Head position and parsing ambiguity

A strongly principle-based model of parsing seeks to employ principles of the competence grammar directly in language processing. Within grammatical theory, the Projection Principle holds that each level of syntactic representation is a uniform projection of the lexical properties of heads. With respect to parsing this suggests that a phrasal node cannot be projected until the occurrence of its head and thus constitutes a strong empirical hypothesis concerning the fundamental nature of human language processing. This paper contrasts some cross-linguistic predictions made by a specific Grammarderived parsing model against those of a well-known top-down model whose functional motivation is decidedly nonlinguistic. This latter Minimal Attachment model is found to predict significant difficulty with respect to the processing of languages such as Japanese, which display rather different surface properties than English. This problem is not encountered in a model which recognizes the crucial role of heads in licensing argument structure with respect to Processing as well as Grammar. Cross-linguistic parsing differences are attributed to the linear and structural positions of licensing heads which constitute the primary locus of the cross-linguistic variation which is therefore ultimately to be ascribed directly to the Projection Principle.     

Manipulation of familiarity reveals a necessary lexical component of the word-stem completion priming effect

These experiments were motivated by the idea that many types of nondeclarative memory are by-products arising from the plasticity that is inherent in much of the nervous system. We hypothesized that two types of repetition priming, word-stem completion (WSC) priming and perceptual identification (PI) priming, rely on different mechanisms because the WSC task and the PI task engage different cognitive and brain processes. We tested this hypothesis by manipulating word familiarity. The results, impaired WSC priming but intact PI priming with unfamiliar words, indicate that WSC priming relies primarily on a modification mechanism, whereas PI priming relies primarily on an acquisition mechanism. Our conclusions are consistent with component processes theories of nondeclarative memory.     

HIV-1-Associated Neuropathies

Peripheral neuropathy associated with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is a major cause of morbidity in this patient population. Due to the associated chronic pain, its management has come within the purview of neuropsychiatrists. This paper will focus on the primary pathogenic aspects of HIV-1-associated peripheral neuropathies. The specific syndromes of greatest concern are distal sensory polyneuropathy, toxic neuropathy, inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, and cytomegalovirus-related progressive polyradiculoneuropathy. The treatments available for these conditions and their efficacy are discussed.     

Multicultural Training for Undergraduates: Developing Knowledge and Awareness

The changing demographics of the United States have lead to increased training of multicultural issues in graduate counseling programs. Graduate students report higher levels of multicultural competencies after completing a multicultural counseling course. Similarly, this study indicates increased multicultural awareness and knowledge among undergraduates completing a multicultural course.     

Spectral restoration of speech: Intelligibility is increased by inserting noise in spectral gaps

In order to function effectively as a means of communication, speech must be intelligible under the noisy conditions encountered in everyday life. Two types of perceptual synthesis have been reported that can reduce or cancel the effects of masking by extraneous sounds: Phonemic restoration can enhance intelligibility when segments are replaced or masked by noise, and contralateral induction can prevent mislateralization by effectively restoring speech masked at one ear when it is heard in the other. The present study reports a third type of perceptual synthesis induced by noise: enhancement of intelligibility produced by adding noise to spectral gaps. In most of the experiments, the speech stimuli consisted of two widely separated narrow bands of speech (center frequencies of 370 and 6000 Hz, each band having high-pass and low-pass slopes of 115 dB/octave meeting at the center frequency). These very narrow bands effectively reduced the available information to frequency-limited patterns of amplitude fluctuation lacking information concerning formant structure and frequency transitions. When stochastic noise was introduced into the gap separating the two speech bands, intelligibility increased for “everyday” sentences, for sentences that varied in the transitional probability of keywords, and for monosyllabic word lists. Effects produced by systematically varying noise amplitude and noise bandwidth are reported, and the implications of some of the novel effects observed are discussed.     

An interactive data-generating and answer-correcting system for problems in statistics

A computer-assisted instructional system is described which provides the student with extensive drill and feedback in the application of statistical methods to computer-simulated data. The system consists of three interactive programs that perform the following functions: (1) FILEMAKE creates “source” data for problems in statistics having whatever population characteristics are desired by the instructor; (2) DATASET generates unique data for each student by performing a random modification, based on sampling theory, of the source data; and (3) CORRECT corrects each student’s unique answers to the problem.     

Multiple‐Lens Paradigm: Evaluating African American Girls and Their Development

Developmental issues for African American adolescent girls are best understood using a multiple‐lens paradigm inclusive of gender, race, ethnicity, and social class. This article provides a context for assessing the relevance of these socially influenced constructs to identity development for adolescent African American girls. The relationship between the “myth of femininity” and personal worth and value is examined using this paradigm.