A connectionist model, SEarch via Recursive Rejection (SERR), is presented that performs across a window defining the model's functional field. Implications are discussed, and results of 5 experiments involving 19 male and 19 female adults and adolescents that test novel predictions derived from the model are presented. (SLD)

Introduces two systems that increase the information density of textual presentation by reconsidering text as pictures, expanding the range of written expression. Notes that these systems are implemented as computer programs, active filters that represent textual information graphically. (SR)

Examined the behavior of 8.5-month-old crawling infants and 14-month-old walking toddlers in ascending and descending sloping walkways. Both groups overestimated their ability to ascend slopes. Toddlers hesitated most before descending 10 and 20 degree slopes, whereas infants hesitated most before descending 30 and 40 degree slopes. (MDM)

A theory is presented to explain the perception of partially occluded objects and illusory figures, from both static and kinematic information, in a unified framework. This detailed theory of unit formation accounts for most cases of boundary perception in the absence of local physical specification. (SLD)

Compared actual roles and functions of correctional psychologists to their perceived ideal roles and functions in two surveys, the first with 121 and the followup with 84 psychologists. Found psychologists wanted to spend less time in diagnostics and program administration and more in counseling and psychotherapy. (Author/ABL)

Speed and accuracy of identification of pictures of objects are facilitated by prior viewing. Contributions of image features, convex or concave components, and object models in a repetition priming task were explored in 2 studies involving 96 college students. Results provide evidence of intermediate representations in visual object recognition.…

Infants (n=34) were tested on a speech-sound discrimination-in-noise task using the visual reinforcement of infant speech discrimination procedure. An adult control group was also tested. The infant-adult difference in discrimination threshold in noise was 6.9 dB. Advantages of this adaptive threshold procedure and possible applications are noted.…

Discusses problems faced by children growing up in an alcoholic family. Reviews four survivor roles of children of alcoholics (COAs): super-coper, scapegoat, lost child, and family mascot. Describes alcoholism as a disease of denial. Reviews the Children of Alcoholics movement begun by adult COAs to become advocates for COAs. (NB)

Examined potential benefits and costs of having both work and elder care responsibilities, based on interviews with 94 employed caregivers. For most respondents, negative aspects of combining work and caregiving roles were outweighed by positive aspects, such as sense of accomplishment, enhanced interpersonal relationships, and opportunities to…

Describes follow-up work to two citywide surveys (in Sheffield, England) investigating the deputy head's role in primary school. Findings highlighted lack of a robust definition of the vice-principal's role, which is heavily influenced and controlled by the headteacher and dependent on amount of time available to undertake responsibilities. (29…

The relationship between visual neglect and the ability to judge the angular orientation of lines in patients with unilateral cerebrovascular lesions was studied with 75 patients with right hemisphere lesions and 39 with left hemisphere lesions. Results are discussed in relation to general cognitive factors and perceptual and spatial abilities.…

Three experiments examined whether limitations in perceptual ability by 24 individuals with mental retardation extended to learning perceptual categories based on elements of actions. Individuals with mental retardation had difficulty identifying some actions, slower decision times for activity identification, and could not identify the actor's…

Used a modified visual-fixation-based auditory-preference procedure to test preferences for infant-directed singing versus adult-directed singing in 15 two-day-old hearing infants of deaf parents. Subjects heard a Japanese and an English play song. Found that infants prefer infant-directed singing over adult-directed singing and that the…

Used event-related potentials to determine whether infants show differences in spatial and temporal characteristics of brain activation during face and object recognition. Found that infants' experience with specific examples within categories and their general category knowledge influenced the neural correlates of visual processing. (Author/KB)

Investigated the effects of of distance on perception of unimodal visual speech and congruent and incongruent forms of the syllables /ba/, /bi/, /ga/, and /gi/. Identification of unimodal visual speech was unaffected by increasing distance to 10m, but was impaired at 20 and 30m. (Author/VWL)