Bridging the representational gap in the dynamic systems approach to development

We describe the relationship between the dynamic systems approach to development and a recent approach to the dynamics of representational states – the dynamic field approach. Both approaches share an emphasis on the concepts of stability (attractor states), instability (especially bifurcations), soft-assembly and flexibility. But the dynamic field approach adds the concept of ‘activation’ to capture the strength with which behaviorally relevant information is specified. By explicitly linking these dynamic systems approaches, we allow for more direct comparisons between dynamic systems theory and connectionism. We note three current differences between these two approaches to development: (1) the notion of stability is central to how representational states are conceptualized in the dynamic field approach; (2) the dynamic field approach is more directly concerned with the sensorimotor origins of cognition; and (3) the dynamic approach is less advanced with regard to learning. We conclude that proponents of the two approaches can learn from the respective strengths of each approach. We suspect these differences will largely disappear in the next 20 years.     

Symbiotic relations and social development

In order to take the influence of modern societies in the early parent-child relationship into account, the author recommends the conceptual distinction between primary and secondary symbiosis and points out its implications for psychoanalysis.     

Effects of written emotional expression: the role of positive expectancies.

OBJECTIVE: Writing in an emotional way about stressful or traumatic experiences has beneficial effects on emotional well-being and physical health. Yet the mechanisms that underlie these effects still need to be explored. Integrating research on the effects of positive expectancies, the authors suggest that positive effects of written emotional expression may, in part, depend on expectancies induced by writing about emotional experiences. DESIGN: Two studies were conducted to test this hypothesis. In both studies, participants wrote about either an upsetting event or trivial issues. After the writing period, participants rated their expectancies that the writing intervention would improve (or impair) their emotional well-being over time. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Study 1 assessed the emotional impact of an upsetting event, whereas Study 2 assessed subjective reports of physical symptoms. In both studies, outcome variables were collected both before and 6 weeks after the writing intervention. RESULTS: The results showed that (a) writing about upsetting experiences induced higher positive expectancies than writing about trivial issues and (b) expectancies associated with written emotional expression were related to a reduction in the emotional impact of an upsetting event (Study 1) and to a reduction in physical symptoms (Study 2). CONCLUSIONS: There may be 2 alternative ways to render written emotional expression effective in reducing negative emotions: (a) by rendering an emotional experience more meaningful and (b) by inducing positive affect regulation expectancies.     

Spatial interaction effects in letter processing

The hypothesis of independent processing channels was tested in a letter-recognition task. Letter space and retinal position were varied for both unilateral and bilateral presentations of two-letter configurations. The response latencies indicated contour interference effects for small letter spaces as well as a different type of processing delay which increased rapidly with increased letter distance from the fixation point. The latter effect was assumed to represent an interaction between the feature extraction processes of the adjacent letters. Since the processing capacity decreases as a function of the distance from the fovea, the reaction times were correspondingly lengthened.