Prominence vs. aboutness in sequencing: A functional distinction within the left inferior frontal gyrus

Prior research on the neural bases of syntactic comprehension suggests that activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus (lIFG) correlates with the processing of word order variations. However, there are inconsistencies with respect to the specific subregion within the IFG that is implicated by these findings: the pars opercularis or the pars triangularis. Here, we examined the hypothesis that the dissociation between pars opercularis and pars triangularis activation may reflect functional differences between clause-medial and clause-initial word order permutations, respectively. To this end, we directly compared clause-medial and clause-initial object-before-subject orders in German in a within-participants, event-related fMRI design. Our results showed increased activation for object-initial sentences in a bilateral network of frontal, temporal and subcortical regions. Within the lIFG, posterior and inferior subregions showed only a main effect of word order, whereas more anterior and superior subregions showed effects of word order and sentence type, with higher activation for sentences with an argument in the clause-initial position. These findings are interpreted as evidence for a functional gradation of sequence processing within the left IFG: posterior subportions correlate with argument prominence-based (local) aspects of sequencing, while anterior subportions correlate with aboutness-based aspects of sequencing, which are crucial in linking the current sentence to the wider discourse. This proposal appears compatible with more general hypotheses about information processing gradients in prefrontal cortex (Koechlin & Summerfield, 2007).     

Grouping illumination frameworks

According to Koffka (1935), the lightness of a target surface is determined by the relationship between the target and the illumination frame of reference to which it belongs. However, each scene contains numerous illumination frames, and judging each one separately would lead to an enormous amount of computing. Grouping those frames that are in the same illumination would simplify the computation. We report a series of experiments demonstrating that nonadjacent regions of the visual field under the same illumination level are perceptually grouped together and function, to some extent, as a single framework. A small coplanar group of patches under its own illumination exhibits compression of perceived range of gray shades. We obtained the reduction in compression in the presence of an identically illuminated 25-patch Mondrian tableau mounted nearby the coplanar group. The influence of the Mondrian display was reduced when it was (a) moved laterally away from the test display, (b) moved farther back in depth from the test display, or (c) rotated to a different orientation.     

Parental involvement in home visiting: Interpersonal predictors and correlates

Parents' commitment to and usage of early intervention are key variables in understanding discrepancies in families' susceptibility to these services. Although the important role of fathers in infant development is widely recognized, early interpersonal predictors of paternal involvement in home‐visiting programs have been understudied. This article aims to fill this gap by regressing parents' postnatal involvement on prenatal partnership satisfaction and quality of the helping relationship in a sample of 124 socially and financially disadvantaged families. Paternal program engagement was predicted by partnership satisfaction whereas the perceived quality of the helping relationship best predicted maternal program engagement, with demographical characteristics controlled. Maternal program engagement also mediated the relationship between partnership satisfaction and paternal program engagement. The results are discussed against the theoretical background.     

Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Modified Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index in a Sample of Croatian Children and Adolescents

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) refers to a person’s tendency to fear anxiety-related symptoms due to the belief that they have harmful consequences. The Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI) is a well accepted operationalization of the AS construct in children and adolescents. This study evaluated the factor structure, gender stability and psychometric properties of the CASI, modified to a 5-point scale, in a sample of Croatian children and adolescents (N = 1,679). Exploratory and confirmatory analysis and a Schmid-Leiman solution confirmed the multidimensional and hierarchical structure of the CASI, which consisted of three lower-order factors and a single higher-order factor. Further, the modification of the CASI to a 5-point scale resulted in higher reliability, while maintaining acceptable levels of factor stability and validity.     

Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index in a sample of Croatian adults

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) refers to a person's tendency to fear anxiety-related symptoms due to the belief that these symptoms may have harmful consequences. The most widely used operationalization of AS in adults is the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI). The factor structure, gender stability, and psychometric properties of the ASI in a sample of Croatian adults (N = 984) were evaluated. Results confirm the multidimensional and hierarchical structure of the ASI, which consisted of three lower-order factors (Physical Concerns, Psychological Concerns, and Social Concerns) and a single higher-order factor, AS. Furthermore, the achievement of normative scores for the ASI in a Croatian adult sample demonstrates the cross-national stability of the ASI. Reliability coefficients for the ASI, Physical Concerns, and Psychological Concerns are high and satisfactory in the total sample and for both genders. Overall, the results confirmed the cross-national stability, gender stability, reliability, and validity of the ASI in a sample of Croatian adults.     

Learning and development of embodied numerosity

Recent empirical evidence indicates that seemingly abstract numerical cognitions are rooted in sensory and bodily experiences. In particular in finger counting finger-based representations reflect a specific case of embodied cognition, we termed embodied numerosity. Furthermore, we suggest that finger-based representations should be considered a distinct representation of number (magnitude) and argue that this representation is activated automatically whenever we encounter a number. We discuss in what way such a theoretical framework can account for the associations of fingers and numbers observed so far. In the final part, we evaluate whether the concept of embodied numerosity should be generalized beyond finger-based representations with particular focus on whether bodily-sensory experiences (such as moving the whole body along the mental number line) may corroborate numerical capabilities. In a series of intervention studies, we consistently observed more pronounced training effects for our embodied numerosity trainings for different age groups, different digital media, different number ranges, and different control conditions. Taken together, we conclude that embodied representations of number (magnitude) exist, are not limited to finger-based representations, and influence number processing in a systematic and functional way that can be used to foster the efficiency of numerical trainings.     

Eyewitness memory is still not common sense: comparing jurors,judges and law enforcement to eyewitness experts

Knowledge of factors affecting eyewitness accuracy was examined in a sample of jurors, judges and law enforcement professionals. Participants completed a survey in which they were asked to agree or disagree with 30 statements about eyewitness issues, and their responses were compared to a sample of eyewitness experts who completed the same survey. Participant responses differed significantly from responses of eyewitness experts. Jurors disagreed with the experts on 87% of the issues, while judges and law enforcement disagreed with the experts on 60% of the issues. The findings show a large deficiency in knowledge of eyewitness memory amongst jurors, judges and law enforcement personnel, indicating that the legal system may benefit from expert assistance in the evaluation of eyewitness evidence. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Possible decision-making preadaptations in the molly Poecilia sphenops

In many species females choose a mate from among several available males; in other species, the social system provides no apparent opportunity for making a decision among alternative suitors, and decision-making capacity is assumed to be minimal. The origins, bases, and logic of female mate choices are contentious questions with important cognitive implications. Female short-finned mollies, Poecilia sphenops, have never been observed to choose mates in the wild, where instead a male-contest social system prevails. Nevertheless they readily choose between models of males in the laboratory. Some of their decisions anticipate features found in males in more recently evolved species where the social system permits female choice. The willingness of females to choose traits in a species without such traits or evident need or opportunity for female choice in the wild is remarkable. These observations suggest that choice behavior can be latent in a species, and may direct or bias the development of behavioral preferences.