Acoustic masking disrupts time-dependent mechanisms of memory encoding in word-list recall

Recall of recently heard words is affected by the clarity of presentation: Even if all words are presented with sufficient clarity for successful recognition, those that are more difficult to hear are less likely to be recalled. Such a result demonstrates that memory processing depends on more than whether a word is simply “recognized” versus “not recognized.” More surprising is that, when a single item in a list of spoken words is acoustically masked, prior words that were heard with full clarity are also less likely to be recalled. To account for such a phenomenon, we developed the linking-by-active-maintenance model (LAMM). This computational model of perception and encoding predicts that these effects will be time dependent. Here we challenged our model by investigating whether and how the impact of acoustic masking on memory depends on presentation rate. We found that a slower presentation rate causes a more disruptive impact of stimulus degradation on prior, clearly heard words than does a fast rate. These results are unexpected according to prior theories of effortful listening, but we demonstrated that they can be accounted for by LAMM.     

Atomistic study of structural fluctuations during radiation-induced amorphization in the ordered intermetallic compound NiTi

We have carried out an atomistic study of electron-induced amorphization of an ordered intermetallic compound NiTi by means of in-situ high-resolution high-voltage electron microscopy observations and molecular dynamics simulations. Both theoretical and experimental results show that metastable nanometre-size atomic clusters form and disappear during irradiation, so that a spatiotemporal fluctuation under amorphization is induced. Mean-lifetime measurements of these clusters demonstrate that high-energy particle irradiation provides a useful tool to study dynamic fluctuations of the local atomic structure in the non-equilibrium open systems.     

The alpha -> beta polytypic transformation in SiC induced by ball milling

The alpha -> beta polytypic transformation in SiC was observed during ball milling at room temperature. Microstructural evolution was characterized on an atomic scale by high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM). HREM observations showed that partial dislocations play an important role in the transformation under the complicated conditions during ball milling.     

Using Clinician-Rated Five-Factor Model Data to Score the DSM–IV Personality Disorders

Proposals suggest that many or all of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM–IV]; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) personality disorders (PDs) may be omitted from the DSM (5th ed.; DSM–V) and replaced with a dimensional trait model of personality pathology (Krueger, Skodol, Livesley, Shrout, &; Huang, 2007 Krueger, R. F., Skodol, A. E., Livesley, W. J., Shrout, P. E. and Huang, Y. 2007. Synthesizing dimensional and categorical approaches to personality disorders: Refining the research agenda for DSM-V Axis II. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 16: 65–73. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Skodol, 2009 Skodol, A. 2009. Emerging DSM-V perspectives on personality disorders. Plenary address presented at the Eleventh International ISSPD Congress. August2009, New York, New York.  [Google Scholar]). Several authors have expressed concerns that this may be difficult for clinicians and researchers who are more comfortable with the extant PD diagnoses. In this study, we tested whether clinician ratings of traits from the Five-factor model (FFM; Costa &; McCrae, 1990) can be used to recreate DSM–IV PDs. Using a sample of 130 clinical outpatients, we tested the convergent and discriminant validity of the FFM PD counts in relation to consensus ratings of the DSM–IV PDs. We then examined whether the FFM and DSM–IV PD scores correlate in similar ways with self-reported personality traits from the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (Clark, 1993 Clark, L. A. 1993. Manual for the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (SNAP), Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.  [Google Scholar]). Finally, we tested the clinical utility of the FFM PD counts in relation to functional impairment. Overall, the FFM PD counts, scored using clinician ratings of the FFM traits, appeared to function like the DSM–IV PDs, thus suggesting that the use of a dimensional trait model of personality in the DSM–V may still allow for an assessment of the DSM–IV PD constructs.     

Predictors of Resilience Among Inner City Youths

Prior studies have suggested that living in high-risk neighborhoods is associated with youths’ maladjustment. Youths who maintained favorable outcomes, despite being exposed to such neighborhood risks, were considered resilient. Using structural equation modeling techniques, longitudinal data of 877 youths from the Denver Youth Survey were examined to identify predictors of resilience, longitudinal interrelations among predictors, and bi-directional relationships between resilience and life context factors. Resilience was longitudinally predicted by bonding to family and teachers, involvement in extracurricular activities, lower levels of parental discord, fewer adverse life events, and being less involved with delinquent peers. A positive feedback loop was found, in which resilience predicted further resilience. Early intervention to strengthen traditional bonding, decrease involvement with delinquent peers, and reduce the effects of adverse life events and parental discord may be essential in enhancing functioning of high-risk youths.     

On Asking the Right Questions

Despite the vast array of theoretical formulations now available, none is sufficiently well developed. Some of the philosophical questions thrown up by such material are posed. Under the heading of "Discourse," the questions of what constitutes reasonableness and how logical validity is established are raised. Under the heading of "Epistemology," the nature of concept formulation and causality is raised. Under the heading of "Language," the nature of linguistic representation and artificially constructed language or "artificial intelligence" is raised. It is suggested that these and other issues in the philosophy of science require the urgent attention of family therapy theorists.