Language functioning after bilateral prefrontal leukotomy

Three groups of patients with orbital frontal lesions secondary to leukotomy were compared to psychiatric and normal control groups on a series of tasks involving language. The results indicated that chronic orbital frontal lesions, at least in the patients in this study, do not affect language as defined by the tasks used in the study. The frontal lobes, when implicated in language, appear to require dorsal-lateral or medial cortical involvement.     

An Ultra‐Realist Theory of Perception

In this paper I argue for a theory of perception distinct both from classical sense‐datum theories and from intentionalist theories, that is theories according to which one perceives external objects by dint of a relation with a propositional content. The alternative I propose completely rejects any representational element in perception. When one sees that an object has a property, the situation or state of affairs of its having that property is one's perception, so that the object and property are literally part of one's mind. The most obvious objection to this view is that it embodies a rampant form of idealism. It is argued to the contrary, via consideration of the metaphysics of situations, that the theory is entirely consistent with a robustly realist view of the world.     

Developmental Differences in Understanding of Balance Scales in the United States and Zimbabwe

This cross-cultural, developmental study of understanding of the physics of a balance scale involved 2 age groups (5- and 22-year-olds) in 2 countries (the United States and Zimbabwe). A factorial design was used. Each participant solved 6 types of balance scale problems, and the patterns of errors for these problem types were analyzed to determine which rules and concepts the participant used (e.g., whether number of weights was considered). As expected, on average, older participants were more accurate than younger participants, although significant age differences in the Zimbabwean sample were not found for problems solved by weight or distance cues. One finding differing from earlier research was that problems in which the beam balanced were more difficult for all participants. Generally, understanding of the physics of a balance scale appeared fairly similar in the 2 countries. Some cultural practices may account for the findings—in particular, the availability of preschool and age at time of academic specialization in higher education.     

Emotional Responses to Music: Interactive Effects of Mode,Texture, and Tempo

Although much research has explored emotional responses to music using single musical elements, none has explored the interactive effects of mode, texture, and tempo in a single experiment. To this end, a 2 (mode: major vs. minor) × 2 (texture: nonharmonized vs. harmonized) × 3 (tempo: 72, 108, 144 beats per min) within-participants experimental design was employed, in which 177 college students rated four, brief musical phrases on continuous happy-sad scales. Major keys, nonharmonized melodies, and faster tempos were associated with happier responses, whereas their respective opposites were associated with sadder responses. These effects were also interactive, such that the typically positive association between tempo and happiness was inverted among minor, nonharmonized phrases. Some of these effects were moderated by the gender and amount of musical experience of participants. A principal components analysis of responses to the stimuli revealed one negatively and one positively valenced factor of emotional musical stimuli.     

Secondary student motivation orientations and standards‐based achievement outcomes

Background Individual student characteristics such as competence motivation, achievement values, and goal orientations have been related in meaningful ways to task attainment. The standards‐based National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) was developed in New Zealand with the intention of strengthening connections between student learning behaviours and achievement outcomes. Aim This study investigates interrelationships between self‐reported motivation orientations and achievement outcomes on the NCEA, a standards‐based, criterion‐referenced assessment system for senior secondary students. Sample Participants were 3,569 Year 11–Year 13 students at 20 nationally representative secondary schools in New Zealand. Method Survey data were factor analysed followed by regression analyses to examine relationships across demographic factors, self‐report survey results, and NCEA achievement outcomes. Results Several theoretically meaningful self‐reported motivation orientations were strongly related to actual achievement including doing my best (high achievement) and doing just enough (low achievement). These dimensions varied by gender, ethnicity, and school zone decile. Conclusions These findings illustrate how particular design features of a standards‐based assessment system relate to student attitudes and achievement. They also highlight the need for longitudinal research to investigate patterns over time as well as the possible impact of interventions to alter motivation and/or academic task performance.