Cross-modal recognition of human individuals in domestic horses (Equus caballus)

This study has shown that domestic horses are capable of cross-modal recognition of familiar humans. It was demonstrated that horses are able to discriminate between the voices of a familiar and an unfamiliar human without seeing or smelling them at the same moment. Conversely, they were able to discriminate the same persons when only exposed to their visual and olfactory cues, without being stimulated by their voices. A cross-modal expectancy violation setup was employed; subjects were exposed both to trials with incongruent auditory and visual/olfactory identity cues and trials with congruent cues. It was found that subjects responded more quickly, longer and more often in incongruent trials, exhibiting heightened interest in unmatched cues of identity. This suggests that the equine brain is able to integrate multisensory identity cues from a familiar human into a person representation that allows the brain, when deprived of one or two senses, to maintain recognition of this person.     

The internal adaptation processes of professional boxers during the Showtime Super Six Boxing Classic: A qualitative thematic analysis

ObjectivesThe Super Six World Boxing Classic was conceived by Showtime Sports to feature the best six professional boxers in the super middleweight division (168 pounds) throughout a modified round robin tournament. The objective was to explore the adaptation and mal-adaptation processes of the tournament's original six tournament participants over time.DesignMedia data in the form of documentary episodes (n = 12 episodes, ～30 min each from the foregoing source were transcribed verbatim. Data included athletes' responses prior to their first bout and as each progressed or was eliminated. Boxers' post-bout explanations were also included.MethodThe original six contestants (mean age = 28.8 years at tournament start) from the tournament, with a record of 157 wins and 4 losses, were included within the project. Data were analyzed via thematic analysis (see Braun & Clarke, 2006).ResultsThe following themes were identified: (a) pre-conditions: moving into the tournament (subthemes: positive anticipation, uncertainty), (b) outcomes: moving through the tournament (subthemes: tournament progression, tournament regressions), and (c) consequences: moving out of the tournament (sub-themes: responses of the defeated, the king's adaptation).ConclusionsThis study highlights the adaptation processes of the six tournament contestants, demonstrating how one athlete adapted successfully and became champion through personal focus. The remaining athletes lost at least once, with pre-bout adaptation processes suggesting performance regression. These findings add to the adaptation literature, further contextualizing how adaptation meanings change and unfold over time.     

Effects of text messaged self-monitoring on class attendance and punctuality of at-risk college student athletes

This study examined the effects of text messaging class arrival to an academic counselor on the attendance and punctuality of 4 college student athletes. Each participant had a history of class tardiness and was considered to be at risk for academic failure. Class attendance and punctuality improved for all participants.     

Obtaining separate measures for implicit and explicit memory

In this paper a new model, the Implicit/Explicit Separation (IES) model, is developed and applied. The model is designed to obtain separate probability measures for explicit memory storage, implicit memory storage, fractional storage, and non-storage. The model is needed because memory research has shown the importance of the distinction between a conscious memory of a target event and a memory residue that is unable to support conscious recall or confident recognition, but it is still able to support guessing at rates above chance. Maximum likelihood and population-parameter mapping estimates for the parameters of the IES model are provided. The accuracy of parameter estimates is studied as a function of sample size. Three experiments are reported to demonstrate how the IES model is used to achieve a more fine grained assessment of the quality of information storage. These experiments also provide strong validation support for the IES model itself. Across the three experiments, each of the four components for representing target information (explicit, implicit, fractional, and non-storage) demonstrates a different pattern. The IES model is discussed in terms of alternative models such as the dual-process model and the process-dissociation model.     

