Spatial attention and conscious perception: the role of endogenous and exogenous orienting

Attention has often been considered to be a gateway to consciousness (Posner, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 91(16), 7398–7403, 1994). However, its relationship with conscious perception (CP) remains highly controversial. While theoretical models and experimental data support the role of attention in CP (Chica, Lasaponara, Lupiáñez, Doricchi, &; Bartolomeo, NeuroImage, 51, 1205–1212, 2010; Dehaene, Changeux, Naccache, Sackur, &; Sergent, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10, 204–211, 2006; Mack &; Rock, Inattentional blindness, 1998), recent studies have claimed that at least some forms of attention—endogenous or top-down spatial attention—are neither sufficient nor necessary for CP (Koch &; Tsuchiya, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11, 16–22, 2007). In the present experiments, we demonstrate the importance of exogenously triggered attention for the modulation of CP. Weak or null effects were instead observed when attention was triggered endogenously. Our data are discussed in the framework of recent neuropsychological models (Dehaene et al., Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 10, 204–211, 2006), postulating that activity within reverberating frontoparietal networks, as colocalized with spatial--orienting systems, is the brain correlate of consciously processed information.     

Social anxiety in Chinese- and European-heritage students: the effect of assessment format and judgments of impairment

We examined whether social anxiety resulted in different levels of perceived impairment in first- and second-generation students of Chinese heritage (ns=65 and 47) compared to their European-heritage counterparts (n=60). We also used a modified version of the Anxiety Disorders Interview Schedule (ADIS-IV) to determine whether the 3 groups responded differently to the social demands inherent in interview-based assessment compared to questionnaires. First-generation Chinese participants reported significantly greater social anxiety and impairment than the European heritage group in response to both interviews and questionnaires. The results argue against the notion that social anxiety is perceived to cause less impairment in Chinese North Americans or that interview-based assessment has a differential effect on the Chinese- and European-heritage groups.     

Ethnicity,Social Support,and Depression Among Elderly Chilean People

Recent evidence regarding the relationship between social support and depression in elderly people shows the important role of ethnicity. This research describes the characteristics of social support in a sample of elderly people aged 60 and above living in northern Chile (n = 493), and analyzes the differences in the relationship between social support and depression between an indigenous group (Aymara population, n = 147) and a nonindigenous group (white, Caucasian, mestizo, n = 346). Various dimensions of social support were considered: structural elements, functional social support according to source, and community participation. The results show the existence of significant differences in the characteristics and dimensions of social support depending on sex, ethnicity, and marital status. Further, the central role of the family group is observed for both Aymara and nonindigenous elderly people. The hierarchical regression models obtained result in notable differences in the role of the structural, functional, and community elements of support in explaining depression for the ethnic groups considered.     

The benefits of chess for the intellectual and social-emotional enrichment in schoolchildren

This paper examines the benefits of regularly playing chess for the intellectual and social-emotional enrichment of a group of 170 schoolchildren from 6-16 years old. It is based on a quasi-experimental design, where the independent variable was the extracurricular activity of chess (n = 170) versus extracurricular activities of soccer or basketball (n = 60). The dependent variable was intellectual and socio-affective competence, which was measured by an IQ test (WISC-R), a self-report test (TAMAI) and a hetero-report questionnaire (teacher-tutor's criterion) applied at the beginning and the end of the academic year. In contrast to the comparison group, it was found that chess improves cognitive abilities, coping and problem-solving capacity, and even socioaffective development of children and adolescents who practice it. The results are modulated, particularly in the area socioaffective, by the personal profile of students who choose practice this activity.     

Expanding the evidence: Developments and innovations in clinical practice,training and competency within voice and communication therapy for trans and gender diverse people

Background: Speech and language therapists (SLTs) deliver voice and communication therapy for trans and gender diverse people to facilitate authentic vocal and communicative expression. Davies, Papp, and Antoni (2015) have provided a comprehensive review of the literature, with recommendations for good clinical care. Several areas highlighted as gaps in the research were identified by the current authors as ones in which evidence is expanding.

Aims: To demonstrate 1) an expansion of the evidence base in particular innovations in voice group therapy for trans women and trans men; 2) the importance of delivering voice and communication therapy as part of a complete approach to trans and gender diverse health care; and (3) developments in training and competency in the UK.

Method: Data were drawn from three small-scale projects, two surveys, and one audit.

