Establishing Transfer of Compound Control in Children: A Stimulus Control Analysis

The Psychological Record - Five-year-old children received training on four symbolic match-to-sample tasks with single-element stimuli (A1-B1, A2-B2; P1-Q1, P2-Q2). Then they received training on...     

Treatment dynamics in sensorimotor disorders: the contribution of electrophysiology]

In the field of sensorimotor activities, progresses achieved over the last fifty years have been largely driven by the Reaction Time (RT) paradigm. Information processing models are set in the context of a global breakdown of sensorimotor activities in multiple concatenated stages, each aggregated in many fundamental operations that are functionally linked. If there is a consensus today about this breakdown, the way stages organize themselves in time however is still much debated. According to one hypothesis, there is no temporal overlap between each stages: the process occurs sequentially. According to another theory, the stages overlap over in time: the process occurs in a parallel manner. A behavioral analysis does not allow to determine between these two hypothesis because the RT represents the final product of the whole sensorimotor pathway, while the temporal organization of the processing of information depends on the nature of the transfer between individual stages. An all-or-nothing information transfer, also called discrete, leads to a sequential organization, while a progressive or continuous transfer brings about a parallel organization. Moreover, contrary to a preconceived notion, data obtained from classical neurophysiology are compatible with both a sequential organization and a parallel organization. Particularly, the great number of connections between the different elements of the nervous system has often seemed difficult to conciliate with a sequential organization. In fact, this argument is inadmissible because it stems from confusion between a temporal organization and an anatomical organization of the processing of information. More generally, our knowledge of the functional anatomy of sensorimotor activities imposes but few constraints on the temporal organization patterns of the processing of information. The lack of interest for the neurophysiological argument seems essentially due to the fact that theses arguments rest on research which is not aimed at the temporal organization of the sensorimotor information processing. Recently, approaches that integrate concepts and methods used in experimental psychology and neurosciences have contributed to putting in perspective the organization of information processing. Electromyography, EEG, reflexology and neuronal recording techniques have been used in the context of two inference logics. The first logic, that we call "factual", is based on the study of functional relations between RT and certain neuronal events. The second logic, that we call "chronometric", is based on the study of the relationships between RT and intervals resulting from the breakdown of the RT in relation to certain neuronal events. Generally speaking, most studies suggest that in tasks where the stimulus is composed of numerous attributes, information processing operates in parallel. On the other hand, when the stimulus is made up of a single attribute, information processing could be operating in a sequential manner. One weakness of this electrophysiological approach is that it has so far only examined relationships between physiological indicators and means RT. We propose here to offset these weaknesses by examining functional relationships between RT distribution variances and certain neuronal events linked to information processing.     

Physiological evidence for response inhibition in choice reaction time tasks

Inhibition is a widely used notion proposed to account for data obtained in choice reaction time (RT) tasks. However, this concept is weakly supported by empirical facts. In this paper, we review a series of experiments using Hoffman reflex, transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography to study inhibition in choice RT tasks. We provide empirical support for the idea that inhibition does occur during choice RT, and the implications of those findings for various classes of choice RT models are discussed.     

Being the agent: memory for action events

Whoever paid the bill at the restaurant last night, will clearly remember doing it. Independently from the type of action, it is a common experience that being the agent provides a special strength to our memories. Even if it is generally agreed that personal memories (episodic memory) rely on separate neural substrates with respect to general knowledge (semantic memory), little is known on the nature of the link between memory and the sense of agency. In the present paper, we review results from two experiments investigating the effects of agency on both explicit and implicit memory traces. Performance of normal subjects is compared to that of schizophrenic patients in order to explore the role of awareness of action on memory. It is proposed that reliable first-person information is necessary to create a stable and coherent motor memory trace.     

Does training have consequences for the walk-run transition speed?

