Tracking the Time Course of Word‐Frequency Effects in Auditory Word Recognition With Event‐Related Potentials

Although the word‐frequency effect is one of the most established findings in spoken‐word recognition, the precise processing locus of this effect is still a topic of debate. In this study, we used event‐related potentials (ERPs) to track the time course of the word‐frequency effect. In addition, the neighborhood density effect, which is known to reflect mechanisms involved in word identification, was also examined. The ERP data showed a clear frequency effect as early as 350 ms from word onset on the P350, followed by a later effect at word offset on the late N400. A neighborhood density effect was also found at an early stage of spoken‐word processing on the PMN, and at word offset on the late N400. Overall, our ERP differences for word frequency suggest that frequency affects the core processes of word identification starting from the initial phase of lexical activation and including target word selection. They thus rule out any interpretation of the word frequency effect that is limited to a purely decisional locus after word identification has been completed.     

Lifestyle effects of group health education for patients with coronary heart disease

Abstract

In the present study, effects of a health education (INFO) and a PsychoEducational Prevention (INFO + PEP) Programme were Investigated in three hospitals. These programmes were offered to groups of coronary heart disease (CHD) patients and their partners alter discharge from hospital. The INFO was offered to 127 CHD patients in addition to FIT (i.e. standard medical care and physical training). The PEP was offered to 90 Patients in, addition to the INFO and FIT. A control group of 122 patients received only FIT. The INFO and the PEP consisted of four weekly two-hour group sessions each. In addition, the PEP was followed by seven telephone follow-up contacts.

On average, patients improved their lifestyles during the first three months. Between three and twelve months an extra improvement was found for eating habits, whereas there was a relapse for smoking and a sedentary lifestyle. In the short term, angina pectoris and a longer period of heart complaints were parallelled with a decrease in the risk of maintaining unhealthy eating habits, whereas in the long term a longer period of heart complaints a younger age and unemployment predicted a lower risk of maintaining unhealthy eating habits In the short term living with a partner and in the long term female gender were predictive of continued smoking behaviour In the short term, older age, a first CABG and a specific hospital setting decreased the risk of a continued sedentary lifestyle.

The FIT + INFO + PEP had a favourable short-term effect on eating habits. For smoking and a sedentary lifestyle, however, there were negative effects. In the short term patients in the FIT +INFO and those in the FIT +INFO+PEP had significantly more problems in quitting a sedentary lifestyle than those in the FIT intervention in the long term, patients in the FIT + INFO had significantly more problems in stopping smoking compared to these in the FIT.     

A Longitudinal Assessment of Executive Function Skills and Their Association with Math Performance

The present study was designed to examine both concurrent and predictive associations between scores on a measure of executive function (EF) skills, the Contingency Naming Test (CNT), during the early school-age years. A secondary aim of the study was to examine the association between EF skills and mathematics performance. We administered tests of mathematics ability, and the CNT, to 178 children at ages 6 to 7, 8 to 9, and 10 to 11 years. From the CNT we obtained measures of response fluency/efficiency, working memory, and inhibition. The results demonstrate main effects of age on all CNT measures of EF, as anticipated, and inconsistent main effects of gender or mathematics learning disability status. Rates of improvement in EF varied as a function of the working memory demands present during a given task. There were differences in concurrent and predictive correlations for different CNT performance measures. EF scores obtained during the first assessment were as strongly associated with each other as they were with EF scores obtained four years later, suggesting a moderately stable source of individual differences on cognitive performance. EF scores at age 6 to 7 years were associated with concurrent and later mathematics scores, and most of these correlations were stronger than the significant associations found between response fluency on a baseline task (with no working memory demand) and mathematics performance. These findings have implications for the stability of EF skills during the school-age years, and the role of EF in early and later elementary school mathematics performance.     

Compositions of different phases appearing during devitrification of Zr46.75Ti8.25Cu7.5Ni10Be27.5 bulk metallic glass

The devitrification process of Zr_46.75Ti_8.25Cu_7.5Ni₁₀Be_27.5 metallic glass during annealing in the supercooled liquid region has been studied by conventional, high-resolution and analytical transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Two kinds of particle appear during devitrification: quasicrystals and crystalline precipitates. Nanoanalysis with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy reveal that quasicrystals are Be free, while the crystallites have the ZrBe₂ hexagonal structure. These experiments confirm the key role of Be during devitrification. They also indicate that quasicrystals can form in the system Zr–Ti–Cu–Ni (without Be), as further evidenced by direct synthesis and an in situ neutron diffraction investigation, according to the chemical composition deduced from the TEM analysis.     

