Psychology Commons^™

A Group-Administered Timeline Followback Assessment Of Alcohol Use, Joseph W. Labrie, Eric R. Pedersen, Mitch Earleywine

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Objective: The current study compares retrospective self-reports of quantity and frequency of drinking with the Timeline Followback (TLFB) method administered in groups or to individuals to determine the equivalence of these methods.

Method: Two-hundred and eleven male college students who reported drinking at least two times per week participated; 118 completed the TLFB in a group setting and 93 completed it individually. Drinking variables assessed were drinking days, average drinks and total drinks during a 30-day period.

Results: Pearson's correlation coefficients revealed significant correlations between single-item quantity and frequency measures and the TLFB on all three variables for the two …

A Group-Administered Timeline Followback Assessment Of Alcohol Use, Joseph W. Labrie, Eric R. Pedersen, Mitch Earleywine

Heads Up!

Objective: The current study compares retrospective self-reports of quantity and frequency of drinking with the Timeline Followback (TLFB) method administered in groups or to individuals to determine the equivalence of these methods. Method: Two hundred and eleven male college students who reported drinking at least two times per week participated; 118 completed the TLFB in a group setting, and 93 completed it individually. Drinking variables assessed were drinking days, average drinks and total drinks during a 30-day period. Results: Pearson's correlation coefficients revealed significant correlations between single-item quantity and frequency measures and the TLFB on all three variables for the …

Estrogen And Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity, Michael R. Foy, Michael Baudry, Richard Thompson

Psychological Science Faculty Works

During the past several years, there has been increasing interest in the effects of estrogen on neural function. This enthusiasm is driven, in part, by the results of early clinical studies suggesting that estrogen therapy given after menopause may prevent, or at least delay, the onset of Alzheimer's disease in older women. However, later clinical trials of women with probable Alzheimer's disease had contrary results. Much of the current research related to estrogen and brain function is focused in two directions. One involves clinical studies that examine the potential of estrogen in protecting against cognitive decline during normal aging and …

Corpus Callosum Abnormalities In Psychopathic Antisocial Individuals, Joseph B. Hellige

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Context: Psychopathic antisocial individuals have previously been characterized by abnormal interhemispheric processing and callosal functioning, but there have been no studies on the structural characteristics of the corpus callosum in this group. Objectives: To assess whether (1) psychopathic individuals with antisocial personality disorder show structural and functional impairments in the corpus callosum, (2) group differences are mirrored by correlations between dimensional measures of callosal structure and psychopathy, (3) callosal abnormalities are associated with affective deficits, and (4) callosal abnormalities are independent of psychosocial deficits. Design: Case-control study. Setting: Community sample. Participants: Fifteen men with antisocial personality disorder and high psychopathy …

Home Literacy Environment And Phonological Awareness In Preschool Children: Differential Effects For Rhyme And Phoneme Awareness, Judith G. Foy, Virginia A. Mann

Psychological Science Faculty Works

The literature to date suggests that the best predictor of early reading ability, phonological awareness, appears to be associated with the acquisition of letter-sound and vocabulary knowledge and with the development of well-defined phonological representations. It further suggests that at least some aspects of phonological awareness critically depend upon literacy exposure. In this study of 4- to 6-year-olds, we examine whether aspects of the home literacy environment are differentially associated with phonological awareness. Parental responses to a questionnaire about the home literacy environment are compared to children's awareness of rhyme and phonemes, as well as to their vocabulary, letter knowledge, …

Cyclic Changes In Estradiol Regulate Synaptic Plasticity Through The Map Kinase Pathway, Ruifen Bi, Michael R. Foy, Rose-Marie Vouimba, Richard F. Thompson, Michel Baudry

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Hippocampal synaptic structure and function exhibit marked variations during the estrus cycle of female rats. Estradiol activates the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway in numerous cell types, and MAP kinase has been shown to play a critical role in the mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity. Here, we report that endogenous estrogen produces a tonic phosphorylation/activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2)/MAP kinase throughout the female rat brain and an increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of NR2 subunits of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. Moreover, cyclic changes in estrogen levels during the estrus cycle of female rats are associated with corresponding changes in the levels …

Does Strength Of Phonological Representations Predict Phonological Awareness In Preschool Children?, Judith G. Foy, Virginia A. Mann

