Paralinguistic correlates of conceptual structure

How is conceptual knowledge transmitted during conversation? When a speaker refers to an object, the name that the speaker chooses conveys information about categoryidentity. In addition, I propose that a speaker’s confidence in a classification can convey information about categorystructure. Because atypical instances of a category are more difficult to classify than typical instances, when speakers refer to these instances their lack of confidence will manifest itself “paralinguistically”—that is, in the form of hesitations, filled pauses, or rising prosody. These features can help listeners learn by enabling them to differentiate good from bad examples of a category. So that this hypothesis could be evaluated, in a category learning experiment participants learned a set of novel colors from a speaker. When the speaker’s paralinguistically expressed confidence was consistent with the underlying category structure, learners acquired the categories more rapidly and showed better category differentiation from the earliest moments of learning. These findings have important implications for theories of conversational coordination and language learning.     

Simulation and virtual reality in medical education and therapy: a protocol.

Continuing medical education has historically been provided primarily by didactic lectures, though adult learners prefer experiential or self-directed learning. Young physicians have extensive experience with computer-based or "video" games, priming them for medical education--and treating their patients--via new technologies. We report our use of standardized patients (SPs) to educate physicians on the diagnosis and treatment of biological and chemical warfare agent exposure. We trained professional actors to serve as SPs representing exposure to biological agents such as anthrax and smallpox. We rotated workshop participants through teaching stations to interview, examine, diagnose and treat SPs. We also trained SPs to simulate a chemical mass casualty (MASCAL) incident. Workshop participants worked together to treat MASCAL victims, followed by discussion of key teaching points. More recently, we developed computer-based simulation (CBS) modules of patients exposed to biological agents. We compare the strengths and weaknesses of CBS vs. live SPs. Finally, we detail plans for a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) exposure therapy compared to pharmacotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is associated with significant disability and healthcare costs, which may be ameliorated by the identification of more effective therapy.     

Duties to the Distant: Aid, Assistance, and Intervention in the Developing World

In his classic article, Famine, Affluence, and Morality (Philosophy and Public Affairs 1 (1972), pp. 229–243), Peter Singer claimed that affluent people in the developed world are morally obligated to transfer large amounts of resources to poor people in the developing world. For present purposes I will not call Singers argument into question. While people can reasonably disagree about exactly how demanding morality is with respect to duties to the desperate, there is little question in my mind that it is much more demanding than common sense morality or our everyday behavior suggests. Even someone who disagrees with this might still find some interest in seeing what a demanding morality would imply for well-off residents of the rich countries of the world. I proceed in the following way. First, I survey humanitarian aid, development assistance, and intervention to protect human rights as ways of discharging duties to the desperate. I claim that we should be more cautious about such policies than is often thought. I go on to suggest two principles that should guide our actions, based on an appreciation of our roles, relationships, and the social and political context in which we find ourselves.     

Biases and fallacies, memories and predictions: comment on Roy, Christenfeld, and McKenzie (2005)

Comparative theory testing is a useful method for assessing the value of a new theoretical account such as the memory bias account of optimistic time predictions. However, such comparisons can be misleading when they do not carefully consider the domain limitations of the respective theories. M. M. Roy, N. J. S. Christenfeld, and C. R. M. McKenzie have contrasted the memory bias and planning fallacy accounts in their ability to explain the prevalence and degree of optimistic bias in time predictions. However, the authors argue that many of the points of distinction they draw are actually reflections of the domain limitations of the 2 theories. The authors clarify the definition and scope of the planning fallacy account and show how the apparent contradictions diminish or disappear.     

The emergence of homegrown stereotypes

Homegrown stereotypes are generalizations that groups develop about their own typical characteristics. They are a distinct class of in-group stereotypes in the contexts and processes that give rise to them, as well as in their consequences for individual group members. The authors develop the concept of homegrown stereotypes and locate the origins of these stereotypes in self-presentation processes. They discuss the accuracy of these stereotypes and consider their similarities to and differences from a number of related phenomena. An examination of homegrown stereotypes highlights the importance of taking into account the impact of in-group, as well as intergroup, dynamics on the production of stereotypes.     

