Socialization tactics, proactive behavior, and newcomer learning: Integrating socialization models

The purpose of the study was to examine how socialization processes (socialization tactics and proactive behavior) jointly affect socialization content (i.e., what newcomers learn) and adjustment. Longitudinal survey data from 150 business and engineering graduates during their first 7 months of work indicate that: (1) institutionalized socialization and proactive behavior are each associated with newcomer learning, (2) the socialization processes and learning are each associated with various forms of adjustment, and (3) the socialization processes are associated with adjustment, while controlling for learning. These findings suggest that how newcomers are socialized has substantive and symbolic value over and above what they actually learn.     

Individual differences in motor development during early childhood: An MEG study

In a previous study, we reported the first measurements of pre‐movement and sensorimotor cortex activity in preschool age children (ages 3–5 years) using a customized pediatric magnetoencephalographic system. Movement‐related activity in the sensorimotor cortex differed from that typically observed in adults, suggesting that maturation of cortical motor networks was still incomplete by late preschool age. Here we compare these earlier results to a group of school age children (ages 6–8 years) including seven children from the original study measured again two years later, and a group of adults (mean age 31.1 years) performing the same task. Differences in movement‐related brain activity were observed both longitudinally within children in which repeated measurements were made, and cross‐sectionally between preschool age children, school age children, and adults. Movement‐related mu (8–12 Hz) and beta (15–30 Hz) oscillations demonstrated linear increases in amplitude and mean frequency with age. In contrast, movement‐evoked gamma synchronization demonstrated a step‐like transition from low (30–50 Hz) to high (70–90 Hz) narrow‐band oscillations, and this occurred at different ages in different children. Notably, pre‐movement activity (‘readiness fields’) observed in adults was absent in even the oldest children. These are the first direct observations of brain activity accompanying motor responses throughout early childhood, confirming that maturation of this activity is still incomplete by mid‐childhood. In addition, individual children demonstrated markedly different developmental trajectories in movement‐related brain activity, suggesting that individual differences need to be taken into account when studying motor development across age groups.     

Involvement of the basolateral amygdala in muscarinic cholinergic modulation of extinction memory consolidation

Previous studies have reported that drugs affecting neuromodulatory systems within the basolateral amygdala (BLA), including drugs affecting muscarinic cholinergic receptors, modulate the consolidation of many kinds of training, including contextual fear conditioning (CFC). The present experiments investigated the involvement of muscarinic cholinergic influences within the BLA in modulating the consolidation of CFC extinction memory. Male Sprague Dawley rats implanted with unilateral cannula aimed at the BLA were trained on a CFC task, using footshock stimulation, and 24 and 48 h later were given extinction training by replacing them in the apparatus without footshock. Following each extinction session they received intra-BLA infusions of the cholinergic agonist oxotremorine (10 ng). Immediate post-extinction BLA infusions significantly enhanced extinction but infusions administered 180 min after extinction training did not influence extinction. Thus the oxotremorine effects were time-dependent and not attributable to non-specific effects on retention performance. These findings provide evidence that, as previously found with original CFC learning, cholinergic activation within the BLA modulates the consolidation of CFC extinction.     

Suppression During Binocular Rivalry Broadens Orientation Tuning

ABSTRACT— During binocular-rivalry suppression, an ordinarily visible stimulus is erased from awareness, but how is the sensory representation of that stimulus affected? Although it is established that rivalry suppression attenuates signal strength, the influence of suppression on signal fidelity remains unknown. Here, we show that noise plays a hitherto undiscovered role in the degradation of the percept under suppression. In Experiment 1, we measured psychometric functions for a stimulus presented under dominance and suppression, and found that the slope of these functions was shallower under suppression—a result suggesting that the signal representation was rendered noisier. Experiment 2 then revealed the source of this noise: An examination of the influence of suppression on the orientation bandwidth of noise masking showed that tuning bandwidth is significantly broadened under suppression. Thus, the discriminability of a suppressed stimulus is weakened not only by a general decrease in signal strength, but also by broader orientation tuning that introduces more noise in the neural representation of the suppressed stimulus.     

Journey to transcendence: Dostoevsky’s theological polyphony in Barth’s understanding of the Pauline KRISIS

Anticipating Mikhail Bakhtin’s appreciation for the unfinalizability of Fedor Dostoevskij’s universe, prominent Protestant theologian Karl Barth celebrates the Russian novelist’s presentation of “the impenetrable ambiguity of human life” characteristic of both the ending of Dostoevsky’s novels and Paul’s Epistle to the Romans. Barth’s unique reading of The Brothers Karamazov not only demonstrates the barrenness of the “theocratic dream” but also complements Bakhtin’s discussion of polyphony with an explicitly theological dimension by focusing on the dialogue between Creator and the created. Dostoevsky’s prophetic voice provides Barth with a poetic expression of the divine command that highlights the ethical dimension inherent in every theological choice.     

Voluntary action influences visual competition

Converging lines of evidence point to a strong link between action and perception. In this study, we show that this linkage plays a role in controlling the dynamics of binocular rivalry, in which two stimuli compete for perceptual awareness. Observers dichoptically viewed two dynamic rival stimuli while moving a computer mouse with one hand. When the motion of one rival stimulus was consistent with observers' own hand movements, dominance durations of that stimulus were extended and, remarkably, suppression durations of that stimulus were abbreviated. Additional measurements revealed that this change in rivalry dynamics was not attributable to observers' knowledge about the condition under test. Thus, self-generated actions can influence the resolution of perceptual conflict, even when the object being controlled falls outside of visual awareness.     

Attachment to God,Tenure, Race,and Participation in Congregational Life

The vitality of religious congregations is dependent on how effectively they attract congregants and mobilize participation, and people are more likely to participate when they share similar characteristics with other congregants. This study suggests attachment to God is a fundamental “behavioral and intrapersonal characteristic” which distinguishes participants from one another, contributing to varying levels of participation in congregational and religious life beyond service attendance. Using a national sample, we test several hypotheses related to this theoretical claim. Findings suggest that: (1) secure attachment to God is positively associated with congregational participation, (2) anxious and avoidant attachment are negatively associated with participation, (3) these relationships are moderated by length of time attending a particular congregation, and (4) secure attachment is associated with higher levels of participation in congregational life for blacks than it is for whites. By demonstrating a link between attachment to God and participation in congregational and religious life, this study affirms that intrapersonal characteristics structure the dynamics of religious congregations.