Eye movement indices of mental workload

Four investigations were carried out to assess the feasibility of using eye movement measures as indices of mental workload. In the first experiment, saccadic extent was measured during free viewing while subjects performed low, moderate and high complexity, auditory tone counting as the workload tasks. The range of saccadic extent decreased significantly as tone counting complexity (workload) was increased. In the second experiment the range of spontaneous saccades was measured under three levels of counting complexity with a visual task that did not require fixation or tracking. The results indicated that the extent of saccadic eye movements was significantly restricted as counting complexity increased. In the third experiment, the effects of practice were examined and decreased saccadic range under high tone counting complexity was observed even when significant increases in performance occurred with practice. Finally, in experiment 4, the first experiment was repeated with additional optokinetic stimulation and the saccadic range was again observed to decrease with tone counting complexity. The results indicated that the extent of spontaneous and elicited eye movements was significantly restricted as counting complexity increased. We conclude that this measure may provide a valuable index of mental workload.     

CONTEXTUAL CONTROL OF PROBLEM BEHAVIOR IN STUDENTS WITH SEVERE DISABILITIES

We investigated the impact of contextual variation on the effectiveness of two interventions. The problem behavior of 2 students with severe disabilities was analyzed across two contexts (task and leisure). Effects of differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) and time-out procedures were examined in the two contexts. Results indicated that in the task context the DRO procedure effectively reduced the problem behavior and increased task performance, whereas the time-out procedure was ineffective. In addition, rate of correct task performance increased during DRO relative to baseline and time-out. In contrast, in the leisure context, the time-out procedure effectively reduced the same problem behavior and the DRO procedure was ineffective. The results are discussed in terms of contextual control of problem behavior and alternative strategies for the design of DRO procedures.     

Perspective taking, pictures, and the blind

Congenitally blind, late blind, and blindfolded sighted controls attempted a Piagetian perspective-taking (three-mountain) task. Piaget used the term perspective to mean point of view (Piaget & Inhelder, 1967, p. 210), and the present usage does not imply linear perspective. Subjects used raised-line drawings to depict alternative points of view of an array of three geometric solid forms (cube, cone, and ball). They then identified the point of view of raised-line drawings. The effect of visual status on accuracy was nonsignificant for both response measures. Using alternating vision of the array and drawings, sighted subjects in a control condition performed like the congenitally blind. However, congenitally blind individuals did require more time than the other subjects for the perspective-taking task. In an additional experiment, no difference was found between the three groups in the accuracy or speed of tactile shape matching. The results suggest that visual imagery and visual experience are not necessary for tactile perspective taking.     

Relationship between mood and blood pressure in the natural environment: an adolescent population

We examined the relation between psychological variables and blood pressure (BP) as 28 adolescents engaged in their customary activities over a 24-hr period in their natural environment. Each subject had previously participated in a laboratory study of cardiovascular reactivity. During the ambulatory monitoring period, subjects monitored mood state, perceptions of the environment, and ambulatory BP at 30-min intervals. Mood ratings and BP were averaged across the waking hours. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity to laboratory stressors was significantly correlated with average SBP in the home environment. Ambulatory SBP was positively associated with worried, hostile, depressed, and tense mood ratings as well as perceptions of the environment as hostile, demanding, and noisy. Ambulatory diastolic blood pressure was correlated with hostile, depressed, and upset mood ratings as well as with hostile and demanding perceptions of the environment. In general, average ambulatory BP appeared to be associated with negative emotions and perceptions of the environment.     

Molecular and behavioral changes associated with adult hippocampus-specific SynGAP1 knockout

The synaptic Ras/Rap-GTPase-activating protein (SynGAP1) plays a unique role in regulating specific downstream intracellular events in response to N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) activation. Constitutive heterozygous loss of SynGAP1 disrupts NMDAR-mediated physiological and behavioral processes, but the disruptions might be of developmental origin. Therefore, the precise role of SynGAP1 in the adult brain, including its relative functional significance within specific brain regions, remains unexplored. The present study constitutes the first attempt in achieving adult hippocampal-specific SynGAP1 knockout using the Cre/loxP approach. Here, we report that this manipulation led to a significant numerical increase in both small and large GluA1 and NR1 immunoreactive clusters, many of which were non-opposed to presynaptic terminals. In parallel, the observed marked decline in the amplitude of spontaneous excitatory currents (sEPSCs) and inter-event intervals supported the impression that SynGAP1 loss might facilitate the accumulation of extrasynaptic glutamatergic receptors. In addition, SynGAP1-mediated signaling appears to be critical for the proper integration and survival of newborn neurons. The manipulation impaired reversal learning in the probe test of the water maze and induced a delay-dependent impairment in spatial recognition memory. It did not significantly affect anxiety or reference memory acquisition but induced a substantial elevation in spontaneous locomotor activity in the open field test. Thus, the present study demonstrates the functional significance of SynGAP1 signaling in the adult brain by capturing several changes that are dependent on NMDAR and hippocampal integrity.     

Recall of 9/11/01 as an Indicator of Cognitive Functioning in the Elderly

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between the recall of a highly salient remote event, the terrorist attack in New York City on 9/11/01, and general cognitive functioning in the elderly. A heterogeneous group (n = 93) of persons ≥65 years of age (M = 76.5, SD = 6.4), from both community and hospital settings, were asked to describe as much as they could remember about the events of 9/11/01 in New York City. The number of correct factual details, affective or emotional responses, and incorrect details were recorded. Ten multiple choice questions were then administered to assess recognition of the 9/11 events (M = 9.1 items correct, SD = 1.2). The mini mental state exam (MMSE) was also administered (M = 26.3, SD = 3.4). Participants generated a mean of 4.8 (SD = 3) correct factual details about 9/11, 1.1 affective/emotional responses (SD = 1.1), and 0.22 incorrect recollections (SD = 0.46). Significant correlations (p &;lt; .01) were found between correct details recalled and the MMSE (0.42), education (0.37), and age (?0.31). A significant negative correlation (p &;lt; .01) was found between incorrect details recalled and MMSE scores (?0.38). Female participants generated significantly more affective responses than males (M = 1.3 vs. 0.51; p &;lt; .001) but recall of correct details was equivalent. The recall of 9/11 events, approximately 18 months after the incident, appears related to general mental status, education, and age. Responses to this question may be helpful in assessing the mental status of the elderly. In addition, now that objective memory data has been established, recall of this event by other samples of seniors can be monitored over time to determine the cognitive processes related to the storage and retrieval of this unique and tragic event.     

Erotic Transference and Its Relationship to Childhood Seduction

The phenomenon of an erotic transference has long been a difficult, if not mysterious, process within clinical psychoanalysis. Traditionally, the development of an erotic transference has been viewed as a negative clinical event fueled by the analyst's countertransference reaction. A much neglected dimension, the relationship between childhood seduction and the development of an erotic transference, will be introduced and examined. In three clinical cases our data suggest that actual sexual abuse in childhood is a causal factor in the manifestation of an erotic transference in the clinical interaction of an analysis.