A critical examination of the spectral contrast account of compensation for coarticulation

Vocal tract gestures for adjacent phones overlap temporally, rendering the acoustic speech signal highly context dependent. For example, following a segment with an anterior place of articulation, a posterior segment’s place of articulation is pulled frontward, and listeners’ category boundaries shift appropriately. Some theories assume that listeners perceptually attune or compensate for coarticulatory context. An alternative is that shifts result from spectral contrast. Indeed, shifts occur when speech precursors are replaced by pure tones, frequency matched to the formant offset at the assumed locus of contrast (Lotto & Kluender, 1998). However, tone analogues differ from natural formants in several ways, raising the possibility that conditions for contrast may not exist in natural speech. When we matched tones to natural formant intensities and trajectories, boundary shifts diminished. When we presented only the critical spectral region of natural speech tokens, no compensation was observed. These results suggest that conditions for spectral contrast do not exist in typical speech.     

Context and the motion aftereffect: occlusion cues in the test pattern alter perceived direction

A horizontally moving vertical grating viewed through a diamond-shaped aperture can be made to appear to move either upwards or downwards by introduction of appropriate depth-ordering cues at the boundaries of the aperture (Duncan et al. 2000 Journal of Neuroscience 20 5885-5897). The grating is perceived to move towards (and sliding under) occluding 'near' surfaces, and parallel to 'far' surfaces. Here we show that these depth-ordering cues affect the perceptual interpretation of the motion aftereffect (MAE) as well. After adaptation to unambiguous horizontal motion, the MAE direction deviates from horizontal towards near surfaces. However, the influence of depth-ordering cues on the illusory motion of the MAE is generally less than that seen for 'real' motion. Implications for theories of depth-motion and depth-MAE interactions are discussed.     

Inter- and intra-individual variation in immediate free recall: an examination of serial position functions and recall initiation strategies

Serial position functions in immediate free recall have been historically noted for their bowed shape, where items presented at the beginning (primacy) and end (recency) of a list are better remembered than those presented in the middle. While extensive work has examined these effects, researchers typically ignore the systematic differences among individuals that likely contribute, but are lost when using an aggregate function. In the current study, inter- and intra-individual differences in serial position functions and differences in recall strategies were examined. Participants performed a free recall task on multiple lists. Three groups of participants were derived based on the relative profiles in their serial position functions. These groups differed in the extent that they output mainly primacy items, recency items, or both primacy and recency items. Performance on immediate free recall and on cognitive ability tasks was compared between these three groups. Systematic inter- and intra-individual variation in recall strategies led to differential profiles of performance in immediate free recall, which was also related to the additional cognitive ability measures. Performance on a task can be due to the utilisation of a variety of control processes that emphasise various components of that task over other components.     

Functional interaction of mGlu5 and NMDA receptors in aversive learning in rats

Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlu5) has been implicated in a variety of learning processes and is important for inhibitory avoidance and conditioned taste aversion learning. MGlu5 receptors are physically connected with NMDA receptors and they interact with, and modulate, the function of one another in several brain regions. The present studies used systemic co-administration of an mGlu5 receptor positive allosteric modulator, 3-cyano-N-(1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)benzamide (CDPPB) and an NMDA receptor antagonist dizocilpine maleate (MK-801) to characterize the interactions of these receptors in two aversive learning tasks. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were trained in a single-trial step-down inhibitory avoidance or conditioned taste aversion task. CDPPB (3 or 10mg/kg, s.c.), delivered by itself prior to the conditioning trial, did not have any effect on performance in either task 48 h after training. However, CDPPB (at 3mg/kg) attenuated the MK-801 (0.2mg/kg, i.p.) induced learning deficit in both tasks. CDPPB also reduced MK-801-induced hyperactivity. These results underlie the importance of mGlu5 and NMDA receptor interactions in modulating memory processing, and are consistent with findings showing the efficacy of positive allosteric modulators of mGlu5 receptors in reversing the negative effects of NMDA receptor antagonists on other behaviors such as stereotypy, sensorimotor gating, or working, spatial and recognition memory.     

