Effect of delayed auditory feedback on process and reactive schizophrenic subjects.

A group of 20 male process schizophrenic, 20 male reactive schizophrenic, and 20 normal Ss read a passage aloud under delayed auditory feedback. S grouping, length of hospitalization, age, education, reading speed, and audiometric variables were controlled. It was theorized that normal Ss would be most affected by delayed auditory feedback, followed by reactive and then process Ss. Results do not support this hypothesis; after covarying for control reading time, the effect of diagnostic group disappeared. However, post hoc analysis revealed a subgroup of process patients more influenced by delayed auditory feedback than all other Ss. They were older, had shorter hospitalization, more education, lower control reading times, and higher process-reactive scores than the remaining process Ss. These patients are thought to constitute an "intermediate" schizophrenic group in their social organization and psychotic symptomatology. Thus, it is speculated that delayed auditory feedback could tap interactions between sensory and social variables in certain subsets of the schizophrenic population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A Covariance Structure Analysis of Employees' Response to Performance Feedback.

This longitudinal study used D. R. Ilgen, C. D. Fisher, and M. S. Taylor's (1979) feedback process model as a theoretical framework to determine whether a sequential chain of cognitive variables mediates an individual's response to performance feedback. One hundred two employees were surveyed 2 weeks after their performance appraisal, and performance was assessed 11 months later at the end of the review cycle. Covariance structure analysis supported the convergent and discriminant validity of the constructs underlying the model and the constellation of structural relationships. A set of cognitive variables was found to completely mediate the relationship between an individual's receipt and response to feedback. Implications for the feedback process and future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Supervisory-type feedback effects: Feedback discrepancy level, trainee psychological differentiation, and immediate responses.

A study was conducted to examine the relationship of 2 variables: (a) a counselor trainee's level of psychological differentiation, and (b) the type of supervisory feedback he or she receives to the trainee's postfeedback agreement, recall, and content evaluation reactions on rating scale measures. 108 counselor trainees, identified as high, moderate, or low on a measure of field dependence–independence, were exposed to 1 of 4 gradations of bogus supervisory feedback, which was experimentally varied from Ss' pretreatment ratings of expected feedback. Field-independent trainees agreed more and evaluated the feedback content more positively than field-dependent trainees. Significantly greater agreement, more positive content evaluation, and more accurate recall were elicited by positive and congruent feedback than by moderate and extreme negative feedback. Based on significant main and interaction effects, the importance for counselor education and supervision of variables such as psychological differentiation, individually determined expectancies, and magnitude and direction of discrepant feedback is discussed. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Further investigation of the self-presentation hypothesis.

Discusses A. Fontana, E. Klein, E. Lewis, and L. Levine's data supporting their self-presentation hypothesis which maintains that "mental illness" is not an illness at all but a socially undesirable mode of behavior. Several methodological problems in the study are noted. A more reliable means of selecting healthy and sick presenters, as well as a 2 (healthy vs. sick presenter) * 2 (anticipation vs. no anticipation of evaluative feedback) * 3 (positive, negative, no feedback) design, was used in a study with 84 male schizophrenics. A critical mode of self-presentation by feedback interaction predicted by the self-presentation hypothesis was not found. The dependent measure was postscores minus prescores on the WAIS Digit Symbol tests. It is concluded that, at best, self-presentation effects are weak and unobserved by the current investigators (Beta error), or at worst the result of extraneous sources of variation. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Invariance in measurement and prediction: Their relationship in the single-factor case.

Two forms of bias in psychological measurement are often distinguished. Predictive bias concerns systematic inaccuracies in predictions based on a test. Measurement bias concerns systematic inaccuracies in the information provided by a test about the latent variable or variables to be measured. Although both forms of bias are important, their relationship has not been clearly described in the literature. Their relationship is here described under a single-factor model for the predictor battery and the criterion. Several theorems establish the general inconsistency between factorial invariance and slope invariance (i.e., invariance of regression slopes). Predictor-criterion sets that are factorially invariant are not slope invariant under realistic conditions. The implications of this inconsistency for research on Spearman's "g" in employment testing, and for the general study of test bias, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Managing motivation: The impact of supervisor feedback on subordinate task interest.

Examined with 64 male and 48 female undergraduates the determinants and consequences of the performance feedback given in an experimentally created supervisor–subordinate work relationship. Subordinates worked on a series of hidden-figure puzzles and received periodic performance feedback from their supervisors. Two dimensions of the supervisors' feedback were assessed: (1) the amount of competence information it contained and (2) the degree to which it was given in a controlling manner. Two situational variables hypothesized to affect these feedback dimensions were manipulated: (1) whether or not the supervisors administered rewards for good performance to their subordinates and (2) whether or not the supervisors were themselves rewarded for maintaining their subordinates' task enjoyment. The impact of the supervisors' feedback on the subordinates' self-perceived competence and task enjoyment was also assessed. A path analytic process analysis revealed that both feedback dimensions were affected by the manipulated situational variables and that both dimensions were in turn related to the subordinates' self-perceived competence. However, the controlling behavior was positively related to self-perceived competence only in the subordinate not rewarded conditions, suggesting an important boundary restriction. The subordinates' self-perceived competence was the sole factor directly related to their task enjoyment. Results are interpreted in terms of theories of intrinsic motivation. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of sham feedback following successful SMR training in an epileptic: follow-up study

