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Biomedical subjects

M E Pratarelli

Publications and source records attributed to M E Pratarelli.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

The bits and bytes of computer/Internet addiction: a factor analytic approach.

A factor analytic approach was used to explore possible constructs underlying so-called computer/Internet addiction. A 94-item survey was developed, from which two major and two minor factors were derived. Factor 1 focused on problematic computer-related behaviors in heavy users of the Internet, whereas Factor 2 focused on the usefulness and general purpose nature of computers and the Internet. Factor 3 isolated a combination of use of the Internet for sexual gratification and shyness/introversion, and Factor 4 focused on an absence of problems related to Internet use that were coupled with a mild aversion or a disinterest in this technology. These data support the notion that some individuals have a mixture of obsessive-like characteristics related specifically to their computer/Internet use but that, not surprisingly, they also exhibit a preference for on-line, rather than in-person, interactions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Immediate effects of written material on attitudes toward homosexuality.

This study examined whether attitudes toward homosexuals were affected by educational material containing information about the biological determinants of sexual orientation. This study utilized a normed two-alternative inventory on which participants were asked to rate matched items on a 5-point scale. In the first session participants completed one version involving interactions with homosexual individuals. One week later, participants, randomly assigned to one of three groups, filled out the matched alternative form after reading a summary that presented either a biological or environmental basis for homosexuality or an unrelated article. Analysis confirmed previous research that the 40 men had more negative attitudes toward homosexuals than the 40 women but that different types of explanations for homosexuality had no over-all influence on attitudes. More importantly, an item analysis extended our previous understanding of sex differences in that physical proximity to the homosexual individual was the strongest factor associated with attitude change.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Modulation of semantic processing using word length and complexity: an ERP study.

The objective of this study was to assess changes in semantic priming in two experiments which separately manipulated word length and the location of a semantic incongruence within spoken compound words. All words began 1500 ms after the presentation of related, partially unrelated, or totally unrelated picture-primes. Using a picture of a dogbone as an example, either the spoken words DOGBONE, WISHBONE, DOGHOUSE, or MAILBOX could occur as targets (underscores indicate semantically unrelated parts). In practice, only one of the four possible targets occurred with each prime. Subjects made speeded responses by pressing one of two buttons (related/unrelated) while event-related brain potentials (ERPs) were collected from various scalp locations. The behavioral analyses of response time and accuracy were sensitive to changes in word length, but inconclusive for semantic relatedness. However, repeated-measures ANOVAs of peak amplitude, latency, and mean area amplitude of the N400 ERP revealed significant effects of word length and semantic priming. Comparison of related compounds with partially unrelated word-initial violations of context (e.g., WISHBONE) revealed diminished activity following the peak of the N400. Comparison of partially unrelated word-final contextual violations (e.g., DOGHOUSE) revealed an N400 effect delayed by approximately the mean length of the word-initial component. These results demonstrate the dynamic sensitivity of the cortical semantic processor.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Effects of gender on perception of spatial illusions.

Popular theories explaining performance differences between males and females generally predict that females tend to outperform males on certain perceptual and linguistic tasks, while males outperform females on tasks involving visual-spatial skills. 28 males and females were shown commercially available computer-generated 3-dimensional illusions in which the hidden object(s) varied in complexity. Although females reported more prior experience with this form of art, males were about four times faster at identifying the illusions at all levels of difficulty.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Semantic processing of pictures and spoken words: evidence from event-related brain potentials.

Semantic associations between pictures and their verbal referents were assessed in a reaction time (RT) experiment where pictures and words acted both as primes and targets. Behavioral RTs and accuracy were recorded from 20 adult subjects along with the event-related brain potentials (ERPs) recorded from two midline and 10 lateral electrode sites. Behavioral effects were inconclusive, but the ERPs to target stimuli varied as a function of whether the priming stimulus was semantically related or unrelated to the target. The ERPs elicited to unrelated picture targets and unrelated word targets were more negative than their related counterparts and fit the characteristics of the N400 during all but the initial phase of differential processing. The differences in scalp distribution in the initial phases appear to reflect the processing of nonidentical sensory-specific mechanisms; the common later peak activity reflects the processing of a single common semantic processor.

Adolescent↗