The oblique effect and three-dimensional shape

The classical oblique effect refers to the finding that observers are faster and more accurate in discriminating the orientation of a line or edge when it is at or near vertical or horizontal than when it is at an oblique orientation (Appelle, 1972; Mach, 1861). Based on the finding that observer sensitivity to orientation of simple symmetric shapes like an ellipse or the letter "X" also exhibits an oblique effect, Li and Westheimer (1997) suggested that the effect does not arise solely from inequality of simple orientation-tuned receptors in early visual processing, but also involves later orientation processing that can encompass more complex inputs such as shape axes. In this work, we examined how the oblique effect impacts three-dimensional shapes defined by texture cues.     

Developing a cortex specialized for face perception

Recent developmental functional magnetic resonance imaging studies provide evidence that the cortical specialization for face perception observed in adults emerges only gradually over the first decade of childhood. These developmental results provide a middle-ground view on the long-standing debate in the literature from adults about the specificity or otherwise of face-sensitive areas of cortex. According to this developmental perspective, certain cortical regions become specialized for face perception in adults, partly as a result of a decade or more of experience and partly as a result of initial biases.     

Encoding of others’ beliefs without overt instruction

Under what conditions do people automatically encode and track the mental states of others? A recent investigation showed that when subjects are instructed to track the location of an object but are not instructed to track a belief about that location in a non-verbal false-belief task, they respond more slowly to questions about an agent’s belief, suggesting that belief information was not encoded or tracked automatically [Apperly, I. A., Riggs, K. J., Simpson, A., Samson, D., & Chiavarino, C. (2006). Is belief reasoning automatic? Psychological Science, 17, 841-844]. In the current experiments, we show that if belief probes occur closer in time to the events that signal the content of the agent’s false belief, responses to those probes are faster than responses to probes about reality, and as fast as responses to probes about belief when instructed to track them, suggesting (i) beliefs may get encoded automatically in response to certain cues and (ii) that belief information rapidly decays unless it is maintained via ‘top-down’ instructions.     

A Program to Select Sentences with a Strong Psychological Impact

This article presents a program based on the Elementary Pragmatic Model and on the administration of a test consisting of 90 sentences with a strong psychological impact interactively presented to participants. Data emerging from this procedure are calculated according to four coordinates and 16 relational functions processed on a grid defined by a table of 256 possible interactions. From these interactions three final states were found to constitute essentially the bottom line of the human mind. The program indicates how certain sentences could be selected systematically to lead initially deviant participants toward more statistically average patterns, in terms of coordinates, functions, interactions, and final states.     

Chaplain–Physician Consultancy: When Chaplains and Doctors Meet in the Clinical Context

This paper summarizes the perspectives of 327 Australian health care chaplains concerning their interaction with physicians within the clinical context. In general terms the findings indicated that nearly 90% of chaplains believed that it was part of their professional role to consult with physicians regarding patient/family issues. Differences of involvement between volunteer and staff chaplains, Catholic and Protestant, male and female chaplains and the type of chaplaincy training are noted, as are the perspectives of chaplaincy informants regarding their role in relation to physicians. Some implications of this study with respect to chaplaincy utility and training are noted.     

Spontaneous imagined contact and intergroup relations: Quality matters

While research on experimental interventions that aim to improve outgroup attitudes via contact imagery grows, it is important to examine if contact imagery that occurs in spontaneous, non-experimentally controlled conditions drives attitudes, and in what direction. To answer this, we constructed and validated a spontaneous imagined intergroup contact scale (SIICS) that differentiates between frequency, quality and elaboration of the spontaneous imagery of outgroups. In three correlational studies (N_Portugal = 305, N_{United Kingdom} = 185, N_Italy = 276), we tested the role of spontaneous imagined contact frequency, quality and elaboration in predicting attitudes and social distance (Studies 1–3) and intended behaviour (Study 3) toward immigrant groups. Results demonstrated that spontaneous imagined contact quality consistently predicted key outcome variables above and beyond the other two dimensions. Importantly, the effects were significant while controlling for other potent forms of direct and indirect contact. Implications of the findings for theory and practice are discussed.     

Tactile Enumeration and Embodied Numerosity Among the Deaf

Representations of the fingers are embodied in our cognition and influence performance in enumeration tasks. Among deaf signers, the fingers also serve as a tool for communication in sign language. Previous studies in normal hearing (NH) participants showed effects of embodiment (i.e., embodied numerosity) on tactile enumeration using the fingers of one hand. In this research, we examined the influence of extensive visuo-manual use on tactile enumeration among the deaf. We carried out four enumeration task experiments, using 1–5 stimuli, on a profoundly deaf group (n = 16) and a matching NH group (n = 15): (a) tactile enumeration using one hand, (b) tactile enumeration using two hands, (c) visual enumeration of finger signs, and (d) visual enumeration of dots. In the tactile tasks, we found salient embodied effects in the deaf group compared to the NH group. In the visual enumeration of finger signs task, we controlled the meanings of the stimuli presentation type (e.g., finger-counting habit, fingerspelled letters, both or neither). Interestingly, when comparing fingerspelled letters to neutrals (i.e., not letters or numerical finger-counting signs), an inhibition pattern was observed among the deaf. The findings uncover the influence of rich visuo-manual experiences and language on embodied representations. In addition, we propose that these influences can partially account for the lag in mathematical competencies in the deaf compared to NH peers. Lastly, we further discuss how our findings support a contemporary model for mental numerical representations and finger-counting habits.     

Reflecting on Maltese school‐based counselling practices: An autoethnographic collaborative writing project

Maltese counsellors working in schools are, at times, just making ends meet due to lack of human resources and work schedules. ‘Why do our students/children have to repeat the same story to so many professionals?’ teachers/parents angrily query. This autoethnographic study voices our professional experiences as authors and participants. This empowers us to be advocates for our young clients. Collaborative autoethnography (CAE) methodology best fits our research question as we ‘seek to discover and systemically analyze (graphy) personal experience (auto)…understand cultural experience (ethno)’ (Ellis, Adams, & Brochner, 2011, p. 273). Our writing and reflections conclude that best practices include counsellors who work, at least, in pairs within transdisciplinary teams at one school for cycles of five years, with clarity of roles across professionals.     

The effects of phencyclidine and chlordiazepoxide on target biting of confined male mice

Target-biting of confined mice increases following delivery of tail shock and decreases during a tone that precedes the shock. Both phencyclidine and chlordiazepoxide reduced biting (dose dependently) following shock and had no effect on biting during the tone. These observations are discussed in reference to previous reports, which infer that the effects of phencyclidine and chlordiazepoxide on aggression might depend upon the baseline rate of the behavior.     

A descriptive study of facial expressions during Brazelton Neonatal Behavior Assessments

The facial expressions of 96 term and preterm neonates were recorded during the Brazelton Neonatal Behavior Assessment. The expressions that occurred most frequently during the neurological reflex items were interest, disgust, sadness, and crying. The predominant facial expression during the orienting items was that of interest. Although happy and surprised faces were more common during the orienting than the reflex items, they occurred very infrequently. Some of the reflex items elicited more negative expressions than others and some of the orienting items elicited more frequent expressions than others and some of the orienting items elicited more frequent expressions of interest than others, suggesting that facial expressions might reflect the degree to which the stimuli were experienced as pleasant or unpleasant and more or less interesting. Although the examiner's face and voice were more effective than inanimate stimuli in eliciting positive expressions in term neonates, the reverse was true for preterm neonates. Thus facial expressions may provide additional information on the degree to which neonates experience stimulation as pleasant/unpleasant and on individual differences in responsiveness to physical and social stimulation.