The role of working memory components and visuospatial abilities in route learning within a virtual environment

An experiment was run to complete our understanding of the involvement of working memory (WM) components in the construction of a spatial model from visual input, considering some of the visuospatial abilities known to modulate performance. In addition, to allow for consideration of the flexibility of the spatial representation, routes in a virtual environment were presented with a route perspective, and tests were presented with route and survey perspectives. The results indicate that the verbal and spatial WM are only involved in the memorisation of certain types of information, and that their involvement depends on the change of perspective necessitated by the task. Thus, even when the learning material and the tests used to assess performance are only visual, a verbal recoding of some information is necessary. Moreover, individual differences modulate the involvement of WM; an individual with higher visuospatial capacities uses more spatial WM than an individual with lower spatial capacities.     

Why it is difficult to see the anima as a helpful object: critique and clinical relevance of the theory of archetypes

This paper is divided into three parts. The first deals briefly with more general aspects of the theory of archetypes (as conceived by Jung); the second examines the anima archetype in rather more detail, because it is, apart from the self, the main archetype in Jung's thought; and the third discusses the clinical repercussions of the anima theory and of the theory of the archetypes in general. The various references to Jung himself and certain circumstances of his life are included here on the assumption that personal problems in his biography contributed decisively to the constitution of his theory, so that deeper insights accure if they are taken into account.     

Abilities and strategies of blind and sighted subjects in visuo-spatial imagery

An active visuo-spatial memory task was used in order to determine the characteristics of mental imagery in subjects with and without visual experience. Subjects were instructed to generate a mental representation of verbally presented 2D patterns that were placed in a grid and to indicate how many pattern elements were in corresponding positions in the two halves of the grid according to a specific grid axis (vertical or horizontal). Unexpectedly, results showed a similar performance in early blind, late blind and sighted subjects. However, subjects' debriefing showed that the three groups used different strategies. The sighted and the late blind subjects took advantage of a visuo-spatial strategy. They generated a mental image of the matrix and they simplified this image to maintain only the relevant information in memory. In contrast, the early blind subjects encoded each pattern element by its location in a (X,Y) coordinate system without visual representation. This indicates that both early and late blind subjects are able to perform an active visuo-spatial imagery task as well as sighted subjects although they use different strategies.     

Base rates versus sample accuracy: competition for control in human matching to sample

People often place undue weight on specific sources of information (case cues) and insufficient weight on more global sources (base rates) even when the latter are highly predictive, a phenomenon termed base-rate neglect. This phenomenon was first demonstrated with paper-and-pencil tasks, and also occurs in a matching-to-sample procedure in which subjects directly experience case sample (cue) accuracy and base rates, and in which discrete, nonverbal choices are made. In two nonverbal experiments, subjects were exposed to hundreds of trials in which they chose between two response options that were both probabilistically reinforced. In Experiment 1, following one of two possible samples (the unpredictive sample), either response was reinforced with a .5 probability. The other sample (predictive) provided reinforcement for matching on 80% of the trials in one condition but in only 20% of the trials in another condition. Subjects' choices following the unpredictive sample were determined primarily by the contingencies in effect for the predictive sample: If matching was reinforced following the predictive sample, subjects tended to match the unpredictive sample as well; if countermatching the predictive sample was generally reinforced, subjects tended to countermatch the unpredictive sample. These results demonstrate only weak control by base rates. In Experiment 2, base rates and sample accuracy were simultaneously varied in opposite directions to keep one set of conditional probabilities constant. Subjects' choices were determined primarily by the overall accuracy of the sample, again demonstrating only weak control by base rates. The same pattern of choice occurred whether this pattern increased or decreased rate of reinforcement. Together, the results of the two experiments provide a clear empirical demonstration of base-rate neglect.     

