Neuroethics,confidentiality, and a cultural imperative in early onset Alzheimer disease: a case study with a First Nation population

The meaningful consideration of cultural practices, values and beliefs is a necessary component in the effective translation of advancements in neuroscience to clinical practice and public discourse. Society’s immense investment in biomedical science and technology, in conjunction with an increasingly diverse socio-cultural landscape, necessitates the study of how potential discoveries in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease are perceived and utilized across cultures. Building on the work of neuroscientists, ethicists and philosophers, we argue that the growing field of neuroethics provides a pragmatic and constructive pathway to guide advancements in neuroscience in a manner that is culturally nuanced and relevant. Here we review a case study of one issue in culturally oriented neuroscience research where it is evident that traditional research ethics must be broadened and the values and needs of diverse populations considered for meaningful and relevant research practices. A global approach to neuroethics has the potential to furnish critical engagement with cultural considerations of advancements in neuroscience.     

Overcoming Interpersonal Offenses: Is Forgiveness the Only Way to Deal With Unforgiveness?

Almost everyone is unforgiving at times. Many people seek to deal with the revenge and avoidance of unforgiveness by forgiving. The authors explore potential predictors of unforgiveness and forgiveness for a specific offense in 91 undergraduates. Positive feelings of forgiveness were uniquely predicted by dispositional forgivingness and by the participants' deliberate attempt to forgive the offense. Different patterns of predictors suggest that unforgiveness and forgiveness are not necessarily reciprocally related. This implies that interventions might be developed to reduce unforgiveness without attempting to promote forgiveness. This may be crucial in situations where forgiveness is not desirable.     

Book reviews

DIMSOND, S. The Double Brain. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. 1972.Pp. 229. £ 3.50.

ANDERSON, J. R. and BOWER, G. H. Human Associative Memory. Washington: V. H. Winston and Sons. 1973. Pp. 524. £ 8.55.

SOMMERHOFF, G. Logic of the Living Brain. London: John Wiley and Sons. 1974. Pp. 413. £ 5.75.

KLAUSMEIER, H. J., GHATALA, E. S. and FRAYER, D. A. Conceptual Learning and De-velopment. London: Academic Press. 1974. Pp 284. £ 7.00.

RATCLIFF, F. (ED.) Studies on Excitation and Inhibition in the Retina. A Collection of Papers from the Laboratories of H. Keffler Hartime. London: Chapman and Hall. 1974. Pp. 668. £ 8.50.

ROCK, I. orientation and Form. London: Academic Press. Inc. (London) Ltd. 1973-Pp. 165. £ 5.60.

BOWER, T. G. R. Devolopment in Infancy. Reading: W. H. Freeman and Co. 1974. Pp. 258. £ 2.90

CONNOLLY, K. J. and BRUNER,J. S. (Eds). The Growth of Competence. London: Aca-demic Press. 1974. Pp. 327. £ 6.80.

PIAGET, J. and INHELDER, B. (Translated by POmerans, A.) The Child's Construction of Quantities. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. 1974. Pp. 285. £ 5.75.

GARNER, W. R. The Processing of Information and Structure. Potomac: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 1974. Pp. xi + 203. £ 6.00.

CARTERETTE, E. C. and FRIEDMAN, M. P. (Eds). Handbook of Perception. Vol. III. Bilogy of Perceptual System. London: Acadmic Press, Inc. (London) Ltd. 1973. Pp. 521. £ 00.00.     

Contour synchrony in binocular rivalry

Afterimages of rivalrous vertical and horizontal lines were generated simultaneously in each eye. Either a horizontal and a vertical line or two vertical lines were presented to one eye with the complementary rivalrous pair to the other eye. Synchrony of line pairs presented to the same eye was longer than predicted on the basis of independence, irrespective of the monocular configuration. Furthermore, there appeared to be a facilitatory effect for lines of the same orientation if they were presented to one eye rather than combined from both eyes.