Differences in lingual vibrotactile threshold shifts during magnitude-estimation scaling between normal-speaking children and children with articulation problems.

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in function of the tactile sensory system between groups of normal-speaking children and children with articulation problems. This task was accomplished by studying possible tactile threshold shifts occurring during magnitude-estimation scaling of vibratory stimuli presented to the dorsal surface of the tongue. 10 normal-speaking children (M age = 7.8 yr.) and 9 children with articulation problems (M age = 7.5 yr.) participated. The normal-speaking children and articulatory defective children performed differently on the magnitude-estimation scaling task in which threshold was allowed to return to baseline after each stimulus presentation. These two groups of children also showed dissimilar threshold shifts for the suprathreshold intensities employed in the magnitude-estimation scaling.     

Grip strength and physical demand of previous occupation in a well-functioning cohort of Chinese older adults

The grip strength of 214 independently ambulatory Chinese older adults (M age = 75.1 +/- 7.0 yr.) was measured, and preliminary mean values presented. Their previous occupations were recorded, and the physical demands of those occupations in terms of oxygen consumption and work done were classified. Grip strength generally decreased across age groups. The physical demand of individuals' previous occupations had significant associations with grip strength, for example, participants who previously worked as construction site workers had a greater grip strength than those who worked previously as office workers.     

Rehearsal strategies during motor-sequence learning in old age: execution vs motor imagery

Motor imagery and action-based rehearsal were compared during motor sequence-learning by young adults (M = 25 yr., SD = 3) and aged adults (M = 63 yr., SD = 7). General accuracy of aged adults was lower than that of young adults (F(1,28) = 7.37, p =.01) even though working-memory capacity was equivalent in the two groups. Motor imagery and rehearsal by action increased accuracy in both age groups, compared with minimization of opportunity for rehearsal (F(1,28) = 30.95, p < .001), but no interaction was found with age group, which suggests that young and aged adults were equally capable of motor imagery and action-based rehearsal. It was assumed that differences in performance between young and aged participants related to the formation of mental representations of sequences and integration of new elements into these representations rather than the capacity for motor imagery or rehearsal by action per se. The current study was exploratory and involved a relatively small sample of 15 participants per age group. Caution must be taken when considering the results.     

Interposition and size constancy: a developmental study

27 children (mean age 6.7 yr.) and 84 adults (mean age 26.3 yr.) were asked to judge the sizes of human figures in photographs. Half the cards contained interpositional depth cues while the other half did not. Both groups of subjects showed better size constancy with interposition present than without it.     

Application of nasometry to speech samples of hearing-impaired children.

Nasalance measurements from speech samples of 19 hearing-impaired children (12 boys, 7 girls, of M age 8.0 yr.) were computed via a Nasometer 6200 for three speaking conditions: unaided, aided, and FM amplification. The nasalance scores for each condition were compared with the device norms. Scores for each condition were correlated and then ranked by age for additional comparisons.     

Accuracy of two simple methods for the assessment of health-related physical fitness

We have developed a useful equation for estimating health-related physical fitness age. This version of health-related fitness age was developed as an extension of the biological age index and is useful for evaluation of individual differences in functional abilities of middle-aged and older adults. This measure consists of 4 independent variables fitness (VO2 max, standing trunk flexibility, %fat, and grip strength). However, direct measurement of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) is an invasive clinical procedure and not practical for large scale work. In the current study, we attempted to assess the fitness age more feasibly. We selected a questionnaire method and a 12-min. submaximal treadmill walk test as substitutes for the VO2 max test. The three fitness ages were computed for 23 Japanese men (M(age) 54.7 +/- 10.7 yr.), using actual VO2 max (actual fitness age), questionnaire VO2 max (predicted questionnaire fitness age), and treadmill VO2 max (predicted treadmill fitness age). Predicted questionnaire fitness age (61.0 +/- 10.5 yr.) and predicted treadmill fitness age (60.0 +/- 12.4 yr.) were significantly correlated with actual fitness age (60.1 +/- 12.4 yr.) (r= .96 and .97, respectively). There were no significant differences among the three indices, but there was a significant difference between actual fitness age and chronological age (p<.05). For VO+/-2 max substituting the questionnaire for the treadmill estimate is acceptable in assessing fitness age and reducing the clinical risk for middle-aged and older Japanese men.     

