The word order problem in agrammatism : II. Production

This study demonstrates that agrammatic aphasics have difficulty describing relations that are signified by the order of noun phrases around verbs or prepositions. The word order deficit is found in a Sentence Order Task, in which written words must be arranged linearly to form a sentence, as well as in oral production. Ordering tendencies reflect factors like animacy or potency, rather than the systematic use of syntactic rules. These results point to a fundamental syntactic disorder in agrammatism.     

The holophrastic hypothesis: Conceptual and empirical issues

A conceptual distinction is drawn between a structural and a functional version of the holophrastic hypothesis. The structural version of this hypothesis views the single-word utterances of children as implicit expressions of either syntactic or semantic structural relations, while the functional version views each of these utterances as consisting of a single lexical item which is used for a particular communicative function. The arguments which have been proposed in favour of these two versions of the hypothesis are critically examined in the light of the empirical evidence which is currently available. It is concluded that this evidence only supports the functional version of the holophrastic hypothesis, there being no evidence available to support the interpretation of children's single-word utterances as implicit expressions of either syntactic or semantic relations.     

The extra credit effect in interpersonal attraction

An experiment was conducted in which three levels of personal evaluation (positive, mixed, or negative) were crossed with two levels of dependence of the evaluator (high or low) and two levels of accuracy of the evaluation (high or low). Liking for the evaluator was expected to increase linearly with the favorableness of the evaluation, with two possible exceptions: When a positive evaluation from a dependent evaluator was inaccurate, and when a negative evaluation from a dependent evaluator was accurate. In the former case, the obvious inaccuracy of the positive evaluation in the face of the temptation to ingratiate was expected to elicit a decrement in liking (an “ingratiation effect”) by the person being evaluated. In the latter case, the honesty of the evaluator in the face of the temptation to ingratiate was expected to elicit an increment of linking (an “extra credit effect”) by the person being evaluated. Only the second of these two possibilities was supported.     

Intelligence and the processing of stimulus structure

It has been demonstrated in a number of experiments that the difficulty level of several performance type intelligence test tasks is determined directly by stimulus and task variables that vary the information to be processed. The variables are quantifiable. The implications of these findings for intelligence and the problems of an experimental approach to the measurement of intelligence are discussed.     

The GABAergic effect of low doses of lorazepam on social behavior

The aim of this work was to test the antiaggressive effects of lorazepam and to determine whether these effects were mediated by benzodiazepine receptors. In a first experiment, male mice were injected with lorazepam in a range of low doses (0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.6 mg/kg) or saline solution. In a second experiment, 1 mg/kg of Ro 15‐1788, a benzodiazepine receptor antagonist, and a saline solution were injected before the behavioral test. Results showed that 0.6 mg/kg of lorazepam was the only dose that decreased the total duration of threat (P < .01) and social investigation (P < .05) and that 1 mg/kg of Ro 15‐1788 had no effects. In the third experiment, animals received two injections: 0.6 mg/kg of lorazepam plus 1 mg/kg of Ro 15‐1788, 0.6 mg/kg of lorazepam plus saline solution, or saline solution plus saline solution. Those treated with lorazepam and saline solution spent less time digging (P < .001), threatening (P < .001), and attacking (P < .05) and more time avoiding the opponent (P < .01) or being immobile (P < .001) than the controls. Ro 15‐1788 was successful in completely antagonizing the behavior modulated by lorazepam. Aggr. Behav. 28:248–256, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

An Ecological Approach to Therapy With Gender Minorities

This special series includes four articles that review important considerations for clinical work with gender minorities, including youth and young adults, individuals who are nonbinary, transgender individuals in inpatient or residential care, and transgender individuals recovering from trauma. These articles provide important insights and concrete suggestions for how to enact affirming practice, spanning across macro, mezzo, and micro levels. Ultimately, a multilevel approach to working with transgender and gender diverse individuals is essential to addressing health disparities in this population, as the work of an affirming provider goes beyond the therapy hour and the therapy office or treatment unit. In this commentary, I review the major themes from these contributions, provide a perspective on how they fit within the existing literature, and provide an overview of pressing future directions in gender minority research.     

From 3 to 20: The early training project: By S. W. Gray,B. K. Ramsey,and R. A. Klaus. Baltimore: Univ. Park Press, 1982. xi + 344 pp., $27.95

A perspective on the controversy over the effects of early childhood intervention is provided. Gray, Ramsey, and Klaus' book is reviewed. The results of the study are commented upon, and implications for the continuing controversy about the effects of early childhood intervention are suggested.     

Processing the intensity of dichotic syllables

Subjects were required to match the intensity levels of the left- and right-ear members of dichotically presented nonsense syllables. When subjects matched the overall average intensities of a sequence of differing dichotic pairs no ear differences were observed. When repetitions of single dichotic pairs were matched right-ear syllables were judged louder than left-ear syllables. The results support a model predicting left-hemisphere superiority in a task permitting higher-level encoding of speech input.     

THE JERUSALEM DECREE,PAUL, AND THE GENTILE ANALOGY TO HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS

Revisionists and traditionalists appeal to Acts 15, welcoming the Gentiles, for analogies directing the church's response to homosexual persons. John Perry has analyzed the major positions. He faults revisionists for inadequate attention to the Jerusalem Decree and faults one traditionalist for using the Decree literally rather than through analogy. I argue that analogical use of the Decree must supplement rather than displace the plain sense. The Decree has been neglected due to assumptions that Paul opposed it, that it expired, or because Gentiles wanted non‐kosher meat. I argue that Paul continued to observe the Torah and supported the Decree, that it has not expired, and that Gentile desire for non‐kosher meat is not a firm obstacle. Affirming the plain sense of the Decree, I develop the analogy from Acts 15 to homosexual persons.