After 1 year of SMR biofeedback training of a severe epileptic teenage male, incidence of atonic seizures decreased from 8/hr to less than 1/3 hr. SMR increased from 10% to 70%. Epileptiform discharges decreased from 45% to 15%. Unknown to the patient, his family, or certain members of our research staff, noncontingent feedback was introduced on 7/22/74, ending 9/11/74. A significant decrease occurred for SMR (down 8%), and a significant increase for epileptiform discharges (up 4%). Rate of seizures increased, but was not statistically significant over preceding months of contingent feedback. Incidence of seizures associated with urine loss increased from approximately 6/month to 23/month during noncontingent feedback, a significant increase. Urine-loss results suggest that although seizures did not become more frequent, those the patient did experience were "harder," i.e., more severe. Contingent feedback was reinstituted following the 7-wk sham, and recovery of all variables to their former levels (prior to sham) occurred.     

Clarification of Cliff and Caruso (1998).

Comments on the article by N. Cliff and J. Caruso (see record 1998-10231-002) which proposed reliable component analysis as an alternative to principal-components analysis for situations in which the reliabilities of the variables are known. The present author clarifies that it is the sum of the reliabilities of the components that remains invariant under rotation in reliable component analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparative effects of personal and situational influences on job outcomes of new professionals.

We investigated the relative and combined effects of personal and situational variables on job outcomes of new professionals. The personal variables were cognitive ability, socioeconomic status, and career goals; the situational variables were job feedback, autonomy, and job context. Data were collected at two times from 280 newly hired, entry-level accountants at "Big Eight" firms. Both personal and situational variables predict job outcomes, but their relative influence depends on the outcome measure. Situational variables account for the most variance in job performance, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment; personal variables account for the most variance in promotability, internal work motivation, and turnover. The findings indicate that job performance does not take care of itself by selecting bright people, but requires constant vigilance and effective systems. The results also suggest that a given result can be achieved through a variety of behavioral science interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Allocentric spatial and tactile memory impairments in rats with dorsal caudate lesions are affected by preoperative behavioral training.

Rats with caudate lesions and pretrained for 36 trials demonstrated impaired performance on the "reference memory" or invariant aspect of a 12-arm maze and normal performance on the "working memory" or variable aspect of the maze. Rats with caudate lesions and no pretraining were also impaired on an invariant tactile discrimination in a T maze, but they were not impaired on the variable goal-arm choice of the T maze. More extensive preoperative training ameliorated behavioral deficits of rats with caudate lesions in the T maze and radial arm maze. Results showed that behavioral impairment after damage to the caudate is not restricted to egocentric tasks as previously suggested, but the caudate seems to be involved in the initial acquisition that is invariant over many trials. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The role of social support in adherence to stressful decisions.

Describes a program of research on the conditions under which a supportive counselor can help people to arrive at and adhere to stressful decisions, especially those pertaining to health practices such as reducing cigarette smoking or overeating. The hypotheses investigated derive from analysis of critical phases in an effective helping relationship. These involve (1) acquiring motivational power as a significant "reference person" by becoming a dependable enhancer of the client's self-esteem, (2) avoiding impairment of the supportive relationship when making recommendations the client may perceive as demands entailing contingent acceptance and rejection, and (3) counteracting the client's disappointment and resentment when direct contact with the supportive helper is terminated. Investigation of variables specified for the 1st phase of a successful supportive relationship tended to confirm the following 2 hypotheses. Adherence to the counselor's recommendations is significantly increased if the counselor (1) gives consistently positive feedback conveying acceptance, and (2) elicits a moderate level of self-disclosure rather than a very low or a very high level. Preliminary results for certain variables for the 2nd and 3rd phases, such as building confidence about succeeding without the continued aid of the counselor, appear to be sufficiently promising to warrant full-scale field experiments. (74 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Detection of EEG abnormalities with feedback stimulation

A feedback method for testing the reactivity of the occipital-parietal EEG in selected brain-lesioned patients revealed abnormalities of (a) insufficient reactivity, (b) bilateral differences in reactivity, and (3) asynchrony. These abnormalities were more evident during feedback stimulation than in the baseline conditions. The utility of feedback method for detecting EEG abnormalities rests on the increased stability or decreased "noisy" variation in the EEG during feedback. The EEG becomes more predictable even to the "on-line" human observer. This makes it easier to detect aberrations or deviations from normal effects. Some effects can only be seen with feedback such as the bilateral differences which occur when the left side controls the feedback compared to when the right side controls it. The results show that feedback EEG is a useful tool in clinical research and indicate that a clinical diagnostic test could be developed with more research. However, the feedback EEG method is not yet a proven diagnostic technique.     

