Bilingual vocabulary size and lexical reading in Italian

In the present study we investigated how the vocabulary size of English–Italian bilinguals affects reading aloud in Italian (L2) modulating the reader's sensitivity to lexical aspects of the language. We divided adult bilinguals in two groups according to their vocabulary size (Larger — LV, and smaller — SV), and compared their naming performance to that of native Italian (NI) readers. In Experiment 1 we investigated the lexicality and word frequency effects in reading aloud. Similarly to NI, both groups of bilinguals showed these effects. In Experiment 2 we investigated stress assignment – which is not predictable by rule – to Italian words. The SV group made more stress errors in reading words with a non-dominant stress pattern compared to the LV group. The results suggest that the size of the reader's L2 lexicon affects the probability of correct reading aloud.     

Mediating and moderating processes in the relationship between multicultural ideology and attitudes towards immigrants in emerging adults

Few studies examine intercultural relations in emerging adulthood. Framed from the perspective of the Mutual Intercultural Relations in Plural Societies (MIRIPS) project, the current paper examined the mediating role of tolerance and perceived consequences of immigration in the relationship between multicultural ideology and attitudes towards immigrants. Additionally, the moderating role of context was analysed. A two‐group structural equation modelling was performed on data collected from 305 Italian emerging adults living both in northern and in southern Italy with different socio‐political climates towards immigrants. In both groups, tolerance and perceived consequences of immigration mediated the relationship between multicultural ideology and attitudes towards immigrants. Also, this indirect relationship was significantly higher for the northern than southern Italians. These findings provide provisional evidence of mediating and moderating processes in the relationship between multicultural ideology and attitudes towards immigrants and suggest important implications for practitioners interested in promoting intercultural relations among emerging adults.     

Contingentism versus Necessitism: The Tractatus Standpoint

The paper provides an interpretation of section 2.013 of the Tractatus which casts light on the strategic role that that section plays in the early Wittgenstein’s version of the ontology of logical atomism. The far‐reaching consequences that the proposed interpretation has on the issue of the metaphysical nature of objects are spelled out, and the identification of Tractatus objects with phenomenal qualities, that is with phenomenal abstract universals, is shown to be fully consistent with those consequences. As a by‐product of the analysis, the standpoint of the Tractatus with respect to both contingentism and necessitism is clarified.     

Testing the actual equivalence of automatically generated items

If the automatic item generation is used for generating test items, the question of how the equivalence among different instances may be tested is fundamental to assure an accurate assessment. In the present research, the question was dealt by using the knowledge space theory framework. Two different ways of considering the equivalence among instances are proposed: The former is at a deterministic level and it requires that all the instances of an item template must belong to exactly the same knowledge states; the latter adds a probabilistic level to the deterministic one. The former type of equivalence can be modeled by using the BLIM with a knowledge structure assuming equally informative instances; the latter can be modeled by a constrained BLIM. This model assumes equality constraints among the error parameters of the equivalent instances. An approach is proposed for testing the equivalence among instances, which is based on a series of model comparisons. A simulation study and an empirical application show the viability of the approach.     

Bilingual aphasia and language control: A follow-up fMRI and intrinsic connectivity study

In a world that is becoming more multilingual, bilingual aphasia is a clinical problem with a major clinical impact. However, at present we lack causal explanations of the many features of recovery patterns and there is no consensus about the language in which the patient should receive speech therapy. Further advance requires an understanding of the dynamics of recovery. In a novel longitudinal, single-case study, we combine fMRI and dynamic causal modeling to examine the effects of specific language treatment for picture naming on the representation and control of language areas during the course of recovery. Improved performance in the treated language was associated with increased activation in language areas. Consistent with theoretical expectations, causal modeling indicated increased connectedness of the control and language networks for the treated language. This functional approach holds great promise for investigating recovery patterns and the effects of specific language treatment in bilingual aphasic patients.     

Self-Other Differentiation Scale: Dimensionality,IRT Parameterization,and Measurement Invariance

The Self-Other Differentiation Scale (Olver, Aries, &; Batgos, 1989 Olver, R. R., Aries, E., &; Batgos, J. (1989). Self-other differentiation and the mother-child relationship: The effects of sex and birth order. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 150, 311–321. doi:10.1080/00221325.1989.9914600[Taylor &; Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) is a self-report instrument assessing the experience of a separate sense of self from others. The authors aimed to examine its dimensionality, reliability, and measurement invariance across gender. It was completed by 348 participants (48% men) from 17 to 30 years old in Study 1, 348 participants (40% men) from 18 to 28 years old in Study 2, and 1,068 participants (49% men) from 17 to 28 years old in Study 3. The results supported the hypothesis of just one factor underlying the scale; they also showed an appropriate internal consistency and a partial measurement invariance across gender. Results also showed evidence for a 10-item version of the scale. Globally, the Self-Other Differentiation Scale can be considered a good scale to assess individual's sense of differentiation of one's own sense of self from others.     

Motor imagery effectiveness for mirror reversed movements

Physical practice is known to enhance motor adaptation skills, which refer to the individual ability to compensate for environmental changes. So far, it is still unknown whether a similar effect can be observed following motor imagery (MI). Thirty-nine participants were tested during a joystick tracking task under both normal and mirror conditions (i.e., the inductive direction of the joystick was reversed), before and after a physical practice or MI training phase. Eye movements and electromyographic activity were recorded during MI. Motor performance was also evaluated after a 6 h interval during daytime. As compared to the control group, the results revealed that both MI and physical practice improved motor performance in the mirror condition, during the post-training test. Furthermore, the time to complete the task was further reduced after 6 hours, both in the normal and mirror conditions. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of MI for learning mirror-reversed movements, and for the consolidation process that follows motor adaptation.     

Assessing the local identifiability of probabilistic knowledge structures

Given a collection Q of problems, in knowledge space theory Doignon & Falmagne, (International Journal of Man–Machine Studies 23:175–196, 1985) the knowledge state of a student is the collection K ? Q of all problems that this student is capable of solving. A knowledge structure is a pair (Q, ), where is a collection of knowledge states that contains at least the empty set and Q. A probabilistic knowledge structure (PKS) is a knowledge structure (Q, , π), where π is a probability distribution on the knowledge states. The PKS that has received the most attention is the basic local independence model BLIM; Falmagne & Doignon, (British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology 41:1–23, 1988a, Journal of Mathematical Psychology 32:232–258, 1988b). To the best of our knowledge, systematic investigations in the literature concerning the identifiability of the BLIM are totally missing. Based on the theoretical work of Bamber and van Santen (Journal of Mathematical Psychology 29:443–473, 1985), the present article is aimed to present a method and a corresponding computerized procedure for assessing the local identifiability of the BLIM, which is applicable to any finite knowledge structure of moderate size.