Subject strategies in part-whole transfer in free recall

The effect of instructing subjects as to the nature of the relationship between the two lists of a part-to-whole transfer situation has been studied in a number of cases with conflicting results. Some studies have shown that instructions to the subject produce positive transfer, while in others only slight effects from instructions may be noted. Detailed analysis of subject output protocols in a part-to-whole experiment demonstrated that subjects who maintained their List 1 organization showed positive transfer to the whole list. Reanaiysis of several studies in the literature supported the conclusion that subjects who maintain their organization will show positive transfer under these conditions. In a second experiment, it is demonstrated that subjects can be instructed to maintain their List 1 organization during List 2 and that such instruction enhances the amount of positive transfer obtained. The results are viewed as consistent with a hierarchical version of an organization theory for recall performance.     

Leptomeningopathia chronica circumscripta adhaesiva sive cystica

During neurosurgical operations of 73 patients alterations of the leptomeninx were found additionally other clinical diagnoses or confirming the clinical diagnosis of a chronic leptomeningopathia. In these cases tissue was taken for histological examination. In 65 cases there were alterations of all parts of the leptomeninx, mostly connected with inflammatory infiltrations. The commonly used terms "arachnitis" or "arachnoiditis" for these circumscribed chronic leptomeningopathias are not to be accepted because of different reasons. Instead of these names a describing diagnosis is recommended.     

Persistent aphasia as the most conspicuous phenomenon of extensive disconnection of the cortical speech region

An unusual case is analysed in which global aphasia has obtained for ten years, with complete speech inability and loss of the acoustic understanding of words, due to extensive cortical lesions in both halves of the cerebrum. After two years of observation of the case and frequent neuropsychological examination, the cause is seen as being in the almost complete elimination of the cortical region of speech. The manifestation occurred when the patient was nine years old, and intensive efforts at pedagogic rehabilitation, on which a separate report will be made, were begun eight years later.     

Symptoms of dementia misdiagnosed as psychosocial development disorder in congenital aqueduct stenosis

The paper describes a case in which symptoms of dementia basing on a chronic psycho-organic syndrome together with congenital aqueduct stenosis were for years erroneously regarded as indicating psychosocial maldevelopment. Emphasis is laid on the need to consider the possibility of a process of dementia, even if maldevelopment of the personality only displays mild neurological symptoms.     

Western Cultural Psychology of Religion: Alternatives to Ideology

This essay is an extended reflection on Belzen’s (2010) groundbreaking book Towards Cultural Psychology of Religion: Principles, Approaches, Applications. We will critically examine the terms culture, psychology, and religion separately and in relation to each other. The question we address is whether unconsciously Western understandings underlie these concepts and then are exported into non-Western cultures. The concept of ‘culture’ may reflect a Western bias and may be injurious when exported if culture means de facto becoming self-consciously modern, remains an abstract idea, reinforces “othering,” and serves to colonize the other. It is proposed that we listen to voices of non-Western scholars as they reflect on what ‘culture’ means to them rather than assuming that the meaning of the word ‘culture’ is universally the same. Second, we examine briefly the ways in which our understanding of religion reflects our Western biases in terms of the presumption of secularization, the meaning of religiousness, the Christian influence on defining religion, the use of religion in Western colonization, and the degree to which religion is defined abstractly. Third, we are concerned that the psychology utilized in the emerging discipline of psychology of religion is Western in that it reflects a capitalist, industrialized, individualistic, and pluralistic culture that may be less present in other cultures and perhaps even eschewed. Further, we think that in various cultures of the world, psychological knowledge emerges less from scientific observation but from the local religious/cultural traditions themselves. Finally, we examine how cultural psychology intersects with religion. We propose a model in which the specific religious cultures nurture the attitudes, emotions, behaviors, and relationships that reflect their critical values.     

Congenital amusia: A short-term memory deficit for non-verbal,but not verbal sounds

Congenital amusia refers to a lifelong disorder of music processing and is linked to pitch-processing deficits. The present study investigated congenital amusics’ short-term memory for tones, musical timbres and words. Sequences of five events (tones, timbres or words) were presented in pairs and participants had to indicate whether the sequences were the same or different. The performance of congenital amusics confirmed a memory deficit for tone sequences, but showed normal performance for word sequences. For timbre sequences, amusics’ memory performance was impaired in comparison to matched controls. Overall timbre performance was found to be correlated with melodic contour processing (as assessed by the Montreal Battery of Evaluation of Amusia). The present findings show that amusics’ deficits extend to non-verbal sound material other than pitch, in this case timbre, while not affecting memory for verbal material. This is in line with previous suggestions about the domain-specificity of congenital amusia.     

Using choice to increase on-task behavior in individuals with traumatic brain injury

An ABA'B design was used to evaluate the effects of choice on task engagement for 3 adults who had been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury. A yoked-control condition, in which tasks that were selected by each participant were assigned subsequently to that participant by a trainer, was implemented to help distinguish between the effects of task preference and choice. The results for all 3 participants indicated that permitting individuals to choose from a list of tasks increased on-task behavior.     

Exploring the validity of the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) with established emotions measures

Emotions measures represent an important means of obtaining construct validity evidence for emotional intelligence (EI) tests because they have the same theoretical underpinnings. Additionally, the extent to which both emotions and EI measures relate to intelligence is poorly understood. The current study was designed to address these issues. Participants (N = 138) completed the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT), two emotions measures, as well as four intelligence tests. Results provide mixed support for the model hypothesized to underlie the MSCEIT, with emotions research and EI measures failing to load on the same factor. The emotions measures loaded on the same factor as intelligence measures. The validity of certain EI components (in particular, Emotion Perception), as currently assessed, appears equivocal.