Is action naming better preserved (than object naming) in Alzheimer's disease and why should we ask?

The present study compared object and action naming in patients with Alzheimer's dementia. We tested the hypothesis put forward in (some) previous studies that in Alzheimer's dementia the production of verbs, that is required in action naming, is better preserved than the production of nouns, that is required in object naming. The possible reason for the dissociation is that verbs are supported predominantly by frontal brain structures that may remain relatively better preserved in early Alzheimer's disease. Objects, on the other hand, are supported by temporal lobe structures that are affected early in the disease. An alternative hypothesis, which is supported by other studies, is that action naming is more impaired than object naming due to verbs being semantically more complex than nouns. In order to test these contrasting hypotheses, the present study used more stringent methodology than previous studies. We used a larger set of stimuli with carefully matched object and action items and we collected not only accuracy data but also naming latencies, a measure that is sensitive to even mild lexical retrieval problems. We compared the performance of 19 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease with that of 19 healthy age matched participants. We found that both the patients and the comparison group responded faster and made fewer errors on the object pictures than the action pictures. A qualitative analysis of the naming errors indicated that object and action naming pose different demands for the language system. The results overall suggest that the patients' performance is an exaggeration of the pattern present in the comparison participants.     

Null sex differences in general intelligence: evidence from the WAIS-III

There is an increasing number of studies claiming that the sex differences in general intelligence are "real." The empirical evidence is based on the summation of the standardized sex differences in several cognitive batteries. However, the scientific construct of general ability rests on the correlations among test scores, rather than on their summation. The latter (ability in general) is an arbitrary variable, not a scientific construct. General ability is not a function of any particular cognitive test, but a source of variance evidenced by the correlation between several diverse tests, each of which reflects general ability (g) to some extent, but also group factors and test specificity. Because there are important educational, economic, and social consequences of a group difference in general ability, it is especially germane to evaluate the possibility of an average sex difference in its proxy measures, such as IQ. The Spanish standardization of the WAIS-III is analyzed in the present study. The sample was made up of 703 females and 666 males, aged 15-94, drawn as a representative sample of the population in terms of educational level and geographical location. Although a male advantage of 3.6 IQ points is observed, the difference is in "ability in general," not in "general ability" (g). Given that the main ingredient of the strong association between IQ and a broad range of social correlates is g, and given that there is no sex difference in g, then the average IQ sex-difference favoring males must be attributed to specific group factors and test specificity.     

When complexity helps: an electrophysiological analysis of multiple feature benefits in object perception

Fournier, L. R., Eriksen, C. W. and Bowd, C. (1998. Multiple feature discrimination faster than single feature discrimination within the same object? Perception & Psychophysics 60, 1384-1405) found that judging the presence of multiple features within an object is faster than judging the presence of the least discriminable of these features alone (multiple feature benefits, MFBs). When an 'absent' response is required, responses are slower when some of the relevant (target) features are present (multiple feature costs, MFCs). The present study utilized psychophysiological measures (of the event-related brain potential and the electromyogram) to determine the contributions of response priming and stimulus evaluation processes (P300 latency) to these effects. P300 latency and reaction time (RT) both showed evidence of MFBs and MFCs. These findings suggest that MFBs and MFCs can be attributed to processing that occurs prior to response selection. No dissociations between P300 latency and RT measures were found for 'present' responses across the single and multiple feature judgements. However, for 'absent' responses, partial dissociations were found between these measures, and partial errors and longer response execution intervals were observed more often when an object contained some target features. These findings suggest that response priming contributes to MFCs, but may not contribute to MFBs.     

Measurement Invariance of the Day Reconstruction Method: Results from the COURAGE in Europe Project

Given the growing interest in the study of subjective well-being as a measure of social progress, instruments that produce valid and reliable scores and that can be used within and across countries are needed. The aim of the present study was to analyze the measurement equivalence of the Day Reconstruction Method in its brief version, using nationally representative samples from Finland, Poland, and Spain obtained within the COURAGE in Europe project. The goodness-of-fit of a two-correlated-factors model and the reliability of the scores obtained were assessed. Cross-country invariance was tested employing a multiple group confirmatory factor analysis, through sequential constraint imposition. In each country, measurement invariance was tested across time frames (morning, afternoon and evening) and days of the week (weekday and weekend). The results found support for the hypothesis of a two-correlated-factors (positive and negative affect) structure; the reliability of the positive, the negative and the net affect scores showed appropriate values. A high equivalence across the three national samples was found: all items except one showed strong measurement invariance indicating that respondents from Finland, Poland, and Spain attribute the same meaning to the latent construct under study, and the levels of the underlying items are equal in all three countries. Similar results were found for the measurement equivalence across time frames and days of the week. Our findings support the assumption of comparability across the different samples considered; in general, higher positive affect and lower negative affect were found in Finland, in the evening and at the weekend.     

Interpolation and Amalgamation; Pushing the Limits. Part I

Continuing work initiated by Jónsson, Daigneault, Pigozzi and others; Maksimova proved that a normal modal logic (with a single unary modality) has the Craig interpolation property iff the corresponding class of algebras has the superamalgamation property (cf. [Mak 91], [Mak 79]). The aim of this paper is to extend the latter result to a large class of logics. We will prove that the characterization can be extended to all algebraizable logics containing Boolean fragment and having a certain kind of local deduction property. We also extend this characterization of the interpolation property to arbitrary logics under the condition that their algebraic counterparts are discriminator varieties. We also extend Maksimova's result to normal multi-modal logics with arbitrarily many, not necessarily unary modalities, and to not necessarily normal multi-modal logics with modalities of ranks smaller than 2, too.The problem of extending the above characterization result to no n-normal non-unary modal logics remains open.Related issues of universal algebra and of algebraic logic are discussed, too. In particular we investigate the possibility of extending the characterization of interpolability to arbitrary algebraizable logics.     

