Acquired surface alexia in Spanish: a case report

This paper reports a case study of acquired surface alexia in Spanish and discusses the most suitable tests to detect this syndrome in a writing system that is very regular for reading at the segmental and supra-segmental levels. Patient MM has surface alexia characterized by quantitatively good performance in reading words and pseudowords; accurate but slow and syllabic reading of words, nonwords and sentences; good performance in lexical decision tasks including words and nonwords; errors in lexical decision with pseudohomophones; and homophone confusions. This pattern of reading can be interpreted as a disorder in the lexical reading route and overdependence on the non-lexical route. We discuss nonlexical impairments and the interpretation of alexia and suggest tasks to identify surface alexia in a shallow orthography.     

The Future of the New World that Was Supposed to Be

Abstract :  "North‐South" divides usually overlook the fact that Latin America was also part of the New World. It was only after WW II that these countries were lumped together in a large bunch called "third world." For the sake of simplicity, this paper restricts itself to the period when Liberation Theology made its appearance until now. Even though the seventies devised an autonomous Christianity, with its own traits and purposes, nowadays the churches are back in the mainstream. Issues that engage Christians there are not unlike their counterparts in "the North," thanks to globalization. Demographic changes are still more important than cultural ones, and economic prospects are more likely to interfere in the shape of Christianity than the will and emotions of leaders and the faithful alike.     

Personality,Parental, and Media Influences on Aggressive Personality and Violent Crime in Young Adults

Debate remains regarding the interaction between predictor variables for aggression, including family environment, media violence, and personality. The current study examined the contributions of gender and personality, exposure to physical abuse and violence in the family, and exposure to media violence in both television and in video games on violent criminal activity. Data from young adults (n = 355) indicated that personality characteristics and direct physical abuse significantly predicted violent crime. Exposure to television and video game violence were not significant predictors of violent crime. These results elucidate the complex interplay between multiple factors related to the etiology of violent crime. These results also call into question the belief that media violence is involved in the etiology of violent crime.     

Investigating the role of attentional resources in the irrelevant speech effect

Irrelevant words can be disruptive to performance, and the frequency of usage of the irrelevant words has affected the magnitude of such disruption (Buchner &; Erdfelder, 2005). The finding of word frequency differences in the magnitude of the irrelevant speech effect (ISE) implicated a role for attentional processes. Using a different conceptualization of attention, researchers have found that individual differences in working memory capacity did not predict the magnitude of the ISE, which questioned the role of attentional control (Beaman, 2004; Sörqvist, 2010). The current study investigated aspects of the construct of attention and the ISE, using both individual and developmental difference approaches. Results showed no significant difference between serial recall performances in the presence of high or low word frequency distractors. Furthermore, effects of working memory capacity differences were not found, but children displayed a larger ISE than college students. The weight of the evidence appears against an attentional resource view of the ISE.     

An item gains and losses analysis of false memories suggests critical items receive more item-specific processing than list items

In a repeated testing paradigm, list items receiving item-specific processing are more likely to be recovered across successive tests (item gains), whereas items receiving relational processing are likely to be forgotten progressively less on successive tests. Moreover, analysis of cumulative-recall curves has shown that item-specific processing produces a slower, but steadier rate of recall than relational processing. The authors relied on these findings to determine the type of processing that both list items and critical lures receive in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott false memory procedure. The first 2 experiments revealed that critical lures produced more item gains, but only the list items resulted in a decrease in item losses across successive tests. The critical lures also produced slower but steadier cumulative recall. In Experiments 3 and 4, the critical items were physically presented during study, which resulted in the lures producing progressively fewer losses across successive tests. The authors concluded that critical items receive more item-specific processing than list items but that unless they are presented in the list, they do not become part of participants' organized retrieval scheme.     

