Brain activity varies with modulation of dynamic pitch variance in sentence melody

Fourteen native speakers of German heard normal sentences, sentences which were either lacking dynamic pitch variation (flattened speech), or comprised of intonation contour exclusively (degraded speech). Participants were to listen carefully to the sentences and to perform a rehearsal task. Passive listening to flattened speech compared to normal speech produced strong brain responses in right cortical areas, particularly in the posterior superior temporal gyrus (pSTG). Passive listening to degraded speech compared to either normal or flattened speech particularly involved fronto-opercular and subcortical (Putamen, Caudate Nucleus) regions bilaterally. Additionally the Rolandic operculum (premotor cortex) in the right hemisphere subserved processing of neat sentence intonation. As a function of explicit rehearsing sentence intonation we found several activation foci in the left inferior frontal gyrus (Broca's area), the left inferior precentral sulcus, and the left Rolandic fissure. The data allow several suggestions: First, both flattened and degraded speech evoked differential brain responses in the pSTG, particularly in the planum temporale (PT) bilaterally indicating that this region mediates integration of slowly and rapidly changing acoustic cues during comprehension of spoken language. Second, the bilateral circuit active whilst participants receive degraded speech reflects general effort allocation. Third, the differential finding for passive perception and explicit rehearsal of intonation contour suggests a right fronto-lateral network for processing and a left fronto-lateral network for producing prosodic information. Finally, it appears that brain areas which subserve speech (frontal operculum) and premotor functions (Rolandic operculum) coincidently support the processing of intonation contour in spoken sentence comprehension.     

Processing of metaphoric and non-metaphoric alternative meanings of words after right- and left-hemispheric lesion

This study examines the specificity of the contribution of the right hemisphere to the processing of metaphoric meaning of words. Ten right- and 10 left-hemisphere-damaged subjects, and 20 normal control subjects were submitted to: (1) a word-triad task where they had to associate alternative metaphoric and non-metaphoric words to a target word, and to (2) a word-dyad task where they had to decide whether or not there was a semantic relationship between two words. The two tasks aimed at differentiating between the subjects' preference for a given semantic meaning versus a genuine semantic deficit for a particular meaning. Results revealed that both right- and left-hemisphere-damaged groups presented a genuine semantic deficit for the processing of metaphoric meaning. The absence of a double dissociation between the two brain-damaged groups does not support the hypothesis of a specific contribution of the right-hemisphere to the processing of metaphoric meaning of words.     

Multicultural Issues in School-Based Consultation Conceptual and Research Considerations

In this article, we review literature relevant to multicultural issues in school-based consultation. Specifically, multicultural literature in the counseling and psychotherapy fields is presented as it relates to consultation. Ways in which culture may affect the consultant, consultee, and client are suggested. Because of the paucity of multicultural research in consultation and lack of major break-throughs in multicultural research as related to consultation, a conceptual framework related to the utility of multicultural issues is presented as a new paradigm for future investigations.     

First-Pass versus Second-Pass Parsing Processes in a Wernicke''s and a Broca''s Aphasic: Electrophysiological Evidence for a Double Dissociation

The present paper is a first attempt to integrate the classical brain lesion behavioral impairment approach of functional neuroanatomy and the electrophysiological brain mapping approach in the domain of syntactic processing. In a group of normal age-matched controls we identified three electrophysiological components previously observed in correlation with language comprehension processes: an early left anterior negativity normally seen in correlation with syntactic first-pass parsing processes (ELAN), a centroparietal negativity seen in correlation with processes of lexical-semantic integration (N400), and a late centroparietal positivity observed in correlation with secondary syntactic processes of reanalysis and repair (P600). The early left anterior negativity was absent in a patient with an extended lesion in the anterior part of the left hemisphere sparing the temporal lobe, although the late centroparietal positivity and the centroparietal N400 were present. In a patient with a left temporal-parietal lesion the early left anterior negativity was found to be present, whereas the N400 component was absent. These findings suggest that first-pass parsing and secondary processes are subserved by distinct brain systems.     

