Complex Sound's Pitch and Tempo Perception: Psychological and Instructional Features

The study investigates features of complex sound's pitch and tempo perception depending on instructional set presence via the Likert scale and WAM test (wellbeing, activity, mood). Influence of objective complex sound characteristics (pitch and tempo) on a subjective evaluation of a music fragment, as well as the influence of instructional set (prior informing of a participant about objective differences between music fragments) on a subjective evaluation of a music fragment, were explored. The study looks at how people of different genders, whether they know how to play an instrument or have had musical education, perceive music. It was discovered that high pitch music was embraced as more fun, bright, light, and indecisive. Music with a higher tempo was also perceived as carefree, which is subjectively evaluated as less heavy and more fun. People with musical education background notice more differences between fragments with various pitches and tempos, specifically, they are capable of differentiating pitch and tempo changes better. In general, the study has shown that it is possible to manipulate objective characteristics of a complex sound in order to create widely acceptable subjective and psychological interpretation.

Assessing the Effects of Instructional Set Size on Learning

Research evaluating the variables that influence learning has devoted inadequate attention to the influence of the amount of new material presented at one time. The current study evaluated the impact of varying instructional set size (ISS) on the rate at which elementary school students mastered multiplication facts while receiving constant time delay (CTD) instruction. Instructional time was equated across conditions. Instruction was provided for an ISS of five and 20 using CTD instruction for multiplication facts. ISS 20 was more efficient for two out of the three participants. This suggests a much larger efficient ISS than previous research. The implications of this finding for the importance of the instructional method in attempting to identify an efficient ISS, as well as the study’s connection to prior research, in this area are discussed.

Acute Effects of Marijuana Smoking on Negative and Positive Affect

Human studies and animal experiments present a complex and often contradictory picture of the acute impact of marijuana on emotions. The few human studies specifically examining changes in negative affect find either increases or reductions following delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) administration. In a 2 × 2, instructional set (told THC vs. told no THC) by drug administration (smoked marijuana with 2.8% THC vs. placebo) between-subjects design, we examined the pharmacologic effect of marijuana on physiological and subjective stimulation, subjective intoxication, and self-reported negative and positive affect with 114 weekly marijuana smokers. Individuals were first tested under a baseline/no smoking condition and again under experimental condition. Relative to placebo, THC significantly increased arousal and confusion/bewilderment. However, the direction of effect on anxiety varied depending on instructional set: Anxiety increased after THC for those told placebo but decreased among other participants. Furthermore, marijuana users who expected more impairment from marijuana displayed more anxiety after smoking active marijuana, whereas those who did not expect the impairment became less anxious after marijuana. Both pharmacologic and stimulus expectancy main effects significantly increased positive affect. Frequent marijuana users were less anxious after smoking as compared to less frequent smokers. These findings show that expectancy instructions and pharmacology play independent roles in effects of marijuana on negative affect. Further studies examining how other individual difference factors impact marijuana’s effects on mood are needed.