The effect of content and physical properties of affective pictures on emotional responses

The aim of this research was to study the influence of both the emotional content and the physical characteristics of affective stimuli on the psychophysiological, behavioral and cognitive indexes of the emotional response. We selected 54 pictures from the IAPS, depicting unpleasant, neutral, and pleasant contents, and used two picture sizes as experimental conditions (120 x 90 cm and 52 x 42 cm). Sixty-one subjects were randomly assigned to each experimental condition. We recorded the startle blink reflex, skin conductance response, heart rate, free viewing time, and picture valence and arousal ratings. In line with previous research (e.g., Bradley, Codispoti, Cuthbert, and Lang, 2001), our data showed an effect of the affective content on all the measurements recorded. Importantly, effects of the size of the affective pictures on emotional responses were not found, indicating that the emotional content is more important than the formal properties of the stimuli in evoking the emotional response.     

Interpersonal dynamics in sport: The role of artificial neural networks and 3-D analysis

In previous attempts to identify dynamical systems properties in patterns of play in team sports, only 2-D analysis methods have been used, implying that the plane of motion must be preselected and that movements out of the chosen plane are ignored. In the present study, we examined the usefulness of 3-D methods of analysis for establishing the presence of dynamical systems properties, such as phase transitions and symmetry-breaking processes in the team sport of rugby. Artificial neural networks (ANN s) were employed to reconstruct the 3-D performance space in a typical one-versus-one subphase of rugby. Results confirm that ANs are reliable tools for reconstructing a 3-D performance space and may be instrumental in identifying pattern formation in team sports generally.     

Reading for repetition and reading for translation: do they involve the same processes?

Theories of translation differ in the role assigned to the reformulation process. One view, the "horizontal" approach, considers that translation involves on-line searches for matches between linguistic entries in the two languages involved [Gerver, D. (1976). Empirical studies of simultaneous interpretation: A review and a model. In R. W. Brislin (Ed.), Translation: Applications and research (pp. 165-207). New York: Gardiner]. The second view, the "vertical" approach, assumes that on-line reformulation does not take place while reading: translation involves giving lexical expression to the meaning extracted after comprehension [Seleskovitch, D. (1976). Interpretation: A psychological approach to translating. In R.W. Brislin (Ed.), Translation: Applications and research (pp. 92-116). New York: Gardner]. In four experiments, translators or bilinguals read sentences for repetition or for translation. When participants read for translation, on-line and global comprehension was affected by lexical ambiguity and memory load (Experiment 1a and 1b). Furthermore, cognate words located at the final portion of the sentences facilitated performance (Experiment 2a and 2b). However, when participants were asked to understand and repeat the sentences, lexical ambiguity and the cognate status of the words did not have any effect. This pattern of results provides support for horizontal theories of translation.     

Different ways of encoding geometric information by goldfish (Carassius auratus)

On the basis of results of a probe trial in 2 different experiments, K. Cheng (2005) has proposed a common mechanism for orientation in fish trained in both a map-like or relational procedure and a directly cued procedure. However, K. Cheng's model is inconsistent with previous results of goldfish (Carassius auratus) trained in these 2 tasks. Given that K. Cheng's proposal assumes that fish choose the goal by using a matching strategy in which they try to match as many properties as possible, including geometric and featural properties, future research is necessary to clarify what properties of the environmental space are codified and used for navigation.     

Time course of attentional bias to emotional scenes in anxiety: Gaze direction and duration

Pictures of emotionally neutral, positive, and negative (threat- or harm-related) scenes were presented for 3 seconds, paired with nonemotional control pictures. The eye fixations of high and low trait anxiety participants were monitored. Intensity of stimulus emotionality was varied, with two levels of perceptual salience for each picture (colour vs. greyscale). Regardless of perceptual salience, high anxiety was associated with preferential attention: (a) towards all types of emotional stimuli in initial orienting, as revealed by a higher probability of first fixation on the emotional picture than on the neutral picture of a pair; (b) towards positive and harm stimuli in a subsequent stage of early engagement, as shown by longer viewing times during the first 500 ms following onset of the pictures; and with (c) attention away from (i.e., avoidance) harm stimuli in a later phase, as indicated by shorter viewing times and lower frequency of fixation during the last 1000 ms of picture exposure. This suggests that the nature of the attentional bias varies as a function of the time course in the processing of emotional pictures.     

