Phonology in the bilingual Stroop effect

In a bilingual Stroop task, we examined between-language interference among proficient Japanese-English bilingual speakers. Participants named ink colors either in Japanese or in English. The Japanese color terms were either phonologically similar to (i.e., loan words) or dissimilar from (i.e., traditional color terms) English color terms. For both response languages, a significant between-language Stroop effect was found despite the orthographic dissimilarity between the languages. The magnitude of the between-language interference was larger with the phonologically similar terms. These findings implicate direct links connecting phonologically similar matching words in the lexicons of proficient bilingual speakers of dissimilar languages and imply that phonological processing in lexical access occurs even when the access is done unintentionally.     

Internal models for bi-manual tasks

Co-ordinated bi-manual actions form the basis for many everyday motor skills. In this review, the internal model approach to the problem of bi-manual co-ordination is presented. Bi-manual coordinative tasks are often regarded as a hallmark of complex action. They are often associated with object manipulation, whether the holding of a single object between the two hands or holding an object in each hand. However, the task of movement and control is deceptively difficult even when we execute an action with a single hand without holding an object. The simplest voluntary action requires the problems of co-ordination, timing and interaction between neural, muscular and skeletal structures to be overcome. When we are making a movement whilst holding an object, a further requirement is that an internal model is able to predict the dynamics of the object that is being held as well as the dynamics of the motor system. There has been extensive work examining the formation of internal models when acting in novel environments. The majority of studies examine uni-lateral learning of a task generally to the participant's dominant hand. However, many everyday motor tasks are bi-manual, and the existing findings regarding the learning of internal models in uni-manual tasks and their subsequent generalization highlights the complexities that must underlie the formation of bi-manual tasks. Our ability to perform bi-manual tasks raises interesting questions about how internal models are specified for co-ordinative actions, and also for how the motor system learns to represent the properties of objects.     

The GO model: A reconsideration of the role of structural units in guiding and organizing text on line

Healy (1994) and Koriat and Greenberg (1994) offered different theoretical accounts of the missingletter effect (MLE) in the letter-detection task, whereby a disproportionate number of letter-detection errors occur in frequent function words. Healy emphasized identification processes, whereas Koriat and Greenberg viewed the structural role of the embedding word to be crucial. Recent research suggests that neither position alone can account for the complete set of observations pertaining to the MLE. The present paper offers a theoretical integration of these competing explanations of letter detection in terms of a GO (guidance-organization) model of reading. This model specifies how structural processing of connected text helps guide eye movements to semantically informative parts of the text, enabling readers to achieve on-line fluency.     

Weight-related words associated with figure silhouettes

Antifat attitudes and obesity bias are prevalent in Western society; however, little is known about the social meanings and connotations of weight-related words such as fat, overweight, and obese (e.g., Robison & Erdman, 1998). The purpose of this study was to explore college students' perceptions of weight-related terminology. Participants (n=131) completed a modified figure rating scale in which they identified male and female figure silhouettes most associated with a variety of weight-related words and personal characteristics. Additionally, participants completed a word association task and provided definitions of five weight terms. Results indicated that participants grouped weight terms into two groupings (i.e., "slender" and "heavy" weight terms) both in the figure rating task and in the word association and definition tasks. Both male and female participants selected smaller female figure silhouettes for the weight terms overweight, large, fat, and normal weight than for the male figure silhouettes. Moreover, associations between weight-related words and personal characteristics, including normal weight -physically fit and overweight -lazy, were found. The results suggest that weight-related words carry with them social meanings and values that reflect an "ideology of blame."     

Bicuculline infusion into the accessory olfactory bulb facilitates the induction of maternal behavior in rats

The GABAA antagonist bicuculline, intracranially infused into the accessory olfactory bulb (AOB), facilitated the expression of maternal behavior (MB) in virgin Wistar female rats. Behavioral effects were observed 24 hours after infusion and were injection dependent. Pheromonal stimuli, generated by the pups, are thought to exert an inhibitory effect on vomeronasal nuclei involved in MB in virgin rats. The present study investigated the possibility that a decrement in AOB output, resulting from long-term compensatory synaptic changes to chronic bicuculline infusion, would facilitate the expression of MB. The implications of our findings for the mechanisms involved in the induction of MB and the maternal experience effect are discussed.     

