Prävention seelischer Störungen bei Kindern

During the last years psychosocial prevention became more and more established. The need for a focus on “early intervention” is a consequence of scientific research on the effects of psychosocial stress in infant development. Mental and neural development in the infant years is very modifiable, thus primary prevention has to centre on advancements in the immediate conditions of maturation. This is exceedingly important for children in families at risk. This article gives an overview of actual preventive measures, especially of those in the German-speaking countries.     

On the relation between similarity and ratio estimates

Summary Data obtained in four sets of experiments involving pitch, heaviness, greyness, and circular area were re-analyzed. It was found (1) that similarity estimates S _ijare a power function of stimulus ratios S _ijwith the exponent n _s,(2) that ratio estimates q _ijare also a power function of stimulus ratios S _ijwith the exponent n _q(i.e., Stevens' power law), (3) that the exponent n of similarity estimates as power function of ratio estimates is equal to the ratio n _s/n _q,and (4) that, inversely, the exponent m of ratio estimates as power function of similarities is equal to the ratio n _q/n _s.The investigation was supported by a grant from the Swedish Council for Social Science Research.     

German inflection: single route or dual route?

The German plural system has recently become a focal point for conflicting theories of language, both linguistic and cognitive. Marcus et al. (1995) highlight the German plural as support for the dual-route account of inflectional morphology first proposed by Pinker and colleagues (Pinker & Prince, 1988). On the dual-route account, inflectional morphology is universally subserved by a symbolic rule route which deals with regular inflection and an associative memory component which deals with irregular inflection. This contrasts with single-route connectionist systems. We seek to counter supposed evidence for the dual-route account through large-scale simulations as well as through experimental data. We argue that, in its current form, the dual-route account is incapable of generating experimental data provided by Marcus et al. (1995) as support. Finally, we provide direct quantitative comparisons between single-route and dual-route models of German plural inflection and find single-route performance superior on these tests.     

Characteristically Lutheran Leanings?

Is there a distinct Lutheran epistemology? I contend that there is. This epistemology, coming from the writings of (and subsequent reflections upon the writings of) Martin Luther, is uniquely poised–due to its emphasis on history, its affirmation of "the ordinary" and embodied life, its ability to have genuine dialogue with "secular" disciplines, and its built–in humility–for addressing the interdisciplinary political, social justice, environmental, and other issues that face us today. Likewise, one is able to embrace this epistemology whether he or she is a geneticist, a priest, a teacher, or a doctor; in fact it is this epistemology that can enable us to discern vocational goals.     

Drinking behavior in the chronic phase of alcoholism

40 patients in the chronic phase of alcohol addition were questioned in order to identify drinking stereotypes with regard to consumption in the course of the day and year. Alcohol intake reaches a maximum between 8 and 9 PM. No clear differences were found in this respect between days of abstinence for social reasons and days without such social pressures. In the course of the year, alcohol consumption reaches a maximum in autumn and a minimum in spring. The uniform, repetitive drinking rituals are suspected to have become habitual in the course of several years until they are finally unaffected by environment. This leads to a convergence of addiction forms, but the duration of the daily abstinence period still permits differentiation between gamma and delta addicts even when addiction has reached an advanced stage.     

A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SIMULTANEOUS-SUCCESSIVE SYNTHESIS AND CONCRETE OPERATIONAL THOUGHT

In two studies, performance in concrete operational tasks was related to individual differences in simultaneous-successive processing. Although the studies were carried out in culturally different populations (in Canada and in India), it was observed that children who prefer simultaneous to successive processing did better in the Piagetian tasks of conservation, transitive inference, and class inclusion. But performance in class inclusion appeared to be helped by both processes in the study in India. On the whole, rational as well as empirical reasons were found to claim that simultaneous processing is utilized in the successful solution of concrete operational tasks.     

Effects of reward magnitude and training frequency on the learning rates and memory retention of the Port Jackson shark Heterodontus portusjacksoni

Animal Cognition - The development of adaptive responses to novel situations via learning has been demonstrated in a wide variety of animal taxa. However, knowledge on the learning abilities of one...     

Depression and Cognitive Control across the Lifespan: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Neuropsychology Review - Depression has been shown to negatively impact neurocognitive functions, particularly those governed by fronto-subcortical networks, such as executive functions. Converging...