Spatial compatibility effects in the writing page: A comparison of left-handed inverters and noninverters

In recent contribution, Moscovitch and Smith (1979) and Smith and Moscovitch (1979) reported that left-handed inverters responded faster, using one hand, to target stimuli presented in the contralateral, rather than ipsilateral, visual field. Moscovitch and Smith attributed this finding to an anomaly in the visual or visuomotor neurological organization of inverters. The present experiment was an attempt to replicate the Moscovitch and Smith result with the purpose of questioning the validity of their neurological account. Therefore quite a similar visual RT paradigm was used in left-handed inverters and noninverters, but the form of the response was changed. The subjects responded to the stimuli with a stylus contact, made with their left dominant hand, on an A4-format sheet of metal, in well-contrasted conditions of inverted and noninverted writing posture. Both groups, in either condition, displayed faster RTs for stimuli presented in the visual field ipsilateral to their responding hand. In addition, this visual field effect strongly interacted with the lateral position of the response-stylus on the page, despite the fact that this position was varied between trials. The present experiment shows that the Moscovitch and Smith result is not reliable. It also demonstrates that spatial S-R compatibility effects may arise in tasks not involving a choice between concurrent response locations.     

Contextes et variation trans-situationnelle des concepts

Les trois expériences présentées ont pour objectif de tester l'effet de divers contextes sur l'accès initial aux propriétés dominantes et secondaires de concepts de catégories naturelles. Les résultats indiquent l'existence d'un effet facilitateur du contexte, pour peu qu'il soit suffisamment contraignant du point de vue de la richesse sémantique, et ceci dans des temps qui garantissent l'implication de processus automatiques. Cette dernière interprétation est par ailleurs confirmée par l'absence constante d'inhibition. La dernière expérience infirme de plus l'hypothèse d'une facilitation intralexicale entre contexte et cible et confirme que c'est bien la construction sémantique élaborée par le sujet qui facilite l'accès à certaines propriétés spécifiquement pertinentes des concepts-amorces.     

Multilevel SEM with random slopes in discrete data using the pairwise maximum likelihood

Pairwise maximum likelihood (PML) estimation is a promising method for multilevel models with discrete responses. Multilevel models take into account that units within a cluster tend to be more alike than units from different clusters. The pairwise likelihood is then obtained as the product of bivariate likelihoods for all within-cluster pairs of units and items. In this study, we investigate the PML estimation method with computationally intensive multilevel random intercept and random slope structural equation models (SEM) in discrete data. In pursuing this, we first reconsidered the general ‘wide format’ (WF) approach for SEM models and then extend the WF approach with random slopes. In a small simulation study we the determine accuracy and efficiency of the PML estimation method by varying the sample size (250, 500, 1000, 2000), response scales (two-point, four-point), and data-generating model (mediation model with three random slopes, factor model with one and two random slopes). Overall, results show that the PML estimation method is capable of estimating computationally intensive random intercept and random slopes multilevel models in the SEM framework with discrete data and many (six or more) latent variables with satisfactory accuracy and efficiency. However, the condition with 250 clusters combined with a two-point response scale shows more bias.     

Simulating the pattern of right-hemisphere-damaged patients for the processing of the alternative metaphorical meanings of words: evidence in favor of a cognitive resources hypothesis

Lately, many studies have suggested that communication impairments in brain-damaged individuals might be explained--at least in part--in terms of cognitive resource allocation. Reproducing a clinical pattern in normal subjects by using a dual-task treatment might be a way of evaluating the role of cognitive resources in the right hemisphere's contribution to verbal communication. This study suggests that the RH's presumed specific contribution to the processing of the alternative metaphorical meanings of words is, at least to some extent, the expression of the RH's complementary, and necessary, contribution to the pool of attentional resources needed for the most effortful processing.     

The influence of problem features and individual differences on strategic performance in simple arithmetic

The present study examined the influence of features differing across problems (problem size and operation) and across individuals (gender, amount of daily arithmetic practice, calculator use, and arithmetic skill) on simple arithmetic performance. Regression analyses were used to investigate the role of these variables in both strategy selection and strategy efficiency. Results show that more skilled and highly practiced students used memory retrieval more often and executed their strategies more efficiently than did less skilled and practiced students. Furthermore, calculator use correlated with both retrieval and procedural strategy efficiency but not with strategy selection. Only very small associations with gender were observed, with boys retrieving slightly faster than girls. Implications of the present findings for models of mental arithmetic are discussed.