Bridging the gap between physiology and behavior: evidence from the sSoTS model of human visual attention

We present the case for a role of biologically plausible neural network modeling in bridging the gap between physiology and behavior. We argue that spiking-level networks can allow "vertical" translation between physiological properties of neural systems and emergent "whole-system" performance-enabling psychological results to be simulated from implemented networks and also inferences to be made from simulations concerning processing at a neural level. These models also emphasize particular factors (e.g., the dynamics of performance in relation to real-time neuronal processing) that are not highlighted in other approaches and that can be tested empirically. We illustrate our argument from neural-level models that select stimuli by biased competition. We show that a model with biased competition dynamics can simulate data ranging from physiological studies of single-cell activity (Study 1) to whole-system behavior in human visual search (Study 2), while also capturing effects at an intermediate level, including performance breakdown after neural lesion (Study 3) and data from brain imaging (Study 4). We also show that, at each level of analysis, novel predictions can be derived from the biologically plausible parameters adopted, which we proceed to test (Study 5). We argue that, at least for studying the dynamics of visual attention, the approach productively links single-cell to psychological data.     

The relation between ethnic group attachment and prosocial tendencies: The mediating role of cultural values

Studies suggest that Mexican–American youths who feel attached to their ethnic group engage in more prosocial behaviors. However, the psychological mechanisms that account for this association are not clear. Drawing on social identity and self‐categorization theories, we examined whether the association between ethnic group attachment and tendencies to engage in six distinct types of prosocial behaviors was mediated by familism and Mainstream American values among Mexican American youths. Ethnic group attachment, familism, Mainstream American values, and prosocial tendencies were assessed among 207 Mexican–American early adolescents using an interview format. Latent variable path models showed that ethnic group attachment was associated with greater tendencies to engage in compliant, emotional, dire, and anonymous helping, and that each of these associations was at least partially mediated by greater familism values. Mainstream American values were related to greater tendencies to engage in public prosocial behavior and less altruistic behavior, but did not mediate the associations between ethnic group attachment and prosocial tendencies. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are addressed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Suicide, schizophrenia, and schizoid-type psychosis: role of life events and childhood factors

The first objective was to identify the provoking events of suicide in patients with schizophrenia or schizoid-type disorder, and to assess the humiliation component of these events. The second objective was to verify if quality of care during childhood is a vulnerability factor for suicide in patients with schizophrenia or schizoid-type psychosis. Thirty-three cases of suicide with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoid-type psychosis were compared with 34 living patients with a similar diagnosis. The psychological autopsy method was used. The assessments were made with the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Axis I mental disorders, the Life Events and Difficulties Schedule, and the Child Experiences and Child Abuse Interview. The suicide group (SG) experienced more often a recent severe event, usually of a humiliation nature, than the control group (CG). It also experienced more severe events associated with aggressive behavior or with psychiatric impairment. Contrary to expectations, the CG had worse scores than the SG for quality of care during childhood. In conclusion, suicide in schizophrenia is related both to environmental stress and to psychiatric impairment.     

New remarks on the cosmological argument

We present a formal analysis of the Cosmological Argument in its two main forms: that due to Aquinas, and the revised version of the Kalam Cosmological Argument more recently advocated by William Lane Craig. We formulate these two arguments in such a way that each conclusion follows in first-order logic from the corresponding assumptions. Our analysis shows that the conclusion which follows for Aquinas is considerably weaker than what his aims demand. With formalizations that are logically valid in hand, we reinterpret the natural language versions of the premises and conclusions in terms of concepts of causality consistent with (and used in) recent work in cosmology done by physicists. In brief: the Kalam argument commits the fallacy of equivocation in a way that seems beyond repair; two of the premises adopted by Aquinas seem dubious when the terms ??cause?? and ??causality?? are interpreted in the context of contemporary empirical science. Thus, while there are no problems with whether the conclusions follow logically from their assumptions, the Kalam argument is not viable, and the Aquinas argument does not imply a caused origination of the universe. The assumptions of the latter are at best less than obvious relative to recent work in the sciences. We conclude with mention of a new argument that makes some positive modifications to an alternative variation on Aquinas by Le Poidevin, which nonetheless seems rather weak.     

Participation of hippocampal cholinergic system in memory persistence for inhibitory avoidance in rats

Memory persistence needs a new event of consolidation 12h after the acquisition. We investigated the role of the cholinergic activity on the persistence of memory. For this purpose, we performed the treatments 9 or 12h after acquisition and the memory tested 2 or 7 days after inhibitory avoidance (IA) training. Here we report that activity of medial septum, by transitorily inactivating this structure with lidocaine 12h after IA training, is essential for memory persistence at the 7th day, but not for the formation at the 2nd day. We also report that muscarinic and nicotinic cholinergic receptors of CA1 area are engaged on memory persistence. Since scopolamine (mAChRs antagonist) and mecamylamine (nAChRs blocker) infusions, 12h post-training, demonstrated impairment on long term memory (LTM), persistence on the 7th day but no effect on LTM formation was found on the 2nd day in the IA test. The same effects were found with pirenzepine, an M1 antagonist. No effects on the formation and persistence of memory on the 2nd and 7th days were demonstrated after DHβE infusions (nAChRs subtype antagonist α4β2, α3β2). These findings suggest that mAChR and nAChR at the CA1 area, and also MS activation, are required for the persistence of memory.     

A high-level language program to obtain the bootstrap corrected ADF test statistic

A high-level language program to obtain the bootstrap-corrected asymptotic distribution-free (ADF) test statistic proposed by Yung and Bentler (1994) is reviewed. The program uses the Gauss-Newton algorithm, first to obtain the ADF test statistic from the raw data, and second, to achieve the corrected test statistic from 500 independent bootstrap samples. A generator of nonnormal random samples was also implemented, according to the algorithms of Fleishman (1978) and Vale and Maurelli (1983), which permits the realization of Monte Carlo simulations. Furthermore, the open nature of the program facilitates the inclusion of new procedures as well as the possibility of increased control of the procedures, variables, and equations.     

Relational‐Cultural Theory: A Framework for Bridging Relational,Multicultural, and Social Justice Competencies

Relational‐cultural theory (RCT) theorists advocate expanding the multicultural/social justice counseling competencies beyond the domains of self‐awareness, cultural knowledge, and culturally responsive helping skills. This article provides an overview of RCT and discusses how creating and participating in growth‐fostering relationships are essential dimensions of human development and psychological well‐being. Implications of this theoretical model for counseling practice are also addressed.     

Two approaches to the problems of self-attacking arguments and general odd-length cycles of attack

The problems that arise from the presence of self-attacking arguments and odd-length cycles of attack within argumentation frameworks are widely recognized in the literature on defeasible argumentation. This paper introduces two simple semantics to capture different intuitions about what kinds of arguments should become justified in such scenarios. These semantics are modeled upon two extensions of argumentation frameworks, which we call sustainable and tolerant. Each one is constructed on the common ground of the powerful concept of admissibility introduced by Dung in [P.M. Dung, On the acceptability of arguments and its fundamental role in non-monotonic reasoning, logic programming, and n-person games, Artificial Intelligence 77 (1995) 321–357]. The novelty of this approach consists in viewing the admissibility of a subset of arguments as relative to potentially challenging subsets of arguments. Both sustainable and tolerant semantics are more credulous than preferred semantics (i.e. they justify at least the same arguments, and possibly more). Given certain sufficient conditions they coincide among them as well as with other semantics introduced by Dung.