Thinking about Arabs and Muslims makes Americans shoot faster: Effects of category accessibility on aggressive responses in a shooter paradigm

Is the same person perceived as more dangerous if the perceiver is induced to think about Arab and Muslim categories versus no category? Using the shooter paradigm, this study investigated the effects of the accessibility of ethnic (Arab) versus religious (Muslim) categories versus no category on spontaneous aggressive responses toward a target with an ambiguous appearance. Results demonstrated that shooting reactions toward armed targets were faster than non‐shooting reactions toward unarmed targets, especially if the target was a man. Despite these main effects, participants made faster decisions to shoot an ambiguous armed target if primed with the category Arab or Muslim (versus no category priming). The findings indicate that the mere priming of these social categories is sufficient to facilitate aggressive responses, even if the targets themselves are ambiguous. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Orthogonal dreams in an oblique world: A meta-analysis of the association between attachment anxiety and avoidance

The association between attachment dimensions (anxiety and avoidance) can influence measurement creation and statistical analyses. Our goal was to test the assumption that anxiety and avoidance was orthogonal in two popular measures: the ‘Experience in Close Relationships Scale - Revised’ (ECR-R) and the original ‘Experiences in Close Relationships Scale’ (ECR). Our meta-analysis of 242 studies revealed that despite both scales being highly reliable, the anxiety-avoidance correlation was higher for the ECR-R than the ECR. Other variables also moderated the association. Implications include methods of statistical analysis and recommendations for future measurement creation and use.     

Global and local pitch perception in children with developmental dyslexia

This study investigated global versus local pitch pattern perception in children with dyslexia aged between 8 and 11 years. Children listened to two consecutive 4-tone pitch sequences while performing a same/different task. On the different trials, sequences either preserved the contour (local condition) or they violated the contour (global condition). Compared to normally developing children, dyslexics showed robust pitch perception deficits in the local but not the global condition. This finding was replicated in a simple pitch direction task, which minimizes sequencing and short term memory. Results are consistent with a left-hemisphere deficit in dyslexia because local pitch changes are supposedly processed by the left hemisphere, whereas global pitch changes are processed by the right hemisphere. The present data suggest a link between impaired pitch processing and abnormal phonological development in children with dyslexia, which makes pitch pattern processing a potent tool for early diagnosis and remediation of dyslexia.     

Action-specific effects in a social context: others' abilities influence perceived speed

According to the action-specific account of perception, perceivers see the environment relative to their ability to perform the intended action. For example, in a modified version of the computer game Pong, balls that were easier to block looked to be moving slower than balls that were more difficult to block (Witt & Sugovic, 2010). It is unknown, however, if perception can be influenced by another person's abilities. In the current experiment, we examined whether another person's ability to block a ball influenced the observer's perception of ball speed. Participants played and observed others play the modified version of Pong where the task was to successfully block the ball with paddles that varied in size, and both the actor and observer estimated the speed of the ball. The results showed that both judged the ball to be moving faster when it was harder to block. However, the same effect of difficulty on speed estimates was not found when observers watched a computer play, suggesting the effect is specific to people and not to the task. These studies suggest that the environment can be perceived relative to another person's abilities.     

Stuttering treatment for a school-age child with Down syndrome: A descriptive case report

BackgroundLittle is known about optimal treatment approaches and stuttering treatment outcomes for children with Down syndrome.Aims and methodThe purpose of this study was to investigate outcomes for a child with Down syndrome who received a combination of fluency shaping therapy and parent delivered contingencies for normally fluent speech, prolonged speech, and stuttered speech.ResultsIn-clinic speech measures obtained at post-treatment and at 4 months follow-up reflected improvements in fluency of 89.0% and 98.6%, respectively. The participant's beyond-clinic follow-up sample reflected an improvement of 95.5%. Following treatment, the participant demonstrated improved self-confidence, self-esteem, and improved participation and functioning at school.ConclusionsFindings suggest that fluency shaping with parental contingencies may be a viable treatment approach to reduce stuttering in children with Down syndrome. Future research using an experimental research design is warranted.Educational objectives: Readers will be able to describe (a) prevalence estimates of stuttering in individuals with Down syndrome, (b) the main components of a fluency shaping program for a child with Down syndrome who stutters and has co-occurring speech and language delays, and (c) speech and parent-, teacher-, and self-report treatment outcomes.