Division of labor between the hemispheres for complex but not simple tasks: an implemented connectionist model

When stimuli have to be matched in a complex task (such as whether 2 letters have the same name), then performance is better when stimuli are presented across the hemispheres of the brain, whereas for simpler tasks (such as whether 2 letters have the same shape), better performance is achieved when stimuli are presented unilaterally. The authors show that this bilateral distribution advantage effect emerged spontaneously in a neural network model learning to solve simple and complex tasks with separate input layers and separate, but interconnected, resources in a hidden layer. The authors show that relating computational models to behavioral and imaging data proves fruitful for understanding hemispheric processing and generating testable hypotheses.     

Hemispheric asymmetries in cognitive modeling: connectionist modeling of unilateral visual neglect

Neglect is an acquired cognitive disorder characterized by a lack of processing of one side of a stimulus or representational space. There are hemispheric asymmetries in its cause and in its effects, but implemented computational models of neglect have tended not to incorporate this fact. The authors report a series of neural network simulations of the line-bisection task. They test the hypothesis that simple, neuroanatomically realistic principles of connectivity in the nervous system can produce emergent behaviors that capture a wide range of quantitative and qualitative data observed in neglect patients presenting with general visuospatial neglect. They demonstrate that exploring low-level architectural principles in implemented computational models is both a productive avenue of research and offers the most parsimonious explanations of behaviors observed in patients.     

Against dispositionalism: belief in cognitive science

Dispositionalism about belief has had a recent resurgence. In this paper we critically evaluate a popular dispositionalist program pursued by Eric Schwitzgebel. Then we present an alternative: a psychofunctional, representational theory of belief. This theory of belief has two main pillars: that beliefs are relations to structured mental representations, and that the relations are determined by the generalizations under which beliefs are acquired, stored, and changed. We end by describing some of the generalizations regarding belief acquisition, storage, and change.     

The phonological-distributional coherence hypothesis: cross-linguistic evidence in language acquisition

Several phonological and prosodic properties of words have been shown to relate to differences between grammatical categories. Distributional information about grammatical categories is also a rich source in the child's language environment. In this paper we hypothesise that such cues operate in tandem for developing the child's knowledge about grammatical categories. We term this the Phonological-Distributional Coherence Hypothesis (PDCH). We tested the PDCH by analysing phonological and distributional information in distinguishing open from closed class words and nouns from verbs in four languages: English, Dutch, French, and Japanese. We found an interaction between phonological and distributional cues for all four languages indicating that when distributional cues were less reliable, phonological cues were stronger. This provides converging evidence that language is structured such that language learning benefits from the integration of information about category from contextual and sound-based sources, and that the child's language environment is less impoverished than we might suspect.     

Personal Therapy and Self-Care in the Making of Psychologists

Abstract

Psychologists are skilled in assessing, researching, and treating patients’ distress, but frequently experience difficulty in applying these talents to themselves. The authors offer 13 research-supported and theoretically neutral self-care strategies catered to psychologists and those in training: valuing the person of the psychologist, refocusing on the rewards, recognizing the hazards, minding the body, nurturing relationships, setting boundaries, restructuring cognitions, sustaining healthy escapes, maintaining mindfulness, creating a flourishing environment, cultivating spirituality and mission, fostering creativity and growth, and profiting from personal therapy. The latter deserves special emphasis in the making of health care psychologists. These strategies are recommended both during training and throughout the career span. Recommendations are offered for enhancing and publicizing systems of self-care throughout the profession.     

The role of sound symbolism in language learning

Certain correspondences between the sound and meaning of words can be observed in subsets of the vocabulary. These sound-symbolic relationships have been suggested to result in easier language acquisition, but previous studies have explicitly tested effects of sound symbolism on learning category distinctions but not on word learning. In 2 word learning experiments, we varied the extent to which phonological properties related to a rounded-angular shape distinction and we distinguished learning of categories from learning of individual words. We found that sound symbolism resulted in an advantage for learning categories of sound-shape mappings but did not assist in learning individual word meanings. These results are consistent with the limited presence of sound symbolism in natural language. The results also provide a reinterpretation of the role of sound symbolism in language learning and language origins and a greater specification of the conditions under which sound symbolism proves advantageous for learning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

Treating Couples Raising Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Marriage-Friendly Approach

Available research demonstrates that autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) affect couples in a variety of different ways. Some partners draw closer to one another through the experience of caring for a child on the autism spectrum while others experience relationship dissatisfaction, separation, and divorce. Yet other research reveals that many couples raising children with ASDs may experience an initial dip in relationship satisfaction but, after adjusting to a new way of life and developing new expectations for their children, are later able to bond in novel ways. Thus, a marriage-friendly approach to therapy, which focuses on helping partners remain committed to each other through the trials and tribulations of life, may allow these couples to work through the difficulties of raising children on the autism spectrum without resorting to separation or divorce. Ethical implications of a marriage-friendly approach to therapy with couples raising children with ASDs are also considered.     

Divine Hiddenness: Would More Miracles Solve the Problem?

This article addresses the question of whether God's existence would be obvious to everyone if God performed more miracles. I conclude that it would not be so. I look at cases where people have been confronted with what they believe to be miracles and have either not come to believe in God, or have come to intellectual belief in God but declined to follow him. God's existence could be made undeniable not by spectacular signs, but only by God impressing his existence upon us in a direct, non‐propositional way.     

Sleep on it, but only if it is difficult: Effects of sleep on problem solving

Previous research has shown that performance on problem solving improves over a period of sleep, as compared with wakefulness. However, these studies have not determined whether sleep is beneficial for problem solving or whether sleep merely mitigates against interference due to an interruption to solution attempts. Sleep-dependent improvements have been described in terms of spreading activation, which raises the prediction that an effect of sleep should be greater for problems requiring a broader solution search. We presented participants with a set of remote-associate tasks that varied in difficulty as a function of the strength of the stimuli–answer associations. After a period of sleep, wake, or no delay, participants reattempted previously unsolved problems. The sleep group solved a greater number of difficult problems than did the other groups, but no difference was found for easy problems. We conclude that sleep facilitates problem solving, most likely via spreading activation, but this has its primary effect for harder problems.