Real-time examinations of lexical processing in aphasics

We argue that the lesion localizing value of disruptions to modular information processing systems emerges most clearly from on-line analyses of processing. In this respect we seek to show that left anterior (but not left posterior) damage causes slowed information access and we discuss the manner in which this slowing might yield some of the specific syntactic limitations charted in Broca's aphasia. The general possibility we raise is that the cortical area implicated in Broca's aphasia is not necessarily the locus of syntactic representations, but rather sustains particular time-based operating characteristics that in turn sustain normal real-time parsing.This research was supported in part by NIH grants NS11408 and NS06209 to Boston University School of Medicine and by the Research Service of the Veterans Administration.     

The case of Piaget's group INRC

What is it that distinguishes Piaget's transformations N, R, and C from the rest of the 16! transformations of the 16 binary propositional operations? Here Piaget's INRC is considered as a subgroup of the group $\text{M}$₂ of all automorphisms and dual automorphisms of the free Boolean algebra with two generators. This group is isomorphic to S₄ × C₂. Its elements are given explicitly. Many other psychologically relevant subgroups of $\text{M}$₂ play an important role. They are discussed and their connections shown. Particular attention is given to involutions, even if the view that they constitute the sole representation of reversibility is abandoned. Piaget's transformation R turns out not to be the inverse operation of relations. The group of automorphisms, dual automorphisms, anti-automorphisms of the algebra of binary relations on a finite set is found. A crystallographic presentation of these groups is given and related work by Bart (Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 1971, 5, 539–553), Leresche (Revue Européenne des Sciences Sociales, 1976, 14, 219–241), and Pólya (The Journal of Symbolic Logic, 1940, 5, 98–103) is discussed.     

The attitudes toward work in career transitions

The development of general attitudes toward work was investigated in career transitions of people at various career stages, belonging to various socioeconomic paths. It was assumed that general attitudes toward work, consisting of the affective meaning of work and of its centrality to the subject, are developed in an anticipatory manner on the basis of expectations, integrating occupational information with aspirations. Samples of junior and senior high school students, undergraduate university students, vocational trainees for skilled work, and persons trained for higher executive positions participated in the research. The results confirmed the role of expectations in attitude formation. Similar expectations as to status and advancement lead to similar attitudes regardless of differences in age or cultural background.     

Shifts in the perceived location of a blurred edge increase with contrast

Perceived brightness is nonlinearly related to luminance. Consequently, any mechanism operating on the (transformed) luminance profile of a blurred edge to detect its location should make errors, and the magnitude of these errors should increase with contrast. The perceived location of a blurred edge was measured at a range of contrasts and a range of blur space constants in a vernier alignment task. It was found that the perceived location of a blurred edge was affected by the contrast and the blur space constant of the edge. At low contrasts, the apparent location of the blurred edge was near the calculated location of the edge, assuming the linear transduction of luminance. At higher contrasts, the perceived location of a blurred edge was shifted toward the dark side of the edge, and the shift increased with contrast.     

The effect of temporal separation and prior habituation upon preconditioning

The effect of temporal separation and prior habituation was tested by measuring response transfer in a shuttle box following different initial treatments. Thirty hooded rats were split into three main groups and six sub-groups. One main group was preconditioned with concurrent light and sound stimuli, another with temporally spaced stimuli, and a control group had no preconditioning. Half of each main group was permitted to explore the apparatus before preconditioning on the supposition that this might reduce emotionality and hence reduce startle or attention responses.

It was found that concurrent stimulation produced significantly greater response transfer than in controls, whereas preconditioning with spaced stimuli did not. Prior habituation produced no significant effect on the amount of response transfer.     

How left inferior frontal cortex participates in syntactic processing: Evidence from aphasia

We report on three experiments that provide a real-time processing perspective on the poor comprehension of Broca’s aphasic patients for non-canonically structured sentences. In the first experiment we presented sentences (via a Cross Modal Lexical Priming (CMLP) paradigm) to Broca’s patients at a normal rate of speech. Unlike the pattern found with unimpaired control participants, we observed a general slowing of lexical activation and a concomitant delay in the formation of syntactic dependencies involving “moved” constituents and empty elements. Our second experiment presented these same sentences at a slower rate of speech. In this circumstance, Broca’s patients formed syntactic dependencies as soon as they were structurally licensed (again, a different pattern from that demonstrated by the unimpaired control group). The third experiment used a sentence-picture matching paradigm to chart Broca’s comprehension for non-canonically structured sentences (presented at both normal and slow rates). Here we observed significantly better scores in the slow rate condition. We discuss these findings in terms of the functional commitment of the left anterior cortical region implicated in Broca’s aphasia and conclude that this region is crucially involved in the formation of syntactically-governed dependency relations, not because it supports knowledge of syntactic dependencies, but rather because it supports the real-time implementation of these specific representations by sustaining, at the least, a lexical activation rise-time parameter.     

Psychological interventions for infertile patients: a review of existing research and A new comprehensive approach

The usefulness of psychological support for infertile patients has been highlighted in the literature over the past number of years. This article provides a review of existing research on psychological interventions for infertile patients, and presents the Fertility Group Intervention as an example of the application of existing research. There is clear empirical evidence of high levels of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and distress among infertile patients undergoing assisted reproductive treatment (ART). Infertile patients need and require increased psychological support. Various studies indicate the efficacy of psychological interventions for infertile patients with respect to their mental health and, in part, pregnancy rates. However, many such studies exhibit methodological problems. Therefore, in future research, additional studies of high‐quality design are needed to achieve more definitive answers on the efficacy and indication of psychological interventions for infertile patients. Currently, the Fertility Group Intervention represents a comprehensive therapeutic approach integrating established empirical and theoretical approaches with the aim of helping infertile patients – particularly those undergoing ART – cope with distress related to their infertility and medical treatment. This article further outlines the therapeutic background and structures, treatment goals, practical implications, and feasibility of the Fertility Group Intervention.     

Patterns of memory performance in children with controlled epilepsy on the CVLT-C.

Decreased memory skills have been reported in children with epilepsy. However, standardized instruments to evaluate learning and memory in children have been unavailable until recently. The present study was designed to assess memory patterns in children with epilepsy based on the California Verbal Learning Test-Children's Version (CVLT-C). The test was administered to 44 children with complex partial seizures and 21 children with generalized seizures between 8 and 13 years of age. Children in the study had been treated for epilepsy for at least 6 months, had well-controlled seizures on monotherapy, and had no evidence of anticonvulsant toxicity. Children with head injuries, learning disabilities, or hyperactivity were excluded. Test results did not reflect differences in memory performance based on seizure type. Scores for the entire sample indicated intact new learning, decreased intrusions and perseverative responses, and better short-term than long-term delayed recall. Recognition skills were stronger than long-term delayed recall skills and suggested that memory performance may be improved for these children when a multiple-choice format is available in academic settings.