Bruce R. Dunn

Concentration and mindfulness meditations : Unique forms of consciousness?

Electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings from 19 scalp recording sites were used to differentiate among two posited unique forms of mediation, concentration and mindfulness, and a normal relaxation control condition. Analyzes of all traditional frequency bandwidth data (i.e., delta 1–3 Hz; theta, 4–7 Hz; alpha, 8–12 Hz; beta 1, 13–25 Hz; beta 2, 26–32 Hz) showed strong mean amplitude frequency differences between the two meditation conditions and relaxation over numerous cortical sites. Furthermore, significant differences were obtained between concentration and mindfulness states at all bandwidths. Taken together, our results suggest that concentration and mindfulness “meditations” may be unique forms of consciousness and are not merely degrees of a state of relaxation.

Factor Structure on the Adult Nowicki-Strickland I-E Scale in a College Population

The purpose of the present study was to identify the factor structure of the Adult Nowicki-Strickland I-E Scale (ANS-IE) and to compare the results with those in a 1976 publication by Dixon, McKee, and McRae. The sample consisted of 174 subjects obtained from a college population. Both a two-factor and four-factor solution were obtained. Differential factor dimensionality was indicated for males and females. Further, the results revealed a high degree of similarity for Factor I items on the ANS-IE in relation to those obtained by Dixon et al. The findings support the contention that I-E is multidimensional in nature; however, these dimensions reflecting factorial validity have not been found to be consistently reliable across studies. Researchers are cautioned in utilizing items obtained from prior factor analytic studies in their research and in assuming that they measure necessarily comparable constructs.

Modal processing style differences in the recall of expository text and poetry.

Abstract Differences in semantic recall and scalp recorded EEG (alpha 8–13 Hz) activity between students hypothesized as having either an analytic or holistic cognitive or processing style were investigated. Styles were determined by the amount of bilateral alpha activity measured from the cerebral cortex of the brain during eyes-open baseline recordings. The results of Experiment 1 indicated that when expository text is tightly structured, both male and female analytics (those producing relatively less bilateral alpha than holistics), recall more of the semantically important “gist” information from text than holistics, particularly when they are asked to concentrate during the reading/recall period. Holistics, on the other hand, recalled more gist information when they were asked to relax during the reading/recall task. Experiment 2 showed that male holistics recalled more metaphors than male analytics after reading highly metaphoric (descriptive) poetry. In contrast, male analytics recalled more metaphors than male holistics after reading logically structured (argumentative) poetry. Female analytics and holistics did not show a differential pattern of recall. In general, although not supportive of hemisphere-based cognitive styles, our alpha data reflected the encoding differences between analytic and holistic processors. Results are discussed in relation to the bimodal theory of conscious processing and several suggestions for future research are provided.

Deviation from hierarchical structure in recall: Is there an “optimal” structure?

Abstract Past research has suggested that proportionally more superordinate than sub-ordinate propositions are recalled from expository texts, following a hierarchical analysis of the text structure. Since free recall has typically followed this hierarchical pattern, several researchers have assumed that the related memory structures are isomorphic to the text structure. However, few of these studies have examined how individual differences and text structure interact to affect free recall. In two experiments, the assumption of hierarchical patterns of childrens recall of expository text was tested. In Experiment 1, high- and average-ability fourth graders (9 years old) were asked to read and recall a passage. Experiment 2 was a replication and extension of Experiment 1. In this experiment, fourth and sixth graders (9 and 11 years old) read and recalled a different passage. The combined results of both experiments support the notion that there is probably no one optimal hierarchical structure for storage and retrieval of expository text.

Relationship between conjugate lateral eye movements, brain organization, and cognitive style ☆

The relationship between individual differences in conjugate lateral eye movements (CLEMs) and inferential reasoning was investigated in two experiments. Subjects were given inference tasks in sentence and pictorial form and were later tested for recognition of correct inferences as well as literal recognition of the acquisition items. In Experiment 2, for example, subjects were given logical syllogisms during acquisition. Theoretically, right-eye movement/left-hemispheric (REM/LH) subjects should have excelled at this highly logical task but no significant differences between eye-movement groups were found. However, support for previous research showing the moderating effects of gender on hemispheric activation (measured by CLEMs) and hemispheric competence came from the memory data of Experiment 2. These data indicated that male REM/LH subjects recognized more acquisition sentences than the other eye movement/gender groups. It was suggested CLEMs and other measures of hemispheric activation and competence, coupled with data collected using complex cognitive tasks, can eventually lead to explanatory brain models of cognitive processing.

A comparison of the sensitivity of two prose analysis models to developmental differences in free recall of text

Two prose analysis models (Kintsch, 1974; Meyer, 1975) were compared to determine the sensitivity of each to developmental differences in childrens recall of prose. The Meyer analysis revealed that older “good” readers showed significantly higher recall of certain idea units than younger “good” readers or “poor” readers of any age. This analysis suggests that older “good” readers are better able to recall certain implicit semantic relationships than their younger or less skilled counterparts. The analysis using the Kintsch model did not reveal any such apparent developmental differences. The authors conclude that the Meyer model, because it explicitly describes the high‐level organization of text of a passage, is more sensitive to such developmental differences.