Children's use of addition to solve two‐digit subtraction problems

Subtraction problems of the type M ? S = ? can be solved with various mental calculation strategies. We investigated fourth‐ to sixth‐graders' use of the subtraction by addition strategy, first by fitting regression models to the reaction times of 32 two‐digit subtractions. These models represented three different strategy use patterns: the use of direct subtraction, subtraction by addition, and switching between the two strategies based on the magnitude of the subtrahend. Additionally, we compared performance on problems presented in two presentation formats, i.e., a subtraction format (81 ? 37 = .) and an addition format (37 + . = 81). Both methods converged to the conclusion that children of all three grades switched between direct subtraction and subtraction by addition based on the combination of two features of the subtrahend: If the subtrahend was smaller than the difference, direct subtraction was the dominant strategy; if the subtrahend was larger than the difference, subtraction by addition was mainly used. However, this performance pattern was only observed when the numerical distance between subtrahend and difference was large. These findings indicate that theoretical models of children's strategy choices in subtraction should include the nature of the subtrahend as an important factor in strategy selection.     

Goal disturbance,coping, and psychological distress in partners of myocardial infarction patients: Taking account of the dyad

Abstract

This study aims to explore the relationship between goal disturbance and levels of psychological distress in partners of myocardial infarction (MI) patients. Furthermore, the role of partner and patient coping behaviour in the context of goal disturbance is explored. Forty dyads were interviewed and completed questionnaires 1 month (T1) and 4 months (T2) post MI. All patients were men. Patients and partners do not differ on anxiety or depression scores, however, patients experience significantly more higher order goal disturbance at T1. Partners reporting more goal disturbance also show increased distress at T1. More use of approach coping by partners contributes to explained variance in their goal disturbance. Partner avoidant coping is moderated by patient avoidant coping. Approaches to reduce distress in partners should thus take account of goal disturbance and coping behaviours within the dyad.     

Evaluation of ICT Applications in the New Lleida Museum,Spain

ABSTRACT

This article analyzes the use of different multimedia displays (3D recreations, interactives, audiovisuals) in the Museum of Lleida (in northeast Spain) which opened its new venue in November 2007. This art and archaeological museum has actively used information and computer technology (ICT) applications in its permanent collection in order to improve communication with its public. However, after a couple of years it was realized that some applications were not properly used by visitors and most of them did not fulfill all the expectations. For this reason, the group Òliba from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya conducted an evaluation in 2008 aiming to find the reasons for such behavior. A new methodological framework for evaluating ICT applications is proposed and its application at the Museum of Lleida is discussed. The framework focuses not only on visitor behavior, but also on technological aspects (i.e., usability, comfort, accessibility) and communication practices.     

Role of expertise and action in motion extrapolation from real road scenes

The tendency of participants to “remember” the stopping point of an event as being farther along in the direction of motion has been a topic of study for about 30 years. The purpose of the present experiment was to test the influence of two factors on motion extrapolation: (1) The involvement of participants in the action, and (2) their expertise in the domain of automobile driving. Participants viewed real driving scenes from the driver's point of view. They were divided into four groups depending upon their involvement in the action (more or less active) and their driving experience (inexperienced or experienced). In order to get half of the participants involved in the driving situation, they had to use a steering wheel to follow the contour of the road. The results showed that both of these factors increased motion extrapolation. The discussion deals with how the interrelationships between real road scenes, expertise, and action-related knowledge affect motion extrapolation.     

Implicit and explicit object recognition at very large visual eccentricities: No improvement after loss of central vision

Little is known about the ability of human observers to process objects in the far periphery of their visual field and nothing about its evolution in case of central vision loss. We investigated implicit and explicit recognition at two large visual eccentricities. Pictures of objects were centred at 30° or 50° eccentricity. Implicit recognition was tested through a priming paradigm. Participants (normally sighted observers and people with 10–20 years of central vision loss) categorized pictures as animal/transport both in a study phase (Block 1) and in a test phase (Block 2). In explicit recognition participants decided for each picture presented in Block 2 whether it had been displayed in Block 1 (“yes”/“no”). Both visual (identical) and conceptual/lexical (same-name) priming occurred at 30° and at 50°. Explicit recognition was observed only at 30°. In people with central vision loss testing was only performed at 50° eccentricity. The pattern of results was similar to that of normally sighted observers but global performance was lower. The results suggest that vision, at large eccentricity, is mainly based on nonconscious coarse representations. Moreover, after 10–20 years of central vision loss, no evidence was found for an increased ability to use peripheral information in object recognition.     

The grim reasoner: Analytical reasoning under mortality salience

The human species enjoys uniquely developed capacities for analytical reasoning and rational decision making, but these capacities come with a price: They make us aware of our inevitable physical death. Drawing on terror management theory and dual-process theories of cognition, we investigate the impact of mortality awareness on analytical reasoning. Two experiments show that experimentally induced thoughts of death impair analytical reasoning performance, just as cognitive load would. When made aware of their own mortality, reasoners allocate their executive resources to the suppression of this disturbing thought, therefore impairing their performance on syllogisms that require analytic thought. This finding has consequences for all aspects of rational thinking that draw on executive resources, and calls for an integrated approach to existential psychology and the psychology of rational thought.