Age differences in visual search for compound patterns: Long- versus short-range grouping.

Visual search for compound patterns was examined in observers aged 6, 8, 10, and 22 years. The main question was whether age-related improvement in search rate (response time slope over number of items) was different for patterns defined by short- versus long-range spatial relations. Perceptual access to each type of relation was varied by using elements of same contrast (easy to access) or mixed contrast (hard to access). The results showed large improvements with age in search rate for long-range targets; search rate for short-range targets was fairly constant across age. This pattern held regardless of whether perceptual access to a target was easy or hard, supporting the hypothesis that different processes are involved in perceptual grouping at these two levels. The results also point to important links between ontogenic and microgenic change in perception (H. Werner, 1948, 1957). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Components of line-drawing interpretation: A developmental study.

In 2 experiments, with school-age children and adults, age changes in a line-drawing classification task were explored. Pairs of drawings were presented in Experiment 1. In 1 task, observers indicated whether the drawings were the same or different; in the second, they indicated whether the drawings could be interpreted as parts of the same object. Age differences in response time and accuracy were larger in the second task, pointing to the importance of the interpretation component. In Experiment 2, observers were instructed in 1 of 2 strategies, and the presentation of the 2 drawings was separated by 0–4 s. Instructions to engage in active hypothesis testing improved the performance of younger children more than older children, relative to instructions to simply form clear images of the drawings. Increases in the time interval between drawings made the task more difficult for younger children in both instruction conditions. This implies that younger children were less active in the interval between successive drawings, independent of the specific instructions they were given. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Investigating teamwork and taskwork in single- and multi-display groupware systems

Multi-display groupware (MDG) systems, which typically comprise both public and personal displays, promise to enhance collaboration, yet little is understood about how they differ in use from single-display groupware (SDG) systems. While research has established the technical feasibility of MDG systems, evaluations have not addressed the question of how users’ behave in such environments, how their interface design can impact group behavior, or what advantages they offer for collaboration. This paper presents a user study that investigates the impact of display configuration and software interface design on taskwork and teamwork. Groups of three completed a collaborative optimization task in single- and multi-display environments, under different task interface constraints. Our results suggest that MDG configurations offer advantages for performing individual task duties, whereas SDG conditions offer advantages for coordinating access to shared resources. The results also reveal the importance of ergonomic design considerations when designing co-located groupware systems.     

Section 1: Perception and action.

Introduces the first section of this issue of the Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology. A question often on the minds of Cognitive Neuroscientists these days concerns the relation between perception and action. Those who are outside the field of perception may be excused for thinking that this must have always been so. This section begins with a paper by Flanagan, King, Wolpert, and Johansson examining the role of long-term memories in participants' adaptation to a size-weight illusion. The paper by Glover and Dixon examines the online control of action using a visual illusion in which the orientation of a background grating influences the perceived orientation of a foreground bar that must be grasped by the hand. The paper by Fecteau, Chua, Franks, and Enns is also concerned with the on-line control of action, but this time using a finger pointing task made popular by Goodale and colleagues. The final paper in this section by James, Humphrey, and Goodale comes full circle in that it examines how perception is influenced by action, rather than the other way around. If the four papers included in this section are at all representative of the state of Canadian research on Perception and Action, then the next few years will be interesting and productive ones indeed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The multidimensional structure of perfectionism in clinically distressed and college student samples.

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate 2 multidimensional measures of perfectionism (R. 0 Frost, P. Marten, C. Lahart, & R. Rosenblate, 1990; P. L. Hewitt & G. L. Flett, 1991). On a first-order level, support was found for Hewitt and Flett's (1991) original 3-factor conceptualization of perfectionism, although only for an empirically derived 15-item subset. Support was also obtained for 5 of the 6 dimensions proposed by R. O. Frost et al. (1990), but the model only displayed good fit when a refined scale containing 22 of the original 35 items was used. A second-order analysis found evidence for 2 higher-order factors of adaptive and maladaptive perfectionism. Perfectionism dimensions correlated in expected directions with personality domains, symptom distress, and academic achievement. The brief measures of perfectionism also retained the construct-related validity displayed by the full-item versions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How much like a target can a mask be? Geometric, spatial, and temporal similarity in priming: A reply to Schlaghecken and Eimer (2006).

The authors make 3 points in response to F. Schlaghecken and M. Eimer's (see record 2006-09007-009) proposal of self-inhibition as an explanatory factor in the negative compatibility effect: (a) The self-inhibition hypothesis lacks empirical support for its main tenets; (b) considering the roles of geometric, spatial, and temporal similarity of primes and masks makes self-inhibition unnecessary; and (c) the negative compatibility effect occurs even when the main tenets of self-inhibition are violated. The authors propose that understanding what is "relevant" in a masked-priming task applies not only to geometric features that are shared with the target but to spatial and temporal ones as well. Briefly, target-mask similarity determines how motor preparation is accumulated during the prime-mask sequence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Recommendations for working with domestic violence survivors, with special attention to memory issues and posttraumatic processes.

This article proposes principles for working effectively with survivors of domestic violence. Recommendations are based on a review of the available literature and organized within the following sections: therapist competence, therapeutic framework and relationship, assessment and diagnosis, the structure of the treatment process and relationship, interventions for dealing with posttraumatic reactions, and group interventions. The relevance of the delayed memory debate for domestic violence survivors is also discussed. The complexity of battering dynamics and the need for sensitive, competent treatment of victims are emphasized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Subjective well-being is heritable and genetically correlated with dominance in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

The hypothesis that subjective well-being (SWB) is heritable and genetically correlated with Dominance was tested using 128 zoo chimpanzees. Dominance was a chimpanzee-specific personality factor including items reflecting Extraversion and low Neuroticism. SWB was measured with a 4-item scale. The best behavior genetic model included additive genetic and nonshared environmental effects for SWB and Dominance, marginal maternal effects for SWB, a high genetic correlation, and a low nonshared environmental correlation. Results indicated that the shared variance between SWB and Dominance was a consequence of common genes and that the unique variance between SWB and Dominance was a consequence of the nonshared environment. These findings indicate that common genes may underlie the correlation between human personality factors and SWB. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What can be learned about attention from studying its development?

Suggests the importance of developmental research in evaluating theories of visual attention. Developmental studies can and do provide a unique vantage point from which to assess theories of attention. Three research steps are proposed: (1) theoretically-important differences and similarities between age groups are established, (2) theoretical constructs are mapped in these age differences/similarities, and (3) data are collected to examine the relation between the constructs and age. Several examples of the use of this strategy are summarized. The variable of age is shown to play a role in testing theories of Gestalt grouping, perceptual organization, spatial orienting, and attentional filtering. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)