Visual discovery in mind and on paper

The effectiveness of mental imagery with and without drawing support (perceptual assistance) in the visual synthesis of novel patterns was studied in three experiments. When the task was to create one recognizable pattern from three simple shapes in a 2-min assembly period, subjects were as likely to produce a recognizable or creative pattern per trial whether mental imagery was augmented by external drawing support or not. When the task was to create as many patterns as possible in a 3-min assembly period, more patterns were produced per trial with external drawing support than without; however, neither the recognizability nor the creativity of the patterns differed. Differences in performance in the visual synthesis task with and without external drawing support are interpreted in terms of limited cognitive resources.     

Integration versus nonintegration of noun pairs and verb pairs under enactment and nonenactment conditions

Summary Two paired-associate experiments examined conditions responsible for the free-to-cued-recall decrease phenomenon. Word class was controlled for by the use of pair elements, which could be treated alternatively as verbs and nouns. With this list material, the two experiments studied the effect of encoding conditions varying from standard, unspecified enactment instructions to enactment instructions enriched with context information. The results showed that the free-to-cued-recall decrease did not depend on motor performance, or on word class, but was much more pronounced for recency than for prerecency positions. The findings were discussed in terms of the difference between strategic and nonstrategic processing of memories of enacted information.     

Dynamic Epistemic Logics of Diffusion and Prediction in Social Networks

Studia Logica - We take a logical approach to threshold models, used to study the diffusion of opinions, new technologies, infections, or behaviors in social networks. Threshold models consist of a...     

Latent Semantic Analysis Discriminates Children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) from Children with Typical Language Development

Journal of Psycholinguistic Research - Computer based analyses offer a possibility for objective methods to assess semantic-linguistic quality of narratives at the text level. The aim of the...     

Substance Use Research with Indigenous Communities: Exploring and Extending Foundational Principles of Community Psychology

Many Indigenous communities are concerned with substance use (SU) problems and eager to advance effective solutions for their prevention and treatment. Yet these communities also are concerned about the perpetuation of colonizing, disorder‐focused, stigmatizing approaches to mental health, and social narratives related to SU problems. Foundational principles of community psychology—ecological perspectives, empowerment, sociocultural competence, community inclusion and partnership, and reflective practice—provide useful frameworks for informing ethical community‐based research pertaining to SU problems conducted with and by Indigenous communities. These principles are explored and extended for Indigenous community contexts through themes generated from seven collaborative studies focused on understanding, preventing, and treating SU problems. These studies are generated from research teams working with Indigenous communities across the United States and Canada—inclusive of urban, rural, and reservation/reserve populations as well as adult and youth participants. Shared themes indicate that Indigenous SU research reflects community psychology principles, as an outgrowth of research agendas and processes that are increasingly guided by Indigenous communities. At the same time, this research challenges these principles in important ways pertaining to Indigenous–settler relations and Indigenous‐specific considerations. We discuss these challenges and recommend greater synergy between community psychology and Indigenous research.     

Ratio Bias and Policy Preferences: How Equivalency Framing of Numbers Can Affect Attitudes

Numbers permeate modern political communication. While current scholarship on framing effects has focused on the persuasive effects of words and arguments, this article shows that framing of numbers can also substantially affect policy preferences. Such effects are caused by ratio bias, which is a general tendency to focus on numerators and pay insufficient attention to denominators in ratios. Using a population‐based survey experiment, I demonstrate how differently framed but logically equivalent representations of the exact same numerical value can have large effects on citizens' preferences regarding salient political issues such as education and taxes. Furthermore, the effects of numerical framing are found across most groups of the population, largely regardless of their political predisposition and their general ability to understand and use numerical information. These findings have significant implications for our understanding of framing effects and the role played by numbers in public opinion formation.     

Associations Between Self-Esteem,General Self-Efficacy,and Approaches to Studying in Occupational Therapy Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

The aim of this study was to explore associations between self-esteem, general self-efficacy, and the deep, strategic, and surface approaches to studying. Norwegian occupational therapy students (n?=?125) completed questionnaires measuring study approaches, self-esteem, and general self-efficacy. Regression analyses were used to explore the direct relationships between self-esteem, general self-efficacy and the approaches to studying, after controlling for age, gender, prior higher education, and time spent on independent studying. General self-efficacy displayed positive associations with deep and strategic approaches to studying and a negative relationship with a surface approach to studying. Self-esteem was not significantly associated with approaches to studying.     

Dominant paradigms in motor behavior research: the motor-action controversy revisited

In 1992, Abernethy and Sparrow published an evaluation of the historical development of the field of motor behavior research as published from 1977 up to 1988 in the Journal of Motor Behavior. The present study extends their evaluation from 1988 through 2005 using content analyses of articles on motor control and learning in this journal. Papers were categorized into the two dominant and contrasting paradigms, the motor systems approach and the action systems approach. Analysis suggests that the field of motor behavior research has changed considerably over the last three decades. The action systems approach is now the leading approach, but the motor systems approach has, however, not perished. In a Kuhnian perspective, the results might be consistent with a more long-lasting crisis, and from the available data it is not possible to predict a future outcome of the dispute between the two approaches.     

Change in interpersonal problems after cognitive agoraphobia and schema-focused therapy versus psychodynamic treatment as usual of inpatients with agoraphobia and Cluster C personality disorders

The aim was to study whether patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia and co-occurring Cluster C traits would respond differently regarding change in interpersonal problems as part of their personality functioning when receiving two different treatment modalities. Two cohorts of patients were followed through three months' in-patient treatment programs and assessed at follow-up one year after end of treatment. The one cohort comprised 18 patients treated with "treatment as usual" according to psychodynamic principles, the second comprised 24 patients treated in a cognitive agoraphobia and schema-focused therapy program. Patients in the cognitive condition showed greater improvement in interpersonal problems than patients in the treatment as usual condition. Although this quasi-experimental study has serious limitations, the results may indicate that agoraphobic patients with Cluster C traits should be treated in cognitive agoraphobia and schema-focused programs rather than in psychodynamic treatment as usual programs in order to reduce their level of interpersonal problems.     

Learning in cod (Gadus morhua): long trace interval retention

Basic knowledge about learning capacities and awareness in fish is lacking. In this study we investigated which temporal gaps Atlantic cod could tolerate between two associated events, using an appetitive trace-conditioning paradigm with blinking light as conditioned stimulus (CS) and dry fish food as unconditioned stimulus (US). CS–US presentations were either temporally overlapping (delay conditioning, CS duration 24 s, interstimulus interval 12 s) or separated by 20, 60, or 120 s (trace conditioning, CS duration 12 s) or 2 h (control, CS duration 12 s). The percentage of fish in the feeding area increased strongly during CS presentation in all delay, 20 s, and 60 s trace groups and in one out of two 120 s trace groups, but not in the control groups. In the 20 and 60 s trace procedures, the fish crowded together in the small feeding area during the trace interval, showing strong anticipatory behaviour. In all the conditioned groups, the fish responded to the CS within eight trials, demonstrating rapid learning. At 88 and 70 days after the end of the conditioning experiments, the delay and 20 s trace groups, respectively, were presented the CS six times at 2-h intervals without reward. All groups responded to the light signal, demonstrating memory retention after at least 3 months. This study demonstrates that Atlantic cod has an impressively good ability to associate two time-separated events and long time retention of learnt associations.