In a variable distance 10-trial ringtoss, it was found that success required that a subject exceed his expected score. Therefore, the probability of success was the probability of exceeding the expected score on the 10 throws (Ps10); and this is shown to be different from the probability of scoring a ringer in a single throw (Ps1) from the same…

Research was conducted to investigate two general classes of human attention models, early-selection models which claim that attentional selecting precedes memory and meaning extraction mechanisms, and late-selection models which posit the reverse. This research involved two components: (1) the development of simple, efficient, computer-oriented…

Higher order need strength (HONS) has been shown to moderate the relationship between work role characteristics and some traditional dependent variables in organizations. It was hypothesized that employees with strong HONS might be more sensitive to variability in their work environments than people with weaker HONS. This would happen because…

Boys and girls (10-11 years) responded in a speed task faster in the presence than absence of an audience. Children were faster with the same-than opposite-sexed audiences. The results were discussed in terms of same-sex competitive motives, sex-stereotypes, and opposite-sex distractability. (Author)

Attributions of causes of successful task performances as a function of task and sex of the performer were investigated. Introductory psychology students (N=157) were presented with closed-circuit, videotaped episodes in which a male or female stimulus person performed a card-guessing task for 10 trials. Subjects heard the task described to the…

The document reports on an extension of task analysis methodology. The concept of strategic principles or task strategies implicit in the job activities of highly proficient performers is examined with the intent of improving training. The goal is to identify or invent such strategies, as appropriate, and then proceed with training encouraging use…

The hypothesis in the present study is that in work situations which evoke sex role stereotypes, women will respond less stereotypically than males since it is in their best interest to do so. The method comes from the Rosen et al. (1975) study of male managers. In the present study, 293 introductory psychology students were asked to role play an…

The patrol performance of forty-one female police officers was compared to that of forty-one male police officers in New York City in 1975/1976; the males and females were matched by length of time on force, patrol experience, and type of precinct. Direct observation by police and civilian personnel was the principal research method. The findings…

Ninety-six male and female undergraduates participated in a test of the influence of sex role on performance in a masculine task. Subject sex, norm (challenging or not challenging), and experimenter (male, female, or no experimenter present) were varied in a 2 x 2 x 3 design. When challenged, subjects worked more successfully in the presence of a…

Study I examined activity spans in four types of preschool establishments. Overall span was greatest in the nursery school and lowest in the day nursery. Study II examined attention spans in a primary school. Both studies demonstrated the influence of adults in increasing children's attention. (Author/SJL)

The report describes the fourth and final study in a program of research into the relationships between the characteristics of human tasks and the abilities required for task performance. The goal was to generate principles for identification of ability requirements from knowledge of the characteristics of a task and of variations in the…

The present study focuses on two major questions. First, how often are potentially reinforcing behaviors emitted by teachers in naturally occurring classrooms? Second, what is the relationship between the display of potentially reinforcing behaviors by the teacher and the task-orientation of randomly selected students in the classrooms. Students…

Down's syndrome adolescents were compared with age- and I.Q.-matched non-Down's syndrome retardates on a two-point finger tapping task. Results supported the hypothesis that Down's syndrome retardates show a deficit in developing and utilizing preprogramed motor sequences. (CM)

A study examined the effects of feedback on the job attitudes and behavior of female sewing machine operators. The control group design involved all 165 piecework operators at the experimental site (a garment factory in a large southwestern city) and a random sample of 54 operators selected from a sister plant of the same manufacturer 10 miles…

Two visual monitoring tasks were used to further knowledge of the interactions between individual differences and task demands as determinants of performance and satisfaction. The subjects, 100 male university students, completed pre- and post-test batteries to assess general and specific abilities, personality variables, work orientation,…