The cumulative semantic cost does not reflect lexical selection by competition

The cumulative semantic cost describes a phenomenon in which picture naming latencies increase monotonically with each additional within-category item that is named in a sequence of pictures. Here we test whether the cumulative semantic cost requires the assumption of lexical selection by competition. In Experiment 1 participants named a sequence of pictures, while in Experiment 2 participants named words instead of pictures, preceded by a gender marked determiner. We replicate the basic cumulative semantic cost with pictures (Exp. 1) and show that there is no cumulative semantic cost for word targets (Exp. 2). This pattern was replicated in Experiment 3 in which pictures and words were named along with their gender marked definite determiner, and were intermingled within the same experimental design. In addition, Experiment 3 showed that while picture naming induces a cumulative semantic cost for subsequently named words, word naming does not induce a cumulative semantic cost for subsequently named pictures. These findings suggest that the cumulative semantic cost arises prior to lexical selection and that the effect arises due to incremental changes to the connection weights between semantic and lexical representations.     

USING COMPLEX AUDITORY—VISUAL SAMPLES TO PRODUCE EMERGENT RELATIONS IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Six participants with autism learned conditional relations between complex auditory‐visual sample stimuli (dictated words and pictures) and simple visual comparisons (printed words) using matching‐to‐sample training procedures. Pre‐ and posttests examined potential stimulus control by each element of the complex sample when presented individually and emergence of additional conditional relations and oral labeling. Tests revealed class‐consistent performance for all participants following training.     

The effect of interethnic ideologies on the likability of stereotypic vs. counterstereotypic minority targets

This paper examines the effect of interethnic ideologies on the likability of stereotypic vs. counterstereotypic minority targets. In two experiments, participants were exposed to either a multicultural or colorblind prime and subsequently asked to indicate their impressions of a stereotypic or counterstereotypic minority target. Results suggest that multiculturalism and colorblindness have different effects on the likability of minority targets to the extent that such targets confirm the existence of fixed or permeable ethnic group boundaries. Specifically, a stereotypic target was liked more than a counterstereotypic target when participants were exposed to multiculturalism - suggesting that multiculturalism creates a preference for individuals who remain within the boundaries of their ethnicity. Conversely, a counterstereotypic target was liked more than a stereotypic target when participants were exposed to colorblindness - suggesting that colorblindness creates a preference for individuals who permeate the boundaries of their ethnicity. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

Rethinking the Mechanisms of Gang Desistance in a Developing Country

ABSTRACT

Most academic literature is based on experiences of gang members in developed countries. This article explores the mechanisms of desistance among street gangs in El Salvador. Gangs in this Central American nation, which include MS-13 and the 18^th Street gang, are known for complex structures and their transnational reach. Based on a survey with nearly 1,200 gang members and former gang members in El Salvador and 24 in-depth interviews with former gang members in rehabilitation programs, this study finds that the characteristics of the gang organization play a more significant role in the ways individuals exit the gangs in extremely violent contexts. It also shows that a religious experience is the most frequent mechanism to leave the group because it provides a safer alternative in those contexts.     

Entrevista a Dan I. Slobin

RESUMEN

El autor comienza explicando los factores que motivaron su interés por la psicolingüística evolutiva a principios de los sesenta. Tras exponer brevemente cuál es la significación del estudio del lenguje en la comprensión global del sujeto humano y justificar su atención a la adquisición de lenguas altamente inflexionales como el ruso o el turco, Slobin nos habla extensamente del Berkeley Crosslinguistic Acquisition Project (“Proyecto translingüístico sobre adquisición de Berkeley”), del cual fue uno de los máximos inspiradores. El autor aborda, además, cuestiones relativas a su teoría de la Gramática Básica Infantil, la síntesis de sus Principios Operativos para la adquisición del lenguaje o la posibilidad de aproximar las concepciones de Piaget y Chomsky. La última parte se reserva para las tendencias teóricas y de investigación que considera prometedoras en este campo, finalizando con algunas reflexiones en torno a la situación multilingüe de España y el estudio de la adquisición del lenguaje. Los comentarios de Miguel Pérez Pereira acerca de este importante investigador de la psicolingüística evolutiva introducen la entrevista.     

Problemas epistemológicos del concepto y definición de la psicología

RESUMEN

Todavía es reciente, en Psicología, el predominio de una actitud “epistemolófoba”, que rechazaba como acientífico cualquier intento de reflexión metacientífico sobre el objeto de la psicología y las formulaciones explicativas que define. En los últimos años, esta actitud ha cambiado y los psicólogos vuelven a considerar pertinente y necesaria la reflexión. En este trabajo se analizan los diversos modos de explicación de la conducta, sin exclusiones y a partir de la premisa de la “sobredeterminación” de la propia conducta. Se define la psicología científica como la ciencia de los principios, estructuras y funciones de la formalización conductual de la interrelación respectiva del hombre y su medio natural y social.     

Problemas metodológicos y conceptuales en el estudio de la función autorreguladora del habla

Resumen

Desde una perspectiva vygotskiana se revisa la evolución de las investigaciones relativas al desarrollo de la función reguladora del habla. Se discuten la metodología y el soporte conceptual de los estudios originales de Luria y de los intentos de replicación realizados por autores occidentales. Se presentan y comentan también varias aportaciones posteriores: tanto los nuevos planteamientos empíricos como los nuevos desarrollos conceptuales. Finalmente, se señala la necesidad de atender a nuevos criterios en la elección de las tareas, de registrar las verbalizaciones espontáneas y de analizar el proceso de sociogénesis. Se concluye identificando dos factores influyentes en la emisión del habla egocéntrica (dificultad relativa de la tarea y percepción del contexto social) y distinguiendo, dentro del funcionamiento de la autorregulación verbal, entre el sistema activador, ligado a los aspectos de impulso, y el sistema de planificación y control, asociado a la propiedad de mediación semiótica.     

Creativity,chaos, and self‐renewal in human systems

The research findings from the psychology of creativity are shown to be of considerable relevance to the study of self‐organization and self‐renewal in human systems. The characteristics of the creative person, and the nature of the creative process, particularly as they have been elaborated by Barron, are shown to be remarkably congruent with recent findings and theoretical elaborations by Abraham, Jantsch, Laszlo, Prigogine, and others in the fields of evolutionary and chaos theory. The broader social implications of chaos and evolutionary theories are fleshed out through an understanding of their characteristics in creative human systems.     

From Strategic Planning to Strategic Design: Reconceptualizing the Future of Strategy in Organizations

In this article I present an overview of critiques of strategic planning, focusing on their conceptualizations of the environment. I first outline the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the nature of the environment of strategy, and then outline some of the alternatives to strategic planning and their underlying bases in constructivism and the sciences of complexity. I conclude by arguing that Banathy's systems design methodology is eminently suited to the process of strategy formulation, and should be explored more deeply within this context.     

Lepore and Ludwig on ‘explicit meaning theories’

The fundamental problem proponents of truth conditional semantics must face is to specify what role a truth theory is supposed to play within a meaning theory. The most detailed proposal for tackling this problem is the account developed by Ernest Lepore and Kirk Ludwig. However, as I will show in this paper, theories along the lines of Lepore and Ludwig do not suffice to put someone into the position to understand the objectlanguage. The fundamental problem of truth conditional semantics thus remains unsolved.