Recognition and mental manipulation of body parts dissociate in locked-in syndrome

Several lines of evidence demonstrate that the motor system is involved in motor simulation of actions, but some uncertainty exists about the consequences of lesions of descending motor pathways on mental imagery tasks. Moreover, recent findings suggest that the motor system could also have a role in recognition of body parts. To address these issues in the present study we assessed patients with a complete damage of descending motor pathways (locked-in syndrome, LIS) on the hand laterality task, requiring subjects to decide whether a hand stimulus in a given spatial orientation represents a left or a right hand. LIS patients were less accurate than healthy controls in judging hand laterality; more importantly, LIS patients’ performance was modulated by spatial orientation of hand stimuli whereas it was not affected by biomechanical constraints. These findings demonstrate a dissociation between spared hand recognition and impaired access to action simulation processes in LIS patients.     

The Role of Randomization in Bayesian and Frequentist Design of Clinical Trial

A key role in inference is played by randomization, which has been extensively used in clinical trials designs. Randomization is primarily intended to prevent the source of bias in treatment allocation by producing comparable groups. In the frequentist framework of inference, randomization allows also for the use of probability theory to express the likelihood of chance as a source for the difference of end outcome. In the Bayesian framework, its role is more nuanced. The Bayesian analysis of clinical trials can afford a valid rationale for selective controls, pointing out a more limited role for randomization than it is generally accorded. This paper is aimed to offer a view of randomization from the perspective of both frequentist and Bayesian statistics and discussing the role of randomization also in theoretical decision models.

     

Housing-Related Subjective Well-Being in Turin (Italy) and Havana (Cuba): Dimensions and Prediction

In the present study, we conceptualized housing-related subjective well-being (HRSWB) as a three-dimensional construct, defined by positive and negative emotions related to housing and housing satisfaction. Moreover, we predicted the construct via a mediated model, with the objective characteristics of the household as exogenous variables and its subjective evaluation as a mediator. A survey performed on 409 participants (285 residents in Torino, Italy, women = 52.3%, M_age = 42.81, SD = 12.73, and 124 residents in Havana, Cuba, women = 58.1%, M_age = 40.48, SD = 19.21) showed that fewer square meters per capita and living in an apartment had a negative association with perceived housing quality, which in turn had a positive association with HRSWB. Home ownership was not associated with HRSWB. The model was invariant across genders, age classes, and cities of residence. Possible developments and limitations of this research are discussed.

     

5-HT1a receptor antagonists block perforant path-dentate LTP induced in novel, but not familiar, environments

Numerous studies suggest roles for monoamines in modulating long-term potentiation (LTP). Previously, we reported that both induction and maintenance of perforant path-dentate gyrus LTP is enhanced when induced while animals explore novel environments. Here we investigate the contribution of serotonin and 5-HT1a receptors to the novelty-mediated enhancement of LTP. In freely moving animals, systemic administration of the selective 5-HT1a antagonist WAY-100635 (WAY) attenuated LTP in a dose-dependent manner when LTP was induced while animals explored novel cages. In contrast, LTP was completely unaffected by WAY when induced in familiar environments. LTP was also blocked in anesthetized animals by direct application of WAY to the dentate gyrus, but not to the median raphe nucleus (MRN), suggesting the effect of systemic WAY is mediated by a block of dentate 5-HT1a receptors. Paradoxically, systemic administration of the 5-HT1a agonist 8-OH-DPAT also attenuated LTP. This attenuation was mimicked in anesthetized animals following application of 8-OH-DPAT to the MRN, but not the dentate gyrus. In addition, application of a 5-HT1a agonist to the dentate gyrus reduced somatic GABAergic inhibition. Because serotonergic projections from the MRN terminate on dentate inhibitory interneurons, these data suggest 5-HT1a receptors contribute to LTP induction via inhibition of GABAergic interneurons. Moreover, activation of raphe 5-HT1a autoreceptors, which inhibits serotonin release, attenuated LTP induction even in familiar environments. This suggests that serotonin normally contributes to dentate LTP induction in a variety of behavioral states. Together, these data suggest that serotonin and dentate 5-HT1a receptors play a permissive role in dentate LTP induction, particularly in novel conditions, and presumably, during the encoding of novel, hippocampus-relevant information.     

Parental Attitudes,Attachment Styles,Social Networks,and Psychological Processes in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

In this study the authors used a cross-cultural approach to examine parental attitudes, attachment styles, social networks, and some of the psychological processes involved in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Fifty-two children (aged 4–11 years) took part in the study: 30 Italians (15 with ASD and 15 controls) and 22 Cubans (11 with ASD and 11 controls). Findings indicated significant differences between the two cultural groups in terms of the structure of the children's social network and parental attitudes toward their children. However, the mother–child attachment relationship and cognitive and emotional functioning of the study participants were independent of culture.     