Adolescents' secure-base behavior from the perspective of information processing

Secure-base behavior in adolescents was examined from the perspective of information processing. The secure-base behavior was operationally defined as accessibility to attachment-related information and assessed by reaction time to target stimuli. Study 1 was conducted on 37 undergraduates (10 classes as Secure, 12 men, M age = 19.3 yr.) to investigate whether differences in attachment styles would show different forms of information processing. There was a difference in reaction time to negative targets between Secure and Insecure participants. Study 2 was conducted on 45 undergraduates (8 classed as Secure, 22 men, M age = 19.4 yr.) to investigate whether activation of the internal working models would show different forms of information processing. There was a difference between Secure and Insecure participants in patterns of reaction time to stimuli for positive and negative relationships. Results were discussed on the basis of secure-base behavior.     

Development of sex differences in spatial memory.

Males typically perform better than females on tests of spatial abilities. However, Silverman and Eals (1992) found that females can surpass males on certain tasks, in particular recall of object location. This study investigated the age at which females begin having greater recall in object location. Recall was tested with object arrays (sets of line drawings of common objects) using samples of 80 adults (M age = 21 yr.) and 139 children at 3 age groups. Adult data replicated earlier findings, indicating significantly greater recall by women. The samples of children at different ages--4 yr. (n = 43), 10-11 yr. (n = 53), and 15-16 yr. (n = 43)--did not show significant sex differences in this type of recall. The findings suggest that females may surpass males in this spatial ability as adults, apparently due to gradual improvements in spatial memory through childhood and adolescence.     

Comparison of gait patterns between young and elderly women: an examination of coordination

This study investigated intralimb coordination during walking in young and elderly women using the theoretical model of dynamical systems. 20 women, 10 Young (M age=24.6 yr., SD= 3.2 yr.) and 10 Elderly (M age=73.7 yr., SD=4.9 yr.), were videotaped during free speed gait and gait perturbed by an ankle weight. Two parameters, one describing the phasing relationship between segments (mean absolute relative phase) and the other the variability of this relationship (deviation in phase), were calculated from the kinematics. Two-way analysis of variance (age and weight) with repeated measures on weight indicated that during the braking period the weight increased the mean absolute relative phase between the shank and the thigh and decreased it between the foot and the shank. The Elderly women had significant smaller values for the mean absolute relative phase between the shank and the thigh during the braking period. For the same period, deviation in phase increased for the segmental 'relationship between the shank and the thigh. The findings suggest that changes in intralimb coordination take place with asymmetrical weighting and the aging process. These changes are most clearly present during the braking period.     

Lack of age differences in the Beck Depression Inventory-II scores of clinically depressed adolescent outpatients

To assess whether the mean Beck Depression Inventory-II scores of adolescents who were diagnosed with unipolar depressive disorders differed with respect to age, the inventory was administered to 144 (60%) female and 96 (40%) male outpatients between 13 and 17 yr. who were diagnosed with depressive disorders. The internal consistency of the scores was high (coefficient alpha=.89). A factorial analysis of variance was used to test for the main effects of age, sex, ethnicity, type of depressive disorder, comorbidity, and the two-way interactions of age with the other main effects. The mean scores were not differentiated by age or by the interactions of age with the other effects. The lack of age differences in this 5-year range on the mean scores of clinically depressed adolescents was discussed with respect to previous findings that have reported such differences in adolescents and adults.     

Alteration of adults' subjective feeling of familiarity toward infants' sounds

Many adults may have lower subjective feelings of familiarity toward infants' vocalizations since infants' sounds are different from those of adults. However, mothers frequently exposed to infants' vocalizations may be more familiar and less averse. To test this hypothesis, 21 mothers (M age = 31.1 yr., SD = 4.3) of infants (M age = 8.2 mo., SD = 3.5), 18 mothers (M age = 34.4 yr., SD = 4.8) of children between two and five years of age (M age = 2.8 yr., SD = 1.0), and 17 women (M age = 29.2 yr., SD = ll.1) with no children were exposed to 20 types of sounds. Of these sounds, 14 were produced by infants. Although the mothers of infants did not recognize sounds as those of an infant's vocalization, they showed higher subjective feelings of familiarity toward the timbres of the vowel-like stimuli than did the other groups. By contrast, the subjective feelings of familiarity for nonspeech sounds did not differ among groups. Maternal experiences may change women's recognition of perceived sounds.     

