Showing papers in "Bulletin of the psychonomic society in 1975"
TL;DR: This paper found that questions asked subsequent to an event can cause a reconstruction in one's memory of that event, which has important implications for courtroom practices and eyewitness investigations, as well as for forensic investigations.
Abstract: Two experiments are reported in which subjects viewed a film of an automobile accident and then answered questions about events occurring in the film. Relative to questions containing an indefinite article (e.g., Did you see a broken headlight?), questions which contained a definite article (e.g., Did you see the broken headlight?) produced (1) fewer uncertain or “I don’t know” responses, and (2) more “recognition” of events that never, in fact, occurred. The results, which are consistent with the view that questions asked subsequent to an event can cause a reconstruction in one’s memory of that event, have important implications for courtroom practices and eyewitness investigations.
239 citations
TL;DR: The data support the statement that recognition failure of recallable words appears to be a general phenomenon that, as far as is known, always occurs whenever recognition is imperfect.
Abstract: Data are presented from 12 different previously published experiments to demonstrate a systematic relation between recognition of all studied list words and recognition failure of recallable words. This relation appears to be independent of many specific procedural details of the experiments analyzed. The data support the statement that recognition failure of recallable words appears to be a general phenomenon that, as far as is known, always occurs whenever recognition is imperfect.
148 citations
TL;DR: Results indicate that a strong latent inhibition effect can be obtained with adult humans, even though the preexposed stimulus is presented under severe conditions of inattention.
Abstract: An experiment was designed to demonstrate the latent inhibition phenomenon in adult humans and to determine the effects of initial level of attention to the to-be-conditioned stimulus during a preexposure phase on subsequent learning. Results indicate that a strong latent inhibition effect can be obtained with adult humans. This effect occurs even though the preexposed stimulus is presented under severe conditions of inattention.
131 citations
TL;DR: The hypothesis that living in contemporary society produces a state of chronic sleep deprivation in humans is suggested.
Abstract: The sleep of 16 young adult male subjects was studied for 4 consecutive nights in the laboratory using all night electroencephalography. For the first 3 nights, the subjects retired for sleep at 11:00 p.m. and were aroused in the morning at 7:00 a.m. On the 4th night, the subjects retired at 11:00 p.m. and were allowed to sleep in the morning until they awakened spontaneously. The ad-lib sleep night resulted in 126 min more sleep than was found on the 3rd night of controlled sleep. These results suggest the hypothesis that living in contemporary society produces a state of chronic sleep deprivation in humans.
121 citations
TL;DR: This article showed that the typical improvement in memory with imagery instructions that occurs in normal subjects also occurs in congenitally and totally blind adults, and that the mnemonic imagery effect cannot be explained with reliance on a mechanism that specifically relies on vision.
Abstract: Instructing subjects to make images of word pairs greatly improves their memory for these pairs. It is commonly assumed that the memory improvement results from some advantage in memory of visual images over words. We show that the typical improvement in memory with imagery instructions that occurs in normal subjects also occurs in congenitally and totally blind adults. Hence, the mnemonic imagery effect cannot be explained with reliance on a mechanism that specifically relies on vision. We also demonstrate that the results cannot be explained in terms of imagery in nonvisual modalities.
95 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the accuracy of recognition for faces of varying distinctiveness was investigated in a study where the subjects ranked 12 male faces from most to least distinctive and found that distinctive faces produced significantly fewer errors of omission and commission than did nondistinctive faces.
Abstract: The accuracy of recognition for faces of varying distinctiveness was investigated in this study. In Phase I, the subjects ranked 12 male faces from most to least distinctive. Interjudge agreement proved to be reliable. An analysis of the mean ranks assigned to the 12 faces showed them to be significantly different. In Phase II, other subjects responded to the 12 faces in a test of recognition. One week after inspection, distinctive faces produced significantly fewer errors of omission and commission than did nondistinctive faces. The findings suggest a von Restorff effect for faces.
