Fixation positions after skipping saccades: A single space makes a large difference

During reading, saccadic eye movements are generated to shift words into the center of the visual field for lexical processing. Recently, Krügel and Engbert (Vision Research 50:1532?C1539, 2010) demonstrated that within-word fixation positions are largely shifted to the left after skipped words. However, explanations of the origin of this effect cannot be drawn from normal reading data alone. Here we show that the large effect of skipped words on the distribution of within-word fixation positions is primarily based on rather subtle differences in the low-level visual information acquired before saccades. Using arrangements of ??x?? letter strings, we reproduced the effect of skipped character strings in a highly controlled single-saccade task. Our results demonstrate that the effect of skipped words in reading is the signature of a general visuomotor phenomenon. Moreover, our findings extend beyond the scope of the widely accepted range-error model, which posits that within-word fixation positions in reading depend solely on the distances of target words. We expect that our results will provide critical boundary conditions for the development of visuomotor models of saccade planning during reading.     

Early detection of drug use and bullying in secondary school children by using a three-dimensional simulation program

The current study analyzes the psychometric properties of an innovative three-dimensional (3D) simulation program, entitled Mii-School (MS), designed for the early detection of drug use and bullying in Secondary School children. This computer program showed adequate reliability and construct validity. The factorial structure, as well as the explanatory weight of the different factors, is presented. In addition, the results of a parallel version in paper and pencil format are also presented and compared with those of the computerized version (i.e., MS). There was a statistically significant difference between the two formats in the total (i.e., combined) sore of risk. When drug use and bullying were separately analyzed, differences were found only with regard to drug use. The relevance of these results as well as the suitability of this type of 3D instrument for the early detection of risky behaviors in young people are discussed.     

Meaning and relational well-being: a reflection on the state of the art and a way forward

This paper provides a brief overview of facets of meaning and relational well-being highlighting the foci of current research on meaning, relationships as sources of meaning, contextual relevance and meta-theoretical assumptions. Lacunae in knowledge are indicated and a model proposed as framework for further research on meaning and relational well-being which was the focused topic of this special issue.     

Capturing and testing perceptual-cognitive expertise: A comparison of stationary and movement response methods

Numerous methods have been used to study expertise and performance. In the present article, we compare the cognitive thought processes of skilled soccer players when responding to film-based simulations of defensive situations involving two different experimental conditions. Participants either remained stationary in a seated position (n = 10) or were allowed to move (n = 10) in response to life-size film sequences of 11 versus 11 open-play soccer situations viewed from a player’s perspective. Response accuracy and retrospective verbal reports of thinking were collected across the two task conditions. In the movement-based response group, participants generated a greater number of verbal report statements, including a higher proportion of evaluation, prediction, and action planning statements, than did participants in the stationary group. Findings suggest that the processing strategies employed during performance differ depending on the nature of the response required of participants. Implications for behavioral methods and experimental design are discussed.     

Studying Children’s Religious Knowledge: Contributions of Ethnography and the Clinical-Critical Method

We analyze different methodological and conceptual contributions of anthropology and psychogenetic theory to the research of children’s religious knowledge. We argue that for the study of children’s points of view it is possible to build an approach that links aspects studied by both disciplinary fields. With this aim, we revise some of their basic theoretical assumptions and recent reviews as well as their methodological proposals. Then we review the core characteristics of ethnography and the clinical–critical method—proposed by Piaget’s psychogenetic theory—with the goal of stressing their potentialities as well as their limitations in research. We argue that within an ethnographic approach, we must establish certain restrictions on the clinical–critical method following basic premises of social anthropology. This approach lets us demonstrate the importance of understanding children’s constructions by placing them within social relations that children produce and update in everyday interactions.     

Adjective–noun order as representational structure: Native-language grammar influences perception of similarity and recognition memory

This article describes two experiments linking native-language grammar rules with implications for perception of similarity and recognition memory. In prenominal languages (e.g., English), adjectives usually precede nouns, whereas in postnominal languages (e.g., Portuguese), nouns usually precede adjectives. We explored the influence of such rules upon similarity judgments about, and recognition of, objects with multiple category attributes (one nominal attribute and one adjectival attribute). The results supported the hypothesized primacy effect of native-language word order such that nouns generally carried more weight for Portuguese speakers than for English speakers. This pattern was observed for judgments of similarity (i.e., Portuguese speakers tended to judge objects that shared a noun-designated attribute as more similar than did English speakers), as well as for false alarms in recognition memory (i.e., Portuguese speakers tended to falsely recognize more objects if they possessed a familiar noun attribute, relative to English speakers). The implications of such linguistic effects for the cognition of similarity and memory are discussed.     

The Validity of the Massie-Campbell Attachment During Stress Scale (ADS)

The present study is the first step towards validating the Massie-Campbell attachment during stress scale (ADS). The ADS is a one-page guide to standardized observation of mother-infant interactions meant to detect insecure attachment behaviors. So far it was used infrequently in scientific research but it is widely applied in the Chilean public health system. To establish the ADS’s convergent, concurrent, and construct validity, the ADS was compared with the Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) and correlated with maternal sensitivity. Videotapes of the SSP were coded with the ADS and the resulting ADS attachment classifications were compared with the SSP classifications. It was found that the ADS can distinguish moderately well between securely attached and non-securely attached mother-infant dyads, and the ADS was also associated with observed maternal sensitivity. However, the ADS suffers from a number of limitations that warrant further study. In particular, the ADS proved unable to detect resistantly attached mother-infant dyads. Revision of the scale and its scoring rules seems necessary in order to improve its validity as a screening device in scientific research and clinical practice.     

Casa de Alba: Therapeutic community for severe mental health problems

The Romão de Sousa Foundation has worked for three years to establish Casa de Alba which aims to help individuals and families affected by mental health problems. Working within a relational-integrative framework, Casa de Alba has a multidisciplinary team which makes use of therapeutic community theory and a range of psychological therapies and psychosocial interventions including individual and group psychotherapy, occupational therapy, arts, yoga, psychiatric consultation and pharmacotherapy, as well as the encouragement of self-management in everyday activities within the house. The use of over 20 acres of outdoor space will form part of the day to day therapeutic programme with activities such as horticultural therapy, ridding, walking and sports. Supervision will be used to help the staff team integrate different modalities and approaches as well as to improve the service.     

Partial Likelihood Estimation of IRT Models with Censored Lifetime Data: An Application to Mental Disorders in the ESEMeD Surveys

Developmental studies of mental disorders based on epidemiological data are often based on cross-sectional retrospective surveys. Under such designs, observations are right-censored, causing underestimation of lifetime prevalences and correlations, and inducing bias in latent trait models on the observations. In this paper we propose a Partial Likelihood (PL) method to estimate unbiased IRT models of lifetime predisposition to develop a certain outcome. A two-step estimation procedure corrects the IRT likelihood of outcome appearance with a function depending on (a) projected outcome frequencies at the end of the risk period, and (b) outcome censoring status at the time of the observation. Simulation results showed that the PL method yielded good recovery of true frequencies and intercepts. Slopes were best estimated when events were sufficiently correlated. When PL is applied to lifetime mental health disorders (assessed in the ESEMeD project surveys), estimated univariate prevalences were, on average, 1.4 times above raw estimates, and 2.06 higher in the case of bivariate prevalences.