Cross-modal associations between vision, touch, and audition influence visual search through top-down attention, not bottom-up capture

Recently, Guzman-Martinez, Ortega, Grabowecky, Mossbridge, and Suzuki (Current Biology : CB, 22(5), 383–388, 2012) reported that observers could systematically match auditory amplitude modulations and tactile amplitude modulations to visual spatial frequencies, proposing that these cross-modal matches produced automatic attentional effects. Using a series of visual search tasks, we investigated whether informative auditory, tactile, or bimodal cues can guide attention toward a visual Gabor of matched spatial frequency (among others with different spatial frequencies). These cues improved visual search for some but not all frequencies. Auditory cues improved search only for the lowest and highest spatial frequencies, whereas tactile cues were more effective and frequency specific, although less effective than visual cues. Importantly, although tactile cues could produce efficient search when informative, they had no effect when uninformative. This suggests that cross-modal frequency matching occurs at a cognitive rather than sensory level and, therefore, influences visual search through voluntary, goal-directed behavior, rather than automatic attentional capture.     

McDowell and Dreyfus on Unreflective Action

Within philosophy there is not yet an integrative account of unreflective skillful action. As a starting point, contributions would be required from philosophers from both the analytic and continental traditions. Starting from the McDowell-Dreyfus debate, shared Aristotelian-Wittgensteinian common ground is identified. McDowell and Dreyfus agree about the importance of embodied skills, situation-specific discernment and responsiveness to relevant affordances. This sheds light on the embodied and situated nature of adequate unreflective action and provides a starting point for the development of an account that does justice to insights from both philosophical traditions.     

Wittgenstein's picture‐theory

In a paper published in this journal, Vol. 5, No. 1, 1962, pp. 46–64, Mr. H. R. G. Schwyzer has argued that ‘the current view (as held by, eg., Wamock, Anscombe and Stemus) of Wittgenstein's theory of language in the Tractatus is mistaken’. The editor of the journal has asked me for a reply. My reply concerns only my own book, and it amounts to the statement that Mr. Schwyzer's attack on the book has very little to do with what is said in it.     

Children's Assignment of Gender to Animal Characters in Pictures

Tests showed that 4- to 6-year-old children believe that people can be influenced or “controlled” both by thinking (e.g., both wishful thinking and magical behavior) and by realistic means (e.g., positive reinforcement, example, and group pressure). Belief in control by thinking did not vary by the subjects' sex or age, influence type (wishing or magical behavior), or target response (behavior, emotion, or thought). Quantitative measures, however, suggested that magical behavior was seen by subjects as being more efficient than wishing, and that emotion was considered easier to influence than thinking. Beliefs in control by thinking were not related to a measure of fantasy—reality differentiation (realism).     

Guided Internet-Based CBT for Common Mental Disorders

The Internet has become a part of most people’s lives in many parts of the world. Since the late 1990s there has been an intensive research activity in which psychological treatments, such as cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), have been found to be effective when delivered via the Internet. Most research studies indicate that the effects are larger when some form of guidance is provided from a therapist, and unguided treatments tend to lead to more dropout and smaller effects. Guided Internet treatments often consists of book length text materials, but can also include other components such as audio files and video clips. Homework assignment is often included and feedback is given for completed homework. Guided Internet-based CBT (iCBT) has been found to work for problems such as depression, panic-, social anxiety-, and generalized anxiety disorders. There are many research trials in which participants have been recruited via media, and there has been less research conducted in representative clinical settings. Most research has been conducted on adults and in university settings with nationwide recruitment. There is a need for treatments and studies on older adults, children and adolescents. In conclusion, dissemination of the research findings on guided iCBT to regular clinical settings is warranted.     

Walker on the voluntariness of judgment 1

In his paper ‘The Voluntariness of Judgment’ Mark Thomas Walker claims that judgments are voluntary acts. According to Walker, theoretical reasoning can be seen as an instance of practical reasoning, and the outcomes of practical reasoning are actions. There are two reasons why Walker's argument does not establish this conclusion: (i) There are non‐reflective judgments which cannot reasonably be described as instances of practical reasoning; Walker's argument does not apply to these judgments, (ii) If one judges that p as a result of deliberation, one has had no choice sincerely to judge as well that non‐p instead of p, that is, one cannot judge contrary to one's evidence. Therefore, reflective judgments are not voluntary actions. Walker cannot show that reflective judgments are voluntary, because he fails to give a clear notion of a voluntary action and the role of choice.     

Exploring the Construct Validity of the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale in a Clinical Sample

The resistance of the Personal Orientation Dimensions (POD) to deliberate attempts at creating a favorable impression was investigated. Two groups of college students were used: (a) 21 students completed the POD under standard instructions, then received information about actualization, and completed the POD again under instructions to Create a very good impression; (b) 21 students completed the POD under standard instructions, then received information not related to actualization, and completed the POD again under instructions to create a very good impression. An analyses indicated that providing students with information about actualization did not facilitate their ability to create a favorable impression on the POD. The POD profiles produced by both groups changed significantly, and in a similar direction from pretest to posttest. Evidence is presented suggesting the existence of a "lie profile" which distinguishes deliberate attempts to create a favorable impression on the POD. These findings provide support for the resistance of the POD to deliberate attempts at creating a favorable impression.     

Cultural Lens on Mental Illness: Four Clients Share Their Perspectives

People served by mental health providers represent diverse cultural groups. In-depth qualitative interviews were used to collect data to examine: “How do people, diagnosed with a mental illness, perceive their experience in a partial care mental health program from the perspective of their cultural context?” Four participants described cultural identities that included ethnic, health status, and sexual orientation identities. The participants' way of participating in the world was often in conflict with cultural values and expectations of the family and counselors. Cultural competence must include understanding how complex, multiple cultural contexts interact and influence a person's participation in the therapeutic process.