Aspiration-Based and Reciprocity-Based Rules in Learning Dynamics for Symmetric Normal-Form Games

Psychologically based rules are important in human behavior and have the potential of explaining equilibrium selection and separatrix crossings to a payoff dominant equilibrium in coordination games. We show how a rule learning theory can easily accommodate behavioral rules such as aspiration-based experimentation and reciprocity-based cooperation and how to test for the significance of additional rules. We confront this enhanced rule learning model with experimental data on games with multiple equilibria and separatrix-crossing behavior. Maximum likelihood results do not support aspiration-based experimentation or anticipated reciprocity as significant explanatory factors, but do support a small propensity for non-aspiration-based experimentation by random belief and non-reciprocity-based cooperation.     

Patterns of impaired verbal,spatial, and object working memory after thalamic lesions

Working memory processes in six individuals with isolated thalamic lesions were assessed. Participants were given a verbal, spatial, and object n-back task, each at three levels of task load (1-back, 2-back, and 3-back). Relative to a control group, the patients were impaired on the verbal and spatial n-back tasks, and possibly on the object n-back task as well. None of the patients showed impaired short-term memory as measured by digit span. Group differences on trials measuring matching, sequencing, and inhibitory abilities were consistent with other reports suggesting that thalamic lesions may impair the operation of executive processes.     

Challenges of Being Simultaneously Gay or Lesbian and Spiritual and/or Religious: A Narrative Perspective

The purpose of this article is to describe the struggle that gays and lesbians face as they incorporate their sexual orientation and identity within the context of an existing religious or spiritual identity. An overview of the religious and spiritual context that makes individuals unique will be followed by how the narrative perspective can help individuals who identify themselves as gay or lesbian with their struggle for identity. Finally, new narrative directions will be suggested for marriage and family therapists and their work with gays and lesbians who are confronted with these issues.     

Alcoholism and the family in peru: The impact of an alcoholic on teenagers' perceptions of the family

Abstract

We studied Peruvian high school students' perceptions of their family environment when a member of their household had a significant problem with alcohol using specialized forms of both the Family Environment Scale (FES) and the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (SMAST). Of our sample of 218 high school students in Lima, Peru, 91.7% lived in a household in which a member had a significant problem with alcohol as defined by the family form of the SMAST. Also, when the alcoholic individual was a member of the nuclear family, the high school students perceived their families as less cohesive, less well organized, and with a lesser ability to express themselves. These family perceptions are similar to those found in American high school students who live with an alcoholic family member. Possible epidemiologic and family implications of these findings are discussed.     

A COMPARISON OF SEMANTIC‐ AND MNEMONIC‐BASED VOCABULARY‐LEARNING STRATEGIES

Fourth‐ and fifth‐grade students were taught the meanings of new vocabulary items according to one of three instructional strategies. Two of the strategies were semantic‐based (contextual analysis and semantic mapping), and the other strategy was mnemonic‐based (the keyword method). Consistent with recent research findings, the keyword method facilitated students’ recall of the vocabulary items’ definitions, and this was true in both higher‐ and lower‐achieving subject populations. In the higher‐achieving sample, the keyword method was also superior to the contextual analysis strategy on two vocabulary‐usage tests, one that was administered on the day immediately following instruction and one that was administered a week later. Mean performance on a one‐week delayed definition‐matching test was statistically equivalent in the three conditions, although in the higher‐achieving sample a reliably higher proportion of keyword subjects than contextual analysis subjects attained perfect scores on that test. No significant difference between the two semantic‐ based strategies was found on any of the dependent measures. Implications of the results and suggestions for future research are included in the discussion.