Phonological mediation in visual masked priming: evidence from phonotactic repair

In a series of 4 experiments, the authors show that phonological repair mechanisms, known to operate in the auditory modality, are directly translated in the visual modality. This holds with the provision that printed stimuli are presented for a very brief duration and that the effect of phonological repair is tested after a delay of some 100 ms has elapsed after that presentation. The case of phonological repair chosen to exemplify the parallelism between print and speech is the prosthesis of /e/ in utterances beginning with /s/ followed by a consonant in Spanish. Native speakers of Spanish hear a prothetic /e/ in auditorily presented pseudowords such as special (/speojal/, derived from "especial") as well as stuto (/stuto/, derived from "astuto"). It is shown here that they also hear that same vowel /e/ when presented with the printed pseudowords "special" and "stuto." This finding of a phonological repair effect in print has implications for the issue of phonological activation from print, as well as for the prelexical locus and mandatory nature of phonological repair mechanisms in general.     

External validation of the computerized, group administrable adaptation of the “operation span task”

One of the most widely used tasks for measuring working memory capacity is the operation span task (OSPAN; Turner & Engle, 1989). This task has almost always been applied individually, and stimuli presentation is controlled by the experimenter. Recently, De Neys, d'Ydewalle, Schaeken, and Vos (2002) improved the administration procedure by designing an automated, group-administrable version of the task (GOSPAN). They found GOSPAN to be reliable, and they also provided evidence on its validity (a significant positive correlation between GOSPAN and OSPAN scores). However, an external test of GOSPAN validity is still lacking. In this work, we present such a validation for the automated version, when the task is administered both individually (Experiment 1) and to groups (Experiment 2). There are abundant previous data on the relation between working memory capacity and reading comprehension. In this work, this relation is studied using an automated OSPAN version to measure working memory capacity. Given that our results are similar to those found using the original OSPAN, our data support the external validity of the automated version of the task. We also tested the reliability of the task and found high internal consistency in both experiments.     

Spanish adaptation of the Adolescents' perceived collective family efficacy scale

The aim of current article was the adaptation and validation of the Adolescents' Perceived Collective Family Efficacy Scale (EFCP/A) in the Spanish context. The sample includes 486 adolescents. Psychometric properties of the EFCP/A were examined with exploratory factor analysis, item analysis and reliability. Construct validity was examined by means of correlations with parental relationships (PBI). The correlations with drug use (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis) and coping strategies were also examined. Results supported the unidimensionality and reliability of the EFCP/A scale in the Spanish context. As hypothesised, adolescents' beliefs in collective family efficacy are highly correlated with the quality of their paternal and maternal relationships. Further, the adolescents who are convinced that their family is efficacious display more productive coping strategies and less drug use.     

Body weight increase in expectant males and helpers of cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus): a symptom of the Couvade syndrome?

In the cooperative breeding system of cotton-top tamarin (TCB; Saguinus oedipus) males gain weight during the last months of pregnancy of their partners as a way to cope with energy costs of reproduction. This phenomenon was described only in humans as a symptom of . As after infants' birth, TCB male and female helpers lose weight, the same as fathers do, it might be expected that previously, they also gain weight. In 8 groups of TCB, we explored body weight changes of the three categories of individuals, in periods of six months, under three different reproductive conditions: control (no pregnancy and without offspring), pregnancy (pregnancy and without offspring), and raising (with offspring). We found that across pregnancy, TCBs increase their weight in the last trimester of that period while across breeding TCBs reduce their weight in the first trimester. Expectant males and also helpers could be preparing during pregnancy in relation to the weight losses they experience when raising their young.     

Effect of Concurrent Visual Feedback Frequency on Postural Control Learning in Adolescents

The purpose was to find better augmented visual feedback frequency (100% or 67%) for learning a balance task in adolescents. Thirty subjects were divided randomly into a control group, and 100% and 67% feedback groups. The three groups performed pretest (3 trials), practice (12 trials), posttest (3 trials) and retention (3 trials, 24 hours later). The reduced feedback group showed lower RMS in the posttest than in the pretest (p = 0.04). The control and reduced feedback groups showed significant lower median frequency in the posttest than in the pretest (p < 0.05). Both feedback groups showed lower values in retention than in the pretest (p < 0.05). Even when the effect of feedback frequency could not be detected in motor learning, 67% of the feedback was recommended for motor adaptation.