The propensity of the "highly hypnotizable" to act as if highly hypnotizable.

Assessed the tendency of hypnotically suggestible Ss to act as if hypnotically suggestible. 24 high and 24 low suggestible (determined using the Carleton University Responsiveness to Suggestion Scale) psychology students rated the aesthetic attractiveness of geometric figures. Prior to this task, information about how other Ss had rated the figures was provided. In a relevant data condition, information about others' ratings included appraisals apparently made by highly suggestible persons. In an irrelevant data condition, none of the information about others' ratings made reference to hypnotic suggestibility. The tendency to role enact as if highly suggestible was exhibited only within the relevant data condition and only by high suggestibles. Results cannot be explained in terms of hypnotically enhanced compliance because no hypnosis was present when the enactment occurred. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Long-term stability and intercorrelations of cognitive abilities in older persons.

This project studied the intercorrelations and long-term stabilities of standard Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Revised (WAIS—R), Wechsler Memory Scale—Revised (WMS—R), and Auditory–Verbal Learning Test (AVLT) summary indexes. It also reports similar data on the recently published Mayo Cognitive Factor Scales (MCFS), which are derivative indexes for the combined administrations of these 3 tests. These analyses challenge 2 assumptions that most psychologists make when interpreting adult cognitive tests: (a) that for cognitively normal people, performance in one cognitive domain correlates well with and predicts functioning in other cognitive domains, and (b) that in the absence of pathology, cognition is stable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences between persons seeking encounter group experiences and others on the Personal Orientation Inventory.

Administered the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) to 39 male and 40 female undergraduates who participated in encounter groups and 40 male and 44 female undergraduates who declined to participate. Differences discovered were attributable primarily to the more self-actualized nature of the females who sought encounter group experiences. The Sex * Participatory Status interaction was significant for the 2 major POI scales, Time Competent and Inner Directed. Participating females had higher scores on 9 of the 10 minor POI scales, while participating males were lower than each of the other groups on 7 of the scales. It is suggested that females may be more likely to seek novel experiences in a variety of ways and that males may be seeking encounter group experiences because of a deficiency motivation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Nonspatial attentional shifts between audition and vision.

This study investigated nonspatial shifts of attention between visual and auditory modalities. The authors provide evidence that the modality of a stimulus (S?) affected the processing of a subsequent stimulus (S?) depending on whether they shared the same modality. For both vision and audition, the onset of S? summoned attention exogenously to its modality, causing a delay in processing S? in a different modality. That undermines the notion that auditory stimuli have a stronger and more automatic alerting effect than visual stimuli (M. I. Posner, M. J. Nissen, & R. M. Klein, 1976). The results are consistent with other recent studies showing cross-modal attentional limitation. The authors suggest that such cross-modal limitation can be produced by simply presenting S? and S? in different modalities and that central processing mechanisms are also, at least partially, modality dependent. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reality versus suggestion: Pseudomemory in hypnotizable and simulating subjects.

Assigned hypnotizable (N?=?56) and simulating Ss (N?=?44) to 1 of 4 conditions: heard a phone ring and conversation, received a suggestion to hear a phone ring and conversation, received a suggestion and heard a phone ring and conversation, or neither heard a phone ring nor received a suggestion. Hypnotizable Ss successfully discriminated objective events from suggested sources of input. When Ss received a suggestion to hear a phone ring, only 11.5% indicated it actually rang in their open-ended reports; in response to a forced-choice question, none did so. In spontaneous reports, none of the hypnotizable Ss who heard a phone ring indicated it was suggested; only one did so in response to a forced-choice item (vs. 2 simulators). In the no-phone/no-suggestion condition, more simulators than hypnotizable Ss indicated that a phone rang or was suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hypnotically induced pseudomemories: Sampling their conditions among hypnotizable subjects.

Three studies investigated a range of parameters affecting individual differences in the incidence of hypnotically induced pseudomemory among hypnotizable Ss. Study 1 replicated Laurence and Perry's (1983) base rates for hypnotically induced pseudomemory response among hypnotizable subjects; in Study 2 the same response was analyzed under more strictly controlled stimulus conditions. Study 3 was an investigation of the impact of a broader range of stimulus events on response and a more sensitive test of the hypothesis that individual differences in pseudomemory effects are tied essentially to the social context of hypnosis. In all 3 studies, independent groups of Ss were tested who were highly responsive to hypnotic suggestion. Data indicated that the incidence of pseudomemory response was stable and consistent when stringent criteria of scoring were adopted. Also, for some Ss, real and suggested memories were maintained at one and the same time when hypnotically induced memory was examined in different test settings, suggesting that pseudomemories do not permanently overlay real experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences in attentional strategies by novice and experienced operating theatre scrub nurses.

