A Comparison of Noncontingent Plus Contingent Reinforcement to Contingent Reinforcement Alone on Students’ Academic Performance

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) can be described as time-based or response-independent delivery of stimuli with known reinforcing properties. Previous research has shown NCR to reduce problem behavior in individuals with developmental disabilities and to interfere with the acquisition of more desired alternative behavior. To date, however, little research has examined the effects of NCR on children’s academic performance. The present study examined the effects of NCR on the completion of math computation worksheets by 3 students in an elementary school setting. An ABCB reversal design was used to compare an NCR schedule in combination with contingent reinforcement to contingent reinforcement alone. Results showed that digits correct per session decreased to baseline levels for all 3 students during implementation of the NCR plus contingent reinforcement condition. Implications of these results for the reductive effects of NCR are discussed.     

The Effects of Eight-Month Physical Activity Intervention on Vigilance Performance in Adult Obese Population

We aim to analyze the effects of an 8-month physical activity intervention on cardiorespiratory fitness, body mass index (BMI), and vigilance performance in an adult obese population. We conducted an 8-month physical activity intervention based on dance and rhythmic activities. The weekly frequency was 2 sessions of 1 hr per day. Training sessions were divided into 3 phases: a 10-min warm-up, 40 min of dance and rhythmic activities, and 10 min to cool-down. To assess cardiorespiratory fitness, participants performed a modified version of the 6-min walk test from the Senior Fitness Test battery (Larsson & Mattsson, 2001; Rikli & Jones, 1999). Vigilance performance was measured by means of the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT). Two measurements were performed immediately before and after the intervention. The results revealed that participants improved their cardiorespiratory fitness, BMI, and vigilance performance after the intervention. All in all, findings contribute new empirical evidence to the field that investigates the benefits of physical activity intervention on cognitive processes in obese population.     

Sequential remembering and lived remembering in the flow of experience: a videographic study / Recuerdo secuencial y recuerdo vivido en el curso de la experiencia: un estudio videográfico

Abstract

During the last 30 years the discussion on memory and remembering has advanced from a strictly cognitive perspective to a broader view, involving the body in these processes. Thus, the present article aims to recover Henri Bergson’s main ideas — published more than a century ago — emphasizing the tight relation between immediate experience, memory and bodily movements. First, contemporary perspectives on memory are reviewed. Afterwards, the results from a videographic study are presented, showing how deeply the body is engaged in the act of remembering. These results evidence the presence of two different ways of remembering: sequential and lively-experienced.     

El problema mente-cuerpo. Un ensayo de antropología wittgensteiniana

Resumen

Este artículo representa un intento por resolver el problema antropológico clásico, especialmente planteado por Descartes, de la relación mente-cuerpo, que tantos problemas ha causado en psicología. Para ello nos inspiramos en la crítica de las entidades internas que realiza el segundo Wittgenstein mediante su Argumento del Lenguaje Privado. Después aplicamos dicha crítica a los reduccionismos verificacionistas en psicología, conductismo y fisiologismo, así como a la teoría de James-Lange sobre las emociones. El error de estas posturas consiste en partir del dualismo cartesiano y de su perspectiva egocéntrica como supuesto implícito.     

Killing, wrongness, and equality

This paper examines accounts of the moral wrongness of killing persons in addition to determining what conclusions, if any, can be drawn from the morality of killing persons about the (in)equality of persons, and vice versa. I will argue that a plausible way of thinking about the moral wrongness of killing implies that the permissibility of killing innocent, nonthreatening persons depends on a person’s age. I address objections to this conclusion and discuss some potential implications of the view.     

Workers' perception of workplace bullying: A cross-cultural study

This study is one of the first studies to approach workplace bullying cross-culturally. It sought to compare employees' understanding of workplace bullying in two different world regions: Central America and Southern Europe, regarding three aspects of workplace bullying: psychological vs. physical harassment, hierarchical vs. horizontal bullying, and direct vs. indirect aggression. A convenience sample of 246 workers provided their own definition of workplace bullying through a single, open-ended question. The results showed that employees from Central America emphasized the physical component of workplace bullying more than the Southern European employees. However, similarities in the conceptualization of workplace bullying across both cultures were found as well. Both Southern European and Central American employees defined workplace bullying mainly as a hierarchical phenomenon, where the aggression took the form of direct strategies. Such differences and similarities bring to the field some positive inputs for the development and implementation of different strategies for dealing effectively with this phenomenon.     

Biasing decision making by means of retrieval practice

Decision making requires the recruitment of several cognitive processes. So far, however, few studies have dealt with the role of inhibitory control in this domain. In this study, we aim to examine this issue in a memory-based decision task by using an adaptation of the retrieval practice paradigm (Anderson, Bjork, & Bjork, 1994 Anderson, M. C., Bjork, R. A. and Bjork, E. L. 1994. Remembering can cause forgetting: Retrieval dynamics in long-term memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 20: 1063–1087. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). The retrieval-induced forgetting found through this task is normally explained in terms of inhibition. Specifically, we analyse how retrieval practice may affect what alternatives are selected as well as the choice probability and attribute recall. Our data show a relation between the recall impairment of the attributes due to retrieval practice and biased decisions.     

Ontogenetic dissociation between habit learning and recognition memory in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella)

The performance of young and adult capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) on a Concurrent Discrimination Learning (CDL) test and a Delayed Non-Matching to Sample (DNMS) task were investigated. Results indicate that all subjects were able to learn the CDL test with 20-pairs simultaneously and retain this stimulus/reward association within 24-h interval. In contrast, young subjects did not perform the DNMS task with the same proficiency as adults. While adults' scores were above chance across all memory test delays, the young capuchin monkeys performed the test by chance level. These results support the hypothesis that these two tasks require different cognitive processes mediated by two independent neural systems with a differentiated ontogenetic development. Moreover, they provide evidence that this dissociation occurs not only in humans and Old World monkeys but also in the New World capuchin monkeys indicating that this species can be a valuable alternative model for investigations of the neurobiological basis of memory.