Sensitivity to auditory‐tactile colocation in early infancy

An ability to detect the common location of multisensory stimulation is essential for us to perceive a coherent environment, to represent the interface between the body and the external world, and to act on sensory information. Regarding the tactile environment “at hand”, we need to represent somatosensory stimuli impinging on the skin surface in the same spatial reference frame as distal stimuli, such as those transduced by vision and audition. Across two experiments we investigated whether 6‐ (n = 14; Experiment 1) and 4‐month‐old (n = 14; Experiment 2) infants were sensitive to the colocation of tactile and auditory signals delivered to the hands. We recorded infants’ visual preferences for spatially congruent and incongruent auditory‐tactile events delivered to their hands. At 6 months, infants looked longer toward incongruent stimuli, whilst at 4 months infants looked longer toward congruent stimuli. Thus, even from 4 months of age, infants are sensitive to the colocation of simultaneously presented auditory and tactile stimuli. We conclude that 4‐ and 6‐month‐old infants can represent auditory and tactile stimuli in a common spatial frame of reference. We explain the age‐wise shift in infants’ preferences from congruent to incongruent in terms of an increased preference for novel crossmodal spatial relations based on the accumulation of experience. A comparison of looking preferences across the congruent and incongruent conditions with a unisensory control condition indicates that the ability to perceive auditory‐tactile colocation is based on a crossmodal rather than a supramodal spatial code by 6 months of age at least.     

Strengthening of a thin austenitic stainless steel coil by cold wavy rolling with no magnetic and dimensional changes

A comparison of the effects of wavy rolling and cold rolling on microstructure variation, phase evolution, tensile and magnetic properties of a thin coil of Fe-18.47Cr-8.10Ni-0.94Mn austenitic stainless steel was made at room temperature. Wavy rolling led to strengthening with no change in magnetic property and thickness, unlike the conventional cold rolling that changed all these properties by deformation induced martensitic transformation, in addition to substructure evolution. The yield strength of 413 MPa and magnetic saturation 3.7 emu/g under mill-annealed condition increased, respectively, to 1208 MPa and 11.8 emu/g, upon four cycles of wavy rolling. While the maximum yield strength of 1790 MPa could be achieved by combining this stage of four cycles of wavy rolling with subsequent 50% conventional cold rolling, the magnetic saturation increased to 73.3 emu/g by deformation induced martensitic transformation caused by the latter.     

Correction to: Is Ultimate Attribution Error Universal? Inter-group Attribution for Success and Failure among University Students in Delhi

In the abstract, the sixth line should read as “Results indicated that both General Caste category and Scheduled Caste category participants showed no inter-group attribution bias.     

On the Place of Culture in Psychological Science

Based on a positivist-empiricist mode of inquiry, mainstream psychology has been vigorously engaged in characterizing human lives in terms of mechanistic and individualistic constructions, with the aim of predicting and controlling the behaviour of acultural and decontextualized others. Committed to a belief in psychological universals, this enterprise is directed at verifying a peculiarly Western intelligibility. In doing so, it ignores the possibilities of other systems of understanding grounded in different cultures and “culture” remains marginalized in the psychological discourse. Viewed in terms of enablements and constraints, differing cultures may contribute a range of psychological intelligibilities, thus enriching the capacities for human relationship. This position is explored by contrasting an Indian with a Western conception of human functioning, with respect to grounding assumptions, and implications of a culturally informed psychology are discussed.     

Minority recruitment into the genetic counseling profession

In the past, genetic counseling training programs have had an abundance of applicants for the number of slots available. They have, however, had a very limited pool of minority applicants. At the June 1992 meeting of the genetic counseling training programs directors the topic of minority recruitment was explored. The resources and recommendations that resulted from this discussion can be used by other medical training programs.     

To master or perform? Exploring relations between achievement goals and conceptual change learning

Background. Research is needed to explore conceptual change in relation to achievement goal orientations and depth of processing. Aims. To address this need, we examined relations between achievement goals, use of deep versus shallow processing strategies, and conceptual change learning using a think‐aloud protocol. Sample and Method. Seventy‐three undergraduate students were assessed on their prior knowledge and misconceptions about Newtonian mechanics, and then reported their achievement goals and participated in think‐aloud protocols while reading Newtonian physics texts. Results. A mastery‐approach goal orientation positively predicted deep processing strategies, shallow processing strategies, and conceptual change. In contrast, a performance‐approach goal orientation did not predict either of the processing strategies, but negatively predicted conceptual change. A performance‐avoidance goal orientation negatively predicted deep processing strategies and conceptual change. Moreover, deep and shallow processing strategies positively predicted conceptual change as well as recall. Finally, both deep and shallow processing strategies mediated relations between mastery‐approach goals and conceptual change. Conclusions. Results provide some support for Dole and Sinatra's (1998) Cognitive Reconstruction of Knowledge Model of conceptual change but also challenge specific facets with regard to the role of depth of processing in conceptual change.