Interactive decision-making: effects of consultation before personal decisions on postdecision consolidation

Pre- and postdecision processes were studied in triads of participants, dyads of participants, and for individual decision-makers in two experiment (N = 57 and 50). Participants were students volunteering to take part in the study (21 men and 36 women with a mean age of 24 yr. and 25 men and 25 women with a mean age of 27 yr.). The purpose was to examine how much interactive versus individual social interaction (consultation with others before making a personal decision) affects postdecision consolidation. Predecision differentiation and postdecision consolidation have been defined as attractiveness changes over time in favour of the chosen alternative. Participants were coded into three categories (noncompensatory, compensatory, and nonclassified) according to their different decision strategies. For Exp. 1, postdecision consolidation effects were significant for participants who used a noncompensatory (no comparisons across attributes) decision strategy. For Exp. 2, postdecision consolidation effects were significant for participants who made a personal decision but not those who made an interactive decision. The differing results in these two experiments were discussed.     

Use of self-reports of physical fitness as substitutes for performance-based measures of physical fitness in older adults

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association between self-reported physical fitness and performance-based measures of physical fitness in older adults. The specific components of physical fitness evaluated included aerobic endurance, muscular strength, and flexibility. Adults (25 men and 47 women) ranging in age from 56 to 92 years (M age=75 yr.) were recruited from the local community. Generally, the associations between self-reported and performance-based measures of physical fitness were low to moderate (r = 30-.01). Based on these findings, self-reports of physical fitness should not be used as substitutes for performance-based measures of physical fitness in older adults. Furthermore, present findings suggest that older adults, when asked to rate subcomponents of physical fitness, may not do so but rather evaluate a more general concept of physical fitness with aerobic endurance as the dominant factor.     

Safety of using the adult OMNI Resistance Exercise Scale to determine 1-RM in older men and women

Older adults may be susceptible to injury during high-intensity resistance exercise. It has been suggested that it may be more protective to predict one-repetition maximum (1-RM) than to measure it because of the high intensity associated with 1-RM testing, but it may be necessary to measure 1-RM for functional, diagnostic, or clinical purposes. The method of using the OMNI Resistance Exercise Scale (OMNI-RES) was examined as a guide for hexagenarian adults in estimating 1-RM. 22 healthy men (M age = 64.3 yr., SD = 3.2) and 27 women (M age = 63.8 yr., SD = 2.8) volunteered. After two weeks of orientation, participants used a predetermined rating of perceived exertion to select resistance in the assessment of 1-RM and again after 12 weeks of training. At the 1-RM trials, participants were asked to report soreness or injury during or after the exercise sessions. There were no reported incidences of injury during the current investigation. The current results provide a practical method to estimate 1-RM in older adults. As such, the OMNI-RES can be used safely in a potentially at-risk population.     

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): attachment styles and parental bonding

The attachment styles and parental bonding by 64 patients (M age = 43.2 yr., SD = 13.3) with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) were compared with those of 64 patients (M age = 42.2 yr., SD = 13.5) with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and 126 Healthy participants (M age = 42.2 yr., SD = 12.1). Analysis of scores on the Attachment Style Questionnaire indicated insecure attachment in both the patient and control groups. The Parental Bonding scores indicated perceptions of Affectionless Control by parents in both patient groups. In particular, the mean Father-Protection subscale scores were significantly higher for in the GERD group than in the Healthy and IBD groups.     

