Response of female cuttlefish Sepia officinalis (Cephalopoda) to mirrors and conspecifics: evidence for signaling in female cuttlefish

Cuttlefish have a large repertoire of body patterns that are used for camouflage and interspecific signaling. Intraspecific signaling by male cuttlefish has been well documented but studies on signaling by females are lacking. We found that females displayed a newly described body pattern termed Splotch toward their mirror image and female conspecifics, but not to males, prey or inanimate objects. Female cuttlefish may use the Splotch body pattern as an intraspecific signal, possibly to reduce agonistic interactions. The ability of females to produce a consistent body pattern in response to conspecifics and mirrors suggests that they can recognize same-sex conspecifics using visual cues, despite the lack of sexual dimorphism visible to human observers. Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accesible for authorized users.     

Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis: Cephalopoda) hunting behavior and associative learning

Because most learning studies in cephalopods have been performed on octopods, it remains unclear whether such abilities are specific to octopus, or whether they correlate with having a larger and more centrally organized brain. To investigate associative learning in a different cephalopod, six sexually mature cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) participated in a counterbalanced, within-subjects, appetitive, classical conditioning procedure. Two plastic spheres (conditioned stimuli, CSs), differing in brightness, were presented sequentially. Presentation of the CS+ was followed 5 s later by a live feeder fish (unconditioned stimulus, US). Cuttlefish began to attack the CS+ with the same type of food-acquisition seizures used to capture the feeder fish. After seven blocks of training (42 presentations of each CS) the difference in seizure probability between CS+ and CS– trials more than doubled; and was found to be significantly higher in late versus early blocks. These results indicate that cuttlefish exhibit autoshaping under some conditions. The possible ecological significance of this type of learning is briefly discussed.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at     

An adolescent and his imaginary companions: from quasi-delusional constructs to creative imagination

In this paper I shall describe the psychotherapeutic treatment of a 14-year-old boy, who suffered from mild Asperger's syndrome. This adolescent had a multiplicity of imaginary friends, which protected him from catastrophic feelings of loneliness and deadness, but at the same time interfered with the possibility of establishing meaningful relations with human beings. As the relationship with the therapist gradually gained the vitality and importance originally invested in his parallel fantasy world, the imaginary companions simultaneously faded away. His imagination then became more closely connected to inner reality and to creative processes. The psychoanalytic literature on imaginary companions is reviewed, and it is suggested that the concept of a self-protective device could be usefully applied to understanding the functions that this fantasy performed for the patient.

Dans cet article, l'auteur décrit le traitement psychothérapeutique d'un garçon de 14 ans qui présentait une forme atténuée du syndrome d'Asperger. Cet adolescent avait une foule d'amis imaginaires, ce qui, tout en le protégeant contre le sentiment catastrophique de solitude et de morne tristesse, l'empêchait d'établir des rapports authentiques avec des êtres humains. Au fur et à mesure que sa relation à sa thérapeute était investie de la vitalité et de l'importance initialement accordées à son monde fantasmatique parallèle, ses compagnons imaginaires s'effaçaient. Son imagination était alors davantage en contact avec sa réalité intérieure et avec sa créativité. Passant en revue un certain nombre de textes psychanalytiques sur les compagnons imaginaires, l'auteur suggère que le concept d'un dispositif d'auto-protection pourrait aider à comprendre le rôle que jouait pour son patient cet univers fantasmatique.

In questo articolo l'autrice descrive il trattamento psicoterapeutico di un ragazzo di 14 anni con sindrome di Asperger in forma leggera. Questo ragazzo aveva una molteplicita' di amici immaginari che lo proteggevano da sentimenti catastrofici di solitudine e senso di morte, ma che allo stesso tempo interferivano con la possibilita' che egli stabilisse delle relazioni significative con altri esseri umani. Con l'intensificarsi della relazione con la terapeuta, che gradualmente acquisi' la vitalita' ed importanza originariamente investiti nel suo mondo di fantasia parallelo, simultaneamente i compagni immaginari scomparvero. La sua immaginazione divenne allora piu' strettamente connessa con la realta' interna e con i processi creativi. Nell'articolo viene passata in rassegna la letteratura psicoanalitica sui compagni immaginari, e si avanza l'ipotesi che il concetto di manovra protettiva per il se' potrebbe essere utilmente applicato alla comprensione delle funzioni che tale fantasia fungeva per il paziente.

In diesem Artikel werde ich die psychotherapeutische Behandlung eines 14-jährigen Jungens beschreiben, der an leichtem Asperger Syndrom litt. Dieser Jugendliche hatte eine Vielzahl von imaginären Freunden, die ihn vor katastrophalen Gefühlen der Einsamkeit und Leblosigkeit schützten, aber gleichzeitig die Möglichkeit, bedeutsame Beziehungen mit Menschen herzustellen, beeinträchtigten. Als die Beziehung mit der Therapeutin allmählich die Vitalität und Bedeutung erlangte, die ursprünglich in seiner parallellen Phantasiewelt investiert war, verblassten gleichzeitig die imaginären Begleiter. Seine Phantasiewelt war dann näher mit seiner inneren Realität und kreativen Prozessen verbunden. Es wird die psychoanalytische Literatur über imaginäre Begleiter rezensiert und vorgeschlagen, dass das Konzept einer selbst-schützenden Vorrichtung nützlich zum Verstehen der Funktionen angewendet werden kann, die diese Phantasie für den Patienten erfüllten.     

