Making two responses to a single object: Implications for the central attentional bottleneck.

Experiments with 2 stimuli and 2 responses have revealed a central attentional bottleneck and pointed to response selection as its primary locus; however, little has been said about the underlying reasons for this bottleneck. These reasons are explored. In the 1st 3 experiments, Ss made 2 separate responses to different aspects of the same object. Interference between selection of the responses persisted, ruling out the possibility that the dual-task bottleneck is caused by the input to the response-selection mechanisms being limited to one object at a time. The next 4 experiments examined what happens when 2 responses are made to the same attribute of a single object. These experiments show that only one response selection occurred. Hence, the central mechanism is not limited to picking one motor action at a time. Several possible theories about the nature of the bottleneck are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parenting during the second year: effects of children's age, sex, and attachment classification

70 2-parent families with 12-month-old infants and 67 2-parent families with 18-month-old toddlers participated in the study. Mothers and fathers participated in separate interviews and filled out questionnaires on family and child behaviors. Mothers and their children participated in the Ainsworth Strange Situation, and the families were observed for a total of 4 hours in their homes. Families were compared on composite measures of family environment variables, parents' perception of their children, and on process variables from home observations. Family differences in environmental stress and marital adjustment showed no effects for attachment classifications, although parents of 12-month-olds reported greater marital adjustment and more pleasure in parenting than parents of 18-months-olds. Both mothers and fathers reported that children classified as resistant were more difficult on several temperament measures. During home observations, 12-month-old children received more positive responses from mothers, and 18-month-old children received more instructions and directions from both parents. Insecure boys (both avoidant and resistant) received the least instructions and directions from both parents, but insecure-avoidant girls received the most instruction from fathers.     

Chronic stress and coping styles: A comparison of male and female undergraduates.

Male and female coping behaviors were compared in order to test the theory that men use instrumental coping strategies more frequently than women, who are thought to use emotion-focused coping solutions. We interviewed 51 female and 39 male first-year undergraduates by telephone three times a week for 8 weeks, using an inventory developed for 28 chronic stressors. Analyses of variance were used to test gender differences in frequency of daily stressors, concomitant perceptions of stress, and utilization of problem-solving behaviors. The majority of analyses showed no gender differences. The implications of these findings are discussed in light of cultural expectations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Processing of global and local visual information and hemispheric specialization in humans (Homo sapiens) and baboons (Papio papio).

Global precedence was examined in 8 baboons and 14 humans using compound stimuli presented in the left visual hemifield (LVF) or the right visual hemifield (RVF). Humans showed a global advantage and global-to-local interference. Baboons showed a local advantage and no interference. For humans and baboons, a LVF advantage appeared for global matching and an insignificant RVF advantage appeared for local matching. The local advantage in baboons still emerged when the memory load of the task was removed and when the local elements were connected by lines or were adjacent. Moreover, global precedence in humans persisted with unfamiliar forms. Species differences suggest that global precedence is not a universal trait and that this effect in humans does not have a purely perceptual or sensory basis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Gender labeling and the adoption of sex-typed behaviors.

A gender-labeling task was used to test the ability of 21 girls and 22 boys ranging in age from 21 to 40 mo to discriminate between pictures of boys and girls and male and female adults. Ss who passed the gender task (mean age 30 mo) were compared with Ss who failed it (mean age 26 mo) on 3 behaviors most often categorized as sex typed (toy choice, aggression, and peer playmate selection). It was predicted that Ss who passed the task would choose more sex-typed toys and same-sex peers and that there would be a drop in aggression for girls who passed but no change for boys. Results confirm the predictions for aggression and peer choice but not for toy choice. The relation between the child's understanding of gender categories and environmental influences is discussed. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Corrosion of low alloy steel in stagnant artificial or stirred natural seawater: The role of Al and Cr

Carbon steel and low alloy (containing Al and Cr) steel coupons were immersed for 6–7 months in stagnant artificial seawater or in natural marine site. The corrosion processes were studied via the combination of electrochemical techniques and the analysis of corrosion product layers by µ‐Raman spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction. In natural seawater, the low alloy steel showed better resistance to corrosion and the best results were obtained when the mill scale was removed from the steel surface. This shows that improved corrosion resistance is due to a protective layer that forms spontaneously in the environment. In stagnant artificial seawater, the behavior of low alloy steel coupons (without mill scale) was compared with that of carbon steel coupons. The polarization resistance of the carbon steel coupons remained approximately constant over time. The corrosion product layer proved to be mainly composed of magnetite, an electronic conductor that does not hinder oxygen reduction. In contrast, the polarization resistance of the low alloy steel coupons increased with time, as the growing corrosion product layer, enriched with insulating FeOOH compounds, hindered oxygen diffusion.     

Processing of biological motion point-light displays by baboons (Papio papio).

Humans apply complex conceptual judgments to point-light displays (PLDs) representing biological motion (BM), but how animals process this kind of display remains uncertain. Four baboons (Papio papio) were trained to discriminate BM from nonbiological motion PLDs using an operant computerized test system. Transfer tests were given after training with novel BM stimuli representing humans or baboons (Experiment 1), with inverted PLDs (Experiment 2), and with BM stimuli in which body parts had been spatially disorganized (Experiment 3). Very limited transfer was obtained with the novel and inverted displays in Experiments 1 and 2, but transfer was much higher after spatial disorganization in Experiment 3. It is suggested that the baboons did not retrieve and interpret the articulated shape of the human or monkey body from the BM PLD stimuli, but rather focused their attention on the configural properties of subparts of the stimuli. Limits in perceptual grouping and restricted abilities in picture-object equivalence might explain why the baboons did not map BM PLD displays onto what they represent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Making two responses to a single object: Implications for the central attentional bottleneck": Correction.

Reports an error in the original article by C. Fagot and H. Pashler (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1992[Nov], Vol 18[4], 1058–2079). Figures 3 and 7 are in error. The corrected figures are presented. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1993-12299-001.) Experiments with 2 stimuli and 2 responses have revealed a central attentional bottleneck and pointed to response selection as its primary locus; however, little has been said about the underlying reasons for this bottleneck. These reasons are explored. In the 1st 3 experiments, Ss made 2 separate responses to different aspects of the same object. Interference between selection of the responses persisted, ruling out the possibility that the dual-task bottleneck is caused by the input to the response-selection mechanisms being limited to one object at a time. The next 4 experiments examined what happens when 2 responses are made to the same attribute of a single object. These experiments show that only one response selection occurred. Hence, the central mechanism is not limited to picking one motor action at a time. Several possible theories about the nature of the bottleneck are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)