The Infant–Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA): Factor Structure, Reliability, and Validity

In this paper the refinement and psychometric properties of the Infant–Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA) are described. Results from a sociodemographically diverse birth cohort sample of 1,235 parents of children between the ages of 12 and 36 months are presented. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the hypothesized Internalizing, Externalizing, Regulatory, and Competence domains as well as the 17 individual scales that comprise the ITSEA. Findings for 3 additional indices useful in identifying significant psychopathology are presented. Subgroup analyses revealed structural invariance and expected mean level differences across both child sex and 6-month age bands. Child sex differences emerged for some problem and most competence scales, with boys rated as higher on Activity–Impulsivity and girls rated higher on Anxiety and most Competence scales. All competence scores increased across age groups. Problem behaviors showed a more mixed developmental pattern. Test–retest and interrater reliability were acceptable. Associations between the ITSEA and independent evaluator ratings and parental ratings of child behavior problems, temperament, and parental distress support the validity of the instrument.     

The Venus effect: people's understanding of mirror reflections in paintings

We propose the term 'Venus effect' for a common phenomenon in picture perception. It occurs when a picture shows an actor and a mirror that are not placed along the observer's line of sight, for instance a Venus admiring herself in a small mirror, and when the actor's reflection in the mirror is visible to the observer. In this situation, observers tend to report, incorrectly, that Venus is also seeing herself in the mirror in the same location as the observer. We discuss this using famous paintings as examples.     

Underlying processes in the poor response inhibition of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

This study evaluated the effects of reward, punishment, and reward + punishment on the impulsive responses of ADHD children. The impulsive responses of ADHD and normal control boys (30 per group) were compared during performance of a go/no-go task, administered under reward-only, punishment-only, and reward + punishment conditions. When differences in aggression, anxiety, and IQ between these groups were controlled for, results indicated that the impulsivity levels of the ADHD group were higher than the control group in all three reinforcement conditions. Also, the ADHD group was more impulsive in the reward + punishment condition, compared to the reward-only and punishment-only conditions, and there was no difference between the reward-only and punishment-only conditions. The control groups showed no difference across the three reinforcement conditions. These findings raise the possibility that the poor response inhibition of ADHD children may be related to both a generalized inhibitory deficit and a response modulation deficit.     

Does number data entry rely on the phonological loop?

Two experiments investigated effects of articulatory processing on number data entry. Participants entered four-digit numbers presented as either words or numerals on a keyboard, either under an articulatory condition or in silence. In Experiment 1, the articulatory condition was articulatory suppression; in Experiment 2, it was vocalisation. In Experiment 1, the articulatory suppression group typed initial digits faster than the silent group, but for subsequent digits, the opposite pattern occurred at least with word stimuli. In Experiment 2, the silent group typed initial digits faster but typed subsequent digits somewhat slower than the vocalisation group. Thus, articulation of numbers, which promotes entry into the phonological loop of working memory, retards processing of initial digits but enhances processing of subsequent digits.     

Young and Poor: The Well-Being of Adolescent Girls Living in Families Receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program

We present our findings on the current well-being of 125 adolescent girls living in families receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF) in terms of their health, mental health, and substance abuse status, academic performance, and teenage behaviors. This mixed-method study included separate structured face-to-face interviews with each adolescent and her mother. In addition, 20 daughters were randomly selected and completed more in-depth qualitative interviews. The findings suggest that generally the daughters were in good physical health although they reported mental health problems at about twice the rate that would be expected in a general pediatric sample. Further, about 3–5% of the daughters had a potential serious substance abuse problem. With respect to school, about 28% were not currently attending school although the majority of daughters who were attending school maintained a B average or better. Nearly two-thirds of the daughters reported being sexually active and almost 17% of the adolescents had children of their own, much higher than the 2.9% national rate of girls in this age cohort. While many of these daughters life circumstances may not be optimal, findings from both the quantitative and qualitative interviews with both mothers and daughters indicate that these daughters possess many strengths, abilities, and desires.