Knowledge and fear of developing Alzheimer's disease in a sample of healthy adults

Alzheimer's disease is the fourth leading cause of death among seniors but its insidious onset makes it difficult to distinguish from age-related decline and little is known about how much knowledge and fear people entertain about this disease. This study examined knowledge and fear of Alzheimer's disease by surveying 127 young (M= 19.6 yr.) and 118 older (M=67.9 yr.) participants. Younger participants obtained a score of 64%, while older participants obtained 58% on the knowledge test. Younger participants reported significantly higher fear overall. Knowledge and Fear scores were not significantly correlated with having a family member or knowing someone with Alzheimer's disease.     

Reading and spontaneous speaking fundamental frequency of young Arabic men for Arabic and English languages: a comparative study

Speaking fundamental frequency (SFF), the average fundamental frequency (lowest frequency of a complex periodic sound) measured over the speaking time of a vocal or speech task, is a basic acoustic measure in clinical evaluation and treatment of voice disorders. Currently, there are few data on acoustic characteristics of different sociolinguistic groups, and no published data on the fundamental frequency characteristics of Arabic speech. The purpose of this study was to obtain preliminary data on the SFF characteristics of a group of normal speaking, young Arabic men. 15 native Arabic men (M age = 23.5 yr., SD=2.5) as participants received identical experimental treatment. Four speech samples were collected from each one, Arabic reading, Arabic spontaneous speech, English reading, and English spontaneous speech. Speaking samples, analyzed using the Computerized Speech Lab, showed no significant difference for mean SFF between language and type of speech and none for mean SFF between languages. A significant difference in the mean SFF was found between the types of speech. The SFF used during reading was significantly higher than that for spontaneous speech. Also Arabic men had higher SFF values than those previously reported for young men in other linguistic groups. SFF then might differ among linguistic, dialectical, and social groups and such data may provide clinicians information useful in evaluation and management of voice.     

Perception of weight-bearing distribution during sit-to-stand task in healthy young and elderly individuals

The first objective was to assess whether healthy individuals could accurately estimate their weight-bearing distribution in sit-to-stand transfers. The second was to evaluate the effect of age on weight-bearing perception. 16 young participants (11 women, 5 men; M age 29 yr., SD = 8.7) and 15 elderly participants (7 women, 8 men; M age 65 yr., SD = 3.8) were recruited. Verbal instructions and visual feedback referring to different percentages of weight-bearing distribution to execute were used to quantify weight-bearing perception in sit-to-stand tasks. For the feedback approach, the perception was assessed with a visual analog scale. For the verbal task, the weight-bearing distribution produced was assessed with force plates. Both young and elderly participants had good perception of weight-bearing distribution, with mean absolute errors of 6.4%. Moreover, their perceived and real weight-bearing distribution showed good agreement (ICC > or = .79).     

Reliability of the bipolar form of the profile of mood states using an alternative test protocol

The bipolar version of Profile of Mood States was completed by 124 participants (58 women and 66 men, M age 26.5, SD=3.9 yr.) on two occasions--once when the measure was self-administered according to that test protocol and once when POMS-BI items were projected onto a screen with participants being asked to provide oral responses to items. Data from both modes of administration provided similar support for the internal consistency of the measure (alpha values ranged from .78 to .90).     

Practice evoking the flexor carpi radialis h-reflex: a guideline for proficiency

The purpose of this research was to identify the number of sessions required for a new investigator to become proficient at evoking an H-reflex in the flexor carpi radialis (FCR), in comparison to an experienced investigator. 31 students from Brock University in the greater Niagara region (16 women M age = 32.2, SD = 8.9 yr.; 15 men M age = 27.8, SD = 7.8 yr.) with no known neurological disorders volunteered and completed two test sessions performed by either an experienced or a novice investigator. In randomized order, both investigators stimulated each subject's median nerve 10 times, once every 15 sec. Each session included the measurement of the subject's flexor carpi radialis maximal M-wave amplitude and H-reflex amplitude and latency with surface electromyographic electrodes. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) indicated an adequate correlation between investigators for both M-wave maximal amplitude and H-reflex at 5% of the M-wave maximal amplitude (.84 and .70, respectively). However, there was a low correlation (.38) between the latency values obtained by the two investigators. The peak-to-peak amplitudes of the H-reflex and M-wave do not appear to be influenced by experience of the tester. The latency of the response, however, appears to have an associated learning curve, improving in consistency with increasing practice of tester.