Showing papers by "Purdue University published in 1971"

Price, brand name, and product composition characteristics as determinants of perceived quality.

Abstract: While price and brand image have both been found to be determiners of product quality perception, the potency of these two cues has never been directly compared. Moreover, those studies which found price to be a determiner of perceived quality manipulated only price information, without permitting actual composition characteristics to vary across brands. A 2X2X2X3 factorial experiment, using 136 adult male beer drinkers, and four test beers, examined the effects of price, composition differences, and brand image cues on the perception of beer quality. Price was found to serve as an indicant of product quality when it was the only cue available but not when embedded in a multicue setting. Brand image had a stronger effect upon quality perception, particularly for brands with strong positive images. In addition, it was found that neither price nor brand name had significant effects on perceived quality except when product composition characteristics were allowed to vary between product samples. Last, in contrast to earlier findings, the data suggest that beer drinkers possess at least some ability to distinguish among different brands of beer on the basis of composition (i.e., taste and aroma) cues alone. As the literature on perceived risk (cf. Cox, 1967) clearly demonstrates, consumer purchase decisions are frequently made under conditions of varying uncertainty regarding the product and its attributes. To reduce such uncertainty, consumers seek and process information regarding the product and generally attempt to form accurate impressions of it. Given that products may be viewed "as an array of cues," the "consumer's task in evaluating a product is to use cues from the array as the basis for making judgments about the product (Cox, 1962, p. 413)." One impression usually of considerable importance to the consumer is the product's (or brand's) quality. Cues relevant to forming impressions of quality include (a) price; (b) product composition characteristics such as taste, aroma, color, style, and size; (c) packaging; (d) brand, manufacturer (i.e., corporate), and store image; (e) advertising; (f) word-ofmouth reports; and (g) past purchase experi

Is There an Optimal Number of Alternatives for Likert Scale Items? Study I: Reliability and Validity:

Abstract: GivEN that rating scales are so widely used in the social sciences, both as research tools and in practical applications, determination of the optimal number of rating categories becomes an important consideration in the construction of such scales. As Garner (1960) pointed out, the basic question is whether for any given rating instrument there is an optimum number of rating categories, or at least a number of rating categories beyond which there is no further improvement in discrimination of the rated items. Garner and Hake

Theoretical analysis of an alphabetic confusion matrix

Abstract: A study was undertaken to acquire a confusion matrix of the entire upper-case English alphabet with a simple nonserifed font under tachistoscopic conditions. This was accomplished with two experimental conditions, one with blank poststimulus field and one with noisy poststimulus field, for six Ss run 650 trials each. Three mathematical models of recognition, two based on the concept of a finite number of sensory states and one being the choice model, were compared in their ability to predict the confusion matrix after their parameters were estimated from functions of the data. In order to ascertain the facility with which estimates of similarity among the letters could lead to a psychological space containing the letters, ηij, the similarity parameter of the choice model was input to an ordinally based multidimensional scaling program. Finally, correlation coefficients were computed among parameters of the models, the scaled space, and a crude measure of physical similarity. Briefly, the results were: (1) the finite-state model that assumed stimulus similarity (the overlap activation model) and the choice model predicted the confusion-matrix entries about equally well in terms of a sum-of-squared deviations criterion and better than the all-or-none activation model, which assumed only a perfect perception or random-guessing state following a stimulus presentation; (2) the parts of the confusion matrix that fit best varied with the particular model, and this finding was related to the models; (3) the best scaling result in terms of a goodness-of-fit measure was obtained with the blank poststimulus field condition, with a technique allowing different distances for tied similarity values, and with the Euclidean as opposed to the city-block metric; and (4) there was agreement among the models in terms of the way in which the models reflected sensory and response bias structure in the data, and in the way in which a single model measured these attributes across experimental conditions, as well as agreement among similarity ami distance measures with physical Similarity.

A note on the identifiability of parallel and serial processes.

