Is prism adaptation "for" growth?

The assumption that prism adaptation mechanisms evolved for developmental plasticity was questioned by analyzing natural transformations (magnification, rotation, displacement) of the arm and shoulder. Accommodating ordinary movement was found to be a closer match to prisms than transformations caused by growth. In addition, overlap between equations of movement and growth may point to a distal function of adaptation that is very general.     

Dual prism adaptation: calibration or alignment?

Dual adaptation to different amounts or directions of prismatic displacement, or both, can be acquired and maintained with little mutual interference. Associative recalibration of the regional task- or workspace, contingent on differentiation of distinguishing sensory information, can explain such adaptation. In contrast, nonassociative realignment restores dimensional mapping among spatial representations. Methods for measuring the separate contributions of those 2 kinds of prism adaptation are identified in the present article. On the basis of a critique of dual-adaptation studies, the authors suggest that recalibration can explain the data but that the method used in those experiments confounded realignment and might have obscured the effectiveness of dual-calibration training.     

Orientation specificity in chromatic adaptation of human “edge-detectors”

The McCollough effect, a pattern-specific complementary hue aftereffect, has usually been demonstrated with horizontal and vertical adapting and test patterns. The present study measured the strength of the effect produced by adapting patterns of various angular separations. The effect decreased with decreasing angular separations until it was minimal at 11 deg of separation. The results are considered to be consistent with an edge-detector interpretation of this aftereffect. With vertical and horizontal adapting patterns, the reddish aftereffect was 17% and the greenish aftereffect 9%of colorimetric purity.     

Sources of History for “A Psychology of Verbal Communication”

There is a standard version of the history of modern mainstream psycholinguistics that emphasizes an extraordinary explosion of research in mid twentieth century under the guidance and leadership of George A. Miller and Noam Chomsky. The narrative is cast as a dramatic shift away from behavioristic principles and toward mentalistic principles based largely on transformational linguistics. A closer view of the literature diminishes the historical importance of behaviorism, shows a prevailing “written language bias” (Linell in The written language bias in linguistics: Its nature, origins and transformations, Routledge, London, 2005, p. 4) in psycholinguistic research, and elevates some theoretical and empirical thinking of the late nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries on language and language use to a far more important role than has heretofore been acknowledged. In keeping with the theoretical and methodological perspective of the present article, it is particularly appropriate that the German philologist Philipp Wegener be “given his due in the annals of linguistic sciences” (Koerner 1991, p. VI*). In his (1885/1991) Untersuchungen über die Grundfragen des Sprachlebens (Investigations regarding the fundamental questions of the life of language; our translation), he began his philological research with the investigation of actual speaking in everyday settings rather than with analyses of purely formal structure. Moreover, he emphasized understanding language and localized this function in the listener. Compatible with Wegener’s own investigations is another aspect of speaking that has been most seriously neglected throughout the history of research on the psychology of verbal communication. For him, as well as for Esper (In C. Murchison [Ed.], A handbook of social psychology, Clark University Press, Worchester, MA, 1935), the basic and primary genre of dialogical discourse was not ongoing conversation, but the occasional use of speech in association with other activities. Both Bühler (Sprachtheorie, Fischer, Stuttgart, 1934/1982) and Wittgenstein (Philosophische Untersuchungen/Philosophical investigations, Basil Blackwell, Oxford, 1958) have also emphasized the importance of the genre of occasional speaking. The article concludes with a discussion of historical shifts in the relationship between psychology and linguistics.     

Sources of variability in children’s language growth

The present longitudinal study examines the role of caregiver speech in language development, especially syntactic development, using 47 parent–child pairs of diverse SES background from 14 to 46 months. We assess the diversity (variety) of words and syntactic structures produced by caregivers and children. We use lagged correlations to examine language growth and its relation to caregiver speech. Results show substantial individual differences among children, and indicate that diversity of earlier caregiver speech significantly predicts corresponding diversity in later child speech. For vocabulary, earlier child speech also predicts later caregiver speech, suggesting mutual influence. However, for syntax, earlier child speech does not significantly predict later caregiver speech, suggesting a causal flow from caregiver to child. Finally, demographic factors, notably SES, are related to language growth, and are, at least partially, mediated by differences in caregiver speech, showing the pervasive influence of caregiver speech on language growth.     

The effect of presemantic acoustic adaptation on semantic “satiation”

A decrement in the strength of the meaning of a word after rapid repetition of that word has been called “semantic satiation.” This study asked whether this “satiation” might be produced by presemantic acoustic adaptation. Category words were utilized to prime the meaning of target words. The adaptation or “satiation” procedure, 30 rapid repetitions of the primes, was compared with a control condition of 3 repetitions. Participants listened to a series of prime words, each repeated by either the same speaker or many speakers, and then made semantic decisions on target words. When all the repetitions of a prime word are produced by the same speaker, presemantic and semantic repetitions are confounded. When the repetitions are produced by different speakers, presemantic acoustic repetition is abolished. A semantic decrement was detected with single-speaker, but not with multiple-speaker, repetitions of prime words. This study concluded that the semantic “satiation” observed here was a decrement in the activation level of semantic representations induced by presemantic acoustic adaptation.     