Effects of verbal evaluation feedback and interpersonal distance on behavioral compliance.

80 female clients were individually interviewed in the context of a weight-reduction clinic. In a 2 * 2 factorial design, a counselor offered either accepting or neutral verbal feedback for a client's self-disclosures and sat either at a "personal" or "social" distance from the client. A significant interaction was obtained, which showed that physical proximity strengthened adherence to a counselor's dieting recommendations when accepting feedback was offered and lowered compliance when neutral feedback was expressed. Results are discussed in terms of the notion of consistency in communicative channels. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cue discovery in probabilistic environments: Uncertainty and experimentation.

It is argued that cue discovery is an important part of the task of learning from experience in probabilistic environments. Cue discovery involves the identification of new valid predictive cues, and their incorporation into the learner's mental model. In contrast, previous work in "multiple-cue probability learning" has focused principally on learning the quantitative characteristics of given cue–criterion relations. In two studies presented here, 36 college students learned to predict the behavior of a computer-controlled graphic display. The criterion behavior was a function of four to six cues, including several not explicitly identified. Analyses of test results, verbal reports, and behavior during learning indicate that subjects used outcome feedback to accomplish cue discovery. This process was accomplished more effectively when subjects were permitted to experiment by designing their own learning experiences. A distinction is drawn between a system whose behavior is unpredictable because of the presence of unknown controlling variables, and one that contains "random" error. Cue discovery may be more difficult in the latter case, but is accomplished nonetheless. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Direct learning in dynamic touch.

A dynamic touch paradigm in which participants judged the lengths of rods and pipes was used to test the D. M. Jacobs and C. F. Michaels (2007) theory of perceptual learning. The theory portrays perception as the exploitation of a locus on an information manifold and learning as continuous movement across that manifold to a new locus, as guided by information available in feedback. The information manifold was defined as a 1-dimensional space of inertial variables. To encourage maximal learning, a 2-step procedure was used in each of 2 experiments. Each step comprised a pretest to identify the starting locus on the information manifold, a practice phase in which feedback specifying the optimal locus was given, and a posttest in which the ending locus on the manifold was identified. In the 2nd step, a different feedback variable specified a different optimum. In both experiments, participants, who sometimes began at different loci, showed the predicted movement toward the optimum in each phase. Whereas previous applications of the theory posit the existence of information-for-learning without identifying a candidate variable, such a candidate is identified. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evolution and "evolutionary behavorism": Comment.

Comments on W. R. Woodward's (see record 1982-30310-001) article on the discovery of social behaviorism and social learning theory from 1870 through 1980. The article suggests that within several concepts that are related to social behaviorism and social learning theory, the same "discovery" has been made to account for an important part of behavioral variance. This involves a functional feedback model with internal variables and some kind of selection via symbolic processes that are termed "evolutionary." The present author raises concern for Woodward's use of the biological evolutionary theory in this context. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What the tongue tells the brain.

Review of the literature indicates that speech is controlled by an intricate closed-loop feedback system. To bring about feedback control of the speech musculature, the higher neural centers should be kept constantly aware of (a) spatial position, (b) direction of movement, and (c) rate of movement of the articulators. The feedback mechanisms existing within the tongue that can mediate such dynamic space-time information are described. The unique 3-dimensional arrangement of the lingual muscle-spindle network is structurally organized to operate as a built-in geometric reference system. This network is capable of signaling higher brain centers as to the changing length, position, and rate of movement of the tongue during the articulatory motions of human speech. The short-latency, cervical dorsal root pathway conducting hypoglossal afferent information is described as well as the cortical projections of this complex rapidly-acting feedback system. The implications of these neurophysiological findings support a phonetic target-oriented theory of speech production. Neural receptors provide essential information regarding the moment-to-moment state of the speech system so that relatively invariant ends can be achieved despite the mechanical phonetic variability characterizing coarticulation. (58 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Industrial safety hazard reduction through performance feedback

A "feedback package" system, designed to prevent occupational accidents and to fit directly into the normal operations of an industrial organization, was analyzed. Eighteen hazardous conditions in six production departments were assessed during seven observation sessions over a 12-week period, plus four follow-up observations over 4 months. The "feedback package" was presented in multiple baseline fashion, across subjects (department supervisors). It consisted of presenting the supervisor with copies of observational data, accompanied by a note which congratulated good practices and suggested ways for improving safety conditions, along with occasional comments from a senior executive. The results indicated that during the feedback phase, hazard rates were lower and less variable than during the baseline phase. Baseline data were highly variable with peaks ranging from 20 to 55 hazards per department. Following intervention, hazard frequencies dropped by 60%, averaged across departments, with decreases ranging from 29% to 88%. During treatment, data stabilized, with the highest frequency reaching 33. A modified feedback system was implemented by the organization following termination of the study, validating the assumption that such a system would tend to maintain.