Abstract: Due to the significant research effort devoted to discovering whether certain psychological processes are serial or parallel, it seems important to establish the degree to which such processes are identifiable and to investigate possible ways in which such knowledge can improve our experiments. General definitions of parallel and serial systems are given, followed by a qualitative summary of identifiability results obtained with special classes of exponential systems. Some of these results are applied to a current experimental paradigm, and possible

Three point Likert scales are good enough.

Abstract: Three-Point Likert Scales Are Good Enough Jacob Jacoby and Michael S. Matell 495 Personality and Performance-Satisfaction of Industrial Salesmen Henry O. Pruden and Robert A. Peterson 501 Shopping Orientations and Product Usage Rates William R. Darden and Fred D. Reynolds 505 Comments on "Exploratory Analysis of Marketing Data: Trees vs. Regression" Douglas C. Crocker 509 "Exploratory Analysis of Marketing Data": A Reply J. Scott Armstrong 511 Dissonance Reduction or Artifact? Sadaomi Oshikawa 514 Dissonance Reduction or Artifact? A Reply Jagdish N. Sheth 516 Comments on "Fitting Parameters to Complex Models by Direct Search" R. R. Meyer and M. H. Rothkopf 518 "Fitting Parameters by Direct Search": A Reply Theodore A. Van Wormer and Doyle L. Weiss 519

Areal Sorting of Bed-Load Material: The Hypothesis of Velocity Reversal

Abstract: The hypothesis of velocity reversal seems adequate to explain the areal sorting of channel material, that is, relatively large material in riffles and finer material in pools. The hypothesis is based primarily on the measured observations that, with increasing discharge, the average bottom velocity of a pool increases faster than that of a riffle until at relatively high flow the average bottom velocity of the pool exceeds that of a riffle. The areal sorting produced by the velocity reversal occurs at flows of moderate frequency.

Invariant theory, old and new

Abstract: Chapter 2. Rational Representations of the General Linear Group ... 10 1. Representations of Linear Groups 10 2. Representations of the Full Linear Group 14 3. Young’s Diagrams 16 4. The Characters of GL (n; 9) 20 5. Multilinear Invariants of GL (n; Q) 22 6. Invariants of Antisymmetric Tensors 26 7. Invariants of Mixed Tensors 28 8. Gram’s Theorem 31 9. Invariants of n-ary Forms: The Symbolic Method ...... 32 10. Invariants of subgroups of GL (n; Q) 37

Origin and Continuity of Golgi Apparatus

Abstract: The Golgi apparatus in its most familiar form is that part of the cell’s endomembrane system1 consisting of regions of stacked cisternae (dictyosomes) which lack ribosomes. It is a complex structure with unique functions in compartmentalizing products of synthesis, serving as a site of cytomembrane differentiation and producing exocytotic vesicles whose membranes are capable of fusing with plasma membrane. Unlike semiautonomous organelles such as chloroplasts and mitochondria, the function of the Golgi apparatus in secretion depends on functional continuity with other components of the endomembrane system.

Learning control systems and intelligent control systems: An intersection of artifical intelligence and automatic control

Abstract: A supplement to Fu [1] is presented. Three areas are briefly reviewed: 1) control systems with human controller, 2) control systems with man-machine controller, and 3) autonomous robot systems. Problems for further research are discussed.

Bidirectional scattering characteristics of healthy green soybean and corn leaves in vivo.

Abstract: Bidirectional reflection and transmission distribution functions are measured for healthy green soybean and corn leaves in vivo, for nineteen narrow wavelength bands from 375 nm to 1000 nm. Off-normal incidence reflection distribution functions show considerable specular contributions at wavelengths of strong absorption, while transmission distribution functions show a near-lambertian shape for all wavelengths employed. An empirical m-layer leaf model affords a reasonable qualitative understanding of these scattering distributions.

