This thesis explores the visual functions of the right anterior temporal cortex of the human brain. In Part 1, 92 patients with unilateral temporal- or frontal-lobe excisions and 35 normal control subjects were tested under two experimental conditions (global, local) of a reaction-time task, employing hierarchically structured letters or designs as stimuli. In both versions, the right temporal-lobe group was less affected than other groups by interference from the global aspect of the stimulus. These findings support the hypothesis that the right temporal lobe contributes to global visual processing. In Part 2, the ability to learn a cue-system for discriminating between two targets against a background of visually similar items was examined in 107 patients with unilateral temporal- or frontal-lobe excisions and 37 control subjects, using three versions of a visual-cue learning task. With letters and nonsense syllables, all groups took longer to complete the task when the background information was changed after three learning trials. With abstract designs, only patients with right temporal-lobe lesions failed to show this interference effect after three learning trials, but did so after six. Hence, it is argued that the right temporal lobe plays a role in visual pattern-discrimination learning.

This investigation examined the self-efficacy beliefs of medical professionals towards medically-related tasks. Although several instruments existed that measured different aspects of career self-efficacy, none of them was relevant nor appropriate to people who have already chosen their occupational field of choice. The typical scales utilized in assessing career self efficacy are generalized across occupations and not relevant to someone who was already employed in a profession. The purpose of the present study was to develop a new scale, Medical Tasks Self-Efficacy (MTSE), to measure the self-efficacy beliefs of a specific employed population toward their occupational tasks. The analysis of the MTSE was conducted using respondents (N=307) of medical professionals, specifically physicians and nurses. The reliability and validity of the scale was analyzed through four phases of scale development.Phase one consisted of item development which included the generation of an item pool from special occupational books and interviews with medical professionals (N=8). Additional experts (N=3) in scale construction were also consulted during this phase. Thirty-two items were developed originally and then, through consultation, reduced to 27 items. Phase two involved a pilot study with respondents from various medical settings in the midwest (N=34). The pilot study helped to provide preliminary reliability information and to modify the necessary demographic information. One more item was dropped from the scale during this phase and thus the revised MT SE consisted of 26 items.Phase three consisted of a major investigation (N=209) to test the initial factor structure of the MTSE and to examine the internal consistency. Using a principal components extraction, the MTSE yielded a two factor solution which seemed to best fit the data both in terms of statistical configuration and theoretical soundness. Factor One constituted tasks involving “medical content competencies" and held an alpha coefficient of .93. Factor Two constituted tasks involving "interpersonal process competencies" and held an alpha coefficient of .87.The fourth and final phase (N=64) was conducted to test the convergent and discriminant validity of the scale and to examine the test-retest reliability. Convergent and discriminant validity were tested using the Task Specific Occupational Self-Efficacy Scale (TSOSS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The MTSE was hypothesized to demonstrate convergent validity with the TSOSS. Both factors of the MTSE were significantly correlated with the overall TSOSS, and additionally correlated with the four factors of the TSOSS, with one exception. Only Factor Two ("interpersonal process competencies") of the MTSE did not correlate significantly with factor four of the TSOSS. The BDI was used to test discriminant validity. The BDI did not correlate significantly with either of the factors of the MT SE. Thus, the MTSE demonstrated both convergent and discriminant validity with the instruments utilized in this study. The two-week test-retest correlation was .80, additionally demonstrating a stable reliability estimate in the MT SE. Limitations and implications for future research of the MT SE were provided. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Changes in memory and the nature of the mnemonic trace are a source of never-ending interest, as well as of physiological importance, to the investigator. To date, no satisfactory solution has been provided as to exactly what occurs within the trace itself when increasing errors of memory are manifested with the passage of time. Traditionally there have been two opposing theories - one, supported by G. E. Müller, which maintains that forgetting consists principally of an increasing indefiniteness of the trace, and the other, originated by Wulf, who concluded, from studies pursued under Koffka’s direction, that the trace tends, not towards vagueness, but towards “better figures”. That is, in certain instances, such as in the perception of an irregular figure, the unstable organization of forces within the trace itself will tend towards equilibrium overriding the influence of external events upon it. (Wulf himself distinguished three sources of error, “normalizing”, “emphasizing” and “autonomous changes”, but Koffka later reduced these to two, namely “external influence” and “spontaneous change”). Not only this, the tendency towards stability which is manifested in increased symmetry, tendency to close a gap, sharpening, etc., will be progressive in time. [...]

Title page, abstract and table of contents only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University of Adelaide Library. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1274742 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2007

For purposes of this background study, previous research findings relating to the development of the concept of field dependence - independence may be traced in five clearly distinct and logical stages: Stage 1: The Determination of the Factors Responsible for the Maintenance of Proper Orientation to the Upright. Stage 11: The Investigation of Individual Differences in the Manner of Establishing the Upright. Stage III: The Consideration of Possible Hypotheses to Account for Consistent Individual Differences in this Mode of Perception. Stage IV: An Investigation of the Relationship Between an Individual's Characteristic Way of Perceiving and his General Personality Organisation Stage V: The Ultimate Extension and Elaboration of this Work into the Construct of Psychological Differentiation which proposes that individuals are likely to function at a more differentiated or less differentiated level in many areas of behaviour. Some discussion of these stages is necessary to provide background for the present study. Chapter 1, p. 1.

