The study investigated the relationship between selective attention and intelligence. Measures of attention were obtained by administering a shadowing task. Measures of intelligence were obtained by administering the WAIS-R. While Full Scale and Performance IQ's correlated significantly with shadowing accuracy, verbal IQ correlated poorly with shadowing accuracy. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis using three WAIS-R factors (attention-concentration, verbal comprehension and perceptual organization) with shadowing errors as the dependent variable yielded unexpected results. Even when the attention-concentration factor was entered first in the analysis, it accounted for a nonsignificant proportion of the variance in shadowing errors. The verbal comprehension factor performed similarly. The effect for the perceptual organization factor was especially strong in light of the fact that this factor accounted for a significantly large proportion of variance in the shadowing errors despite being entered last in the hierarchical multiple regression analysis. Results are discussed in light of the hypothesis that a common factor of attention may considerably determine performance on the speeded subtests of the WAIS-R. Possible clinical implications of the results are offered.

There is no abstract available for this thesis.

For decades, emotion researchers have debated a series of issues related to the influence of emotionally laden information on the way in which people process and remember information. The present investigation was designed to experimentally test both general (Experiment 1 and 2) and person-specific (Experiment 3) influences of emotionally laden words on attention and memory using a digit-parity task in which participants were asked to make a speeded judgement about the parity of two digits flanking a to-be-ignored, centrally presented word. In Experiment 1, when a sexual, threat, school, or neutral word was presented between the digits, only the sexual words, rated high in arousal value by study participants, disrupted digit-parity performance producing longer digit-parity response times relative to all other word categories. Sexual words were also recalled more often by study participants in a surprise free recall task. Mirroring attention and memory results, an evaluation of skin conductance responses (SCRs) demonstrated that participants showed enhanced SCRs for the sexual words relative to all other word categories. Furthermore, when the sexual words were parsed into positive and negative word categories (Experiment 2), trials in which a sex-negative word was presented between the digits produced the longest digit-parity response times. Participants recalled more sex-negative words than any other word category. Importantly, participants’ taboo ratings predicted attention and memory results. Finally, when words relevant to participants’ fears were presented between the digits, digit-parity response times slowed relative to when a fear-irrelevant word was presented between the digits. Memory and skin conductance data provide converging evidence – participants recalled and produced larger skin conductance responses for fear-relevant words compared to fear irrelevant words.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Canterbury, 2007. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-66). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1974. / Bibliography: leaves 86-90.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2007. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-113). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss: NR32046

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2006. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-110). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR29607

Thesis (M.S.)--Villanova University, 2008. / Psychology Dept. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of St Andrews, August 2007.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Cornell University, 1934. / "Offprinted from the American Journal of Psychology, January 1935, vol. XLVII."