Simultaneous and successive syntheses and linguistic processes1

The present study investigated the relationships between simultaneous and successive modes of cognitive processing and performance on word association, ambiguities and class inclusion tasks in a sample of 60 grade three children. Simultaneous processing was significantly related to class inclusion performance and to comprehension of lexical ambiguities. There was also some evidence of a relationship between paradigmatic responding on the word association task and simultaneous processing. Successive processing was significantly related to surface structure and underlying structure ambiguities and was also involved in class inclusion performance. These results are consistent with hypotheses derived from the neurolinguistic theories of Luria and Jakobson.     

Late effects of malnutrition on cognitive competence1

Does an episode of malnutrition, leading to hospitalization, further depress the intellectual performance of children from the disadvantaged economic and social class? An attempt was made to answer this by first tracing a group of children in Colombo, Sri Lanka, who had been hospitalized for marasmus and kwashiorkor 6 to 7 years ago and comparing them on tests of cognitive functions with a group of children from their neighborhood, matched on age and sex. There were 42 index children and 42 controls in the study. Thirty-three siblings of these index children were also compared with another group of 33 age and sex-matched neighborhood children. The results showed little difference between the groups on nine tests of cognitive functions and a strong relationship between the child's years of attendance at school and the cognitive tests. It was concluded that as far as the cognitive functions measured by the present tests are concerned, an episode of severe malnutrition perhaps does not do any more harm than chronic undernutrition does to disadvataged children.     

SYLLOGISTIC REASONING AMONG SCHOOL CHILDREN FROM CANADA AND SIERRA LEONE

Solution of 3-term syllogisms was examined in the context of culture and IQ. Children from elementary schools in Edmonton and Freetown were divided into high and low on the basis of their scores on Coloured Progressive Matrices. In each culture, those with higher scores on Progressive Matrices were expected to do better on syllogistic reasoning than those with lower scores. Across cultures, no difference in performance was expected. In terms of the relation of syllogistic reasoning to simultaneous and successive processing, both processes were expected to be involved in the solution of syllogisms. The results confirmed these hypotheses. It was also indicated that the children from Freetown were better than Edmonton's in syllogisms, dispelling any doubts in regard to their competence in ‘verbal’ reasoning.     

Simultaneous and successive syntheses and intelligence

Recent studies on information processing have developed an alternative model of mental abilities which constitutes an integration of Russian clinical research and North American factor analytic research. This model proposes that information may be processed in a simultaneous synthesis or a successive synthesis. The present study examines variations in these syntheses in three intelligence groups in order to identify the types of information processing characteristic of different intelligence groups. A stratified sampling of verbal and nonverbal IQ was used to select 60 boys of age 9–10 in each of three verbal IQ ranges: 71–90, 91–110, and 111–130. A battery of tests used in previous research was administered to all subjects. Multivariate analyses of variance and discriminant analyses indicated that the IQ groups differed markedly on tests used to identify simultaneous synthesis, most notably Raven's Progressive Matrices, and differed slightly less on tests of successive synthesis. Factor analyses of the test intercorrelations for each group revealed more factorial invariance across the IQ groups than had been suggested by a previous exploratory study. It was concluded that strong individual differences exist in simultaneous and successive syntheses over the major portion of the standardized intelligence range, and no high degree of specialization of information processing was characteristic of an intelligence group.     

Selecting entrepreneurial employees using a person-group fit perspective

As jobs become unstructured and collective endeavor oriented, it is increasingly being realized that work groups must become more autonomous and entrepreneurial. The selection literature is however silent on the predictive mechanisms that may be leveraged to select group members with the desired competencies. The person-group fit perspective enables us to hypothesize and demonstrate that selection instruments geared toward gauging an individual's fit within a group are likely to manifest entrepreneurial competencies and behaviors in the individual. Further, the nature of the job, in terms of the structuredness of work (task formalization) and the repetitiveness of work activities (task routinization), has a moderating impact on the relationship between overall entrepreneurial competence and selection practices. The study has implications for incorporating the principles of person-group fit into the design of job profiles.     

Correlates of Canadian native children's reading performance: From cognitive styles to cognitive processes

Individual differences in reading and cognitive processing among a sample of generally poor readers were studied in order to answer two major questions: Do they have a specific cognitive style that favors global-simultaneous strategies and a weak sequential strategy? If they do not have a distinct cognitive style or strategy, but are merely poor in using sequential (Successive) strategies, then, would the same processes that influence reading performance in the general population determine their performance as well? A sample of 84 Canadian First Nations (FN) children were assessed in word and pseudoword reading, rapid naming speed, and ability to process information using the Planning, Attention, Successive, and Simultaneous (PASS) theory of intelligence. Results confirmed that this sample of children did not exhibit a specific cognitive style. Rather, there was evidence of a weakness in Successive processing only in the subgroup of poor readers. The importance of understanding the role of Successive processing and rapid naming speed relative to reading is further discussed.     

The Dildo as a Transformative Political Tool: Feminist and Queer Perspectives

Censorship in patriarchal cultures runs deep in pushing dialogues and discussions on sexuality and sexual desires underground. The forbidden nature of these conversations is tighter around women and girls. With the inadequacy of affirmative and safe spaces to talk about sexual desire and pleasure, accessibility and availability of sex toys including dildos becomes significantly difficult, more so for women and other marginalized communities. Discussions about the dildo are further mired in debates between and among feminist and queer ideologies. In this paper, I look at how the dildo could be viewed simultaneously as a tool of oppression as well as of liberation and attempt to address the question: who does the dildo oppress and who does it liberate? I explore the multiple perspectives around the dildo within feminist thought and queer theory with special attention to points of convergence and divergence between them. While some predominant feminist perspectives understand the dildo as a symbol of the phallocentric order, there are others which view it as a tool for transformative politics. Queer theory also views the dildo as a device that can alter and shift traditional hierarchical relationships and be liberating not only for women but also for several marginalized identities including people with disabilities and people living with HIV. Unwrapping some of the ways in which the dildo is perceived, understood and experienced, I suggest that the dildo needs to be interpreted in complex and multi-layered ways.