Color makes a difference: two-dimensional object naming in literate and illiterate subjects

Previous work has shown that illiterate subjects are better at naming two-dimensional representations of real objects when presented as colored photos as compared to black and white drawings. This raises the question if color or textural details selectively improve object recognition and naming in illiterate compared to literate subjects. In this study, we investigated whether the surface texture and/or color of objects is used to access stored object knowledge in illiterate subjects. A group of illiterate subjects and a matched literate control group were compared on an immediate object naming task with four conditions: color and black and white (i.e., grey-scaled) photos, as well as color and black and white (i.e., grey-scaled) drawings of common everyday objects. The results show that illiterate subjects perform significantly better when the stimuli are colored and this effect is independent of the photographic detail. In addition, there were significant differences between the literacy groups in the black and white condition for both drawings and photos. These results suggest that color object information contributes to object recognition. This effect was particularly prominent in the illiterate group.     

Multistable syllables as enacted percepts: a source of an asymmetric bias in the verbal transformation effect

Perceptual changes are experienced during rapid and continuous repetition of a speech form, leading to an auditory illusion known as the verbal transformation effect. Although verbal transformations are considered to reflect mainly the perceptual organization and interpretation of speech, the present study was designed to test whether or not speech production constraints may participate in the emergence of verbal representations. With this goal in mind, we examined whether variations in the articulatory cohesion of repeated nonsense words--specifically, temporal relationships between articulatory events--could lead to perceptual asymmetries in verbal transformations. The first experiment displayed variations in timing relations between two consonantal gestures embedded in various nonsense syllables in a repetitive speech production task. In the second experiment, French participants repeatedly uttered these syllables while searching for verbal transformation. Syllable transformation frequencies followed the temporal clustering between consonantal gestures: The more synchronized the gestures, the more stable and attractive the syllable. In the third experiment, which involved a covert repetition mode, the pattern was maintained without external speech movements. However, when a purely perceptual condition was used in a fourth experiment, the previously observed perceptual asymmetries of verbal transformations disappeared. These experiments demonstrate the existence of an asymmetric bias in the verbal transformation effect linked to articulatory control constraints. The persistence of this effect from an overt to a covert repetition procedure provides evidence that articulatory stability constraints originating from the action system may be involved in auditory imagery. The absence of the asymmetric bias during a purely auditory procedure rules out perceptual mechanisms as a possible explanation of the observed asymmetries.     

Contribution of extraretinal signals to the scaling of object distance during self-motion

We investigated the role of extraretinal information in the perception of absolute distance. In a computer-simulated environment, monocular observers judged the distance of objects positioned at different locations in depth while performing frontoparallel movements of the head. The objects were spheres covered with random dots subtending three different visual angles. Observers viewed the objects ateye level, either in isolation or superimposed on a ground floor. The distance and size of the spheres were covaried to suppress relative size information. Hence, the main cues to distance were the motion parallax and the extraretinal signals. In three experiments, we found evidence that (1) perceived distance is correlated with simulated distance in terms of precision and accuracy, (2) the accuracy in the distance estimate is slightly improved by the presence of a ground-floor surface, (3) the perceived distance is not altered significantly when the visual field size increases, and (4) the absolute distance is estimated correctly during self-motion. Conversely, stationary subjects failed to report absolute distance when they passively observed a moving object producing the same retinal stimulation, unless they could rely on knowledge of the three-dimensional movements.     

Executive control in the Simon effect: an electromyographic and distributional analysis

Manual responses to lateralized stimuli are faster for spatially congruent stimulus-response associations than for incongruent associations, even if the stimulus location is irrelevant. This effect, however, decreases as reaction time increases. Recent data suggest that such a decrease reflects online, within-trial executive control. The present study was aimed at testing this hypothesis by analyzing the electromyographic activity of muscles involved in response execution. We focused on the particular trials in which an activation of the muscle involved to the incorrect response preceded the execution of the correct response. A sequential effect analysis, along with an analysis of the reaction time distributions, revealed that after such dual-activation trials, executive control was reinforced. In addition, a distribution analysis of the reaction times associated with such trials compared to the trials without incorrect activation, revealed online, within-trial changes in executive control. Arguments against a late motor locus of the effect of the irrelevant stimulus location are also provided. These results are discussed in terms of current models of cognitive control.     

