Conceptual priming for environmental sounds and words: an ERP study

In this study we examined conceptual priming using environmental sounds and visually displayed words. Priming for sounds and words was observed in response latency as well as in event-related potentials. Reactions were faster when a related word followed an environmental sound and vice versa. Moreover both stimulus types produced an N400-effect for unrelated compared to related trials. The N400-effect had an earlier onset for environmental sounds than for words. The results support the theoretical notion that conceptual processing may be similar for verbal and non-verbal stimuli.     

Attention and movement execution during handwriting

Two studies were performed in order to test the hypothesis that movement execution during handwriting in skilled writers is independent of attention. Study I examined the relationship between attentional functioning and kinematic aspects of handwriting movements in 24 adult participants. A digitizing tablet was used for the assessment of handwriting movements. Participants were asked to perform a simple writing task and various components of their attention were assessed. Correlation analysis indicated no significant relationship between attention functions and both kinematic aspects of handwriting movements and quality of handwriting. In Study II, 20 participants underwent total sleep deprivation (TSD) for 24h. While attention, as assessed with alertness and vigilance tasks, deteriorated during TSD, the execution of handwriting movements, as assessed with a digitizing tablet, improved markedly. The quality of handwriting was not affected by TSD. These findings may suggest an independence between attention and movement generation during handwriting.     

Development of demographic norms for four new WAIS-III/WMS-III indexes

Following the publication of the third edition Wechsler scales (i.e., WAIS-III and WMS-III), demographically corrected norms were made available in the form of a computerized scoring program (i.e., WAIS-III/WMS-III/WIAT-II Scoring Assistant). These norms correct for age, gender, ethnicity, and education. Since then, four new indexes have been developed: the WAIS-III General Ability Index, the WMS-III Delayed Memory Index, and the two alternate Immediate and Delayed Memory Indexes. The purpose of this study was to develop demographically corrected norms for the four new indexes using the standardization sample and education oversample from the WAIS-III and WMS-III. These norms were developed using the same methodology as the demographically corrected norms made available in the WAIS-III/WMS-III/WIAT-II Scoring Assistant.     

Socially anxious individuals lack unintentional mimicry

So far, evidence for unskilled social behavior in high socially anxious individuals (HAs) is equivocal. One reason may be that shortcomings are often not directly observable. An important shortcoming would be a lack of unintentional mimicry because it communicates sympathy and rapport with the interaction partner. Therefore, we tested whether HAs show less unintentional mimicry of others. Twenty-nine HAs and 43 low socially anxious individuals (LAs) - all female - watched a virtual man (avatar) who displayed a fixed set of head movements while giving an opinionated speech. Four raters scored whether the participants mimicked the avatar's movements within 4 s. The results indicate that HAs did indeed mimic significantly less than LAs. Lacking such pro-social behavior, HAs may indeed be evaluated as less sympathetic by others, confirming their fears of being disliked.     

Increased forefoot loading is associated with an increased plantar flexion moment

The aim of this study was to identify the cascade of effects leading from alterations in force generation around the ankle joint to increased plantar pressures under the forefoot. Gait analysis including plantar pressure measurement was performed at an individually preferred and a standardized, imposed gait velocity in diabetic subjects with polyneuropathy (n = 94), without polyneuropathy (n = 39) and healthy elderly (n = 19). The plantar flexion moment at 40% of the stance phase was negatively correlated with the displacement rate of center of pressure (r = ?.749, p < .001 at the imposed, and r = ?.693, p < .001 at the preferred gait velocity). Displacement rate of center of pressure was strongly correlated with forefoot loading (r = ?.837, p < .001 at the imposed, and r = ?.731, p < .001 at the preferred gait velocity). People with a relatively high plantar flexion moment at 40% of the stance phase, have a faster forward transfer of center of pressure and consequently higher loading of the forefoot. This indicates that interventions aimed at increasing the control of the roll-off of the foot may contribute to a better plantar pressure distribution.     