Sources of “relational homes”: a qualitative study of cancer survivors’ perceptions of emotional support

The aim of this article is to shed light on the different ways in which a group of Danish cancer survivors fulfil their need of emotional support. The study comprised participant observation at a Danish cancer rehabilitation centre, individual semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews with course participants. The analytical process combined the inductive approach of interpretative phenomenological analysis with a deductive theoretical strategy. Key concepts from Robert D. Stolorow's existential-phenomenological trauma theory were used as interpretative framework. Findings suggest that cancer survivors’ perception of emotional support is captured by the theoretical concept a “relational home,” understood here as a supportive and caring environment. A relational home may include different dimensions in various situations and contexts, including an existential and metaphysical dimension in which God/a higher power may provide emotional support similar to that obtained in human relationships.     

External validation of the computerized, group administrable adaptation of the “operation span task”

One of the most widely used tasks for measuring working memory capacity is the operation span task (OSPAN; Turner & Engle, 1989). This task has almost always been applied individually, and stimuli presentation is controlled by the experimenter. Recently, De Neys, d'Ydewalle, Schaeken, and Vos (2002) improved the administration procedure by designing an automated, group-administrable version of the task (GOSPAN). They found GOSPAN to be reliable, and they also provided evidence on its validity (a significant positive correlation between GOSPAN and OSPAN scores). However, an external test of GOSPAN validity is still lacking. In this work, we present such a validation for the automated version, when the task is administered both individually (Experiment 1) and to groups (Experiment 2). There are abundant previous data on the relation between working memory capacity and reading comprehension. In this work, this relation is studied using an automated OSPAN version to measure working memory capacity. Given that our results are similar to those found using the original OSPAN, our data support the external validity of the automated version of the task. We also tested the reliability of the task and found high internal consistency in both experiments.     

Visual adaptation of the perception of “life”: Animacy is a basic perceptual dimension of faces

One critical component of understanding another’s mind is the perception of “life” in a face. However, little is known about the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying this perception of animacy. Here, using a visual adaptation paradigm, we ask whether face animacy is (1) a basic dimension of face perception and (2) supported by a common neural mechanism across distinct face categories defined by age and species. Observers rated the perceived animacy of adult human faces before and after adaptation to (1) adult faces, (2) child faces, and (3) dog faces. When testing the perception of animacy in human faces, we found significant adaptation to both adult and child faces, but not dog faces. We did, however, find significant adaptation when morphed dog images and dog adaptors were used. Thus, animacy perception in faces appears to be a basic dimension of face perception that is species specific but not constrained by age categories.     

Understanding senile “confusion”: Sources and stages

A psychological phenomenon frequently encountered in pastoral care is senile “confusion.” Disorientation can result from sensory deprivation, sociocultural stress, or organic processes. The major cause of confusion among the elderly is dementia resulting from primary neuronal degeneration. Social, psychological, and pastoral support may reduce the degree of confusion or retard its progress toward advanced stages.     

Prism adaptation: The “target-pointing effect” as a function of exposure trials

The amount by which target pointing enhances prism adaptation (the “target-pointing effect”) was examined as a function of exposure trials. Each S served in three conditions—target-pointing, no-target, and control—wearing 20-diopter prism goggles in the first two. The S was measured prior to the exposure period on target-pointing accuracy with normal vision but with no visual feedback regarding his performance. Similar measures were taken after the 5th, 10th, 15th, 25th, 35th, 55th, and 95th exposure trials and after each of two consecutive 5-min postexposure periods in the dark. The two experimental conditions led to sharply rising and negatively accelerated adaptation (“negative aftereffect”) curves, the asymptotes of which differed markedly, in favor of the target-pointing condition. This difference in asymptotes indicates that the target-pointing effect is not limited to the early portion of the exposure period but, instead, is a relatively permanent phenomenon. There was no decline in adaptation during the postexposure period.     

Threat in dreams: an adaptation?

Revonsuo's influential Threat Simulation Theory (TST) predicts that people exposed to survival threats will have more threat dreams, and evince enhanced responses to dream threats, compared to those living in relatively safe conditions. Participants in a high crime area (South Africa: n=208) differed significantly from participants in a low crime area (Wales, UK: n=116) in having greater recent exposure to a life-threatening event (chi([1,N=186])(2)=14.84, p<.00012). Contrary to TST's predictions, the SA participants reported significantly fewer threat dreams (chi([1,N=287])(2)=6.11, p<.0134), and did not differ from the Welsh participants in responses to dream threats (Fisher's Exact test, p=.2478). Overall, the incidence of threat in dreams was extremely low-less than 20% of dreams featured realistic survival threats. Escape from dream threats occurred in less than 2% of dreams. We conclude that this evidence contradicts key aspects of TST.     