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) conceal visual and auditory information from others

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) competed with a human for food. The human sat inside a booth, with 1 piece of food to her left and 1 to her right, which she could retract from her chimpanzee competitor's reach as needed. In Experiment 1, chimpanzees could approach either side of the booth unseen but then had to reach through 1 of 2 tunnels (1 clear, 1 opaque) for the food. In Experiment 2, both tunnels were clear and the human was looking away, but 1 of the tunnels made a loud noise when it was opened. Chimpanzees preferentially reached through the opaque tunnel in the first study and the silent tunnel in the second, successfully concealing their taking of the food from the human competitor in both cases. These results suggest that chimpanzees can, in some circumstances, actively manipulate the visual and auditory perception of others by concealing information from them.     

Ovarian steroids enhance object recognition in naturally cycling and ovariectomized, hormone-primed rats

Learning and memory processes may be influenced by fluctuations in steroid hormones, such as estrogens and progestins. In this study, we have used an animal model to investigate the effects of endogenous fluctuations in ovarian steroids in intact female rats and effects of administration of ovarian steroids to ovariectomized rats for non-spatial, working memory using the object recognition task. Performance in this task relies on cortical and hippocampal function. As such, serum, cortical, and hippocampal concentrations of estradiol (E2), progesterone (P4), and P4's metabolite, 5alpha-pregnan-3alpha-ol-20-one (3alpha,5alpha-THP), were measured by radioimmunoassay. Experiment 1: Rats in behavioral estrus, compared to those in diestrus or estrus, spent a greater percentage of time exploring a novel object concomitant with increases in serum E2, P4, and 3alpha,5alpha-THP levels. Regression analyses revealed that there was a significant positive relationship between E2 levels in the hippocampus and 3alpha,5alpha-THP levels in the hippocampus and cortex and performance in this task. Experiment 2: Administration of E2 and/or P4 immediately post-training increased the percentage of time spent exploring the novel object and produced levels of E2, P4, and 3alpha,5alpha-THP akin to that of rats in behavioral estrus. Experiment 3: Post-training administration of selective estrogen receptor modulators, including 17beta-E2, propyl pyrazole triol, and diarylpropionitrile increased the percentage of time spent exploring the novel object compared to vehicle-administration. Experiment 4: Post-training P4 or 3alpha,5alpha-THP administration, compared to vehicle, increased the percentage of time spent exploring the novel object and produced P4 and/or 3alpha,5alpha-THP levels within the physiological range typically observed for rats in behavioral estrus. Experiment 5: If post-training administration of E2 and/or P4 was delayed one hour, no enhancement in object recognition was observed. Together, these results suggest that E2 and progestins can have mnemonic effects through actions in the cortex and/or hippocampus.     

The effects of conducting behavioral observations on the behavior of the observer

Behavior-analytic approaches to occupational safety are often effective for improving safety in organizations, and have been successful in a wide variety of settings. The effects of these safety processes are thought to arise primarily from the behavioral observation process and the delivery of feedback. Typically, supervisors or employee observers involved in behavioral safety implementations conduct observations. The present study was an attempt to assess the effects of conducting observations on an observer's safety performance. An ABC multiple baseline counterbalanced across two sets of behaviors was conducted in a simulated office. The target behaviors involved knee and back positions during lifts; back, shoulder, and feet positions while sitting; neck and wrist positions while typing; and neck position during phone use. Substantial improvements in safety performance occurred after participants conducted observations on a videotape of a confederate's performance. The possible behavioral functions responsible for this change, and the implications of these findings for applied settings, are discussed.     

Changing Beliefs About Corporal Punishment: Increasing Knowledge About Ineffectiveness to Build More Consistent Moral and Informational Beliefs

Although the effectiveness of corporal punishment (CP) has received little empirical support, public support for this disciplinary method continues despite calls for its abandonment by researchers. Even among educators, favorable attitudes toward the use of CP are prevalent. We measured education majors beliefs about CP before and after they read about CP research on its effectiveness and side effects. Students who changed their behavioral intent regarding whether they would use CP as a parent increased their knowledge about its ineffectiveness, resulting in greater consistency between their moral and informational beliefs (Wainryb, 1998). Persons who are likely to change from defending to opposing CP regard it as being similar to bad-tasting medicine—not very pleasant but nonetheless necessary. Recommendations concerning implementation and changing other beliefs are discussed.