Measuring individual and cultural differences in implicit trait theories

A new measure of implicit theories or beliefs regarding the traitedness versus contextuality of behavior was developed and tested across cultures. In Studies 1 (N = 266) and 2 (N = 266), these implicit beliefs dimensions were reliably measured and replicated across U.S. college student samples and validity evidence was provided. In Study 3, their structure replicated well across an individualistic culture (the United States; N = 249) and a collectivistic culture (Mexico; N = 268). Implicit trait and contextual beliefs overlapped only modestly with implicit entity theory beliefs and were predicted by self-construals in ways that generally supported cultural psychology hypotheses. Implicit trait beliefs were fairly strongly endorsed in both cultures, suggesting that such beliefs may be universally held.     

Brief-time-series analysis of depressive symptomatology in older people

This research shows the utility of systematic data-gathering from older people and of a statistical analysis procedure for interpreting the data. Four cases of institutionalized older people are presented, and their scores of depressive symptomatology over a period of one to two years is analyzed. Time-series analysis showed a significant positive trend of depression symptomatology in two of the cases, perhaps too subtle for detection in routine clinical check-up, but statistically verifiable. In one of these cases, none of the factors of the scale stands out, despite the fact that the general index shows a statistically significant change over the 36 observations made, so that the results obtained are related to the syndrome of depletion or exhaustion. In the second of the cases, we detect a significant change in the depressive mood factor, which may indicate a subclinical depressive form in its initial stages. Continuous registers can reveal valuable information about situations and progress in the evolution of an older person's mood, with regard to natural development, the prelude to a mood disorder, or follow-up in clinical cases.     

“Things that went well — No serious injuries or deaths”: Ethical reasoning in a normal engineering design process

We argue that considering only a few ‘big’ ethical decisions in any engineering design process — both in education and practice — only reinforces the mistaken idea of engineering design as a series of independent sub-problems. Using data collected in engineering design organisations over a seven year period, we show how an ethical component to engineering decisions is much more pervasive. We distinguish three types of ethical justification for engineering decisions: (1) consequential, (2) deontological or non-consequential, and (3) virtue-based. We find that although there is some evidence for engineering designers as ‘classic’ consequentialists, a more egocentric consequentialism would appear more fitting. We also explain how the idea of a ‘folk ethics’ — a justification in the second category that consciously weighs one thing with another — fits with the idea of the engineering design process as social negotiation rather than as technological progress.     

The effect of social network intervention for women with rheumatoid arthritis

A partially-controlled intervention study was performed. Female patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were allocated to three groups: the network intervention group (n = 104), the attention control group (n = 85), and the no-treatment control group (n = 75). The network intervention consisted of an assessment session and a network meeting. Patients were assessed at baseline and approximately 10 and 18 months after the intervention. The network intervention group reported an increase in network size. Daily emotional support increased for the intervention patients compared with patients in the attention control group. The degree of social dysfunction was reduced for patients in the intervention group compared to patients in the no-treatment control group. Furthermore, for single patients, the intervention significantly increased the social network size and improved both social functioning, and perceived overall health, compared to both control groups. The results suggest that the social needs of single patients should be given special attention in clinical settings.     

Self-perceived clinical competence,gender and workplace setting predict burnout among psychotherapists

Work-related stress, or burnout, is elevated among healthcare staff but the specific risk factors for psychotherapists are not clear, which makes it difficult to design interventions to target this population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate a set of background variables and work-related risk factors for burnout among psychotherapists. Potential protective factors such as level of education, number of years in the profession and access to clinical supervision were investigated. Symptoms of burnout were measured with the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory, and data were collected from 327 psychotherapists. In this group, 62% reported moderate or high levels of burnout symptoms, with significantly higher levels of personal- and work-related burnout than client-related burnout. Being female, having low self-perceived competence and working in the public sector were associated with higher levels of burnout. Other factors, such as age, work experience, level of education or having clinical supervision, were not associated with burnout after controlling for gender, perceived competence and workplace setting. These results confirm previous research that underlines the importance of perceived competence and control over one's work environment, and that women are at higher risk of burnout, possibly because of factors outside of work. The importance of perceived competence as a protective factor suggests that methods that increase therapeutic competence may play an important role in countering work-related stress. In conclusion, there may be a need to continue to develop and integrate specific burnout prevention interventions for psychotherapists.