71 citations
TL;DR: In this article, performance on a modified version of the Stroop color-word task varied systematically with level of task-irrelevant arousal, while performance under high response competition was impaired by arousal manipulated via threat of impending electric shock.
Abstract: In two experiments, performance on a modified version of the Stroop color-word task varied systematically with level of task-irrelevant arousal. Performance under low response competition was facilitated while performance under high response competition was impaired by arousal manipulated via threat of impending electric shock. The present results were thus consistent with traditional theory relating arousal or drive and response competition and suggest that Stroop task performance may thereby provide a behavioral index of arousal level.
63 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that subjects in a continuous frequency judgment task gave unusually accurate mean frequency judgments compared to subjects who were tested following study of all items, and the frequency discrimination coefficient, a correlational measure, was used to assess performance.
Abstract: Previous experimental reports have provided contradictory evidence regarding instructional effects on frequency judgments. An experiment was performed to clarify these findings, in which frequency discrimination was compared for two groups of subjects. One group was instructed as to the nature of the forthcoming frequency judgment task, while the other was told to prepare for an unspecified memory task. To avoid the possibility of response bias effects, the frequency discrimination coefficient, a correlational measure, was used to assess performance. Howell’s 1973 finding of no instructional effects on frequency judgments was replicated. An attempt is made to reconcile this result with the finding by Begg and Rowe that subjects in a continuous frequency judgment task gave unusually accurate mean frequency judgments compared to subjects who were tested following study of all items.
59 citations
TL;DR: In this article, 141 students were made witnesses to a simulated crime and tested for immediate recall, and seven weeks later, the witnesses were tested for recognition of the perpetrator in a 2 by 2 design which varied the degree of bias in instructions and in the layout of a six-person photospread.
Abstract: 141 students were made witnesses to a simulated crime and tested for immediate recall. Seven weeks later, the witnesses were tested for recognition of the perpetrator in a 2 by 2 design which varied the degree of bias in instructions and in the layout of a six-person photospread. Main effects of bias were significant, with a strong interaction effect leading to the highest number of identifications of the perpetrator in the biased photo/biased instruction condition. Suggestivity in photospreads confounds the attribution of a positive identification to the witness’s original perception.
54 citations
TL;DR: The results do not replicate Rachlin and Green’s findings with pigeons, but the subjects did show a reversal of preference as time to the choice point was manipulated, suggesting the model’'s utility in the investigation of self-control with humans.
Abstract: Rachlin and Green (1972) proposed a model which analyzed self control as a reversal of preference for two reward values in time. The present study investigated the utility of the model in the investigation of self-control in children. Two boys (ages 9-10) were exposed to a chain of events in which a left alternative (initial link) lead to a choice (terminal link) between a small, immediate reward (2 tokens) or a large. delaved reward (4 tokens delaved 4 sec). Equal preference was found for both left and right alternatives although once the left alternative had been selected, the immediate reward was chosen on a large percentage of the trials. However, as these choices were moved further into time, preference for the left alternative increased and the children chose the immediate reward almost exclusively. In addition, subjects spent a greater percentage of their daily tokens as time to the choice point increased. These results do not replicate Rachlin and Green’s findings with pigeons. However, the subjects did show a reversal of preference as time to the choice point was manipulated, suggesting the model’s utility in the investigation of self-control with humans.
43 citations
TL;DR: This article found that the word association effect was significant regardless of whether the intervening item was a word or a nonword, and the pronounceability of the nonword was not found to influence the magnitude of the effect.
Abstract: Meyer, Schvaneveldt, and Ruddy (1972) reported that in a lexical decision task, the word association effect was maintained when two associated words were separated by an unassociated word but was eliminated when the two were separated by a nonword. They suggest that the effect is eliminated in the latter case because a negative decision may result in a “resetting” of the memory system to a neutral level. The present investigation comprised a partial replication of the above study. Associated words were separated either by unassociated words, pronounceable non words, or unpronounceable non words. Results indicated that the word association effect was significant regardless of whether the intervening item was a word or a nonword; and, in addition, the pronounceability of the nonword was not found to influence the magnitude of the effect. The data were taken to provide further support for the spreading excitation model.
