Executive Functions in Preschool Children with Aggressive Behavior: Impairments in Inhibitory Control

The question whether executive function (EF) deficits in children are associated with conduct problems remains controversial. Although the origins of aggressive behavior are to be found in early childhood, findings from EF studies in preschool children with aggressive behavior are inconsistent. The current study aimed to investigate whether preschool children with aggressive behavior show impairments in EF. From a population-based sample, 82 preschool children who were showing aggressive behavior as indicated by scores at or above the 93rd percentile on the Aggressive Behavior Scale of the CBCL 1 1/2-5 were selected. These children with aggressive behavior were matched on IQ to a group of typically developing control children (N = 99). Six neuropsychological tasks were administered to assess set shifting, inhibition, working memory and verbal fluency. A factor analysis was conducted which yielded one clear factor: inhibition. Aggressive preschool children showed poorer performance on this inhibition factor than control children and boys performed worse on this factor than girls. This association between aggressive behavior and inhibition deficits was maintained after controlling for attention problems. In addition, gender differences in all EFs measured were found with boys exhibiting more impairment in EF than girls. These findings demonstrate that preschool children with aggressive behavior show impairments in inhibition, irrespective of attention problems.     

The experience of working with refugees: counsellors in primary care

The provision of counselling services for refugee and asylum-seeking patients is relatively new in the UK and their complex needs may present considerable challenges within primary care, where access to specialist support resources is often limited. As far as we know, no previous research has attempted to look at the experiences of the counsellors who do this work. We undertook in-depth interviews with 13 counsellors who provide counselling to refugees in primary care in north London. The findings of this study suggest that counsellors who work in a primary care setting find themselves conflicted, troubled and out of their depth by the experiences, narratives and distress presented by refugee and asylum-seeking patients. They also report an erosion of usual counselling boundaries. Thus, the problems presented by refugees seem to demand approaches which go beyond standard counselling practice and which create ambivalence and uncertainty. These counsellors express feelings of isolation and impotence. The paper concludes with implications for counselling practice and suggestions for further research.     

Subjectively divided tone components in the gap transfer illusion

When a long glide with a short temporal gap in its middle crosses with a continuous short glide at the temporal midpoint of both glides, the gap is perceived in the short glide instead of in the long glide. In the present article, we tested possible explanations for this "gap transfer illusion" by obtaining points of subjective equality of the pitches and durations of the two short tones that are subjectively divided by the gap. The results of two experiments showed that neither an explanation in terms ofenvelope patterns nor explanations in terms of combinationtones or acoustic beats could account for the perception of the short tones in the gap transfer illusion. Rather, the results were compatible with the idea that the illusory tones were formed by the perceptual integration of onsets and offsets of acoustically different sounds. Implications for the perceptual construction of auditory events are discussed.     

An assessment of response, direction and place learning by rats in a water T-maze

Behavioral data suggest that distinguishable orientations may be necessary for place learning even when distal cues define different start points in the room and a unique goal location. We examined whether changes in orientation are also important in place learning and navigation in a water T-maze. In Experiment 1, rats were trained to locate a hidden platform and given a no-platform probe trial after 16 and 64 trials with the maze moved to a new position. Direction and response strategies were more prevalent than a place strategy. In Experiment 2, acquisition of place, response and direction strategies was assessed in a water T-maze that was moved between two locations during training. Rats were impaired on the place task when the maze was translated (moved to the L or R) but were successful when the maze was rotated across trials. These data are consistent with findings from appetitive tasks.     

The combined effects of goal type and cognitive ability on performance

We tested the combined effects of goal type and cognitive ability on task performance using a moderately complex task. Business students (N = 105) worked on a 24 min class scheduling task. The results showed that participants with higher cognitive ability benefited more from the setting of a performance goal as opposed to a learning goal. The reverse pattern was true for participants with lower cognitive ability. Performance goals were more effective for participants with higher cognitive ability vis-à-vis those with lower cognitive ability. The correlation between goal commitment and performance was positive and significant as was the correlation between cognitive ability and performance.     

The role of representation in computation

Reformers urge that representation no longer earns its explanatory keep in cognitive science, and that it is time to discard this troublesome concept. In contrast, we hold that without representation cognitive science is utterly bereft of tools for explaining natural intelligence. In order to defend the latter position, we focus on the explanatory role of representation in computation. We examine how the methods of digital and analog computation are used to model a relatively simple target system, and show that representation plays an in-eliminable explanatory role in both cases. We conclude that, to the extent that biologic systems engage in computation, representation is destined to play an explanatory role in cognitive science.