Infants' memory for musical performances

We evaluated 6- and 7-month-olds' preference and memory for expressive recordings of sung lullabies. In Experiment 1, both age groups preferred lower-pitched to higher-pitched renditions of unfamiliar lullabies. In Experiment 2, infants were tested after 2 weeks of daily exposure to a lullaby at one pitch level. Seven-month-olds listened significantly longer to the lullaby at a novel pitch level than at the original pitch level. Six-month-olds showed no preference but their low-pitch preference was eliminated. We conclude that infants' memory for musical performances is enhanced by the ecological validity of the materials. Moreover, infants' pitch preferences are influenced by their previous exposure and by the nature of the music.     

Adolescents' social strategies: patterns and correlates

An unselected sample of adolescents (n= 504) was given a test measuring their social strategies in affiliative context, and emotional and behavioral problems. Four groups of adolescents were identified according to the certain patterns of the social strategies they deployed: Active optimistic group (n= 107), Defensive functional group (n= 159), Avoiders group (n= 89), and Learned helplessness group (n= 140). The degree of stability of a cluster solution was studied when the method for cluster analysis was changed, showing that the four-cluster solution captures the essential relationships between the variables. The membership of the strategy groups was associated in theoretically meaningful ways to the anxiety/depression, withdrawal, and social problems.     

Orthographic effects in the word substitutions of aphasic patients: an epidemic of right neglect dyslexia?

Aphasic patients with reading impairments frequently substitute incorrect real words for target words when reading aloud. Many of these word substitutions have substantial orthographic overlap with their targets and are classified as "visual errors" (i.e., sharing 50% of targets' letters in the same relative position). Fifteen chronic aphasic patients read a battery of words and non-words; non-word reading was poor for all patients, and more than 50% of errors on words involved the substitution of a non-target word. An investigation of the factors conditioning these word substitutions, as well as the production of visual errors, identified a number of similarities to patterns previously reported for patients with right neglect dyslexia, which has been said to occur relatively rarely. These included a strong tendency for errors to overlap targets in initial letter positions, maintenance of target length in errors, and the substitution of words higher in imageability than targets. It is proposed that left hemisphere damage frequently leads to disruption of a level of representation for written words in which letter position is ordinally coded, resulting in exacerbation of a normal processing advantage for early letter positions. A computational model is discussed that incorporates this level of representation and successfully simulates relevant normal and patient data.     

Cognitive changes following subthalamic nucleus stimulation in two patients with Parkinson disease

The limits of a drug therapy in severe forms of Parkinson disease have led to refining neurosurgery on the basal ganglia. Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus has been recognized as one of the most promising techniques to decrease "off" motor symptoms and motor fluctuations, allowing a reduction of drug therapy and limiting side effects of the drugs. There is still open debate on the possible consequences of chronic subthalamic stimulation in other ways, apart from motor symptoms, of general cognitive performance. We examined and followed two patients with Parkinson disease for 9 mo. after surgery for deep stimulation, studying their cognitive performances. There is a general amelioration of cognitive performances, in particular as far as linguistic capabilities is concerned. We discuss the possible significance of these results, reminding strenuously that only two patients were involved, so the potential for generalization is seriously limited.     

From research to practice: The first tentative steps

This article traces the history of the Somerset Spirituality Project as it moved from the research findings of Foskett et al. (2003) and Macmin and Foskett (2003) to the application of their findings in practice. It summarizes the results of the research, the attempts to publicize these and to promote better practice within the mental health services and local religious groups. It records the developments already undertaken or planned, the resistance to these encountered along the way and the sacrifices made by those most intimately involved. This is set within a Christian Liberation Theology's analysis of social and political systems, its bias to the poor and their understanding of the human drive to health of mind and soul.     

Music and Language Skills of Children with Williams Syndrome

We examined music and language abilities in a group of children with Williams syndrome (WS, n = 19) and a comparison group of normal children (n = 19) equivalent for receptive vocabulary. Consistent with previous reports and the model of Nonverbal Learning Disabilities (Rourke, 1989), the children with WS scored better on verbal than performance measures of the WISC-III, and performance on simpler verbal tasks (e.g., receptive vocabulary) was superior to performance on more complex verbal tasks (e.g., comprehension). Performance on music tests was relatively good, being comparable to mental age based on receptive vocabulary and similar to that of the comparison group. Music and language abilities were moderately correlated for both groups of children. Compared to normal children, the WS group expressed greater liking of music and a greater range of emotional responses to music.     

Perceived Parental Protectiveness Promotes Positive Friend Influence

Friend influence over prosocial behaviour and delinquent behaviour was examined as a function of relative parental protectiveness in a community sample of Lithuanian high school students (M = 16.5 years old). Participants completed self‐reports describing commitment to personal values, delinquent behaviours, prosocial behaviours, and perceived parental protectiveness. Mutual friends (158 male dyads, 241 female dyads) were identified from peer nominations. Distinguishable dyad Actor–Partner Interdependence Model analyses illustrate how parenting promotes positive peer influence. The results indicate that friend influence is greatest in the context of protective parenting: Adolescents who perceived more parental protectiveness were positively influenced by the strength of their friend's personal values, whereas adolescents who perceived less parental protectiveness were not. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bearing Witness in Israel/Palestine: Finding My Voice

This article traces my evolution as a political activist in relation to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict over the past decade, and describes the ways my activism has become integrated into my professional life. I discuss my journeys in Israel/Palestine with delegations of the Compassionate Listening Project, highlighting disturbing stories of injustice and abuse and inspiring stories of interfaith cooperation and nonviolent peace work. My focus is on the emotional impact of becoming the bearer of stories of unbearable human experience that I felt compelled to bring back and share. I reveal my struggles with continuing to speak and write publically about the injustice that I witnessed. In the course of standing up to both internal and external attacks on bearing witness, I have discovered a stronger therapeutic voice with my patients as well.