Selective storage and maintenance of an object’s features in visual working memory

It has been shown that we have a highly capacity-limited representational space with which to store objects in visual working memory. However, most objects are composed of multiple feature attributes, and it is unknown whether observers can voluntarily store a single attribute of an object without necessarily storing all of its remaining features. In this study, we used a masking paradigm to measure the efficiency of encoding, and neurophysiological recordings to directly measure visual working memory maintenance while subjects viewed multifeature objects and were required to remember only a single feature or all of the features of the objects. We found that measures of both encoding and maintenance varied systematically as a function of which object features were task relevant. These experiments show that individuals can control which features of an object are selectively stored in working memory.     

A scaling analysis of the snake lightness illusion

Logvinenko and Maloney (2006) measured perceived dissimilarities between achromatic surfaces placed in two scenes illuminated by neutral lights that could differ in intensity. Using a novel scaling method, they found that dissimilarities between light surface pairs could be represented as a weighted linear combination of two dimensions, "surface lightness" (a perceptual correlate of the difference in the logarithm of surface albedo) and "surface brightness" (which corresponded to the differences of the logarithms of light intensity across the scenes). Here we attempt to measure the contributions of these dimensions to a compelling lightness illusion (the "snake illusion"). It is commonly assumed that this illusion is a result of erroneous segmentation of the snake pattern into regions of unequal illumination. We find that the illusory shift in the snake pattern occurs along the surface lightness dimension, with no contribution from surface brightness. Thus, even if an erroneous segmentation of the snake pattern into strips of unequal illumination does happen, it reveals itself, paradoxically, as illusory changes in surface lightness rather than as surface brightness. We conjecture that the illusion strength depends on the balance between two groups of illumination cues signaling the true (uniform) illumination and the pictorial (uneven) illumination.     

Depression in Women with Heart Disease: The Importance of Social Role Performance and Spirituality

Compared with men, women are more likely to experience depression, and depression increases risk of morbidity and mortality in individuals with heart disease. Psychosocial interventions have been developed for depressed patients with heart disease; however, women's experience of chronic disease differs from men's and women may benefit from interventions tailored to address their difficulties. Spirituality and social roles have been related to depressive symptoms in other populations. To identify the relationship between depression and spirituality and social role performance (i.e., role concerns, role rewards and confidence in ability to fulfill roles) in women with heart disease, we assessed depressive symptoms, spirituality, social role functioning and medical history in 125 women with heart disease. After controlling for age and severity of medical conditions, spirituality, role confidence and role concerns were significantly associated with depressive symptoms. Consideration of spirituality and aspects of social role performance may be important when developing psychosocial interventions for depressed women with heart disease.     

Parent’s Social Support for Children’s Outdoor Physical Activity: Do Weekdays and Weekends Matter?

In this study we examined the relationships among parental social supportive behaviors for children’s weekday and weekend outdoor physical activity (OPA). Thirty-nine girls and 29 boys 8 to 11 years wore pedometers for 7 days. Sixty-five mothers and 50 fathers responded to a social support questionnaire about OPA that was comprised of four dimensions: encouragement, playing with, use of activity as family recreation, and watch. After controlling for age and sport participation, regression analyses indicated that mothers’ use of activity as recreation was positively associated with girls’ weekday OPA. On the weekend, fathers’ play with son was positively related to OPA. The effectiveness of family-based activity interventions depends on when parents have opportunities to be present for their child’s activity and gender differences in the support provided.     

Restrictions in means for suicide: an effective tool in preventing suicide: the Danish experience

Restriction of means for suicide is an important part of suicide preventive strategies in different countries. The effect on method-specific suicide rate and overall suicide rate of restrictions on availability of carbon monoxide, barbiturates, and dextropropoxyphene was examined. From 1970 to 2000, overall suicide mortality and method-specific suicide mortality in Denmark were compared with official information about availability of barbiturates and analgesics and carbon monoxide in vehicle exhaust and household gas. Restrictions on availability of household gas with carbon monoxide content and barbiturates was associated with a decline in the number of suicides and suicides by self-poisoning with these compounds after controlling for the effect of calender year. Restricted access occurred concomittantly with a 55 percent decrease in suicide rate.     

