The role of configurational asymmetry in the lexical access of prefixed verbs: evidence from French

In this paper we investigated the effects of configurational asymmetry in prefixed verbs in French. We used a simple lexical decision paradigm to compare prefixed verbs with external and internal prefixes as specified in linguistic theory (Di Sciullo, 1997) where external prefixes do not change the aktionsart and the verb argument structure of the verb, but internal prefixes do change the aktionsart and may change the verb argument structure of the verb. In Experiment 1 we tested the bi-valent prefix dé- where the configurational difference between external and internal properties of a prefix did not elicit differential response latencies. However, in Experiment 2, where unambiguous prefixes (internal en- and external ré-) were tested, the external prefix elicited longer latencies. These results are discussed with respect to the linguistic constraints the configurational properties of prefixes place upon psycholinguistic models of lexical access, as well as with respect to the effects of prefix bi-valence in the recognition of prefixed verbs.     

Vicarious responses to pain in anterior cingulate cortex: Is empathy a multisensory issue?

Results obtained with functional magnetic resonance imaging show that both feeling a moderately painful pinprick stimulus to the fingertips and witnessing another person’s hand undergo similar stimulation are associated with common activity in a pain-related area in the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Common activity in response to noxious tactile and visual stimulation was restricted to the right inferior Brodmann’s area 24b. These results suggest a shared neural substrate for felt and seen pain for aversive ecological events happening to strangers and in the absence of overt symbolic cues. In contrast to ACC 24b, the primary somatosensory cortex showed significant activations in response to both noxious and innocuous tactile, but not visual, stimuli. The different response patterns in the two areas are consistent with the ACC’s role in coding the motivational-affective dimension of pain, which is associated with the preparation of behavioral responses to aversive events.     

Visual masking plays two roles in the attentional blink

When two targets are displayed in rapid visual sequence and masked by trailing patterns, identification accuracy is nearly perfect for the first target but follows a U-shaped pattern over temporal lag for the second target. Three experiments examined the role of visual masking in this attentional blink. Experiment 1 compared integration and interruption masks for both targets. Although either mask was effective in producing the blink when applied to the first target, only the interruption mask was effective when applied to the second target. Experiment 2 showed that integration masking of the second target was ineffective over a wide range of accuracy levels. Combining the two forms of masking in Experiment 3 confirmed the dissociation: A combined mask and only a main effect on accuracy for the first target, whereas it produced a qualitatively different pattern over temporal lag for the second target. These results suggest that representations of the target are substituted in consciousness by that of the interruption mask when visual attention is preoccupied.     

A Gabbay-Rule Free Axiomatization of T×W Validity

The semantical structures called T×W frames were introduced in (Thomason, 1984) for the Ockhamist temporal-modal language, _O, which consists of the usual propositional language augmented with the Priorean operators P and F and with a possibility operator . However, these structures are also suitable for interpreting an extended language, _SO, containing a further possibility operator ^s which expresses synchronism among possibly incompatible histories and which can thus be thought of as a cross-history simultaneity operator. In the present paper we provide an infinite set of axioms in _SO, which is shown to be strongly complete forT ×W-validity. Von Kutschera (1997) contains a finite axiomatization of T×W-validity which however makes use of the Gabbay Irreflexivity Rule (Gabbay, 1981). In order to avoid using this rule, the proof presented here develops a new technique to deal with reflexive maximal consistent sets in Henkin-style constructions.     

Temporal integration and segregation of brief visual stimuli: Patterns of correlation in time

Two brief sequential displays separated by a brief interstimulus interval (ISI) are often perceived as a temporally integrated unitary configuration. The probability of temporal integration can be decreased by increasing the ISI or (counterintuitively) by increasing stimulus duration. We tested three hypotheses of the relative contributions of stimulus duration and ISI to the breakdown of temporal integration (the storage, processing, and temporal correlation hypotheses). In the first of two experiments, stimulus duration and ISI were varied factorially, and estimates of temporal integration were obtained with a form-part integration task. The second experiment was a replication of the first at two levels of stimulus intensity. The outcomes were inconsistent with the storage and processing options, but confirmed predictions from the temporal correlation hypothesis. Whether two sequential stimuli are perceived as temporally integrated or disjoint depends not on the availability of visible persistence, but on the emergence of a neural code that is based on the temporal correlation between the two visual responses.     

