Representing the meanings of object and action words: the featural and unitary semantic space hypothesis

This paper presents the Featural and Unitary Semantic Space (FUSS) hypothesis of the meanings of object and action words. The hypothesis, implemented in a statistical model, is based on the following assumptions: First, it is assumed that the meanings of words are grounded in conceptual featural representations, some of which are organized according to modality. Second, it is assumed that conceptual featural representations are bound into lexico-semantic representations that provide an interface between conceptual knowledge and other linguistic information (syntax and phonology). Finally, the FUSS model employs the same principles and tools for objects and actions, modeling both domains in a single semantic space. We assess the plausibility of the model by showing that it can capture generalizations presented in the literature, in particular those related to category-related deficits, and show that it can predict semantic effects in behavioral experiments for object and action words better than other models such as Latent Semantic Analysis (Landauer & Dumais, 1997) and similarity metrics derived from Wordnet (Miller & Fellbaum, 1991).     

EFFICACY AND MAINTENANCE OF AN EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR A CONSUMER COOPERATIVE

We examined the effects of contingency management on participation in and maintenance of an education program by new members of a student housing cooperative. With credit and fine contingencies in place, the percentage of participants completing study guides was five times higher than without the contingencies. Members continued to implement the program for 9 years without researcher involvement.     

EFFECTS OF CALORIC LEVEL ON RUMINATING

A series of recent studies has shown that a number of dietary variables affect ruminative behavior in institutionalized retarded persons. This experiment extends an earlier study that examined the influence of the caloric level of the diet on the frequency of ruminating. Subjects consumed regular portions of food that varied between phases from normal to high caloric levels. The data show a clear but modest inverse relation between the caloric value of the diet and the rates of postmeal ruminating.     

Does Legalized Gambling Elevate the Risk of Suicide? An Analysis of U.S. Counties and Metropolitan Areas

This study addresses a possible link between suicide and casino gambling. Resident suicide rates are analyzed for (a) a 1990 cross-section of 148 U.S. metropolitan areas and (b) before and after the advent of legalized casinos in five U.S. counties. Data are drawn from government and gaming industry sources. In cross-section, metro area suicide is strongly correlated with region, accidental death and homicide rates, age and race composition, and economic vitality, followed by a modest net positive correlation with casino presence. By contrast, the time series analysis yields no evidence of a gambling effect.     

Why a superman cannot help a tsunami: activation of grammatical class influences resolution of young and older adults' tip-of-the-tongue states

Young (aged 18-23), young-old (aged 61-73), and old-old (aged 75-89) adults saw general knowledge questions whose answers were designated target words. Participants responded that they knew, did not know, or were having a tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) state for the answer. After TOT states, participants saw a 5-word list in which 1 was a "prime" containing the target's first syllable and that shared or differed in part of speech from the target. The question was then presented again, and target retrieval was attempted. Results revealed age differences in resolution of TOT states as a function of the prime's grammatical class. Following different part-of-speech primes, young and young-old adults showed increased resolution of TOT states relative to phonologically unrelated words, whereas old-old adults did not. In contrast, old-old adults demonstrated decreased resolution of TOT states following same part-of-speech primes, whereas young and young-old adults' TOT resolution was unaffected. These findings are consistent with interactive activation theories of speech production in which phonology can influence lexical selection and also suggest an increased susceptibility to phonological competitors in the later stages of the aging process.     

Rate and variability of finger tapping as measures of lateralized concurrent task effects

Using a sample of 48 normal right-handed adults, we assessed the effects of oral reading on concurrent unimanual finger tapping under all combinations of instructional set (speeded vs. consistent tapping), tapping movement (repetitive vs. alternating), task emphasis (reading emphasized vs. tapping emphasized), and tapping hand. Change in tapping rate and variability was measured relative to the corresponding single task control condition. Reading decreased the rate of speeded finger tapping but increased the rate of consistent tapping. In both instances, the right hand was affected more than the left hand. Asymmetries were comparable for repetitive and alternating tapping. When measured in terms of variability, however, effects were largely symmetric. The findings clarify the conditions under which lateralized concurrent task effects are most likely to occur and show that such effects are not statistical artifacts. It appears that subjects attempt to coordinate the timing of concurrent activities and that speech timing is more strongly linked to right-hand control than to left-hand control in right-handers.     

Gender and Military Contextual Risk Factors for Intimate Partner Aggression

This study explored individual and military risk factors for intimate partner aggression (IPA) perpetration among Navy personnel in their second year of service. We found some evidence that job stress was related to higher perpetration among men. Contrary to expectations, ship duty was related to lower perpetration rates, even though it involves more military operational stress and more frequent deployments than does shore duty. Premilitary alcohol problems were a stronger risk factor for men than for women, whereas premilitary patterns of aggressive behavior were a stronger risk factor for women. Recommendations for future research and public health interventions are discussed.     

Emotion,gender, and gender typical identity in autobiographical memory

Gender differences in the emotional intensity and content of autobiographical memory (AM) are inconsistent across studies, and may be influenced as much by gender identity as by categorical gender. To explore this question, data were collected from 196 participants (age 18–40), split evenly between men and women. Participants narrated four memories, a neutral event, high point event, low point event, and self-defining memory, completed ratings of emotional intensity for each event, and completed four measures of gender typical identity. For self-reported emotional intensity, gender differences in AM were mediated by identification with stereotypical feminine gender norms. For narrative use of affect terms, both gender and gender typical identity predicted affective expression. The results confirm contextual models of gender identity (e.g., Diamond, 2012 Diamond, L. M. (2012). The desire disorder in research on sexual orientation in women: Contributions of dynamical systems theory. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41, 73–83. doi: 10.1007/s10508-012-9909-7[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]. The desire disorder in research on sexual orientation in women: Contributions of dynamical systems theory. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41, 73–83) and underscore the dynamic interplay between gender and gender identity in the emotional expression of autobiographical memories.