Social Participation During Transition to Adult Life Among Young Adults With High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders: Experiences From an Exploratory Multiple Case Study

This study aimed to explore the social participation of young adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASD) during their transition to adult life. A multiple case study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample of 10 participants (n = 10) composed of three adults with HFASD, their caregivers, and two representatives of community organizations. Four themes emerged: (1) access to services, (2) orientation to integrated life goals, (3) engagement in meaningful activities, and (4) gap in services before reaching independent living. Properly preparing and orienting the families could help them have a more satisfying social participation.     

Gendered Behavior in a Male Preserve: Role Playing at ESPN Zone Chicago

The consumption of spectacular experience is of increasing interest to consumer researchers. Much of this consumption occurs in themed environments. These environments arouse and motivate consumers in multifaceted ways. In this article, we explore the ways in which gendered behavior is elicited and enacted in a sports bar venue. Using ethnographic methods, we examine male role behavior as it is exhibited at ESPN Zone Chicago. We enfold our interpretation of this behavior in theorizing about sport, spectacle, and mass mediation     

Modulating what is and what could have been: The effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on the evaluation of attained and unattained decision outcomes

The affective evaluation of decision outcomes, whether attained (e.g., disappointment) or based on the conscious realization that a decision made differently would have led to a better or worse outcome (e.g., regret), greatly influence future decisions. Prior research has demonstrated a role of the medial and orbitofrontal cortex (M/OFC) in decision valuation and the experience of regret and relief. Here we examined whether inhibitory transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) could dampen the experience of decision-induced affect, with a focus on regret and relief. Thirty-eight participants completed a previously used gambling task and were asked to rate their happiness with attained outcomes of a chosen gamble before and after being shown unattained, counterfactual outcomes (i.e., what would have happened had they selected the other gamble). The difference in happiness rating before and after revealing these unattained counterfactual outcomes was taken as a measure of regret (negative shift) or relief (positive shift). During this task, 20 participants received 2 mA cathodal tDCS over EEG coordinate Fp1 for 20 minutes, and 18 participants received sham stimulation over the same location. Linear mixed-model results showed that, compared to sham, participants who received cathodal tDCS reported less intense emotions in response to attained as well as counterfactual outcomes. These findings were not due to the groups differing in the gambles they selected or attained monetary outcomes, demonstrating that tDCS can modulate decision-induced (counterfactual) affect. This may have implications for the ability to modulate value-based decision-making using brain stimulation techniques more broadly.     

Dynamics of human postural transitions

In the present study, the authors examined transitions between postural coordination modes involved in human stance. The analysis was motivated by dynamical theories of pattern formation, in which coordination modes and transitions between modes are emergent, self-organized properties of the dynamics of animal-environment systems. In 2 experiments, standing participants tracked a moving target with the head. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that changes in body coordination follow typical nonequilibrium phase transitions, exhibiting multistability, bifurcation, critical fluctuations, hysteresis, and critical slowing down. The findings suggest that posture may be organized in terms of dynamical principles and favor the existence of general and common principles governing pattern formation and flexibility in complex systems.     

Relations among heavy training stress,mood state,and performance for male junior rowers

This study investigated the influence of rapidly increased training volume on performance and recovery-stress state perceived by 10 male junior rowers. The training during the 6-day period amounted to 21.5 +/- 2.2 hr., which was equivalent to an average increase in training load by approximately 100% compared to their average training volume during the previous 4 wk. The time to row 2,000 m on a rowing ergometer and resting cortisol level were significantly increased after the 6-day training period. Scores on subscales of the Recovery Stress Questionnaire for Athletes significantly increased for somatic component of stress (Fatigue) and decreased factor indicating recovery (Social Relaxation) after the heavy training period. A correlation of .63 was found between increased training volume and scores on the Conflicts/Pressure subscale at the end of the heavy training period. Correlations were also found between changes in training volume with changes on subscales of Sleep Quality (r=-.64) and Burnout/Personal Accomplishment (r=-.66). Changes in resting cortisol levels as a result of heavy training stress were related to the changes in the following stress subscales: Social Stress (r=.76), Fatigue (r=.64), Disturbed Breaks (r=.65), and Fitness/Injury (r=.67). Changes in performance, perceived recovery-stress state and resting plasma cortisol level reflect increased stress due to high training. These results suggest that the Recovery Stress Questionnaire for Athletes could be used to evaluate the effects of rapidly increased training volume for male junior rowers.     

Subvocalization in auditory-verbal imagery: just a form of motor imagery?

Previous studies have provided evidence for subvocal rehearsal (inner voice) and phonological storage (inner ear) in auditory-verbal imagery. The question remains to be answered whether the inner voice mainly involves higher-order language systems, or primarily relies on motor systems associated with articulatory-kinesthetic processing. On the basis of models of auditory imagery and working memory, we predicted that, if auditory-verbal imagery is a form of motor imagery, performance on a novel auditory-verbal imagery task would be affected by concurrent articulatory suppression as well as by concurrent finger tapping. In contrast, we predicted that performance on a visuospatial control task would be significantly affected by concurrent tapping only. The auditory imagery task consisted of indicating, for bisyllabic words, the syllable that carried the stress. A significant interaction was observed between task (verbal vs. visual) and type of interference (articulatory suppression vs. tapping). Tapping affected reaction times on the visual task significantly more than articulatory suppression. However, both interference conditions affected the verbal task to an equal extent. The present findings confirm the role of subvocalization in auditory-verbal imagery and provide evidence for a strong involvement of articulatory-kinesthetic motor processing.     

The auditory sensory memory trace decays rapidly in newborns

The present study investigated the temporal dynamics of auditory sensory memory in newborns as reflected by the mismatch negativity (MMN), a preattentive electric change-detection response. MMN was obtained from 24 full-term healthy newborns who were either awake or asleep (quiet or active sleep) during the experiments. Stimuli were 1,000 Hz tones (standards) that were occasionally replaced by 1,100 Hz tones (deviants). The constant stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) was, in separate blocks, either 450, 800, or 1,500 ms. A prominent MMN was obtained at the 800 ms SOA in all three sleep or waking states, whereas no MMN occurred at 450 and 1,500 ms SOAs. In view of the fact that in adults MMN is elicited even with a 10s SOA, these results imply that the time span of auditory memory is considerably shorter in neonates than in adults and 8-12-year-old children.