Psychopathologie de la vie quotidienne : validation d’un nouveau questionnaire de défaillances cognitives

In our daily lives, we make a number of errors and blunders for all our activities. These are the cognitive failures of everyday life, which are conventionally measured by the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire (CFQ). Literature has demonstrated not only that this tool has many limitations especially regarding its factor structure which is not identified by consensus but also that the origin and nature of cognitive failures are not interviewed because they are considered in terms of executive dysfunction. Also, this study will be to describe the various stages of validation structure of a new assessment tool, the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire Daily (questionnaire de défaillances cognitives quotidiennes [QDCQ]) and expose the different levels of analysis of our methodological approach that we have allowed to get it. Therefore, it was administered to 237 all comers people of all ages and proposed them to assess the frequency of cognitive failures over the last 6 months. As a result of is a first step in item analysis using indices of normality, of difficulty and discrimination and a second at different scales, we removed twenty-five items out of fifty-two which the statistical power was not sufficient to be kept. We then obtained a new version of QDCQ, which comprises twenty-seven items that apprehend the most cognitive failure's construct. The results of several confirmatory factor analyzes identify a structure with three factors (attention, language and memory) as best fitting our data. That is consistent with the general literature on this construct (0145 and 0240), and it tends us to prefer the hypothesis that the occurrence of cognitive failures would be the result of a momentary disruption of specific cognitive processes (probably executive processes which it remains to be defined) that influenced in different spheres of activities. The questionnaire opens new perspectives both in terms of clinical practice, particularly in that it could participate in early detection of several behaviours involved in various forms of pathological cognitive aging such as Alzheimer's disease or Parkinson's. Moreover, conceptually, it could also lead to clarify the relationship that the construct of cognitive failures has with executive functions.     

Un modèle neurobiologique de la perception et de l'estimation du temps

Frontal-striatal circuits provide an important neurobiological substrate for timing and time perception as well as for working memory. In this review, we outline recent theoretical and empirical work to suggest that interval timing and working memory rely not only on the same anatomic structures, but also on the same neural representation of a specific stimulus. In the striatal beat-frequency model, cortical neurons fire in an oscillatory fashion to form representations of stimuli, and striatal medium spiny neurons detect those patterns of cortical firing that occur co-incident to important temporal events. Information about stimulus identity can be extracted from the specific cortical networks that are involved in the representation, and information about duration can be extracted from the relative phase of neural firing. The properties derived from these neurobiological models fit well with the psychophysics of timing and time perception as well as with information-processing models that emphasize the importance of temporal coding in a variety of working-memory phenomena.     

Structure implicative des propriétés, conséquences pour l'étude de la catégorisation

We show how the notion of implication between properties and the relevance principle shed new light on the results of Rosch and her colleagues (1975, 1976). To uncover our hypotheses, concerning relationships between properties, participants were asked to respond to propositions linking properties A and B, relative to birds, of the type “If A, can it generally be said that B?” Results show that some properties are linked one to the other (quasi-equivalence, quasi-implication, or quasi-independence) and that these implicative links can be summarized by an implicative graph. The resulting property structure has a predictive character for participant response times.     

From Context to Code: Information Transfer Constrains the Emergence of Graphic Codes

Humans commit information to graphic symbols for three basic reasons: as a memory aid, as a tool for thinking, and as a means of communication. Yet, despite the benefits of transmitting information graphically, we still know very little about the biases and constraints acting on the emergence of stable, powerful, and accurate graphic codes (such as writing). Using a reference game, where participants play as Messengers and Recipients, we experimentally manipulate the function of the task (communicative or non‐communicative) and investigate whether this shapes the emergence of stable, powerful, and accurate codes for both synchronous and asynchronous modes of information transfer. Only in the Dialogue condition, where Messenger and Recipient are two different persons communicating within the same time frame (i.e., synchronously), do we consistently observe the emergence of stable, powerful, and accurate graphic codes. Such codes are unnecessary for participants in Recall, where Messenger and Recipient are the same person transferring information within the same time frame, and they fail to emerge in Correspondence, where Messenger and Recipient are two different persons communicating across time frames (i.e., asynchronously). Lastly, in the Mnemonic condition, where Messenger and Recipient are the same person at different points in time, participants achieve high accuracy but with codes that are suboptimal in terms of power and stability. Our results suggest that the rarity and late arrival of stable, powerful, and accurate graphic codes in human history largely stems from strong constraints on information transfer. In particular, we suggest that these constraints limit a code's ability to reach an adequate tradeoff between information that needs to be explicitly encoded and information that needs to be inferred from context.     

