Interactions between perinatal and neonatal associative learning defined by contiguous olfactory and tactile stimulation

Tactile stimulation of the neonate, as performed by the mother during and after delivery, has been described as an effective unconditioned stimulus during early ontogeny (Leon, 1987; Ronca & Alberts, 1994). The present experiments examined the interaction between perinatal and neonatal learning determined by the explicit association between alcohol odor and vigorous body stimulation of the perinatal organism. In Experiment 1, rat fetuses were exposed to either alcohol or saline 10 min prior to cesarean delivery. The alcohol administration procedure here employed was sufficient to provide sensory contamination of the amniotic fluid but avoid fetal alcohol intoxication. Pups in the two prenatal treatments later experienced the smell of alcohol, tactile stimulation, or both stimuli explicitly paired or unpaired. Other postnatal groups were composed of pups that had no explicit experience with either experimental stimulus. Pups subjected to alcohol odor in utero displayed more overall motor activity in response to that odor than saline controls. The increased motor responses were further potentiated in pups that experienced additional postnatal alcohol odor paired with tactile stimulation. In Experiment 2, pups were exposed to alcohol in the amniotic fluid 10 or 30 min prior to birth. As previously demonstrated the memory acquired in utero appears highly dependent upon contingency between exposure to this particular scent and delivery procedures. Pups in both prenatal treatment groups were then exposed to alcohol odor paired or unpaired with tactile stimulation. Some control animals received no further experience with either stimuli. Those pups exposed to alcohol odor paired with tactile stimulation both pre- and postnatally later showed maximum motor activity elicited by the odor of alcohol. The results support the notion of fetal associative learning comprising alcohol's chemosensory cues and behaviorally activating stimuli. Furthermore, the conditioned response under analysis is potentiated whenever neonates are reexposed to contingent presentations of the elements that defined the original associative memory.     

EVALUATION OF AN ENHANCED STIMULUS‐STIMULUS PAIRING PROCEDURE TO INCREASE EARLY VOCALIZATIONS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Evidence to support stimulus‐stimulus pairing (SSP) in speech acquisition is less than robust, calling into question the ability of SSP to reliably establish automatically reinforcing properties of speech and limiting the procedure's clinical utility for increasing vocalizations. We evaluated the effects of a modified SSP procedure on low‐frequency within‐session vocalizations that were further strengthened through programmed reinforcement. Procedural modifications (e.g., interspersed paired and unpaired trials) were designed to increase stimulus salience during SSP. All 3 participants, preschoolers with autism, showed differential increases of target over nontarget vocal responses during SSP. Results suggested an automatic reinforcement effect of SSP, although alternative interpretations are discussed, and suggestions are made for future research to determine the utility of SSP as a clinical intervention for speech‐delayed children.     

Forgotten Victims of Military Humanitarian Intervention: A Case for the Principle of Reparation?

The purpose of this article is briefly to present a case for the principle of reparation as a new jus in bello principle for just humanitarian intervention. The article is divided into three sections. In “Restorative Justice and Civilian Protection”, I investigate the idea of restorative justice in order to consider whether or not it can complement the shortcomings of the just war tradition in civilian protection. In “The Legal Framework on Reparation: Its Scope and Limitations”, I examine the scope of the law of armed conflict on reparatory measures in order to consider whether and how ideas of and measures for restorative justice might be incorporated in the jus in bello framework for military humanitarian intervention. In “The Issue of Civilian Victims: A Case for Reparation”, I explore the implications of reparatory measures for victims in order to suggest that these measures are not only beneficial to civilian victims but also imperative to be taken by the interveners if they undertake military intervention within the jus in bello framework and claim its moral justifiability.     

银屑病的发病机制：天然免疫的启示

银屑病是一种常见的炎症性皮肤病,属于自身免疫病的范畴。天然免疫对保护机体免受微生物感染具有重要作用,同时天然免疫在过度激活的情况下又能够导致自身免疫病。银屑病与天然免疫功能紊乱有着密切的关系。只有充分的发挥创造性思维,密切结合临床特征,才能从天然免疫中寻找银屑病发病的相关证据。     

条件反射性免疫抑制研究的新进展

条件反射性免疫抑制 (CIS)模式基于巴甫洛夫条件反射的机理 ,通过大脑对免疫系统进行调节 ,是一种重要的心理神经免疫学方法。近 10年来的研究取得了一些重要的进展。首先 ,条件反射性免疫抑制模型已证实是非常稳定可靠的心理神经免疫模型。其次 ,关于CIS的机制在体液、细胞、神经学方面都有广泛的研究 ,而近年来更趋向于对神经性通路的探讨。而CIS的临床应用性研究也在实验动物身上取得了稳定可靠的结果 ,证实了其未来临床应用的可行性及潜力     

Getting Students to Choose to Do More Work: Evidence of the Effectiveness of the Interspersal Procedure

College students were exposed to two sets of mathematics assignments. For each set students were given an experimental and a control assignment. The control assignments contained 15 three-digit by two-digit target problems. The experimental assignments contained 18 similar target problems as well as six one-digit by one-digit multiplication problems interspersed after every third target problem. In the first assignment set, students were asked to work each assignment for 5 minutes. Although the experimental assignments contained more target problems, results showed that significantly more students chose the experimental assignment and rated it as less difficult and as requiring less effort to complete. In the second assignment set, students were asked to complete both assignments. Again significantly more students rated the experimental assignment as being less difficult and as requiring less effort to complete. Although more students chose the experimental assignment for homework, this difference was not significant. Discussion focuses on using the interspersal procedure to enhance students' perceptions of assignments and alter their choice behavior.     

