Perceptual and motor skills
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The Obscure Figure Test has been conceptualized by Acker and McReynolds (1965) as a measure of Cognitive Innovation. As a general concept Cognitive Innovation refers to an integration of different kinds of behavioral systems, e.g., creativity and exploratory behavior. Considering recent research about the relationship between curiosity and creativity as well as basic assumptions underlying this test, it is hypothesized that this is an instrument for measuring creativity rather than curiosity. 41 boys and 41 girls ranging from 7 to 10 yr. of age were given a battery of tests of curiosity and creativity. ⋯ A factor analysis yielded two factors which could be interpreted as "visual exploration" and "creativity", the obscure figures being a marker variable on the latter factor. Results are discussed in terms of the theoretical assumptions underlying the concepts of curiosity, creativity, and Cognitive Innovation. Further implications with respect to the requirements for an operationalization of Cognitive Innovations are mentioned.
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Male and female college students (N = 244), divided into seven experimental groups, rated women in general and men age 65 significantly higher in femininity than men at four younger ages and men in general. Ratings were made on the Broverman, et al. (1970) masculine-feminine (MF) scale. ⋯ Relatively high femininity ratings for men age 55 indicate that these characteristics are believed to increase in men as a function of the aging process. Results also suggest that the students' MF ratings of "men in general" are based primarily on their perceptions of young men.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Anxiety reduction associated with meditation: home study.
The effects of a new meditation technique were investigated; 159 A. R. ⋯ Unlike the control group, the treatment group reported highly significant reduction on the IPAT Anxiety Scale scores after 28 days of meditating with the new approach but no significant differences were found on the check list variables for either the treatment or control group. Implications of the findings for mental health professionals (psychiatrists, clinical and counseling psychologists) are briefly discussed.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Distribution of practice effects on learning retention and relearning by retarded boys.
The stabilometer task was used to study the difference between massed practice and distributed practice on initial acquisition, retention, and relearning of a gross motor skill by mentally retarded boys. 72 subjects were randomly assigned to either one massed practice group or one of three distributed practice groups with varying interrial rest intervals. All subjects were retested for retention and relearning after 8 wk. of no practice. The results indicated that distributed practice was superior to massed practice for initial skill acquisition. Retention was superior, favoring the group given distributed practice, but no significant differences were found between groups for relearning, indicating that the advantage of distributed practice may be temporary and that it is a performance rather than a learning factor.