Acquisition of lexical morphology in simple partial epilepsy.

In the study of language acquisition following early brain damage, results have been divergent. On one hand, some studies claim that language eventually resumes to normal, whereas, on the other hand, studies show lasting deficits throughout development. Discrepancies in the results could arise from different etiologies and tests used. This study attempts to determine the extent to which the development of verb production is affected in later development in children who had simple partial epilepsy (SPE). Measures of diversity and fluency of three verb types, namely main verbs, auxiliary and copula verbs, and nonfinite verbs were used on three children diagnosed as SPE and compared to control groups. Our main results show a limited production of auxiliary verbs. Further analysis of their productions suggest a telegraphic style of speech, as reflected by a superior production of nonfinite verb type compared with normal children. These findings are interpreted as reflecting long-lasting consequences of early brain damage with respect to language development.     

Cross‐Cultural Contact in Counseling Training

Cross‐cultural contact was found to be important in the development of multicultural counseling competencies (MCCs). The greater the prior cross‐cultural life experience, the higher were students' MCCs measured at the beginning of a multicultural counseling course. MCCs measured at the end of the course were significantly higher than MCCs measured at the beginning of the course. Theme analysis of students' journals suggested that cross‐cultural contact, a major component of the course, was important in MCCs's development. Este estudio explora la relación entre el contacto intercultural y el desarrollo de competencias de consejería multicultural en un curso basado en este entrenamiento. El contacto intercultural resultó ser importante en el desarrollo de las Competencias de Consejería Multicultural (CCMs). Estudiantes con altos niveles de experiencias interculturales en sus vidas previas al curso, tuvieron altos resultados en las CCMs medidas al fin del curso. Las CCMs medidas al fin del curso fueron significativamente más altas que las CCMs medidas al principio del curso. Análisis de los temas en los diarios de los estudiantes sugiere que el contacto intercultural, un componente principal de este curso, fue importante en el desarrollo de las CCMs.     

Risk Factors for Suicidality Among Clients With Schizophrenia

Among clients with schizophrenia, suicidality is associated with extreme personal distress, an increased number of inpatient hospitalizations, increased health care expenditures, and early mortality. This study attempted to identify risk factors for current suicidality in clients diagnosed with schizophrenia (N = 223). Results indicated that severity of depressive symptoms most strongly correlated with degree of suicidality. Younger age and recent traumatic stress each significantly predicted suicidality independent of depressive symptoms. Stepwise regression procedures showed that the combination of depression, younger age, and traumatic stress might provide a general prediction model for suicidality among clients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Counseling implications of these findings are outlined.     

Directional bias of limb tremor prior to voluntary movement

Taking a cue from recent discoveries of directional bias in microsaccades during visual fixation, we investigated directional bias in tremor during manual pointing. Subjects memorized and then performed patterns of alternating postures and voluntary movements. The directions of the tiny movements occurring during periods of intended stillness were predictive of subsequent target-directed movements such that in the horizontal axis, relative to baseline, the frequency of tremor decreased and the amplitude of tremor increased before horizontal movements, but not before vertical movements. This effect was less pronounced in the finger than in the arm, forearm, and hand. Possible explanations of the effect are based on eye-limb coupling, decreasing stiffness in the axis of forthcoming movement, and release of inhibition. The discovery of directionally specific preparatory activity suggests that the simple task of holding still before moving may provide a new window into the processes that allow for the translation of intentions into actions.     

Six-week postpartum maternal self-criticism and dependency and 4-month mother-infant self- and interactive contingencies

Associations of 6-week postpartum maternal self-criticism and dependency with 4-month mother-infant self- and interactive contingencies during face-to-face play were investigated in 126 dyads. Infant and mother face, gaze, touch, and vocal quality were coded second by second from split-screen videotape. Self- and interactive contingencies were defined as auto- and lagged cross-correlation, respectively, using multilevel time-series models. Statistical significance was defined as p<.05. Regarding self-contingency, (a) more self-critical mothers showed primarily lowered self-contingency, whereas their infants showed both lowered and heightened, and (b) infants of more dependent mothers showed primarily lowered self-contingency, whereas findings were absent in mothers. Regarding interactive contingency, (a) more self-critical mothers showed lowered attention and emotion contingencies but heightened contingent touch coordination with infant touch, and (b) more dependent mothers and their infants showed heightened facial/vocal interactive contingencies. Thus, maternal self-criticism and dependency have different effects on mother-infant communication.     

Re‐Framing the Question: How Can We Construct a Theology of Religions?

Abstract : The existing framework—the typology of exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism—seems inadequate for resolving the dilemma Lutheran theologians confront: how to show respect for believers of the world's religions while still retaining the Christian commitment to mission. A substitute typology is proffered that distinguishes confessional exclusivism, confessional universalism, and supra‐confessional universalism. The option of confessional universalism provides a path for affirming a specific religious commitment—that in Jesus Christ God has been revealed as gracious—that is universally applicable; yet, holders of this position can demonstrate respect for, and cooperate with, members of other religious traditions who see matters differently.     

Color,Variation, and the Appeal to Essences: Impasse and Resolution

Many philosophers have been attracted by the view that colors are mind-independent properties of object surfaces. While this view has come in for a fair bit of criticism for failing to do justice to the facts about perceptual variation, Byrne and Hilbert have recently argued that perceptual variation involving color is no more problematic for physicalism about color than representational variation involving temperature is for physicalism about temperature. Unfortunately, the analogy on which this response rests is no less controversial than the disputed view about color, and so the response leads to a standoff rather than a resolution of the debate. However, we can appeal to facts about our inferential treatment of color and other properties as a way of resolving this impasse; doing so gives us defeasible reason for rejecting the Byrne and Hilbert response, and so for rejecting their mind-independent conception of color.     

The effect of constant threat of terror on Israeli Jewish and Arab adolescents

The effect on Israeli Jewish and Arab adolescents of living under constant threat of terrorist attacks was assessed in a sample of 346 adolescents. The study probed their direct and indirect exposure to terrorist attacks, avoidance of public centers, sharing feelings with significant others, and stress reaction symptoms. The adolescents showed mild to low levels of stress symptoms in reaction to terrorist attacks in Israel, with no significant differences between Jews and Arabs. The Jewish adolescents reported knowing more people involved in terror attacks and being more informed by their parents about them. Demographic and exposure variables explained 39% of the variance of stress reaction symptoms. Being female, knowing someone injured, having parents who discuss terrorist attacks or forbid going out, and more sharing of feelings were significantly related to higher stress symptoms. For Jewish adolescents, greater levels of sharing of feelings were related to higher distress. Jewish and Arab adolescents proved to be similarly affected by the threat of terror but were also resilient even in highly unusual circumstances.