Influence de la préparation d’une atteinte manuelle sur l’orientation initiale de l’attention lors d’une tâche de recherche visuelle

This paper deals with the links between spatial attention and reaching movement's motor preparation. During a visual search task, participants prepare to manually reach a button of the numeric keypad and execute it when they find an intruder on the screen. The experimental devices allowed us to control two directions: on the one hand, the direction of the response button's manual reach (on the horizontal plane) and on the other hand, the direction of the intruder's direct attentional reach, starting from the fixation point (on the vertical plane). The results show that: (a) reaction times are shorter when there is a directional congruence between these two directions than when there is incongruence; (b) this effect is significant when attention is voluntarily shifted, whereas it is no longer significant when attention is automatically captured by an intruder. These results suggest that visual search's initial direction is determined by the prepared manual reach. These data are discussed in the premotor theory of attention's framework.     

Évolution des idées en psychologie de la santé dans le monde anglo-saxon. De la psychologie de la santé (health psychology) à la psychologie critique de la santé (critical health psychology)

The authors adopt a historical perspective and exhibit the debates held within Health Psychology in the Anglo-Saxon universe since the 1980s. They show how the development of the North-American mainstream approach has aroused several objections. These objections were firstly methodological (qualitative methods) then, theoretical and epistemological. This evolution has allowed the creation of two main approaches: Qualitative Health Psychology and Critical Health Psychology. While this course is not yet well-known in France, it illustrates, however, the present developments and the richness of the discussion within Anglo-Saxon Psychology. The conclusion shows that these debates should be known and accepted if we intend to improve our models in Psychology, so that they take into account the situated nature of the human being, its dynamics, its temporality as well and its complexity. Hence, Health Psychology perspectives as a whole will gain in pertinence in the fields of research and intervention.     

Les capacités de transfert en situation d'apprentissage implicite chez des préadolescents présentant un retard mental

This study investigates the transfer issue in implicit learning in pre-adolescents with mental retardation (MR), matched with normally developing children. A simple task is used to assess the transfer of a graphic behavior learned implicitly. The results show that the behavioral modifications induced by implicit learning can be transferred to a new graphic figure, in similar proportions in same mental age (MA) participants with and without MR. This transfer effect is independent on the degree of MR. The results are discussed with respect to the robustness of implicit learning (Reber, 1989), and to the “transfer decrement” phenomena. We also discuss how this type of learning can be used for the benefit of MR persons.     

Nature des représentations du langage écrit aux débuts de l'apprentissage de la lecture: un modèle interprétatif

The main objective of this study is to test a knowledge-based simulation model, elaborated in a previous longitudinal research in order to explain reading errors produced by first-grade children. This model relies on two assumptions: (1) in the beginning of the grapho-phonological acquisition, the child tries to extract, from the series of letters which forms a word, graphic patterns corresponding to an oral syllable; (2) these patterns are stored either in an ordered representation or in a non-ordered representation. Permutation errors, often pointed out in this phase of reading acquisition, would then be the mark of a non-ordered representation of the graphic patterns. Two experiments were proposed to new first-grade children, in the middle of the school year. In experiment 1, they had to detect an oral syllable in written pseudo-words in which the first trigram did or did not correspond to the legal order. In experiment 2, they had to read aloud trisyllabic pseudo-words in which the first trigram was presented in four different orders. Reading errors correspond to the predictions our model allows. Moreover, the absence of correlation between the two tasks suggests that the knowledge activated depends on the type of activity.     

Contribution de la motricité graphique à la reconnaissance visuelle des lettres

The ability to recognize single letters, an important step in reading, is traditionally assumed to depend only on visual processes. However, as many of the objects surrounding us, letters are learnt through a matching between a visual configuration and movements. We review arguments suggesting that the characteristics of writing movements impact visual recognition of letters, at both a behavioral and neural levels. This impact might be especially strong when the orientation of letters has to be processed.     

