Word frequency as a cue for identifying function words in infancy

While content words (e.g., ‘dog’) tend to carry meaning, function words (e.g., ‘the’) mainly serve syntactic purposes. Here, we ask whether 17-month old infants can use one language–universal cue to identify function word candidates: their high frequency of occurrence. In Experiment 1, infants listened to a series of short, naturally recorded sentences in a foreign language (i.e., in French). In these sentences, two determiners appeared much more frequently than any content word. Following this, infants were presented with a visual object, and simultaneously with a word pair composed of a determiner and a noun. Results showed that infants associated the object more strongly with the infrequent noun than with the frequent determiner. That is, when presented with both the old object and a novel object, infants were more likely to orient towards the old object when hearing a label with a new determiner and the old noun compared to a label with a new noun and the old determiner. In Experiment 2, infants were tested using the same procedure as in Experiment 1, but without the initial exposure to French sentences. Under these conditions, infants did not preferentially associate the object with nouns, suggesting that the preferential association between nouns and objects does not result from specific acoustic or phonological properties. In line with various biases and heuristics involved in acquiring content words, we provide the first direct evidence that infants can use distributional cues, especially the high frequency of occurrence, to identify potential function words.     

Élaboration du Questionnaire de mesure de l’intensité des conduites addictives (QMICA) : évaluation des addictions et co-addictions avec et sans substances

Referring to studies about addictive behaviors, the objective of this article is to present the validation of a new tool for the assessment of the addictive behaviors with or without substances: the Addictive Intensity Evaluation Questionnaire (AIEQ). Twelve different versions of the AIEQ have been administered to 354 participants in order to assess their addictive behaviors. The study of the factorial structure of the questionnaire and its reliability allow us considering the psychometric qualities of the AIEQ as satisfactory. The results suggest the existence of a continuum between the absence of addiction and the severe forms of addiction. The discussion section proposes a classification based on the severity of the addictive behaviors and applications of the use of the AIEQ.     

Reconsolidation in humans opens up declarative memory to the entrance of new information

A consolidated memory recalled by a reminder enters a vulnerability phase (labilization), followed by a process of stabilization (reconsolidation). Several authors have suggested that the labilization of the consolidated memory makes the incorporation of new information possible. Here, we demonstrate updating in the framework of memory declarative reconsolidation in humans by giving an opportune verbal instruction. Volunteers learn an association between five cue-syllables (L1) and their respective response-syllables. Twenty-four hours later, the paired-associate verbal memory is labilized by exposing the subjects to the reminder, and then they receive the verbal Instruction of adding three new cue-response syllables (INFO) with their respective responses to the former list of five. The new information is incorporated into the single former L1-memory and both INFO and L1 are successfully retrieved on the third day. However, when the Instruction is not preceded by a proper reminder, or when the instruction omits the order of adding the INFO into the former L1-memory, we observed interference in retrieval of both the original and the new information, suggesting that they are encoded independently and coexist as separate memories.     

Time-course of 5-HT6 receptor mRNA expression during memory consolidation and amnesia

Growing evidence indicates that antagonists of the 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) receptor₆ (5-HT₆) improve memory and reverse amnesia although the mechanisms involved are poorly understood. Hence, in this paper RT-PCR was used to evaluate changes in mRNA expression of 5-HT₆ receptor in trained and untrained rats treated with the 5-HT₆ receptor antagonist SB-399885 and amnesic drugs scopolamine or dizocilpine. Changes in mRNA expression of 5-HT₆ receptor were investigated at different times in prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and striatum. Data indicated that memory in the Pavlovian/instrumental autoshaping task was a progressive process associated to reduced mRNA expression of 5-HT₆ receptor in the three structures examined. SB-399885 improved long-term memory at 48 h, while the muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine or the non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist dizocilpine impaired it at 24 h. Autoshaping training and treatment with SB-399885 increased 5-HT₆ receptor mRNA expression in (maximum increase) prefrontal cortex and striatum, 24 or 48 h. The scopolamine-induced amnesia suppressed 5-HT₆ receptor mRNA expression while the dizocilpine-induced amnesia did not modify 5-HT₆ receptor mRNA expression. SB-399885 and scopolamine or dizocilpine were able to reestablish memory and 5-HT₆ receptor mRNA expression. These data confirmed previous memory evidence and of more interest is the observation that training, SB-399885 and amnesic drugs modulated 5-HT₆ receptor mRNA expression in prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and striatum. Further investigation in different memory tasks, times and amnesia models together with more complex control groups might provide further clues.     

Étude qualitative de l’évolution des stratégies de faire face chez les parents d’adolescents atteints de troubles autistiques

Since their child has been diagnosed as having an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), parents are confronted with important and chronic stress in their everyday life. To face it, they use coping strategies. Using qualitative analyse, this article exposes preliminary results on changes in coping strategies of ASD families and presents how parents manage to adjust their coping.     

Le rapport au savoir chez des lycéens à haut potentiel. Approche comparative avec des lycéens tout-venant

Do gifted teenagers (IQ ≥130) harbor a different attitude toward learning as compared to their mainstream peers? Can the attitudes toward learning held by these adolescents improve or hinder their academic performance? Eighty-four gifted high school students and 84 mainstream high school students between the ages of 13 and 18 years were asked to draw up “an assessment of knowledge” (Charlot, B., Bautier, E., Rochex, J.Y., 1992. École et savoir dans les banlieues… et ailleurs. Colin, Paris.). The collected textual data was submitted to both a quantitative and a lexicometric analysis (Alceste software). The gifted students revealed themselves as being more reflexive and “scholarly” relation to knowledge (op. cit.) than their mainstream peers. High achievers attach more value to academic knowledge and have greater confidence in their ability to learn.     

Internet‐based CBT intervention for gamblers in Finland: Experiences from the field

From September 2007 to May 2011 a total of 471 participants (325 males and 146 females) signed up for an 8‐week Internet‐based cognitive behavioral therapy offered for gamblers in Finland. Sixty‐four percent of the participants were pathological gamblers (PGs) (NODS 5> points), 14% were problem gamblers (NODS 3–4 points) and 10% were at risk of gambling problems (NODS 1–2 points). Two hundred and twenty four participants completed the treatment and after the treatment period significant changes were found in the following variables: gambling related problems (NODS), gambling urge, impaired control of gambling, alcohol consumption (AUDIT‐C), social consequences, gambling‐related cognitive erroneous thoughts and depression (MARD‐S). In this sample co‐morbid alcohol consumption was stronger among males. The main finding of this study was that the onset age of gambling was associated with a greater amount of gambling‐related cognitive erroneous thoughts.