PERCEIVING CINEMATIC EPISODES: A CROSS-CULTURAL REPERTORY GRID STUDY OF A NARRATIVE FILM SEGMENT*

Film theory has advanced concepts for explaining how it is possible for film viewers to understand what they are seeing. Many of these concepts strongly imply that the production of meaning of a film lies within the film itself - the viewer's role being reduced to that of passive spectator. This study tests that assumption using a repertory grid analysis of constructs elicited from Australian and Hong Kong Chinese subjects as they interpreted a segment of a commercial film. The results showed that the Australian sample construed more emotionally than did the Hong Kong Chinese, who responded more at the level of the film's characterisation. They were also more specific in their construals while the Australians were more diffuse. Further analysis suggested that differences between the two groups were the result of judgments about different attributes of the film, rather than because of different patterns of construing. It was concluded that since there are major differences in the two groups' interpretations of the same film, in the field of film/spectator studies where semiotics and psychology come together, the repertory grid analysis is a useful research tool.     

From print to sound in mature readers as a function of reader ability and two forms of orthographic regularity

Four experiments using college students as subjects provide evidence that both highly skilled and less skilled mature readers derive the names of printed words from visual access of the lexicon rather than by phonological recoding. Regularity of pronunciation (regular vs. exception words) as a variable of orthographic regularity effectiveafter visual code formation had no effect either between or within reading ability groups. Less skilled readers made more errors and were slower than highly skilled readers on both types of words. Sing-letter spatial redundancy, as a variable of orthographic regularity that influences the formation of visual codes, served to differentiate the two groups only in naming nonwords. Highly skilled readers used spatial redundancy to offset the effect of array length, whereas less skilled readers did not. Except for high-frequency words, visual access and retrieval of the pronunciation of words was significantly faster for highly skilled readers. Less skilled readers were most disadvantaged in naming nonwords, a task that requires phonological recoding. Overall results support the hypothesis that reading ability in mature readers is related to the speed of word recognition. Highly skilled readers may make more use of variables of orthographic regularity effective in the formation of visual codes.     

ELSI priorities for brain imaging

As one of the most compelling technologies for imaging the brain, functional MRI (fMRI) produces measurements and persuasive pictures of research subjects making cognitive judgments and even reasoning through difficult moral decisions. Even after centuries of studying the link between brain and behavior, this capability presents a number of novel significant questions. For example, what are the implications of biologizing human experience? How might neuroimaging disrupt the mysteries of human nature, spirituality, and personal identity? Rather than waiting for an ethical agenda to emerge from some unpredictable combination of the concerns of ethicists and researchers, the attention of journalists, or after controversy is sparked by research that cannot be retracted, we queried key figures in bioethics and the humanities, neuroscience, media, industry, and patient advocacy in focus groups and interviews. We identified specific ethical, legal and social issues (ELSI) that highlight researcher obligations and the nonclinical impact of the technology at this new frontier.     

Human Nature and Authoritarianism in Seminary Students and Counselor Trainees

Since it appears that a wide divergence of opinion has existed between ministers and counselors in regard to such issues as a basic doctrine of man and the concept of permissiveness in interpersonal relationships, an attempt was made to compare seminary students and counselor trainees on their perceptions of human nature and tendencies toward authoritarianism.     

Reward history modulates visual attention in an avian model

Animal Cognition - Attention can be biased towards previously reward-associated stimuli even when they are task-irrelevant and physically non-salient, although studies of reward-modulated attention...     

Stages of decompensation in combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder: A new conceptual model

This conceptual article presents a model of severe, chronic combat-related PTSD based on several years of longitudinal clinical observations of Vietnam veterans. The model describes a repeating cycle of decompensation that profoundly disrupts the veteran’s life. There appear to be “stages” of decompensation that can be described clinically and may be distinct physiologically. The stages describe a wide range of functioning, from adaptive to totally dysfunctional. PTSD core symptoms, as well as several other dimensions of clinical functioning, such as affect regulation, defenses, ego states, interactions with the environment, capacity for self-destruction/suicide and capacity for attachment and insight are described for each stage. Clinical and research implications are discussed.     

Avfail in color avoidance learning by starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus)

Certain unconditioned stimuli (UCS) in flavor avoidance learning sometimes become ineffective after pairings with relatively stronger UCS. This failure of avoidance learning (avfail) has been demonstrated only with rodents. The present investigations were conducted to determine whether avfail might also occur with avian species, the food selection of which is guided primarily by visual cues. In Experiment 1, starlings were given pairings of methiocarb (a relatively weak UCS) and LiCl (a relatively strong UCS). In Experiment 2, red-winged blackbirds were given pairings of two concentrations of methiocarb (relatively weak and relatively strong UCS, respectively). Pairings were followed by a conditioning trial (UCS gavage in the presence of a color cue) and two-choice tests. Conditioned avoidance was always observed except when methiocarb preceded LiCl and when the low preceded the high methiocarb dose in preconditioning pairings. Experiment 3 demonstrated that UCS habituation could not account for the results of Experiments 1 and 2. The data reflect avfail in the visual modality, and a biological implication of the results is that birds may not learn strong avoidance of aposematic prey containing varied levels of toxicant.     

Age-associated predictors of medication adherence in HIV-positive adults: health beliefs, self-efficacy, and neurocognitive status.

OBJECTIVE: Although most agree that poor adherence to antiretrovirals is a common problem, relatively few factors have been shown to consistently predict treatment failure. In this study, a theoretical framework encompassing demographic characteristics, health beliefs/attitudes, treatment self-efficacy, and neurocognitive status was examined in relationship to highly active antiretroviral therapy adherence. DESIGN: Prospective, cross-sectional observational design. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Neuropsychological test performance, health beliefs and attitudes, and medication adherence tracked over a 1-month period using electronic monitoring technology (Medication Event Monitoring System caps). RESULTS: The rate of poor adherence was twice as high among younger participants than with older participants (68% and 33%, respectively). Results of binary logistic regression revealed that low self-efficacy and lack of perceived treatment utility predicted poor adherence among younger individuals, whereas decreased levels of neurocognitive functioning remained the sole predictor of poor adherence among older participants. CONCLUSION: These data support components of the health beliefs model in predicting medication adherence among younger HIV-positive individuals. However, risk of adherence failure in those ages 50 years and older appears most related to neurocognitive status.