TL;DR: The authors found that the lack of self-initiated movement made no difference in accurate identification of these patterns, contrary to the postulation by Gibson (1962) that the dorsal columns are critical for tactile discrimination of spatiotemporal features of stimuli, rather than for mediation of active vs. passive touch per se.
Abstract: Discrimination of cookie-cutter patterns by active and passive touch was compared in humans under conditions which attempted to equate the contactual movement of the stimulus over the skin surface in the two modes. We find that the lack of self-initiated movement made no difference in accurate identification of these patterns, contrary to the postulation by Gibson (1962). Further, the results agree with certain neurophysiological findings which suggest that the dorsal columns are critical for the tactile discrimination of spatiotemporal features of stimuli, rather than for mediation of active vs. passive touch per se.
TL;DR: This paper found that better detection of letters in words than nonwords was found only in the right hemifield, both for horizontal (Experiment I) and vertical arrays, and that the present variant of the word-superiority effect has a verbal locus rather than a visual-spatial locus (right hemisphere).
Abstract: Hemispheric specialization was used to study letter detection. Better detection of letters in words than nonwords was found only in the right hemifield, both for horizontal (Experiment I) and vertical arrays (Experiment II). These results indicate that the present variant of the word-superiority effect has a verbal locus (left hemisphere) rather than a visual-spatial locus (right hemisphere).
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of repeated exposure and delay on taste pleasantness ratings were explored in a study involving 10 female subjects, where subjects tasted and rated for pleasantness small quantities of 15 spices 10 times each in Session I and 1 week later (Session II).
Abstract: The effects of repeated exposure and delay on taste pleasantness ratings were explored in a study involving 10 female subjects. Subjects tasted and rated for pleasantness small quantities of 15 spices 10 times each in Session I and 1 week later (Session II) made four additional tastes and ratings of each of the spices. Pleasantness ratings were a decreasing concave upward function of trials during each session, the decay in pleasantness being more rapid in Session II than in Session I: Initial trials in both sessions did not differ in rated pleasantness. Results suggest that some satiation effects dissipate with time while others are cumulative.
TL;DR: One, three, or five dark dots were tachistoscopically presented for 300, 600, or 900 msec to subjects as mentioned in this paper, and the reproduction of stimulus duration was shown to be a monotonically increasing function of numerosity of dots.
Abstract: One, three, or five dark dots were tachistoscopically presented for 300, 600, or 900 msec to subjects. Temporal reproduction of stimulus duration was shown to be a monotonically increasing function of numerosity of dots. Accentuation of this monotnicity took place when changes in stimulus duration were made less frequent, not when changes in numerosity were made less frequent.
TL;DR: Skin conductance responses were examined bilaterally in a group of normal subjects and interpreted as evidence of hemispheric asymmetry of the electrodermal activity orienting response control mechanisms.
Abstract: Skin conductance responses were examined bilaterally in a group of 12 normal subjects. Ten of them were right-handed and two were left-handed. All right-handed subjects exhibited asymmetry in skin conductance response during verbal-numerical and visual-imagery tasks. With the visual activity, larger responses were found in the left hand; while during the verbal task, larger responses were recorded from the right hand. The results were interpreted as evidence of hemispheric asymmetry of the electrodermal activity orienting response control mechanisms.
TL;DR: The findings are interpreted as indicating that the onset of behavioral inhibitory capacities occur earlier in the mouse, and are discussed in relation to development of brainstem arousal and forebrain inhibitory biochemical systems.
Abstract: The development of behavioral arousal was examined in mice ranging from 9 to 100 days of age. An inverted U-shaped ontogenetic activity curve was obtained, consistent with past studies of other altricial rodents. However, the peak in the activity curve for the mouse occurred at 13 days of age, at least 2 days earlier than reported for the rat and hamster. The findings are interpreted as indicating that the onset of behavioral inhibitory capacities occur earlier in the mouse and are discussed in relation to development of brainstem arousal and forebrain inhibitory biochemical systems.