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Previous research has shown a clear relationship between phonological awareness and early reading ability. This article concerns some aspects of spoken language skill that may contribute to the development of phonological awareness, as manifested in rhyme awareness and phoneme awareness. It addresses the hypothesis that phonological awareness abilities are associated with measures that purportedly tap into the strength of phonological representations. We examined rhyme awareness, phoneme awareness, articulatory skill, speech perception, vocabulary, and letter and word knowledge in 40 children, aged 4 to 6, who were just beginning to be exposed to for-mat reading experiences in private preschools. The children …

The Tyrosine Kinase And Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathways Mediate Multiple Effects Of Estrogen In Hippocampus, Ruifen Bi, Greg Broutman, Michael R. Foy, Richard F. Thompson, Michel Baudry

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Estrogen replacement therapy in women is associated with improvement of cognitive deficits and reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease. The present study indicates that estrogen is neuroprotective against N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA)- and kainate-mediated neurotoxicity, an effect mediated by tyrosine kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. Estrogen also stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of NMDA receptors via an src tyrosine kinase/MAPK pathway. Finally, estrogen-mediated enhancement of long-term potentiation in hippocampal slices is mediated by activation of an src tyrosine kinase pathway. Thus, estrogen, by activating an src tyrosine kinase and the extracellular signal-related protein kinase/MAPK signaling pathway, both enhances NMDA receptor function and long-term potentiation and …

Behavioral Stress Modifies Hippocampal Plasticity Through N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Activation, Jeansok J. Kim, Michael R. Foy, Richard F. Thompson

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Behavioral stress has detrimental effects on subsequent cognitive performance in many species, including humans. For example, humans exposed to stressful situations typically exhibit marked deficits in various learning and memory tasks. However, the underlying neural mechanisms by which stress exerts its effects on learning and memory are unknown. We now report that in adult male rats, stress (i.e., restraint plus tailshock) impairs long-term potentiation (LTP) but enhances long-term depression (LTD) in the CA1 area of the hippocampus, a structure implicated in learning and memory processes. These effects on LTP and LTD are prevented when the animals were given CGP39551 (the …

Hemispheric Differences Are Found In The Identification, But Not The Detection, Of Low Versus High Spatial Frequencies, Joseph B. Hellige

Psychological Science Faculty Works

The processing of sine-wave gratings presented to the left and right visual fields was examined in four experiments. Subjects were required either to detect the presence of a grating (Experiments 1 and 2) or to identify the spatial frequency of a grating (Experiments 3 and 4). Orthogonally to this, the stimuli were presented either at threshold levels of contrast (Experiments 1 and 3) or at suprathreshold levels (Experiments 2 and 4). Visual field and spatial frequency interacted when the task required identification of spatial frequency, but not when it required only stimulus detection. Regardless of contrast level (threshold, suprathreshold), high-frequency …

Erratum: Hemispheric Differences Are Found In The Identification, But Not The Detection, Of Low Versus High Spatial Frequencies, Joseph B. Hellige

Psychological Science Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Visual Laterality For Letter Comparison: Effects Of Stimulus Factors, Response Factors, And Metacontrol, Joseph B. Hellige

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Right-handed subjects indicated whether two highly discriminable uppercase letters were the same or different. Letter pairs were projected to the left visual field/right hemisphere (LVF/RH) or the right visual field/left hemisphere (RVF/LH), or the same letter pair was presented to both visual fields simultaneously (bilateral trials). Laterality effects were not influenced by moderate blurring of the letters. However, on RVF/LH trials, reaction times were faster for same pairs than for different pairs. This effect was absent on LVF/RH trials, suggesting a qualitative difference in the mode of processing for the two unilateral trial types. The pattern of results on bilateral …

Categorization Versus Distance: Hemispheric Differences For Processing Spatial Information, Joseph B. Hellige

Psychological Science Faculty Works

It has been hypothesized that the brain computes two different kinds of spatial-relation representations: one used to assign a spatial relation to a category and the other used to specify metric distance with precision. The present visual half-field experiment offers support for this distinction by showing that the left and right cerebral hemispheres make more effective use of the categorization and metric distance representations, respectively. Furthermore, the inclusion of a bilateral stimulus presentation condition permits the computation of a reversed association that offers additional support for the distinction between two types of spatial-relation representation.

