Inferential language processes across adolescence: A test with novel idioms

Idiom comprehension relies on the ability to draw inferences from different cues in a communication situation. Adopting a developmental perspective, we investigated how this ability changes across adolescence. To this end, we designed a computerized system that allowed us to simulate a communication situation through short videos placing participants at the center of the interaction. Four groups of participants (11, 13, 15, and adult students) performed an idiomatic expression comprehension task, in which idiom familiarity was controlled. We manipulated the idioms’ transparency (vs. opacity) and presentation (supportive narrative context inducing an idiomatic interpretation of the expression vs. nonsupportive narrative context). Analyses revealed an improvement in idiom comprehension in terms of contextual inferences but they failed to reveal any significant difference in terms of semantic inferences. This study yields fresh arguments in support of the notion that inferential ability based on context continues to develop beyond childhood.     

Cognitive adaptation and mental health: A motivational analysis

The present study tested a motivational model where the beneficial impact that processes of cognitive adaptation have on mental health takes place through self‐determined motivation. The model proposes that the components of cognitive adaptation theory (positive self‐perceptions, perceptions of control, and optimism) foster a self‐determined motivation. In turn, self‐determined motivation predicts positive indices of mental health. In addition, the model posits that the beneficial role of cognitive adaptation on mental health is mediated by motivational processes. The model was tested using a 1‐year prospective design with a random sample from the general population. Results from structural equation modelling analysis provided empirical support for the proposed model. Results are discussed with regards to Taylor's ( 1983 ) cognitive adaptation theory, self‐determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1991 ), and the Hierarchical Model of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation (Vallerand, 1997 ). Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How many exemplars are used? Explorations with the Rex Leopold I model

The goal of this research is to test the hypothesis that a category is not necessarily represented by all observed exemplars, but by a reduced subset of these exemplars. To test this hypothesis, we made use of a study reported by Nosofsky, Clark, and Shin (1989), and replicated their Experiment 1 in order to gather individual-participant data. Both a full exemplar model and a reduced exemplar model were fit to the data. In general, the fits of the reduced exemplar model were superior to those of the full exemplar model. The results suggest that only a subset of exemplars may be sufficient for category representation.     

Psychosocial mediators of a lifestyle physical activity intervention in women

ObjectivesA lifestyle physical activity intervention in women based on the transtheoretical model and social–cognitive theory effectively increased physical activity. The aim of the present study was to examine possible mediators (perceived benefits and barriers of physical activity, self-efficacy, processes of change, and social support) of these physical activity changes.MethodsMembers of four units of a women's organization followed a six-month minimal-contact physical activity program. The intervention program included one group meeting, a self-help booklet and five monthly reminder letters. Members of two other units served as control group. Physical activity (accelerometer counts), and psychosocial constructs (self-report questionnaires) were assessed at baseline (pretest) and directly after the intervention (posttest). Women who completed all measurements (n = 101) were included in the mediation analyses.ResultsParticipants in the intervention group reported significantly greater increases in the use of behavioral processes from pretest to posttest than participants in the control group. None of the proposed psychosocial constructs showed a mediating effect on changes in physical activity.ConclusionsThe mechanisms proposed by the transtheoretical model and social–cognitive theory could not explain the positive effect of the intervention on physical activity. Identifying the working components of an intervention remains a challenging and necessary step in the development of effective low-cost and high-reach physical activity interventions.     

Semisupervised category learning: The impact of feedback in learning the information-integration task

In a standard supervised classification paradigm, stimuli are presented sequentially, participants make a classification, and feedback follows immediately. In this article, we use a semisupervised classification paradigm, in which feedback is given after a prespecified percentage of trials only. In Experiment 1, feedback was given in 100%, 0%, 25%, and 50% of the trials. Previous research reported by Ashby, Queller, and Berretty (1999) indicated that in an information-integration task, perfect accuracy was obtained supervised (100%) but not unsupervised (0%). Our results show that in both the 100% and 50% conditions, participants were able to achieve maximum accuracy. However, in the 0% and the 25% conditions, participants failed to learn. To discover the influence of the no-feedback trials on the learning process, the 50% condition was replicated in Experiment 2, substituting unrelated filler trials for the no-feedback trials. The results indicated that accuracy rates were similar, suggesting no impact of the no-feedback trials on the learning process. The possibility of ever learning in a 25% setting was also researched in Experiment 2. Using twice as many trials, the results showed that all but 2 participants succeeded, suggesting that only the total number of feedback trials is important. The impact of the semisupervised learning results for ALCOVE, COVIS, and SPEED models is discussed.     

Changes in repeated references: Collaboration or repetition effects?

According to the Clark & Wilkes-Gibbs' collaborative model of reference, the repetition of a referential communication task produces changes in the making of references (decreasing number of words and of turns with the passing trials, increasing number of definite references and of labels), and these changes are interpreted as revealing the outgrowth of a collaborative process aiming at mutual understanding at the lowest cost. Using a repeated referential paradigm but without any physically present interlocutor, the present study aimed at answering the question of whether these changes are attributable to the mere repetition of the referential task. In adifferent addressee (DA) condition, the subjects were told before each new trial that what they would say would be presented later to another person; in asame addressee 9SA) condition, the subjects were told before each new trial that what they would say would be presented to the same person. With the passing trials, the subjects in the DA condition produced more and more words, but did not use any definite references or labels: These observations have no common point with the ones obtained within a conversational framework. The data obtained from speakers in the SA condition were only slightly different and far from being close to the ones gained in referential dialogues: The number of words remains constant, there was only a slight increase of definite references, and there were no labels. Repetition itself clearly cannot account for the changes in referring that have been reported in recent studies of how subjects cooperate in the making of references.This research was partly supported by a project grant from the National Fund for Scientific Research (Belgium) to Y. Chantraine, research assistant at the University of Louvain in Belgium.     

Global Change: New Challenges for Psychology

Perception of environmental degradation and awareness of environmental hazards came gradually, and was followed by collective action. Global change is different because of its specific features, which raise new issues for action-oriented psychological research. The lack of consensus among scientists, the global nature of the change, and the type of risk are analysed in order to develop an agenda for research. Priority should be given to acquiring a better knowledge of the cognitive process in the face of serious danger with a high margin of uncertainty.