Transfer of adaptation between ocular saccades and arm movements

Previous studies found little or no transfer of adaptation from reactive saccades to arm pointing movements, which suggests that the two motor systems rely on distinct adaptive mechanisms. However, this conclusion is based on experiments about the adaptation of response amplitudes, which is known to follow somewhat different principles than the adaptation of response directions. In the present study, we therefore investigate whether adapting the direction of reactive saccades will transfer to arm movements. We also test transfer in the opposite direction, from the arm to the eyes. Participants executed aimed saccades or arm movements from a central starting point towards visual targets in the participants' frontal plane. Targets were presented in eight possible locations along a circle of 20 cm radius about the starting point; each remained for 200 ms in one position, and was then displaced along the circle by -15 degrees . Participants from group E adapted to these double-stepped targets while executing eye movements, and were then tested for transfer while executing arm movements. The reciprocal design was used in participants from group A. Adaptive change in group A was about 14 degrees , while in group E it was only about 7 degrees . Transfer of adaptation was substantial, and was more pronounced when using the arm (i.e., eye-to-arm transfer in group E) rather than the eyes (i.e., arm-to-eye transfer in group A). Strong aftereffects were yielded in both groups. This pattern of findings implies that the adaptive change observed in our study was mainly based on recalibration rather than on cognitive strategies (strong aftereffects), that eyes and arm had access to a common adaptive mechanism (substantial transfer), and that the arm had better access than the eyes (larger adaptation and transfer when using the arm). When considering this outcome along with the available literature, it appears that arm and eyes may rely sometimes on a common and sometimes on distinct adaptive mechanisms, depending on the adapted parameter and on the nature of the motor task.     

折中效应的整合性机制

摘要：文中通过导入适应水平理论,使用二分类Logistics回归模型分析复合因素下折中效应的变化规律。共有以下发现：第一,信息提示方式对于折中效应有主效应,而且,信息的单面提示比双面提示方式下更易出现折中效应;第二,信息提示方式、精致化、风险认知对于折中效应有显著的二阶交互效应;第三,消费者的产品卷入、产品知识、风险认知分别与折中效应有正或负的关系。结论表明,在信息提示方式的调节作用之下,折中效应中不但分别存在单一的ELM抑制机制以及风险认知促进机制,而且还存在它们的双重机制。     

Pratiques éducatives parentales face à des enfants porteurs d'une trisomie 21 et des enfants non déficients : étude comparative d'une activité conjointe d'encastrement en période précoce

This research studies the varied forms of parental supervision in early period. With this intention, thirty-six dyads non-defective parent-child of second year of life and thirty-six dyads parent-child carrying a Down syndrome, of the same age of development were thus observed, during a situation of play of embedding. The cluster analysis revealed the existence of four forms of parental guidance: one non-directive form and three directives forms corresponding to the communication of increasingly precise information for the resolution. Also, the four forms are very similar between the two groups. In conclusion, our results suggest, that independently of the groups, the varied forms of parental guidance could be regulated by the parental goals.     

Adaptive perception of changes in affordances for walking on a ship at sea

Ocean waves cause oscillatory motion of ships. Oscillatory ship motion typically is greater in roll (i.e., the ship rolling from side to side) than in pitch (i.e., tipping from front to back). Affordances for walking on a ship at sea should be differentially influenced by ship motion in roll and pitch. When roll exceeds pitch, the maximum walkable distance within a defined path should be greater when walking along the ship’s short, or athwart axis than when walking along its long, or fore-aft axis. When pitch exceeds roll, this relation should be reversed. We asked whether such changes in ship motion would be reflected in judgments of direction-specific affordances for walking. Participants (experienced maritime crewmembers) judged how far they could walk along a narrow path on the ship deck. On different days, sailing conditions were such that the relative magnitude of pitch and roll was reversed. Judgments of direction-specific affordances for walking mirrored these changes in ship motion. The accuracy of judgments was consistent across directions, and across changes in ship motion. We conclude that experienced maritime crewmembers were sensitive to dynamic variations in affordances for walking that were, themselves, a function of dynamic properties of the animal-environment system.     

