Cognitive and Behavioural Attention in Children with Low-Moderate and Heavy Doses of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Neuropsychology Review - Attention problems are thought to be a hallmark feature of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Despite decades of research however, these findings have never been pooled to...     

Fighting in female mice in lines selected for laterality

Male and female mice from the Collins HI and LO laterality strains were isolated for 3–5 days. Thereafter on Day 1 each was given the Intruder Test followed by a Training Test; the latter was repeated 1 week later. All males of 36 days or older fought vigorously, but without line differences. Females of the HI strain showed higher numbers of fighters and greater intensity of fighting than those of the LO strain, and by the second Training Test these differences were significant at p < 0.01. The HI and LO laterality strains thus provide useful tools for investigating the functions of female agonistic behavior and the possible relationship between laterality and the expression of aggression.     

Assessing the impact of a family nurse-led intervention on young mothers’ references to internal states

A mother's propensity to refer to internal states during mother–child interactions is important for her child's developing social understanding. However, adolescent mothers are less likely to reference internal states when interacting with their children. We investigated whether young mothers’ references to internal states are promoted by the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) intervention, an intensive home-visiting programme designed to support adolescent mothers in England. We also investigated family, maternal, and child factors associated with young mothers’ references to inner states during interactions with their children. Adolescent mothers (n = 483, aged ≤ 19 years when recruited in pregnancy) and their children participated in an observational substudy of a randomized controlled trial investigating the impact of FNP compared to usual care. Mother–child dyads were video-recorded during free play, and mothers’ speech was coded for use of internal state language (references to cognitions, desires, emotions, intentions, preferences, physiology, and perception). We found no differences in mothers’ use of internal state language between the FNP and usual care groups. A sample-wide investigation identified that other features of mothers’ language and relationship status with the child's father were associated with internal state language use. Findings are discussed with reference to targeted interventions and implications for future research.     

Interactional Imogen: language,practice and the body

Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences - Here I try to improve on the available answers to certain long-debated questions and set out some consequences for the answers. Are there limits to the...     

Object names and object functions serve as cues to categories for infants

Can object names and functions act as cues to categories for infants? In Study 1, 14- and 18-month-old infants were shown novel category exemplars along with a function, a name, or no cues. Infants were then asked to "find another one," choosing between 2 novel objects (1 from the familiar category and the other not). Infants at both ages were more likely to select the category match in the function than in the no-cue condition. However, only at 18 months did naming the objects enhance categorization. Study 2 shows that names can facilitate categorization for 14-month-olds as well when a hint regarding the core meaning of the objects (the function of a single familiarization object) is provided.     

Perception of the symmetrical patterning of human gait by infants

Two experiments tested 3- and 5-month-old infants' sensitivity to properties of point-light displays of human gait. In Experiment 1, infants were tested for discrimination of point-light displays of a walker and a runner, which, although they differed in many ways, were equivalent with regard to the phasing of limb movements. Results revealed that 3-month-old, but not 5-month-old, infants discriminated these displays. In Experiment 2, the symmetrical phase-patterning of the runner display was perturbed by advancing two of its limbs by 25% of the gait cycle. Both 3- and 5-month-old infants discriminated the walker display from this new phase-shifted runner display. These findings suggest that 3-month-old infants respond to the absolute and relative motions within a single limb, whereas 5-month-old infants respond primarily to the relations between limbs and, in particular, to the bilateral symmetry between the limbs.     

The fit and implementation of sexual harassment law to workplace evaluations

Three studies used videotaped harassment complaints to examine the impact of legal standards on the evaluation of social-sexual conduct at work. Study 1 demonstrated that without legal instructions, college students' judgment strategies were highly variable. Study 2 compared 2 current legal standards, the "severity or pervasiveness test" and a proposed utilitarian alternative (i.e., the rational woman approach). Undergraduate participants taking the perspective of the complainant were more sensitive to offensive conduct than were those adopting an objective perspective. Although the utilitarian altemative further increased sensitivity on some measures, it failed to produce a principled judgment strategy. Finally, Study 3 examined the kinds of errors that full-time workers make when applying the "severity or pervasiveness" test to examine more closely the sensitivity of the subjective approach.