A number of authors when studying the walk-run transition phenomenon focused either on the mechanical or energy expenditure whilst only a few used both parameters concurrently. Moreover the literature demonstrates that the contribution of these variables changes along with the level and method of training. Consequently the purpose of this study is to find, by analyzing concurrently these two variables, if the walk-run transition speed is linked to the type of training. To this end we calculated two theoretical transition speeds: one based on the metabolic energy expenditure St(1) and the second one based on the internal work St(2). Subjects were divided into three groups (untrained, sprint and endurance-trained men) who were required to walk and run on a treadmill at increasing speeds. Firstly we show that the relationship between St(1) and St(2) differs depending on the groups. Sprinters have a significantly lower St(2) than St(1) whereas the opposite is found for untrained subjects. We also show that the transition speed is linked to the subject's type of training. To conclude it seems that acquiring running techniques through specific training has consequences for the walk-run transition phenomenon.     

Associations Between Conduct Disorder,Neurodevelopmental Problems and Psychopathic Personality Traits in a Swedish Twin Youth Population

Previous research has found a complex relationship between psychopathic traits, neurodevelopmental problems (NDPs), and conduct disorder (CD) in children. This study explores associations between psychopathic traits, assessed with the Child Problematic Traits Inventory—Short Version (CPTI-SV), and CD in children with and without coexisting NDPs (i.e., attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD] and autism spectrum disorder [ASD]) in a community-based sample of Swedish twins (n?=?8762). Findings indicate weak to moderately strong correlations between psychopathic traits and CD, ADHD, and ASD, respectively. Furthermore, in univariable analyses, both psychopathic traits and NDPs displayed significant positive associations with being screened positive for CD, though only the grandiose-deceitful dimension of CPTI-SV and the ADHD domain concentration and attention deficits remained significantly associated with CD in a multivariable regression model. The results are relevant to screening and assessment in child and youth psychiatry, as a grandiose and deceitful interpersonal style may also be a valid sign of children at risk of developing CD.     

Activation of latent self-schemas as a cognitive vulnerability factor for depression: The potential role of implicit self-esteem

To date, only two studies have investigated implicit self-esteem in depressed individuals. Surprisingly, both studies found evidence not in line with the cognitive theory of depression. We wanted to test whether these findings are replicable by investigating implicit self-esteem using the Implicit Association Test in currently depressed (CD), never depressed controls (ND), and formerly depressed individuals (FD). The latter two groups were tested before and after a negative mood induction. The results are in line with the previous two studies suggesting no difference in implicit self-esteem between CD patients and ND controls. Moreover, before mood induction, FD individuals evidenced a higher implicit self-esteem as compared to the two other groups. Compared to ND participants, FD individuals showed a significant drop in implicit self-esteem after the negative mood induction procedure, but this was due to the higher implicit self-esteem of FD before the mood induction. These results are discussed in the light of new perspectives on implicit self-esteem and depression.     

Alexithymia and Affect Intensity of Fine Artists

Research on creative artists has examined mainly their personality traits or cognitive abilities. However, it seems important to explore also their emotional traits to complete the profile. This study examines two emotional characteristics: alexithymia and affect intensity. Even if most research suggests that artists are less alexithymic and experience more intensively their emotions, Botella, M., Zenasni, F., and Lubart, T. (Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 5 , 251, 2011) observed that art students were as alexithymic as psychology students and more alexithymic than a normative population. The aim of this study was to examine these issues with artists and non‐artists and to compare artists to art students. Results indicate that artists are less alexithymic and present higher affect intensity than non‐artists. Moreover, results show that art students present more difficulties processing their emotions than artists.     

Possible competences to be aimed at in ethics education – Ethical competences highlighted in educational research journals

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present varieties of ethical competence that are highlighted in ethics and moral education research articles, and to discuss them in the light of competences stressed in the Swedish curriculum, understood as an example of ethics education in compulsory school. The material consists of 1,940 educational research articles published between 2000 and 2015, and the method of analysis is inductive, focusing on ethical competence. One finding is the similarity between the study’s tentative formulation of identified ethical competences in four categories, and Rest’s understanding of acting morally, captured in the four components: sensitivity, judgement, motivation and implementation. Based on the analysis of the articles, broader understandings of these focuses are developed, and later discussed in relation to Swedish ethics education, characterised as both a conservative and liberal values education. The analyses and comparison show the importance of the components of moral sensitivity and moral implementation and their relative absence in the Swedish curriculum, but also how moral judgement must include a competence to evaluate moral motivations, where empirically testable reasons are also central. Moreover, the risk of neglecting contextual, situational and knowledge-related aspects of ethical competence is highlighted.