Parallel, independent attentional control settings for colors and shapes

Attentional capture can be contingent on attentional control settings (ACSs), such that peripheral cues influence processing for a subsequent target only when they share a critical feature with the target. Our previous demonstration that two ACSs from within the same feature category can be maintained simultaneously allows us to investigate the processing stage at which such ACSs are implemented. We compared the relative efficacy of ACSs from two different feature categories (shape and color) that are associated with different levels within the visual processing hierarchy. Participants were instructed to respond to one of two colors at one location and one of two shapes at another location, while ignoring the nontarget color and shape. We observed that spatial capture was modulated by whether the cues fit an ACS, with slightly greater contingent capture effects for ACSs defined by color than by shape. Thus, two ACSs from different feature sets (color and shape) can be maintained in parallel, although effectiveness of the control set varied with the type of feature.     

Poster presentations

We analysed the organisation of semantic network using associative mechanisms between different types of information and studied the progression of the use of these associative relations during development. We aimed to verify the linkage of concepts with the use of semantic associative relations. The goal of this study was to analyse the cognitive ability to use associative relations between various items when describing old and/or new concepts. We examined the performance of 100 subjects between the ages of 4 and 7 years on an experimental task using five associative relations based on verbal encoding. The results showed that children are able to use the five semantic associative relations at age 4, but performance with each of the different associative relations improves at different times during development. Functional and part/whole relations develop at an early age, whereas the superordinate relations develop later. Our study clarified the characteristics of the progression of semantic associations during development as well as the roles that associative relations play in the structure and improvement of the semantic store.     

The chance project: Complex interventions with adolescent school drop-outs in Naples

Abstract

In this paper the authors describe their long experience, as psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapists, with an experimental school project with adolescent school drop-outs, a project that has been running in three deprived contexts of Naples. In the paper the structure of the psychological project supporting workers involved with these disruptive adolescents is analysed in detail along with the theoretical framework that lies behind it. The authors also give some illustrations that show the intense dynamics present in this field of work and some meaningful developments observed in the relationships and communications between adolescents and adults and in the group of peers.     

"Central arousal" and sexual responsiveness in the snail, Helix aspersa

In molluscs, a "central arousal" system is thought to positively modulate both an animal's level of activity and its behavioral responsiveness. This hypothesis is examined in Helix aspersa by testing the relationships between activity, feeding, and sexual behavior. Activity, feeding, and mating exhibit parallel daily rhythms. Snails are most active, and eat and mate most frequently, during scotophase and the first 3 h of photophase. Handling and injections of serotonin (5 x 10(-7) m/kg body wt) increase general activity. Inducing activity during late photophase increases food consumption, but it does not induce sexual activity. Moreover, serotonin and handling have no effect on sexual arousal; treated snails show no increase in genital eversion stage and require the same length of courtship as controls. If snails are sexually deprived, increasing activity in late photophase does increase copulation frequency, but snails do not copulate more frequently than do unhandled snails tested during early photophase. These results suggest that while manipulations thought to increase central arousal do increase activity and responsiveness to food stimuli, they do not directly affect sexual proclivity or sexual arousal. Moreover, the relationship between feeding and sexual behavior differs between Helix and Aplysia. This difference between the two species may be related to the differences in their reproductive strategies.     

Dissociation of sexual arousal and sexual proclivity in the garden snail, Helix aspersa

Sexual arousal (intensity of courtship) and sexual proclivity (tendency to court) in Helix aspersa can be reliably measured using externally observable correlates. Snails with sexual proclivity are significantly more likely to turn toward an anesthetized conspecific after contacting it than are sexually unreceptive snails. Sexual arousal can be inferred from the stage of a snail's genital eversion, which appears only during courtship. The higher the stage of the eversion, the shorter the time required to complete introductory courtship behavior and the higher the rate of successful copulation, the fewer the number of breaks and pauses during courtship, and the longer the time a snail will spend in contact with an anesthetized conspecific. Sexual proclivity has no effect on feeding or locomotory behavior; however, sexual arousal inhibits feeding and increases locomotor activity. Snails that were allowed daily contact with conspecifics required less time to complete introductory courtship behavior relative to snails that were isolated from conspecifics for 1 week. This suggests that daily contact increases sexual arousal. A greater percentage of isolated snails exhibited courtship behavior than did snails which had experienced daily conspecific contact. This suggests that isolation increases sexual proclivity. These differences indicate that sexual arousal is not merely due to an increase in sexual proclivity.