Object processing in visual perception and action in children and adults

We investigated whether 6- and 7-year-olds and 9- and 10-year-olds, as well as adults, process object dimensions independent of or in interaction with one another in a perception and action task by adapting Ganel and Goodale's method for testing adults (Nature, 2003, Vol. 426, pp. 664-667). In addition, we aimed to confirm Ganel and Goodale's results in adults to reliably compare their processing strategies with those of children. Specifically, we tested the abilities of children and adults to perceptually classify (perception task) or grasp (action task) the width of a rectangular object while ignoring its length. We found that adults process object dimensions in interaction with one another in visual perception but independent of each other in action, thereby replicating Ganel and Goodale's results. Children processed object dimensions interactively in visual perception, and there was also some evidence for interactive processing in action. Possible reasons for these differences in object processing between children and adults are discussed.     

Moral Responsibility for Self-Deluding Beings

Philosophia - In this article, I argue for four theses. First, libertarian and compatibilist accounts of moral responsibility agree that the capability of practical reason is the central feature of...     

Size and Structure of the Holistic Milieu: A Comparison of Local Mapping Studies in Austria and Sweden

This article presents the results of two local mapping studies in Sweden and Austria that follow the methodological procedure of the British Kendal project. All practitioners offering courses, therapies or counseling in the areas of holistic spirituality and complementary health methods (such as yoga, Reiki, kinesiology, astrology, and shamanism) were mapped. A sub-sample of the mapped practitioners were contacted in person and asked about their professional situation and the number of their clients. On the basis of these data, the proportion of persons participating in the holistic milieu was estimated. The article discusses the similarities and differences between the two regions in regard to the supply of specific types of holistic activities, the professional situation of the practitioners, and the proportion of the population involved in holistic activities. The level of engagement in holistic activities in the Swedish, Austrian, and British mapping areas is also compared with the level of church attendance in the three countries.     

Evidence of Common Timing Processes in the Control of Manual,Orofacial, and Speech Movements

Recent investigations of timing in motor control have been interpreted as support for the concept of brain modularity. According to this concept, the brain is organized into functional modules that contain mechanisms responsible for general processes. Keele and colleagues (Keele & Hawkins, 1982; Keele & Ivry, 1987; Keele, Ivry, & Pokorny, 1987; Keele, Pokorny, Corcos, & Ivry, 1985) demonstrated that the within-subject variability in cycle duration of repetitive movements is correlated across finger, forearm, and foot movements, providing evidence in support of a general timing module. The present study examines the notion of timing modularity of speech and nonspeech movements of the oral motor system as well as the manual motor system. Subjects produced repetitive movements with the finger, forearm, and jaw. In addition, a fourth task involved the repetition of a syllable. All tasks were to be produced with a 400-ms cycle duration; target duration was established with a pacing tone, which then was removed. For each task, the within-subject variability of the cycle duration was computed for the unpaced movements over 20 trials. Significant correlations were found between each pair of effectors and tasks. The present results provide evidence that common timing processes are involved not only in movements of the limbs, but also in speech and nonspeech movements of oral structures.