When you name the pizza you look at the coin and the bread: Eye movements reveal semantic activation during word production

Two eyetracking experiments tested for activation of category coordinate and perceptually related concepts when speakers prepare the name of an object. Speakers saw four visual objects in a 2 3 2 array and identified and named a target picture on the basis of either category (e.g., “What is the name of the musical instrument?”) or visual-form (e.g., “What is the name of the circular object?”) instructions. There were more fixations on visualform competitors and category coordinate competitors than on unrelated objects during name preparation, but the increased overt attention did not affect naming latencies. The data demonstrate that eye movements are a sensitive measure of the overlap between the conceptual (including visual-form) information that is accessed in preparation for word production and the conceptual knowledge associated with visual objects. Furthermore, these results suggest that semantic activation of competitor concepts does not necessarily affect lexical selection, contrary to the predictions of lexical-selection-by-competition accounts (e.g., Levelt, Roelofs, &; Meyer, 1999).     

Assessment and treatment of automatically reinforced self‐induced emesis

Frequent emesis can cause substantial deleterious effects to a child's health and environment. We conducted a functional analysis of a 3‐year‐old girl's self‐induced emesis and confirmed that emesis was maintained by automatic reinforcement. In a reversal design, we evaluated the efficacy of implementing response blocking at 100% and 50% treatment integrity levels on both attempts and successful production of emesis. One hundred percent blocking, but not 50% blocking, was successful in reducing attempts and emesis below baseline levels.     

Ist psychodynamische Kurztherapie eine wirksame Behandlungsform bei psychischen Störungen?

To test the efficacy of short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) in specific psychiatric disorders, a meta-analysis of more recent studies was performed. Its importance is grounded on the inconsistent results of previous meta-analyses regarding short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) and the controversial discussion regarding the efficacy of psychodynamic therapy in general. In a computer-based search, studies of STPP published between 1970 and 2004 were identified. Studies of interpersonal therapy were excluded and rigorous inclusion criteria were applied. Seventeen studies fulfilled these criteria. Effect sizes were calculated for target problems, general psychiatric symptoms, and social functioning. In order to examine the stability of outcome, effect sizes were assessed separately for end of therapy and for follow-up assessment. The effect sizes of STPP were compared to those of waiting list control patients, treatments as usual, and of other forms of psychotherapy. STPP yielded significant and large pre-post effect sizes, which were not only stable, but tended to increase at follow-up. The effect sizes of STPP significantly exceeded those of waiting list and treatments as usual, but no differences were found between STPP and other forms of psychotherapy. STPP proved to be an effective treatment in different psychiatric disorders. However, further research of STPP in specific psychiatric disorders is needed, including a study of the active ingredients of STPP. Effectiveness studies should be included.     

The relationship between unstandardized and standardized alpha, true reliability, and the underlying measurement model

Popular computer programs print 2 versions of Cronbach's alpha: unstandardized alpha, α(Σ), based on the covariance matrix, and standardized alpha, α(R), based on the correlation matrix. Sources that accurately describe the theoretical distinction between the 2 coefficients are lacking, which can lead to the misconception that the differences between α(R) and α(Σ) are unimportant and to the temptation to report the larger coefficient. We explore the relationship between α(R) and α(Σ) and the reliability of the standardized and unstandardized composite under 3 popular measurement models; we clarify the theoretical meaning of each coefficient and conclude that researchers should choose an appropriate reliability coefficient based on theoretical considerations. We also illustrate that α(R) and α(Σ) estimate the reliability of different composite scores, and in most cases cannot be substituted for one another.     

Noncomparabilism in epistemology

Contemporary epistemologists assume a view I call ‘comparabilism.’ They do not, however, argue for this view. I claim that noncomparabilism is a viable alternative. I further argue that noncomparabilism has advantages over comparabilism. An ancestor of this paper was included as a chapter in my dissertation, which was submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a degree at the University of Arizona in November of 2001. I am grateful for discussions of this material with audiences at the University of Arizona and Iowa State University; for comments from an anonymous referee; for comments, discussion, and encouragement from Tom Christiano, Heimir Geirsson, Scott Hendricks, Kristen Hessler, Keith Lehrer, Bill Robinson, Holly Smith, Peter Vranas and especially Alvin Goldman.

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Hippocampal Activations during Repetitive Learning and Recall of Geometric Patterns

Hippocampal activation is required for episodic memory. Encoding and retrieval of novel and memorable items have been related to different locations in the hippocampus; however, the data remain ambiguous. The application of a newly designed keyboard allowed investigation of brain activation during encoding and free immediate and delayed recall with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in young healthy controls (n=12). Because of the repetitive learning and recall conditions, an individual learning gradient was used to contrast neural activity at different individual levels of novelty. During learning, subjects were asked to memorize 10 geometric patterns requiring the establishment of intra-item associations for memorization. After learning, subjects were asked to recall the items actively via the keyboard. Learning and recall were alternated five times. Delayed recall was scanned about 15 min after the fifth immediate recall condition without subjects having seen the items again. Left-sided anterior hippocampal activity was observed during conditions of initial learning as well as maximum recall. Neural activity during delayed recall did not reveal hippocampal responses and was characterized by a transition of neural activity from occipitoparietal regions to bilateral temporal cortices. We conclude that both lateralization and segregation depend on the specific relational characteristics of the stimuli requiring establishment of intra-item associations for encoding as well as retrieval. The absence of hippocampal activation during delayed recall together with the increase of lateral temporal involvement possibly corresponds with an emerging transition from episodic to long-term memory.     

Developmental Potential in Venezuelan and American Artists: A Cross-Cultural Validity Study

By comparing the overexcitability scores of 27 Venezuelan and 23 American artists, support was found for the hypothesis that creative individuals show a high degree of animistic, intuitive, and emotional thinking. Overexcitability refers to heightened mental functioning in Dabrowski's (1964) theory of emotional development. Along with other special talents and abilities, it represents the developmental potential for intensified personality growth. Scores on 4 of the 5 dimensions of overexcitability were not significantly different for American and Venezuelan artists. This evidence of similar profiles for artists in 2 different societies demonstrates cross-cultural validity for the concept of developmental potential.     

Sexism Versus Partisanship: A New Look at the Question of Whether America is Ready for a Woman President

We question the validity of traditional polling about the likelihood of respondents to vote for a woman president and argue that the use of such polls may overestimate sexism and underestimate the role that party identification and individual characteristics play in deciding about whether to vote for a woman president. Our analysis of data collected in May–June 2004 show that many people who say they will not vote for a woman for president would do so if given realistic, specific, political scenarios via head-to-head match-ups with potential candidates. Although survey respondents preferred George W. Bush to Hillary Clinton, the margin between these candidates was close especially considering that Bush had been actively campaigning for months, whereas Clinton had not.     

Toddlers' language-mediated visual search: they need not have the words for it

Eye movements made by listeners during language-mediated visual search reveal a strong link between visual processing and conceptual processing. For example, upon hearing the word for a missing referent with a characteristic colour (e.g., "strawberry"), listeners tend to fixate a colour-matched distractor (e.g., a red plane) more than a colour-mismatched distractor (e.g., a yellow plane). We ask whether these shifts in visual attention are mediated by the retrieval of lexically stored colour labels. Do children who do not yet possess verbal labels for the colour attribute that spoken and viewed objects have in common exhibit language-mediated eye movements like those made by older children and adults? That is, do toddlers look at a red plane when hearing "strawberry"? We observed that 24-month-olds lacking colour term knowledge nonetheless recognized the perceptual-conceptual commonality between named and seen objects. This indicates that language-mediated visual search need not depend on stored labels for concepts.