The effect of running on foot muscles and bones: A systematic review

Despite the widespread evidence of running as a health-preserving exercise, little is known concerning its effect on the foot musculature and bones. While running may influence anatomical foot adaptation, it remains unclear to what extent these adaptations occur. The aim of this paper is to provide a systematic review of the studies that investigated the effects of running and the adaptations that occur in foot muscles and bones. The search was performed following the PRISMA guidelines. Relevant keywords were used for the search through PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus and SPORTDiscus. The methodological quality of intervention studies was assessed using the Downs and Black checklist. For cross-sectional studies, the Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used. Sixteen studies were found meeting the inclusion criteria. In general, the included studies were deemed to be of moderate methodological quality. Although results of relevant literature are limited and somewhat contradictory, the outcome suggests that running may increase foot muscle volume, muscle cross-sectional area and bone density, but this seems to depend on training volume and experience. Future studies conducted in this area should aim for a standard way of reporting foot muscle/bone characteristics. Also, herein, suggestions for future research are provided.     

Cultivating Resilience in Families Who Foster: Understanding How Families Cope and Adapt Over Time

Families who foster offer essential care for children and youth when their own parents are unable to provide for their safety and well‐being. Foster caregivers face many challenges including increased workload, emotional distress, and the difficulties associated with health and mental health problems that are more common in children in foster care. Despite these stressors, many families are able to sustain fostering while maintaining or enhancing functioning of their unit. This qualitative study applied an adaptational process model of family resilience that emerged in previous studies to examine narratives of persistent, long‐term, and multiple fostering experiences. Data corroborated previous research in two ways. Family resilience was again described as a transactional process of coping and adaptation that evolves over time. This process was cultivated through the activation of 10 family strengths that are important in different ways, during varied phases.     

Face-space: A unifying concept in face recognition research

The concept of a multidimensional psychological space, in which faces can be represented according to their perceived properties, is fundamental to the modern theorist in face processing. Yet the idea was not clearly expressed until 1991. The background that led to the development of face-space is explained, and its continuing influence on theories of face processing is discussed. Research that has explored the properties of the face-space and sought to understand caricature, including facial adaptation paradigms, is reviewed. Face-space as a theoretical framework for understanding the effect of ethnicity and the development of face recognition is evaluated. Finally, two applications of face-space in the forensic setting are discussed. From initially being presented as a model to explain distinctiveness, inversion, and the effect of ethnicity, face-space has become a central pillar in many aspects of face processing. It is currently being developed to help us understand adaptation effects with faces. While being in principle a simple concept, face-space has shaped, and continues to shape, our understanding of face perception.     

Differential Effects of Two Spelling Procedures on Acquisition,Maintenance and Adaption to Reading

An alternating treatments design was used to assess the effects of a constant time delay (CTD) procedure and a cover-copy-compare (CCC) procedure on three students’ acquisition, subsequent maintenance, and adaptation (i.e., application) of acquired spelling words to reading passages. Students were randomly presented two trials of word lists from their respective curriculum under each condition once daily. Results suggest that both procedures were effective for helping students efficiently acquire spelling words, but the CCC condition resulted in more words learned for all participants, although less pronounced when instructional time was considered. However, the CTD procedure resulted in substantially higher levels of maintenance for Jeremy and Leon, with no significant difference between the two procedures for the Anthony. Adaptation of acquired spelling words to reading was about equal under both conditions for Anthony and Leon, while Jeremy showed higher levels of performance in the CTD procedure. Discussion focuses on discrepant results, matching instructional procedures to specific learning concerns, and directions for future research.     

Regional and Foreign Accent Processing in English: Can Listeners Adapt?

Recent data suggest that the first presentation of a foreign accent triggers a delay in word identification, followed by a subsequent adaptation. This study examines under what conditions the delay resumes to baseline level. The delay will be experimentally induced by the presentation of sentences spoken to listeners in a foreign or a regional accent as part of a lexical decision task for words placed at the end of sentences. Using a blocked design of accents presentation, Experiment 1 shows that accent changes cause a temporary perturbation in reaction times, followed by a smaller but long-lasting delay. Experiment 2 shows that the initial perturbation is dependent on participants’ expectations about the task. Experiment 3 confirms that the subsequent long-lasting delay in word identification does not habituate after repeated exposure to the same accent. Results suggest that comprehensibility of accented speech, as measured by reaction times, does not benefit from accent exposure, contrary to intelligibility.