Imitation in shadowing words

Imitation of shadowed words was evaluated using Goldinger's (1998) AXB paradigm. The first experiment was a replication of Goldinger's experiments with different tokens. Experiment 1's AXB tests showed that shadowed words were judged to be better imitations of target words than were baseline (read) counterparts more often than chance (.50). Order of presentation of baseline and shadowed words in the AXB test also significantly influenced judgments. Degree of prior exposure to token words did not significantly influence judgments of imitation. Experiment 2 employed modified target tokens with extended voice onset times (VOTs). In addition to AXB tests, VOTs of response tokens were compared across baseline and shadowing conditions. The AXB tests revealed shadowed words to be better imitations of target tokens than baseline, without an influence of AXB presentation order. Differences between baseline and shadowing VOTs were greater when VOTs were extended. The implications of spontaneous imitation in nonsocial settings are considered.     

Divided attention interferes with fulfilling activity-based intentions

Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of divided attention on activity-based prospective memory. After establishing a goal to fulfill an intention upon completion of an ongoing activity, successful completion of the intention generally suffered when attention was being devoted to an additional task (Experiment 1). Forming an implementation intention at encoding ameliorated the negative effects of divided attention (Experiment 2). The results from the present experiments demonstrate that activity-based prospective memory is susceptible to distraction and that implementing encoding strategies that enhance prospective memory performance can reduce this interference. The current work raises interesting questions about the similarities and differences between event- and activity-based prospective memories.     

The role of group therapy in incest counseling

The use of group therapy is an essential component in the treatment program for victims of incest, their families, and offenders at the Center Against Sexual Assault in Phoenix, Arizona. Four types of groups are conducted on a continuous basis: (a) adults who were victims as children, (b) families of victims, (c) offenders, and (d) child victims. Group therapy is the predominant treatment modality for the 400 incestuous families seen at CASA. Details of each of the four groups are given in this article.     

Gender Differences in Narcissism and Courtship Violence in Dating Couples

The current study explored the relationship between courtship violence and the exploitativeness/entitlement factor of overt narcissism, covert narcissism, and sexual narcissism. Data were analyzed from 63 currently dating couples on their own and partner’s aggression using the CTS2. All were white, heterosexual students from a small US college in Central Pennsylvania. An interdependence analysis showed that correlations were entirely explained at the individual-level, thus demonstrating that gender is a key element in understanding narcissism and courtship violence. For women, exploitativeness/ entitlement was significantly correlated with sexual coercion in both dating partners. For men, covert narcissism was correlated with physical assault and sexual narcissism was correlated with their partner’s sexual coercion. Narcissism also influenced some discrepancies in self- and partner-rated aggression.     

Acting on persecutory delusions: the importance of safety seeking

OBJECTIVE: Acting on delusions is a significant clinical issue. The concept of safety behaviours--actions carried out with the intention of reducing perceived threat--provides a new way of understanding acting on delusions. A study was conducted with the aim of examining the prevalence and correlates of safety behaviours related to persecutory delusions. METHOD: One hundred patients with persecutory delusions were assessed for safety behaviours, acting on delusions, anxiety, depression, and psychotic symptoms. Case note data were collected on instances of serious violence or suicide attempts. RESULTS: Ninety-six patients had used safety behaviours in the last month. Greater use of safety behaviours was associated with higher levels of distress. A history of violence or suicide attempts was associated with greater use of safety behaviours. Safety behaviours were significantly associated with acting on delusions, but not with the negative symptoms of psychosis. CONCLUSION: Safety behaviours are a common form of acting on persecutory delusions. These behaviours have the consequence that they are likely to prevent the processing of disconfirmatory evidence and will therefore contribute to delusion persistence.     

Promoting patient autonomy: Looking back

Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics - The pinnacle of the physician's clinical skills is his ability to develop the autonomy of his patients in the management of their health affairs. To do this...