Motor activity and spatial proximity: Relationships to infant emotions and maternal postpartum depression

The ability to express emotions is a protective factor for infant development. Despite the multimodal nature of emotion expression, research has mainly focused on facial expressions of emotions. The present study examined motor activity and spatial proximity in relation to positive and negative infant facial expressions and maternal postpartum depression during face-to-face interactions at four months. Video cameras and a motion capture system recorded mother-infant interactions. Repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted to analyze the effect of micro-coded infant positive and negative facial affect and maternal depression diagnosis on automatically extracted measures of motor activity and spatial proximity, including speed of mothers’ arm movements (nondepressed = 32; PPD = 16), and infants’ arm movements (nondepressed = 29; PPD = 17), and head distance (nondepressed = 45; PPD = 27). Results showed that the speed of infants’ arm movements and head distance were greater during negative compared to positive infant affect. Further, the results demonstrated that the speed of PPD mothers’ arm movements was slower than the speed of nondepressed mothers’ arm movements. In the discussion, it is suggested that increased speed of infant arm movements during negative affect functions to elicit faster caregiving responses, and that increased head distance during negative infant affect functions to decrease the intensity of the interaction. Finally, the slower speed of arm movements in PPD mothers suggests psychomotor retardation, which is proposed to limit these mothers’ abilities to engage their infants during the interaction.     

Romantic relationships of young people with childhood and adolescent onset antisocial behavior problems

Using prospective longitudinal data from the Christchurch Health and Development Study, this paper examines the extent to which early onset, life course persistent and adolescent limited antisocial behavior problems place young people at risk of violent and unsatisfactory romantic relationships in early adulthood. Results revealed the presence of clear linear associations between the developmental timing of antisocial behavior and later partnership risks, with these risks including partner violence perpetration and victimization, interpartner conflict, and increased ambivalence about the relationship. Young people with childhood onset antisocial behavior problems reported higher rates of partnership difficulties than young people with adolescent limited antisocial behavior problems, while those with adolescent limited antisocial behavior reported higher levels of partnership difficulties than young people without a history of antisocial behavior problems. These associations persisted even after extensive control for a range of social, family, and individual factors that were correlated with the timing of antisocial behavior. Results highlight the importance of distinguishing between early and late onset antisocial behavior, and provide further support for existing life course models of the development of antisocial behavior problems in children and adolescents.     

Asynchronous perception of motion and luminance change

Observers were asked to indicate when a target moving on a circular trajectory changed its luminance. The judged position of the luminance change was displaced from the true position in the direction of motion, indicating differences between the times-to-consciousness of motion and luminance change. Motion was processed faster than luminance change. The latency difference was more pronounced for a small (116–134 ms) than for a large luminance decrement (37 ms). The results show that first-order motion is perceived before an accurate representation of luminance is available. These findings are consistent with current accounts of the flash-lag effect. Two control experiments ruled out that the results were due to a general forward tendency. Localization of the target when an auditory signal was presented did not produce forward displacement, and the judged onset of motion was not shifted in the direction of motion.     

Dynamic object perception by pigeons: discrimination of action in video presentations

Two experiments examined the discrimination by pigeons of relative motion using computer-generated video stimuli. Using a go/no-go procedure, pigeons were tested with video stimuli in which the camera's perspective went either "around" or "through" an approaching object in a semi-realistic context. Experiment 1 found that pigeons could learn this discrimination and transfer it to videos composed from novel objects. Experiment 2 found that the order of the video's frames was critical to the discrimination of the videos. We hypothesize that the pigeons perceived a three-dimensional representation of the objects and the camera's relative motion and used this as the primary basis for discrimination. It is proposed that the pigeons might be able to form generalized natural categories for the different kinds of motions portrayed in the videos. Accepted after revision: 23 March 2001 Electronic Publication     

To cross or not to cross: Impact of visual and auditory cues on pedestrians’ crossing decision-making

The controlled study of pedestrians’ crossing decision-making is relevant to the search for better safety conditions for this class of vulnerable road users. Several risk factors have been identified in the literature related to the crosswalks’ surrounding environment, the socio-demographic characteristics of the pedestrians crossing the road and the place where the crosswalks are inserted, as well as situational variables, such as speed and distance of the approaching vehicle during the crossing. In this work, the roles of visual and auditory cues in crossing decisions were analysed, comparing different speeds and distances, and taking into consideration different speed patterns of the approaching vehicle, aiming to identify what can affect pedestrians’ crossing behaviour. Experiments were performed in a virtual environment. Participants were presented with 10 different stimuli featuring a vehicle approaching with different speeds and movement patterns, combined with 2 auditory conditions: one concerning a vehicle with a gasoline combustion engine and another one with no sound cues. Participants were tasked with indicating the moment they decided to cross the street when they thought it was safe to do so by pressing a response button. Percentage of crossings, response time (RT), and time-to-passage (TTP) were recorded and subsequently analysed. The results showed that lower speeds and higher distances lead to higher percentages of crossings and RTs. The auditory condition did not significantly affect participants’ responses, leading to the conclusion that participants’ crossing decision was especially based on their visual perception of the movement characteristics of the approaching vehicle, particularly its speed and distance. These results may have relevance for the development of communication strategies between the vehicles, especially the automated ones, and pedestrians.     