This study investigated the effect of nursing experience on attention allocation and task performance during surgery. The prevention of cases of retained foreign bodies after surgery typically depends on scrub nurses, who are responsible for performing multiple tasks that impose heavy demands on the nurses' cognitive resources. However, the relationship between the level of experiences and attention allocation strategies has not been extensively studied. Eye movement data were collected from 10 novice and 10 experienced scrub nurses in the operating theater for caesarean section surgeries. Visual scanning data, analyzed by dividing the workstation into four main areas and the surgery into four stages, were compared to the optimum expected value estimated by SEEV (Salience, Effort, Expectancy, and Value) model. Both experienced and novice nurses showed significant correlations to the optimal percentage dwell time values, and significant differences were found in attention allocation optimality between experienced and novice nurses, with experienced nurses adhering significantly more to the optimal in the stages of high workload. Experienced nurses spent less time on the final count and encountered fewer interruptions during the count than novices indicating better performance in task management, whereas novice nurses switched attention between areas of interest more than experienced nurses. The results provide empirical evidence of a relationship between the application of optimal visual attention management strategies and performance, opening up possibilities to the development of visual attention and interruption training for better performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Risk-perception: Differences between adolescents and adults.

This study investigated age changes in risk perception and unrealistic optimism. Teenagers (n?=?376) and parents (n?=?160) evaluated the risk of experimental, occasional, and regular involvement in 14 health-related activities (e.g., getting drunk). Respondents also evaluated their comparative chances of encountering the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Compared with adults, teenagers minimized the perceived risk of experimental and occasional involvement in health-threatening activities. Notably, teenagers were less optimistic about avoiding injury and illness than were their parents, and teenagers at greatest risk for such misfortunes were the least optimistic about avoiding them. These findings do not support traditional explanations of adolescent risk taking. The implications of these findings for understanding and preventing health-damaging behavior among adolescents are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences on six Horn abilities for 14 age groups between 15–16 and 75–94 years.

Six abilities derived from Horn's fluid (Gf) and crystallized (Gc) theory were investigated for 1,193 individuals (607 men and 586 women), aged 15-94 years and approximately representative of the U.S. population on ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic variables. Age differences on the Horn abilities were analyzed for separate age groups across this wide age span, both with and without control for education, using multivariate analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis. Results supported Horn's classification of crystallized and quantitative as maintained abilities and of fluid and broad visualization as vulnerable abilities. Short-term acquisition and retrieval, usually interpreted as vulnerable, was maintained through the 60s for the present sample. The patterns of age differences on long-term retrieval tasks were a function of the type of material to be stored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual differences in rates of change in cognitive abilities of older persons.

The authors examined change in cognitive abilities in older Catholic clergy members. For up to 6 years, participants underwent annual clinical evaluations, which included a battery of tests from which summary measures of 7 abilities were derived. On average, decline occurred in each ability and was more rapid in older persons than in younger persons. However, wide individual differences were evident at all ages. Rate of change in a given domain was not strongly related to baseline level of function in that domain but was moderately associated with rates of change in other cognitive domains. The results suggest that change in cognitive function in old age primarily reflects person-specific factors rather than an inevitable developmental process. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between advanced age and mental abilities.

Scores on primary mental abilities, speed, memory, and motor rigidity were obtained from 50 college graduates ranging in age from 70 to 84 years. A cross sectional study demonstrates a differential decline in these abilities with advancing age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Stimulus-driven attentional capture and attentional control settings.

J. Jonides and S. Yantis (1988) found that abrupt-onset singletons capture attention in visual search when onset is orthogonal to the target's defining and reported attributes and that color and brightness singletons do not. They concluded that abrupt onset may be unique in capturing visual attention. C. L. Folk et al (1992) challenge this conclusion and argue that (1) the occurrence of attentional capture is contingent on the adoption of an appropriate attentional control setting by the observer and (2) properties other than onset (in particular, color) can capture attention involuntarily. In this article, each of these claims is critically evaluated, and it is argued that the results by Folk et al, though important, do not definitively corroborate either one. The available evidence concerning stimulus-driven attentional capture is summarized, and 3 empirical generalizations that characterize the evidence are advanced. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between attentional blink and psychological refractory period.

This study examined the relationship between attentional blink (AB) and psychological refractory period (PRP) using a conventional AB procedure combined with a requirement of speeded responses to the second target (T2). Experiments 1 and 2 showed that, as with PRP, memory retrieval of targets is not a necessary condition for the occurrence of AB in terms of accuracy and that AB occurred in the speed data. Experiment 3 further indicated that the PRP-like speed data were not due to the first target serving as a warning signal that triggered preparation of responses to T2. Experiment 4 manipulated T2 stimulus intensity to be normal or low. Results showed an underadditive interaction between stimulus intensity and lag position in the speed data, whereas an overadditive interaction was found in the accuracy data, suggesting 2 sources of interference leading to AB: the single-channel bottleneck and resource-limited visual-processing capacity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multidimensional relations between intellectual abilities and demographic variables.