TL;DR: The results suggest that amygdaloid lesions abolish both the frustrational and depressional components of experimental extinction.
Abstract: During extinction of a runway response, the activity levels of normal rats rise above, fall below, and finally return to baseline values in a regular sequence. In the present experiment amygdaloid lesions abolished these sequential activity changes. The results suggest that amygdaloid lesions abolish both the frustrational and depressional components of experimental extinction.
TL;DR: In subsequent two-bottle preference tests, the rats that drank 5 ml displayed a stronger aversion to the saccharin than the group drinking 2 ml, which differed in turn from the group that drank 0 ml as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Three groups of rats drank differing amounts (0, 2, or 5 ml) of a.25% saccharin solution just prior to injection of.3M LiCl. In subsequent two-bottle preference tests, the group which drank 5 ml displayed a stronger aversion to the saccharin than the group drinking 2 ml, which differed in turn from the group drinking 0 ml. These results confirm a previous finding that the strength of an animal’s aversion is a direct function of the amount it consumed prior to poisoning.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors show that the relative inadequacy of contrast as an explanation for subjective contours is demonstrated. But they do not consider the effect of implicit depth cues in the configuration.
Abstract: The perception of subjective contours has been ascribed to organizational factors which utilize implicit depth cues in the configuration. A recent alternative maintains that these apparent edges are due to the operation of simultaneous brightness contrast. Several demonstration figures are presented which show the relative inadequacy of contrast as an explanation for these phenomena.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors observed eight garter snakes (Thamnophis radix) during 10 daily 10min sessions in an open field, and minute-by-minute records were kept of the frequency of tongue flicking and square traversing.
Abstract: Eight garter snakes (Thamnophis radix) were observed during 10 daily 10-min sessions in an open field, and minute-by-minute records were kept of the frequency of tongue flicking and square traversing. The behavior of the snakes indicated that they were exploring the apparatus, and considerable individual differences were evidenced in both dependent variables. Correlational analyses compared the daily pattern of individual differences for each measure with the patterns on each other day; individual differences in each measure were found to be reliable. An interpretation of tongue flick rate is offered which suggests that this behavior may represent either an index of obligatory information gathering made necessary by a need for stimulus redundancy or an index of information processing capacity.
TL;DR: In this paper, infants 11-12 weeks old were conditioned using social, visual, and auditory reinforcement to look longer at the red or green members of the red-green pairs.
Abstract: Infants 11-12 weeks old were conditioned using social, visual, and auditory reinforcement to look longer at the “red” (or “green”) members of “red-green” pairs. No attempt was made to match intensities, which instead ranged over relative values from 200 to 1. Thus, wavelength, and not intensity differences, provided the basis for successful discrimination.
TL;DR: For example, the authors found that when instructed to enhance their arousal to the film without employing any physical stimulation, four of the six subjects were able to significantly increase their erections above the levels that were produced by either the film or the fantasy alone.
Abstract: Six human male subjects developed moderate to high sexual arousal, as measured by a penile transducer, to an erotic film and, in the absence of overt erotic stimulation, to erotic fantasy. When instructed to enhance their arousal to the film without employing any physical stimulation, four of the six subjects were able to significantly increase their erections above the levels that were produced by either the film or the fantasy alone. The remaining two subjects, however, responded in an opposite manner in that the instructions to enhance arousal resulted in a decrease of their erections to a level below that produced by either the film or the fantasy alone. These data indicate that although attempts to voluntarily control sexual arousal may be distracting to some men, they are effective for others.
TL;DR: In this paper, male college student subjects were divided into two groups. One group received reinforcement when they helped a female confederate following a request for aid, the other group did not.
Abstract: Twenty male college student subjects were divided into two groups. One group received reinforcement when they helped a female confederate following a request for aid, the other group did not. The helping gesture involved the volunteering by the subject to take an electrical shock which he believed could go to the confederate. The reinforcement was a “Thank you” from the confederate. Subjects who received the reinforcement continued to volunteer for shock while those who did not disctontinued volunteering.
