Distinct and common cortical activations for multimodal semantic categories

If semantic representations are based on particular types of perceptual features, then category knowledge that arises from multimodal sensory experiences should rely on distinct and common sensory brain regions depending on the features involved. Using a similarity-based generation-andcomparison task, we found that semantic categories activated cortical areas associated with taste and smell, biological motion, and visual processing. Fruit names specifically activated medial orbitofrontal regions associated with taste and smell. Labels for body parts and clothing activated lateral temporal occipitoparietal areas associated with perceiving the human body. More generally, visually biased categories activated ventral temporal regions typically ascribed to visual object recognition, whereas functional categories activated lateral frontotemporal areas previously associated with the representation of usage properties. These results indicate that semantic categories that are distinguished by particular perceptual properties rely on distinct cortical regions, whereas semantic categories that rely on similar types of features depend on common brain areas.     

Depression After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Review of Evidence for Clinical Heterogeneity

Depression represents a major source of disability among individuals who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI), with estimates of prevalence in this population ranging over 50%. In comparison with other sequelae of TBI, depression is often poorly conceptualized and treated among acute care and rehabilitation professionals. One reason for this is the lack of clear etiological models for the development of depression following TBI. This paper argues that post-TBI depression actually represents a heterogeneous category, with multiple etiologic pathways and clinical implications. The literature in this area is reviewed, with an emphasis on an appreciation of the diversity within this clinical population. Conclusions focus on suggestions for differential diagnosis and treatment options.     

Contents Volume 116 2003

Volume Contents

Contents Volume 116 2003     

Fanatic Hatred and Violence in Contemporary America

The paper is a social psychological and psychoanalytic examination of collective violence in the United States in which fanatic hatred and sheer destructiveness are the central operating principles. The primary character structure of who's involved in fanatic violence are shown here to be people who were raised in authoritarian-oriented backgrounds, who find themselves marginal, and unnecessary persons in postmodern American society.     

Navigating the nuances: a matrix of considerations for ethical-legal dilemmas

At one time or another, we all have encountered cases with serious ethical and legal implications. How can we know that we have thoroughly explored every facet of these dilemmas? The authors present a 7-category matrix of the following considerations: moral principles and personal values, clinical and cultural considerations, ethics codes, agency or employer policies, statues, rules and regulations, and case law. Two clinical examples illustrate the usefulness of this multidimensional framework for professional psychologists. Implications and applications for practitioners and ethics educators are also discussed.     

The effects of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards in a risk-taking situation

This study varied both the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards associated with performing a task in a risk taking situation. When the task performed to win a prize provided little if any intrinsic reward, subjects liked and tried for prizes that were easy to obtain. In contrast, when the task was intrinsically rewarding, subjects liked and tried for those prizes that were somewhat more difficult to obtain. In addition, subjects were more likely to like and try for prizes easier to obtain when the extrinsic reward was high.     

Sport participation among adolescent girls: Role conflict or multiple roles?

This study explored selected roles as criteria for social status among high school females with particular reference to participation in interscholastic athletics. Six hundred and twenty-seven female high school students completed the School Climate Questionnaire and, using a 5-point Likert scale, rated different role/activity choices. There were significant differences between participants and nonparticipants with respect to roles selected for future status; however, no significant relationship was found between groups and their identification of the criteria for peer approval. Overall, high school females exhibited multidimensional self-identities that differed in relation to their involvement in sports and the social groups used as their point of reference.