The standardization sample of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) was the basis for an analysis of the WAIS-R subscales in relation to demographic variables. Canonical correlation with orthogonal rotation of composite structural components was performed in order to determine interrelations between both sets of variables, thereby providing an integrated approach to previous research concerning subtest patterns of ability. A 1st rotated factor indicated a general factor with high loadings on all 11 subscales, education, race, and occupation. This factor represented crystallized intelligence or ability (Cattell, 1943). A 2nd rotated factor indicated a performance factor with loadings on the 5 performance subscales, age, and single marital status. This factor represented fluid intelligence or ability. A 3rd rotated factor revealed a sex-specific or manual dexterity factor for males on the Block Design subtest and being in a skilled worker occupation. The relatively strong relations support the original purposes of the intelligence movement in identifying people likely to be successful in academic pursuits, but the implications for equality of educational opportunity may have been ignored or masked by previous univariate methods. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"The relationship between advanced age and mental abilities": Erratum.

Reports an error in the original article by Charles R. Strother, K. Warner Schaie, and Paul Horst (Journal of Abnormal & Social Psychology, 1957[Sept], 55, 166-170. The cuts for Figs. 1 and 3 were erroneously transposed in printing. The graph labelled Fig. 1 is derived from the data shown in Table 4 and represents the corrected T-score values. The graph labelled Fig. 3 is derived from the data in Table 1 and shows the uncorrected values. (The following abstract of this article originally appeared in record 1959-03294-001). Scores on primary mental abilities, speed, memory, and motor rigidity were obtained from 50 college graduates ranging in age from 70 to 84 years. A cross sectional study demonstrates a differential decline in these abilities with advancing age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between selected cognitive abilities and learning: A second look.

Examined the relationship between learning strategies and cognitive abilities in 3 experiments using a total of 420 3rd-12th graders from rural school as Ss. Ability tests given to Ss included Raven's Progressive Matrices and a digit span test. Based on the argument that such relationships ought to follow predictable and differentiated patterns, different strategy manipulations were used in an attempt to moderate the relationship between reasoning and memory abilities and free recall and paired associate learning. Results suggest that meaningful differential interrelations can be demonstrated as long as the processes and strategies forming the link between learning and ability test performance are both potent and well understood. Implications for future research into the cross-linkages between intelligence and learning tasks are discussed. (38 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the distinction between visual salience and stimulus-driven attentional capture.

It is often assumed that the efficient detection of salient visual objects in search reflects stimulus-driven attentional capture. Evidence for this assumption, however, comes from tasks in which the salient object is task relevant and therefore may elicit a deliberate deployment of attention. In 9 experiments, participants searched for a nonsalient target (vertical among tilted bars). In each display, 1 bar was highly salient in a different dimension (e.g., color or motion). When the target and salient elements coincided only rarely, reducing the incentive to attend deliberately to the salient stimuli, response times depended little on whether the target was salient, although some interesting exceptions were observed. It is concluded that efficient selection of an element in visual search does not constitute evidence that the element captures attention in a purely stimulus-driven fashion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Thurstone's primary mental abilities and structure-of-intellect abilities.

Attempted to find in the factor-analytic investigations of L. L. Thurstone some information concerning factorial intellectual abilities that have unique places in the structure-of-intellect (SI) model, and to determine which SI abilities are represented in Thurstone's Primary Mental Abilities Test (PMA). Although a number of his factors can be cited as probable forecasts of SI abilities, in only 1 or 2 instances was a Thurstone factor clearly representative of a single SI ability, unconfounded with other abilities. This general outcome was largely due to the fact that his analyzed batteries involved too many different SI abilities for which the number and varieties of tests were not adequate. In successive analyses, some of his factors tended to converge in the direction of SI abilities, so that his PMA tests represent 1 SI ability each, with the exception of the Reasoning and Number tests. (28 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differences in coping styles among persons with spinal cord injury: A cluster-analytic approach.

Two subgroups were identified and validated in a group of 53 persons with spinal cord injury by applying cluster-analytic procedures to subjects' self-reported coping and health locus-of-control belief scores. Subjects in Cluster 1 relied extensively on all seven scales of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, had elevated external health attributions, and reported higher levels of psychological distress and depression. Subjects in Cluster 2 emphasized internal health attributions, reported less distress, and relied less on coping methods described in the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. Treatment implications of results for the two subgroups are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selective attention deficits in persons with autism: preliminary evidence of an inefficient attentional lens

A forced-choice reaction time (RT) task was used to assess the filtering component of selective attention in mental-age (MA) matched groups of persons with autism (n = 12), organic mental retardation (n = 32), familial mental retardation (n = 30), and no handicap (n = 34). Conditions varied with regard to the presence or absence of a window and number (zero, two or four) and location of distractors. The RTs of the persons with autism improved relative to the other groups in the presence of the window without distractors, but this effect was negated when distractors were also presented. The performance of the persons with autism was the most impaired in the presence of distractors. These findings represent preliminary behavioral evidence of an inefficient attentional lens among persons with autism.