Attempts to measure self concept in the elderly have been characterized by a variety of differing definitions of self concept, and differing methodological procedures. Previous investigations have used instruments which are stereotypic and not ecologically valid for elderly, test formats which make excessive demands on some elderly persons' cognitive and sensory-motor abilities, and administration procedures which penalize the less psychologically sophisticated older person, factors precluding adequate assessment of self concept in the elderly. In order to address the limitations of previous research, the present investigation developed and tested the Ecological Q-sort, a self concept instrument designed especially for use with the elderly. Items for the Ecological Q-sort were life situations which were ecologically representative and meaningful for older persons as self-defined by them. Two forms of the Ecological Q-sort were developed: the pictorial form consisting of pictorial representations of situations plus one sentence descriptions of situations; another form consisted of only one sentence written descriptions of situations.

M.Ed. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Paulhus's (1984) Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding (BIDR) contains scales designed to assess the two major components of socially desirable responding. The Self-Deception Scale (SDS) assesses the tendency to give favorably biased but honestly-held self-descriptions; the Impression Management Scale (IMS) assesses the tendency to give deliberately favorable self-descriptions. Research by Millham (1974) and Roth, Snyder and Pace (1986) has distinguished two tactics of desirable responding: (a) attribution: the claiming of positive attributes, and (b) denial: the rejection of negative attributes. This thesis presents three studies designed to evaluate the relative importance of these two distinctions in the BIDR. The first study, a factor analysis of 130 cases, demonstrated that both the content (self-deception vs. impression-management) and tactic (attribution vs. denial) were important in determining responses to the BIDR. The IMS items, including both attribution and denial, formed one factor. The attribution SDS items fell on a second factor. Surprisingly, the denial SDS items fell closer to the IMS factor. Rosenberg's Self-Esteem scale was most highly correlated with the attribution SDS items. Study 2 was a similar factor analysis of the data from a much larger dataset (N = 670). The factor pattern was identical to that in Study 1. Moreover, the SDS attribution items again predicted adjustment, including high self-esteem, low social anxiety and low empathic distress. Study 3 (N = 137) was designed to determine whether the critical difference between the attribution and denial items depends on: (a) whether the item refers to positive or negative attributes, or (b) whether the statement as a whole is favorable or unfavorable. To test these competing hypotheses, 20 negations were written, one for each of the 20 original assertions on the SDS. Results showed that items referring to positive characteristics (I am a saint; I am not a saint) formed a distinct factor from items referring to negative characteristics (I am a sinner; I am not a sinner). Simple negations (I am not a sinner) fell on the same factor as their corresponding assertions (I am a sinner) but at the opposite pole. Finally, the correlations with various personality measures were consistent with Studies 1 and 2. These results clarify the distinction between attribution and denial components. The distinction is not simply one of keying direction, that is, whether the statement as a whole is desirable or undesirable. Rather, the critical factor is whether the item content refers to a positive or negative characteristic. This distinction is critical in measuring self-deception, but not impression management. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

Bibliography: pages 173-181. / The self concept is a critical variable in the overall development and functioning of hearing impaired pupils, yet the findings of research studies indicate that pupils may have difficulty forming a realistic, positive self concept. The consequences of the hearing loss appear to contribute to lowered self-esteem. The accumulated effect of unresolved psychosocial developmental stages may increase the probability of identity confusion in adolescence. The results of research on the self concept of the hearing impaired has been inconclusive and difficult to interpret partly due to the use of inappropriate self concept scales. There is a need for a relevant test which assesses pupils' strengths and weaknesses in dimensions of the self concept. In this dissertation, the 'Self Concept Scale for the Hearing Impaired' (SSHI) is developed with the purpose of designing an appropriate self concept scale specifically for use on hearing impaired pupils between the ages of 11 and 19 years. During the construction and administration of the SSHI, an attempt was made to control for confounding variables known to influence responses of pupils and to distort scores obtained. The SSHI was constructed primarily according to the homogenous-keying approach. Test-retest reliability coefficients were computed over a 4 to 5 week period for 198 pupils in three schools for the hearing impaired in the Western Cape.

The main purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric characteristics of the Bicycle Drawing Test. The 20-point scoring criterion was evaluated, and the preliminary norms were established. The Bicycle Drawing Test is an easily administered free-style drawing task that has been found to be a useful addition to a neuropsychological test battery. It provides a sample of visuopractic functioning involving the formation of a perceptual construct, a motor response, and a spatial component.