between affiliation locus of control, social sensitivity, and social skill. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Semi-parametric Estimation for Selecting Optimal Threshold of Extreme Rainfall Events

The two primary approaches of extreme events analysis are annual maximum series (AMS), which fits Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution to the yearly peaks of events in the observation period, and partial duration series (PDS), which fits Generalized Pareto (GP) distribution to the peaks of events that exceed a given threshold. The PDS is able to reduce sampling uncertainty and is more useful in dealing with extreme values and asymmetries in the tails, but the optimal threshold is required. The objective of this study is to compare and determine the best method for selecting the optimal threshold of PDS using the hourly, 12-h and 24-h aggregated data of rainfall time series in Peninsular Malaysia. The choice of the threshold, or the number of largest order statistics, can be estimated by the parameters of extreme events. In this study, thirteen semi-parametric estimators are considered and applied to estimate the shape parameter or extreme value index (EVI). A semi-parametric bootstrap is then used to estimate the mean square error (MSE) of the estimator at each threshold and the optimal threshold is selected based on the smallest MSE. Based on the smallest MSE, the majority of stations and data durations favor the Adapted Hill estimator, followed by the QQ, Hill and Moment Ratio 1 estimators. Therefore, this study proves that the application of different estimators on real data may result in different optimal values of threshold and the choice of the best method is very much data-dependent.     

Effect of clay modifier and matrix molar mass on the structure and properties of poly(ethylene oxide)/Cloisite nanocomposites via melt-compounding

The present study is concerned with the preparation and characterisation of PEO/clay nanocomposites via melt-extrusion. Two different matrix molar masses of PEO were investigated as well as various types of the Cloisite clay range. PEO/Cloisite Na⁺ nanocomposites give rise to intercalated structures displaying only a moderate improvement of the mechanical properties at higher clay concentrations, regardless of the matrix molar mass. The chemical nature of the organic modifier was proven to be detrimental for the final nanocomposite structure and resulting mechanical properties. PEO nanocomposites based on the Cloisite 30B clay, incorporating a polar modifier, give rise to exfoliated structures. They display a strongly increased storage modulus, regardless of the matrix molar mass. The structural organisation of the nanocomposites based on Cloisite 20A, containing an apolar modifier, is very dependent on the matrix molar mass. An exfoliated structure can only be achieved upon melt mixing with a high molar mass PEO. In general, the mechanical properties of the nanocomposites based on the high molar mass PEO matrix are slightly superior. The thermal properties are also distinctly influenced by the addition of clay, although the actual structural organisation of the nanocomposite is proven to be less important. The melt temperature, as well as the crystallinity, decreases upon the addition of clay, especially for the low molar mass PEO matrix. The decomposition temperature shows a slight increase upon the addition of clay, especially for the Cloisite 30B nanocomposites.     

Human performance in a multiple-task environment: Effects of automation reliability on visual attention allocation

Diagnostic automation has been posited to alleviate the high demands of multiple-task environments; however, mixed effects have been found pertaining to performance aid success. To better understand these effects, attention allocation must be studied directly. We developed a multiple-task environment to study the effects of automation on visual attention. Participants interacted with a system providing varying levels of automation and automation reliability and then were transferred to a system with no support. Attention allocation was measured by tracking the number of times each task was viewed. We found that participants receiving automation allocated their time according to the task frequency and that tasks that benefited most from automation were most harmed when it was removed. The results suggest that the degree to which automation affects multiple-task performance is dependent on the relative attributes of the tasks involved. Moreover, there is an inverse relationship between support and cost when automation fails.