The settler colonial roots and neoliberal afterlife of Problem Behavior Theory

Problem Behavior Theory (PBT) is an influential psychosocial theory that has shaped—and continues to shape—much research on adolescent development in the United States and abroad. It is the product of over a half-century of research conducted by psychologists-cum-behavioral scientists Lee and Richard Jessor. This article engages two striking features of the history of PBT. First, it tracks how, and to what effect, a theory elaborated to explain the so-called “deviant behavior” of a group of Native Americans was extended to explain the “problem behavior” of white, middle-class, settler youth, before coming to circulate as a universal theory of adolescent behavior. Second, it explores how a theory that was meant to explain individual behaviors by connecting them to their larger social contexts came to be embraced by researchers who have been criticized for doing precisely the opposite. To do so, this article draws from Indigenous and Settler Colonial Studies scholarship and sheds light on how the logics of settler colonialism and neoliberalism have participated in the coproduction of PBT and its reception.     

Linguistic prejudice and electoral discrimination: What can political theory learn from sociolinguistics?

Normative political theorists working in the field of linguistic justice generally believe that participation in democratic life in linguistically diverse societies requires a shared lingua franca (e.g., Patten 2009; Van Parijs 2011). Even when a shared lingua franca is present, however, there is likely to be a variety of ways in which people speak it, due to variations in accent, pitch, register, and lexicon. This paper examines the implications of intra-linguistic diversity for democracy and political representation. More specifically, by drawing on Andrew Rehfeld's (2010) work and on relevant sociolinguistics research, the paper argues that widespread unconscious linguistic prejudice constitutes a constraint on some citizens' right to run for political office that is incompatible with democratic equality. The argument is illustrated via a number of examples concerning Australian politicians.     

Formal Ontology and Mathematics. A Case Study on the Identity of Proofs

We propose a novel, ontological approach to studying mathematical propositions and proofs. By “ontological approach” we refer to the study of the categories of beings or concepts that, in their practice, mathematicians isolate as fruitful for the advancement of their scientific activity (like discovering and proving theorems, formulating conjectures, and providing explanations). We do so by developing what we call a “formal ontology” of proofs using semantic modeling tools (like RDF and OWL) developed by the computer science community. In this article, (i) we describe this new approach and, (ii) to provide an example, we apply it to the problem of the identity of proofs. We also describe open issues and further applications of this approach (for example, the study of purity of methods). We lay some foundations to investigate rigorously and at large scale intellectual moves and attitudes that underpin the advancement of mathematics through cognitive means (carving out investigationally valuable concepts and techniques) and social means (like communication, collaboration, revision, and criticism of specific categories, inferential patterns, and levels of analysis). Our approach complements other types of analysis of proofs such as reconstruction in a deductive system and examination through a proof-assistant.

     

Critical stages in mental development: Childhood breath holding spells (BHS)

The authors present the first part of a study on children with BHS (Breath Holding Spells) syndrome. These children were chosen in order to examine a “pathological” situation in infancy that was as close as possible to a “normal” one, and in which obvious somatic symptoms were associated with emotional states. Children with BHSS are not considered to have serious psychological disturbances, even if they are constantly referred to as intolerant of separation, stubborn, oppositional, or easy to temper tantrum. A reduced ability to tolerate frustration is evident in these children both from the patients' history and clinical observation. Parents usually relate BHS to situations in which the child is denied something or gets scolded. The children were observed during three sessions, both with and without the mother, according to a grid used at our Center. Patients are presented to illustrate certain recurrent features in play and interaction with mother. The data suggest that these children stagnate in an area of incomplete mental representation; something makes them oscillate between two states; in one of them, the mental representation of the object and of the bond with it is possible; in the other, the mental representation of the separation, which entails the recognition of the object, is felt as dangerous.