Teaching children with autism to tact private events based on public accompaniments

We evaluated a method for teaching children with autism spectrum disorder to respond to tactile stimulation of multiple body parts. Various objects (e.g., hairbrush) produced the sensations (e.g., prickly). In a multiple baseline design across participants, participants learned 9 sensation body part tacts and the evaluation concluded with tests of generalization to 3 novel body parts, 6 novel objects, and 3 novel sensations. Participants demonstrated generalization to novel objects, and to a lesser extent, novel body parts, but did not generalize tacts to novel sensations. These findings are discussed in terms of implications for teaching children with autism to tact sensations.     

Image representation,scaling and cognitive model of object perception

Neuropsychological investigations of visual imagery and representations have led to a deeper understanding of the spatial perception, representation and memory. But how each individual perceives object’s geometrical properties and how they differ from person to person, both under event-related memory and normal recollecting memory in the presence or in the absence of direct sensory stimulation is still unclear. Spatial knowledge is diverse, complex, and multi-modal, as are the situations in which it is used. All seem to agree that a cognitive map is a mental representation of an external environment. The image scaling is important in understanding the psychological dysfunctions of patients suffering from spatial cognition problems. The scaling becomes self-evident in art forms, when people are asked to draw image of objects they see actively or from their short or long term memory. In this paper we develop a comprehensive model of this scaling factor and its implications in spatial image representation and memory. We also extend its notion in understanding the perception of objects whose representations are normally not possible (like the perception of universal scales, infinities and parallel lines) but are well comprehended by the human brains. Here we give a scaling factor which is variable depending on the situations for a person based on his visual memory and drawing capabilities. And then extend it to analyse his cognitive strengths, disorders and any imperfections. This model also helps in formalizing the architectural cognitive maps needed to change the scaling factor, depending on the types of visual works one performs.     

Effect of functional and effective brain connectivity in identifying vowels from articulation imagery procedures

Cognitive Processing - Articulation imagery, a form of mental imagery, refers to the activity of imagining or speaking to oneself mentally without an articulation movement. It is an effective...     

The Association Between the Attitude of Food‐Waste‐Aversion and BMI: An Exploration in India and the United States

This research proposes the existence of a hitherto undocumented attitude related to food wastage: the attitude of food‐waste‐aversion. We develop a 6‐item scale including affective, cognitive, and conative components to measure this attitude and empirically investigate its properties in two countries using novel datasets. We test for food‐waste‐aversion scale's convergent validity by demonstrating that it is correlated in the expected direction with five theoretically related constructs—frugality, social responsibility, spendthriftness, self‐control, and materialism (Studies 1a and 1b)—and with BMI (Studies 2 and 3). We provide more indirect evidence of the scale's convergent validity by documenting that the link between food‐waste‐aversion and BMI is attenuated among those who practice refrigerating leftovers (Study 3). We also document that the food‐waste‐aversion scale is distinct from general waste aversion and external meal‐cessation rules, thus providing evidence of discriminant validity (Studies 1a, 1b, and 1c). Taken together, these results provide construct validity for the novel construct of food‐waste‐aversion. We discuss the theoretical and substantive contributions of our findings.     

The association of perimenopausal mood disorders with other reproductive-related disorders

Data regarding the increased incidence of psychiatric illness during midlife in women are still conflicting. However, there is a growing consensus that certain groups of women may in fact be at higher risk for mood symptoms and psychiatric disorders during the perimenopausal transition. Mood symptoms during the perimenopause may be related to mood disorders during other periods of hormonal fluctuation throughout a woman's reproductive lifecycle. Elucidating these associations may advance the understanding of mood disorders during the perimenopausal transition. The epidemiology and treatment of perimenopausal mood symptoms compared with the epidemiology and treatment of mood disorders during the late luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and postpartum. Common risk factors associated with mood disorders during these periods of hormonal changes or instability include poor lifestyle habits, a history of hormonally related mood disorders, stress and negative life events, ethnicity, and comorbidity. Reproductive-related mood disorders also are subject to an improvement in symptoms in response to treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. As the morbidity associated with mood disorders during midlife may be quite significant, and as life expectancy continues to increase, recognition, prevention, and treatment of perimenopausal affective illness is becoming increasingly essential.