Lateral masking for letters with unlimited viewing time

Abstract: Linear arrays of 1, 8, and 9 letters were exposed while S read off the items of the letter sequence while maintaining constant fixation. By this procedure, serial position effects were studied in the absence of requirements for scanning the array quickly, as in a tachistoscopic display, and for remembering a large number of items, as in a delayed whole report. Despite the absence of these requirements, typical serial position curves were generated. Serial position effects were partially ameliorated by the introduction of blank spaces into the array. Performance was influenced both in the immediate vicinity of the blank spacings, as well as extending over a large portion of the array. The data were interpreted in terms of lateral masking effects associated with adjacent elements.

Connections between mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum in rat liver and onion stem.

Abstract: Smooth-surfaced elements of endoplasmic reticulum contact and are attached to the outer membranes of mitochondria in rat liver and onion stem. Some connections appear as short, 150–300 A diameter tubules that bridge the space between the conjoining elements. In liver, the smooth-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum cisternae connected to the outer mitochondrial membrane are shown to be continuous with rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum. Here, the smooth-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum is identified in negatively stained preparations of isolated cell fractions and in thin sections of tissues by the presence of lipoprotein particles characteristic of this cell component. In onion, the identification of endoplasmic reticulum is based on continuity with rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum.

Isolation and characterization of secretory vesicles in germinated pollen of Lilium longiflorum.

Abstract: Secretory vesicles containing polysaccharide were isolated from germinated pollen of Lilium longiflorum and characterized by biochemical and ultrastructural investigation. Pollen tubes exhibit a secretory pathway in which the vesicles concentrated in the tube apex are produced by the Golgi apparatus and contributed to the cell wall at the apex upon fusion of the vesicle membrane with the plasma membrane. Secretory vesicles were isolated by a method involving the size discrimination of cytoplasmic components using Millipore filters. Cells were disrupted under conditions which minimized membrane vesiculation. Identification was made by electron-microscopic comparison of the periodic acid-silver hexamine (PASH) reactivities of in situ and isolated secretory vesicles. The secretory vesicles contained polysaccharides which were high in galacturonic acid and similar in sugar composition to those of the hot-water-soluble fraction of pollen tube cell wall. A hot-water-insoluble, non-cellulosic glucan was the major component of the cell wall. Less than 7% of the wall was cellulosic. Chitin was absent. Similarities in the ultrastructure and PASH staining of apical secretory vesicles and an amorphous component of the cell wall support a precursor-product relationship between these 2 cell components. Ultrastructural investigations revealed complexes of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) associated with electron-translucent regions of cytoplasm, suggesting a possible function of the ER in cell wall formation. Additionally, patterns of PASH staining show that changes in polysaccharides occur in secretory vesicles after vesicles have been formed by dictyosomes. Therefore, secretory vesicles may have a role in polysaccharide synthesis as well as in membrane and product transport.

Cucumber Beetle Resistance and Mite Susceptibility Controlled by the Bitter Gene in Cucumis sativus L.

Abstract: Antibiotic and nonpreference mechanisms are related in cucumber through the action of the bi gene and the absence of cucurbitacins. Cucurbitacins attract cucumber beetles and cause feeding whereas they have an antibiotic effect on two-spotted mites.

Composite vs. multiple criteria: a review and resolution of the controversy

Abstract: THERE has been a controversy of long standing in industrial psychology between the advocates of the single composite criterion and those favoring multiple criteria. Earlier writers on this problem tended to favor the composite criterion concept (Toops, 1944; Brogden and Taylor, 1950; Nagel, 1953), and this doctrine remained essentially unchallenged until the second half of the fifties. Then, starting in 1956, a series of statements by a number of wellknown industrial psychologists appeared seriously questioning the utility of this concept and concluded that, in most cases, the use of multiple criteria was to be preferred to the use of the traditional composite (Ghiselli, 1956; Guion, 1961, 1965, pp. 114-119; Dunnette, 1963a, 1963b). To date, this controversy has not been satisfactorily resolved, as is obvious from the cautious and rather indecisive treatment the question receives in most standard texts in industrial psychology (Tiffin and McCormick, 1965, pp. 47-54, Blum and Naylor, 1968, pp. 184-193). The purpose of this paper is to set forth the basic arguments advanced for each position, to explore the assumptions underlying these arguments, and, finally, to offer a practical and conceptual resolution of the controversy.

