H. Julia Hannay

Selective reminding test: An examination of the equivalence of four forms

Four forms of a selective reminding test were administered to 20 male and 20 female subjects 1 week apart in one of four orders determined by a Latin square. On many of the dependent measures, Form 1 was significantly more difficult than the other three forms, which were equivalent in difficulty. For many of the measures, performance on the first test administered was significantly lower than that on the third and fourth tests administered. Performance on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th tests administered was similar. Males made significantly more intrusions than females. Interclass correlation coefficients ranged from .414 to .654. Implications for clinical use of the selective reminding tests are discussed.

Visual field effects and short-term memory for verbal material.

Abstract The role of memory in the usual right visual field superiority for verbal material reported with normal subjects was investigated. Nonsense words were presented vertically in either the left or right visual field. The exposure duration, which was individually determined for each subject to produce about 75% correct responses, ranged from 5 to 25 msec. After a delay of 0, 5, or 10 sec the subject decided whether or not a nonsense word exposed in central vision was the same as the stimulus word. With males, the results suggested that the right visual field superiority represents left hemisphere specialization for retention of verbal material and hemispheric equality in reception. With females no visual field superiority was found perhaps indicating that both hemispheres receive and retain verbal information equally well. The findings support the concept of less-complete lateralization of linguistic and spatial functions in females.

Visual field recognition memory for right-handed females as a function of familial handedness.

Recognition memory for nonsense words presented vertically and unilaterally in the left and right visual fields was investigated in right-handed females as a function of the memory interval and familial handedness. The subject decided whether another nonsense word presented in central vision after memory intervals of 0, 5, or 10 sec. was the same as the stimulus word. The exposure duration producing a recognition accuracy of about 75% for each subject was employed and ranged from 5 to 28 msec. Right-handed females with only right-handed family members demonstrated right visual field superiorities indicative of a slight left hemisphere specialization for memory but not for reception of verbal material. Field superiorities obtained for right-handed females with a left-handed parent or sibling were not significant. In general, less complete lateralization of linguistic function in females was indicated and the importance of familial handedness in cerebral asymmetry of function was confirmed.

The Relation Between Acute Physiological Variables and Outcome on the Glasgow Outcome Scale and Disability Rating Scale Following Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

The relation between outcome and duration of adverse physiological events was studied, using suggested critical physiological values. Subjects were 184 patients with severe traumatic brain injury who received continuous monitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP), and jugular venous oxygen saturation. Longer durations of adverse physiological events were significantly related to Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) scores and Disability Rating Scale (DRS) scores for all variables at all timepoints postinjury. When analyses excluded patients who died, the relation between adverse physiological events and GOS was nonsignificant; however, duration of ICP, MAP, and CPP still accounted for a significant portion of the variance in DRS scalres. The relative sensitivity of the GOS and DRS is discussed.

Sex differences in hemispheric asymmetry revisited.

56 male and 56 female familial right-handers were given a tachistoscopic task requiring recognition of trigrams presented binocularly and vertically in the right or left visual field fot individually determined brief durations. Both males and females obtained a significant superiority in the right visual field and significant laterality coefficients indicative of processing by the left hemisphere. Implications for research on sex differences in hemispheric asymmetry are discussed.

Individual differences and asymmetry effects in memory for unfamiliar faces.

Visual field effects for recognition of unfamiliar faces was investigated using memory intervals of 0, 10, and 20 sec. and 8 stimuli in a same-different comparison paradigm. In Experiment I, 24 male and 24 female familial righthanders, half of whom had high and the other half, low Block Design (BD) scaled scores participated. Faces were recognized significantly more often in the LVF. A visual field x memory interval interaction resulted from reliable LVF superiorities with the 0 and 10 sec. memory intervals and a non-significant RVF superiority with the 20 sec. memory interval. Performance decreased significantly as the duration of the memory interval increased. No sex differences were found. Subjects with high and low BD scores performed similarly. In Experiment II, 16 stimuli were employed and the task repeated. Twenty-four male and 24 female familial righthanderds were given the BD and Vocabulary subtests of the WAIS as well as a brightness discrimination task. Field effects were non-significant. Performance decreased with longer memory intervals. For males, field effects for the 0 sec. memory interval were positively related to brightness discrimination scores.

Real or imagined incomplete lateralization of function in females

Visual field effects for 30 normal familial right-handed females were investigated with 4-point random forms known to be recognized more accurately in the right visual field by normal familial right-handed males, and the relationship between spatial ability and various performance patterns was examined. The forms were presented 2 deg in the left or right visual field. After a 10-sec delay, the subject decided whether or not a form exposed in central vision was the same as the stimulus. Incomplete lateralization of function appeared to be supported by the finding of no field differences. An alternative explanation was discussed since visual field superiority was significantly correlated with WAIS Block Design scores scaled for age, females with relatively low scores showing a right visual field superiority and females with relatively high scores showing a left visual field superiority. The experiment was repeated with 30 familial right-handed males. A significant right visual field superiority was obtained, but visual field superiorities were not correlated with measures of visuo-spatial or verbal ability.

Self-Report of Right-Left Confusion in College Men and Women

Self-report questionnaires of difficulty in right-left discrimination and handedness were given to 575 male and 607 female undergraduates. Significantly more men and lefthanders reported having right-left confusion frequently or all the time. The validity of such self-report measures in predicting actual performance on right-left discrimination tasks is questioned since the results, at least as a function of handedness, depended on the question asked.

Relationships among Anxiety, Defensiveness, Sex, Task Difficulty, and Performance on Various Neuropsychological Tasks

The relationships between sex, personality differences, task difficulty, and the performance on neuropsychological tests were investigated. On the basis of trait anxiety and defensiveness, 120 college students were divided into three groups by coping style: high anxious, true low anxious, and repressor groups. As predicted, women obtained significantly higher scores than men on Digit Symbol and word fluency tests, while the opposite sex difference was found for Block Design and Finger Tapping tests. Performance did not vary with trait anxiety. However, on Block Design and one-word fluency test, rated by subjects as the most difficult tests, high state anxiety was associated with significantly poorer performance.

Focal right temporo-occipital blood flow changes associated with judgment of line orientation

Focal cerebral blood flow changes for judgment of line orientation were determined using the 133Xe inhalation technique with 18 normal right-handed male subjects. Measurements were made during three conditions in the same session: a line orientation task, a sensorimotor control task, and normal rest. Blood flow changes attributable to the judgment of line orientation were found for the measure f1 at a detector centered over the right temporo-occipital region. For the measure IS this activation was significant in the temporo-occipital region in both hemispheres but significantly greater in the right hemisphere. For f1 the change in blood flow and for IS the percent change in blood flow in the right temporo-occipital region attributable to judgment of line orientation decreased as performance on the line orientation task improved.