Effects Of Retinal Size On Visual Laterality, Joseph B. Hellige

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Observers indicated whether two vertically presented bars were aligned one above the other (same trials) or were offset by an amount equal to the width of the bars on that trial (different trials). Retinal size was varied by using bars of three different widths (wide, medium, narrow). On different trials, reaction time to make correct responses was longer for narrow stimuli than for the other two sizes; this size effect was larger when stimuli were projected to the right visual field than when stimuli were projected to the left visual field. Such effects were not found on same trials. Implications …

Effects Of Stimulus Duration On Processing Lateralized Faces, Joseph B. Hellige

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Observers indicated whether a single probe face presented to the left or right visual field was contained in a positive set of five male faces. In one task the distractor (i.e., negative) stimuli were also male faces, and in another task the distractor stimuli were female faces. For both tasks, reducing stimulus duration from 200 msec to 20 msec increased the percentage of errors, but for neither the percentage of errors nor the reaction time was there any stimulus duration × visual field interaction. In conjunction with earlier experiments using these same tasks, the results indicate that reducing stimulus duration …

Case Effects In Letter-Name Matching: A Partial Replication, Joseph B. Hellige

Psychological Science Faculty Works

When same-case letter pairs are to be physically matched as “same” or “different,” reaction times (RTs) are generally shorter for “same” responses. The advantage in RT increases when such pairs are intermixed in blocks of trials also containing mixed-case pairs to be matched for name identity. These results have been interpreted as supportive of a two-code hypothesis of letter matching: In pure blocks of same-case pairs, a visual or physical code underlies letter matching, whereas in intermixed blocks, a phonetic or name code must be used for all “different” judgments. The theory predicts, however, that there should be little discrepancy …

Case Effects In Letter-Name Matching: A Qualitative Visual Field Difference, Joseph B. Hellige

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Subjects indicated whether or not two letters presented simultaneously to the left or right visual field had the same name. On same-name trials, reaction time was faster when both letters had the same case (physically identical, or PI, pairs) than when they were of different case (name identical, or NI, pairs) and reaction time was faster for left visual field presentations than for right visual field presentations. For left visual field presentations, the letter-case effect was as large on different-name trials as on same-name trials, indicating that the NI-PI difference was not simply a physical identity effect. In contrast, for …

Influence Of Noun Imagery On Speed Of Naming Nouns, Joseph B. Hellige

Psychological Science Faculty Works

In an experiment on the influence of noun imagery on the speed of naming visually presented nouns, it was found that high-imagery nouns were named, on an average, 14 msec faster than low-imagery nouns. The difference, although small, was highly significant [F(l,14) = 10.04]. The magnitude of this effect was about one-third of that obtained when subjects were required to identify the grammaticality of phrases containing these same nouns, indicating that speed of encoding was probably a more important factor than speed of recognition in producing a noun imagery effect in speed of grammaticality judgments.

The Importance Of Figural Relationships Between Target And Mask, Joseph B. Hellige

Psychological Science Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Noun Imagery In The Speed Of Processing The Grammaticality Of Adjective-Noun Phrases, Joseph B. Hellige

Psychological Science Faculty Works

This experiment investigated speed of processing the grammaticality of phrases consisting of the adjective "one" or "two" followed by a singular or plural noun. The subject's task was to press one of two keys, depending upon whether the phrase was grammatically correct or incorrect. There were eight types of phrases, formed by the factorial combinations of singular or plural adjectives, singular or plural nouns, and high or low noun imagery. These served as within-subjects variables. Between-subjects variables were the factorial combinations of sex of subject, duration of stimulus phrase (.2 or 2.5 sec), and hand assigned to the correct-grammar key. …

Finite Integer Analysis Of Individual Subject Protocols During Eyelid Conditioning, Joseph B. Hellige

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Theios (1972) has proposed that during classical eyelid conditioning the conditioned response protocols of “voluntary” responders (Vs) will require an additional stage, relative to “conditioned” responders (Cs), to be adequately described. In a test of this hypothesis, individual subject protocols from eyelid conditioning experiments using both classical and avoidance modes of reinforcement were subjected to finite integer analysis (Theios, 1968). During both modes of reinforcement, a two-state Markov model was found to provide an adequate description of most individual protocols for both Cs and Vs. In addition, there were no indications that Vs give predominantly C-form conditioned responses at the …

Changes In Same-Different Laterality Patterns As A Function Of Practice And Stimulus Quality, Joseph B. Hellige

Psychological Science Faculty Works

Accuracy and reaction time (RT) of judgments about sameness vs. difference of (a) names of two letters and (b) shapes of two nonverbal forms were examined for stimuli presented to the center, left (LVF), and right (RVF) visual fields. For same-name letter pairs during Experiment I, responses were more accurate and faster for LVF than for RVF trials on an initial 90-trial block, but this difference was reversed by a third 90-trial block. The RVF advantage for RT was maintained over Trial Blocks 4 and 5, given during a second session, but had disappeared on Trial Blocks 6 through 9 …