Reflectance and internal structure of leaves from several crops during a growing season.

Abstract: Measurements of spectral reflectance characteristics during a growing season of leaves from six crops are reported. These crops include soybeans, wheat, oats, sorghum, corn, and sudangrass. The characteristics measured are related to changes in leaf structure and water content.

N-1-napthylphthalamic-acid-binding activity of a plasma membrane-rich fraction from maize coleoptiles.

Abstract: Plasma membrane-rich fractions were prepared from maize coleoptiles by low-shear homogenization and differential and sucrose-gradient centrifugation. Plasma membrane fragments were identified using a specific cytochemical stain based on phosphotungstic acid prepared in chromic acid. In a comparison of 10 different cell fractions of varying plasma membrane content, the N-1-napthylphthalamic-acid (NPA)-binding activity of the fractions was directly proportional to the content of plasma membrane. The NPA binding appears to be strong K M between 10(-8) and 10(-7) M) but non-covalent. NPA is known to inhibit auxin transport efficiently and quickly. Thus, the results are consistent with the localization of auxin transport sites at the plasma membrane of plant cells.

Spin-offs and technical entrepreneurship

Abstract: The study centers upon new, technologically based firms founded on the San Francisco peninsula since 1960. Spin-off rates were calculated for individual organizations and for different classes of organizations in this area. It was found that organizations varied widely in the extent to which they had served as incubators of new firms. Firms with less than 500 employees and small subsidiaries had higher spin-off rates than large firms. Nonprofit organizations served as incubators for only a small percentage of the new firms. Limited evidence suggests that, within large firms, the large divisions had the lowest spin-off rates.

Similarity, Sex, and Requests for Small Favors1

Abstract: To determine whether correspondence in appearance between helper and helped will increase the rate of helping behavior, two types (Hippie and Straight) and two sexes of experimenters approached each of the four corresponding types of subjects and asked to borrow a dime for a telephone call. As predicted, a significantly greater number of persons were willing to lend money to someone who resembled them in appearance. Furthermore, as predicted, his tendency to match on the basis of appearance was stronger for male subjects than for female subjects. It was hypothesized that dress styles, like race, provide a basis for assumptions about other areas of similarity and create a greater willingness to help a similar other.

Chemical Communication and "Propaganda" in Slave-Maker Ants

Abstract: Slave-maker ants of the Formica sanguinea group direct their raids by means of odor trails. Artificial trails made from whole-body extracts and extracts of Dufour's glands and hindguts can be used to guide columns of workers to selected target colonies and to initiate raids. In workers of F. pergandei and F. subintegra, members of the F. sanguinea group, the Dufour's glands are hypertrophied and contain large quantities of three acetates (decyl, dodecyl, and tetradecyl), which are discharged at defending workers during the slave raids. The acetates produce very efficient, long-lasting alarm signals that attract the slave-makers but disperse the defenders; in effect, therefore, they are "propaganda substances."

The influence of nutrition on neural and behavioral development: III. Development of some motor, particularly locomotor patterns during infancy

Abstract: The locomotor development of infant rats nursed by mothers that had free access to food during lactation or were fed during that period 40% or 20% of the ad lib diet were compared. The “spontaneous” emergence or disappearance of several locomotor patterns were sampled daily in an open field situation, and the development of others was studied by inducing them in test situations. The spontaneous motor patterns included general locomotor activity, pivoting, head lifting, and standing on the hindlegs. The induced activities were hanging and moving on a suspended horizontal string, clinging to and descending on vertical ropes, climbing up on a rod, and homing in various test situations. The motor performance of the severely undernourished animals (offspring of mothers on a 20% diet) was inferior to normals in all the observations. This was manifested most commonly in reduced frequency or speed in the performance of certain acts, and in some cases in the prolonged persistence of infantile motor patterns or a delay in the appearance of more advanced patterns.