Innovation across cultures: Connecting leadership,identification, and creative behavior in organizations

Innovation is considered essential for today's organizations to survive and thrive. Researchers have also stressed the importance of leadership as a driver of followers' innovative work behavior (FIB). Yet, despite a large amount of research, three areas remain understudied: (a) The relative importance of different forms of leadership for FIB; (b) the mechanisms through which leadership impacts FIB; and (c) the degree to which relationships between leadership and FIB are generalizable across cultures. To address these lacunae, we propose an integrated model connecting four types of positive leadership behaviors, two types of identification (as mediating variables), and FIB. We tested our model in a global data set comprising responses of N = 7,225 participants from 23 countries, grouped into nine cultural clusters. Our results indicate that perceived LMX quality was the strongest relative predictor of FIB. Furthermore, the relationships between both perceived LMX quality and identity leadership with FIB were mediated by social identification. The indirect effect of LMX on FIB via social identification was stable across clusters, whereas the indirect effects of the other forms of leadership on FIB via social identification were stronger in countries high versus low on collectivism. Power distance did not influence the relations.     

Preschool language and visuospatial skills respectively predict multiplication and addition/subtraction skills in middle school children

A converging body of evidence from neuroimaging, behavioral, and neuropsychology studies suggests that different arithmetic operations rely on distinct neuro-cognitive processes: while addition and subtraction may rely more on visuospatial reasoning, multiplication would depend more on verbal abilities. In this paper, we tested this hypothesis in a longitudinal study measuring language and visuospatial skills in 358 preschoolers, and testing their mental calculation skills at the beginning of middle school. Language skills at 5.5 years significantly predicted multiplication, but not addition nor subtraction scores at 11.5 years. Conversely, early visuospatial skills predicted addition and subtraction, but not multiplication scores. These results provide strong support for the existence of a double dissociation in mental arithmetic operations, and demonstrate the existence of long-lasting links between language/visuospatial skills and specific calculation abilities.     

Relationship between fine/gross motor skills and language and math development in Colombian Caribbean children: A study in Barranquilla

Literature suggests that motor skills are associated with other areas of development or domains, such as language and math, especially at early ages. These results are mainly based on studies developed in medium-to-high sociocultural contexts. Thus, this study was conducted in a medium-to-low-income area. The aim was to know the 4–5 years old children's motor development (both fine and gross motor skills), and its relation to language and mathematical development. A total of 219 Colombian Caribbean children (105 boys and 114 girls) aged 4 and 5 years participated in this study. Results revealed higher motor skills among girls, although differences by gender were not notable. Positive and significant correlations were found between motor skills and language and mathematical skills, although most of the correlations were weak or moderate. Also, it was observed that fine motor skills were less related to language or mathematical development in comparison with gross motor skills, especially among boys. These results suggest that among Colombian Caribbean children gross motor skills could have a higher influence on the development and acquisition of some language and mathematical skills in comparison with fine motor skills.     

Attitudes Toward Affirmative Action in the United States and Canada

Attitudes toward affirmative action programs were investigated using a U.S. sample, an English speaking Canadian sample, and a French speaking Canadian sample. Results indicate that cultural influences in the form of individualism-collectivism were small but that ethnic and linguistic memberships were major influences on attitudes toward those programs.     

Assessing Cultural Adaptation: Psychometric Properties of the Cultural Adaptation Pain Scale

This article explores the psychometric properties of a newly developed Cultural Adaptation Pain Scale. This scale is designed to assess the degree of subjective pain, social distance, and discouragement that may be related to cultural adaptation. Factor analyses revealed 4 factors in the scale that had an overall Cronbach's alpha of .85. Implications for multicultural counseling are discussed.