Personality and Olfactory Sensitivity

Even though perceptional abilities have repeatedly been found to be associated with certain personality styles (e.g., extraversion), such connections were reported sparsely for the olfactory modality. Two studies were carried out to investigate the relationship between olfactory sensitivity and 12 personality dimensions (including extraversion and neuroticism). In the first study, single olfactory measurements were compared to repeated measurements. In the second study, twins were recruited as subjects to also examine the heredity of olfactory sensitivity. The results indicate that neuroticism is a stronger predictor for olfactory sensitivity than extraversion. Repeated measurements seem to be necessary to obtain valid data on olfactory performance.     

Different Training Procedures Recruit Either One or Two Critical Periods for Contextual Memory Consolidation, Each of Which Requires Protein Synthesis and PKA

We have used a combined genetic and pharmacological approach to define the time course of the requirement for protein kinase A (PKA) and protein synthesis in long-term memory for contextual fear conditioning in mice. The time course of amnesia in transgenic mice that express R(AB) and have genetically reduced PKA activity in the hippocampus parallels that observed both in mice treated with inhibitors of PKA and mice treated with inhibitors of protein synthesis. This PKA- and protein synthesis-dependent memory develops between 1 hr and 3 hr after training. By injecting the protein synthesis inhibitor anisomycin or the PKA inhibitor Rp-cAMPs at various times after training, we find that depending on the nature of training, contextual memory has either one or two brief consolidation periods requiring synthesis of new proteins, and each of these also requires PKA. Weak training shows two time periods of sensitivity to inhibitors of protein synthesis and PKA, whereas stronger training exhibits only one. These studies underscore the parallel dependence of long-term contextual memory on protein synthesis and PKA and suggest that different training protocols may recruit a common signaling pathway in distinct ways.     

Mushroom Bodies Suppress Locomotor Activity in Drosophila melanogaster

Locomotor activity of single, freely walking flies in small tubes is analyzed in the time domain of several hours. To assess the influence of the mushroom bodies on walking activity, three independent noninvasive methods interfering with mushroom body function are applied: chemical ablation of the mushroom body precursor cells; a mutant affecting Kenyon cell differentiation (mushroom body miniature¹); and the targeted expression of the catalytic subunit of tetanus toxin in subsets of Kenyon cells. All groups of flies with mushroom body defects show an elevated level of total walking activity. This increase is attributable to the slower and less complete attenuation of activity during the experiment. Walking activity in normal and mushroom body-deficient flies is clustered in active phases (bouts) and rest periods (pauses). Neither the initiation nor the internal structure, but solely the termination of bouts seems to be affected by the mushroom body defects. How this finding relates to the well-documented role of the mushroom bodies in olfactory learning and memory remains to be understood.     

On expandability of models of Peano arithmetic. III

Already after sending the first two parts of this paper ([5], [6]) to the editor, two new results on the subject have appeared — namely the results of G. Wilmers and Z. Ratajczyk. So for the sake of completeness let us review them here.Allatum est die 2 Septembris 1976     

Eco-culture,development, and architecture

This article examines the prospects for an authentic regional architecture in the light of alternative development paradigms. It is argued that the failure of orthodox development strategies and the domination of western culture, including architecture, over non-Western cultures, is due to fundamental imbalances between northern and southern economic structures. By contrast, ecodevelopment, appropriate technology and regional architecture all represent significant devolutionary movements toward a global “eco-culture.” A cultural typology placing eco-culture in historical perspective is outlined. It is concluded that, to be fully effective, changes in development patterns in the south have to be matched by equivalent cultural changes in the North.     

Internal evidence of bias in the PPVT-R for Anglo-American and Mexican-American children

This study examines item bias on Forms L and M of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised(PPVT-R) for a sample of Anglo-American and Mexican-American children. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were employed to assess item bias as defined by items X ethnicity interactions. Follow-up analyses were performed using a Bonferroni-type procedure on individual item contrasts. Bias as measured by differences in item difficulty was found in both groups; however, there was no clear pattern of items that were more difficult for either group. The small number of items that were more difficult for one ethnic group than for the other, coupled with the high reliability of performance overall for both groups, suggest that bias in content of the PPVT-R is minimal.     

Apology mismatch: An experimental approach to Japan's apologies to Korea

Since 1965, Japan has issued numerous apologies to Korea, which however failed to resonate with the Korean public. To investigate this puzzle, this paper analyses the structure of these apologies and empirically examines their reception in Korea. Blatz et al.'s (Political Psychology, 2009, 30, 219) classification of components of political apologies was applied to conduct a qualitative analysis of 63 official apology statements by Japan to Korea and identify the most frequently used components (Study 1). Korean participants (N = 210) were randomly presented with an experimental vignette consisting of a major apology component to examine their psychological responses, and they also ranked the importance of each major apology component (Study 2). Results showed that while Koreans viewed admission of wrongdoing as an essential and the most demanded component of apology, it was paradoxically the least frequent component offered by Japan in reality.     

Time as a variable in learning on the World-Wide Web

Research in education, psychology, and neuroscience motivates a hypothesis that learning takes time. Support for the hypothesis was found in four replications of an upper level undergraduate course in which the material and activities for 50% of the topics were delivered over the World-Wide Web. Computer records were correlated with three types of test questions: multiple-choice, short-answer, and open-ended essay questions. Positive and significant correlations with time were observed for 33% of the correlations involving multiple-choice questions, 13% of those involving short-answer questions, and 60% of those involving open-ended essay questions. An estimate of the common underlying correlation, ρ, equal to .35 for the four replications was significant. The data also revealed generally low overall study times and a maladaptive pattern of “cramming” before tests instead of distributing practice. In the Discussion section, we argue that computer study times can be used as a predictor of subsequent test performance, which is a measure of student learning.