Balancing fit and parsimony to improve Q-matrix validation

The Q-matrix identifies the subset of attributes measured by each item in the cognitive diagnosis modelling framework. Usually constructed by domain experts, the Q-matrix might contain some misspecifications, disrupting classification accuracy. Empirical Q-matrix validation methods such as the general discrimination index (GDI) and Wald have shown promising results in addressing this problem. However, a cut-off point is used in both methods, which might be suboptimal. To address this limitation, the Hull method is proposed and evaluated in the present study. This method aims to find the optimal balance between fit and parsimony, and it is flexible enough to be used either with a measure of item discrimination (the proportion of variance accounted for, PVAF) or a coefficient of determination (pseudo-R²). Results from a simulation study showed that the Hull method consistently showed the best performance and shortest computation time, especially when used with the PVAF. The Wald method also performed very well overall, while the GDI method obtained poor results when the number of attributes was high. The absence of a cut-off point provides greater flexibility to the Hull method, and it places it as a comprehensive solution to the Q-matrix specification problem in applied settings. This proposal is illustrated using real data.     

A FailedCassatio: Goldstein on the Liar

The purpose of this note is to express some doubts about Goldstein's cassationist solution to the Liar Paradox. After sketching his theory (§I), we argue that the notions he introduces in order to solve the Strengthened Liar give rise to paradoxes the theory cannot deal with (§II).     

Personality profile for adolescents at risk for internalizing and externalizing problems

To estimate the personality profile for adolescents at psychopathological risk, a community sample of 762 adolescents, ages 12 to 16 years (M = 13.8, SD = 1.3), 53% boys and 47% girls, from the city of Barcelona, Spain, were tested with the Youth Self-Report and the High School Personality Questionnaire. Among this group, 140 adolescents were identified as showing symptoms of psychopathological risk for internalizing or externalizing syndromes as defined by Achenbach's theory. Analysis indicated that adolescents who scored high for internalizing and externalizing symptoms showed differing personality profiles, which also differed by sex. Boys scoring high on internalizing tended to adopt an inhibited, shy, and apprehensive behavior, while girls showed a tendency to display a more distant and cold affect and changeable emotionality. The personality pattern of boys and girls who scored high on externalizing symptoms showed both similar and different aspects. Both sexes displayed characteristics such as dominance, poor rule conformity, and low self-discipline. However, girls who scored high on externalizing symptoms also tended to show impulsiveness, social boldness, and low sensitivity.     

Mindless Bodies–Bodyless Minds

Possibilities opened up by scientific–technical developments of the last century have led to the breaking up of our basic concepts regarding elementary aspects of human life. Boundaries are more easily crossed (also among genders); the reality of functions and the functions of reality are becoming interchangeable. The audio-visual galaxy, which has evolved over the course of the 20th century, with its two dimensionality has resulted in generations growing up in the past decades who have learnt that the “other” can be a virtual body: the sensual is no longer an essential part of human relations. The somato-affective aspects of the experience get split off—relationships emerge between bodyless minds. This fragmentation also means that the body is seen increasingly as mindless: the linkages between body and mind are profoundly undermined. Reality and fantasy melt into one another. Reality control and thinking becomes insecure effected by a view of the world that has lost its keystones of orientation. When body boundaries get confused in such a manner how do ego boundaries develop? How will primary relationships alter among such conditions? What will the internal images of the objects be like? The deconstruction of our basic concepts about space, time, dimensions, body- and ego boundaries made differentiation and the processes of symbolization extremely difficult. Postmodern ideas, questioning the validity of facts have contributed greatly to transforming our image of reality also on a theoretical level. How do these massive changes effect our daily clinical work and our theory of the mind? My paper tries to explore some experiences and ideas related to these questions through clinical cases and narratives of our present times.     

Parent-early adolescent relationship quality and problem behavior in Hungary,the Netherlands,India, and Iceland

Higher parent-child relationship quality has been associated with less internalizing and externalizing problem behavior. However, it remained less clear whether these associations are universal or depend on the country under investigation. Furthermore, fathers are still understudied, even though there is increasing evidence of their important role in early adolescent development. Our study compared the association of mother-child as well as father-child relationship quality with early adolescents’ problem behavior in four culturally different countries, namely Hungary (N = 293; M_age = 11.22; 53% boys), the Netherlands (N = 242; M_age = 11.20; 48% boys), India (N = 230; M_age = 10.68; 61% boys), and Iceland (N = 261; M_age = 10.90; 53% boys). Early adolescents filled out questionnaires in their classroom, assessing warmth and conflict with fathers and mothers and internalizing and externalizing problem behavior. Stepwise multi-group path analysis demonstrated no cross-cultural differences in associations between quality of the parent-child relationship and problem behavior. We did not find any effects of maternal or paternal warmth. However, across samples conflict with mothers was associated with more internalizing and externalizing problem behavior, and conflict with fathers was associated with more externalizing problem behavior. Our findings highlight the need to target conflict with both fathers and mothers in interventions across different countries, especially when addressing externalizing problem behavior.