Can driving condition prompt systems improve passenger comfort of intelligent vehicles? A driving simulator study

The main trend in the development of intelligent vehicles has been on ensuring comfort, safety, efficiency, and environmental sustainability. However, current research focuses primarily on the safety and energy saving of intelligent vehicles, and a comfortable driving experience through a human–machine interaction system has not been sufficiently investigated. This study used a high-fidelity 6-degree-of-freedom driving simulator to evaluate the impact of an independently-designed vehicle driving condition prompt (DCP) systems on subjective passenger comfort and motion sickness. The experiment showed that when future driving information is obtained through the vehicle DCP systems, the passengers' subjective comfort is improved, motion sickness is alleviated, and the degree of passenger posture instability is reduced. These conclusions contribute toward improving the comfort of autonomous vehicles and providing a reference for the future design of human–machine interaction systems for intelligent vehicles.     

Spatial attention can be biased towards an expected dimension

A commonly held view in both exogenous and endogenous orienting is that spatial attention is associated with enhanced processing of all stimuli at the attended location. However, we often search for a specific target at a particular location, so an observer should be able to jointly specify the target identity and expected location. Whether attention can bias dimension-specific processes at a particular location is not yet clear. We used a dual task to examine the effects of endogenous spatial cues on the accuracy of perceptual judgments of different dimensions. Participants responded to a motion target and a colour target, presented at the same or different locations. We manipulated a central cue to predict the location of the motion or colour target. While overall performance in the two tasks was comparable, cueing effects were larger for the target whose location was predicted by the cue, implying that when attending a particular location, processing of the likely dimension was preferentially enhanced. Additionally, an asymmetry between the motion and colour tasks was seen; motion was modulated by attention, and colour was not. We conclude that attention has some ability to select a dimension at a particular location, indicating integration of spatial and feature-based attention.     

MTHFR and ACE gene polymorphisms and risk of vascular and degenerative dementias in the elderly

Focal lacunar infarctions due to cerebral small vessel atherosclerosis or single/multiple large cortical infarcts lead to vascular dementia, and different genes and environmental factors have been implicated in causation or aggravation of the disease. Previous reports suggest that some of the risk factors may be common to both vascular as well as degenerative dementia. Among genetic factors, role of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and methylene-tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genes as putative risk factors has been examined but the outcome of these studies remain inconclusive. Present study attempted to see the importance of ACE alu insertion/deletion and MTHFR C677T polymorphisms as genetic predisposers to dementia. The study comprised of 80 vascular dementia patients, 90 degenerative dementia patients and 170 age matched controls. All were genotyped for ACE, MTHFR and APOE polymorphisms using PCR-RFLP method. Frequency of ACE D allele was seemingly high in dementia cases (26.7%) when compared to controls (11.2%). However, after adjusting for age and APOE E4^*, none of the ACE alleles showed good correlation. MTHFR genotypes or alleles also did not show any correlation. Our study suggests no true correlation of ACE or MTHR genes with dementia in elderly.     

Typologies of Alcohol Dependence. From Jellinek to Genetics and Beyond

The goal of typology research is to identify subtypes of alcohol dependent (AD) patients sharing fundamental characteristics and try to match each subtype, with the most precise treatment strategy. This review provides a comprehensive history of the literature on alcohol dependent subtypes starting from the earliest attempt made by Jellinek. The binary models identified most closely with Cloninger and Babor as well as the successively more complex classifications are discussed. Typology classification potentially useful in guiding the treatment of AD patients, especially in the case of the serotonergic medications. Contrasting data suggests that other factors could influence the response to a medication and/or that more complex typologies should be identified. In summary, typology models may assist in the ascertainment criteria for clinical trials performed in behavioral and pharmacotherapeutic interventions. Greater emphasis, however, must be made to more clearly delineate this field of research, while moving toward more standardized typologies.     

Development of adolescence‐limited,late‐onset,and persistent offenders from age 8 to age 48

This article investigates the life success at ages 32 and 48 of four categories of males: nonoffenders, adolescence‐limited offenders (convicted only at ages 10–20), late‐onset offenders (convicted only at ages 21–50), and persistent offenders (convicted at both ages 10–20 and 21–50). In the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, 411 South London males have been followed up from age 8 to 48 in repeated personal interviews. There was considerable continuity in offending over time. Persistent offenders had the longest criminal careers (averaging 18.4 years), and most of them had convictions for violence. Persistent offenders were leading the most unsuccessful lives at ages 32 and 48, although all categories of males became more successful with age. By age 48, the life success of adolescence‐limited offenders was similar to that of nonoffenders. The most important risk factors at ages 8–18 that predicted which offenders would persist after age 21 were heavy drinking at age 18, hyperactivity at ages 12–14, and low popularity and harsh discipline at ages 8–10. The most important risk factors that predicted which nonoffenders would onset after age 21 were poor housing and low nonverbal IQ at ages 8–10, high neuroticism at age 16, and anti‐establishment attitudes and motoring convictions at age 18. It was suggested that nervousness and neuroticism may have protected children at risk from offending in adolescence and the teenage years. Aggr. Behav. 35:150–163, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.