‘Standing on the Shoulders of Giants’: Recontextualization in Writing from Sources

Despite calls for more research into the writing expertise of senior scientists, the literature reveals surprisingly little about the writing strategies of successful scientist writers. The present paper addresses the gap in the literature by reporting a study that investigated the note-taking strategies of an expert writer, a Chinese professor of biochemistry. Primarily based on interview data, the paper describes the expert’s recontextualization (Linell, Text 18:143–157, 1998) strategies at three levels: ‘accumulating writing materials’ by modifying source texts, composing from ‘collections’ of cut-and-pasted chunks in drafting a review article, and adopting reusable citations in sources as a ‘map’. It is emphasized that through repeatedly revising his paper in light of his rhetorical intentions in a new context of meaning, the expert writer would maximally recontextualize the source-based text segments and citations in the paper, averting transgressive intertextuality (Chandrasoma et al., J Lang Identity Educ 3:171–193, 2004) as a result. The paper ends by highlighting the pedagogical implications of the study for English for Professional Academic Purposes (EPAP).     

Emotion and Judgment: Two Sources of Moral Motivation in Mèngzǐ

David Nivison has argued that Mèngzǐ 孟子 postulates only one source of moral motivation (namely “heart” as the locus of moral emotions or feelings), whereas Mèngzǐ’s rival thinkers such as Gàozǐ 告子 or the Mohist Yí Zhī 夷之 additionally postulate “maxims” or “doctrines” that are produced by some sort of moral reasoning. In this essay I critically examine this interpretation of Nivison’s, and alternatively argue that moral emotions in Mèngzǐ, basically understood as concern-based construals, are often an insufficient source of moral action, and an additional source of moral motivation, specifically a conviction or judgment of what is the right thing to do in a certain situation in question, is often necessary for one to complete a moral action. This implies that Mèngzǐ should be interpreted to postulate two sources of moral motivation just as his rival thinkers do, namely moral emotion on one hand and judgment and practical reasoning on the other.     

Sources of politico-economic attitudes: students’ introspections

Our aim is to shed more light on university students’ sources of attitudes towards the market economy, social inequality, and the responsibilities of the state. Analyzing survey data of almost 500 students at a German university, we identify those sources the subjects report to be important in the process of forming their politico-economic attitudes. We explore the differences between our sample of local students and the German General Social Survey, as well as the characteristics of subjects expressing no opinion. We also examine whether the sources which were reported to be important significantly contribute to the prediction of conservative political attitudes, concentrating specifically on the attitude effects of economic education.     

Profiles of competence and adaptation in preschoolers as related to the quality of parent–child interaction

In a sample of 107 five-year-olds, cluster analysis was used to identify groups of children with similar profiles of competence and adaptation. A comprehensive set of child characteristics was included in the analysis, together covering the most important aspects of five-year-olds’ development and functioning. Three groups of children emerged, which were labeled Well-adapted/Competent, Underachieving/Internalizing, and Maladapted/Externalizing. Well-adapted/Competent children (59%) were competent and well-adjusted in all domains. The Maladapted/Externalizing children (22%) scored low in almost all domains of competence and functioning, and the Underachieving/Internalizing children (22%) showed a mixed profile of competence and adaptation. The differences in the quality of parent–child interaction that were observed between the groups provide clues as to how the different profiles of competence and adaptation are shaped and maintained in the interactions with parents.     

The Use of Sulfanilamide in the Treatment of “Sniffles” in Rats

A nonprojective measure of achievement motivation, the Lynn Questionnaire (7), was administered to 67 Western Samoans, 34 Cook Islanders, 84 Maoris, and 103 European New Zealanders in an urban work environment in New Zealand. Results indicated that Western Samoans had lower achievement motivation levels than the other three groups, Cook Islanders were lower than European New Zealanders and equivalent to Maoris, and Maoris did not vary from European New Zealanders. Findings were interpreted as supportive of previous New Zealand research and in accordance with cultural assimilation theory.     

What are other-rated scales composed of? Sources of measurement error and true trait variance in other-ratings of the Big Five

Other-ratings of targets’ traits may consist – besides true trait variance (TTV) – of different measurement error sources, particularly due to raters, scales, items, measurement times, and random fluctuations. Using Gnambs’ (2015) and Ones, Wiernik, Wilmot, and Kostal’s (2016) procedures for partitioning variance in scales due to measurement error, available meta-analytical data on Big Five other-ratings were analyzed. They showed relatively little TTV (0–13%), which was especially decreased by both low inter-rater reliability and convergent validity of Big Five measures. Accounting for both, TTV levels rose, but were still small to medium (4–26%). These findings provide important insights on what Big Five other-ratings are composed of and how such scale scores may be interpreted and treated in further analyses (e.g., trait-outcome relations).     

The development of “face-space” in infancy

Valentine (1991 Valentine, T. 1991. A unified account of the effects of distinctiveness, inversion, and race in face recognition. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 43A: 161–204. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) proposed that faces are encoded in a multidimensional “face-space”. Here, we apply this framework to the development of face processing in infancy. It is thought that faces are encoded as “regions” in the face-space, such that variations in the face input are recognized as the same face identity. In a set of studies with 4-month-olds, 7-month-olds, and adults, we addressed the question of how these “identity regions” develop. The findings indicated that they are initially broad and become narrowed with development. Our results suggest that the face-space model can usefully be applied to face processing in infancy.