EEG feedback training in the treatment of epilepsy: Some questions and some answers

A basic question in EEG feedback training of epileptic patients is whether the decrease in seizures is specifically due to the training or to other factors. Questions may also be raised as to what EEG changes are involved. Preliminary results in five patients suggest that seizure reductions can occur with training which are not due to placebo or nonspecific effects or to changes in medication compliance. These changes occurred rapidly during EEG-contingent feedback training but not when feedback was random in relation to the EEG. Reliable changes in the EEG were also observed, but the question of which mechanism accounts for these results has yet to be answered.     

Canonical correlations with fallible data

The technique of canonical correlation may be used to determine the extent to which two sets of measurements reflect the same underlying traits. However, if the two sets are not perfectly reliable, the unreliability may obscure the fact that they are essentially dependent on similar processes. If we attempt to determine sets of weights so as to maximize the correlation between linear composites after correction for attenuation in the composites, it turns out that the results may be obtained by determining the canonical correlations and canonical regression weights between the true score components of the measures making up the two sets. In addition, formulas are developed for calculating the correlations between the canonical variates and original measures, both corrected and uncorrected for attenuation. A numerical example relating the verbal to the performance subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children is presented.     

Self-concept and sociometric outcomes: a comparison of only children and sibling children from urban and rural areas in the People's Republic of China.

We investigated differences in self-concept between 360 only children and 555 sibling children in the sixth grade of three urban schools and three rural schools in the People's Republic of China. Peer perceptions and teacher perceptions were also collected using sociometric measures. Self-concept was determined by the Self-Perception Profile for Children (Harter, 1985). Comparisons of sibling children and only children showed no differences on self-concept; however, urban residents had higher self-concept scores than children from rural areas, and boys scored higher than girls. No significant interaction effects between sibling status, gender, and residence were found.     

Effect of field size, head motion, and rotational velocity on roll vection and illusory self-tilt in a tumbling room

The effect of field size, velocity, and visual fixation upon the perception of self-body rotation and tilt was examined in a rotating furnished room. Subjects sat in a stationary chair in the furnished room which could be rotated about the body roll axis. For full-field conditions, complete 360 degrees body rotation (tumbling) was the most common sensation (felt by 80% of subjects). Constant tilt or partial tumbling (less than 360 degrees rotation) occurred more frequently with a small field of view (20 deg). The number of subjects who experienced complete tumbling increased with increases in field of view and room velocity (for velocities between 15 and 30 degrees s-1). The speed of perceived self-rotation relative to room rotation also increased with increasing field of view.     

The Relationship Between Health and Human Services and the Personal Goal-Directed Activities of Persons Living with AIDS

This study evaluates the relationship between the social climate from different services and the personal goal-directed activities of 224 individuals with AIDS. The study's results supported the main hypothesis that recipient and participatory service involvement uniquely influence personal goal-directed activities, even after considering individuals with AIDS' physical symptoms, psychological distress, income, and recruitment site. Income and involvement with participatory services were both positively related to the amount of personal goal-directed activity. Longitudinal analyses suggest that personal initiative contributes to the subsequent amount of personal goal-directed activities a person pursues. These results suggest further examination of factors contributing to the selection of different service types and of the processes underlying the relationship between participatory services and positive outcomes for clients with AIDS.     

An automatic micropipette fluid dispenser

An automatic device for repeated dispensation of a precisely controlled amount of fluid is described. The device employs a repeating micropipette powered by an electric motor geared to a rack-and-pinion drive. In our particular application, thirsty rats work for 0.2-ml shots of water delivered to a metal spout connected to a drinkometer circuit. This arrangement permits the recording of both volumetric intake and the number of licks directed at the spout.     

Braille literacy as a human right: A challenge to the “inefficiency” argument against braille instruction

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) affirms a right to education for disabled persons and aims to ensure braille instruction for blind individuals. However, there is evidence that braille instruction is often circumvented or abandoned early in CRPD nations because it is perceived as an inefficient learning medium for blind students. This perception persists despite insufficient empirical evidence and a lack of understanding of the efficiency of reading versus listening for learning in sighted individuals. We therefore investigated the efficiency of learning written versus spoken words in blind and sighted samples. Participants (23 blind, 20 sighted) studied the written definitions of 70 rare English words in successive rounds, presented in conjunction with written or spoken wordforms. Blind participants learned with equal efficiency across modalities, whereas sighted participants learned spoken words more efficiently. The findings indicate the inefficiency argument against teaching braille is groundless, both because braille word learning is not less efficient than auditory word learning for blind individuals, and because reading is valued in the education of sighted individuals despite its apparent inefficiency in that population.     

Expectant adolescent couples' relations and subsequent parenting behavior

The goal of this study was to test the “spill over” hypothesis—that the quality of relations between expectant couples would predict parenting behavior—among a sample of adolescent mothers and fathers. At Time 1, self‐reported and observational relationship data were collected from 36 expectant adolescent couples. At follow‐up, observational data were collected from both young mothers and fathers who were asked to participate in a structured play activity with their 2‐year‐old children. Logistic and multiple regression analyses were run to examine the correspondence between couples' relationship quality prior to the childbirth and subsequent relationship status (i.e., paternal disengagement or coparenting) and the quality of parenting behavior. Results generally supported the spill over hypothesis. More specifically, findings indicated that the quality of the expectant mother's behavior toward her partner predicted his (paternal) behavior at follow‐up. Couples who reported high positive relations at the prenatal assessment were more likely to remain involved in coparenting. Results underscore the relevance of couples' relations to the development of positive parenting practices among atypical samples of mothers and fathers.