Measurements: Data from survey and audits and pre- and post-group acoustic measures of and client self-perceptual measures, including the Transsexual Voice Questionnaire (TVQ^MtF); a client-generated set of questions for trans men; and the migration of vocal identity map, adapted from Narrative Therapy practices.

Results: Positive outcomes for both pitch measures and client perception were recorded. Audit and survey data provided evidence of developments in training and competency in the UK.

Conclusion: Evidence supports group therapy as a successful approach for trans individuals across a number of parameters of voice and self-perception. Voice group protocols for both trans men and trans women should take account of the social context within which to explore relational presence and authentic voice. SLTs within gender identity clinics provide voice and communication as part of a broader pathway of care, alongside sharing professional knowledge and skills. Current UK developments are documented as indicators of positive responses to the growth in the number of SLTs seeking to develop specialist skills within this field.     

Psychometric examination of the School Social Climate Questionnaire in Chileans students

The School Social Climate Questionnaire (CECSCE) was adapted and applied. Subsequently, its psychometric proprieties were analyzed. The 1075 Chilean students who participated were assessed with the CECSCE and the School Violence Scale. The results showed that the CECSCE has a bifactorial structure, although there was also the possibility of a unifactorial structure. The CECSCE achieved satisfactory reliability and homogeneity indexes. The CECSCES scores were inversely related to the school violence rate. Lastly, differences by gender and educational level were analyzed. Given that there are differences in school climate perceptions in favor of girls, Chilean standards are presented in percentiles by gender. It can therefore be concluded that the CECSCE is sufficiently valid and reliable to be applied in Chile.     

Development and validation of the statistical anxiety scale

Nowadays, there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that personality variables can play an important role in the prediction of academic performance. However, many authors have mentioned that the differences in the prediction power of broad and narrow personality measures must be taken into account. We develop and validate a scale to assess the anxiety encountered when taking a statistics course. We designed the inventory as a set of 24 positive sentences that measure three subscales: Examination Anxiety , Asking for Help Anxiety and Interpretation Anxiety . In addition, as the three dimensions correlated with each other, they were considered related subscales from an overall scale, which measures statistical anxiety. Results show that these specific measures of anxiety about statistics have a significant relationship with academic performance in statistics whereas broader measures of anxiety or neuroticism do not.     

Exploration styles modulate length perception through dynamic touch

One of the most surprising capacities of the haptic system is the ability to estimate different properties of objects, like weight or length, through invariants of rotational mechanics that are accessible via the proprioceptive system. This field of research is called Dynamic Touch. In its classical experimental paradigm, the participant firmly grasps a rod that can be wielded but not seen, and he or she tries to match the hand-held rod's length using another rod that can be seen but not wielded. In the experiment reported here, we focus on the role of the exploratory behavior, restricting the wielding in six conditions that vary both the amplitude and the frequency of movements. Increments in the speed of the movement are shown to increase the accuracy in the haptic estimation. It is argued that these results support the moment of inertia as the best informational candidate, given that it is an invariant property that only emerges when rotational torques are applied. Alternative candidates such as static moment or mass are discarded because they do not depend on differential movements.     

Social anxiety among East Asians in North America: East Asian socialization or the challenge of acculturation?

North American research has consistently reported higher social anxiety among people of Asian heritage compared to people of Western heritage. The present study used a cross-national sample of 692 university students to explore explanatory hypotheses using planned contrasts of group differences in social anxiety and related variables. The East Asian socialization hypothesis proposed social anxiety would show a linear relation corresponding to the degree of exposure to East Asian cultural norms. This hypothesis was not supported. The cultural discrepancy hypothesis examined whether bicultural East Asian participants (residing in Canada) would endorse higher social anxiety in comparison to unicultural participants (Western-heritage Canadians and native Koreans and Chinese). Compared to unicultural participants, bicultural East Asian participants reported higher social anxiety and depression, a relation that was partially mediated by bicultural participants' reports of lower self-efficacy about initiating social relationships and lower perceived social status. Overall, the results suggest higher reports of social anxiety among bicultural East Asians may be conceptualized within the context of cultural discrepancy with the mainstream culture.     

The Role of Culture and Contextual Risk for Maternal Parenting and Children’s Behavior Regulation in Chile and Germany

Journal of Child and Family Studies - Children’s behavior regulation development takes place in diverse sociocultural settings. In this study, we take a multilayer ecological perspective and...