Morphological errors in acquired dyslexia: A case of mistaken identity

Morphological errors in oral reading have been used to support theories of lexical access in which root morphemes and affixes are independently represented in the orthographic lexicon. No support for such theories was found in this study, which examined the morphological errors made by two patients with different patterns of acquired dyslexia. Instead, it was shown that the probability of making a morphological error depended upon the absolute levels of imageability and word frequency of the affixed word and the relative levels of its root morpheme. These properties also affected the oral reading of words without affixes. It was concluded that so-called “morphological” errors reflect the properties of the reading system which influence lexical orthographic access for both affixed and unaffixed words and further reflect the functional level of the lexical pathways available to the patient.     

FREUD ON SEXUAL TRAUMA: AN HISTORICAL REVIEW OF SEDUCTION AND BETRAYAL

An historical review of the development and rejection of Freud's seduction theory is presented. Questions are raised regarding the relationship of self-analysis to Freud's repudiation.     

Reducing Suicide Potential Among High-Risk Youth: Tests of a School-Based Prevention Program

This study tested the efficacy of a school-based prevention program for reducing suicide potential among high-risk youth. A sample of 105 youth at suicide risk participated in a three-group, repeated-measures, intervention study. Participants in (1) an assessment plus 1-semester experimental program, (2) an assessment plus 2-semester experimental program, and (3) an assessment-only group were compared, using data from preintervention, 5-month, and 10-month follow-up assessments. All groups showed decreased suicide risk behaviors, depression, hopelessness, stress, and anger; all groups also reported increased self-esteem and network social support. Increased personal control was observed only in the experimental groups, and not in the assessment-only control group. The potential efficacy of the experimental school-based prevention program was demonstrated. The necessary and sufficient strategies for suicide prevention, however, need further study as the assessment-only group, who received limited prevention elements, showed improvements similar to those of the experimental groups.