Développement de la mémoire de travail : relations du centre exécutif avec la boucle phonologique et le calepin visuospatial chez des enfants de CE1 et de CM2

The aim of this study was to examine the development of working memory's components and their relationships. Phonological loop's, visuospatial sketchpad's and central executive's efficiencies were assessed by simple and complex span tasks and executive tasks with verbal and visuospatial material. The analyses were performed on 64 second-grade and 55 fifth-grade children's data. Developmental performances improvement was examined according to tasks and material. Analyses of variance revealed performances improvement according to age and type of material (verbal > non verbal) for the slave system tasks and for a part of central executive's tasks. Correlation analysis and exploratory factorial analysis suggested that slave systems would become progressively more specific and that central executive's efficiency would be dependent on this specialization.     

Implication de la gestuelle dans la transmission d’informations

The present paper reports the results of an experimentation that explores the cognitive dimension of gesture involved in many situations of social communication. The method is based on a protocol structured in four experimental modalities, with video sequences. The results from 82 subjects suggest that the role of this component of nonverbal behavior exceeds the apparent transmission of information. It clarifies the verbal speech of the locutor, and also allows to share his own representations, and to direct those of the interlocutor. This impact is all the more effective as the visual-spatial aptitudes of the later are high.     

Le rattachement lexical de la liaison : une expérience d’amorçage chez des enfants prélecteurs

The goal of the present study is a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in child segmentation of words in liaison context, where the boundary between a word1 and a word2 is ambiguous. In a priming experiment in prereaders aged 5–6 years, we examined the nature of the lexical representations, using a picture-naming task (deux ours). Targets were preceded by lexically related or unrelated auditory primes, that share the same liaison consonant or not (trois ours, un ours, trois oublis, un oubli). The results suggest that the liaison consonant is lexically encoded at the initial of variants of the word2 (/nurs/, /zurs/ for ours). They support the usage-based model of liaison acquisition [J Child Lang 36 (2009) 557–596].     

Le développement de la mémoire de travail : perspectives dans le cadre du modèle de partage temporel des ressources

Working memory has a central role in cognitive development and its capacity is among the best predictors of high-level cognition and school achievement. Within the Time-Based Resource Sharing (TBRS) model, three main factors account for the development of working memory capacity. In this paper, we will review the main empirical evidence sustaining the impact of two of these factors on cognitive development. First, the amount of attention available for cognitive functioning might increase during childhood. Thus, for the same activities, older children would be able to process information faster than younger children. Within working memory span tasks, because the level of activation of memory traces decreases during the processing steps, any reduction of the duration of these steps directly diminishes the time during which the traces decay, and consequently increases the time available for reactivation or refreshing before the next processing step. These two effects jointly induce a stronger activation of the memory traces and a better recall of the to-be-maintained items. Second, because the main hypothesis of the TBRS model is that attention switches to refresh memory traces from processing to maintenance during the processing episodes, the efficiency of the refreshing mechanism should have a direct and strong impact on working memory functioning. An increase in the efficiency of this refreshing during childhood means that older children should take a greater advantage from the short pauses left free between each processing step. The level of activation of the memory traces would be then higher for older than for younger children, resulting in the classically observed increase in span. As a consequence, age-related changes in the efficiency of the refreshing could play a central role in working memory development.     

Le rôle de la mémoire de travail dans la production écrite de textes

Integration of capacity (Just and Carpenter, 1992) and componentiel (Baddeley, 1986) conceptions of working memory in models of text composition (Hayes, 1996 ; Kellogg, 1996 ; McCutchen, 1996) has allowed studying several facets of the role of working memory in writing acquisition and in expert management of the writing processes. This article presents these two conceptions and examines their respective contribution in the field of writing research from two perspectives: The demands of the writing processes (in terms of processing and transient storage) and the influence of working memory capacity on the control of production. The conclusion underlines the importance of investigating the on-line management of text production, the role of the visuo-spatial sketchpad, and to link strategies for allocating the working memory resources with text quality.     

