Cabinets and culture: Victorian anthropology and the museum context

Collections of material artifacts played a central institutional and intellectual role in Victorian anthropology. Ethnological theory argued that evolution in material technology recapitulated broader patterns of social evolution. Arrangement of artifacts into developmental typologies thereby provided heuristic exemplars by which theorists could chart the path of broader institutional change. Museums, in consequence, became centers for professional research and advancement. The central theoretical and disciplinary role of collections was tied to evolutionary theory. As the latter lost its preeminence in the first quarter of the twentieth century, so did museum settings decline in significance.     

The nucleus premammillaris ventralis (pmv) and aggressive behavior in the rat

Small bilateral electrolytic lesions placed just posterior of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus cause a strong increase in offensive behavior. The histology suggests that damage to the ventral premammillary nucleus is responsible for this effect. A summary of the neuroanatomical literature shows that this structure is connected to most other brain structures reported to be involved in offensive behavior.     

Recognition of letters traced in the right and left palms: Evidence for a process-oriented tactile asymmetry

Three experiments were conducted to examine the relative ability of the cerebral hemispheres to identify capital letters traced in the palms of the hands. In Experiment 1, letters were presented either right side up or upside down, and the subject's task was to name the letter aloud or point to an identical letter using the stimulated hand. Analysis of the accuracy data revealed that the left palm/right hemisphere (LP/RH) performed this task significantly better than did the right palm/left hemisphere (RP/LH), particularly when the stimuli were presented in the upside-down orientation. In Experiments 2 and 3, subjects performed the same letter identification task; however, on half the trials, they were required to maintain either a spatial or verbal concurrent memory load (i.e., a 24-point Vanderplas & Garvin form or six low-imagery nouns, respectively). In the no-load condition of Experiment 2 (spatial forms), the previously observed LP/RH advantage was replicated. However, in the load condition, this LP/RH superiority was no longer in evidence. In Experiment 3 (low-imagery nouns), the presence of a concurrent verbal task had minimal impact on the previously observed performance asymmetry as the LP/RH advantage was obtained in both the no-load and load conditions. The results of the three studies taken in composite suggest that (1) the operations utilized to identify letters traced in the palms of the hands are primarily spatial in nature and (2) that the observed performance asymmetry may be attributed to a right hemisphere superiority for the analysis and codification of information along a spatial dimension. These findings are discussed in terms of a "process-oriented" model of hemispheric asymmetry.     

Adolescent Development and the Emergence of Sexuality

Adolescence is a time of significant opportunity and significant challenge. Challenges can be difficult for some adolescents, which may result in problems that are expressed as affective disturbances or by the adolescent's participation in risk-taking behaviors. This review emphasizes the changes in biopsychosocial development during adolescence. We specifically address aspects of individual change during the adolescent decade (e.g., biological, cognitive, psychosocial, and sexual development) as well as the effects of context on normal development and responses to challenges during this period. Predispositions or vulnerabilities present prior to a developmental transition may be exacerbated by the transition. Adolescents can become healthy adults with the encouragement to develop gradually by limiting the simultaneous changes they experience, where possible, and by supporting healthy development through developmentally appropriate activities and supportive relationships with adults and peers.