Hand dominance influences the processing of observed bodies

In motor tasks, subgroups of lefthanders have been shown to differ in the distribution of attention about their own bodies. The present experiment examined whether similar attentional biases also apply when processing observed bodies. Sixteen right handers (RHs), 22 consistent left handers (CLHs) and 11 relatively ambidextrous inconsistent left handers (ILHs) performed an own body transformation task in which they were instructed to make speeded left–right judgements about a schematic human figure. Attentional biases associated with handedness were found to extend to observed bodies: CLHs’ judgements were faster to the figure’s left side, while ILHs, like RHs, showed facilitated performance to the figure’s right side. These results demonstrate a novel embodiment effect whereby the processing of a static schematic human figure is modulated by an individual’s personal motor capabilities. This finding suggests that motor simulation may contribute to whole body perception in the absence of actual or implied actions.     

Does a fitness factor contribute to the association between intelligence and health outcomes? Evidence from medical abnormality counts among 3654 US Veterans

We suggest that an over-arching ‘fitness factor’ (an index of general genetic quality that predicts survival and reproductive success) partially explains the observed associations between health outcomes and intelligence. As a proof of concept, we tested this idea in a sample of 3654 US Vietnam veterans aged 31–49 who completed five cognitive tests (from which we extracted a g factor), a detailed medical examination, and self-reports concerning lifestyle health risks (such as smoking and drinking). As indices of physical health, we aggregated ‘abnormality counts’ of physician-assessed neurological, morphological, and physiological abnormalities in eight categories: cranial nerves, motor nerves, peripheral sensory nerves, reflexes, head, body, skin condition, and urine tests. Since each abnormality was rare, the abnormality counts showed highly skewed, Poisson-like distributions. The correlation matrix amongst these eight abnormality counts formed only a weak positive manifold and thus yielded only a weak common factor. However, Poisson regressions showed that intelligence was a significant positive predictor of six of the eight abnormality counts, even controlling for diverse lifestyle covariates (age, obesity, combat and toxin exposure owing to service in Vietnam, and use of tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and hard drugs). These results give preliminary support for the notion of a superordinate fitness factor above intelligence and physical health, which could be further investigated with direct genetic assessments of mutation load across individuals.     

The Tulving-Wiseman law and the recognition of recallable music

Memory for well-known musical phrases was tested first for recognition in the absence of any specific musical context and then for recall given the preceding musical phrase as a contextual cue. Recognition and recall were found to be largely, but not completely, independent. Moreover, there was no evidence of any greater dependency between recognition and recall than that previously observed in the relation between word recognition and recall, as summarized by the Tulving-Wiseman law. These findings significantly extend the range of applicability of this law.     

Parental sex-role attitudes and child-rearing values

Parental sex-role attitudes (i.e., sex-role ideology, self-perceptions of masculinity and femininity and stereotyping) were examined in relation to the parental child-rearing values of independence granting and pressure for achievement. The major hypothesis was that nontraditional sex-role attitudes would be related to earlier independence granting and greater emphasis on achievement, particularly among parents of female children. A second objective was to examine sex-of-child and sex-of-parent differences in these two child-rearing values. The subjects were the natural mothers (n=138) and fathers (n=114) of preschool girls and boys. The sample (N=252) was all White, middle class, in two-parent families, and highly educated. Among parents of girls, but not of boys, sex-role attitudes had a significant effect on child-rearing values in the hypothesized direction. As for the child-rearing values per se, few sex-of-child or sex-of-parent differences emerged. In contrast to previous studies, fathers' child-rearing values were found to be relatively unaffected by the sex of their children.Data reported here were gathered as part of a research project supported by NIMH Grant No. 25217. The author is deeply grateful for the collaboration of Grace Baruch in all phases of the research. She wishes also to acknowledge the assistance of Susan Dibner, Nancy Harmon, and Diana Jeffries in instrument design and data collection, and of Frances Stubblefield in data analysis. The cooperation of participating children, parents, and preschool personnel is greatly appreciated.     

Characteristics of memories for traumatic and nontraumatic birth

Evidence for memory characteristic differences between trauma and other memories in non‐clinical samples is inconsistent. However, trauma is frequently confounded with the event recalled. This study compares trauma and nontrauma memories for the same event, childbirth, in a non‐clinical sample of 285 women 4–6 weeks after birth. None of the women met diagnostic criteria for post‐traumatic stress disorder. Traumatic birth, defined by the DSM‐5 event criterion, was reported by 100 women. The ratings of some memory characteristics did not differ between memories for traumatic and nontraumatic birth: All were rated highly coherent and central to women's lives, with moderate sensory memory. However, women who experienced traumatic births reported more involuntary recall, reliving, and negative/mixed emotions. Thus, trauma memories differed from nontrauma memories. In this non‐clinical sample, this is likely to be due to encoding during trauma rather than the distinctive memory profile for memories retrieved by those experiencing trauma symptoms.     

The role of gaze and road edge information during high-speed locomotion

Robust control of skilled actions requires the flexible combination of multiple sources of information. Here we examined the role of gaze during high-speed locomotor steering and in particular the role of feedback from the visible road edges. Participants were required to maintain one of three lateral positions on the road when one or both edges were degraded (either by fading or removing them). Steering became increasingly impaired as road edge information was degraded, with gaze being predominantly directed toward the required road position. When either of the road edges were removed, we observed systematic shifts in steering and gaze direction dependent upon both the required road position and the visible edge. A second experiment required fixation on the road center or beyond the road edges. The results showed that the direction of gaze led to predictable steering biases, which increased as road edge information became degraded. A new steering model demonstrates that the direction of gaze and both road edges influence steering in a manner consistent with the flexible weighted combination of near road feedback information and prospective gaze information.     

Striking Differences: The Impact of Moderate and High Trauma on Reading Achievement

This study explored the relationship between childhood traumatic exposure, such as violence and loss of a significant other, and reading achievement. With a sample of 163 urban elementary children (grades 2–5), the impact of traumatic events on 3 years of reading scores was examined. Results suggested that violence exposure had an adverse effect on reading scores and that there was a striking difference between students who experienced moderate exposure as compared to students with high exposure. However, both groups of students experienced a significant decrease in reading achievement. Discussion of these findings proposes an explanation for why reading achievement might be adversely affected by traumatic exposure and gives suggestions for teachers to utilize with those students identified as having been exposed to traumatic events.