Effets de l’âge et de la capacité de mémoire de travail sur l’exécution d’instructions de complexité variable chez des adultes jeunes et âgés

Technical devices are part of elderly people's daily life. Meanwhile, research has not yet systematically explored how old people understand procedural instructions accompanying these devices. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate how age and memory span affect how people follow procedural instructions. To do so, the Reading Span Test of Daneman & Carpenter (1980) and an adaptation of the Kaplan & White's (1980) following directions game were administrated to young and older adults. The Reading Span Test was administrated in order to determine the participants’ memory span size. Then, participants had to follow procedural instructions with a growing complexity displayed on a computer screen. Results show that participants’ age and instructions complexity affect how the instructions are performed. Old adults encounter more difficulty performing the task than young adults. Furthermore, whatever the age, as the complexity of instructions increases, low-span participants have more difficulty performing instructions than high-span participants do.     

Contribution de la neuropsychologie développementale à l'étude des sujets à haut potentiel : une revue de questions

Developmental neuropsychology studies cognitive development in relation with brain maturation and cerebral plasticity. Some authors have reported physiological correlates of intellectual precocity with the purpose of demonstrating neural basis of intelligence. A part of the literature also reports various cognitive profile and specific talents in information processing in the clinical population of gifted children. Thus, the study of exceptional performances may contribute to our knowledge of functional brain organization taking into consideration individual differences.     

Le renversement de préférence… renversé !

Preference reversal (PR) occurs when pairs of lottery gambles are evaluated under two different conditions: to choose the gamble preferred to play and assign minimum selling price to each gamble. The preference order is then reversed from one condition to another: while it receives the lowest selling price, the gamble less risked is preferred in condition of play. Many times replicated, this result is considered as a cognitive bias. Recent research suggests that it could be related only to the procedure used to present the gambles (i.e., the evaluation mode): either by pair (joint evaluation or JE) in condition of play, or one by one (separate evaluation or SE) in the pricing task. Then, by reversing the evaluation mode in each condition, PR should be reversed, as it is shown in this study: although the phenomenon still occurs when subjects evaluate gambles in the classical paradigm, we observe an inversion of PR when they have, on the one hand, to play in SE, and on the other hand, to sell in JE. Furthermore, an analysis not often used in this literature provides new elements, which can attest to the cognitive mechanisms underlying the phenomenon: by recording the online information (self-paced display time paradigm) we show the effect of an anchoring and adjustment process when riskiest gambles are preferred.     

L’information et la gestion des risques dans le suivi de la grossesse lors du 1 trimestre : quelques réflexions sur le défi éthique et le cadre légal en Suisse

The progress in prenatal medicine raises complex questions with respect to the physician–patient relationship. The physician needs to reconcile medical aspects, ethical principles as well as judicial norms. Already, during the first trimester, the physician has to put into practice the schedule combining for each individual pregnancy physical, laboratory and other appropriate exams. Physicians are under the obligation to inform in a clear and comprehensive way without creating unnecessary anxiety for their patients. Legal requirements include informed consent, the respect for the patient's right to self-determination, and compliance with the Swiss federal law on genetic testing, especially with its articles on prenatal screening and diagnosis. This article discusses the complexity of obstetrical practice when it comes to delivering adequate information within the scope of ethical and legal requirements in Switzerland.     

Directives anticipées et autonomie de la personne en fin de vie

Advance directives are an instrument used to maintain patients autonomy in case they can no longer decide themselves, according to French law « patients rights and end of life ». However, analysis of the legal procedure does not lead to such a conclusion.     

Les effets de la modalité sensorielle sur la perception du temps

The subjective duration of an event can be influenced by the modality of the signal demarcating that event. For example, auditory signals are often judged as of longer duration than equivalent duration visual signals. Within the framework of pacemaker-accumulator models of timing, such modality effects raise the question of whether the internal clock is modality specific or amodal. The answer to this question is quite important for the development of cognitively and neurologically realistic models of timing and time perception. Here, we argue that the internal clock has both modality specific and amodal components. Specifically, we claim there is a common amodal pacemaker, but the switch-accumulator systems are modality specific. Moreover, we also posit that long-term memory representations of duration are stored amodally.