Living with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1: Decent Care-Insufficient Medical and Genetic Information A Qualitative Study of MEN 1 Patients in a Swedish Hospital

This qualitative study explores how 29 Swedish patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) experience living with the condition, appraisal of the clinical follow-up program, and surveys their future expectations. The aim of this study is to build knowledge about this patient group in order to provide optimal care. The participants describe physical, psychological, and social limitations in their daily activities and how these limitations influence quality of life. Our findings indicate that a majority of patients have adjusted to their situation, describing themselves as being healthy despite physical symptoms and treatment. The participants received decent care in the clinical follow-up program, - however, greater effort should be put into patient information. These patients might benefit from genetic counseling. Health professionals involved should recognize their potential impact and influence on a patient’s ability to adjust to these circumstances. Antonovsky`s Sense of Coherence theory is used to discuss these findings.     

The Influence of Cancer-related Distress and Sense of Coherence on Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Hereditary Cancer

This study examines the association between Sense of Coherence and anxiety and depression amongst patients at risk of hereditary cancer receiving genetic counseling. When writing this article, 144 patients referred for genetic counseling due to a suspicion of hereditary cancer in the family were recruited for this multicentered longitudinal study on the psychosocial aspects of genetic counseling in Norway. A total of 96 (66%) patients responded to the follow-up survey distributed 6 months after genetic counseling. This survey included the Sense of Coherence-29 Scale, Impact of Event Scale, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Multiple regression analyses were applied. Our results show association between cancer-related distress and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Sense of Coherence is significantly associated with both anxiety and depression. The hypothesis of Sense of Coherence buffering cancer-related distress and the possible impact of these findings for genetic counseling are discussed.     

Numerical and non-numerical ordinality processing in children with and without developmental dyscalculia: Evidence from fMRI

Ordinality is – beyond numerical magnitude (i.e., quantity) – an important characteristic of the number system. There is converging empirical evidence that (intra)parietal brain regions mediate number magnitude processing. Furthermore, recent findings suggest that the human intraparietal sulcus (IPS) supports magnitude and ordinality in a domain-general way. However, the latter findings are derived from adult studies and with respect to children (i.e., developing brain systems) both the neural correlates of ordinality processing and the precise role of the IPS (domain-general vs. domain-specific) in ordinality processing are thus far unknown. The present study aims at filling this gap by employing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate numerical and non-numerical ordinality knowledge in children with and without developmental dyscalculia. In children (without DD) processing of numerical and non-numerical ordinality alike is supported by (intra)parietal cortex, thus extending the notion of a domain-general (intra)parietal cortex to developing brain systems. Moreover, activation extents in response to numerical ordinality processing differ significantly between children with and without dyscalculia in inferior parietal regions (supramarginal gyrus and IPS).     

Symbolic Attributes and Organizational Attractiveness: The moderating effects of applicant personality

The present study examined the moderating influence of the Big Five personality factors in the relationship between five symbolic, trait‐based inferences about organizations (Sincerity, Excitement, Competence, Prestige, and Ruggedness) and organizational attractiveness. Drawing on the similarity‐attraction paradigm, six hypotheses were formulated, stating that the relationship between trait‐based inferences and organizational attractiveness would be stronger for persons who perceive the organization as similar to them. Results of moderated regression analyses on data from a sample of 245 prospective applicants for the Belgian military revealed two significant two‐way interactions, showing that Sincerity was positively related to organizational attractiveness only for individuals high on Conscientiousness, and that the relationship between Excitement and organizational attractiveness is more positive for individuals high on Openness to Experience. Practical implications, strengths and limitations, as well as directions for further research are presented.     

Dyslexia and dyscalculia: Two learning disorders with different cognitive profiles

This study tests the hypothesis that dyslexia and dyscalculia are associated with two largely independent cognitive deficits, namely a phonological deficit in the case of dyslexia and a deficit in the number module in the case of dyscalculia. In four groups of 8- to 10-year-olds (42 control, 21 dyslexic, 20 dyscalculic, and 26 dyslexic/dyscalculic), phonological awareness, phonological and visual-spatial short-term and working memory, naming speed, and basic number processing skills were assessed. A phonological deficit was found for both dyslexic groups, irrespective of additional arithmetic deficits, but not for the dyscalculia-only group. In contrast, deficits in processing of symbolic and nonsymbolic magnitudes were observed in both groups of dyscalculic children, irrespective of additional reading difficulties, but not in the dyslexia-only group. Cognitive deficits in the comorbid dyslexia/dyscalculia group were additive; that is, they resulted from the combination of two learning disorders. These findings suggest that dyslexia and dyscalculia have separable cognitive profiles, namely a phonological deficit in the case of dyslexia and a deficient number module in the case of dyscalculia.