The time-saving bias describes people’s tendency to misestimate the timethey can save by increasing the speed in which they perform an activity such asdriving or completing a task. People typically underestimate time saved whenincreasing from a low speed and overestimate time saved when increasing from analready high speed. We suggest that this bias is the result of people’sfailure to recognize the curvilinear relationship between increasing speed andreducing activity time: As initial speed rises, the same speed increases willyield smaller reductions in time. We explore a new technique to de-bias thesefaulty estimations: converting measurements of speed to a pace measure (e.g.,minutes per fixed distance). Utilizing common driving scenarios, we show thatparticipants who received pace data made more accurate estimations of journeyduration at various speeds, time-savings at various speed increases and therequired speed to complete a journey.

The aim of this study was to determine if: (1) participants could learn the HMR Calorie System© by testing if their use of the system was more accurate after training; and (2) estimated portion size and food intake improved with training. A secondary aim was to use PACE (photographic assessment of calorie estimation) to assess if participants learned the HMR system. The PACE consists of pictures of foods, the energy content of which is known. A within-subjects design was used to test the aims of this study. Participants were 44 overweight (25 ≤ BMI < 30) adults who were randomly assigned to one of three calorie restriction groups or a weight maintenance group for 6 months. Participants attended weekly sessions and were trained to use the HMR system from weeks 5 to 8. Participants were provided with foods to test if they could effectively use the HMR system and accurately estimate portion size and the amount of food eaten. The PACE was also used to quantify accuracy at using the HMR system. Training resulted in more accurate estimation of food intake, use of the HMR system and estimated portion size when presented with food. Additionally, training resulted in significantly more accurate use of the HMR system when measured with PACE. It is concluded that people can learn the HMR Calorie System© and improve the accuracy of portion size and food intake estimates. The PACE is a useful assessment tool to test if participants learn a calorie counting system.

This investigation reports the results of a pilot study concerning the application of principles of use-dependent learning developed in the motor rehabilitation literature as Constraint Induced Therapy to language rehabilitation in a group of individuals with chronic aphasia. We compared treatment that required forced use of the language modality, Constraint Induced Language Therapy, (CILT) to treatment allowing all modes of communication. Both treatments were administrated intensively in a massed practice paradigm, using the same therapeutic stimuli and tasks. Results suggest that whereas both interventions yielded positive outcomes, CILT participants showed more consistent improvement on standard aphasia measures and clinician judgments of narrative discourse. These findings suggest that CILT intervention may be a viable approach to aphasia rehabilitation. (JINS, 2006, 12, 843–852.)