Detection of sound rise time by adults with dyslexia

Low sensitivity to amplitude modulated (AM) sounds is reported to be associated with dyslexia. An important aspect of amplitude modulation cycles are the rise and fall times within the sound. In this study, simplified stimuli equivalent to just one cycle were used and sensitivity to varying rise times was explored. Adult participants with dyslexia or compensated dyslexia and a control group performed a detection task with sound pairs of different rise times. Results showed that the participants with dyslexia differed from the control group in rise time detection and a correlation was found between rise time detection and reading and phonological skills. A subgroup of participants with lower sensitivity to rise time detection characterized by low accuracy in syllable-level phonological skills was found within the dyslexic group. Short stimuli containing only one rise time produced associations with phonological skills and reading, even in a language where the perception of rise time contrasts are not crucial for the signaling of phonemic contrast.     

The transition from synchronization to continuation tapping

The present study examined changes in timing at the transition from synchronization to continuation tapping and the role played by knowledge of the transition. Three experiments employed a pseudo-synchronization paradigm: At the transition, the pacing tones were replaced by identical feedback tones. In Experiment 1, participants were not informed when the transition would occur. Immediately following the transition, an acceleration of tapping was observed. In Experiment 2, participants were informed about the exact position of the transition, which was in addition marked by a pitch change. Nonetheless, the same acceleration occurred. Experiment 3 dissociated the actual from the expected position of the transition, without changing the results. In addition, the delay of the feedback tones was manipulated and was found to affect the rate of tapping in the continuation phase. A single delayed tone at the transition had no lasting effect, however. The results are interpreted in light of the synchronization-continuation model of Vorberg and Wing [Vorberg, D., & Wing, A. (1996). Modelling variability and dependence in timing. In H. Heuer, & S. W. Keele (Eds.), Handbook of perception and action, Vol. 2 (pp. 181-262). San Diego: Academic Press], with the added assumption that the synchronization tapping strategy is maintained in the continuation phase.     

A review of the H-reflex and M-wave in the human triceps surae

The soleus is the most commonly used muscle for H-reflex studies in humans, while limited comparable data have been produced from the gastrocnemii muscles. This article reviews the fundamental differences between the structure and function of the human soleus and gastrocnemii muscles, including recent data published about their complex innervation zones. Protocols for eliciting, recording, and assessing the H-reflex and M-wave magnitude in the human triceps surae are also discussed.     

Masculinity, Femininity, and the Bem Sex Role Inventory in Turkey

The aim of this study was to examine the masculinity and femininity scales of Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) among Turkish university students. Five hundred thirty-six students (280 men and 256 women) volunteered to complete the short-form of the BSRI and answer demographic questions. In factor analyses, the original factor structure (Bem, 1981) was found both in the mens and womens data. Comparisons of the factor structures with target rotation (Procrustes rotation) and comparison indexes showed no difference between the factor structures found among men and women. The internal consistency of the masculinity and femininity scales was acceptable, and t-tests showed that women scored higher on the femininity scale, and men scored higher on the masculinity scale. There were significant differences between men and women only on two masculinity items, but significant differences were found in 8 (of 10) femininity items.     

Determinants of stress-related growth: Gender,stressfulness of the event,and coping strategies

The present study aimed to investigate the determinants of stress-related growth. For this aim the associations of gender, stressfulness of the event, and three coping strategies (problem-oriented, fatalistic, and helplessness) with stress-related growth were tested by multiple regression analysis. Participants were 132 undergraduate students. Results revealed that females reported higher levels of stress-related growth than males, and as expected, higher levels of the stressfulness of the event associated with more stress-related growth. Furthermore, frequent utilization of problem-oriented and fatalistic coping strategies was associated with higher stress-related growth. These findings were discussed in the light of relevant literature and culture-specific features. This work has been supported by the Turkish Academy of Sciences, in the framework of the Young Scientist Award Program (TG-TUBA-GEB>P/2002-l-l 1).     

Personality dimensions across cultures

In order to generalize the dimensional structure of personality-relatively independent groups of covarying traits-across languages and cultures, a large number of cultures must be studied. Until recently only a few worldwide personality datasets have been available. The first large-scale studies indicate that the pattern of covariation between personality traits is universal and is relatively easily generalizable across languages and cultures. In contrast to the structure of personality, the comparison of the mean trait scores across cultures is much more problematic because cross-cultural differences turned out to be very small in their magnitude, about one-third of the magnitude of individual differences within culture. More integral (e.g., the similarity between personality profiles) or subtle (e.g., the disparity between positively and negatively worded items) measures can reveal more systematic relationships with relevant socioeconomic and geographic variables than the mean scores themselves. Relatively modest sizes of cross-cultural differences in the mean values may imply that a reasonable scalar equivalence can be achieved, and all individuals, irrespective of their language and culture, can be represented in a common metric.     

Socially meaningful vocal plasticity in adult Campbell's monkeys (Cercopithecus campbelli)

Campbell's monkeys (Cercopithecus campbelli) frequently exchange vocalizations, the combined-harmonic calls, with individuals responding to one another's calls. Previous work has shown that these calls can be grouped into several structural variants. Adult females differ in their variant repertoires, which may change during their adult life, particularly after changes in the group composition. Playback of females' currently produced variants triggered vocal responses from other group members, whereas the same females' former, no longer used variants and those of stranger females never did. In contrast, former variants caused long-term cessation of vocal behavior, whereas stranger variants had no effect. Data showed that monkeys were able to distinguish between the different types of variants, indicating that these calls form part of a long-term social memory.     

No aging bias favoring memory for positive material: evidence from a heterogeneity-homogeneity list paradigm using emotionally toned words

Some authors argue for a memory advantage of older adults for positively toned material. To investigate the contribution of selective processing to a positivity effect, the authors investigated young (n = 72, aged 18 to 31) and older (n = 72, aged 64 to 75) adults' memory for emotionally toned words using a multitrial paradigm that compares performance for heterogeneous (mixed valence) and homogeneous (single valence) lists. Regarding the age comparison, there was no evidence for an aging bias favoring positive material. Moreover, older adults' memory was less affected by emotion-based processing prioritization. Although there was no support for age-specific processing biases in memory for emotionally toned words, the findings are consistent with proposals that negative information receives processing priority in some contexts. Possible limits to the generalizability of the present findings (e.g., to nonverbal material) are discussed.     

Intuition and autism: a possible role for Von Economo neurons

Von Economo neurons (VENs) are a recently evolved cell type which may be involved in the fast intuitive assessment of complex situations. As such, they could be part of the circuitry supporting human social networks. We propose that the VENs relay an output of fronto-insular and anterior cingulate cortex to the parts of frontal and temporal cortex associated with theory-of-mind, where fast intuitions are melded with slower, deliberative judgments. The VENs emerge mainly after birth and increase in number until age 4 yrs. We propose that in autism spectrum disorders the VENs fail to develop normally, and that this failure might be partially responsible for the associated social disabilities that result from faulty intuition.