先入观念对情绪感染力的调节——以教学活动为例

从以往意识性情绪感染的研究中可以推断出, 情绪感染可以被后继的“观念”所调节, 这种观念可以被无意识提取, 那么情绪感染能不能被“先入观念”所调节呢, 即观念先于情绪感染而存在并对情绪感染的最终效果产生影响。实验情境以教学活动为例, 采用被试内设计, 通过实验前的指导语引导学生树立两种教师评价--“权威”教师(积极的先入观念)和“新手”教师(消极的先入观念), 然后给学生播放两位教师的三类教学视频--中性情绪、积极情绪、消极情绪的朗诵视频, 使用BioNeuro八通道生物反馈仪记录学生在观看视频时的生理指标, 每段视频播放后, 要求学生完成《教师课堂情绪感染力评价问卷(学生用)》。实验结果表明, 学生在观看“权威”教师视频时, 其注意力水平不受教师情绪效价的影响, 学生对“权威”教师均能保持较高的“专注”状态, 从而提高了“权威”教师的积极情绪感染力(易感性调节), 而对“新手”教师的“专注”程度较低, 从而削弱了“新手”教师的积极情绪感染力(免疫性调节)。“新手”教师的消极情绪感染力(倦怠)比“权威”教师的消极情绪感染力更强, 这与学生对“权威”教师的消极情绪进行“合理化”解释有关, 从而免疫了“权威”教师的消极情绪感染力。问卷调查结果也表明, 学生对“权威”教师的情绪感染力评价(无论是中性、积极或消极视频)要极其显著好于对“新手”教师的评价。由此说明, 先入观念对情绪感染的调节方式有两种：“专注”和“合理化”, 调节的结果也有两种：“易感性”与“免疫性”。     

吗啡对不同距离条件下大鼠信号追踪和目标追踪的影响

条件刺激短暂呈现并消失后, 奖赏立即呈现, 多次匹配后诱导出动物对条件刺激(信号追踪)或奖赏呈现装置如食盒(目标追踪)的接近。条件刺激与食盒间的距离是影响信号/目标追踪反应和损害联结学习的重要变量, 成瘾药物能够增加奖赏的诱因动机, 进而增加个体的奖赏寻求行为。距离能否通过损害联结学习而减弱成瘾药物的动机放大作用尚未见到报道。本实验采用autoshaping模型, 考察8、30和60 cm距离条件下吗啡处理对大鼠信号追踪和目标追踪的影响。结果发现：(1)信号追踪随距离增加而减少, 目标追踪对距离不敏感。(2)急性吗啡处理减少8、30和60 cm条件下信号追踪而增加8和60 cm条件下目标追踪, 慢性吗啡处理在8和30 cm条件下减少信号追踪增加目标追踪; 消退检测中, 吗啡前暴露减少8和60 cm条件下信号追踪而增加60 cm条件下目标追踪。(3)辨别反转学习中, 吗啡前暴露使30和60 cm条件下的大鼠偏爱旧信号、辨别力受损, 减少8、30和60 cm条件下大鼠对新信号的接触。这些结果提示, 距离较少影响吗啡的信号追踪抑制作用和目标追踪增强效应, 而易化吗啡前暴露对反转学习的损害。说明距离是易化成瘾药物对联结学习不利影响而非反转其动机放大作用的重要因素。     

Effects of response‐contingent stimulus pairing on vocalizations of nonverbal children with autism

Research on stimulus–stimulus pairing to induce novel vocalizations in nonverbal children has typically employed response‐independent pairing (RIP) procedures to condition speech sounds as reinforcers. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a response‐contingent pairing (RCP) procedure on the vocalizations of three nonverbal boys diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. During RCP, adult‐delivered sounds that were either paired with a preferred item (target sounds) or not (nontarget sounds) were presented contingent on a button‐press response. In Experiment 1, RCP was compared with an RIP procedure, in which the timing of sound presentations was yoked to the preceding RCP session. RCP produced a greater effect on all participants' target vocalizations than RIP. Experiment 2 demonstrated the effects of differential reinforcement of the vocalizations induced in Experiment 1. The results suggest that RCP may develop vocalizations more reliably than RIP procedures.     

背景性渴求与事件性渴求:区分心理渴求对尼古丁成瘾的不同作用路径

大量研究发现心理渴求机制的紊乱是尼古丁成瘾的核心机制之一。线索暴露是探索心理渴求与尼古丁成瘾关系的重要研究范式。但最近研究者提出该范式较难区分事件性渴求与背景性渴求,导致无法清楚定位渴求在尼古丁成瘾中扮演的角色。通过对以往文献的回顾,对不同成瘾概念、作用机制和生理基础进行对比分析,认为事件性渴求与背景性渴求两者在维持成瘾行为上的确存在不同的作用路径。未来研究应改进实验范式,分别探讨两种心理渴求与尼古丁成瘾的内在联系,完善心理渴求与尼古丁成瘾的关系模型,为尼古丁成瘾的治疗和干预等方法提供一定的理论依据。