Personality and Optimal Experience in Adolescence: Implications for Well-Being and Development

Past research has repeatedly identified relations between optimal experience—or flow—and well-being across the lifespan. In the attempt to identify the conditions favoring this experience, some studies took into account personality traits. While most of them operationalized flow in terms of intensity, we presently focused on perceived occurrence versus absence of flow. Specifically, we investigated the relations between flow occurrence, hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, activities associated with flow, and personality in adolescence. A group of 408 Italian teenagers (mean age = 17.31; SD = 1.13) were administered Flow Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Psychological Well-being Scales, and the Big Five Questionnaire. Participants reporting optimal experience in their lives were compared with those not reporting it. Results showed that adolescents experiencing flow reported higher satisfaction with life, hedonic balance, and psychological well-being than their counterparts. Findings from logistic regression analyses further showed that openness to experience was the sole personality factor predicting flow occurrence, and that no personality factors were predictive of type of activities adolescents associated with flow. Findings point to the promotion of optimal experience among adolescents through the support of curiosity and openness to new experiences in engaging opportunities for action. They further call for the development of an integrated model taking into account both individual predispositions and social and cultural factors in well-being promotion.     

A multitasking general executive for compound continuous tasks

As cognitive architectures move to account for increasingly complex real-world tasks, one of the most pressing challenges involves understanding and modeling human multitasking. Although a number of existing models now perform multitasking in real-world scenarios, these models typically employ customized executives that schedule tasks for the particular domain but do not generalize easily to other domains. This article outlines a general executive for the Adaptive Control of Thought–Rational (ACT–R) cognitive architecture that, given independent models of individual tasks, schedules and interleaves the models' behavior into integrated multitasking behavior. To demonstrate the power of the proposed approach, the article describes an application to the domain of driving, showing how the general executive can interleave component subtasks of the driving task (namely, control and monitoring) and interleave driving with in-vehicle secondary tasks (radio tuning and phone dialing).     

A two-point visual control model of steering

When steering down a winding road, drivers have been shown to use both near and far regions of the road for guidance during steering. We propose a model of steering that explicitly embodies this idea, using both a 'near point' to maintain a central lane position and a 'far point' to account for the upcoming roadway. Unlike control models that integrate near and far information to compute curvature or more complex features, our model relies solely on one perceptually plausible feature of the near and far points, namely the visual direction to each point. The resulting parsimonious model can be run in simulation within a realistic highway environment to facilitate direct comparison between model and human behavior. Using such simulations, we demonstrate that the proposed two-point model is able to account for four interesting aspects of steering behavior: curve negotiation with occluded visual regions, corrective steering after a lateral drift, lane changing, and individual differences.     

Do not put the blame on me: Asymmetric responses to service outcome with autonomous vehicles versus human agents

The present study aims to examine customer responses to negative (vs. positive) service outcome with an autonomous vehicle (AV) vis-à-vis human agent. In the first study we manipulate the outcome of the service (negative vs. positive) and the type of service agent (AV vs. human) to evaluate customers' satisfaction with the service. Based on the results of the first study, in the second study we focus only on the negative outcome scenario and we examine how the perceived blame of the AV (vs. human agent) affects customers' satisfaction. Finally, in the third study we introduce another mediator, namely perceived competence, which explains why people attribute less blame to the AV (vs. human agent). Customers' satisfaction is higher for the AV only in the case of a negative service outcome, while no differences emerge when the service had a positive outcome. Additionally, AVs (vs. human agent) are perceived as less competent and blameworthy, leading to a higher customer satisfaction with the service in case of a negative outcome. These results show a customer under-reaction to negative service outcome with AVs. This has relevance for the design and policy implications related to AVs. Our results also provide insights into the psychological underpinnings of acceptance of AVs replacing human agents. This study extends previous literature by showing circumstances in which customers are more (or less) satisfied with an AVs (vs. human agents) and the psychological drivers of these asymmetrical responses.     

'Pure' constructional apraxia - a cognitive analysis of a single case

We report on a patient affected by selective drawing disabilities. The patient could correctly reproduce and draw simple geometric figures on request, but when he tried to reproduce more complex drawings or to draw common objects he performed very poorly. To identify the cognitive impairment in this patient, we adopted two test batteries based on recent information-processing models of drawing. Results showed that the patient's drawing disabilities were independent of visuo-perceptual and executive impairments. These findings support recent cognitive models of drawing abilities: some intermediate stages of drawing exist at which information is processed to prepare and guide motor output, and which may be selectively disrupted after discrete cerebral lesions.