TL;DR: The authors found that ambiguous data preceded unambiguous data; on one run ambiguous data came first for half the subjects only the current data item appeared; for the others, all preceding items were shown too.
Abstract: Sixteen subjects performed a bookbag and poker-chip task. On one run ambiguous data preceded unambiguous data; on another run, unambiguous data came first For half the subjects only the current data item appeared; for the others, all preceding items were shown too. Final responses were higher when unambiguous data came last, which was interpreted as a recency effect. Whether the data persisted had no significant effect.
TL;DR: Two experiments studied the effects of movement of visual patterns and visual stimulus change without movement upon judged duration, finding that stimulus change produces longer judged duration.
Abstract: Two experiments studied the effects of movement of visual patterns and visual stimulus change without movement upon judged duration. A horizontally moving grating pattern was judged longer than the same stationary pattern. Similarly, a stationary flickering light was judged longer than a stationary steady light. In visual processing of temporal magnitude information, stimulus change appears to represent a basic factor. Stimulus change produces longer judged duration.
TL;DR: It is asserted that the verbal propositional modality (left hemisphere) uses a predicate grammar, while the spatial-image operationalmodality (right hemisphere) use an operator grammar.
Abstract: Relational, operator, and predicate systems are distinguished on the basis that they correspond to the three possible pair-wise bracketings into two constituents of the three parts of a proposition: relation, subject, and object. It is asserted that the verbal propositional modality (left hemisphere) uses a predicate grammar, while the spatial-image operational modality (right hemisphere) uses an operator grammar. Verbal propositional memory has the capacity for extensive propositional embedding while spatial operational memory does not.
TL;DR: Simulated jurors read a brief transcript of a jury trial involving a victim who had been beaten to death by either one or five killers as discussed by the authors, and further information was given that the victim's body was mutilated after death.
Abstract: Simulated jurors read a brief transcript of a jury trial involving a victim who had been beaten to death by either one or five killers. For half of the subjects in each condition, further information was given that the victim’s body was mutilated after death. Subjects assigned prison sentences and rated the crime and defendants on several scales. Results showed that murder followed by mutilization increased the severity of prison sentences by about 50 years. Attributions of insanity, evil nature of the crime, and attitude toward the death penalty also varied in an orderly manner as a result of the mutilation manipulation. It was concluded that simulated jury trials provide an excellent method for studying personal causation and attribution processes in general.
TL;DR: The authors pointed out that ω2 is a descriptive statistic that is extremely limited in its usefulness and suggested that a widespread reporting of ω 2 in psychology is not only unnecessary, but could also be misleading.
Abstract: A criticism is offered for the recent efforts to encourage psychologists to report the proportion of variance accounted for (ω2 ) by analysis of variance effects. Few psychological experiments employ designs that allow legitimate inferences as to the strength of particular effects. As such, ω2 is a descriptive statistic that is extremely limited in its usefulness. It is suggested that a widespread reporting of ω2 in psychology is not only unnecessary, but could also be misleading.
TL;DR: A parametric investigation of nictitating membrane conditioning with interstimulus intervals (ISIs) with constant intertriai intervals (ITIs) revealed that acquisition rate decreased as a function of both larger number of trials per session (NTS) and longer ISI, but with larger overall effects of NTS occurring at the longer ISI.
Abstract: A parametric investigation of nictitating membrane conditioning with interstimulus intervals (ISIs) of 250 or 1,000 msec, constant intertriai intervals (ITIs) of 30 or 90 sec. and 5, 15, 30, 60, or 120 trials per daily session revealed that acquisition rate decreased as a function of both larger number of trials per session (NTS) and longer ISI, but with larger overall effects of NTS occurring at the longer ISI. The effects of lengthening the ITI were also greater at the higher NTS and varied as a function of ISI. Results were discussed in terms of several constructs used to explain time-related conditioning effects, namely reactive inhibition, stimulus fluctuation, consolidation, and rehearsal.