Component processes of conceptual priming and associative cued recall: the roles of preexisting representation and depth of processing

The authors investigated depth-of-processing effects on conceptual priming by comparing incidental (implicit) and intentional (explicit) tests of word association. In Experiment 1, depth of processing at study influenced priming of weak and medium associates but not of strong associates. In Experiment 2, depth of processing influenced priming of weak associates but not of compound phrases (e.g., coathanger), whose preexperimental association strength matched that of weak associates. In Experiment 3, the same pattern persisted when study was auditory and test was visual, ensuring that priming was conceptual and not perceptual. In all experiments, in matched intentional tests, depth-of-processing effects occurred for all association strengths and for both phrases and associates, suggesting that the incidental tests were uncontaminated by voluntary retrieval, because they showed depth-of-processing effects only for some materials and not others, within the same participants and tests. Because depth-of-processing effects on involuntary free-association priming depend on the presence versus absence of a cohesive preexperimental representation, the memory-systems and conceptual/perceptual processing approaches to memory-test dissociations require modification to account for component processes of conceptual priming.     

Rebuilding the tower of Babel: a revised nomenclature for the study of suicide and suicidal behaviors. Part 2: Suicide-related ideations, communications, and behaviors

A revised and refined version of the O'Carroll et al. (1996) nomenclature for suicidology is presented, with a focus on suicide‐related ideations, communications, and behaviors. The hope is that this refinement will result in the development of operational definitions and field testing of this nomenclature in clinical and research settings. This revision would not have been possible without the international collaboration and dialogue addressing the nomenclature of suicidology since the O'Carroll et al. nomenclature appeared in 1996. Although it is doubtful that we will ever be able to construct universally unambiguous criteria to comprehensively characterize suicidal behaviors (and, overall, firmly establish the intention behind them), for scientific clarity it would be highly desirable that the set of definitions and the associated terminology be explicit and generalizable. De Leo, Burgis, Bertolote, Kerkhof, & Bille‐Brahe, 2006 , p. 5)     

Which Helper Behaviors and Intervention Styles are Related to Better Short‐Term Outcomes in Telephone Crisis Intervention? Results from a Silent Monitoring Study of Calls to the U.S. 1–800‐SUICIDE Network

A total of 2,611 calls to 14 helplines were monitored to observe helper behaviors and caller characteristics and changes during the calls. The relationship between intervention characteristics and call outcomes are reported for 1,431 crisis calls. Empathy and respect, as well as factor-analytically derived scales of supportive approach and good contact and collaborative problem solving were significantly related to positive outcomes, but not active listening. We recommend recruitment of helpers with these characteristics, development of standardized training in those methods that are empirically shown to be effective, and the need for research relating short-term outcomes to long-term effects.     

Beyond the Tower of Babel: A Nomenclature for Suicidology

Suicidology finds itself confused and stagnated for lack of a standard nomenclature. This paper proposes a nomenclature for suicide-related behavior in the hope of improving the clarity and precision of communications, advancing suicidological research and knowledge, and improving the efficacy of clinical interventions.     

Book reviews

Spoehr, K. T., and Lehmkuhle, S. W. Visual Information Processing. San Francisco: Freeman. 1982. Pp. 298. ISBN 0-7167-1373-X. Hardback £16.90; paperback £9.80.

Weale, R. A. Focus on Vision. London: Hodder & Stoughton. 1982. Pp. 194. ISBN 0-340-24839-4. £5.75.

Warren, R. M. Auditory Perception: A New Synthesis. New York: Pergamon Press. 1982. Pp. 239. ISBN 0-08-025957-X. £12.50.

Bryden, M. P. Loterality: Functional Asymmetry in the Intact Brain. London: Academic Press. 1982. Pp. 319. ISBN 0-12-138180-3. £19.60.

Simon, T. W. and Scholes, R. J. (Eds.) Language, Mind, and Brain. Hillsdale, N. J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 1982. Pp. xvi + 263. ISBN 0-89859-153-8. £19.95.

Wilding, J. M. Perception: From Sense to Object. London: Hutchinson. 1982. Pp. 314. ISBN 0-09-150720-1. £12.95.

Rosenzweig, M.R. and Porter, L. W.(Eds.). Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 34. Palo Alto, Calif.: Annual Reviews Inc. 1983. Pp. 617. ISBN 0-8243-0234-6. $30.00.

Schank, R. C. Dynamic Memory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1983. Pp. 233. ISBN 0-521-24856-2. Hardback £18.50; paperback £6.95.

Hinton, G. E. and Anderson, J. A. (Eds.). Parallel Models of Associative Memory. Hillsdale, N. J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 1981. Pp. 295. ISBN 0-89859-105-0. £17.50.     

The contribution of the thumb to reaching movements

Transport of the hand towards an object and the formation of grasp are logically separable components of reaching. It has been suggested that, although the two components must be temporally co-ordinated, their spatial parameters are under the control of independent visuo-motor channels. A case study of reaching by a proficient user of a manually-operated artificial hand is presented. A pattern of natural hand usage was observed in which the index finger rather than the thumb was responsible for reduction of grasp aperture as the hand approached an object. The same pattern of usage was also observed in the artificial hand even though the mechanics of that hand make it no easier to move the finger than the thumb. This suggests that the relative stability of the thumb in the natural hand is determined, not simply by anatomy, but by a role in guiding the transport component of reaching. At least part of the spatial aspect of grasp formation is closely related to the transport component of reaching and this is evidence against theories postulating two independent visuo-motor channels controlling the spatial parameters of grasp and transport.