Duplex perception of cues for stop consonants: Evidence for a phonetic mode

When the (vocalic) formant transitions appropriate for the stops in a synthetic approximation to [spa] or [sta] are presented to one ear and the remainder of the acoustic pattern to the other, listeners report a duplex percept. One side of the duplexity is the same coherent syllable ([spa] or [sta]) that is perceived when the pattern is presented in its original, undivided form; the other is a nonspeech chirp that corresponds to what the transitions sound like in isolation. This phenomenon is here used to determine why, in the case of stops, silence is an important cue. The results show that the silence cue affects the formant transitions differently when, on the one side of the duplex percept, the transitions support the perception of stop consonants, and when, on the other, they are perceived as nonspeech chirps. This indicates that the effectiveness of the silence cue is owing to distinctively phonetic (as against generally auditory) processes.     

THE INFLUENCE OF HEAT UPON INTELLECTUAL TEST PERFORMANCE AND CARDIAC ACTIVITY OF THREE GROUPS IN THE NEGEV DESERT1

This study was conducted to determine if exposure to heat at 45 ^deg;C, influences mental test performance and heart rates of different ethnic groups living in the same area of a semi-desert zone. Forty-eight adolescent highschool boys of Israeli nationality (but whose fathers were of Bedouin, Moroccan or Eastern European background) were paid for their participation. Each of the boys was individually tested under control or heat conditions by an experimenter from the same ethnic background on a Raven 38 and WISC Coding B task. Mental test performances were unaffected by either one or two hours of heat although heart rates increased. More basic than heat was ethnic membership and test scores corresponded more to assumed experience with tests than to any other factor. Heart rate patterns were also different between the 3 groups suggesting fundamental physiological divergence.     

Retinal rivalry and Troxler’s effect: A correlation

Retinal rivalry and Troxler disappearances were measured in 30 Ss. Correlations suggesting a significant relationship between the two phenomena are reported. Tentative interpretation of the data are presented.     

Luria-nebraska neuropsychological battery: High rates of false positives for geriatirc subjects

This study examined false positive rates obtained for two normal adult age groups, using three different methods for interpreting performances on the Luria-Nebraska Neuropsychological Battery (LNNB). Among normal subjects ages 18 to 30 and ages 65 to 85, false positive rates were found to range from 3.9% to 7.7% for younger subjects and 13.5% to 32.7% for older subjects. Significant differences were found between the proportion of false positives in each age group on each method of interpretation. A lack of agreement was found between the three different methods of interpretation concerningwhich subjects should be classified as impaired. Further analysis was performed by dividing older subjects into two groups, ages 65 to 70 and over 70. False positive rates for subjects over age 70 were found to range from 20.7% to 41.4%. Significant differences were also found between the proportion of false positives in each of these two groups.     

Therapeutic group approaches in an inpatient facility for children and adolescents: A 15-year perspective

Inner city, psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents are accessible to group therapy intervention. We developed a unique approach combining Slavson's theories with principles of family treatment and psychoanalytic theory. The group was conceptualized as a corrective family experience with the therapists functioning as model parents. Our model relies on a four-phase process, which is discussed.     

Production of narrative discourse in aphasia

The study described the abilities of a group of 15 moderately impaired aphasics and 15 normals to produce narrative discourse. The experimental tasks included telling stories, summarizing stories, and giving morals to stories. The data were analyzed in terms of sentential grammar, discourse grammar, and subjective ratings of content and clarity of language. The results showed that aphasics produced well-structured discourse. The language of the aphasics' discourse was reduced in both complexity and amount, as compared to that produced by normals. The reduction of language reflected selective reduction of hierarchically organized information. The findings of the study confirm the results of previous research on mildly impaired aphasics, which also showed preservation of discourse structure with selective reduction of information.