Relationship between manual preferences for object manipulation and pointing gestures in infants and toddlers

The aim of this study was to measure the pattern of hand preferences for pointing gestures as a function of object‐manipulation handedness in 123 infants and toddlers (10–40 months). The results showed that not only right‐handers but also left‐handers and ambidextrous participants tended to use their right hand for pointing. There was a significant correlation between manual preferences and pointing lateralization. Further analyses showed that the correlation between these two indexes was at its strongest during two key phases of language development (i.e. vocabulary spurt and syntax improvement) and weakened to become nonsignificant in the interim. These findings support the view that humans have a specialized area for communicative gestures and language in the left cerebral hemisphere that may be independent of the system controlling the purely motor functions of hand use.     

Prenatal testosterone treatment potentiates the aggression‐inhibiting effect of the neurosteroid dehydroepiandrosterone in female mice

The neurosteroid dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a powerful inhibitor of aggression in murine models when given for 15 days and potentially may be useful in the management of inappropriate human aggression. Although the biosynthesis and metabolism of DHEA have been described, little is known about the potential effect of the steroidal environment during sexual differentiation on the subsequent response to DHEA. Whether prenatal androgen exposure influences the subsequent response to DHEA was assessed by comparing the effect of DHEA (80 μg/d) on aggression in female offspring where dams were treated with 1, 10, or 100 μg of testosterone (T) on days 15 to 18 of gestation (Experiment I) or that developed in different uterine positions (Experiment II). The results showed that DHEA decreased attack behavior in general and that the 100‐μg prenatal T treatments enhanced the antiaggressive effect of this neurosteroid. Neither the lower doses of exogenously administered T nor the uterine position led to an enhanced response to DHEA. In addition, whether DHEA produced changes in social and nonsocial activities was examined. In the 100‐μg T females, DHEA increased the duration of the former and decreased the frequency and duration of the latter, indicating that it was not a general decrement in behavioral expression that mediated the enhanced response to the antiaggressive effect of DHEA. In the second experiment, DHEA treatment led to increased frequencies of social nonaggressive and nonsocial activities. However, the uterine positions × treatment interactions were not significant, demonstrating that contiguity to male fetuses did not differentially affect the response to DHEA. Aggr. Behav. 27:130–138, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Student learning as the basis for reinforcement to the instructor

The present study reinforced the two instructors of two students with profound mental retardation first for the instructors' training behaviors, then for improved student learning in a multiple baseline across responses design. Reinforcement of the instructors' training behaviors increased their training behaviors, replicating the findings of previous studies, but had no effect on student learning. When the reinforcement for the instructors was instead made contingent upon student learning, the student learning improved and the instructors' high level of training behaviors was maintained. In addition, the instructors began to request training for themselves. These findings suggest that staff motivation programs for instructors might usefully base the reinforcers not only on the instructor's performance, but on the progress of their students.     

Simulation study of a decision-making model of squash competition, phase one: The analysis of the protocol

This study aims at specifying some of the cognitive processes underlying decision-making in squash competition. More specifically, the study focuses on the strategy of the defending player (D) when chosing among three categories of preparation (total preparation for one particular event, partial preparation in favor of one event and absence of biased preparation). D is viewed as an information processing system (IPS) placed in a problem-solving situation, the problem being what decision to reach. The results obtained in a preceding investigation about the nature of the information processed by a player to anticipate and prepare for the opponent's shot in a real game setting, are used to determine a typical protocol of the behavior of D. The analysis of this protocol allows one to formally define (in Backus-Normal-Form) the problem space of D which is also D's internal representation of the task environment. From the problem space are derived (1) the problem behavior graph depicting the search of D through his problem space for a solution, and (2) the production system (a set of conditional statements, each expressing what to do under specific conditions) defining the logic of the search. The results of this first phase of the simulation study of a decision-making model of squash competition show that the cognitive strategy of D is based upon the use of a specific preformed algorithm. This algorithm could be stored in some long-term memory and activated by the current state of information in short-term memory. Finally, the proposed model also leads to the suggestion that the cognitive strategy of the performer may be influenced by a variety of factors such as the experience of the player, the time pressure, the expectancies, the performer's confidence in his predictions and the mistakes caused by incorrect predictions.     

Some effects of congenital spasticity on fundamental frequency

5 normal speakers and 5 speakers with congenital upper motor-neuron damage repeatedly spoke a three-work sentence stressing the first, second, or third words. Fundamental frequency was measured for each word and over each sentence. Analysis showed that the spastics' mean fundamental frequency was significantly higher than the normals', regardless of utterance. Also, spastics were more restricted in their prosodic maneuvering above this average fundamental frequency. Despite this finding, the spastics were capable of producing consistent stress patterns with normal variability.     

Perception of mind and dehumanization: Human,animal, or machine?

Dehumanization is reached through several approaches, including the attribute‐based model of mind perception and the metaphor‐based model of dehumanization. We performed two studies to find different (de)humanized images for three targets: Professional people, Evil people, and Lowest of the low. In Study 1, we examined dimensions of mind, expecting the last two categories to be dehumanized through denial of agency (Lowest of the low) or experience (Evil people), compared with humanized targets (Professional people). Study 2 aimed to distinguish these targets using metaphors. We predicted that Evil and Lowest of the low targets would suffer mechanistic and animalistic dehumanization, respectively; our predictions were confirmed, but the metaphor‐based model nuanced these results: animalistic and mechanistic dehumanization were shown as overlapping rather than independent. Evil persons were perceived as “killing machines” and “predators.” Finally, Lowest of the low were not animalized but considered human beings. We discuss possible interpretations.     

Working with Research Integrity—Guidance for Research Performing Organisations: The Bonn PRINTEGER Statement

This document presents the Bonn PRINTEGER Consensus Statement: Working with Research Integrity—Guidance for research performing organisations. The aim of the statement is to complement existing instruments by focusing specifically on institutional responsibilities for strengthening integrity. It takes into account the daily challenges and organisational contexts of most researchers. The statement intends to make research integrity challenges recognisable from the work-floor perspective, providing concrete advice on organisational measures to strengthen integrity. The statement, which was concluded February 7th 2018, provides guidance on the following key issues:

1. § 1.
   Providing information about research integrity
    
2. § 2.
   Providing education, training and mentoring
    
3. § 3.
   Strengthening a research integrity culture
    
4. § 4.
   Facilitating open dialogue
    
5. § 5.
   Wise incentive management
    
6. § 6.
   Implementing quality assurance procedures
    
7. § 7.
   Improving the work environment and work satisfaction
    
8. § 8.
   Increasing transparency of misconduct cases
    
9. § 9.
   Opening up research
    
10. § 10.
    Implementing safe and effective whistle-blowing channels
     
11. § 11.
    Protecting the alleged perpetrators
     
12. § 12.
    Establishing a research integrity committee and appointing an ombudsperson
     
13. § 13.
    Making explicit the applicable standards for research integrity