Concurrent Verbal and Emotion Laterality Effects Exhibited by Normally Achieving and Learning Disabled Children

This study assessed both left- and right-hemisphere functions simultaneously when two-syllable words differing only in the initial stop consonant and spoken in different emotional tones were paired dichotically. Seventy-two right-handed normally achieving children, 12 boys and 12 girls at each of grades 1, 3, and 5, were instructed to detect either the presence of a specific word or of a specific emotion. In addition, 30 right-handed learning disabled (LD) children (age-matched to the normal controls) were assessed to determine whether LD children distribute verbal and nonverbal functions to different hemispheres. Results indicated that although both control and LD children demonstrated an overall REA for word stimuli and an LEA for emotional stimuli, and that emotional stimuli were easier to process than word stimuli, LD children were less accurate in processing both types of stimuli than their control counterparts. ‘Complementary specialization,’ as assessed through distribution of laterality effects, was found to be greater for control children than for LD children. However, the lack of consistency in complementary specialization found among the three developmental grade levels may be indicative that independent brain mechanisms underlying verbal and emotional processing have yet to be fully established in children. Further, in contrast to adult findings, a larger LEA was obtained for the emotion ‘happy’ than for the emotion ‘sad.’ It was concluded that whereas independent hemisphere processing for words and emotions is somewhat prevalent for control children, LD children might not be as strongly lateralized for opposite hemisphere processing of these functions.     

Patterns of Memory Performance in Children with Controlled Epilepsy on the CVLT-C

Decreased memory skills have been reported in children with epilepsy. However, standardized instruments to evaluate learning and memory in children have been unavailable until recently. The present study was designed to assess memory patterns in children with epilepsy based on the California Verbal Learning Test-Children's Version (CVLT-C). The test was administered to 44 children with complex partial seizures and 21 children with generalized seizures between 8 and 13 years of age. Children in the study had been treated for epilepsy for at least 6 months, had well-controlled seizures on monotherapy, and had no evidence of anticonvulsant toxicity. Children with head injuries, learning disabilities, or hyperactivity were excluded. Test results did not reflect differences in memory performance based on seizure type. Scores for the entire sample indicated intact new learning, decreased intrusions and perseverative responses, and better short-term than long-term delayed recall. Recognition skills were stronger than long-term delayed recall skills and suggested that memory performance may be improved for these children when a multiple-choice format is available in academic settings.     

Sources of politico-economic attitudes: students’ introspections

Our aim is to shed more light on university students’ sources of attitudes towards the market economy, social inequality, and the responsibilities of the state. Analyzing survey data of almost 500 students at a German university, we identify those sources the subjects report to be important in the process of forming their politico-economic attitudes. We explore the differences between our sample of local students and the German General Social Survey, as well as the characteristics of subjects expressing no opinion. We also examine whether the sources which were reported to be important significantly contribute to the prediction of conservative political attitudes, concentrating specifically on the attitude effects of economic education.     

Perceived rationality,morality, and power of social choice as a function of interdependence structure and social value orientation

The present study examines how individuals with different social value orientations (i.e. prosocial, individualistic, and competitive) construe the rationality, morality, and power of choices in four distinct interdependence structures which systematically differ in the motives that could underlie the most prosocial or least aggressive choice: (a) altruism only, (b) altruism and cooperation, (c) altruism, cooperation, and individualism, and (d) altruism, cooperation, individualism, and competition. Results revealed that rationality ratings, and to a lesser degree morality and power ratings, increased most when the motives that could underlie a choice were part of the perceiver's social value orientation. Overall, the pattern of rationality ratings provided reasonable support for the Goal Prescribes Rationality Principle. Ratings of morality and power suggested a corresponding Goal Prescribes Morality/Power Principle (for prosocials and individualists), but revealed only mixed support for the Might Over Morality Hypothesis. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.