父母忽视对青少年自杀意念的影响:自尊和希望的中介作用

为考察父母忽视对青少年自杀意念的影响及其作用机制,采用父母忽视量表、自尊量表、希望量表和自杀意念量表,对全国七个省份八所中学共845名初二学生进行调查。结果表明：（1）父母忽视、自尊、希望和自杀意念两两之间存在显著的相关,且父母忽视对自杀意念具有显著的正向预测作用;（2）自尊和希望在父母忽视与自杀意念的关系中起部分中介作用。具体而言,父母忽视通过三条路径影响自杀意念：一是自尊的单独中介作用;二是希望的单独中介作用;三是自尊-希望的链式中介作用。本研究揭示了父母忽视与青少年自杀意念的关系及其作用机制,对预防以及减少青少年自杀行为具有一定的现实意义。     

Visuo-spatial processing in congenitally blind people: is there a gender-related preference?

Several studies have shown that blind and sighted individuals are equally able to generate and process visuo-spatial images. However, differences emerge when active manipulation of information is required. A similar distinction has been reported in studies investigating gender-related preferences in visuo-spatial tasks indicating a male advantage in active tasks only. The present study investigates gender-related visuo-spatial preference in congenitally blind people by using active and passive working memory tasks. The results show significant effects due to gender and blindness; nevertheless, gender effects are more pronounced in the blind group and maximised in the active task. These data are interpreted within a theoretical framework that accounts for the different factors modulating the development of visuo-spatial abilities.     

Palm Beach County Child Abuse and Neglect System Redesign: Initial Process Evaluation

For the families in Palm Beach County who entered the child abuse and neglect system as a result of having a child placed into emergency shelter, their experience was that the system was frequently intimidating, confusing, and fragmented. The reaction of the children and their families to this system was often defensiveness and resistance. To increase the system's effectiveness, it was redesigned and privatized. The redesigned system included centralized shelter placement, a comprehensive assessment, independent service coordination, and treatment service provision within a managed care model. By emphasizing family involvement and quality service provision, the goal was to increase voluntary participation and improve family outcomes. Based on initial data, it appears that the redesigned system has been successfully implemented and has made notable progress toward meeting its system flow timeframes. The initial data also indicate that high percentages of families are participating in and are satisfied with the system, that children are spending less time in shelter placements, and that only one family has reentered the system.     

忽视性阅读障碍的研究概况

首先介绍了忽视性阅读障碍(neglect dyslexia, ND)的概念,随后描述了ND病人在阅读过程中的表现,即衰减效应、词汇效应、词内区分效应、对称效应和词长效应以及保留的语义通达能力。尽管忽视症和ND可以分离,但两者之间有一定联系。文章最后对汉语ND的研究进行了分析和展望,认为其关键问题是阐明汉语ND在多大程度上与拼音文字ND具有可比性。     

Etiology and Management of Elder Self‐Neglect

This article addresses the challenges of defining and accurately identifying elder self‐neglect and explores an interdisciplinary team model, including counselors and mental health professionals, designed to implement prevention and intervention strategies. The challenge of striking a balance between the need to respect the individual elders' autonomy and the need to attend to their health care needs is underscored.     

Neural correlates of visuospatial consciousness in 3D default space: Insights from contralateral neglect syndrome

One of the most compelling questions still unanswered in neuroscience is how consciousness arises. In this article, we examine visual processing, the parietal lobe, and contralateral neglect syndrome as a window into consciousness and how the brain functions as the mind and we introduce a mechanism for the processing of visual information and its role in consciousness. We propose that consciousness arises from integration of information from throughout the body and brain by the thalamus and that the thalamus reimages visual and other sensory information from throughout the cortex in a default three-dimensional space in the mind. We further suggest that the thalamus generates a dynamic default three-dimensional space by integrating processed information from corticothalamic feedback loops, creating an infrastructure that may form the basis of our consciousness. Further experimental evidence is needed to examine and support this hypothesis, the role of the thalamus, and to further elucidate the mechanism of consciousness.