Three experiences affecting spatial discrimination learning by ambulatory children

Children 1 and 3 years of age were given a two-choice spatial discrimination task. They were placed in front of a barrier and encouraged to walk around it; one route around the barrier was blocked. Three experiments studied the effects of different types of experience with this spatial problem. The first examined trial and error experience, in which the child was allowed to walk the route he or she had chosen. Although most children readily learned to choose the open route, the pattern of choices indicated that 3-year-olds were more likely to achieve a learning criterion after an error than 1-year-olds. A second experiment looked at the effects of showing the children the layout of the problem prior to trial and error experience. The 3-year-olds were again more likely than the 1-year-olds to achieve criterion after an error; furthermore, they were likely to know the correct route on the first trial. The third experiment let the children watch their parents take the correct route. This procedure eliminated age differences in performance. The initial choices of the 1-year-olds indicated that they were likely to know the correct route, and if they did not, they were just as likely to learn from their mistakes as the 3-year-olds. The data were interpreted within a mathematical model of learning. Based upon these analyses, we propose two developmental trends. One involves a growth in sensitivity to the consequences of a choice of route. The other is a progression from social learning to more independent and ideational methods of spatial problem solving.     

Neonatal functioning and the sudden infant death syndrome

A male infant, diagnosed as a Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) at 5 months, 3 weeks, had been extensively tested as a part of a larger sample in a longitudinal study. The longitudinal sample was comprised of 137 clinically normal neonates, born to intact upper middle-class families, living in a large metropolitan area. A neonatal assessment consisted of 5 hours of polygraphic recordings of heart and respiratory rate during sleep and waking cycles, and 1 hour of behavioral testing. At 3 months of age the infant was observed for 12 hours in the home. Retrospective analyses of these data suggested that: (a) neonatal respiratory behavior during sleep did not distinguish this infant from a sample of control infants; (b) the infant lacked strength in movements requiring the involvement of shoulder and neck muscles (head lift from a prone position); and (c) informal observations by skilled and experienced observers distinguished this infant from the sample of controls.     

Family therapy and psychosomatic illness

The author suggests that clinical experience has developed to the point where the question can be asked, “Is a specific psychosomatic illness responsive to a specific type of family therapy?” Examples such as structural family therapy in childhood diabetes, asthma, pain, and anorexia nervosa; cognitive family therapy in adult chronic pain; and marital group behaviour modification in adult obesity, chronic pain, and myocardial infarction, are critically reviewed. The evidence suggests, but does not yet prove, that specific types of marital and family therapy may be effective in a few specific psychosomatic problems, a useful adjunctive therapy in some psychosomatic problems, and that family assessment is helpful in the management of all psychosomatic problems.     

An intelligent PET interface for environmental control and data acquisition and analysis

An interface, controlled by a Z-80 central processor, that plugs into the PET microcomputer’s IEEE-488 port is described. This interface is capable of controlling 48 separate 28-V dc output signals, six of which are high current. Sixteen inputs (switch closures) can be accepted by the interface. Data tagged with real-time information are output automatically to cassette tape in PET format. This PET interface system is designed to accommodate a single experimental station.     

Berlyne's theoretical contributions to psychology

The evolutions of Berlyne's theoretical contributions are traced by contrasting his particular developments with seven characteristics of Hullian theory. Berlyne is seen to have dismantled each element and replaced it with a vastly different theoretical position and structure. Berlyne developed a truly general theory, which was then differentiated with special concepts in specific areas as diverse as thinking and aesthetics.Much of the content of this article first appeared in Walker (1961).     

Uncoupled leftward asymmetries for planum morphology and functional language processing

Explanations for left hemisphere language laterality have often focused on hemispheric structural asymmetry of the planum temporale. We examined the association between an index of language laterality and brain morphology in 99 normal adults whose degree of laterality was established using a functional MRI single-word comprehension task. The index of language laterality was derived from the difference in volume of activation between the left and right hemispheres. Planum temporale and brain volume measures were made using structural MRI scans, blind to the functional data. Although both planum temporale asymmetry (t(1,99) = 6.86, p < .001) and language laterality (t(1,99) = 15.26, p < .001) were significantly left hemisphere biased, there was not a significant association between these variables (r(99) = .01,ns). Brain volume, a control variable for the planum temporale analyses, was related to language laterality in a multiple regression (beta = -.30, t = -2.25, p < .05). Individuals with small brains were more likely to demonstrate strong left hemisphere language laterality. These results suggest that language laterality is a multidimensional construct with complex neurological origins.     

Lean consumption and its influence on brand

• The continuing growth of the knowledge‐based economy is driving the quest for better understanding of the intangible drivers of wealth creation. American and European models for linking customer satisfaction to corporate and national performance have been established and will continue to be tested and developed. One of the challenges of modelling consumer behaviour is the effect of changing lifestyles. This paper describes a study of UK shoppers which explores the influence of lean consumption, the degree to which the shopping and post‐purchase experience is hassle free and timely, on the warmth of consumers' feelings towards the brand. The study operationalises the construct of lean consumption and finds that it is indeed a significant driver of brand warmth. This leads to clear implications for manufacturers and retailers and the ways in which they innovate and develop their products and services.

Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.